Creatures of Middle Earth: Hillmen

The Lord of the Rings Online official site has been updated with another article in their Creatures of Middle Earth series. This time the focus is on the Hillmen of Rhudaur, who have once again fallen under the power of Angmar.

In the Third Age, the Hillmen seized power in Rhudaur and forged an alliance with the realm of Angmar. Twice they invaded Arnor, and during the second war the North Kingdom was destroyed. But their victory was short-lived. Eärnur, Prince of Gondor, and the Elves of Rivendell and Linden drove the Witch-king of Angmar and his armies out of the North, laying waste to all who served Angmar.
In the years that followed, the scattered remnants of the Hillmen gradually came together in the southwest barrens of Angmar. Many foreswore their old allegiance to the ruined and evil kingdom of Angmar and took up a nomadic existence, each tribe co-existing in relative peace with one another, living simple lives as hunters and shepherds . . . until the Ring was found and Sauron stirred once more. Through oppression and subversion, many of the clans have renewed their allegiance to Angmar and its Steward, Míaran.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, little is said of the Hillmen of Rhudaur beyond that they fell under the shadow of the Witch-king and allied with Angmar against Arthedain and Cardolan. In The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, many Hillmen have renewed their allegiance to Angmar, while others are exploited by the Angmarim - the Steadfast in service to the Iron Crown of Angmar, newly returned to power in Carn Dûm. Aided by a Ranger of the North, a few of the Hillmen are determined to remain free of the yoke of Angmar, biding their time, awaiting the right moment to bring Carn Dûm down around the ears of their oppressors.

Making every other fantasy game look like a cheesy Renaissance Festival

Setting an MMORPG in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth seems like a blessing and a curse: on the one hand, the meticulously constructed storylines and rich veins of lore; on the other, an ever-growing legion of critical fans who demand perfection. Mercifully, newcomers and long-time devotees alike should recognize this game as a cunningly crafted love letter to the acclaimed source material.
The realistic bent of the art direction might not have the cartoony consistency of World of Warcraft, and the system requirements might seem comparatively steep, but once you've experienced the rolling fields of Bree-land and the squat farms of The Shire, there's no going back to the low-poly angles of Azeroth's contrivances. Every storied location is brought to verdant life, rich with detailed flora, deadly fauna, and huge expanses to explore.


Lord of the Rings Online drinks deep from Tolkien's well, offering up scenes starring the likes of Elrond, Gimli, and Strider right from the beginning, whether you're Elf, Man, Dwarf, or Hobbit. Quests are plentiful to the point of overflowing, and though most follow the familiar pattern of fetching a certain number of animal parts, killing a kind of monster, or running an object from one end of the realm to the other, the story segments that pop up at regular intervals are distinctly memorable, and make players feel like a part of world events and more than just another level-grinding scrub. More importantly, the underlying threads tying adventures together are more convincing and well thought-out than in any other MMO.

Lotro:Exploring Middle Earth: the Greenway

The Lord of the Rings online official site has been update with another edition of their Exploring Middle Earth series, where they take a look at some of the interesting locations in LotRO. This time around it's the Greenway.



In the days of Elendil and his descendents, the North Road ran from Fornost down through Andrath until it became the South Road at Tharbad. From there it continued all the way to Minas Tirith in Gondor as the primary trade-route between the North and South Kingdoms. The wars with Angmar and Rhudaur that brought the North-kingdom to an end also caused trade between north and south to fail.





Disused for a thousand years, particularly north of Bree, the Greenway is overgrown with grass and is little travelled except by refugees from the war-torn south. Brigands and ruffians lie in wait alongside the ancient highway waiting to prey on the weak and unguarded. Few now dare the treacherous wilds through which the Road runs.
The Greenway is a well-known road in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the one Tom Bombadil took Frodo and his companions to after their narrow escape from the barrow of the last prince of Cardolan. In The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM: Shadows of AngmarTM, many dangers lie along the Greenway, as well as many opportunities for adventure.

LOTRO Information Minister Update

After our recent commentary on the LOTRO subscribers claims, Turbine’s new head of marketing had the following statement to say in response to the MMO blogging press lies, lies and more lies!

LotRO Subscriber Numbers?

