FAQ

Can you update the mod to [insert new Minecraft version]?
This is a pointless question, and here's why:

This mod is built using MCP and Forge. Until those two tools are both updated, it is  impossible  for me to begin updating this mod.

Is MCP updated to the latest Minecraft version? Is Minecraft Forge updated to the latest Minecraft version? If no, I can't do anything yet. If yes, I have already started updating the mod, and pestering me is not going to make it come faster. And nobody is stopping you from playing an old version!

Can you add features from the new versions into older versions as well?
No. This would take lots of time and would require huge amounts of work (as Minecraft code often changes substantially between updates) and my time is better spent improving the mod. If you want to play with the new features, you must update your game to the new version.

How do I obtain saddles in Middle-earth?
Since this is a mod with a heavy focus on exploration and adventure, saddles are very useful items to have in Middle-earth. Luckily, you don't have to go searching dungeons for hours on end; the mod adds a saddle

crafting recipe! You can also find saddles in some structures in Middle-earth.

The mod also adds crafting recipes for iron, gold, and diamond horse armor. These recipes are the same as the original vanilla recipes, which were removed from the game before the release of Minecraft 1.6, and the iron recipe can be seen here as an example. (The colour of wool used in the recipe does not matter.) NOTE: In Beta 20 the wool will be changed to leather.

Is this mod compatible with [insert mod name]?
This mod should be compatible with most Minecraft Forge mods. Other mods may work with this, but it's not guaranteed.

In either case, you may have to configure some IDs to avoid conflicts. You can change the IDs for this mod by finding the 'LOTR.cfg' located in your .minecraft/config folder. Open it up and change any conflicting values. Dimension IDs may range from -128 to 127 inclusive. Biomes, however, shouldn't conflict anymore, because this mod now uses a totally different set of biomes than Vanilla Minecraft, and Blocks and Items no longer require configuration after the Minecraft 1.7 update.

Is this mod compatible with NEI (Not Enough Items)?
It is, in the sense that neither mod will cause the other to crash or stop working when they are run together. However, the LOTR Mod no longer includes native support for NEI's Recipe Mode on the Middle-earth crafting tables. Such a feature was included before the Minecraft 1.7 update, but was removed so that Mevans would not have to wait for NEI to update before updating the LOTR Mod.

If anybody would like to develop an add-on for the mod which supports NEI's Recipe Mode (the original NEI support began as a fan-made addon) you are more than welcome. Let me know and I will add a link in the forum thread and elsewhere.

Is this mod multiplayer compatible?
Yes! Instructions for installing the mod on a server are available on our Minecraft Forums thread. Note that, as usual, any players connecting to the server must have the mod on their clients. Also, their IDs must be configured (see above) in exactly the same way as those for the server, otherwise things on the clients will not work correctly

Can I run this mod on a Cauldron (MCPC+, Bukkit) server?
Well, you can, but it's probably not going to work very well and I don't recommend it. The mod is developed for Vanilla/Forge servers. MCPC+ changes much of the code from vanilla and Forge, and as a result, there will likely be many bugs/errors/crashes when the mod is run on MCPC+ which do not occur when running the mod on the intended Forge server.

If you encounter a bug on an MCPC+ server, check to see if it happens on a Forge server before reporting it to me. If you cannot reproduce it on a Forge server, then it is the fault of MCPC+, not this mod, and I will not attempt to fix it. Please read this excellent post for more information.

Can you add Gandalf / Minas Tirith / the One Ring / etc.?
Short answer: No. Please stop suggesting these things.

Long answer: Every main character, region, structure, and so on, from LOTR is planned to be added in the future. But - surprise surprise - there is a plan for the mod, and these things will come later on, when the work on more basic features such as; biomes, blocks and items, and NPCs are mostly completed. Asking for your favourite character to be added will not make them be added faster. It might as well even have the opposite effect.

Will Anduril, Sting, Gandalf's staff, etc. ever be craftable?
No, they will be obtained through questing when the quest system is added.

