July 27, 2011
I have to note that it was really difficult for me to stop myself from putting 27 exclamation points after the title of this post. This is some cool stuff!
Today, Turbine has released a new batch of screenshots from The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard. The new screenshots provide a first look at the Tower of Orthanc, as well as the Gap of Rohan!
All pictures can be clicked on to see larger images and I’ve also posted them to our Flickr account.
Goldenstar plays a minstrel as her main and enjoys the small things in LOTRO like festivals, parties, & clothing. In her spare time, she will join in fellowships to root out evil from Middle-earth.
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[...] of Isengard (I can’t seem to locate the official announcement, so I’ll just link to the CSTM post). And I have to say, I’m extremely impressed. I’ve always been a huge fan of [...]
[...] Here are a section of screenshots from “Rise Of Isengard”. Further pictures and details can be found over at A Casual Stroll To Mordor. [...]
[...] Voor degene die deze screens nog niet gezien hebben! Official Screenshots of Orthanc and Gap of Rohan | A Casual Stroll to Mordor [...]
[...] Orthanc and the Gap of Rohan screenshots [...]
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A Casual Stroll to Mordor Blog and Podcast is fansite service started by married couple Merric and Goldenstar. They started playing The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) during beta and both of have lifetime subscriptions to the game.
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July 27, 2011 at 11:30 am
Nice!
-TG
July 27, 2011 at 11:44 am
I want to go! I really do now that I see it. I am very excited
July 27, 2011 at 11:48 am
I guess I’m spoiled by the movie as I’ve always pictured the tower almost ridiculously tall but this isn’t bad.
The war camp is fantastic, kinda looks like a screen from some real-time strategy game.
July 28, 2011 at 3:35 am
Tolkien states that the top platform of Orthanc is about 500ft above the plain. I guess Peter Jackson added a 0 to that.
July 27, 2011 at 11:59 am
I cannot wait to see that. Hurry up September!!!!
July 27, 2011 at 12:07 pm
My only fear is the fps being as bad as 21st Hall and Enedwaith’s grassy areas
Don’t want to upgrade my PC yet.
July 27, 2011 at 12:23 pm
I spy Brohirrim!
July 27, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Looking good. Two months!
July 27, 2011 at 1:32 pm
The tower looks positively tiny compared to Dol Guldur, which I suppose is correct. I’d just never thought of it. I still think it looks great.
July 27, 2011 at 2:07 pm
From what I can see there is very little scale to those screenshots… weathertop looks pretty small from a distance, correct me if I’m wrong but those shots could be from quite a distance.
July 27, 2011 at 3:42 pm
It’s supposed to be fairly small, but looming over the structures right next to it. Kind of like sticking the Space Needle in a mountain valley, I think.
July 27, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Next poll’s question should be: “Is Orthanc high enough for you?”. I would choose ‘nay’ for an answer. Although, I must say I like its style. And the details on the tents are just beautiful. Can’t wait.
July 27, 2011 at 3:21 pm
“Is Orthanc high enough for you?”
That’s what she said :p
July 27, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Just read this part in the book last night. Orthanc rose more than 500 feet above the ground, and the walls of Isengard were a mile in diameter. So they’ve scaled it down a bit.
July 27, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Well, to be fair, we can run all the way through Moria and other lands in probably 20 minutes… so it’s all scaled to some degree.
I think it looks neat, in any event.
July 27, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Remember that you’re comparing its size to enormous mountains in the background- mountains that Orthanc is making look much closer due to size/perspective. Berephon has commented about Isengard’s lore-specificity in the forums, and it sounds (and now looks) like they’re doing a good job.
July 27, 2011 at 4:50 pm
I agree with Alpha. I’d wait until you have something to compare it to that isn’t a part of the landscape.
July 27, 2011 at 4:34 pm
I was under the impression that the tower was smooth, but I’m sure when I finally get there I’ll be way too busy fighting stuff to notice or care
July 27, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Dissapointed….
July 27, 2011 at 5:22 pm
We would have liked to have seen a taller Orthanc, looks very cool with the moon and clouds overhead though!
July 27, 2011 at 7:47 pm
I dunno… it looks pretty tall to me. In the second picture, you see a gate in the wall and even if you imagine that the gate is pretty small, the tower looks seriously massive in comparison.
