January 7, 2008
THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE IS
FIRST MMORPG TO SUPPORT MICROSOFT’S DIRECTX 10 GRAPHICS AND NVIDIA GEFORCE
GRAPHICS PROCESSORS
Award-Winning Online Game Now
Features Industry-Leading Graphics
Turbine, Inc. announced today that
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar has become the first massively
multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to support the Microsoft DirectX
10 API and NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors for stunningly realistic imagery.
The Lord of the Rings Online, named the 2007 PC Game of the Year 2007, now
offers gamers with DirectX 10 graphics cards the most immersive online
experience available today.
Players can now experience
Middle-earth™ like never before with major improvements to The Lord of the Rings
Online’s graphics, including upgraded shaders for water, particle effects and
lighting for distant terrain. Players will also be treated to new levels of
immersion with the new DirectX 10 exclusive dynamic shadowing features which
render realistic real-time shadows in the vast outdoor environments of The Lord
of the Rings Online.
"Turbine has a history of pushing
the graphics envelope so we can deliver state-of-the art immersive virtual
worlds," said Fernando Paiz, Director of Game Technology at Turbine, Inc. “We
began working with NVIDIA very early in the development cycle so that we could
fully leverage DirectX 10 technology to achieve our goal of creating the most
complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth. The results speak for
themselves as The Lord of the Rings Online has set the bar for what persistent
online worlds can be.”
"The FPS genre has long dominated
the race to better graphics but with this major update from Turbine, The Lord of
the Rings Online players can enjoy graphics as good as or even better than many
FPS games. This is an outstanding achievement and the whole Turbine team should
be rightly proud of what they have produced," said Roy Taylor, Vice President of
Content Relations at NVIDIA. "This deserves the attention of the entire video
games industry and all MMORPG players everywhere. It points to a future where we
will see increasing blending of genres and deeper, more immersive PC gaming
experiences. We are delighted to have been able to support this work."
The Lord of the Rings Online
delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the
familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of
all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom
of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never
before. The Lord of the Rings Online is available for purchase at major
retailers across North America. For more information, or to download a free
trial, visit www.lotro.com.
