Orion - Good Evening, My name is Allan "Orion" Maki and I am a senior designer on The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar and I have a message for my Creeps. (Diminishing returns are coming!)
Keth - Hey, I'm Keth. I'm Lead Content Designer, which means I sit around and make unreasonable demands of the people on the content team.
Keth - I'M THE GOD HERE! I'M THE GOD! MUAHAHAHAH!
Scenario - Evening all! My name is Matt "Scenario" Ellilargely ott - Lead Worldbuilder for LOTRO. The World team is responsible for terrain and dungeon development - though sometimes we dabble a bit in game systems.
Keth - (That was totally a lie, btw.)
Scenario - (please ignore the ugly copy/paste error in my last name)
Saffron - Greetings! I'm Saffron, I work on the forums in Online Community Relations and I've been tormenting Patience when she's not looking.
Patience - Hi everyone! I'm Meghan "Patience" Rodberg, Community Manager at Turbine, and I have a wholly uninspired introduction tonight. Go Pats!
Constant - Constant - Staff Designer, I'm in charge of fun.
Annuvin - Hi, I'm Cardell "Annuvin" Kerr. I still work here, amazing enough. Not sure what I do anymore, but it's definitely work! And I do it.
Annuvin - Seriously.
Patience - Orion is now yelling that Constant's not in charge of fun.
Keth - (in charge of his own fun.)

Sprite - *Icidian* How many different types of homes will there be in the 30 home neighborhoods?
Scenario - Each neighborhood will have thirty houses. Out of those thirty - 16 are "Tier 1", 10 are "Tier 2" and 4 are Kinship Homes.

Sprite - Remember - Send those questions to [QT]Legend ! Not myself or the devs!

Sprite - *Thyneas* Any plans to add Kinship specific Clothing items?
Keth - Oh yeah, there are plans. We are focusing an upcoming update on player customization, and that certainly would fit in that theme.
Keth - However, there are a lot of things we would like to do for customization, so it may not show up in that update.
Keth - I guess all I can say is, "stay tuned."

Sprite - *Hexo* So, why did you go the route of not allowing to play as Sauruman's minions, in pursuit of their own dark agendas?
Annuvin - Hi Hexo!
Annuvin - So, there are numerous reasons as to why we didn't chase that down for launch. Most of them add up to the combination of Time and Quality.
Annuvin - Time - in the sense that LOTRO is taking place before the War gets into full swing.
Annuvin - Quality - in the sense that building a high quality content experience is... well, hard. We managed to do it for the Free People.
Annuvin - Doubling down would be very difficult, and likely compromise the game for others.
Annuvin - So, it's not to say we won't ever go down that road... You can just expect it to be further down the line.

Sprite - *Mirbain* Will Kinship Housing have Crafting areas? Also how much will housing cost and will there be a continous fee to keep a house?
Keth - Well, we have definitely been talking about how to incorporate crafting and forges into housing, however we aren't sure what shape that will take yet.
Keth - We want to promote a sense of neighborhood in our housing, so it may appear as part of that, or it may appear as part of kinship housing.
Keth - Or it might appear as something altogether different.
Keth - As for costs, I can't get into that yet, because that's still being determined, however there will be an initial cost to purchase a house and regular upkeep.
Keth - We want to make sure that the cost and the upkeep are within the reach of everyone, so don't get too worried about costs yet.

Sprite - *bluealien1* Are there any plans on making noncrafted armour and weapons a bit more on par with crafted items?
Constant - We're in the process of looking at loot right now. We want to make sure that all the loot lines up with the amount of time you spend working to acquire the item.

Sprite - *Erirdar* On the subject PvMP rewards, I would like to ask if PvP rewards are functioning as designed, as no blue items have dropped from the chests on my server yet.
Orion - PvMP rewards are currently working as we wanted them too. It is easier to increase the drops later, if they are not happening fast enough than it is to retcon a host of teal items hitting the world with no simple way to bleed them from the economy.
Orion - So, for better or worse, the numbers are intentionally low at the moment. This is not to say that they will stay this way or that we will not incorporate more pointed PvMP rewards for the future.