But even still, I’m actually more interested in the war camp screenshots than Orthanc or anything else they’ve released from Isenguard — they’re the first pics that have gotten me really excited about the expansion.
July 27, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Buckleberry ferry isn’t that far from Brandywine Bridge in the game either.
July 27, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Yeah it could be huge. The gate in the wall had a tunnel that took a bit of time to go through, and the inside of the walls had buildings and rooms built into them. If they’re trying to be accurate to the lore, I’m VERY excited to see this place. I also love the fords of Isen images.
July 28, 2011 at 2:17 am
So if Orthanc should be 500ft what building would be of similar size today? If’ve found the Philadelphia City Hall Building on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_City_Hall
Take a look and then take a look again at Orthanc in LotRO. I’d say it matches very well.
July 28, 2011 at 3:43 am
Exactly my thoughts.
July 28, 2011 at 4:15 am
I thing Turbine really has some of the most talented World builders in MMO business.
But … to be honest … I am not overly excited about RoI. Why?
I am now playing this game since April 2007 … and I really love it. But … to be honest … what stuff will be brought to us by Turbine with RoI? Great new maps with great new stories and I am really looking forward playing them. but then? What kind of exciting new stuff comes with this expansion? Nothing. Nothing I really know of.
to be honest … I am happy that SW:ToR will be released within the next couple of months … because I see a huge load of boredem coming in Lotro after we explored and enjoyed the new regions.
Sad perspective …
July 28, 2011 at 4:25 am
There are and always be people who will never be satisfied with anything anyone will offer them. Even SWTOR once will be played through. But Ungoliath will of course never be satisfied so just keep eating.
July 28, 2011 at 4:34 am
One last word of mine about sizes: Tolkien’s Orthanc is extremely huge with it’s ‘mere’ 500ft. You gotta know there is no reinforced concrete and no steel structures to build higher. There is just Stone. And even with granite the possible building height is limited. We today live in modern times with all those inventions which made the tall skyscrapers of today possible. But there were times where even a 300ft tall building was considered ‘a skyscraper’. Do not make the mistake to compare today’s buildings with those Tolkien came up with. Tolkien is not so much High Fantasy as you might think.
July 28, 2011 at 6:16 am
Unexpected look of Orthanc there. And the area around certainly doesn’t look anything like the trailer, but then again the trailer wasn’t following the lore too well.
July 28, 2011 at 6:55 am
The shots of the tower dont give a good perspective, from the bottom looking up (at night). I’d hold off on judgement and wait to see it in the game. Would be nice if turbine did some more daylight shots in general.
My interpretation of it was a fairly thin tower within a valley, kind of like a lighthouse, round which the other stuff was built. Granted being a wizards tower it may have been taller than standard stone builds but still not modern skyscraper.
The movie tower would have been over emphasised for the big screen and as a visual thing will have stuck in peoples mind bit more than a detail from the books.
July 28, 2011 at 7:31 am
Compared to the size and scale of other fortresses already in the game, it does seem a little small, but with iconic places like this I guess they would want to stick as close to the lore as possible. The sheer size of places like CD Castle and DG in the game kind of make this seem a bit anti-climactic I guess. It reminds be of Barad Gularan from a distance, without the eight towers surrounding it, maybe even a bit smaller.
July 28, 2011 at 8:28 am
I have spent some time checking the pictures and I do think, that either the one with the camp with the many people and horses has either been massivly worked over or that the image is not an area of the game, you can enter, rather a moving background.
When you look at the horses and people on maximal resolution, you see that there are three types of horses (one looking 3 o’clock, ass at 10 o’clock, second looking 8, ass 2 and third looking back 4 ass 3). They vary in size and in brightness.
Same happens with people. There is only a very limited number of types (I count five) which vary in brightness and size.
July 28, 2011 at 9:52 am
Or they may be stand-ins until they actually populate it with npcs. Yes it does look like the same group of 3 horses copied and pasted all over the camp.
August 2, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Was in the Stirling area earlier today and was listening to podcast99 in the car. Oddly bit about the tower came on as I passed the wallace monument.
While maybe not the best it’s not a bad example of a tall stone built tower that uses geography to increase it’s height.