It's always a good day for a party in Hobbiton as you can see in this screenshot from MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE.
© Turbine Entertainment Software
Preview: MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE
By: Frank PaisDate: Monday, April 19, 2004
Turbine Entertainment Software currently has two of the most talked about licenses in development for the Massively Multiplayer Online market. DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS ONLINE and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE have the math geeks and English literature junkies quivering in anticipation. With recent success (read mass appeal) of "The Lord of the Rings" in theatres, we can additionally expect a fair share of supermodels and business tycoons lining up to subscribe to MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE.
MEO boasts many standard features familiar to the online gamer, but also plans to be one of the first to introduce Offline Progression which they call Time Based Advancement. This feature is an insult to some hardcore gamers, but will definitely appeal to casual gamer. In fact, once those hardcore gamers realize they don't have to click on a log of wood a million times to improve their Lumbering skill, I'm sure they will fall in line as well. Other features include player housing, private encounters (an instanced dungeon meant only for your party), kinships (player clans with ranks, housing and heirs), and a detailed economy based on the work of Tolkien (for example, elvish communities operate strictly on a Gifting system, while the rest of Middle-Earth uses silver and gold as currency.) As evident from these exclusive screen shots, the landscapes look absolutely breathtaking. The Shire, Bree-land and Eriador are rendered precisely how many of us imagined when we first read the novels. We can't wait to see the Land of Shadow, Mordor!
We recently hooked up with Timothy Holman, Senior Producer of MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE, to ask him a few questions. I think it's safe to say this guy is a Tolkien enthusiast.
Cinescape: Does building a massively multiplayer online game based on well known literature help or hinder the longevity of the game? Eventually won't the player run out of places to visit, NPCs to meet, creatures to encounter?
Holman: THE LORD OF THE RINGS is not just well known; it is A beautiful Elf city in the Tower Hills region of MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE. © Turbine Entertainment Software
It's true that eventually a player might explore every square inch of the map, talk with every NPC, battle every creature, and complete every quest. But not for a very long time for MEO will have regular free content updates that add even more to do and see for subscribers!
Cinescape: Has Peter Jackson's films influenced the look of MEO? For someone that hasn't read the novels, do you feel it might be easier for that player to become immersed in a location that visually resembles what was seen in the films?
Holman: The license for MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE covers material from the original books, but is completely unrelated to the movies by Peter Jackson. This gives us tremendous freedom to create an imaginative and original take on Tolkien's works.
The world that Tolkien created is so large and richly detailed that it would have been impossible to show every part of it in a movie. With an MMP we don't have that restriction, and we've spent a lot of effort to make MEO as authentically "Middle-earth" as possible. Fans of the movies will still recognize Hobbits, Elves, and so on, but they will also have the opportunity to encounter creatures and places that the Fellowship or the movies never made it to.
Cinescape: Aside from Tolkien fans, how will MEO appeal to the non-gamer?Holman: Let's not be so cavalier in dismissing the Tolkien fans! With the release A Hobbit struggling against undead in Barrow Downs in this screenshot from MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE. © Turbine Entertainment Software
But if you're neither a Tolkien fan nor a gamer, MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE may make you into both. Our combat system is intuitive but full of options, making it accessible to newcomers and veterans alike. The game world is rendered in loving detail, from the sign on the Prancing Pony to the flames surrounding the Balrog. Quests, landscape, and NPCs are all drawn from or inspired by the stories of Tolkien. If you weren't a Tolkien fan before playing MEO, you will be after living in his world!
Cinescape: With so many MMP games coming out in the next few years, does the Team feel that MEO will have a healthy share of the MMP market or are you relying mostly on the niche of Tolkien enthusiasts?
Holman: One of the mistakes that people often make is thinking that the size of the MMP market is fixed, and that each new game must fight for a slice of the existing pie. In fact, the number of MMP players is still growing, and MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE will be one of the games that brings the genre to new and old players. The combination of our highly polished gameplay and a world set in THE LORD OF THE RINGS is one that we believe will satisfy players of all levels and interests.
* * *
Cinescape would like to thank the hobbits, dwarves, elves and men at Turbine for taking the time to answer our questions. We look forward to sharing a few mugs of ale with you at The Prancing Pony in late 2004. Check out www.middle-earthonline.com for the latest news on this epic!
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