| 7-31-06 Latest News |
A Knight Out in LA Report
Xoanon @ 4:33 pm EST
Sevilodorf writes: It is sometimes said popular authors could publish shopping lists and make the best seller's list. However, there are few actors who could hold a theater full of sweltering people enthralled while reading the Roget's Thesaurus entry for ululate. Ian McKellen managed easily. "I'm delighted to be back onstage in Los Angeles supporting the work of the Los Angeles Young Actors' Company. The show lets me revisit favorite parts, tell a few stories, and present Gandalf onstage for the very first time! My aim is that the audience enjoy themselves as much as I shall, all in aid of the best of causes." Ian McKellen For 90 minutes, the stifling conditions of the Freud Playhouse were forgotten as Sir Ian told "a few stories" and led a tour along the rambling road of memory from his earliest film role in the unfinished The Bells of Hell to a preview of a new project with Tales of the City's Armistead Maupin and speculation about a feature film devoted to Magneto's earlier years courtesy of image enhancement "to keep at bay; Age and age’s evils" . To begin, the stage, set with a wingback chair, a small table, a hat rack and a lectern, plunged into darkness; then the lights came up to reveal Leigh Teabing (Da Vinci Code). Leaning heavily upon Teabing's canes, McKellen made his way to the front of the stage saying, "Imagine Tom Hanks' face when he saw me for the first time." Continuing he said that it is always best to go to the source when creating a character. From his pocket, he produced a copy of The Da Vinci Code and read a description of Teabing. "Upon his legs he wore metal braces and used crutches … used crutches?" Sir Ian examined the canes and reread the line, leading the audience into wondering along with him where exactly one might find secondhand crutches. "Such is the syntax of modern fiction," McKellen added leading the laughter. He then set a challenge, producing a cryptowheel (as I am not one of the 40 million people to have read Dan Brown's book, I'm not certain what else to call it) and saying that the answer was a five-letter word and whoever figured it out got to keep the cryptowheel. He passed it to the first person in row AA saying, "Only one try, then pass it on, and if you figure it out, don't shout about it. After all this is a one man show." (The puzzle was solved by a young lady in the middle of row BB with the word grail.) Taking his place at the lectern, Sir Ian thanked us for coming to this fundraiser for the Los Angeles Young Actors Company and spoke a little about the 1997 A Knight Out in LA." Adding that it was always wise to check the acoustics of a theater before performing, he took up a Roget's Thesaurus and began to read the entry for ululate. "VERB: ULULATE, howl, cry, roar, bellow, blare, rebellow, latrate, bark, yelp; bay, bay the moon; yap, growl, yarr [obs.], yawl [dial.], yaup or yawp, snarl, howl; grunt, gruntle; snort, squeak; neigh, bray; mew, mewl, purr, caterwaul, miaow; bleat, low, moo; troat [rare], croak, crow, screech, caw, coo, gobble, quack, cackle, gaggle, guggle; chuck, chuckle; cluck, clack; chirp, cheep, chirrup, chirk [obs.], peep, sing, pule, twitter, chatter, hoot, wail, cuckoo; hum, buzz; hiss, blatter, blat [colloq.]." With each word, his voice changed, displaying the mastery of intonation and expression that makes him a star of stage and screen. (The following anecdotes are not recorded in the order nor with the humor in which they were related but merely the order and with the scant details which my frail memory can recall. And no, I did not take notes verbatim, the words however echo within my mind and Google is my friend.) +++++++++++++++ Wordsworth, The Prelude Sir Ian went to Dove Cottage in Grasmere where Wordsworth lived and wrote from December 1799 to May 1808, the years of his supreme work as a poet. In the "dead of night after all the tourists had left" Sir Ian and the sound engineers recorded the entire "Prelude" of which we were treated to only a small portion. 383The moon was up, the Lake was shining clear The Bells of Hell (1966) unfinished The Bells of Hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling, for you but not for me. His first film role was as Gregory Peck's lieutenant in film set during WWI. Sir Ian recalls Mr. Peck as a wonderful actor whose British accent was spot on save for one small area. Thus, Ian spent days cautiously approaching the director and explaining that Peck's character would not call him loo-tenant but rather lef-tenant as a proper British officer would do. The director's response after several days, "Yes, Ian, but the British are only five percent of the audience base." The film was never completed due to snow coming early in the Alps that year. +++++++++++++ Priest of Love (1981) While filming in Italy, they used the house where D.H. Lawrence (author of Lady Chatterly's Lover) and his wife lived. There was an elderly lady in the village who had been a servant in the household when she was just a young girl. Ian, in full costume, came down to pay his respects to her and she looked up and said, "Ah, Lorenzo." As McKellen says, "There is no finer compliment." Then while filming in Mexico, he looked down from his balcony into a beautiful emerald pool to see Ava Gardner swimming. She looked up and waved to him. "Ava Gardner knows me!!" In the first days of filming, there was one tiny trailer for all his female co-stars: Ava Gardner, Janet Suzeman, Penelope Keith and Ava's maid. To add insult to injury, at lunch time, a sign was posted on the trailer "Bathroom." This was to be the facilities for the entire crew. Ava didn't say a word, remaining a perfect lady. Ian suggested she call the producers. She said, "No, I'll just call Frank." Almost magically, several large caravans appeared in the wilds of Mexico. Sinatra came through for his ex-wife. ++++++++++ Leaden Echo/Golden Echo-- Gerard Manley Hopkins http://www.bartleby.com/122/36.html Sir Ian recited a pair of poems about age and beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of his favorite poets. Leaden Echo Golden Echo About six lines from the end, he forgot the line and had to grab a scripted version and then read it aloud for about two lines until it all came back. +++++++++ Cold Comfort Farm (1995) McKellen returned to the lectern to tell us of that there were those who wanted a warning label on the film The Da Vinci Code that it was fiction not fact. He then wondered if there should be warning labels on other books. Particularly the book the Gideons put out (holds up a Bible) after all there are "metaphors and even parable there". He then spoke of the generations of ministers in his family and how he based his portrayal of Amos Starkadder partly on one of them. In a proper hellfire and brimstone style he delivered Starkadder's monologue. Ye miserable, crawlin' worms. Are ye here again then? Have ye come like Nimshi, son of Rehoboam, secretly out of your doomed houses, to hear what's comin' to ye? Have ye come, old and young, sick and well, matrons and virgins, if there be any virgins amongst you, which is not likely, the world being in the wicked state that it is. Have ye come to hear me tell you of the great, crimson, licking flames of hell fire? Aye! You've come, dozens of ye. Like rats to the granary, like field mice when it's harvest home. And what good will it do ye? You're all damned! Damned! Do you ever stop to think what that word means? No, you don't. It means endless, horrifying torment! It means your poor, sinful bodies stretched out on red-hot gridirons, in the nethermost, fiery pit of hell and those demons mocking ye while they waves cooling jellies in front of ye. You know what it's like when you burn your hand, taking a cake out of the oven, or lighting one of them godless cigarettes? And it stings with a fearful pain, aye? And you run to clap a bit of butter on it to take the pain away, aye? Well, I'll tell ye, there'll be no butter in hell! ++++++++++++ Apt Pupil (1998) Sir Ian told of meeting with Bryan Singer the director who thought he (McKellen) was too young to play the part of Kurt Dussander the aged Nazi. Singer then went on to tell how he thought that guy in Cold Comfort Farm would be perfect for the part. McKellen says that Singer now denies this. In Apt Pupil, one