Q&A with Turbine Entertainment''s, Chris Clay of MEO

Chris Clay, Art Director, The Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Online, Turbine Entertainment Software, took time out of his busy schedule to stop and talk about Hobbits with us. You know, Halflings. And just how will those relate in the world of Middle Earth Online.

WarCry: What physical characteristics can we choose? Hair length? Eye Color? Foot Hair? Age?

Chris: The total set of options at character creation isn't quite set in stone, but you'll be able to modify the following: hairstyle and color, beard style/color (for males), skin color, height, and face. If you choose to be of a sub-race such as a Human Male from Gondor your options will be limited to a set of traits characteristic of the people of that region.

WarCry: Will there be "ethnic" skills? Will Bucklanders be able to sail? Breelanders have better interpretation skills? Gardening skills for those from the South Farthing?

Chris: I know we currently plan on having some traits you pick, such as growing up a farmhand, that will give you stat boosts/penalties but you'll have to wait a few months for more specific information.

WarCry: What default skills will Hobbits have? Thrown Weapons (they're fabulous with rocks) Innate resistance to corruption? Defensive agility?

Chris: I can't really talk about specific skills here, but in The Lord of the Rings Hobbits did have many inherent abilities. An example is that they can remain unnoticed much easier than other races...

WarCry: What special emotes will they have? (smoking pipeweed?)

Chris: At present all avatars share the same set of emotes, though at the same time each race performs emotes in character. A hobbit will have a very different laugh from a Dwarf for instance, so while all races can laugh they will each look unique.

WarCry: Is sustenance required? And if so, how do Hobbits eat enough?

Chris: Sustenance isn't required. Eating may give you some short term boost but you will not die if you never eat.

WarCry: Song making - will there be somewhere for Hobbits to inscribe their songs and pass them on?

Chris: Characters will not be able to make their own music in MEO. We decided that it was more important to be able to properly score the game and create the appropriate feeling of dread in places like the Barrow Downs or the depths of Moria than for a Hobbit to be able to play the fiddle in those same places. However, players will have the option of inscribing their songs in letters, parchments, and books, which they can pass along to other players.

WarCry: What limitations will be put on Hobbits as far as encumbrance goes? What items will be too heavy for them?

Chris: Currently there isn't a concept of encumbrance in MEO; all objects weigh the same amount and you're full when all of your backpack slots are taken.

WarCry: Any chance of actual cultivation some day? Gardening? Smoking?

Chris: The sky is the limit, and as we have many more regions to cover and expansion packs to make and the feature list is anybody's guess/dream. It's been a strong desire of the team to make sure players have non-violent activities and this one is definitely near the top of the list.

WarCry: Hobbits like to dance. Can that be a skill? Like, get dancing experience by dancing and improve your ability, etc?

Chris: At present, dances are just emotes. In the future, however, it would be possible for dancing to, say, be a mini-game where as you succeed at the game you become a stronger dancer. It would have to be a really fun game though, as making people macro so they can play an emote wouldn't be a good solution.

WarCry: If there is a first-person camera mode in the game, will the camera be situated at eye-level for the hobbits? What problems/challenges will this present to the player when involved in dungeon/grassy field areas?

Chris: This is a good question and one Turbine and Vivendi Universal Games are still exploring. This is a question of realism versus playability. If having the camera to close to the ground makes the game not fun it would be an option to raise the camera height for Hobbits in first person view above that of their eye height.

WarCry: Do Hobbits have a natural limitation for physical abilities? Fighting, jumping, running, swimming: They all seem like they'd be naturally more difficult than someone at full height.

Chris: I'll tell a personal story here. In High School I ran Cross Country, and to be honest I sucked really bad, mostly because being 6'2" at the time my knees weren't in the best of shape for distance running. In my prime I could tick of six and half minute miles for about six miles and it just so happened that the best woman runner was somewhere around there as well. As such, we ran together a lot, and she, being a little less than five feet tall, could whoop my ass when she wanted, she just took more steps.

Ok, where am I going with this? The players in MEO are heroes, and just as in everyday life heroes defy the limitations normal people adhere to. While perhaps in Hobbit society at large people would have such problems, the heroes of the race will not.