[21:19] Shadowsong: <Godot> Is there any chance that there will be avanced or sub classes in the future? For example the Burglar gets to be an Assassin or an Guardian gets to be an Holy Knight.

[21:20] Mithril_Miser: Hey, Godot. Right now, high-level classes can specialize their character via Legendary Traits toward the end of the game, but we are thinking about some further ways to customize.


[21:21] Shadowsong: <weissbrot>Hullo! Will there be player housing and player cities (doesn't seem to be much space there for it yet)?

[21:21] Mithril_Miser: As it stands, there's lots of customization options to get you to level 50 - we'll talk about other options once we're live and can talk about expansions!
[21:22] Mithril_Miser: As for the topic of Housing, we do have plans to add it in an early update. I can't give specifics just yet, but it's one of the most requested features, and we're looking forward to rolling out personal hobbit holes!


[21:22] Shadowsong: <HDROFacts>To Rowan: Thank you. And now directly to a well known technical question: Will the system-requirements be that much higher with high res textures activated

[21:23] Rowan_Turbine: Recommended system requirements are included with the game, and built with the intention to make LOTRO available across a wide range of systems.
[21:24] Rowan_Turbine: That said, high-resolution textures are intended to take advantage of the latest in graphics technology.


[21:24] Shadowsong: <Merec> I hear you will support music files from the client computer as part of the music system. Can you tell a little more about this? Is it likely that you will add a similar interface for aliases to quickly exchange predefined phrases (could be very handy for events held by players)

[21:25] Mithril_Miser: Yes! We are going to use a music notation called "ABC" - it's a commonly used text notation for music, and it'll be very easy to share and play songs that way, in addition to more ways to play your own music on the fly.


[21:26] Shadowsong: <Nimroth|waiting> will it be possible to unlock other charakters in monsterplay? like trolls...

[21:26] Mithril_Miser: Excellent question. We have big plans for Monster Play in the Ettenmoors and beyond, and part of that will involve new character options!


[21:27] Shadowsong: <TC|Amano>will you fix the money for travel costs? you took out quite a lot of money from the game but fast-travel from bree to esteldin is 100 silver and bree to ettenmoors is 120 silver. this is simply way too expensive

[21:28] Scenario-LOTRO: We realize that some of the various travel route costs are out of balance and need to be fixed. I don't think that we'll be able to get those changes in before the launch of LOTRO, but we are planning to address the issues in the near future.


[21:29] Shadowsong: <spajdr> I want to know if they plan to release addons with more quests, lands and new graphics to them if needed for free, or we can only expect these kind of addon in commercial datadisk.

[21:29] MadeOfLions: We DO plan to add more quests, lands, and graphics to the game for free, spajdr! In fact, our first major content update will be free and have new monsters in it, with new graphics and behaviors and everything!


[21:30] Shadowsong: <Elexorien> QUESTION for devs: Is there gonna be any side games introduced ingame players can indulge in? (cards, dice, any such game to come in handy in the INN)

[21:30] Mithril_Miser: Actually, we already have a couple of minigames in - tag and freeze tag in the Shire and Breeland. We're looking at some new side games, but understandably we've been focused on polishing up the central game up until now.


[21:31] Shadowsong: <[AK]Legowelt>I have a question concerning the Tinker profession. Why was the decision made to move them to the Workbench in stead of the study. The workbench is clearly the most used of the two and after the patch it was always even more crowded!

[21:33] Mithril_Miser: After a lot of Beta feedback, we decided to remove the requirement of a facility from Scholar recipes, and that meant that the Jeweller was all alone at the Studies. We consolidated the two shortly after that - it may be a little crowded, but it'll be easy to find other crafters to trade with!


[21:33] Shadowsong: <Aimoss>Will more solo questing be added at higher levels?

[21:33] MadeOfLions: Solo questing is one area that we're very much focused on, Aimoss, and quite a lot of our time lately has been spent creating solo quests for higher levels.
[21:34] MadeOfLions: That free update I mentioned earlier? That's full of solo content for Levels 28-40, and while there are some Fellowship quests and dungeons in there as well, we really focused on making lots of solo quests.


[21:34] Shadowsong: <ToM-->My question: How much will you take input and voluntary rp actors to help you design and implement in-game events? Or will you work them out mainly with GM team?

[21:34] Satine: I can answer that one!
[21:35] Satine: We're firm believers in involving players whether it's via their input, feedback or actual participation, after all it's your game! With that in mind we will be taking into consideration all your suggestions, wants and desires and will always aim to be as accommodating as possible.


[21:36] Shadowsong: <[AK]Morty|Corin>Question : Any chance of having traits for sub races so the choice between rohan and gondor for example would have an impact on game play other than RP-wise ?

[21:38] Mithril_Miser: That's a topic we've debated a lot, Morty. Right now, the subraces give you different appearance options, give you a starting Title, but don't really have a lot of gameplay benefit. If we add that retroactively, it might lead to a scenario where people feel like they chose the "wrong" subrace - a situation we want to avoid. So I have to give the question a "probably not."


[21:38] Shadowsong: <Wobu> will weather be re-enabled before launch?

[21:39] Scenario-LOTRO: When we first enabled weather in Beta, we found that it was occuring too often. In particular, lightning was flashing almost every couple of seconds. We temporarily disabled the weather to fix those issues. Don't worry though, it will be back. 


[21:39] Shadowsong: <Natdaprat> Hello, do you have any idea of future maps that are going to be released? In chronological order. It'd be a pleasure to explore Moria, Rohan and Gondor in the future.

[21:40] Scenario-LOTRO: Hey Natdaprat! We are really looking forward to the Live Process. It gives us plenty of opportunity to expand our game, both in content and landscape.
[21:40] Scenario-LOTRO: We can't talk too much about what is coming up next, but we fully intend to continue growing the land of Middle Earth, both in the areas the fellowship travelled through as well as in places they had not ventured.


[21:41] Shadowsong: <Anonymous46>Most important question for me is : How does it look with payment possibilities for Austrians? I haven?t a credit card for verify paypal - so i can?t get the lifetime offer???

[21:41] Satine: We have several different payment options available including Paypal, Direct Debit, ELV (bank transfer), and credit card to name a few. For full details on all your billing options, please contact the accounts and billing team via the form at http://www.codemasters.com/cog as they have a much more in-depth knowledge of the billing system than I!


[21:41] Shadowsong: <crunchyY>Iam owner of the Pre Order Version, how long can i play with these two keys "Pre-Order" & "Founder"? before i need to pay? Can i play with the Pre Order over the official release @ 24 April without buing the retail?

[21:42] Satine: With your Pre-order key you can get 10-days Early Access (which starts this Saturday!) to the game. After those 10 days are up we'll be at official launch and at that point you will need to enter a full retail key. You may at that time select one of the Founders Offers if you are a Pre-order customer as your payment option. There will be no more Early Access after release on 24th!


[21:43] Shadowsong: <gizzer> Hi, I'm really new, my question is: Will character / guild achievements affect the world? I mean, in other ways than PVP?

[21:43] Mithril_Miser: As part of our live process, we will be rolling out events across the world - individuals and guilds will be able to make a big difference in these as time marches on!


[21:44] Shadowsong: <TC|Amano>when du you think will the memory leak be fixed? the situation is so bad on vista that one crashes nearly every 15-30 mins if you have to do much zoning. and with all the npcs in instanced houses in bree you have to zone a lot

[21:44] LOTRO_Patience: Hi Amano. We know Vista users were having some problems running the game, and we've made great strides in improving both performance and stabillity. I think you'll find in the next patch that the game runs significantly better, and our engineers are still focused on improving it more.


[21:45] Rowan_Turbine: I'm currently playing a Lore-master, but love my Guardian as well. So many alts, so little time! I also love crafting so that will be a big part of my play-time.

[21:45] MadeOfLions: I always play a Dwarf Guardian from the Lonely Mountain, specializing in the Shield Block response line. Khazad ai menu!
[21:45] Scenario-LOTRO: Two words - Hobbit Burglar. 
[21:46] Satine: For me, it's the grace and elegance of my wonderful human hunter 
[21:46] Mithril_Miser: It's a little known fact that Dwarves are excellent archers. Dwarf Hunter for me. Baruk Khazad! Khazad ai menu!
[21:46] LOTRO_Patience: Patience is a Race of Man Champion on all of the servers. She's mostly for show.  My regular characters never get very high level before I'm on to something else. I'm fickle.