scene involves a big ginger tomcat. There were four. One who would walk from A to B no matter who or what was in the way. Another who would eat on cue. A third who was used only for the fierce close ups and otherwise approached only by members of the crew wearing chain mail. The fourth was a docile, pliable creature who you could do anything to or with. McKellen mimed picking cat up by his tail and swinging it about. The cats were supervised by a lady from the SPCA who sat doing the crossword puzzle on the set everyday. She totally ignored everyone, but if she was not there, the cats did not work. One scene called for Kurt Dussander to light the oven and shove the cat in. Luckily they were using the docile cat. Ian stroked the cat and put it in the oven. Somehow the oven went "poof". The cat's fur caught fire. Everyone raced madly about with the extinguisher. The SPCA lady didn't even look up from her puzzle, she just called out, "Did it burn the skin?" "Uh, er… no, no, it's only slightly singed." Cat with fur singed off half its body just lay in his arms purring. "All right then, carry on." On the last day of cat filming, the SPCA lady called him over to say, "You are equal to any animal I've worked with." +++++++++ At one point, McKellen led the audience in a Shakespeare Shout Out - trying to name all 37 of the Bard's plays. Thirty were named. Then McKellen spoke about the Hobart Shakespeareans from a public elementary school in Los Angeles. PBS stations throughout the country are airing a show about this group during August, so check their schedules. Referring again to the author being the best source of how to create a character, he told how for his portrayals of Richard III he chose to act upright instead of hunched over. Interpreting the "half a man" as one side of body being straight and perfect, while the other is twisted and useless. He then gave us the opening monologue. Gloucester: Now is the winter of our discontent The room was suddenly chill with evil. Another Shakespearean piece he recited was a monologue about Immigration. I can not recall the name of the character or the play< bad me> but it was never presented on stage until Ian did it, thus he can claim to be the only living actor to create an original Shakespeare character. +++++ X Men Trilogy– (2000, 2003, 2006 as Magneto) Working again with Bryan Singer in X Men One and Two, McKellen spoke of his delight with Magneto's costume: long flowing cape and dashing helmet. He also told of the "rigors" of portraying Magneto's power over metals. The necessity of getting the wrist movements "just right" in the first movie when Magneto raised the police cars and let them drop. Then in X-3, the difficulty in moving the entire Golden Gate Bridge. Pantomiming the scene (wind machine blowing, cape flowing) McKellen shouted the directions from Brett Ratner—"More, Ian!!" Twisted face and clenched muscles. "More Ian!!" Knees bent under, face pained, he struggles to move the bridge. +++++++++++++ Gods and Monsters (1998) Reaching down beside the wingback chair, McKellen takes out a portable easel and begins to assemble it. Telling the audience, it normally sits in the front hall of his home in England. He then reveals that it once belonged to James Whale (director of Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and subject of the movie Gods and Monsters.) In the final days of Whales life he would sit painting beside his pool and recalling his life. Taking up one of Whale's brushes and his palette from the easel, McKellen dons a white hat and takes on the persona of James Whale giving us his side of this scene, though Clay's portion is unsaid the audience can still "hear" it. WHALE: Same difference, Mr. Boone. Disgust, fear of the unknown -- all part of the great gulf that stands between us. Am I right in assuming that you've had little experience with men of my persuasion? CLAY: There's no people like you in my crowd. WHALE: No teammates in football? No comrades in Korea? CLAY: You must think the whole world is queer. Well it's not. War sure isn't. WHALE: Oh, there may not be atheists in the foxholes, but there are occasionally lovers. CLAY: You're talking through your hat now. WHALE: Not at all. I was in the foxholes myself. CLAY: You were a soldier? WHALE: I was an officer. (Clay breaks his pose to turn and look at Whale.) CLAY: This was World War I? WHALE: No, my dear. The Crimean War. What do you think? The Great War. You had a Good War, while we had a war without end. There were trenches when I arrived, and trenches when I left, two years later. Just like in the movies. Only the movies never get the stench of them. The world reduced to mud and sandbags and a narrow strip of rainy sky. (A dry snort) But we were discussing something else. Oh yes. Love in the trenches. Barnett. Was that his name? Leonard Barnett. He came to the front straight from Harrow. And he looked up to me. Unlike the others, he didn't care that I was a workingman impersonating his betters. How strange, to be admired so blindly. I suppose he loved me. But chastely, like a schoolboy. CLAY: Something happened to him? WHALE: I remember one morning in particular; a morning when the sun came out. … Odd, how even there one could have days when the weather was enough to make one happy. He and I were standing on the fire step and I showed him the sights of no-man's land, through the periscope. It was beautiful. The barbed wire was reddish gold, the water in the shell holes green with algae, the sky a clear quattrocento blue. And I stood shoulder to shoulder with a tall apple-cheeked boy who loved and trusted me. Don't do this to me again, Mr. Boone. I absolutely refuse. You will not set me on another walk down memory lane. Not this lane. Not today. CLAY: I didn't – WHALE: Why do I tell you this? I never told David. I never even remembered it until you got me going. CLAYL: You're the one who started it. WHALE: You're very clever, Mr. Boone. You just sit there and let me talk. What a sorry old man, you're thinking. What a crazy old poof. (Comes closer) Why are you here? What do you want from me? CLAY: You asked me to model. Remember? WHALE: Of course I remember. Do you think I'm so senile -- McKellen turns the picture he's been "painting" to reveal James Whales' Boy. After the movie Gods and Monsters came out, McKellen was in Atlanta doing publicity for the film and the Governor of Georgia wanted to honor him by naming the date of his visit Ian McKellen Day. Unfortunately, the day was already taken -being Martin Luther King Day. So instead the governor made him an "aide de camp" in his gubernatorial Militia, with the status thenceforward of Lieutenant Colonel - which McKellen proclaims "must make me the only openly-gay senior officer currently serving in the armed forces of the USA." ++++++++++++++ Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City Sir Ian informed the audience that Maupin has written another set of Tales and read a stream of conscious monologue about an older gay man's reactions to a website posting pictures of younger men seeking older men. Done with great humor but not suitable for a PG13 audience, nor yet available for me to swipe from Google. ++++++++++++ Lord of the Rings: The Bridge of Khazad Dum From the hatrack where it has been inconspicuously hanging, McKellen takes up a sword. From the audience comes the whispers, "Glamdring." McKellen smiles and nods. There were several on the set, he tells the audience. The one for close ups which was only a hilt, the lighter one for carrying in extended takes and some fight scenes. But this, this is the hero sword. Taking out a worn copy of Lord of the Rings, McKellen begins to read from "The Bridge of Khazad-dum." The heat of the theater fitting as we, along with the Fellowship, race toward the chasm, Gandalf with Glamdring held high leading us onward. In front the road sloped down swiftly, and some way ahead there stood a low archway; through it the glowing light came. The air became hot. Then before our minds' eyes appeared a shape, "a dark shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape, maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it." "It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush, it leaped across the fissure." "A Balrog." McKellen, sweat pouring down his weary face, leaned heavily upon Glamdring. "What an evil fortune." Taking up Glamdring, he cried, "Over the bridge! Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!" With words alone, he carried us to the bridge of Khazad-dum. In the middle stood Gandalf and on the other each…The Balrog … beneath the stage lights Glamdring gleamed cold and white. "You cannot pass. I am a Servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass." From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming. Glamdring glittered white in answer. "You cannot pass." Gandalf lifted his staff and crying aloud, he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell, it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered, and fell, grasped vainly at the stone and slid into the abyss. "Fly, you fools!" he cried, and was gone. Dazed, we came to the bright daylight of Dimrill Dale, the slow drum beats of doom echoing hollowly as McKellen reads, "Grief at last wholly overcame them, and they wept long: some silent and standing, some cast upon the ground. Doom, doom. The drum beats faded." There is no sound within the theater. +++++++ Ian's encore: Being Knighted You arrive at Buckingham Palace with two friends from whom you are quickly separated. Into a massive chamber you go along with all the fire fighters and teachers and philanthropists as well as the sprinkling of movie and stage actors. A chamberlain enters and proceeds to tell you not to worry, that they do this all the time, and the only thing you need to remember is "mmmphftt"… What? What … panic … what did he say…. oh well just do what the fellow in front of you does. Enter the throne room to find the Queen, dressed in lime green --- lime green, surely not --- yes, lime green and with her handbag tossed upon the throne of England. You wait until your name is called…. Jijann Mac Cullen… my God all these years I've been pronouncing my own name incorrectly…. Stagger on… kneel before the Queen to receive the medal (Sir Ian took it from his pocket and draped it around it his neck and took up Glamdring and used it to "knight" himself) … two questions per person from her Majesty…. "Are you working?"… Why yes, Your Highness, at the Royal Theater … "Does anyone still go to the theatre?" … Uh… occasionally, Your Majesty. Back out slowly…. ++++++++++++ Does anyone still go to the theatre? Why, yes, Queen Elizabeth, they do. Especially to see such wonderful performers as Sir Ian McKellen, a Knight to be remembered forever.
(http://www.englit.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergrd/english_lit_2/Handouts/cen_wordsworth_prelude.htm lines 372 to 501
384 Among the hoary mountains; from the Shore
385 I push'd, and struck the oars and struck again
386 In cadence, and my little Boat mov'd on
387 Even like a Man who walks with stately step
388 Though bent on speed. It was an act of stealth
389 And troubled pleasure; not without the voice
390 Of mountain-echoes did my Boat move on,
391 Leaving behind her still on either side
392 Small circles glittering idly in the moon,
393 Until they melted all into one track
394 Of sparkling light. A rocky Steep uprose
395 Above the Cavern of the Willow tree
396 And now, as suited one who proudly row'd
397 With his best skill, I fix'd a steady view
398 Upon the top of that same craggy ridge,
399 The bound of the horizon, for behind
400 Was nothing but the stars and the grey sky.
++++++++++++++
And the little devils have a sing-a-ling-a-ling, for you but not for me.
Oh death where is they sting-a-ling-a-ling, oh grave thy victory?
The Bells of Hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling, for you but not for me.
(sung by Ian McKellen for us)
HOW to kéep—is there ány any, is there none such, nowhere known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, láce, latch or catch or key to keep Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, … from vanishing away? Ó is there no frowning of these wrinkles, rankéd wrinkles deep, Dówn? no waving off of these most mournful messengers, still messengers, sad and stealing messengers of grey?
When the thing we freely fórfeit is kept with fonder a care, Fonder a care kept than we could have kept it, kept Far with fonder a care (and we, we should have lost it) finer, fonder 45 A care kept.—Where kept? Do but tell us where kept, where.— Yonder.—What high as that! We follow, now we follow.—Yonder, yes yonder, yonder, Yonder.
Shakespeare
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lowered upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments,
Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front,
And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber
To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
I, that am rudely stamped, and want love's majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them -
Why I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to spy my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity.
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence and the king
In deadly hate the one against the other;
And if King Edward be as true and just
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mewed up
About a prophecy which says that G
Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.
"That's fine, Ian! Ian!!! ... Less Ian!!!"
(highly condensed version here….)
| 7-29-06 Latest News |
ELF 2006: Friday Images & Report
Xoanon @ 12:44 pm EST
The ever busy Ringer Spy Garfeimao sends along this report and images from our ELF convention in New Jersey this weekend!
ELF opened on Friday with a big line up at the registration table, as the exhibitors scrambled to get their booths up and running.
The show opened with Daniel Reeve demonstrating some new Middle Earth fonts he will soon be releasing, and him showing everyone some of the letters and maps and things he created for the films. Michael Drout came on afterward and started his lecture by reciting the opening lines to Beowulf, in Anglo-Saxon, no less. It was stunning and his whole presentation was very well recieved. This guy is definitely a keeper for future TORn events, I know the fans today enjoyed his lecture immensely.
At the same time Michael was on, Laura Cooper was beginning her Tengwar lessons. Photo ops with John Noble came next, and then he was on stage answering questions and telling great stories.
After John Noble and Daniel Reeve finished signing autographs, and got a bit of rest, the Dessert party started. Yummy little pastries and ice cream with loads of toppings were available, and everyone had a lovely sit down. It was a great time to chat, meet new people, and then John and Daniel wandered around the room meeting everyone. After they left, the fans stuck around in the room and hung out some more, and then slowly migrated out into the lobby.
After it was clear that the dessert party was over, many people migrated to the bar, including John Noble and Daniel Reeve, who did not mind hanging out with everyone.
As has become a long standing tradition at TORn events, and even other Tolkien events, the bar was closed by Tolkien fans. This tradition was always upheld by TORn staffer Balin (Greg Grieman), who passed in March. But it's clear that other's will continue to carry the party torch forward, and that is as it should be.
| 7-21-06 Latest News |
Movie Chat this weekend: Ghostbusters!
maegwen @ 3:31 pm EST
Get ready to prepare for the coming of Gozer! Movie Chat this weekend features none other than "Ghostbusters." Join us Saturday on our IRC server at 5:30 pm EST when we pop our copies of the movie into the DVD player and press start. We plan to take a break midway through the film, to allow for stretching of fingers. Barliman will be on hand to serve drinks and snacks (and to enforce the house rules). Don't forget to buy some Twinkies! Also, please check out our Summer Schedule, as voted on by the fine folks in Barliman's chat room. Upcoming featured films include: 'Galaxy Quest,' 'Shaun Of The Dead,' 'Say Anything,' and 'Princess Bride.' [About IRC chat] Date: Saturday, July 22nd Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. America: Europe: Asia-Pacific: Where? Movie Watch happens on #moviechat on irc.theonering.net -- the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here!) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer. To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions. See you all then!
