NamesAreUseless

Yeah I'd like to know if its still in development as well. The MERP mod could DEFINITELY use this armor! :biggrin: I've sent Arynn a PM asking him his current progress. Even the members of MERP would be willing to finish his WIP armor if Arynn doesn't have time to finish it himself. No use in such quality armor going to waste!

The current Beta simply adds just the Middle Earth heightmap. No new NPCs, races, classes, etc. So no, this mod shouldn't conflict with any other mod. However, I think that the playable Oblivion races will be replaced with appropriate Middle Earth races in the next Beta release. Can't say when that'll be, but it could very well conflict with other custom race mods.

You don't need a lot of experience to join this mod. As long as you're willing to learn more is what's important. You can submit an application here: http://www.createforum.com/middleearthrole...middleearthrole We won't be including music from the films as its a major breach in copyright. However we do wish to produce our own original tracks (and we have a music guy who's already done a few pieces). And here's a new Minas Tirith trailer done by mr siika:

It doesn't matter your prior experience with modding. As well as you're willing to learn, you may have a place on the team. If you're interested in applying for the team, please fill out an application on our developer forums: http://www.createforum.com/middleearthrole...middleearthrole And about your suggestion: I've been wanting to push for smaller Hobbit houses as well, requiring non-Hobbits and non-Dwarves to crouch while walking inside them. Well Bilbo's adventure went from the Shire, to the Trollshaws, Rivendell, Moria, Mirkwood (through the forest and into King Thranduil's Halls), Dale, Esgaroth (Lake-town), and Erebor (the Lonely Mountain). We got the Shire and Mirkwood done, with Esgaroth, Dale, Moria, and Erebor in the works. So the answer to your question is a residing yes! :D Expect ALL of Middle Earth in this mod (except for Harad, Rhun, Iron Hills, and most of southern Mordor), as our heightmap has pretty much covered all of Middle Earth.

You all deserve some new news :biggrin: Check out our latest interview with ModRealms.com: http://www.modrealms.com/modifications/tot...h-role-playing/ Also, check out our latest MERP trailer:

Things have been a quiet around here (and I've been busy, along with the team), so its time for some updates: Gap of Rohan (still very WIP): http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l117/ash...17-34-07-10.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l117/ash...17-34-10-68.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l117/ash...17-34-19-56.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l117/ash...17-34-36-89.jpg Dagorlad (WIP): http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/a...creenShot67.jpg Enedwaith: http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/94/oblivi...08281944501.png http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1239/obli...08281945219.png http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1828/obli...08282034231.png http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9969/ob...08282034588.png Ered Luin: http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...reenShot5-4.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...reenShot6-2.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...reenShot7-2.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...reenShot8-3.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...reenShot9-3.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...eenShot11-3.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...eenShot10-1.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...eenShot12-2.jpg Also more work on the Minas Tirith armor has been done, but the modeller/texturer doesn't want any more pics released until he's done entirely with the armor AND weapons (including Minas Tirith soldier, Citadel Guard, Guard of the Fountain Court, and Gondor Ranger armor/weapons). Also just starting in the works is the Angmar fortress of Carn Dum, but the model is REALLY rough at the moment so I don't want to release any screenshots of it yet.

When it comes to the main questline, I think the plan right now is to focus on a SINGLE main questline, and it'll most likely be a good one. Also we're ONLY planning the Free People's races (Men, Dwarves, Elves, and Hobbits) as playable. If you'd like to join our team, then fill out an application on our dev forums: http://www.createforum.com/middleearthrole...middleearthrole Sorry for no new news lately, things have been going a bit slow recently. On the bright side, UK47 is joining the MERP team, so expect lots of his wonderful weapon work :D

Oh I got PLENTY of Sting images (and its already been modeled and textured in so many Oblivion mods). I need pictures of Frodo's, Merry's, and Pippin's swords that Aragorn gave them (essentially these swords, but better images of each seperately: http://www.council-of-elrond.com/castdb/sam/sam4.jpg)

