Lorebook and You!

Lord of the Rings Online is a fantastic game!  But we are still, some 2 years out, lacking some very basic tools that help new players and advance players enjoy it to its fullest.  I speak on this topic lightly, mainly due to the fact that yes, I am going to make some references to that other MMO out there. You know, the 500 pound gorilla that sits in the corner.  Most of our community tries to either ignore it, or ridicule those who seem to know a little about it.

So, going out on a very long limb, here it is.  WoW has a number more tools available when it comes to looking things up out of game than LotRO.  Some will argue that well we have Allakhazam and MMODB.  Yes we do.  But, to those who love those sites, and even to those who may run them (although the lack of new content may speak volumes) those sites, are . . well, lacking.  Lacking in information, to style, functionality, usefulness.  They are stuck in a pre web 2.0 generation, and seem unwilling to move forward to produce a product that our community needs or can use.

So where does that leave us?  The Lorebook.  Here is a a repository of in game data, provided by the company that puts the game out.  The data is solid, its accurate, it comes right out of the database of the game.  On top of that its in a wiki format. Meaning that users can add new content, or notes to existing entries. But it too is lacking.  Ill explain why in just a moment.

The Frustrating Day and a Seed

Yesterday I went to the Lorebook to look up armor for my Rune Keeper.  I wanted to search the database for the best item, according to stats, in light armor between levels 20-25.  The advanced search feature worked like a charm!  I soon identified a wonderful chest piece.  Now. . here is a wow reference to make some go oh yes that is great, and others say, “this isn’t wow get over it.”  I was a heavy user of wowhead, an online database, not ran by blizzard, to do what I just did in the lorebook.  Search, find an item, click on it, and then discover where it either drops, is rewarded for a quest, or what mats it takes to craft.  Simple, easy, and a sure way to do some research and plan things out.  Well, back to the Lorebook.  I clicked on the item, got a nice page with stats, and NO data about where it comes from. Hmm. . .frustration started to get to me.

I fired up google.  Entered the exact name of the item, and sure enough, Alla and MMODB came up with links.  I click on the links wanting to find information about where the item is obtained, instead I get a repeat of what is on the lorebook.  No note. No guides.  Nothing.  Frustrating.

Then MMeOw had a fantastic blog post last night called 7 Smaller Thinks I Like About Book 7.  The first thing on his list was:

You can access the Lorebook from in-game now. There’s a new icon on your radar that opens it up in a small, floating pop-up. This will definitely be useful.

This was a feature I completely overlooked while doing the new Quest Tracker review.

Hmm, fantastic!  But. . .but. . the Lorebook is great, has maps, has items, deeds and even character sheets. . but its still lacking! 

But it does not have to be lacking!  We, the users can make the lorebook into what Turbine wanted it to become.  A one stop place for all your research and data.

Here is what we need to do. 

1. Take time out of play time to contribute to a page.  If you look up an item and know where it comes from, put a note on the page, with a link if possible, so others can follow it.
2. Tell others about the lorebook and encourage them to log in and help contribute data.
3. Be an advocate to help promote the LotRO community and the tools out there.

If we all try to take a little time and add the important information we could make the lorebook more useful. 

Something for Turbine to think about.

In order to not kill off blogs and the rest of the community that only wants to build things up, please provide us with tools to use on our sites.  WoWhead gives the ability to place mouse over tool tips on blogs and forums.  Please provide us with these tools. 

Also consider providing as much internal data as possible to items.  If an item is listed, perhaps the system can contribute the location of drops for said item. 

Conclusion

We have the tools inside the game.  We have a great source in the lorebook with accurate data.  We simply need to encourage the community to use it.  Don’t let it go stale.  New, casual and hardcore players can all benefit if we have tools like this. 

Let me know your thoughts.