So a press release went out announcing a 7 day trial for Lord of the Rings Online:Shadows of Angmar. I sure wish there was one of those before I bought the box But anyway….I found this quote of the press release particularly interesting:
Since its launch in April, LOTRO has quickly become the second largest MMORPG with an estimated 4 million characters calling Middle-earth their home. The game continues to grow with two massive updates that have increased the world by over 20%:
First of all - 4 million characters. I’m assuming they’re not talking about unique subscribers, they’re referring to characters. I’m not sure what that might put the subscriber numbers at, but I was guessing under 1 million since there hasn’t been a press release announcing that they’ve reached the 1 million mark.
So, that brings us to my second point. Really the second largest MMORPG? How about Lineage and Lineage 2? Or Runescape? If we’re talking in sheer character numbers, I think we would have to look at games like Gaia Online, or Maple Story even. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t know if there is 100% accuracy in that statement.
Anyway, enjoy the trial if you’re looking for a game to play. =)

Lotro: Some Creatures Screenshots

Here is some Screenshots form Lord of the Rings Online,showing some Creatures.

Lotro:Emotes Guide 2.0

Emotes are a great feature to any MMO and LOTRO has some of the best. From /smoke to /music, LOTRO has some of the most unique emotes of any MMO on the market. This is not only fun, but it adds a deep layer of immersion to the gaming environment and with the launch of the Book 10 update we got even more with forty two new emotes.


Book 10 Emotes
/Ahem:
This emote allows you to clear your throat. Ahem.
/Agree:
This allows you to indicate that you agree with something.
/Assist:
You decide to assist someone.
/Attack:
This emote allows you to insinuate you want to attack something.
/Blush:
Your cheeks turn red as you blush from embarrassment.
/Bother:
You pester the people around you.
/BRB:
This tells others you will be right back.
/Burp:
With a little gas build up, you burp loudly. How rude!!!
/Calm:
You try to calm down those around you.
/Charge:
This allows you to scream charge. Lead those troops into battle.
/Clap:
You clap for those around you.
/Congratulate:
You congratulate those around you on a job well done.
/Curtsey:
You take a curtsey bow for those around you. I didn’t know we had Ballet in Middle Earth?
/Drool:
You drool a bit. Wipe your mouth man!
/Fidget:
You glance around and fidget nervously.
/Fight:
You let others know you are ready to fight something.
/Followme:
This will tell others they should follow you now.
/Giggle:
You giggle at those around you.
/Grumble:
Aggravated by current events, you grumble at those around you.
/Hug:
You hug those around you as you offer some lovin.
/Innocent:
You let those around you know that you are innocent. That is also usually a sign of guilt.
/LOL:
This emote allows you to Laugh Out Loud.
/Mumble:
You mumble under your voice.
/Nothing:
You do nothing..
/OOP:
This allows you to say the one thing yoyu never want to here from a Minstrel during battle. Out of Power.
/Pat:
You pat someone on the head.
/Poke:
You poke someone near you. Hey quit it!!!
/Ready:
You let those around you know that you are ready.
/Rest:
You ask those around you to stop and rest. Being an anchor are we?
/Shiver:
You shiver at something.
/Slap:
You slap someone across the cheek. Be ready to duck or they may slap you with a club.
/Sorry:
You apologize to those around you. This is also good to do after a slap. It might avoid the club.
/Stare:
You give someone a good long stare.
/Story:
You tell those around you a story. Probably all lies, but a good emote none the less.
/Stretch:
You stretch so that others know you are ready.
/Sweat:
You start sweating a little. Nervous are we?
Tear:
A single tear rolls down your cheek.
/Think:
You ponder what’s next.
/Wait:
You ask those around you to wait a moment. Still being an anchor eh?
/Whistle:
You whistle at someone.
/Wince:
You take one look at something and wince.
/Wink:
You give someone a friendly wink.
/Yawn:
The day has taken its toll on you as you Yawn loudly.


