by: Tony "RadarX" Jones

Keeping up with the Official Forums can be cumbersome and who really has time to troll through hundreds of dramatic posts for that one nugget you occasionally find? I do! Join us as Ten Ton Hammer examines all the important threads this week and keeps you up to date.

So without further delay, we bring you this weeks Troll Report

Playerbase Demographics:
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Community Manager Patience took a minute to answer complaints about end game content (last weeks overused topic of the week) by stating "Actually, our data shows the spread of players and it's only a small percentage that's gotten to the higher levels." Now obviously those aren't exact numbers but it's hard to imagine her just making that up. She also states Book 10 will be adding some level 40's content so woohoo! I'd tell you to put in your opinion but she locked the thread.

Hobbit Town isn't Done:
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Developer Scenario answered a question regarding where all the Hobbit towns were? They aren't done yet. Apparently it was so dense and required so much work a little trimming had to be done in order to get things completed on time. They could go back later and patch some of it in, but in my experience low level content usually doesn't have much in the way of return (with the exception of Launch) so I'd say we've seen all we're going to. Most of the comments I saw in the thread were understanding which really surprised me, but feel free to go take a look.

Ettenmoor's Q&A:
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Orion answered a battery of questions again this week broaching more subjects than we could possibly cover. If you are interested in this zone, why it was designed this way, and what they are doing to improve it, I highly recommend you read this. If nothing else admire the sheer posting power of Orion, it really is rather unbelievable how many questions get answered every week.

Rain Nor Sleet
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If you play on Landroval I doubt seriously you missed this one. Apparently the Landroval mail just...got lost. Cash, items, love letters...poof! Patience updated a thread on the subject to let everyone know the problem was being worked on. Everyone got their money back, but what about the stack of Rutabegas? Wow considering auction stuff is mailed, this is a HUGE mess and one I'm glad I don't have to clean up. My heart goes out to you folks on Landroval, and here is hoping you get your stuff back.

Editorial Disputes on the Lorebook:
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Almost everyone would agree the Lorebook is a very interesting tool Turbine has been experimenting with. What happens when different authors of information disagree? Is there a TV special? Does Judge Hatchett make a ruling? Aylwyne first suggests trying to resolve the conflict and perhaps combine the information. The lesson in this is to play well with others and not taddle tale because Turbine doesn't want to mediate (which I can't blame them).

Raid Locks:
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Raid locks were a somewhat heated topic last week as Turbine continues to sort out the mechanics of their raid content. Content Designer Amlug explained they were looking for the "sweet spot" to make the locks work for everyone. He mentioned in a patch coming soon the raid leader will be the model for the locks and players can assume those restrictions. He also used a few numbers as examples but I think you can understand what he was saying.

Carn Dum:
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Ok there MIGHT be a bug or two in the new Carn Dum area. Designer Amlug stopped by to reassure everyone that A) Turbine DOES in fact care about the content which I don't know why they even have to answer and B) they are adding an instance which will be the new Chapter 5. Lockouts from disconnects will soon no longer be a problem if I read this right.

Maps Coming to Lorebook:
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I'm not sure why they are needed in the Lorebook so much seeing as he have Mehq.net. Supposedly these new maps will use the Google API meaning you'll be able to use the zoom for whatever you wish. I've seen something similar already and without POI's it really wasn't all that helpful. I'm sure Turbine has some interesting plans for it though.

Best of Threads

The following threads fit into two outstanding categories. The first of these is the best Dev response of the week from Turbine employees regarding...well anything. The second is the most overused topic of the week meaning there have been 20 threads beating the subject into the ground.

Best Dev Response of the Week - Session Play:
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This thread contains the absolute best Dev response(s) of the week. Rhidden answered numerous questions regarding this new content and provided insight into the future world of...the chicken. You show Orion other people can post too Rhidden!

Orion, you might need to reassess what you are doing posting like this. You are making game developers look bad by being things like "helpful," "knowledgeable," and "sympathetic." Are you trying to change the way the community views Turbine?!? An extremely impressive performance by an apparently passionate developer, let's hope we see more of it.

Most Overused Topic of the Week - Why I quit/moved on/think LOTRO is dying:
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MMO's have been out for approaching a decade now and players have still not learned, NO ONE CARES WHY YOU LEAVE. Everyone appreciates your manifesto dictating exactly what is wrong with LOTR,O but nobody actually read the entire thing. We picked out a few phrases and mocked you for it. Stop playing armchair designer and go find something you enjoy, and stop back by to tell us about it..

That will do it for this weeks Troll Report, be sure to join us next time and the leave the forum trolling to us!