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Lerillos
Lerillos
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Joined: 04 Jul 2013
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re: Broken Music and Missing Rainbows

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     Here is a bit of history that needs to be remembered by all.  This is about The Day that the Music Broke and the Rainbows Went Missing.  This continues to affect Landroval Culture, and its ripples will continue for many years.

 

     It was April of 2013.  There was much excitement, anticipation, and speculation.  Two events would soon occur: One was Update 11.  The other was  Weatherstock V. The update was to occur in May; Weatherstock V in early June.  There was much chat about both.  On /regional one could sometimes hear both subjects discussed simultaneously.   The Prancing Pony was full of customers.   Bree was buzzing with activity.  The musicians were in their usual locations: on the Pony hearth, or back at the Storytellers Stage/hearth; on street corners or at fountains; in the wilds; in the 21st Hall; and at the regular concert venues. The Lonely Mountain Band was finalizing Weatherstock.  In the Shire, rainbows, as much a part of the fabric of Shire as streams and pastures, were gracing the Eastern sky with their normal pattern, raising the inevitable cry, "Rainbow in the East!" , and its response, "Oh! Beautiful!  Thank you for telling me."  In short, all was normal.

 

     The Lonely Mountain Band Kinship (more commonly know as "LMB")  founded and hosts Weatherstock. This is a Player-Made and run Cross-Server Event held annually at Weathertop in the Lone Lands.  It is a Band Contest, the winner being chosen by audience vote.   Both the bands and the audience members come from many servers. There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in gaming, and it is the biggest Player Event in gaming. It is of such magnitude that it has been covered by international gaming magazines, such as, Massively, and PC Gamer.  This is very important to Turbine, as it attracts folks to LotRO and keeps them here. 

 

     Finally, May arrived, and with it, heightened anticipation.  Speculation grew wilder, if that was possible (it was already ridiculous).  The update arrived first.   Soon, several bugs were discovered, one of massive proportions.   This one had far-reaching ramifications, for this bug Broke the Music.   In the Shire, the Rainbows vanished.   Much grieving was heard.   The LMB was in turmoil, for Weatherstock was  to be held soon.  They were taking band applications, interviewing the band leaders, setting Weatherstock Concert Series (WCS), and setting the band schedule, as well as other organizational needs (security, refreshments...).   

 

     After much testing, it was discovered that, although the music files were affected, as long as an instrument was played "freestyle", that is, as one would play a piano, any instrument could be played anywhere.  Volume, however, could no longer be regulated, causing some instruments to play too softly, while others were way too loud.  The bagpipes had an unpleasant buzz reminiscent of a hive of angry bees, both persistent and constant. In order to turn it off, one had to log off, then logon again.   Some instruments could be played anywhere.  It was primarily the strings that were affected, and since they are the most used, this was a very serious problem.   One could no longer play in Bree; in much of Ered Luin; in none of Lone Lands, including Weathertop (uh,oh);....So much of the world was affected.  There were a few places that one could play.  Outside Combe Gate near Lolo Wendingway's Wagon; Staddle; Pierson's Farm; the far side of the nameless pond that is located on the Lone Lands side of Pierson's Farm; across the bridge outside Bree West Gate; inside Thorin's Hall; inside The Last Homely House; the Shire...these were the places that one could play all instruments, though imperfectly. 

 

      Bree became silent.  The Pony emptied.  No longer did one see corner minstrels, or knots of folks in the streets.  The only folks that one saw were a few questors and roleplayers.  Bree became a ghost town.   Since Weathertop was affected, there was much concerned discussion about Weatherstock.  Harperella, Leader of LMB, rescheduled Weatherstock for two weeks later, hoping that the bug would be fixed by then.   It wasn't.   Frustration mounted.   Harperella moved the date again, this time to July.  If the bug could not be fixed by then, there was a possibility that Weatherstock would have to be cancelled for the year. 

