Poll regarding Lord of the RIngs wishlist

[Lord British]

Hi all,

I've been visiting totalwar.org for some time but this is my first post.

Anyway, since Lord of the Rings seems to be the top in the poll at the moment, I thought I'd post a thought on that.

Many years ago a game was released for the Commodore 64 and Amiga called War in Middle Earth. I think a game like this incorporating the MTW element would be wonderful. If anyone wants to check this game out (and can still run DOS) go to www.the-underdogs.org and just search for War in Middle Earth.

Cheers

[Gregoshi]

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif Hello Lord British. Thanks for lurking no more.

I was a C64 and Amiga owner. I'm not sure I remember the game but I am sure I didn't own it. Can you give us a quick overview of the game? What made it so special?

[LeeJackson]

my only problem with LOTR total war game would be not enough factions. Now this could be resolved if you were allowed to rewrite the history so each faction could play on its own. Turning teh game from good vs evil to Drawfs vs Elves vs Hummans vs Ents vs Orcs vs Goblins... I think you get the picture http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I'd liek to hear about the commodore game too.

[ABG]

U can also separate humans in different factions.
And of course, the strongest faction will be hobbits...


Unfortunately i was an Spectrum 64 owner. I miss ATIC ATAC and GAME OVER...

[GilJaysmith]

There was a Middle Earth wargame on the Spectrum. Can't remember much more than that basic fact, though.

[Alrowan]

there was a strat game based on rohan as well

[ABG]

I see, then i didnt have it, coz on the contrary i would remember now sure...

What a pitty http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif

[Lord British]

There are many reasons why this game was special. The basic premise of the game was to escort Frodo to Mount Doom so he could destroy the One Ring. In the process of doing so, you would have to avoid the Nazgul, orcs, two Balrogs (the Moria Balrog and Gothmog, Sauron's Lieutenant (in the book anyway, I think it never said he was a Balrog), trolls, Easterlings, Uruk Hai, and many other evil forces.
You initially control Frodo, Sam, and Pippin and join up with Merry in Buckland. After that, you pick your own path to Mt. Doom. You can stop for a visit in the Old Forest and chat with Tom Bombadil and encounter Radagast the Brown. Using Gandalf is fun, as he can annihalate entire armies of orcs or single handedly kill Nazgul. You have to decide, though, where best to use him as he is an awesome power; use him to escort Frodo or have him help defend Minas Tirith as the forces of Evil eventually descend upon that city in almost ceaseless numbers. You could control Aragorn, Faramir, Eomer, Imrahil, Dain II, and tons of other real characters and the men who follow them all, for the most part, very closely following the geographical starting locations of each character/army.
I agree with LeeJackson, it would be essential to have all the different factions, i.e. orcs, trolls, goblins, ents, hobbits, etc. With the technology of today's computer games, this is not just a wish (heck, just the less than 1 MB game http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif of War in Middle Earth achieved an amazing amount of tactical real time strategy, an amazing amount of technical accuracy, and a fun game that only enhanced the Tolkien world) but a reality, if done right, would leave Tokien fans reliving the War of the Ring or trying to change its outcome.
Again, if you want to check out the history of this game or download it (it is considered abandonware now) go to the great site (and no, I am not affiliated with them) of www.the-underdogs.org They have about seven or eight other Tolkien related games including Riders of Rowan which I believe Alrowan http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif was alluding to.

Cheers

[Guthwyn]

One problem in a LOTR game in the TW format would be the inclusion of powerful individual figures to the factions. Would all the humans get a Gandalf? How many wizards could you have? I haven't read the books for awhile, but were there enough good guys that could serve as units to defeat the Nazgul?
Another problem to be addressed is the timeline involved: would the campaigns take place during the lifetime of one ruler, or several? An elven/entish faction would have the same ruler during a campaign, even if it lasted centuries, while humans would have scores of kings during that time...
I'm not at all opposed to the idea of a LoTR game, I'd love it. Just posing some questions. I haven't seen the game Lord British mentioned, but it sounds pretty cool.

Guthwyn

[cugel]

Do you guys ever check the Dungeon? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

There's been a mod team attempting to make a LOTR mod for some time now. See this thread for further info: http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin....87;st=0 (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=5;t=1787;st=0)

No-one's posted to it for almost a month now though, so I don't know what the current status of the project is. It's apparantly a true bitch to get the maps modded successfully to keep the game from crashing and adding the unit bifs is extremely time consuming. Kudos to Warrior of Might and the others if they ever get it done. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

Naturally, any mod that's produced would be a war of the ring mod, and wouldn't emphasize Frodo's efforts to get to Mount Doom (you've got to work within the framework of the TW engine and around certain programmed events (like the Pope appearing, etc.)).

There could be a VERY CREDITABLE game if it focused on the Battle of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men versus the forces of Sauron (at the end of the 2nd age), since the armies of that conflict, as described by Tolkien, were approximately equal. As described in the books however, Sauron had such an advantage at the time of the war of the ring (end of the 3rd age) that he would have easily won a conventional war if Frodo hadn't managed to get the ring into Mount Doom. How the modders intend to address such playbalance issues I don't know.

If you ever read any of the books on Middle Earth published by Christopher Tolkien (e.g. Unfinished Tales) J.R.R.T had some very exact ideas about the ancient warriors of his epic tales (in that book, for example, he describes the Numenorean spearmen and archers and the tactics they used, their equipment, how far they marched in a day, etc.). The guy must have spent endless hours dreaming all this stuff up (and he never published any of it except the Hobbit and LOTR) in his lifetime. There would be MORE than enough info. to create a very good game, but it will take a lot of work to create it.

[Keith_the_Great]

I had that game many moons ago,(Amiga) it was based and looked more like the cartoon film, then the books or the excellent films out now.
did'nt play it much (crack copy and it crashed alot)lol http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif

[Maedhros]

I couldn't post a link to it as I don't recall where I read it. But the rumour is that someone bought the rights already to a lotR strat game.

I would expect it to be out this fall - spring. If not for the movie release then for the DVD release.

What would be really good, and solve the faction issues is a game based in the first age - The Silmarillion.

All the armies were far grander and more powerful. The war raged on for probably over a century, and took place a scale more fitting for the talents of CA.

The Elf on Elf and Dwarf on Elf and predictably human on everyone killing occured.

As well the game included jewels more powerful than the one ring, the beginning of dragons, and many balrogs not just one (maybe 2).

The Silmarillion would be truly cool. the expansion could open up the war of wrath and maybe the last alliance when Numenor went forth in war....

any thoughts?


With regard to elvish kings outliving everyone - that can be very good or very bad depending on how many vices you rack up over the centuries. A weak king could be a hindrance to his kingdom for centuries, or a boon.

[Gregoshi]

Thanks for dropping by and joining us Keith. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

FYI, we don't t allow talk about crack software here at the Org - only crack units.

[Swoosh So]

Giljay in middlearth post interest Middle earth total war is next Im phoning pcgamer


just kidding http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif