From the Forums

Q: Is it practical to make a game where your characters are not tied to any particular server?

MEO Sean: From a server/database view, I believe the issue with this is that your character information is stored in a character database and they are world specific, not one big one that is shared across all worlds. Reasons being data integrity blah, blah .. tech stuff. Another thing to think about is character name conflicts across all worlds. What if someone had the same name? Also what happens with housing if you are moving around to different shards .. things like that.



Q: Are hobbits supposed to have side burns? Does that count as a beard?

MEO Sean: The sideburns (and hair style) are part of character selection. You can choose from a variety of styles, colors, etc. Character selection is one of those things under revision, so I will leave it at that.



Q: Will the squelch list accommodate more than 20 entries?

MEO Sean: Currently there is a limit on how many players you can have on your squelch list. You may have to do *some* management of the list, but the list will be large
enough where it shouldn't be a problem. And if it is, talk to your local GM!



Q: Is the chat system going to be the same one in that is in AC2?

MEO Sean: The chat system is not based on the original chat technology that AC2 launched with. The MEO chat system is our own technology (Microsoft created AC2's first chat system, GUN).



Q: Is there going to be chat logs in order to pinpoint a particular incident which
is deemed serious?

MEO Sean: Our in-game GM staff will have access to chat logs, so if there is innapropriate language being used in the game, we will know what was said and by whom.



Q: When will that new game play trailer come out?

MEO Sean: We are still working on getting that trailer to you all. As soon as it can go out it will be released. If I have to jump on my bicycle and hand deliver it to everyone's door .. I WILL! (not really) .. because I get asked this daily.



Q: When can we expect the Beta, and how will testers be selected?

MEO Sean: No date on the start of beta yet. Starting with a small group of testers, testers will gradually be added throughout the beta as the servers become more stable and are ready to handle additional stress/load.



Q: Have you decided whether or not there will be a PvP server at launch?

MEO Sean: No news on a PvP server at launch. Look for server numbers, names and more details well into Beta and as we approach launch.



Q: Have the graphics gotten better?

MEO Sean:As we continue to add layer upon layer of polish to the game, you will notice a difference from old to new screenshots. The landscape changes are often the most noticable .. more trees, bushes, rocks, different shades of colors and landscape frills. I recently saw the latest version of Bree in action. It resembles the older version of Bree in the released screenshots, but .. it was just WAY more alive and vibrant. It was stunning! (working on the screenshots before anyone asks)



Q: What kind of control interface will we be using in the game?

MEO Sean: The control and shortcut keys are remappable. Meaning if you like WASD for movement you can use that. The default layout will likely be tweaked from now until release, but so far it is very customizable and intuitive.



For a full compilation of 'words from the devs', visit the Dev Quote Database on Middle Earth Warcry.