Traditional Emotes
Emote
Description
/AFK:
This emote indicates to others that you are away from your keyboard. This is generally what people use when they step away. To add, if you type /afk “Add message here.” You can personalize your afk message.
/Angry:
This emote causes you to become angry. Generally a good way to express displeasure at something as your avatar waves his fist in the air with an unfriendly look.
/Beckon:
This emote causes you to beckon someone.
/Beg
This emote causes you to beg. This is usually the emote I get when I play music. Followed by, “Please stop.”
/Bio:
This emote tells others you are taking a short break to refresh yourself. Nothing quite says I got to go like your character hopping up and down with his knees folded while clutching his groin.
/Bored:
This emote causes you to look bored. When your bored a large yawn will let them know it.
/Bow:
This emote causes you to bow.
/Cheer:
This emote causes you to cheer. Cheer your friends on as they pummel your enemies…Just don’t forget to heal them while doing it or you might get /angry.
/Confused:
This emote causes you to appear confused. The look on the face says it all duh huh.
/Cough:
This emote causes you to cough. This one doesn’t really need me to explain it. Just cover your mouth.
/Cower:
This emote causes you to cower in fear. Chicken.
/Crazy:
This emote causes you to mime insanity. If you think the guy beside you is nuts, the ol screwy finger to the side of the head will let everyone else know it.
/Cry:
This emote causes you to cry. Have some humility man. How are the forces of evil going to feel when faced with a crying Guardian eh?
/Dance:
This emote causes you to dance and is the first of many dance moves. I warn you some of us can’t dance.
/Dance1:
This emote causes you to dance. A second dance move version. You think the first one was bad for some, wait till you see it compiled with a second.
/Dance2:
This emote causes you to dance. Yep a third and for some it’s even worse.
/Dance3:
This emote causes you to dance. Unless a person can dance they should not have made it past the second one. If they did take your bow and shoot them.
/Drink:
This emote causes you to drink. Nothing tops off a battle like a refreshing drink.
/Dustoff:
This emote causes you to dust yourself off. After a battle brush yourself off to spite your foes.
/Eat:
This emote causes you to eat. A simple emote for having a bite to eat.
/Faint:
This emote causes you to faint. This ones really funny. Especially if its your tank that’s doing it. Feeling a bit light headed and a fast collapse to the ground. A tad overacted as well.
/Flex::
This emote causes you to flex. If you have no muscles don’t. the orc will laugh at you.
/Flirt:
This emote causes you to flirt. Its really scary when no ones around the person flirting.
/Handstand:
This emote causes you to perform a handstand. Feeling athletic? Try a balance act on your hands. If you’re lucky the orc won’t gank you before you get down.
/Impatient:
This emote causes you to act impatient. Tired of waiting? This will let them know it.
/Kiss:
This emote causes you to kiss. You guessed it.
/Kneel:
This emote causes you to kneel. Kneeling such as one does in the presence of royalty.
/Laugh:
This emote causes you to laugh. Laugh at your friends or your foes just laugh.
/Liedown:
This emote causes you to lie down. You can do this and lie on the ground and admire the stars.
/Look:
This emote causes you to look around. Glance around the area or at a person.
/Mock:
This emote causes you to mock. Nya Nya Nya Nya NYAAAA
/Mourn:
This emote causes you to mourn. Mourn the loss of a friend. Goes nice with /cry.
/Music:
This allows you to play an instrument. You can also play the instrument to create your own musical sonnets.
/No:
This emote causes you to indicate no. No means NO!!
/Pick
This emote causes you to pick a wedgy. If you can dig a wedgy out of plate or chain armor….your good.
/Point:
This emote causes you to point. Let someone know which way by pointing it out.
/Pose:
This emote causes you to pose heroically. Some people just weren’t meant to look heroic.
/Pushups:
This emote causes you to do Pushups. Useful for staying in shape, well, not really, but the Captain of my Kinship likes to make us do them anyway.
/Roar:
This emote causes you to roar. Roar at your enemies with a vicious cry.
/Rude:
This emote causes you to make a rude gesture. Tell that orc where he can stick the white hand.
/Sad:
This emote causes you to become sad. A lot of folks with emotional disorders in Middle Earth.
/Salute:
This emote causes you to salute. A popular emote as it allows you to salute in a military manner.
/Scold:
This emote causes you to scold. Let’s you tell someone they have been bad.
/Scratch:
This emote causes you to scratch yourself. If it itches, scratch it.
/Shakefist:
This emote causes you to shake your fist. Another angry emote for expressing displeasure with someone.
/Shrug::
This emote causes you to shrug. Another way of saying, “I don’t know.”
/Sigh:
This emote causes you to sigh. Sigh in relief, disappointment or whatever the occasion.
/Sit:
This emote causes you to sit. This will also allow you to sit in a chair if you stand with your back to the seat.
/Smackhead:
This emote causes you to smack yourself. Simply put, ”DOH!!”
/Smoke:
This emote causes you to smoke. Breaks out the pipe and smokes some Pipe-Weed. South Farthing for the win.
/Smoke1:
This emote causes you to choke on your pipe smoke.
/Surrender:
This emote causes you to surrender. So you guys know. Its kind of hard to engage the enemy when your both running in the same direction.
/Talk:
This emote allows you to appear to be having a conversation.
/Tantrum:
This emote causes you to throw a tantrum. Your character throws a childish, fiery fit, even resorting to stomping his feet.
/Thank:
This emote causes you to thank someone. Be polite and thank those around you or an individual.
/Wave:
This emote causes you to wave.
/Yes:
This emote causes you to indicate yes.