Thread: PLUGINS - What do I need?

This is my first post - so please be patient! The character screen says something about plugins and I have read about popup bars and the like, which sound helpful. However, when I downloaded some plugins and put them in a folder called Plugins in my LOTRO subfolder in My Documents, although they showed up in the built-in plugin manager and I specified each to be for all characters, they did not show up in game. /plugins refresh reported they were not loaded.

I have tried (honestly) reading the online guides, but they seem to assume a level of knowledge I do not possess, e.g. LUAs (sp?) etc. Either that or they insist that I instal new software just to download or decompress.

Therefore, can someone give me a *simple* step by step guide, maybe by reference to a simple plugin that does not require the installation of any new programs just to download or decompress?

I have Windows 7 64 bit, ZIP files are handled by the OS and I know where the LOTRO data folder is.

Lotrointerface is where I get mine. Good step by step instructions for most of them. I'm a fan of palintir and buffbars for all my toons and I add travel window for my hunter (frees up about 14 or so quick slots for me) good luck!

The most simple guide I can give you is to use the .exe at the following link.

http://www.lotrointerface.com/downloads/info663

This is a program written by someone who also does plugins. What it does is installs (almost) all plugins automatically, as well as updates them when there are changes made to them.

However, since you don't want to download an external program (trust me, you want to) then let me just link a couple plugins as they're shown in my folders. There's a very good chance that you either have one directory too many, or not quite enough.

Buffbars: C:\Users\Cory\Documents\The Lord of the Rings Online\Plugins\PengorosPlugins
Palantir: C:\Users\Cory\Documents\The Lord of the Rings Online\Plugins\DigitalUtopia

Basically, you'll notice that inside of the Plugins folder, there is a folder for each plugin writer. Inside of those folders will be the actual plugins folders. For example, in the PengorosPlugins folder, you should see (at the very least) a Buffbars folder and a buffbars.plugin file.

This link should give you an idea about the plugins and where to get them. The section on how to use them is very useful.


http://cstm.mymiddleearth.com/catego...lugins-guides/

Good job Vin, now everyone knows your name! Muahahaha.

But to answer the basic question, you really don't *need* any plugins at all. There are a few that are extremely useful at level cap but not required (unless your raid leader requires them).

However, because some of the more useful plugins will add to/change your UI, it might be a good idea to browse for things you'd like now and get your UI set up now so that you're used to it by the time you hit cap and need the full functionality of those plugins for raiding and whatnot.

Let me definitely second that you do not NEED any plug-ins. (Unlike some other games!) I've been playing for over 5 years and haven't used one YET.

Originally Posted by Shukar

Let me definitely second that you do not NEED any plug-ins. (Unlike some other games!) I've been playing for over 5 years and haven't used one YET.

This is correct. It's perfectly viable to play without plugins of any sort, and many people do. That said, you should definitely see what is available, as you can find some very useful ones. As a big fan of the in-game ABC music system, I found one called Songbook that handles essentially every single task related to music. Not to mention MinstrelBuff, which gives a simple way to monitor anthems and ballads.

Buffbars, It's a quality of Life issue. Sure it makes buffs easier to see, but the best part about buffbars is the quickslots for health/power potions and wound/fear/disease/poison potions. Get buffbars for that alone and it would be worth it.

As others have said you don't NEED plugins to play. In fact I'd personally recommend not using any plugins if you've just started playing, until you get to grips with the default interface and it's nuances. Then once you start thinking "I'd like something that would make this feature easier to use" then start looking for plugins. Otherwise I think things might get overwhelming and you'd end up with information overload with everything on your screen at once.

If you do want plugins, use the program TinDragon recommended to install them. I use about 12 plugins and that thing makes keeping things updated and adding new plugins so much simpler.

Plugins I'd recommend are
BuffBars, Palantir, Songbook and MinstrelBuff (as others in this thread have already mentioned),
TonicBars (create new bars for skills, items, etc with a lot of extra features for different circumstances)
MoorMap (provides much more versatile maps, not just for the moors),
AltInventory (if you have a lot of alts and want to see what is in their inventory/vault/etc),
MCHA (Mouse Cursor Highlighter Advanced, if you have difficultly like me of keeping track of your mouse pointer),
Daily Tasks (if you care about knowing what items you can hand in for tasks. Unfortunately this one isn't included in the Plugin Compendium program so you have to install it manually. The Busy Bee Tasks plugin can be installed with the compendium and does something similar, though I don't use it personally)

I use a few others, but those are the ones I'd hate to play without now I've gotten used to having them.

Another great plugin I find is Alerter (LoTRO Alerts), it can be configured to pick up messages in the chat window and plaster them in big blinking letters across the center of your screen. Great for reacting quickly to things like the shock attack in T2 Lightning.

Does anyone know if there is a plugin designed to track deed progress like "Use X Skill Y Times" and having that appear on your hud sorta like legendary item exp bars?

I know the quest tracker can track these, but I'd rather have quests in it, rather than deed counters.

Edit: It would be a plus if it could also track slayer deeds.

Thanks to everyone who responded, I installed the plugin compendium and am really pleased with it, I only wish that it removed the "out of date" plugins and also had more choices. I like that it links to the full description and graphic. I have used it to add BuffBars, the journey plugin and the notes plugin.

I would certainly recommend the compendium to all new players, it does everything you need.

Me too! thanks guys.