Lord of the Rings Online Forum

Is there a good write up on how to install LOTRO? I have been trying to install for the longest time and reading a ton of different posts and can't seem to find a page with instructions. Can some one help. It seams that all of the instructions seem to vary. I am installing on a mac OSX. I appreciate all the help I can get.

I'm not say that the tips and tricks are bad... They are just a little vague. I'm not trying to offend anyone I'm just trying to find a clear step by step write up cause I can't seem to figure it out. When I run the app it opens LOTRO but then it closes on its own with in 3 seconds and shows nothing. Thanks for the help.

It's been very tricky to install. WINE just got an update that should improve LotRO. Once we all get to test the new CXG release, hopefully there will be a better/simpler install process.

There are nominally 4 phases to installing and running either LOTRO or DDO on a Mac. Please note that this changed with 9.0!!!!!!
It will be much easier.

Phase 1: Note: You will create either an WinXP or Win2000 bottle in CrossOver Games (CXG) -- Note: You NEED CXG NOT CrossOver or
CrossPro (CX). Check the about box to see which one you are running. The current CXG version is 9.0 -- 9.1 is in beta as we speak.

1a- Take your DVDs for LOTRO or DDO and pop them into your Mac.
You CANNOT use any of the Turbine provided on-line installation clients. They use PANDO which is not compatible with WINE and CXG.
You MUST install from a DVD of the game or a COMPLETE client file copy, which is about 14 gig in size, and can take a LONG time to
download. (Installing from the SoA DVD is very difficult because of changes Turbine made with book 14.)

1b- In CXG from the pulldown menus at the top select: Configure / Install Software
1c- Scroll down In the resulting box
1d- Click on the triangle beside "Community Supported Applications" scroll down and select Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood
1e- Click on the triangle beside "select an installer" -- navigate to the MoM/SoM DVD and select it.
1f- Click install and go have dinner, a drink and some dancing.
The install takes an hour or two (or more) - depending on your system speed. (Remember, it's TWO DVDs!)
Ignore errors at the end. They deal with the Turbine Launcher which uses PANDO.
1b-5 wait for the CXG installer to finish.
ignore errors at the end. They deal with the Turbine Launcher which uses PANDO

Phase 2 - Install the replacement for the Turbine Launcher -- PyLotRO.
2a- In CXG from the pulldown menus at the top select: Configure / Install Software.
2b- Scroll down In the resulting box
2c- Click on the triangle beside "Community Supported Applications" scroll down and select PyLotRO
At the moment, there is only one source for "pylotro-setup.exe". That site is frequently at its bandwidth limit.
A second site is being added to the script: "www.mcgillsociety.org/PyLotRO/pylotro-setup.exe" until that update
is made, you may have to download the pylotro-setup.exe file manually, and use "Other Application" to install it.
2d- "Will install into new winxp bottle" appears: click on the triangle and select the bottle where you just installed LOTRO (or DDO)
2e- Follow the windows wizard instructions -- just take all the defaults
ignore errors at the end.
2f- Wait for the CXG installer to finish.
ignore any errors at the end.

Phase 3. Launch PyLotRO -- select the CXG pulldown - programs/PyLotRO -- its patch time.
3a- Wait a for the Launcher window to appear. From the Launcher bar select "tools / settings wizard"
3b- "Lord of the Rings Online" is the name of the game, and should appear in the window. Click the button "find game."
3c- Select the "Game Directory" entry; click "apply."
3d- The main PyLotRO window will re-appear. Again select "tools / patch"
3e- In the window which appears click "start." Go get coffee/beer/sandwich, etc.
Depending upon which patch has to be applied, it can easily take 90 minutes or longer! (Such as the patch from MoM to SoM)
Most Turbine patches are pretty big, so patching speed is largely dependent on your Internet Connection Speed.

Phase 4 - go to the tips and trick section -- at this time, the most common item which needs fixing is setting your video memory.

That is probably a pretty complete step-by-step of the installation as it stands with 9.0

You have just become my best friend... :) Thanks for the write up! You should post that some where in the Tips and Tricks, and here I thought I would never play lotro again... Thanks!

Wow yesterday I spent about 5 hours looking and today after i read this post, I find it in two minuets.... and where else? None other than the Tips and Tricks tab.....
😕
Friggen Dunce!
Thanks for humoring my dumb question....

Javier wrote:

Wow yesterday I spent about 5 hours looking and today after i read
this post, I find it in two minuets.... and where else? None other
than the Tips and Tricks tab.....
😕
Thanks for humoring my dumb question....

Actually, it was your question that got me to write it up and stick it in Tips and Tricks.

We're (a couple of us advocates) are in the process of "updating" the LOTRO/DDO/PyLotRO install, so your "dumb question" was just what the doctor ordered!

There are changes coming with the next LOTRO update (Free to Play) and some unresolved issues with the latest DDO update that don't have complete solutions or work-arounds yet. Turbine appears to have changed something else, yet again, as they did when Book 14 was released, which has caused certain things to fail in strange ways.

William H. Magill wrote:

We're (a couple of us advocates) are in the process of "updating"
the LOTRO/DDO/PyLotRO install, so your "dumb question" was just what
the doctor ordered!

There are changes coming with the next LOTRO update (Free to Play)
and some unresolved issues with the latest DDO update that don't
have complete solutions or work-arounds yet. Turbine appears to have
changed something else, yet again, as they did when Book 14 was
released, which has caused certain things to fail in strange ways.

I've been very lax about such things over the past year or so. Bad advocate! No biscuit!

Turbine changes things once or twice a year and always seems to ruin our day. The .NET launcher/patcher? Removing full installs from their website? Turbine Download Manager? Pando Download Manager?

Did they break DDO as well now? sigh I'll have to check that out tomorrow.

So, as far as the answer goes for folks with the SoA discs the answer is "don't, try to download the 9-10 gb file" from the sounds of it?

The short answer is... use the SoA disks, manually replace a file, then patch the game through two major expansion packs and wait hours upon hours to finish.

IMHO, at this point, it is easier to simply buy the Mines of Moria (complete collection) from Amazon (or other retailer. It can be found for less than the cost of one month's subscription and includes 30 days of play as well.

No longer having the DVD I used the following method.

Download the full client using VMWARE Fusion (may work with something like VirtualBox), then copy the relevant files to the Crossover folder and run PYLOTRO.

I have played LOTRO successfully using this method though it does lockup occasionally. It may be cashing as I just dragged the main LOTRO folder over without checking whether some files are installed in subsystem folders.

From my experience, the Lock-up appears to be directly related to Apple's X11 implementation.

I never have a problem with anything but the "display." The X11 window freezes, but the game appears to keep running (and in fact, CXG never quits).

I solve the lock-up by simply aborting the X11 window via PyLotRO's abort button. You have to drag that window so that you have access to it when the lock-up happens, because it is normally covered by the main game window. I also run in windowed mode rather than full screen for that reason.

I keep intending to install "the real" X11 from MacPorts to see if it works any better, but that is a bit of an involved process and has its own problems.

The other interesting thing which I have not yet explored... Turbine announced yesterday 5 August, that they have discontinued TDM -- the Turbine Down Load Manager. I assume this means that they are now relying completely on PANDO. However, DDO, now has (apparently) the complete downloads available on their site for both the low and high-rez clients. Maybe I'll get around to checking them (both DDO and LOTRO) out over this weekend.