Jeffrey Steefel speaks on LotRO’s growth, content, and session play

It’s been some time since we’ve last heard Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel talk about The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Good thing he was recently interviewed by MMORPG.com and he spoke about a few things that gamers might be interested in – the growth of the player base, content changes, and the introduction of Session Play.

While Steefel didn’t disclose exact figures regarding how well received the game was by the community, it’s a general consensus that the game’s launch was successful.

With regards to the future of the game however, Steefel said that “we are tracking to the plan we had for bringing this game out into the market. We know we launched successfully… and now we’re looking at how we can reach out to a larger audience.”

Session Play was also discussed. It is a feature that will allow players to inhabit the bodies of either Rangers, Trolls, or Chickens. A major difference from the normal PvP or PvM game is that in Session Play players only get a limited time to play as the creature, and that it is not upgradeable.

Steefel said that it can be split into two parts: the Rangers and Trolls being one while Chicken Play as another since each each one focuses on a different gameplay aspect. The concept behind being able to play as Rangers and Trolls, Steefel notes, is that players like to use “elite characters.”

He further explained that players who normally play an MMORPG start out wanting to work their way up. However it reaches a point where players want to play as someone as epic like Aragorn or Legolas. So they’re giving players the best of both worlds.

Chicken Play however was added because the developers wanted people to experience multiple facets of Middle Earth. Steefel explains this very well:

It’s been a goofy idea that’s been floated around since we started talking about Monster Play. It might be a silly idea, but it’s a silly idea with a purpose: You read Tolkien and what you get is the darkest most epic most grand thing possible, but in the end… he had a sense of humor. The more we can add that into the tone of the game, the better.

Codemaster’s The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is one of the most dynamic games in the market now, and is shaping up to become a very dominant force in the MMORPG industry. With people like Steefel in the forefront of things, its understandable how this game has gotten to where it is.

Via MMORPG.com

It’s been some time since we’ve last heard Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel talk about The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Good thing he was recently interviewed by MMORPG.com and he spoke about a few things that gamers might be interested in – the growth of the player base, content changes, and the introduction of Session Play.

While Steefel didn’t disclose exact figures regarding how well received the game was by the community, it’s a general consensus that the game’s launch was successful.

With regards to the future of the game however, Steefel said that “we are tracking to the plan we had for bringing this game out into the market. We know we launched successfully… and now we’re looking at how we can reach out to a larger audience.”

Session Play was also discussed. It is a feature that will allow players to inhabit the bodies of either Rangers, Trolls, or Chickens. A major difference from the normal PvP or PvM game is that in Session Play players only get a limited time to play as the creature, and that it is not upgradeable.

Steefel said that it can be split into two parts: the Rangers and Trolls being one while Chicken Play as another since each each one focuses on a different gameplay aspect. The concept behind being able to play as Rangers and Trolls, Steefel notes, is that players like to use “elite characters.”

He further explained that players who normally play an MMORPG start out wanting to work their way up. However it reaches a point where players want to play as someone as epic like Aragorn or Legolas. So they’re giving players the best of both worlds.

Chicken Play however was added because the developers wanted people to experience multiple facets of Middle Earth. Steefel explains this very well:

It’s been a goofy idea that’s been floated around since we started talking about Monster Play. It might be a silly idea, but it’s a silly idea with a purpose: You read Tolkien and what you get is the darkest most epic most grand thing possible, but in the end… he had a sense of humor. The more we can add that into the tone of the game, the better.

Codemaster’s The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is one of the most dynamic games in the market now, and is shaping up to become a very dominant force in the MMORPG industry. With people like Steefel in the forefront of things, its understandable how this game has gotten to where it is.

Via MMORPG.com