Those are some interesting ideas Eshenaleros. I'll ask one of the modders what they think. Also if we need any voice actors, we'll be sure to contact you ;) Anyways time for updates ... A new version of the Beta was finished awhile back (sorry, only amongst team members) that has merged many new locations on the current heightmap. Here is a picture of whats been landscaped on the heightmap: http://jnor.mods.googlepages.com/MiddleEarthMap.jpg Our Region Map, giving a more detailed look at how we're doing things: http://jnor.mods.googlepages.com/RegionMap.jpg (Warning: LARGE image) Ithilien region (still a WIP): http://pic.leech.it/pic.php?id=a4f65d74screenshot.jpg http://pic.leech.it/pic.php?id=be05b5dascreenshot.jpg http://pic.leech.it/pic.php?id=d551ded0screenshot.jpg http://pic.leech.it/pic.php?id=fb63c68screenshot.jpg http://pic.leech.it/pic.php?id=3be9160screenshot.jpg Arthedain region (Emyn Uial area to be exact) (WIP): http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy10/no...ScreenShot3.jpg http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy10/no...ScreenShot5.jpg http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy10/no...ScreenShot7.jpg http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy10/no...ScreenShot8.jpg Meduseld, the Golden Hall of Edoras (WIP): http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p161/ob...duseldfinal.jpg Sam's Sword (given to him by Aragorn in the films, but to be used as his Barrow Sword as per the books) Actual image of Sam's Barrow Sword: http://www.entertainmentearth.com/images/%...CUC2614MClg.jpg http://www.geocities.com/indayjoy/ebayjpgs...eumsamsword.jpg In-game sword: http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8070/sdwip.jpg http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/7674/sdwip2.jpg (If ANY of you can find GOOD pics of Frodo's, Merry's, and Pippin's swords that Aragorn gave them in the films, you'd be my personal hero ) Third Age Gondorian Armor (still a WIP, but getting ever closer to done): http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4448/screenshot40l.jpg http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/7083/screenshot41r.jpg http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3159/screenshot42q.jpg http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2207/screenshot44.jpg When the armor is done, expect Citadel Guard, Fountain Guard, and Gondorian Ranger gear also ;) And last but not least, Minas Tirith: http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_01.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_02.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_03.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_04.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_05.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_06.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_07.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...th_augst_08.jpg

News as of recently ... Ettenmoors screenshots: http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...eenShot69-7.jpg http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/la...eenShot68-1.jpg Gondorian Helm WIP: http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8629/go...ianhelmwip2.jpg http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/9171/go...ianhelmwip1.jpg Minas Tirith progress update: http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr.../minasgates.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...nashouses01.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...nashouses02.jpg Fellbeast WIP: And probably the biggest piece of news is the latest version of the mod was just finished yesterday. Unfortunately I don't know yet if this version will be released to non-team members or not. However I will update you all on how much has been completed in this newest version (I haven't gotten to test it out yet :sweat:).

One option we're considering is using the Unnecessary Violence mod, which really ramps up the standard Oblivion combat imo. Anyways, update time (and a lot of them :D)! The Seeing Seat of Amon-Hen: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/Khugan/seeseatb.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K...n/seeseatb2.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K...n/seeseatb3.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K...n/seeseatb4.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K...eeseatguard.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/Khugan/seeseat.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K...n/seeseatig.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K.../seeseatig2.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K.../seeseatig3.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/K.../seeseatig4.jpg http://www.tesnexus.com/imageshare/images/...-1248188550.jpg Helm's Deep: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...elmsDeep1-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli.../helmdeep01.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli.../helmdeep02.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...elmDeepKeep.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...eepConplete.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot225.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot226.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot227.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot228.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot229.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot230.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot231.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot232.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot233.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot234.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot235.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/fli...reenShot236.jpg Gondorian Cuirass: http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3272/go...cuirasswip2.jpg http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/1793/go...cuirasswip1.jpg More Minas Tirith: http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...seofhealing.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...p/minastop4.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...minashall01.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...minashall02.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...whitetower2.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...swhitetower.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...whitetower3.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...whitetower4.jpg

Oh, he never mentioned that to me :confused: sorry I was sure that you know................. Nah its ok UK47. Your Faramir sword will be nice at home with MERP. Feel free to make us some more weapons if you'd like, trust me there are plenty more that need made as you know ;)

Oh, he never mentioned that to me :confused: You are ok with MERP using it right? (considering you'll probably get on the team sometime after the merge, as what LJ told me ;))

Some updates: Here is BGS's latest screenshot of a Gondorian shield: http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8992/screenshot6gza.jpg Also, we have a modeler known as UK47 in the TESNexus community who offered to make some Gondorian weapons. Here is Faramir's sword that he made for us: http://img196.imageshack.us/i/faramir01.jpg/ And last but not least, a screenshot of the continuing work of Minas Tirith: http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...p/minastop3.jpg

Minas Tirith update: Well not a city update, but we got armor now! http://api.ning.com/files/aDsp-lHWtz2dArAj...orArmorWIP1.JPG http://api.ning.com/files/aDsp-lHWtz3lMZ7Z...orArmorWIP2.JPG Props go to our newest member BGS for these amazing WIP armor meshes!

