Thread: Interviews with Sapience and Rowan at PAX East

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know of a couple of interviews that we recorded at PAX East. One with Sapience, and one with Rowan.

As there wasn't really much LOTRO news to be had, we talked about the LOTRO community, the upcoming anniversary, and I tried (unsuccessfully) to tease some information out of them about Update 7.

Sapience interview: http://lotroreporter.com/2012/04/10/...with-sapience/
Rowan Interview: http://lotroreporter.com/2012/04/15/pax-east-2012-interview-with-rowan/

I hope that you enjoy them!

Chris

Nice to see some of the faces behind the names and the passion they still seem to have for "low-tro"

It seems the game still has a growing profile, wonderful to see after 5 years and fuels my hope that we have 5 (or more) years of fun ahead.

Great fun to see the faces, even if you weren't able to trick them into revealing anything secret

Avid LOTRO Reporter listener here saying thanks for these interviews!

Very nice. Thank you.

Thanks! That's pretty cool.

Neat interviews, thanks!

Nice interviews, big fan on MMO Reporter, thanks a lot.

Good interviews.

Are all the male devs growing beards now?

Low-tro

Originally Posted by guguzza71

Good interviews.

Are all the male devs growing beards now?

I brought mine with me! I'm trying to think back to the last time I was clean shaven.... Ummmm.... wow. It's been a very long time.

Originally Posted by Sapience

I brought mine with me! I'm trying to think back to the last time I was clean shaven.... Ummmm.... wow. It's been a very long time.

Now about this "low-tro" game you folks are playing?? I was interested in the accent - what part of the country is that from?

Please forgive the Oz ignorance.

Originally Posted by guguzza71

Good interviews.

Are all the male devs growing beards now?

Well perhaps they're really female dwarves

Originally Posted by Sapience

I brought mine with me! I'm trying to think back to the last time I was clean shaven.... Ummmm.... wow. It's been a very long time.

I'm in shock. For some reason I really thought you were female! Great interview and you handled yourself well on the camera. Pro. I'm impressed.

Originally Posted by trcanberra

Now about this "low-tro" game you folks are playing?? I was interested in the accent - what part of the country is that from?

Please forgive the Oz ignorance.

I'd guess that "low-tro" is the common pronunciation across North America. It's not a real word, of course, but that seems the most logical way to verbalize those letters if you're from here.

I have no idea where Sapience and Rowan are from, and I can't detect any strong regionalisms in their accents, but Chris is definitely from Canada (he has mentioned it on the show).

I use "LOT-trow" myself. Kinda like Lotto, but with the R thrown in. Though I've heard it the other way too.

Each to their own.

Originally Posted by dietlbomb

I'd guess that "low-tro" is the common pronunciation across North America. It's not a real word, of course, but that seems the most logical way to verbalize those letters if you're from here.

I have no idea where Sapience and Rowan are from, and I can't detect any strong regionalisms in their accents, but Chris is definitely from Canada (he has mentioned it on the show).

Which is why I asked, with most folks here using "lot-ro" as in parking lot. Just curious

Key highlights from Sapience

What do you think it is about the lotro community that has made this game succeed where a lot of games haven't...?

"I think the secret to the lotro community is the lotro community...we seem to attract a different type of player..."

So how does that effect your approach to managing the community

actually it makes my job a lot easier...our community does a really great job of policing themselves...they sorta don't want their community to be seen poorly...so they sorta really do a good job of keeping themselves out of the trouble spots, being too over the top, being inappropriate on the forums or even in game...so jobs actually easier because our community is so awesome.

So you haven't capped your hunter?

Epic hunter looking for group for limlight dailies. I pew pew 4 you what you want me to pew!

Well.. the last one didn't happen...that we know of...

We thank you for all the kind words.
We are a community! We are awesome! and we are unlike any other game community out there! Lotro is unlike any mmo out there! It's not just community though, it's the fantastic game that draws us and keeps us in.

It's the little things too, like throwing rotten fruit at your friends for being silly on stage.

Thanks for all the comments everyone! I'm super happy that you enjoyed the interviews.

I think that I like that there was no news, as I got to ask them a little bit more personal questions, rather than just the typical "How will X mechanic work in the new patch."

Originally Posted by Jadzi

I use "LOT-trow" myself. Kinda like Lotto, but with the R thrown in. Though I've heard it the other way too.

Each to their own.

Lot-trow here, as well. Low-tro must be a North American thingy.

As a non-Anglo Saxon it seems I have to defend the guttural "r": "lo-trrro"

I always hear it (and say it) as 'low-trow', with both syllables rhyming with tow/mow/grow/know/so/etc. Florida, USA.

when the employees at the company that make the game call the short name by something in particular, maybe that's what was always meant for it to sound like...

just throwing that out there

Nice interview, thanks for posting

Low-tro here...

I live real close to Canada eh, and could tell the accent.

I always pronounced it Four noste, too, with a long o as in nose sound.