Time: 5:30 pm EST
Place: #moviechat on the TORn IRC server.
Time zone conversions
5.30pm (New York)
4.30pm (Chicago)
3.30pm (Salt Lake City)
2.30pm (Los Angeles)
10.30pm GMT (London)
11.30pm CET (Paris)
6.30am AWST (Sunday) Perth
8.30am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.30am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney
11.30am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington
The Summer Schedule
Saturday chats approx. 5:30 p.m. EST / Sunday chats begin approx. 2 p.m. EST -- All dates & times are tentative until confirmed
Saturday, July 22: Ghost Busters
Sunday, July 30: Princess Bride & Shaun Of The Dead
Saturday, August 19: Say Anything
Sunday, August 27th: Galaxy Quest & Memphis Belle
Saturday, Sept. 9: Finding Nemo
Saturday, Sept. 23: Fifth Element
| 7-15-06 Latest News |
LOTR Symphony Review
Xoanon @ 10:39 am EST
attridge writes: I just went to the 100th performance of Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings Symphony. It was a feast for the ears, eyes & heart! The soloists were wonderful. The young lady (16 years old) has been the featured soloist at 4 other cities already before San Francisco. The boy soprano soloist was a very talented local SF boy from the Boys Chorus of SF. The addition of the SF Girls Chorus was really exciting, as well.
Listening to the music was a joy! At any time of the music you could close your eyes and be brought into Middle Earth. But you didn't want to close your eyes for a minute! On a humongous screen above the orchestra there was artwork from Alan Lee and John Howe throughout the show.
Many of the audience were obviously new to the Symphony, drawn in by the lure of the ring, oops, Howard Shore's music. We were swept away by the richness of the music following the story of the ring via the artwork. The first half of the performance was dedicated to The Fellowship of the Ring. Pieces included: I. The Prophecy - concerning Hobbits - The Shadow of the Past - A Short Cut to Mushrooms - The Old Forest - A Knife in the Dark; II. Many Meetings - The Ring Goes South - A Journey in the Dark - The Bridge of Khazad-dum - Lothlorien - Gandalf's Lament - Farewell to Lorien - The Great River - The Breaking of the Fellowship.
The second half included: Two Towers III. Foundations of Stone - The Taming of Smeagol - The Riders of Rohan - The Black Gate is Closed - Evenstar - The White Rider - Treebeard - The Forbidden Pool; IV. The End of All Things - The Return of the King - The Grey Havens - Into the West.
I would recommend this symphony show to all LOTR enthusiasts! If it weren't sold out, I'd see it again tomorrow night!!!!
| 7-13-06 Latest News |
WETA At Comic Con 2006
Xoanon @ 9:28 pm EST
From Garfeimao & the folks at WETA: Weta will be out in force (at San Diego Comic Con) showcasing it's dynamic Superman Returns collectibles and unveiling the first of our new Hellgate: London statues, based on Flagship Studios' hotly anticipated new video game. Comic Con will also be your very first chance to view the amazing new Weta Originals. The Weta Originals are like nothing you've seen before. Not to be missed! At the stand will be Weta Originals creator and Weta Workshop designer, Greg Broadmore. Greg designed armour, weaponry and creatures for King Kong and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He will be at Comic Con every day, as will our impressive Kong and Narnia collectibles, so come and meet him and be the first in the world to see his incredible new pieces of art. In addition, Weta Workshop owner, Richard Taylor will be on and around the stand all day Saturday. The Weta Collectibles team, Jamie, Olivia and Ryan will be on hand to chat and answer questions so stop by to say hello and check out our exciting new Weta branded clothing items, we call them 'Weta Gear'. And, don't forget to pick up a copy of the very special, exclusive Comic Con Weta booklet for even more sneak peeks at what's to come from Weta. Look out for our stand #2615. For more details on Comic Con click here and for the WETA forum thread, click here.
| 7-10-06 Latest News |
LOTROnline Chat with Jeffrey Steefel Posted
Jincey @ 9:19 pm EST
LOTROnline chat with Jeffrey Steefel, 7/10/06, #TheHallofFire jincey: Hi everyone! RingLeader: Absolutely! jincey: Seraph asks: How are you handling quests and storylines. Inevitably these kinds of games have a story arc which all the players can participate in, so what direction are you taking this? Tell us more about the storyline? What kind of quests and missions will there be? seraph: Well Jeffrey, I see you just mentioned Saruman back there JPB: Keebs asks: Will most zones feature a SWG-esk sandbox style where you can walk everywhere, or the usual hill-as-walls maze style? jincey: Vincen has a question about the Crafting system: Is there anything defining about the crafting system as of yet? Will crafting have a big part of the community, or will it really take a back seat to most gameplay? seraph: Our next question: jincey: Ceilidh asks: What general principles of the game economy can you share with us? jincey: Vincen asks a follow-up: What steps will LOTRO take to battle gold sellers who profit in RL from virtual currency trades. Recently they have becoming more and more, and ruining games for all players.(important question with economy) jincey: odinseye asks: Can you tell us any of the proposed mechanics that you will be implementing for kinships or kinship leaders to make the kinship experience more entertaining or enriching? Also, have you been able to come to a conclusion on whether or not kinship halls will be in game at release? jincey: We've had *several* folks ask how PVP will be integrated. What can players expect from the PVP system, when and where will PVP be available? Please give us all the details! jincey: Arvi0n asks will the kinships we able to have "war" against each other? And will they be able to forge in-game alliances lisa: Goblin asks: What is your favorite aspect of this game? seraph: Next question, one we've been seeing a LOT so far... Four-O-Nine: Link5935 asks: What happens when you are defeated? Do you instantly go to a nearby town, or do you lie on the ground for a bit so you can be "revived", or how the process of being defeated will work? In other words, can you give us any more details on how reviving characters from a defeated state will work? lisa: Goblin wants to know how long the game has been in development jincey: Criterium asks: How will naming policy be handled? Will there be a filter to prevent people naming their characters with offensive names etc? And also will people be able to use special characters not usually used in names such as !#$ and use capslock? jincey: Furious5k asks: Have you decided how you will deal with the presumably large numbers of players who will want to use the canonical character names (eg. Aragorn or Strider). Will you disallow them and all close Approximations (i.e. Arag0rn)? seraph: well Jeffrey, I haven't seen anyone ask this yet, but I'm curious jincey: Irondur asks: Will there be RP servers? jincey: Eorlingas wants to know: How many different places can we see in the game? Four-O-Nine: Furious5k, Guest2 and several others have asked: Are there plans for any expansions that offer the chance to play "the other side of the story" i.e. "the evil characters" (orcs, trolls, easterlings, etc)? jincey: Seriadaco asks a fun question: Will there be fishing in LotRO? lisa: i have one question jincey: Lomen asks: When items degrade can they be fixed? If so is there a limit to the durability, a point where it can no longer be repaired? jincey: Paintballer1305 asks: What kind of support will the development team give to members of the community who run player events? Four-O-Nine: Chumbar asks: Can you explain more about travel and how it will work? jincey: Truesilver asks: On the subject of instancing, various sources say 10% - 20% of the world will in fact be instanced; If I wanted to group with another player would they have to be at exactly the same point in all the quests that I am, or what? jincey: calibur asks Can you elaborate on Lineage and how it works? jincey: Squall[CHeM] and others have asked about the cost. What will the pricing scheme for LOTRO be? retail version, monthly fee, additional fees, etc.... jincey: ok folks, i know we didn't get to half of the questions, but we'll send them to jeffrey to answer later for posting here at torn and mayhem ensued: ; ) TucksMa: Are Silvan Elves really starting in Rivendell, why so far East and why at what is so widely considered a safe haven not a newbie zone? If Hobbits DO start in Breeland... why there instead of the Shire? and if so, what is the reasoning behind it? Can you confirm each races' starting position please?