Double post, sorry

I WISH we were that far :( More like: Exterior: 30-40% Interiors: 5% Items: 2% Races/Classes: 0% NPCs: 0% Scripts: 0% Quests: 0% Did I mention we could use some more help :blink:

I'll keep you in mind if we ever need voice work done :) We really don't want to connect Cyrodiil and Middle Earth in anyway lore-wise. This isn't called a "Total Conversion" mod for nothing. However, the main Cyrodiil worldspace should even exist with this mod. For example, if you were to create a character with one of the Middle Earth races we'd provide, after creation would be teleported to Middle Earth. To get to Cyrodiil I'm sure all you need to do is "cow cyrodiil X,X". Third Age, around the time of the beginning of FOTR (and onwards towards the rest of the trilogy). We haven't decided the EXACT in-game date, but you got the idea ;) Of course we will (when we start adding NPCs)! We take the lore of the books into account :thumbsup: Yeah, we're gonna use previous LOTR weapon mods, armors, NPCs, etc. that other modders have created as well as our own. Remember guys, this is a TOTAL CONVERSION mod. That means original races, gear, NPCs, faction, scripts, quests, etc. Oh and I've already asked UK47 if he wanted to join the team. Unfortunately he cannot (but he said he'd like to at some point later maybe, and he said he'd take some requests).

Yeah, you're free to take up quests or not, just like in Oblivion. We may have you play a role from the books, but it surely won't be forced on you. There's been some discussion, since NPC Characters WON'T be invincible like in Oblivion (whether the game can go on or not is still a debate between members). A Sauron victory would probably end in a game over, but would probably change when Evil races are implemented (if we do or not, Good races come first). We still have landscaping and populating the world to worry about before we get to quests and interactions. When the Tolkien races are implemented, once you create a new character, you'll be transported to your race's home city. Well, at least that's the current plan. Until then (in the Beta), you just have to use the "cow middleearth X,X" (X's being coordinates) command to transport yourself to Middle Earth.

Hey Armagedd0n, you wouldn't happen to be Petepetepete on the Ning site, would you? Just curious. Don't sell yourself short! I'm fairly new to using the CS, and yet I'm still able to help with landscaping. We also have one guy on the team who just started learning 3DS Max yesterday, wanting to eventually start making models for the mod when he gets better. If you dedication yourself to the mod and are willing to learn, then I think you can find a position on our team ;) What do you mean by "download restrictions"? Did you try downloading from both of the links posted in the OP I made? http://merpmod.ning.com/page/get-merp http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24551 Big battles is a question we're asked CONSTANTLY (you have no idea :wacko:). We're trying to think of ways to make large battles possible, and yet still perform well FPS-wise. The main thought has been to instance a specific battlefield area (like completely instancing Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith when a battle is occuring) and then even further instancing these battlefields into smaller instances. Yeah it may mean a lot of loading between the several parts, but as long as FPS is up then I think its worth it. We actually have a team member creating a demonstration to see how many NPCs the Oblivion engine can trully handle. If he makes a video, I'll post the results here :cool: As for playing Frodo as an epic questline ... well actually its been our idea for what the Hobbit epic questline should be. I must ask you, WHY does such a quest NOT make the game an RPG? You're free to take up the quest or not, its not you'll HAVE to. Heck, its not like you'll HAVE to be Frodo if you don't want to (idea right now is a Hobbit player is asked when he starts a new game if he wants to be Frodo or not). Still, the main questline is still quite debated amongst the team and surely won't be worked on until other stuff is completed (such as landscaping, NPCs, etc.). Yeah we're aware of that mod, though I don't think we've specifically asked him if he wants to join the team. I'll be sure to do that, thanks :)

Unfortunately mr_siika is not a MERP team member, he just wanted to do Minas Tirith (which we, the team, really appreciate :)). Yes, we are recruiting! We can use all the help we can get! :D If you want to join the team, please register on our Ning site and fill out an application here: http://merpmod.ning.com/forum/categories/a...listForCategory