 

     Turbine, for their part, was also very concerned, as this event was extremely important.  Folks, even those uninterested in Weatherstock, were cancelling memberships and leaving LotRO, some forever, because they could no longer play music.  This bug was a very expensive one to Turbine.   In the Shire, the rainbows remained absent, and there was much sadness.  Turbine continued to work on fixing the bug even as the LotRO Forums filled with comments, complaints, and castigations.  

 

     Doggedly, the LMB scheduled the WCS, albeit at different venues than originally planned.  Starved for music, Landroval folks flocked to these concerts, and any others they could find, even folks who did not normally attend.  

 

     Finally, just a few days before Weatherstock, the fix was ready. It had been 6 weeks.   For once, folks did not mind the system being down.  The system was taken down, the fix installed, and the system brought back up.  Folks installed the system and logged on.   Eagerly, hopefully, fearfully, they reached for their instruments.  Would it work? 

 

     Those folks logging in later, before they said or did anything else, asked, "Did it work?"   "Yes!  Indeed it does!", was the joyful reply.   Weatherstock would take place.   In the Shire, rainbows once again graced the Eastern Sky, a symbol of the Peace of the Shire.   There was much rejoicing throughout Landroval. 

 

~Lerillos

 

NOTES: 

 

     I was there throughout, and it was horrible.   Being without music is a condemnation that I wish on no one.  I was included in a group of musicians who tested various areas.   Among the group were: Mayie Flower of Die Meisterbarden von Bree, a Belegaer Band; Madaelin; Nimrodelian; and others.  I still remember how we felt when we discovered that Celondim was affected, and that Pierson's Farm was not.  Floradine Strongfoot, an Officer of the LMB, and musical performer, made a video of the problem and posted it on LotRO Forums. The Bounders of the Shire Kinship and The Concerning Hobbits Kinship, blaming the problem on Lobelia Sackfield-Baggins, held a protest at the Party Field Ovens just below Bag End, making quite a raucous racket .  I was there, too.  For that event, I took screenshots. 

 

     After the fix, there were round-the-clock impromptu musical gatherings. One in particular took place by Pony Rock.   It lasted several days. There was such an explosion of joy at the return of the music, that it was both palpable and inexpressible.  It was truly a remarkable experience.  I was there too, and unfortunately, I had to sleep and work, so could not party continuously as I wished.  Kaleigh Starshine took screenshots and incorporated them into one of the chapters of "The Spirit Gauntlet", a story that she wrote and posted on lotroplayers.com.  It is an oblique reference, but one that is easily identified by anyone who was there. 

 

     Weatherstock V attracted a record crowd of between 600-700 players.  I attended the end of it, having just barely arrived home from work in time.  It is truly an amazing and overwhelming experience.   There are many screenshots of Weatherstock available for viewing, but nothing can really prepare one for the experience.  We can be grateful to the LMB for Weatherstock, because if it had not been for the importance of Weatherstock, it is quite possible that the music bug would not have been fixed, either in a timely manner, or at all.  Then again,...

 

      Landroval is exceptional in that music is an integral part of our culture.  On no other server is this true, so much so, that many on those servers never noticed the problem, and are bewildered by our reports.  Even servers that have bands often did not notice this, nor did many of their band members.  Some reports indicate that the bug did not affect all servers in exactly the same way.  Having heard no reports from other servers, I have no idea how the Shire rainbow was affected on them.  It took 6 weeks to repair the damage.   I applaud Turbine for their hard work in locating the problem, devising a solution, and implementing the fix.

 

     How could such a bug not be noticed in testing?  I asked this very question of a musician (Tearna, in fact).   The reply?   "We never thought to test the music system, but we certainly will from now on." 

 

     Please believe me when I tell you that this will continue to have ramifications for a very long time to come.  

 

     UPDATE:  (1O/11/14)   Improvements to the Music System are currently being tested on Bullroarer for inclusion to Update 15.  Care is being taken by both Turbine and the players, especially Landroval musicians, that the Music does not break again.

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

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