jincey: i haven’t even had time to get up a speech (yay!)
lisa: Folks, so you know: the chat will be moderated once it begins, and you will not be able to chat, just to watch. Please submit any questions to one of the ops and we will do our best to fit as many as we can in
lisa: Also, so you know: this is a G rated chat, so please do not swear or get overly ... overly ;)
lisa: hello people
lisa: yes yes, i do have those on alias now ;)
jincey: Today, TheOneRing.net is very pleased to present a chat with Turbine's LOTRonline developer Jeffrey Steefel!
RingLeader: I am actually here - Jeffrey am I!
RingLeader: 'wave
jincey: you'll note the room has been moderated so you cannot speak
lisa: oh, it's moderated already :x
jincey: please direct any questions to myself, 409, JPB, lisa, or Seraph
jincey: We have a ton of questions already so please be patient
RingLeader: ::cracks knuckles:::
jincey: Jeffrey, would you like to say a few words before the questions begin?
RingLeader: First of all, thanks so much to everyone for taking time out of their day to come and see us!
RingLeader: It's quite overwhelming to see all of you
RingLeader: And very exciting to talk about our game to all of you!
RingLeader: I look forward to answering your questions where I can, and hopefully sharing a bit of my off the top excitement about LOTRO!
RingLeader: So off we go!
jincey: thank you so much for being here : )
RingLeader: We have so many kinds of quests in the game
RingLeader: Under it all, we have woven an Epic Story that your are part of, that involves Angmar and the Witch-King
RingLeader And that story is wound up in the overall story of the WOTR
RingLeader: We have large, instanced quests that allow us to immerse you in characters and places, and a lot of fun drama
jincey: Can you please give just one example?
RingLeader: We have group and solo adventures, to carry and ferry items of value, visit far hidden places, aid NPCs, etc...
RingLeader: Sure...hmmm -
RingLeader: ::hoping patience does not hit hit with that bat::
Patience scrolls back with narrowed eyes.
RingLeader: We showed a quest at E3 that involved helping a Ranger retake wethertop from a group or Orcs, sent there By Sauruman
jincey: nice!
RingLeader: You have several objectives: Keep him alive, take back Weathertop, and discover some remnant shards of the stones that held the Palantir of Weathertop
RingLeader: On the other extreme, we have a quest in the Sire where you help the locals deal with pesky frogs run amuck
jincey: folks, Jeffrey will NOT answer your PM's, so please stop pestering him ; )
RingLeader: Or a quest to deliver pies to a neighboring town w/o getting it nabbed by a passing hungry hobbit :)
RingLeader: As examples...
RingLeader: OK, next question?
seraph: Furious5k asks: Can we expect to see only a portion of the cannon characters from Lord of the Rings or will we, with a bit of looking around, be able to find all or most of them in the game?
RingLeader: And misspelled him as well ::blush:::
RingLeader: I am a notorious bad typist
Four-O-Nine: welcome to the fold RingLeader
RingLeader: Well, you will see a great deal of the characters you would expect to find in Eriador
RingLeader: And some that have traveled into the area
RingLeader: Certainly the Fellowship, and many of the folks you might expect like Bombadil, Farmer Maggot, Barliman, Black Riders...
RingLeader: Sharkey and his men
RingLeader: I could go on and on, but suffice it to say you won't feel lonely for your favorite characters...
jincey: ents? will there be ents?
RingLeader: At the appropriate point we will have ents, yes...
lisa: that's jincey's question ;)
RingLeader: In the old forest, you'll also encounter the Huorn, living trees that are also a bit of a handful!
RingLeader: Yes, we will - I am not sure if we've posted the concepts of the Ents yet - but they are waaaay cool!
RingLeader: The basic goal is for this to be a real world for you - you can walk as far as the eye can see
RingLeader: Of course, there are some areas that will be naturally impassable
RingLeader: no mazes tho :)
RingLeader: Not a back seat at all - we're very excited about crafting
RingLeader: While it will not be a class in of itself, Crafting will offer 9 professions
RingLeader : You will have the harvesting, refining, and creaton that you would expect
RingLeader: And many many kinds of recipes that draw on ingredients, some common, some rare
RingLeader: Then, you can move on to "Mastery" of your craft, and then you will have the ability to add special ingredients and increase your chance of creating rare items
RingLeader: So crafting, like many things in LoTRO, has an easy path and a mastery path
RingLeader: We want it to be fun for more casual players, as well as the hard-core...
seraph: That's good to hear, we've already had several ask us what the game will be like for folks new to gaming.
RingLeader: Fun, fun fun!
seraph: [KODA]_Decay asks: What kind of musical score is in the game? Who is the composser? And how will the background music change through out different zones of the game, will the music be on a continuous loop, or will it become more interleaved into what actions you are performing at the time?
seraph: Kind of a large question, but you can see where he's going with this.
RingLeader: We have an amazing in-house audio group that does our SFX and much of the music. Several of them are accomplished, professional musicians in their own right
RingLeader: The music in the game will follow themes, some based on the overall LoTRO theme, some related to location, and some related to the events unfolding at a particular time
RingLeader: The music also responds to combat and other dynamic events.
seraph: Along that same vein, can we expect to hear any of Howard Shore's themes in the score?
RingLeader: We have our own audio systems that we have been developing for years and allow us a lot of layering and flexibility
RingLeader: No music from Mr. Shore...:)
RingLeader: Wow, now that's a small question :)
RingLeader: Well, where to start...obviously, as in any online world, the economy is important and complex...
RingLeader: We ant the players to be able to participate easily, but still have a system we can monitor and manage so as to protect the player experience
RingLeader: Some basics: We have gold, we have vendors, we have secure trades
RingLeader: We also have actions and probably the ability to trade/sell items through in-game mail
RingLeader: As we have crafting, we have harvesting nodes throughout the game that we will need to balance continuously
RingLeader: In terms of general principles, we will launch with a basic infrastructure and set of systems...
RingLeader: Then we'll watch what you all do with it and do our best to help continue to manage a healthy economy....
RingLeader: We're very aware of how big an issue this has become in the MMO space.
RingLeader: We certainly do not condone this behavior in any of our games
RingLeader: There is no iron-clad way to completely control this abuse w/o making the actual game environment too restrictive to be fun for everyone else
RingLeader: That said, we have increasingly robust tools, teams and processes to try and ferret out the worst offenders
RingLeader: Who we then ban from the game, as we currently do with Ac and DDO
jincey: that's good
seraph: definitely a good thing to hear.
jincey: ready for next?