Sprite - *morpheme* Are changes to the Captain class likely to involve increased power requirements as they did with Hunters?
Patience - Constant's working on the answer, please continue to hold :D
Constant - We've just finished our "month of" for the captain. Without more data, we're happy to leave him where he is for now.

Sprite - *Pocae* when is there more lvl 50 content comming
Scenario - Book 11 will introduce additional Level 45-50 content, via our Epic Book Line and new landscape additions. We also have plans for additional late 40's (and 50) content in future updates.
Keth - Also, we have been contintually adding additional level 50 content, such things as the new Annúminas instances in Book 10.
Orion - In fact, Annuminas hides three new instances that have yet to see a lot of play. There are points within the city that can be controlled that allow players to experience the locations within.
Keth - (btw, from that answer you can tell that I need a spell checker.)

Sprite - *aRabidFlea* Are hot points in the moors going to be more useful for both freeps and creeps in the future?
Orion - Yes. Hot points initial implementation was to curb the overwhelming strength of Free Peoples compared to monster players. Now, other changes may need to happen and I am hoping to have the majority of them worked out before the next update. Hot points will certainly see a level of improvement - certainly to fix bugs with them and also to see that there is a level of equality between Freeps and my Creeps!

Sprite - *Whit3knight9* Will there be Kinship Cities?
Keth - Nope!
Keth - Well, at least, not right now.
Keth - There, I turned a definitive answer into a nebulous one!

Sprite - *wyldcyde* Any plans to enable to freeps to gain DP in moors so they can use rangers as often as creeps can use trolls?
Orion - We are looking at the Troll/Ranger ratios and working on ways to see more equality between the two. This does not mean more destiny for players as the primary way to earn destiny is still through monster play, but there may be other answers in the mix.

Sprite - For those of you just joining tonight: All questions are welcome and should be directed through [QT]Legend, questions send to myself or the devs will not be answered!

Sprite - *Inia* so do we have a tentative release date of book 11?
Patience - Hi Inia! We're currently shooting for the end of October, if all goes well. While we don't expect that target to slip, there's always that possibility, but that's the current plan.

Sprite - *Vallenar* I was hoping the devs could talk about the Lore-master class in Book 11. How will our CC abilities be buffed, how will pet skills and pathing be fixed, and how do you plan to address our fighting styles, are we a caster class or are we mele?
Patience - Constant is typing, honest :D
Orion - He works with Tens
Constant - Giving Lore-masters the ability to counter some of his more difficult enemies (like The Dead) will be addressed in the new "month of" patch. The Lore-master is designed to be a versatile class, and has an equal mix of range and close range abilities. We want to give players the ability to customize based on their trait load-out.
Constant - I type faster then that dude.
Keth - (Tens sent him cuz he's the fast typer.)
Constant - I don't care what you say.
Annuvin - By "Tens" they don't mean he types with ten fingers. In case you hadn't figured that out.

Patience - Ahem.
Patience - I have something to say.
Patience - Someone accused us on the forums today of only using the dev chats to further our own agenda.
Patience - And that the chats have no real value.
Patience - So I'd like to take this opportunity to do so, blatantly and without remorse.
Patience - Keth?
Patience - Did you have something you wanted to ask here, instead of having a plant do it?
Keth - Yes, yes I do.
Keth - Hey Orion, I've heard people around the office talking about "Warband Manouevers." Can you tell me more about that?
Orion - What!!!??
Orion - We are totally not supposed to be talking about this...
Annuvin - Dubious.
Orion - You are so getting me fired...
Orion - Okay
Orion - In a world where wargs can gouge out your eyes, or spiders weigh down their enemies with webs, one creep rises above the rest in their ability to enter the fray
Orion - another finds that his command of the battlefield grows...
Orion - while still another finds that his arrows are just as good as those pesky hunters!
Orion - To top that off, they unleash new and potent skills upon unsuspecting enemies with the force of Sauron himself!
Annuvin - Wholly Dubious, Orion.
Orion - But...then again. This is crazy talk...
Orion - Right?
Orion - Right?

