I’m a bit behind here on the breaking news here, but as you can see on Casual Stroll to Mordor and the LOTRO Reporter Turbine is adding Lua scripting to LOTRO. Now I know very little about Lua (even though I do have a programming background) but from what I have seen from the other folks it can be used to create add-on or mods to the game. We don’t really know too much about what can and can’t be done with it, so this will be a bunch of speculation on my side but I figured I’d post a bit on what I’d like to see and what I don’t want to see. I will be a bit biased and say that I love this concept, but I understand and can see the point for those who don’t agree with it. For me there’s a line, as long as Turbine doesn’t cross it we’re all good, but if they do cross it (which they’ve proven to me at least they won’t) my assumptions could be totally off base.
I’m quite the fan of customization with regards to the User Interface (as my screenshots will show) and will admit that I’ve been a bit frustrated with what’s available currently to the folks willing to spend the time developing new UI skins. For me, I’m really hoping Lua gives us more access to the sub-elements of the UI and just more options as a whole.
I will admit in this area that I’m not so much excited about what I can do I’m more excited about what others will be able to do. I’ve been a huge fan of the LOTRO Interface site and am always amazed at what folks can do with the limited current assets available so I’m SO excited about what will be possible when that’s opened up.
What I want are ways to streamline the user interface to make it such that I don’t need a ton of buttons for all my horses or ports, or a better way to manage my bag-space. I think those are my 2 biggest issues, quick-slots and inventory management so any options here would be very welcome on my end. I also think there are many other ways the overall user interface can be tweaked to make it more friendly for the individual playing the game.
Now what scares me about this option is in the area of playing the game for you. I want customization but not macros or idiot proof screens that allows folks to hit the “I Win” button. To further explain this, I don’t want to see it possible to have a macro to automatically take a morale potion if you drop below 50% morale or cast a heal if player X is below 50% morale. I personally don’t have an issue with alerts or popups that tell you to do something but I do see an issue with making that process automatic. I’ve heard (although haven’t seen or played) the stories from folks from WoW so I will admit I am a tad skeptical that this won’t pose a larger problem down the road, but from what I’ve seen from Turbine I’m optimistic they can make this work.