my.lotro.com Beta Preview Open Until Dec. 12
The beta preview of the all-new my.lotro.com will be open until Friday, Dec. 12, so head on over now if you want to catch a glimpse of the searchable database while connecting with your friends from Lord of the Rings Online.
A free benefit for subscribers, the all-new my.lotro.com features a searchable database of players, characters, monster characters, kinships, and tribes. Subscribers may sign in now to start your own blog, create a custom profile, or start making your new web friends list. Search for new friends and reconnect with old ones while you explore the millions of characters available on the site.
Subscribers will be able to utilize all the functions of my.lotro.com during the beta preview this week. Here's the FAQ, which can also be found after the jump.
- What is my.lotro.com?
This site is a free web service provided to subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online™ . Featuring player blogs, detailed character info, kinship pages, and more my.lotro.com allows you to keep in touch with your in-game friends when you’re not in-game.
- How do I access my.lotro.com?
The site may be viewed by anyone. To contribute by writing or commenting on a blog you need to have an active subscription to The Lord of the Rings Online™ . Subscribers may log in at the top of any page on the site by using their web login credentials.
- What is my web login?
Your web login is the same as your forum login information. This set of credentials is different from your game login for security reasons. To update your web login password or to create a web login if you do not already have one, go to https://myaccount.turbine.com/. Log in with your Turbine Account (game login) credentials then select the appropriate option from the subscription management area.
- So, just how “Beta” is this site?
It’s pretty beta. By that we mean that the majority of core functionality exists and works, but a variety of issues and bugs both known and unknown should be expected. We’re still actively developing the site, so expect frequent updates and new features on a regular basis.
- I found a bug! What do I do?
First, check the Known Issues list to see if we’re already working on it. If it’s not on there, please file a bug report by clicking Report Bug at the bottom of each page.
- Where do I go for help?
The beta version of my.lotro.com is currently only supported via a dedicated section in the LOTRO forums. Turbine customer service cannot assist you with site-specific problems. Once the site leaves beta other support options may be provided.
- Why don’t my characters show up?
For the launch of the site we have set all existing characters to anonymous for a limited time. Players will have one week to manually set the display mode for their characters. After that period all characters will default to linked to the player profile by default. Logged in players should be able to see all original characters over level 5 immediately.
- What makes a character anonymous or linked?
All characters that are fit for display will be searchable by name at my.lotro.com. Players may choose whether to show the link between the character and the player or they may elect to make the character anonymous. When set to anonymous, there is no way to identify which character owns the player. To change your preference, visit http://my.lotro.com/PlayerName /wp-admin/admin.php?page=turbine_plugins.php where PlayerName is your web login / forum name.
- When does a character show up?
Any player character above level 5 and all monster characters will be searchable on the site. There may be some lag between reaching level 5 or creating a monster and when they show up in the system. Expect a delay of up to 24 hours before the initial record is created.
- My character is >Level 5 and I don’t see any stats or inventory on the Character Sheet. What gives?
If you have not logged your character in over the last few weeks it may not be available to the web. Try logging into (and then logging out) with the character. In less than a day the Character Sheet should be back to normal.
- How often are the Character Sheets updated?
Generally, character sheets are updated every time you log out of the game. It may take some additional time for those updates to make it to the web - as long as 24 hours in some cases.
- How do I find a character or player?
You may use the search function to find a specific named character, monster, or player. You must specify the exact name you are searching for to get the desired results.
- How do I find a kinship or tribe?
In order to make it easier to find a kinship or tribe your search string will provide a selection of the closest results.
- Is it possible to link directly to a player, character, monster, or kinship page?
Yes. To link to a player page simply use http://my.lotro.com/PlayerName , for characters or monster characters use http://my.lotro.com/character/WorldName /CharacterName / and for kinships or tribes use http://my.lotro.com/kinship-WorldName -KinshipName /. Make sure to replace the bold text with the actual page you’re trying to link to.
- What is my web profile?
Your web profile is located at http://my.lotro.com/PlayerName /profile/edit/ where PlayerName is your web login / forum name. You may edit a variety of fields on this page to share information about you as a player. As always, please be cautious when sharing personal information over the internet. We encourage you to not post real life contact information such as phone numbers or street addresses. Players who do so may have their blogs moderated.
- What is my Gameplay Profile?
This is a very short questionnaire that’s intended to provide an easy-to-view list of your play style in LOTRO. Match your interests with other players or kinships in a single glance. Does this panel not describe you? We’re interested to hear what you would do to improve the options presented. Visit the my.lotro.com Suggestion Forums to give us feedback.
- How do I select a custom avatar?
Visit http://my.lotro.com/PlayerName /profile/change-avatar/ where PlayerName is your web login / forum name. From there you may upload, edit, crop, or otherwise manage your custom avatar.
- Can I use my blog avatar in the forums?
