The Lord of the Rings Online Interview

The guys at Shacknews have conjured up an interview with Turbine’s Jeffrey Steefel about their next highly anticipated MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

Q: How does combat work in LOTRO?

A: Combat in LOTRO is very similar to other MMO’s with a stronger focus on fellowship interactions. LOTRO combat uses special events (determined by the player’s class) to open up abilities that make combat more interactive. One sample of this would be the Captain’s (Cry of Victory) ability that fires off whenever anyone in his fellowship defeats an enemy.

Conjunctions are another unique feature in LOTRO. They allow a party to apply their skills in combination during attack. A member of the party uses a skill to place the opponent in a vulnerable state (dazed, knocked back) and then icons appear immediately on the other party members’ screens. The players have seconds to select an icon, and the resulting combination of individual skills is combined into a (Group Skill) that results in a coordinated group attack. The system is designed to be useful even if you do not know it well, but even more effective for groups that know the unique combinations and their effects. This encourages group play, cooperation, and provides increasing complexity for advanced players who want it.