Thread: How to get help on the Tech Forums and how to contact Turbine

Here is some helpful advice on how to make these forums work for you and to make things easier for us to offer assistance.

Before posting use the search feature to locate threads with similar problems and a resolution might have been already detailed. In many instances where that resolution does not fix it for you though you might need to open up new thread for yourself. It's very hard to help everyone when they are all posting in one thread saying they are having the same issue, but they actually are not


Some brief "Help me!" posting guidelines:

1. Post in the appropriate forum for the problem you are experiencing (If it's a Technical issue, post in the tech forums, if it's a billing or subscription issue post in the Accounts forums, etc.) If you are not sure which forum to post in please use the General forum (Do not spam every forum topic)
2. Describe the problem completely and exactly. Include all error messages and when they are coming up.
3. Describe all troubleshooting that you have already done. Including any wacky rituals or smacking the side of your computer.
4. Post a dxdiag of your computer. This can be obtained by:
   1. Click on the Start Button (the blue Windows logo button on Vista)
   2. Click on Run (click into "Start Search" on Vista)
   3. Type in "dxdiag" (without the quotes). You then can save the information to a text file (by clicking "Save all information" on the DirectX screen that opens), and then post the contents of it to the forums. When posting please be sure to use code tags (see below for more information on using code tags).
5. If you're having a launcher issue, please post your launcher logs. These can be found in:

• WinXP - C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Turbine\The Lord of the Rings Online\Launcher
• Vista/Win 7 - C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Lo cal\Turbine\The Lord of the Rings Online\Launcher
• To open these folders click on the Windows "Start" button and click on "Run" or into "Start Search"
• Windows XP: Type this command and press enter:
• Code:

  %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Turbine\The Lord of the Rings Online\Launcher

• Windows 7 or Vista: Type this command and press enter:
  
• Code:

  %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Turbine\The Lord of the Rings Online\Launcher

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How to use Code tags around a dxdiag or launcher logs.

1. Paste or type the information you want into a post as normal.
2. In front of your dxdiag or launcher log text, type [code] and at the end of the dxdiag or launcher log text type [/code]

This should put your dxdiag or launcher log in a smaller box that will make it easier to read.

OR alternatively you can also use the code tag button if you have enabled the standard or advanced message editor for posting:

1. Paste or type the information you want into a post as normal.
2. Highlight the area that you want in the code tags
3. Once you have everything highlighted click on the # sign located in the editor above the text box. It is the 3rd icon from the right on the second line. (IF YOU DO NOT SEE THIS OPTION- enable it in the "My Preferences" section - located at the top right-corner of the forums) - Click the "My Forums Settings" option > General Settings > scroll down to the "editor" options and chose "Full WYSIWYG" for the editor choice. You should now have a # (pound sign) button in your reply editor.

This is how it will look if you have completed the steps correctly.

Code:

 
I am a code box and this allows anything in this box to be viewed easier. It is always best to put a DXDIAG or Launcher logs in code text.

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Launcher and general game connectivity Issues:

In general, unless you get a specific error like SSL issues, or if you cannot reach the Data Center, there's something blocking it. We do very simple and standard submission of data. Nothing fancy. So the usual, check the followings:

• Firewall
• Router
• Windows Security
• Anti-virus
• Anti-Spyware
• Proxy (if you don't have any proxy right now, you might need a proxy, and vice versa)
• - "Start" > "Control Panel" > switch to "Classic View" > "Internet Options" > "Connections" (tab) > "LAN Settings")
• Sometimes, as bad as it is, we have found that we have to uninstall various protection software in order to resolve connection issues. This is especially true for those that have real-time/always-on monitoring. Some protection software apps are very aggressive and simply disabling them will still not resolve the problem (McAfee Shield comes to mind).

Also try these:

• Add *.turbine.com and *.lotro.com to your trusted Internet sites
• Remove TurbineLauncher.exe, lotroclient.exe (and "Turbineinvoker.exe" on Vista) from your firewalls exclusion list and re-add them per the steps here.
• Go to the address that it's complaining about directly in Internet Explorer and see what happens.

Also just to debunk some mis-conceptions. We don't rely on your Internet Explorer settings, but rather, we rely on the same set of system settings that Internet Explorer uses. Whe you pull up IE's options, they are system wide settings. So we are simply using your system's current connection settings, and Internet Explorer is doing the same thing as well

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LOTRO System Requirements

If you are running below any of these requirements you may encounter graphical issues or poor overall performance which Turbine will be unable to troubleshoot.
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Configuring your firewall KB Article

Also in some instances the ports detailed below need to be opened via your routers configuration (Port Forwarding or Port Triggering) and occasionally in your systems firewall as well:
Ports 9000-9010UDP
Ports 2900-2910UDP
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Bug Reporting



To report a bug while in-game

1. Type in /bug in the chat line. This will open an in-game browser window.
2. Log in with your forum account name/password (note: if you logged in before, the cookie may still be active, so you may not need to do this again)
3. Fill in the information about the bug. Please include location (/loc in-game) and include as many details as possible.
4. Click on Submit

To report a bug while logged into the forums

1. On the tool menu located at the top of the forums choose Submit a bug
2. Fill out the information needed and be sure to include as many details as possible.
3. Click on the Submit button.

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Typically the technical support forums are the best option for player-to-player assistance in troubleshooting issues, but we do post and assist whenever and as often as possible.

After all that if the forums are not getting you the answer you need try searching the Knowledge base its possible you'll find the answer there and as always Technical Support can be contacted via the "Submit a Ticket" option.
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Useful Links:

Common Tech Issues Sticky (A list of common issues that crop up periodically with steps to resolve them)
LOTRO Customer Service Forums(For when you need to determine where to post)
Launching LOTRO on Vista (Can't find an icon to start the game and running Vista? Check here)

Updated: 5/27/09 -Mirthgar

While we make every effort to assist people quickly via the forums, it is not always possible to answer every post - nor answer them in a timely manner. But there are other ways to get support, sometimes more quickly and more personalized.

You can access support for all Turbine games from http://support.turbine.com and Lotro specifically at http://www.lotro.com/support.

We want you to be able to get the most out of Turbine support and these additional options along with the forums and knowledge base, are our way of ensuring that you get the best, most helpful and timely support possible.

EDIT BY MIRTHGAR:

When you submit a ticket also be sure to log into your email providers "web" interface to add noreply@turbine.com and accountsupport@turbine.com to their "safe senders" list and your contact list/address book. Be sure to check Spam/Junk Mail folders often as well since our replies can sometimes get flagged as such.

(*Side Note: remember though the more information you provide the easier it is for us to follow up with on your ticket. Submissions of duplicate tickets will NOT result in a faster response and actually slow response time as a whole, put as much info in your original ticket as possible. All tickets with valid emails are replied to and receive a response in the order received.)