Not yet. Better integration of forum and blog identities is on our short list of improvements in an upcoming release of the site.
- What are Private Messages?
Private Messages (PMs for short) are similar to e-mail, but may be sent to other players who use my.lotro.com without exposing your actual e-mail address. This is not the same PM system as used by the forums. In the near future we will consolidate the two PM systems, but for now they will remain separate.
- What are my.lotro.com friends?
This is your set of web friends who also use my.lotro.com. You may request a friendship link from any other player who uses my.lotro.com. Your friends list is a handy way to keep in touch with all of your LOTRO buddies when you’re not logged into the game.
- Are web friends the same as in-game friends?
No. Web friends are Player to Player relationships, whereas in-game friends are character-to-character.
- Why are the two types of friends different?
In-game friend lists are non-consensual: you don’t need anyone’s permission to add them to your list. Since web friends are public we require that you gain the other person’s approval via friend request before the link is made.
- What kind of blog is available on my.lotro.com?
The site is tightly integrated with a subset of WordpressMU , a very popular and easy-to-use blogging system.
- Can I blog as a specific character?
Yes! You may create a Character Specific blog entry (Journal) by selecting “Post As…” option from the Write Post screen. Changing the identity of your post will make that post appear on the character page instead of your player page. Use this feature to tell a specific character’s story. The feature also works for unlinked anonymous characters, giving you a way to blog as your favorite character without interfering with your player blog.
- What WordPress features are available?
Players may create blog entries, post comments on other people’s blogs, use a public calendar widget, and manage their character’s anonymous or linked state.
- I’m an experienced WordPress user. Anything different that I should know about?
Lots. Probably the biggest one is that we don’t currently let you create your own themes, select widgets, or format images in posts. Better image handling and new widgets will be in an upcoming release, but user-editable themes are a little farther off. There are a variety of other changes as well. We encourage you to take the system for a test drive. Stop by the my.lotro.com Suggestion Forums to tell us what you think. Feedback from experienced bloggers will help us refine the site.
- How do I edit a kinship page?
First, you need to have permission to edit the page. Kinship founders have full control over the kin blog and may always post. Once you have permission, visit http://my.lotro.com/kinship-WorldName -KinshipName /wp-admin/, replacing the sections in bold with your kinship’s info. You should also see a tab at the top of your personal blog admin page that acts as a shortcut to the kinship admin.
- Why can’t I use certain HTML code, formatted images, or multimedia in my blog?
This is a known issue with the initial release. We will provide an update in the coming weeks with better embedded and linked image support.
- Can I upload images?
Yes. Visit http://my.lotro.com/PlayerName /wp-admin/upload.php to see your image upload options. Remember that all site content is subject to the same rules as LOTRO and the forums. Intentional abuse of the site will result in a web and/or game ban.
- What’s the moderation policy for blogs?
You must abide by the Turbine Terms of Service when using the site. During the initial beta phase of my.lotro.com we also ask that you abide by the LOTRO Forum Guidelines .
- What information is available about my character via the Character Sheet?
Your basic character sheet displays core stats as they are shown in the game as well as your equipped items. This information is available for viewing by all players. If you are logged in to the site you may also see your character’s currency totals. Additional information may be found in your character log.
- What’s the Character Log and how does it work?
The Character Log is a record of your character’s advancement through middle-earth. It contains a list of recent activity including: Level Up, Quest Complete, Deed Complete, and PvMP Status. Future updates to the site will add more categories of data to the log.
- How often is the data for the Character Log updated?
In most cases at least once per day, if not more.
- Why does the Character Log have different data from the Character Sheet?
The character log and the character sheet are stored separately in our systems at this time. It is possible for them to become out of sync for short periods. Generally, the Character Sheet is correct when the two are not in agreement and the Log will catch up.
- How do I choose which character shows at the top of my character list?
If you’re logged in you will see a small golden square with an upward pointing chevron. Clicking that image will promote the associated character to the top of the list. You may change the featured character at any time.
- I set my character to anonymous, but it’s still showing up in my character list!
You’re probably looking at your page while logged in. You can always see your full set of characters - both anonymous and linked. A quick way to see which characters are linked is to look for the gold promotion icon. Anonymous characters may not be promoted for display, so they don’t have the icon. Of course, logging out or checking the page from another browser will also work.
- My character doesn’t show up or shows up incorrectly. What’s going on?
In order to display in my.lotro.com a character needs to be at least level 5, so lower level characters will not appear. Additionally, we are aware of some issues with characters that have been transferred between worlds or renamed. Those issues will be addressed in a future update. In the meantime please visit the Known Issues list for more information.
- Can I hide my character from other players?
No. You may disassociate the character from your player profile, but the character will still be visible.
- Hey - I noticed the site’s a little slow. What’s up with that?
We’re still in the process of tuning the site for optimal performance. Expect improvements in the coming weeks.