Sprite - *Theoldwizard* Hello, I also have a question about the houses, will they be able to be customized? Or will it be just one way
Keth - (we now return you to your regularly scheduled program.)
Scenario - Home-owners will be able to decorate the interiors and exteriors of their homes with a variety of different furnishings, some obtained from a vendor, others by crafting and some through the trials of battle. You will also be able to modify the colors and materials used to construct the interiors of your home.

Sprite - *romeotango* what is the 5 year plan. what and when are the new zones, rohan, moria and so on.
Annuvin - 5 year plan? I can barely get these clownshoes to stick to an 8 week plan.
Annuvin - That said, we have a long term plan. The chances of it ever being a) immutable, or b) revealed to the public are very slim.
Annuvin - Sadly, every time we do this, I have to warn people; the Marketing Ninjas are watching.
Orion - Clownshoes?

Sprite - *Sariana* Evening... I was wondering if there were any plans to add more bag space? Perhaps Horse pouches on the sadlle with extra space? I craft WAY too much and I am always out of room :(
Constant - We'll be giving out storage in the housing update. Although we haven't nailed down how much as of yet.

Sprite - *Thyneas* Will there character per account limit of 5 ever be raised?
Orion - We are not planning on increasing the number of characters per server any time in the near future. But that is the near future, and this clownshoe is not sure about the long term.

Sprite - For those of you just joining tonight: All questions are welcome and should be directed through [QT]Legend, questions send to myself or the devs will not be answered!

Sprite - *lokk* How will payment for housing work? Will it be similar to AC1's special items?
Keth - Pretty much, it's just money! No special items will be needed.
Scenario - Be sure to stock up on Ash Gromnie Teeth !
Keth - shhhhhhh, don't mention the special Golden Gromnie needed for the Mansions.

Sprite - *Doomiest* I hear from up high that we will be visiting Goblin Town in Book 11. Any chance of fighting the new Goblin King (david bowie) or seeing Gollums house of old?
Orion - I heard someone here say, "Mommy, daddy get me out of here." I was busy juggling the babies with the power and avoiding the creeping stuff in the bog when I spied a long tunnel heading deep into the earth. There, on an island in the middle of the bog of eternal stench, was a makeshift house and some buttons on the ground.
Orion - Later, as I was dancing the magic dance and smiling at some dude wearing gold-plated diapers, I realized that I left the Labyrinth of Goblin-town behind. But the songs were fresh in my mind and I was pleased to have gone, "Down, down to Goblin-town."
Patience - ORION..
Constant - That guy is crazy.
Patience - He means YES, in case anyone else was confused.
Patience - Yes, we'll be going to Goblin Town in Book 11.

Sprite - *Eekamouse* Can they tell us any more about the new zones coming in Book 11? Will they be raid content? PvMP content? Or, more 6-man instance content?
Scenario - Book 11 does not introduce any new regions to the landscape but it does add quite a lot of a couple of existing regions.
Scenario - In the Trollshaws, players will be able to explore Tal Bruinen - the hills and marshes south of the Bruinen Ford. The Misty Mountains nearly doubles in size with the addition of the High Pass. And what is the High Pass without a trip down.... down down to Goblin-Town!
Scenario - We'll also be making additions to the landscape with our Housing system and stretching the abilities of our dungeon technology with our second raid instance.
Annuvin - In general, we're focusing on smaller instances. As it stands, the majority of players (based on our secret marketing ninjas, that are watching you from behind your flatscreens)
Annuvin - have a hard time getting into full sized fellowships, let alone larger groups. So... yeah.

Sprite - *Hexo* Is the storyline evolving then, so that one day you might open up the possaibility of a war on the player vs. player scale?
Orion - Long terms plans for the game certainly include the ability to participate in The War of the Ring. We will be cautious and likely you will be playing the roles of players and monster in those venues.
Orion - So...yes...
Orion - In a way...

Sprite - *Whit3knight9* When will there be a expansion pack and where will it take place?
Annuvin - Yes! We'll be releasing an expansion pack. As for where... Sigh. I'd like to tell you, but the katana held to my side seems to indicate that course of action
Annuvin - would be unwise. So, here's a vague hint!
Annuvin - We tend to follow the sotryline of our namesake. You can expect that our expansion packs will focus on places that are important to the Fellowship storyline.