RingLeader: You bet!
RingLeader: Kinship tools will begin with the basics - you can create a Kinship, invite members, manage memberships, and there will be loot sharing mechanics
RingLeader: We are not currently planning Kinship Housing for launch, but this remains something we'd love to see happen ASAP.
RingLeader: Kinships play a bigger and bigger part in our Elder Game, so the functionality will continue to expand over time
RingLeader: So it is not a question of if, but when
RingLeader: We are also working on raids which will be a blast for kinships
RingLeader: LOL...all the details :)
jincey: a few?
RingLeader: The bat will connect if I do :)
jincey: one or two?
RingLeader: heheh
jincey: lol
Patience: Just want to jump in here for a second :)
Patience: We'll be releasing more information on raids soon. One of our developers is working on an article for the website giving more detail.
RingLeader: Patience is trying to say that I almost blew her big story...
lisa: lol oops ;)
Patience lol
Patience: I'll get him back for it later. ;) Carry on!
jincey: lol
RingLeader: OK
RingLeader: So...what was the question? Ah yes, PVP...:)
RingLeader: Seriously guys, we're not trying to make you all crazy
RingLeader: PVP is such a hot button issue we want to make sure we are crystal clear about all the details when we are ready
RingLeader: The system will begin at launch, and then expand from there
RingLeader: It will allow players to fight each other, but within a mechanic that is respectful to the IP, and makes sense in Middle-earth
RingLeader: There will be roles to play for High-level players, newer players, and for Kinships...
RingLeader: As much as I know you will now all hate me - that's all I can say for now :(
seraph: That's good to hear. A lot of people (myself included!) are very interested in the PVP aspect and enjoy it about MMO's.
RingLeader: But it's gonna be COOOOL!
RingLeader: Me 2
jincey: you have folks gnashing their teeth ; )
RingLeader: :::hides:::
RingLeader : Kinships will be involved in the Conflicts - but this is something that will have to be left in shadow for now... sorry
lisa: ok
RingLeader: Oh man, I only get One???
lisa laughs
lisa: well, take a stab
RingLeader: Hmmmm....
lisa: We've stumped you :)
RingLeader: I have to say that playing an MMO with all the cool stuff I love about MMOs, but in MIDDLE-EARTH, and in service of people and struggles I read about as a kid, is really cool!
lisa: so nostalgia ;)
RingLeader: I love participating in the richness and variety of the adventure we're making
seraph: If it helps to clarify any, we've had several already ask what sets LOTRO apart from other MMO's?
RingLeader: In some ways, but more like nostalgia as wrapper for real fun gaming
lisa: I see... setting the imagination to life
RingLeader: Part of it, yes
RingLeader: So at 1000k feet, what sets it apart is that it immerses you in a deep, rich world, and one that you know already!
seraph: For as many people curious about PVP and Crafting, EVERYONE wants to know when we can expect to see the Beta open up! Can you give us a hint when we can look forward to dipping our toes in LOTRO?
RingLeader: And it is a mature, next-gen MMO that is really accessible to all kinds of players.
RingLeader: Beta will most likely start late summer, though we have not set the start time yet, as we want to make sure we are incorporating what we are learning from our Alpha
RingLeader: Rest assured, Meghan and team will be feeding you all info about Beta often!
Patience is Meghan for those who don't know. :)
RingLeader: For now, we have opted to keep the defeat mechanic very very simple.
RingLeader: Upon defeat, you are sent to a "place of safety" (nearby spawn point) and you need to rejoin your adventure from there.
RingLeader: The penalty is fairly low, which we think is a good thing
RingLeader: That said, we have the capability to do many other things, and depending on what we learn during Beta, we'll make any needed changes.
RingLeader: Turbine began developing the game at the beginning of 2003, and we have been developing it as a self-publisher from Jan 2004....
RingLeader: We will have a banned names list as well as bad word filtering
RingLeader: We will most likely restrict many special characters for the same reasons other games do
RingLeader: As of this time, we will not be allowing players to use the iconic Tolkien names for their Avatar name
jincey: oh wow
jincey: that should cause consternation
seraph: What sort of high-end graphics options will be available to gamers with the latest hardware, and conversely, what about gamers that DON'T have the latest gear? For those of us with aging computers, should we expect to need to upgrade?
RingLeader: Well, you can imagine the potential issues if we have multiple "Aragorn"'s running around
RingLeader: As you encounter them in the world as NPCs that have vital info and items, this could be a major griefing opp
RingLeader: Turbine has a well-evolved graphics engine that supports many levels of quality
RingLeader: While you will get the most stunning graphics at the highest level, there are many lower levels of detail that yield very nice effect as well
RingLeader: The engine scales everything: Textures, rendering settings, shadows, reflections, LOD, etc... based on the setting you choose
RingLeader: And you do not need the latest rocket to play at the highest levels
RingLeader: I purposely have a machine at home with a GEFORCE 4400 that I play on to make sure I can still ahve a great experience on a lower-end machine....
RingLeader: Rest assured that we want to make sure a wide audience can enjoy LoTRO
RingLeader: We have not yet determined if we will maintain separate-focus shards...this is still in discussion...
RingLeader: Wow - there are so many....
jincey: and a follow-up Gilmacar asks: I would like to know how far north and south the game will go.
RingLeader: OK, first
RingLeader: So you'll be able to visit BIG places like Rivendell, The Shire (including all the towns you remember), Midgewater Marshes, Misty Mountains....
RingLeader: Smaller areas like Weathertop, The Old FOrest, Maggot's Farm, Bombadil's House...
RingLeader: Thorin's Halls, Angmar....
jincey: Staddle?
RingLeader: And lots of places that will be new to you....
RingLeader: Staddle
RingLeader: Hobbiton
RingLeader: Brandywine Bridge
RingLeader: Prancing Pony
RingLeader: Estledin
RingLeader: Bilbo's Stone Trools
RingLeader: Trools
RingLeader: Trolls
RingLeader: arghhhh
jincey: anything beyond mordor? to the farthest east?
lisa: trools :)
lisa: i like those
RingLeader: I could go on and on
RingLeader: As for the size of the world, we are covering much of Eriador....dozens of SQ KM
RingLeader: :::wry smile:::
RingLeader: Let's just say that we dream of that often....
RingLeader: I swaer that with these few things, like this and PvP, we won't be coy much longer
RingLeader: Clearly, the battle between good and evil is central to LOTR, and we all want to participate in all of it!
Four-O-Nine: gotcha ;)
RingLeader: We hope so...there are a boatload of mini-games we have in mind - it will simply depend on time...
RingLeader: IMHO, the further we get after launch, the more social activities the community will want...this is a natural evolution as we all get to know the world....
lisa: that's surreal
lisa: so I'm going to ask it
lisa: TristramHaven asks: Will Hobbits in Middle-Earth drink tea or coffee?
lisa: It's a brain teaser, I'm sure
lisa: TristramHaven asks: Will Hobbits in Middle-Earth drink tea or coffee?
