Tulkas, the strongest and most warlike 'Champion of the Valar.'
Introducing the Tulkas plugin for LotRO..
What is Tulkas?
Tulkas is designed to help you plan your character builds by comparing items against one another, and creating hypothetical builds to preview the stat changes.
It has a built-in database of approximately 31,000 items covering all levels 1-85. However in the event that your item has not been added, there is the option to add yourself.
Why should I use Tulkas?
If like me, you often find yourself overwhelmed with the choices in equipment and uncertain in which to take, using Tulkas will help you determine which item will closer realise your stat ambitions, whether that be for a greater physical/tactical mastery rating, in-combat power regen, or just more morale etc. Tulkas breaks the stats down and converts them into the actual stats you would see if you were to equip that item. Case example: You are crafting a new cloak for yourself but with the different outputs, you aren't sure which one you would prefer. Load up Tulkas, set the item you are currently wearing, then set the first cloak you would like to compare, then the second. After that hit 'Compare' and you will get the stat results for each item for you to review.
You can also use Tulkas to preview entire builds, helping you get a better idea of which items you really want to go after.
Tulkas main search window:
Features and how to use them:
Tulkas has been designed to be straight-forward to use. Once you have downloaded and installed the plugin, use the command /plugin load tulkas to start the plugin in-game (alternatively use the plugin manager to load). Once loaded you can use the command /tulkas to re-open the main window if you close it.
You can search for items in the panel on the left. Searching is easy, you have a number of options to filter the results. Search by name, level, slot, color, or stat. The search results are updated as you make changes to the filters, so no need to keep clicking a search button. Searches are restricted by class and armour type (heavy,medium,light), so a Captain for example will not see items for a LoreMaster etc. To make searching and adding items even easier, you can copy and paste items linked in the chat window with their brackets like [Avorchol] into the search text box and it will strip the brackets for you to search for the item.
Search results are displayed into a recognisable format on the right-hand side (see images).
To preview an item, right-click it in the search results to get a menu of options for where you want to preview it, whether that be item by item, or as part of a larger build.
Build window:
Stat results window:
When you hit 'Compare' you will be presented with a long table showing your current stats, and each of the items selected. For each item/build you have the values broken down (e.g. depending on class, +Might may be transferred into +Block Rating, +Parry Rating, and +Physical Rating), a preview of what your new stat total would be with this item equipped, and the variation between this item and what you are currently wearing.
There is also a wishlist you can use to help make notes for certain items. The option to add to wishlist is available from right-clicking an item. You can use this to help plan for items you want to acquire and make notes on where to get them etc.
Other windows:
Where do the items come from?
Unfortunately it is not possible yet with the LoTRO API to pull item stats directly from the game, therefore the plugin relies on a built-in database listing all the items and stats. The database will be updated frequently and available for download, however you may find that the item you are wanting to use hasn't been added yet. In this event you are able to add new items to your local database which will be saved when the plugin unloads for future use.
To do this is simple, click the 'Add Item' button and you will be presented with a new window. Here you enter the items name, select the slot (head, ear, shoulder etc), color, level etc.. then add the stats individually.
From v.1.3.0 onwards there are a couple of ways to try and get the items ID when adding your own item (if successful it also adds the item name for you). If you have the item in your inventory you can drag it to the quickslot that is there, this will pull the item name and hopefully the ID (there are some cases where the item IDs are in an unusual format, in which case the plugin will ignore it.).
The other method is for items that you don't have, such as those that can be crafted or bartered for. For this you can link the items to a chat channel and the plugin will read the data from the chat log.. this method tends to be more successful than the quickslot method.
Having a valid ID means that these items you add yourself can also be linked to the chat window - it will also make things a lot easier for myself if you plan to share the items you have added.
You can access the items you have added manually through the 'My Items' button. Here you can edit items, delete items you no longer need, or more importantly, export your saved items so they can be included in the main database in future updates. To do this click 'Export'. You will then be presented with a text box of code. This code can be copied and pasted here, either as a comment, or PM'd to me. This way I can paste it directly into the main database without needing to make any further adjustments. All shared items will be most appreciated.
Commands:
/tulkas - Shows the main window if it has been closed.
Known Issues:
Most of the items are pulled from LoreBook, unfortunately as LoreBook isn't always up-to-date you may come across items in Tulkas that are no longer in game (if you link these to the chat the name will be in white and no tooltip will display). If you can let me know the item name and level if you come across any, I'll have them removed in the next update. Thanks.
Languages:
This first build only supports English. The file Strings.lua contains the translations for French and German. If anyone is able to provide translations I would really appreciate it.
Please do let me know if you have any comments, suggestions or requests. Thanks.
Lastly, remember to keep checking back for database updates.
--- Download at LotroInterface
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