[21:46] Shadowsong: <Geahs> An specific Question about the Historian: In the beta it was hard to find resources for the Scholar (= like textfragments, etc). Are there some changes (droprate) with the release?

[21:47] Mithril_Miser: We have added many resources for Scholars to the landscape. Look in old ruins, you'll like what you find.


[21:48] Shadowsong: <Knubbel>Will there be a specific Ruleset for our European RP-Servers? And if yes: when will we be able to take a closer look at it?

[21:48] Satine: Ah, that's a timely question.
[21:48] Satine: I was actually just reviewing the final "Player Policies" document today which includes the RP guidelines. They're in translations right now and therefore I hope to be able to post them within the next couple of days for you. Watch the forums for news about that!


[21:50] Shadowsong: <TG|Funkbeard> Another question, can we get a function to "hide" or shoudler armour, just like capes, helmets and shoes ?

[21:50] Mithril_Miser: We already let people hide over half their armor slots - if we keep that up, people will be running around naked!
[21:50] Mithril_Miser: It's something to consider, but it isn't currently on the list.


[21:51] Shadowsong: <Alarielle>Are you planning new PvP content ? like kinship wars or more PvP zones ?

[21:51] Mithril_Miser: We do have a lot more plans for PvP, expanding the content in the Ettenmoors and beyond. Sadly, I can't go into too much detail yet.


[21:52] Shadowsong: <Bibliothekar>Question for developers: If I help another character in a fight does that implie a 'stealing' of experience?

[21:53] LOTRO_Patience: Hi Bibliothekar, it's true that if you hit a mob that someone else has tagged, the person who tagged it loses some of the experience for the kill. This is actually by design. Since most of your experience should come from questing, this shouldn't make much of a difference to you over your character's lifetime.
[21:53] LOTRO_Patience: For a long explanation of why it works this way, you can read this post on the forums: http://community.codemasters.com/forum/ … p?t=166460
[21:54] LOTRO_Patience: Hope that answers your question!


[21:54] Shadowsong: <Jaquar> Im gonna buy lifetime gametime, does it cost monthly on new game parts? Or is it just that price of that new gamepart/update?

[21:55] Satine: If you opt for the lifetime payment option, you will not have to pay another monthly fee again! If there should happen to be a paid-for expansion in the future then you will be required to buy the expansion pack itself, however the monthly subscription will remain "paid-for" as part of your lifetime payment plan. I hope that makes sense?


[21:55] Shadowsong: <Hydrosine> will there come a system like the fellowship attacks. but then for monster players, because in ettenmoors it is more likely to have a party of 6 or more then in the normal world.

[21:57] Mithril_Miser: Players cannot currently do fellowship maneuvers to monster players, which balances things out in direct PvP, but players do have the edge in that they can attack NPCs in keeps with them. We're talking about the feature, but have no concrete plans just yet.


[21:59] Shadowsong: This will be our last question for today. So please don't send us anymore questions for today, thanks! 
[22:00] Shadowsong: <jeraziah> do you plan to add sideprofessions to the game (like barber, artist, architect..)?

[22:01] Mithril_Miser: My initial response is that we will probably do a lot more to expand on the existing professions before we add new professions. Still, there are a lot of good ideas out there for new professions, and in the grand development scheme of things new professions aren't TOO hard to add.


[22:02] Satine: Well thanks all for coming, we're glad you could make it and hope you have enjoyed yourselves. Don't forget (how could
[22:02] Satine: you?), that the EU Early Access starts this Saturday, 14th April. This is it, we are going live for real so pack those bags and
[22:02] Satine: move to Middle-earth with us! 
[22:02] Satine: Thanks to all the Devs for a great turnout!
[22:02] Satine: and for spending their very busy time with us today 
[22:02] Scenario-LOTRO: Thanks a lot for sending us your questions! Have a great evening everyone!
[22:02] MadeOfLions: Bye!
[22:02] Rowan_Turbine: Thank you all! And welcome to Middle-earth!"