10/14/99 - Latest News
The Changing of Polls
Berendir @ 7:26 pm EST
Well the results are in on the poll and it appears by no surprise that the majority of people would want an RPG style Middle Earth Game. Trailing in last would be a Quake style game, first person kill fest, and that got only a handful of votes at best.
The new poll is to find out how you think Death should be handled in your ideal Middle Earth style of game. Personally I favor Permanant Death, but only if its made very hard to be killed. I thought the old Dev. Team had some good ideas on that before they were put out to pasture. Mail me any ideas for poll questions If you'd like to see a particular poll put up.
NWN Lisenses News
Berendir @ 2:22 pm EST
This was posted on the NWVault:
From a purely technical standpoint, you'll be glad to hear that we can't really prevent you from naming your module "Middle-Earth," "Midkemia," "McDonald's," or "Bo Didley's Last Parade," nor can we do any more than place some basic limits (largely graphical) on its content. As for D&D licensing, TSR has been good enough to permit the creation or recreation of any of their products (old Pen & Paper modules, etc) within the NWN system, as long as no one's making any money off of it. Your best bet would be to approach the Tolkien estate or any holders of the Tolkien license to see what limitations, provisos, and legal gobbeldygook they might impose or require on your behalf. From a legal standpoint, we don't really have anything of value to say on the matter.
Well theres some interesting news. My guess is there would be no problem with lisenses if Arda Nights didn't copy names and such from Middle Earth books exactly. However contacting the Tolkien Estate on exactly what can be done should be looked into.
10/13/99 - Latest News
Arda Nights
Berendir @ 3:54 pm EST
I mentioned a guild called Arda Online not too long ago. That House is actually called Arda Nights. The plan is to create a Middle Earth within Neverwinter Nights, as an alternative to MEO. Check out Arda Nights at the playervault Here
Heres some info on Neverwinter Nights, and why it might be possible to create a Middle Earth community within it.
Using Neverwinter Nights' powerful and user-friendly Solstice Toolset, you can create and populate entire new modular worlds and stories for others to adventure in. As an all-powerful Dungeon Master (DM), Neverwinter Nights even allows you to alter the plot, possess characters, and manage combat from behind the scenes, all in real-time.
So theres the main part of the plan right there. Once the game is out its possible that with enough help, a Middle Earth could be built, and molded into what many Tolkien fans want.
The host of the game will be able to choose from a wide variety of possible death scenarios ranging from an unpenalized, immediate respawn to having that character permanently removed from the server.
For those that were big on permanant death in Middle Earth, it looks like it will be possible after all.
We are dedicated to making our Solstice Toolset as intuitive and easy to use as possible. You can draw from our extensive libraries of pre-existing content or feel free to create your own. All buildings, terrain, and dungeon spaces, for instance, can be painted down using intuitive and context-sensitive tiles. At the same time, our powerful, in-house scripting language allows you to weave your stories and create characters that behave in an intelligent fashion (this includes engaging in fully customizable conversations and dialog chains that you create). You will even be able to create new creatures and items based on templates provided for your convenience!
Looks great, some real possibility for this game and the Arda Nights.
I'll keep track of the games progress since theres hope in part of it ending up as a virtual Middle Earth.
I got the information you see above from the Neverwinter Nights FAQ. Go check that out to learn more the game and its possibilities.
Here are a few Screenshots from Neverwinter Nights to give you an Idea of what the possibilities of what a created Middle Earth World would look like.
10/12/99 - Latest News
MEVault Poll
Berendir @ 2:14 pm EST
There was a poll at the MEVault this week. The question was:
Do you still plan on following Middle-earth until it's completion?
Here were the results of that poll:
Yes, of course! - 321 votes (47.56 %)
No way. - 112 votes (16.59 %)
I'm not sure yet. - 242 votes (35.85 %)
Well the results of this poll seemed more positive then the last taken on the MEVault. Almost half of the voters claimed that they will be enthusiastic about watching the progress of the game till its end. However slightly more than half expressed either indecision on this matter, or a definite negative response.
10/09/99 - Latest News
Interview with Smeagol88
Berendir @ 3:54 pm EST
The head of Platus Productions, Smeagol88, has agreed to do an Interview with us at the Gaming Havens. Smeagol88 did a live chat with us one month ago, and Wynn, the head graphics artist working on, The Trilogy also did a live chat at Barliman's.
Check out the Events Log section of theonering.net Here to check them out.
Send your questions to me that you would like to ask Smeagol88. Try and make some questions that haven't been asked at the live chats, so that we might learn some new things about The Trilogy.
10/08/99 - Latest News
MEO Voice
Berendir @ 7:20 pm EST
Heres a good site that opened up today. It has some articles on what happend to Middle Earth Online, and some other information worth seeing.
Check out the site Here
10/07/99 - Latest News
Fun Ideas
Berendir @ 6:15 pm EST
Well We've all done top ten lists before, so its not a new concept. However it is fun sometimes to see what the end result of one is. So the first of the ideas is I want everyone here to send me there top ten lists of the best plot lines for a Middle Earth Game. Make em funny or serious, and I'll pick the best ten from the lists I get, and post the top ten list we end up with.
Next order of business is if anyone here has ever played a Middle Earth game of any sort, Cards, old computer game, board game, then send me a review on the game telling what you like and don't like about it.
Also don't forget to send any poll questions you'd like to see up here. Send any other ideas you'd like to see on the Gaming Havens to me as well. We'll be working to expand the section in the near future, so all ideas and suggestions are welcome!
Ode To the Dev Team
Berendir @ 3:40 pm EST
This was written a few days ago on the MEvault, by Elronin "The Lone Bard"
Its a real good piece of writing he did, and definitely worth reading.
'Think of Tolkien and what will you find?
Wonderfull things you will see in your mind.
A Beautifull land with many different places,
Human and Elfs and lost of other races.
The wish we all have is to see this for real,
Yet Sierra does not seem to know how we feel.
Middle-Earth Online was promised to be created
And since them we have all waited, and waited,
And waited, aaaannd waited........
Information was not often revealed
And if we asked their lips seemed sealed.
But at the ME-Vault a damn good site
A Dev-Team came calling shedding some light.
Steve, Daniel, Janus these names we all learned
And for the game we ever more yearned.
True Tolkien fans were they in their heart
Because in making ME they let us take part.
Fresh idea's were put in the game,
Perma-Death was ever the cause of their fame.
None were betrayed, not the books not the fans,
But in the end Sierra pulled it out of their
hands
The Dev-Team, the fans it was not their fault,
That Sierra let it come to such sudden halt.
Dollar-signs are in their eyes,
And I wish that was their demise,
Yet fans will buy dispite their lies,
Behold the end of Sierra nighs.
For when the fans play the game,
Sierra will be put to shame,
Burn will their offices with eternal flame,
They will be crushed in Tolkien's name,
And in the ashes we will erect,
A monument wich will reflect,
That we must never repeat these deeds,
For now we have seen where that leads.
All we wanted was our dream made real.
The Dev-Team knew how we did feel.
They tried to grant us this one wish
And Sierra, in their wisdom, fed them to the fish
10/06/99 - Latest News
Arda Online
Berendir @ 2:30 pm EST
Hi all, heres a message posted by Aulė , at the MEvault.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I have created a "guild" on Player Vault for the purpose of organizing our thoughts on using Neverwinter Nights to create Middle-earth. This will be a temporary home until a web site can be made. If you're interested in joining in the effort, come on by and help out!
Arda Online