Sprite - *Theoldwizard* May I ask, will there be a level required for houses like horses?
Keth - There will be a level requirement, although what the specific level will be is under discussion.
Keth - I can say though that Tier 1 houses will be easily in the reach of most players.

Sprite - *Icidian* Some have mentioned the ability to decorate more than just the inside of your home. How much of an area are we talking about; a front yard, courtyards or acres?
Scenario - Each house will get a yard that players can decorate with various odds and ends. The amount of space available to decorate will vary on the type of house. Small Homes (Tier 1) get a small yard, while Kinship Homes cover a significant amount of real estate.

Sprite - *Valfelan* most items cannot be dropped out of packs without being destroyed, will housing have a drop and lockdown system or chest type storage, and if so how much storage?
Constant - We are in the middle of tense negotiations as to size, but rest assured you will have your own chests.

Sprite - *Whisper_* Lately, I've been finding it hard to find fellowships to complete fellowship quests. The only quests I *really* want to make sure I can complete are the Book Quests. Are there any plans to scale those quests to the number of participants involved in the fellowship undertaking them?
Keth - In Books 9 - 11, we were looking to make them more solo to small fellowship friendly, but sadly, they don't feel very epic when a 6 man can go in and blow through it.
Keth - So our plan going forward is to have the non-instance parts of the quests be solo to small fellowship friendly and the instances be 6 man pick-up group friendly.
Keth - And from there I'll be looking at ways to encourage players to want to go back and play those old instances again.
Keth - That'll make it easier for you to get that fellowship together for your run.

Sprite - *Theulin* will the ''suggested servers for new players'' come back? the lower-leveled population has dwindled on my server, and lower leveled people say it is hard to find a fellowship. it was a good idea for the ''suggested server'' thing
Patience - Hi Theulin, that was something we implemented around launch to try to balance server populations and you're right - it did work really well. If it seems like any servers are lagging behind the others enough now to justify its return, we'll do so.

Sprite - *Random* Any information on the upcoming Minstrel changes?
Patience - (Constant is typing up the answer still)
Keth - He's thinking... and his head hurts
Constant - The Minstrel is getting lots of attention during their "month of" update. We will be releasing new information on that soon. I will say this, it'll both expand his solo role as well as his group. The Minstrel has been in a good place, so it's just a matter of giving him more depth.
Constant - Does not!

Sprite - *Beowe* When will Guardians see a revamp giving them unique abilities after the conjunctions were given to Burglars, for the most part.
Keth - Guardians are next up after Book 11.
Patience - ...that would be Book 12. ;)
Keth - Sure, you could say that.

Sprite - *Eekamouse* When will Book 11 be release to the test server?
Patience - Hi Eekamouse! It's already up on our private preview server Isengard, and will be pushed up on Roheryn in the coming weeks - at least a couple of weeks before we go live with Book 11 on the live servers.

Sprite - *BarGamer* In the lore, Elrond melted-down/repaired Narsil and made it into a new weapon. Are there any plans to make weaponsmithing less of a painful grind, and allow us to re-smelt components, weapons, or drops?
Annuvin - Ahh, plans.
Annuvin - So, for launch, I had this ridiculous crafting system, that involved time and distance as the base axis by which awesome crafted items were made.
Annuvin - I still haven't given up that dream, so you can expect that we'll be adding more awesome to... well, everything.
Annuvin - But especially that!

Sprite - *PieBandit* You mentioned different tiers but will there be different racial type houses: hobbit holes, dwarf housing, etc...? heh dwarf housing
Scenario - Book 11 will ship with four neighborhood types - a style that follows the look and feel of each player race. There won't be race restrictions on purchasing a home - so if you are an Elf that really wants a smial, you can purchase one.

Sprite - *Atticus* Any chance of having anymore seasonal festivals, such as a fall harvest festival or holiday festival in the coming months?
Patience - AAAARRRRR! Yes, Atticus, there be a great chance for such things. Ye should especially be on yerrrr lookout around September 19th for something really great. Aaaaarrr ye ready, lad?
Annuvin - Clownshoes.