Can you make the Biomes smaller?
No. The current size of the map has been planned since the beginning. If you find it difficult to travel around Middle-earth it is probably because you are walking everywhere. Make use of the mod's fast travel system or any of the various mounts the mod adds, and you will find travelling much easier.

Can you add race selection?
Race selection is not something planned for the mod, due to compatibility issues. Custom player skins are not compatible with, for example, dwarf, hobbit, and elf models. If race selection was added, you would not be able to use a custom skin. Also, changing the size of the player could interfere with vanilla game mechanics or other mods.

However, the alignment system and the future quest system will allow you to customise your experience on a much greater level than a race system. There are also mods such as iChun's Morph mod that probably already offer what you're looking for.

If the Morph mod exists, why can't you add race selection?
To reiterate. Race selection is not planned in any form. Custom player skins are not compatible with NPC models. If race selection was added, you would not be able to use a custom skin.

Can you make NPCs that lead other NPCs into battle / better hired unit AI / etc.?
Sir or Madam, you have unrealistic expectations of what can be done in Minecraft. This is a voxel-based sandbox game, not a war game. Whenever someone asks for something like this, it makes me wonder whether if you'd ask the developers of your favourite RTS or FPS game to add building blocks and fully deformable terrain to their game...

Such a feature could in theory be added but it would take a long time indeed to develop and debug it. Time which, at the moment, is more well spent building up the world of Middle-earth.

Why doesn't the Summon Horn of Command summon my units?
The horn will only call your units if you're standing in a safe, unobstructed space. It will not call your units if you're in air, water, on a non-solid block, or there is not enough room for the unit to stand in (e.g. you may be able to summon Orcs into a one-block wide hole, but not Olog-hai).

Also, the horn cannot summon units from far away - this is simply a result of the way Minecraft works. Only areas of the world which are close to your player are loaded, meaning that if you move too far from your hired units, the horn cannot summon them because they physically  do not exist in the world. (This is the same reason that crops don't grow when you're too far away from them, furnaces don't smelt, and so on.)

An exception to this is if you're on a multiplayer server and you travel far away from your units, but another player stays close to them, they will still be loaded and you'll be able to summon them over any distance.

Why are [insert mob name] running into my house?
All humanoids (Orcs, Dwarves, Rohirrim, Dunlendings, etc) can open wooden doors. To prevent this from occuring, use iron or dwarven doors instead, or move to a biome where there are fewer enemies (i.e. if you're a negative-aligned player towards Dundenlings, living near the Dunlands, and Dunlendings get inside your house too often, move to a safer biome).

Why does this mod lag so much?
Certain biomes (e.g. Mirkwood, Lorien, Fangorn, etc) contain a lot of trees, and as a result, Minecraft is forced to generate more blocks than usual (which is the cause of lag). In order to circumvent this problem, use a beefier computer, or lower the render distance when travelling in forests.

Why do I get random crafting crashes? (In versions before Public Beta 18)
If Minecraft crashes when you craft items, it probably has something to do with your Forge version. The solution is to use a version of Forge between .1057 and .1112. Forge versions .1113 or later have a different ore directory, which causes random crafting crashes.

Why does my alignment gets reset everytime I load my world?
You probably play on a cracked launcher. These are known to have problems saving the player data right (including the alignment data). The only solution is to buy the game.

How does the /alignment command work?
The faction name has to be in capital letters. Use the TAB Key to autcomplete the command and bring up a list of valid faction names. See here for details.

(Beta 20 and beyond) Why do shields not offer protection?
As of Beta 20, capes are replaced by shields. These shields are purely cosmetic and are not meant to offer any protection whatsoever, just as capes before them.

Does peaceful mode work in Middle-Earth?
No it does not. None of the NPC's in this mod are coded as "hostile" mobs, and changing your difficulty to Peaceful will not affect the spawning of the NPC's, nor their attack strength. The only mobs it affects are hostile animals like Scorpions and Crocodiles.

Are possible fast travel locations saved by world, user, or computer?
They are saved by world and player. When a world is played by different players, then every player has to unlock the fast travel locations on himself.