So, anyone wanna see some Minas Tirith? http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr...p/minasGate.jpg http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z133/mr.../minasGate2.jpg Along with a video: Oh, also added a link in the main post to a whole bunch of new screenshots: http://www.modrealms.com/forums/showthread.php?t=864 So what do you all think? :)

Don't expect a FINISHED Beta for a LONG time still :confused: We're trying to finish the landscape before we move on. Well, at least that was the initial plan. Right now large jack the mod leader has wanted to start AI pathing for inevitable NPC enemies in completed regions. 1. Doing the cities kinda goes with the landscaping phase. Just recently one of the modders posted screenshots of Bree: http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr197/l...creenShot18.jpg http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr197/l...creenShot19.jpg http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr197/l...creenShot20.jpg Also expect plenty of factions to exist in Middle Earth, along with smaller guilds and the such ;) 2. We'll try to make NPCs as lively as possible. We have thought about only giving major NPC characters actual voicework. That way not every regular citizen needs to share the same exact voice :P 3. You kidding? Of course we are! Plenty of LOTR weapons, even the named ones: Anduril, Sting, Glamdring, ... 4. The timeline for the mod is taking place during LOTR. The initial start date for players is planned to be, at the moment, around the day that Gandalf returns to Bag End to tell Frodo the secret of the one Ring (so essentially its around the beginning of FOTR). As for the main questline ... well we're still planning, and we're trying to keep discussion of it secret for right now ;) 5. One idea has been to have seperate main questlines for each race (so I suppose at least 4). However, our first main questline idea may take a lot more effort to make then we thought. So not sure really. 6. As said before, expect plenty of factions and guilds in Middle Earth. 7. Of course! We're mainly sticking with the Free Peoples being playable in our mod to start. The four decided races are Men, Dwarves, Elves, and Hobbits. Glad you're asking these questions and showing enthusiasm to the project. We can use all the enthusiasm as we can get :) Well hopefully this mod will give you more of a desire to play in Middle Earth. The place is surely large enough that you'll find something for everyone :thumbsup:

Indeed it would, thanks for the support :) A nearly-finished Beta ... that's a LONG way off for sure. We're still working on landscaping the heightmap, and we've probably finished about 25% of it (its about 8-9 times larger then Cyrodiil!). We could really use some more help from other modders if we all want to see this mod become a reality. Landscapers, scripters, modelers, skinners, animators, movie-makers, or even just people with ideas: we'd appreciate all the help we can get! 8)

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2799/merpw.png What is it? Welcome to the Middle-Earth Roleplaying - There and Back Again (MERP) mod. This is a Total Conversion for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, based on the magnificent world of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings. Who are we? The MERP team is making an addition to Oblivion. That is, the world of Middle Earth! It will add all of Middle-Earth in it's entirety, obviously including such places as The Realms of: The Shire, Rohan, Rhovanion, Gondor, Mordor, Harad and many other locations! Our team is made up of nearly 15 team members, dedicated to creating the world of Middle Earth! Our Goal Our goal as a team is to realize the world of J.R.R. Tolkien as closely as we can to his vision. We hold the lore to a very high standard and will not compromise the lore at all if we can. We do use the visual appearance of the films, but if there is a conflict then we always take the book over the movie. An few exsamples: there will not be any full plate armor, the outter wall of Minas Tirith will be black, and Minas Morgul will have white stone like Minas Tirith. We work very hard to bring a quality product that matches the same level, if not surpassing, the original Oblivion game. We want to make our work look like professional game developers made it! Currently, we have a completed heightmap of Middle Earth (over 7 times the size of Cyrodiil!) and working on landscapping. Interiors, NPCs, new races, quests, etc. will all come in due time as this mod progress. Preview Screenshots: http://renderfred.free.fr/oblivion/merp/MERP1440x900.jpg For more screenshots go to: http://www.modrealms.com/forums/showthread.php?t=864 Videos: Download the MERP BETA: Our team has recently released an early BETA of our work! You can download it HERE or HERE! More Information: To contact us, or see more of the MERP mod, you can go to: Latest Bethesda Softworks Forum thread (main MERP discussion) MERP Developer Forum (mainly for developer talk, but also a section for public viewing and posting) MERP Moddb page MERP Ning website (contains lots of MERP screenshots, videos, and other media) We are looking for new mod developers to join the team (especially landscapers, modelers, and animators), so that Middle Earth can become a reality! If you're interested, please fill out an application in our dev forums HERE! Any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. are appreciated.