RingLeader: The libations available are still being worked out....
lisa: Good answer ;)
RingLeader : ::bows deeply::
RingLeader: Items degrade and can be repaired. Right now, they do not become totally unusable, but after time, it may be better to get a new one :)
RingLeader: This is also the kind of this we will tune during Beta
RingLeader: Interesting question
RingLeader: We love our players who take on these kinds of roles in the community and we want to help wherever we can
RingLeader: We're building a sizable Community team in-house that will be here to work with the community
RingLeader: We're making sure we have some tools for players, like multi-group management, and Kinships that will help
RingLeader: And I imagine of dev cycles themselves will one day be influenced by what players are doing in our game
RingLeader: Travel is easy - you walk! :)
RingLeader: Seriously, we have fast travel in the game, which will be a series of horse stables that you can use as nodes in our travel network
RingLeader: You will be able to travel fast to any place you have previously reached
RingLeader: Clearly, exploring is fun, in-game marathons are not :)
jincey: next?
RingLeader: Yuppers :)
RingLeader: Not at all...
RingLeader: There are certainly some instanced quests (minority) that require you to be a certain level to enter them
RingLeader: But in many cases, you simply "follow the leader"
RingLeader: There are a VERY few "world-changing" instances that you may have heard about that will require you to all be at the same "story-level" but these are few and far in between
RingLeader: And designed to not happen to players that are far apart in level
RingLeader: Ah, Lineage...
RingLeader: We are still determining how much actual impact your lineage will have to gameply. After you select your race, you can select your Lineage (Brandybuck/Took, etc...)
RingLeader: This will impact some of your character appearance choices during chargen
RingLeader: We originally had the idea of having lineage impact gameplay, but this seemed in practice to be a bit problematic as it means choosing yet another thing about you in the beginning you have to deal with forever
RingLeader: There may be some specific adventures/trials that you experience as a result of your lineage - TBD
jincey: ahh ok
RingLeader: We are not yet set on the pricing model(s) for LOTRO
RingLeader: There is much afoot in the industry surrounding these issues, and we are wathcin like all the other companies to see how things evolve
RingLeader: Whatever we decide, it will be driven by what we believe is the best possible solution for a healthy, growing and evolving franchise
jincey: so when is target date for this to hit?
RingLeader: We're not talking publicly about ship date yet
jincey: ballpark?
jincey: this year or next?
RingLeader: The bottom line is that I have support for us making sure we ship a rock solid AAA game
jincey: that we can all understand
RingLeader: ::had to duck deep to avoid Meghan's bat:::
jincey: LOL
RingLeader: I would love to see them!
Patience hides it behind her back.
RingLeader: ROFL
jincey: we are going to open the floor for everyone but first
jincey: I must thank Jeffrey and patience for coming in today
lisa: Thank you very much!
RingLeader: Thanks so much for inviting us!
jincey: and i have to thank all the folks who came to see this
jincey: and the mods who were sweating behind the scenes taking the q's ; )
jincey: lol
samgamgee7: Thank you indeed.....sounds to me like we have some quality on the way, thank you both for sharing your time with us today :)
jincey: thank y'all so much for coming and the game is looking great : )
jincey sets mode: -m
Beazel: When you say *late* summer, can you give us a rough estimate of what month? Summer can be considered a wide range of things.
RingLeader : Thanks
Heden: Why all the competitions if beta is still potentially 2 months away
Sywyn: Raids whats the deal? I thought there was no plans for it?
Lomen: Great interview!! thx Jeff!
Chumbar: Please tell us about character customization please!
jincey: have at it!
Ferodex: woa
Beazel: LOL
TurtlesOnAPlane: woooooooooo
Kiras thanks!
Myanmirt: omg lame
lisa: Please folks, be polite and no swearing!!!
Tekrel: thanks from all french people who are waiting LOTRO !
Dovad: sPAM FTW?
Grim_Stronghand: to offset the very bad news of kinship housing, how about something positive!
Beazel: I beat you all, hehe.
Mock0: hehe
kaedreq: will this session be copied for all to see later?
Link5935: You didn't ask my question!!! :(
[ED]DeBarlo: How much will players be able to influence the game environment on a global scale? Will our actions greatly influence the world?
Gh057: thx for the interview
lisa: kaedreq: yes
russiangoblin: lol can PPL under 18 play in beta?????????//
Thojorkill: Run Jeff run!!!
Myanmirt: ths is lame now i cant read anything it just keeps scrolling up
Bob: BOOM!
Chumbar: PLAYER HOUSING CAHARCTER CUSTOMIZATON
Drewster2007: This isnt going to get you guys any where
TurtlesOnAPlane: i'm freeeeeee i'm freeee
Mock0: hehe
Squirrl: Great job *Salutes* I learned a lot from this.. thank you :)
jincey: yes this is logged and will be posted
Romandil1: Thanks! It was very interesting!
CandidQuality: Thanks for staying up till 7 just to answer a few questions for us. it is truly appreciated. lol.....read fast jeff
odinseye: lol gnight all!
Bob: Thank you both :D
Sywyn was actually quite disapointed
Arvi0n: serrious... lol this is like spam :s
Dovad: I just want my pvp!
lisa: 7 No shouting or swearing please, or we'll have to be mean, and I don't want to be mean :)
Mock0: ok
Mock0: :D
Eldyana: If there is time, I would love to know if PvP is going to be optional?
Drego_Fein: Thanks for the interview guys :)
Talon: Thanks Jeffrey and Patience!
Squirrl: Thanks a lot :)
Vladomir: Thanks
Phiz: thanx to both of you for putting up with all the questions thrown at you
Arandur_Erynion: 4Is there going to be a good place for roleplay?! It's an important aspect of this title...
RingLeader: PvP will ALWAYS be consensual only!!!
Chumbar: CHARACHTER CUSTOMIZATION
russiangoblin: will players under 18 be able to join beta????
TucksMa: Are Silvan Elves really starting in Rivendell, why so far East and why at what is so widely considered a safe haven not a newbie zone? If Hobbits DO start in Breeland... why there instead of the Shire? and if so, what is the reasoning behind it? Can you confirm each races' starting position please?
Guest2: Captains FTW!
asdfasf: Jeffrey "cares" :)))
nojjer: how are you guys handling greater lineage on weapons and armor?
Patience: You're welcome guys :)
Myanmirt wants to ask if it will be a 06 or 07 release?
Gh057: Will Moria be included in the first release?
Mock0: I just wanted to know real fast about the player housing
Drewster2007: Thanks!
Bob: Endyana, that question has already be answered, PvP is stated to be entirely consensual.
RingLeader: Hobbits/Men in Breeland
Eldyana: Thank you ;-)
kaedreq: will the skill leveling of each type of profession be somewhat similar to ac1?
RingLeader: Elves/Dwarves in Ered Luin
TucksMa: no player housing at release
Vincen: thank you Patience, RingLeader!
Talon: RingLeader: The single most important question out there... Will there be different colored squirrels in the game?
Celuial: Are there really going to be thousands of Silvan Elves in Eriador while most in the lore are in Rhovanion?
Tekrel: i just hopes that the game (and the players ! ) will respect le soul of the world of Tolkien. But all i've heard here seems to be good !
Bob: Lol Talon
sparkz: Question: will the GUI be configurable?
Mock0: haha
WW-KuddZ^^: Lol talon
samgamgee7: must be off, thank you RingLeader and Patience :))
Rudnoc: Can you have it in the settings to auto ignore a PvP request so it isn't spammed at you?
RingLeader: Only Red ones, Talon :)
TurtlesOnAPlane: Will you have a pub like barlimans? so we can hang out and chat like we do in here? :D
Arandur_Erynion: Is there going to be a good place for roleplay?! It's an important aspect of this title...
Kak: How long will it take friends from different races to meet up with each other after starting at different locations?
Mock0: blue is cool
Furious5k: My sincerest condolences to you, RingLeader. The crowd has gone out of control.
TucksMa: Elves in Ered Luin????
asdfasf: RingLeader how big will game be in megabytes ?
Amrac: I would love to hear Jeffrey's personal thoughts on the topic of RP servers, if he's still there and ready for some answers ;)
Azzie: When dieing in an instance will you need to re enter the instance from a spawn point outside the instance or will there be a spawn point inside the instance
Erethrandir: thanks again RingLeader and Patience
[Sars]virushot: i missed most of it any news on ALCHEMY?
RingLeader: Barliman is in Prancing Pony, yes
Keebs: What about Dwarf Women, RingLeader?
TurtlesOnAPlane: thanks :D
jincey: dwarf wimmen lol
[KODA]_Decay: keebs dont start with that
Jibbon: @RingLeader: ...will there be any types of item binding !?
TurtlesOnAPlane: jincey i'll get the game if you get it
Keebs: It's important!
lisa: there arreeeeeee nooo dwarf wimmen!
TurtlesOnAPlane: :D
Dovad: pvp :
Link5935: Will the Hobbits starting quest involve Staddle, and Elves in Ered Luin?
TurtlesOnAPlane: we can hang out in there
jincey: lol
Gh057: of course there are dwarf women
asdfasf: lisa is dwarf wimmen :))
Mock0: can hobbits run fast?
asdfasf: j/k
[KODA]_Decay: it is not important and has been discussed many times over
Goblin: lisa is griffen
Gh057: lol...yeah
lisa: hush, you ;)
asdfasf: please dont kill me
asdfasf: :))
TurtlesOnAPlane: do dwarf wimmen have beards?
lisa flaps her wing
asdfasf: haha
ThePoster: ...
Mock0: of course dwarf wimmen have beards
Kak: How long will it take friends from different races to meet up with each other after starting at different locations?
Miro: Will the Economy be mainly player-driven, or not?
Zoue: Big thanks Jeff and Meghan for taking the extra time out of the busy schedules and after work hours at that to come chat!
Gh057: does that make lisa the game's fedEX?
rovikPVP: :)
Eldyana: Will the base models of character be respectably dressed, to avoid the, um, "Dirty Dancing" that is going on in even some of the populor mmo's?
[Sars]virushot: Alchemy anyone is it in???
Patience: Thanks Zoue :) And thanks for coming!
Chuck_Norris: this is insane
Eldyana: (Sry about spelling)
Mock0: this is not as much spam as I thought :D
RingLeader: People will meet up with each other quickly
nojjer: how are you guys handling greater lineage on weapons and armor?
Gh057: if there’s 9 skills its probably in
Dolnor: Jeffrey, can you say what industry/fan events that LOTRO will be demo-ed at this year?
sparkz: Question: will the GUI be configurable?
Gota: its like reading the number plates on cars on the highway
Annolennar: How will the abilities of classes, particularly special ones like Minstrel and Loremaster, outside of combat, have significant effect on gameplay socially and in the "world" of the game? In other words, how will a Minstrel 'feel' like a Minstrel?
[IG]Thurin: boo at no kinship housing at release ::(
Mock0: RINGLEADER YOU NEED TO VIST US ON THE FORUMS sorry for caps
Bob: Doesn't mean you need to spam more to compensate Mock0
Goblin: RingLeader person what money is in the game ?? is it gold coins or is it silver coins or is it spoons ??
Chuck_Norris: you guys seriously can't expect him to answer any of your questions under these circumstances
Kak: What will the centerpoint be where all races finally meet up?
Link5935: Mr. Steefel, You said the Elves will be starting in Ered Luin? And will the Hobbits starting quest involve staddle
warefare: Is there going to be an anti-cheat tool and will farmers get banned and NOT supported ?
Cindy: I heard there will be a transcript of the chat posted later.
CandidQuality: OK. now you have a reason to be scared ;)
lisa: cindy: yes
Heden: Why all the competitions if beta is still potentially 2 months away
[Sars]virushot: alchemy... lol nvm
Gh057: I think he left you can stop spamming now
Dovad: lisa - where?
RingLeader: :::EYES ROLLING BACK IN HIS HEAD, RINGLEADER VANISHES IN A PUFF OF SMOKE::
RingLeader has quit IRC (Quit: )
lisa: ok, folks, thanks again :)
| 7-07-06 Latest News |
Movie Chat on Saturday: 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail!'
maegwen @ 4:13 pm EST
Unpack your shrubberies, everyone! Movie Chat this weekend features none other than "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Join us Saturday on our IRC server at 5:30 pm EST when we pop our copies of the movie into the DVD player and begin shouting 'Ni!' We plan to take a break midway through the film, to allow for stretching of fingers and backs. Barliman will be on hand to serve drinks and snacks (and to enforce the house rules). Be there or we shall say 'ni' again to you if you do not appease us. Also, please check out our Summer Schedule below, as voted on by the fine folks in Barliman's chat room. Upcoming featured films include: 'Galaxy Quest,' 'Ghostbusters,' and 'Princess Bride.' About IRC chat] Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. America: Europe: Asia-Pacific: Where? Movie Watch happens on #moviechat on irc.theonering.net -- the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here!) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer. To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, target="_blank">check out these instructions. See you all then!
Date: Saturday, July 8th
Time: 5:30 pm EST
Place: #moviechat on the TORn IRC server.
Time zone conversions
5.30pm (New York)
4.30pm (Chicago)
3.30pm (Salt Lake City)
2.30pm (Los Angeles)
10.30pm GMT (London)
11.30pm CET (Paris)
6.30am AWST (Sunday) Perth
8.30am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.30am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney
11.30am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington
The Summer Schedule
Saturday chats approx. 5:30 p.m. EST / Sunday chats begin approx. 2 p.m. EST -- All dates & times are tentative until confirmed
Saturday, June 17: Pirates of the Carribean
Sunday, June 25: Alien & Aliens
Saturday, July 8: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Saturday, July 22: Ghost Busters
Sunday, July 30: Princess Bride & Shaun Of The Dead
Saturday, August 19: Say Anything
Sunday, August 27th: Galaxy Quest & Memphis Belle
Saturday, Sept. 9: Finding Nemo
Saturday, Sept. 23: Fifth Element