Updates

The Lord of the Rings mod has been through many updates since its beginning in January 2013. Some of these updates were large; others small. Some were focused on one aspect of the mod, while others were more "general" updates. Below is listed every major update that this mod has seen, and also some of the upcoming features of the LoTR mod.

This page gives a general summary of every update; to see the complete list of changes for any given update, please read the mod's changelog.

Beta 1 -- The Beginning of the Journey (February 1st, 2013)
The update that started this mod was Beta 1. It featured Hobbits, Orcs (which at the time were all Mordor Orcs), Hobbit Holes, and the realm of Middle-Earth, accesible via the Ring Portal. Alignment was also introduced in this update, though it was on a simple positive and negative scale that corresponded with positive being Good and negative being Evil.

Beta 2 -- Trading Update (March 1st, 2013)
Notable features added in this update were Lothlorien, Galadhrim Elves (simply named Elves at that time) and the first combat between NPCs.

Beta 3 -- Structures Update, Part 1 (March 16th, 2013)
Some of the structures in Gondor and Mordor today, such as Gondor Fortresses, Gondor Smithies, Mordor Towers, and Mordor Orc Camps, were added in this update.

Beta 4 -- Structures Update, Part 2 (April 1st, 2013)
This update continued where Beta 3 left off, as the mod was updated to a new Minecraft version in the middle of the month.

Many structures in Rohan, such as the Rohan Watchtower and the Rohan Fort, were added. The Elven Portal was also introduced, which meant that travelling back to the Overworld from Middle-Earth was much easier now than before, when marches of several thousand blocks or more were needed to get back to the Ring Portal.

Beta 5 -- Dwarf Update (May 1st, 2013)
The Dwarves of the Iron Hills (now known as Durin's Folk) and their equipment were the main focus of this update.

Beta 6 -- Unit Hiring Update (June 1st, 2013)
One of this mod's signature features that we now often take for granted -- the fact that we can hire units, if our Alignment and budget allow it -- was added in this update; Unit Hiring. At the time only military units were available for hire. This update also featured Trolls and Uruk-Hai.

Beta 7 -- Mirkwood Update (July 9th, 2013)
Mirkwood and its inhabitants were added in this update, along with a few generated structures for the inhabitants to live in.

Beta 8 -- Rohan Update (September 1st, 2013)
This update added a wide variety of new content, but the main focus was on Rohirrim and new AI to enable NPCs to ride horses, as well as the ability to hire mounted troops. It added Rohirrim, cavalry units, Dwarf Houses, and Barrel Brewing.

Beta 8 was in development for two months.

Beta 9 -- Ranger Update (October 1st, 2013)
Beta 9 added Rangers of the North (which at the time could not be hired), Rangers of Ithilien, and Dunlendings, along with the land they call home. The Lone-Lands and Eriador were also added.

Beta 10 -- Fangorn Update (November 1st, 2013)
Fangorn, Ents, and more Dunlending content was the main focus of this update.

Beta 11 -- Mountain Troll Update (December 1st, 2013)
One of the smalller updates of the mod, Beta 11 added the Mountain Troll and the Ettenmoors.

Beta 12 -- Biome Update (January 1st, 2014)
Wood-Elven content (including Wood-Elven Towers and Ruined varients) was expanded in the Beta 12 update, but one of the most important changes in the Beta 12 update was the addition of loads of new biomes. This update also made Wood-Elves hireable.

Beta 13 -- Middle-earth Update (February 1st, 2014)
This update marked the one-year anniversary of the mod's first public release.

One of the greatest updates in the history of the mod, Beta 13 marked the end of randomly distributed Middle-Earth biomes and the begin of a Middle-Earth shaped map. Rhun and Harad did not yet exist in this update, but all the major regions of Middle-Earth, from Lindon to the Iron Hills to Gondor, were in their correct places and available for adventure, though they weren't all inhabited at this point. Fast Travel didn't exist yet, so death could be a major inconvenience.

Beta 14 -- Fast Travel Update (March 1st, 2014)
Beta 14 saw Slaves of Nurn, Fast Travel, and even more biomes added to the mod. This marked the first time that units could be hired for things other than combat.

Beta 15 -- Factions & Structures Update (April 1st, 2014)
One of the biggest changes in the Beta 15 update was the addition of the faction-based alignment system, which made fights much more realistic; whereas before, killing Orcs in Mordor made the player a hero in Lindon, now Gundabad Orcs would have to be slain in order to get the same Lindon alignment. This update also meant that NPC's could have more complex relationships with one another. As a result of the faction changes, this update also divided Orcs into Mordor Orcs, Angmar Orcs, and Gundabad Orcs.

A player structure competition was also held at this time, and some of the structures players submitted to Mevans were added into the mod at this time.

Beta 16 -- Far Harad Mini-Update (April 13th, 2014)
Beta 16 saw new animals such as Giraffes, Zebras, and Crocodiles and also plants like Banana Trees added to Harad, along with the entire mod being re-coded to work with Minecraft 1.7.2.

This update was not a full month's update due to the release of Forge for 1.7.2.

Beta 17 -- High Elves & Haradrim Update (May 1st, 2014)
In this update the High Elves of Lindon were added, along with Near Haradrim.

Beta 18 -- Harad & Rhun Update (July 1st, 2014)
This update, also known as the Canada Day update, added Rhun, along with more Near Harad content, including Near Harad villages. The Dwarves of the Blue Mountains also became a separate faction from Durin's Folk, and Blue Dwarven Equipment was also introduced.

This update was in development for two months.

Beta 19 -- Outlaws & Enemies Update (August 1st, 2014)
Beta 19 shows Banner functionality that is expanded in order to allow them to be used to claim land when placed atop a block of Gold. Bandits were added, along with invasions, better Ent Draughts and a way of summoning 'hired' Huorns.

Beta 20 -- Mini-Quest Update [Current Version] (September 1st, 2014)
The most notable addition in this update was the Mini-Quest system, along with the Red Book and the Shire Reckoning calendar.

This update also improved upon the faction of Dol Guldur, adding Dol Guldur Orcs, crafting tables, banners, structures, hired unit captains, and the ability to tame spiders. Many new types of horse and other mount armour were added, and mounts were improved to be tamed and have inventories like horses. Capes were replaced with Shields. Perhaps most exciting of all, Hobbits now have hairy feet!

This update was the largest update in the history of the mod (by changelog length).

Beta 21
This update is planned to be in development for two months, with its release date on November 1st, 2014.

New features (not confirmed): NOTE: Gandalf and Minas Tirith STILL wont be added, so quit asking! SUB-NOTE: If you ask on this wiki, Gen. Grievous1138 will slowly and painfully vaporize you.
 * new Harad biomes (such as mangroves, semidesertss, and plains)
 * termite mounds
 * roads
 * over five new types of grass, including, but not limited to dead grass and short grass.
 * "the pits" in the Forodwaith (structures which contain a seemingly endless black pit at the bottom of which one can find an ancient menace)
 * flax (used to harvest string)
 * berry bushes, along with berry juices and forest fruit pies
 * player titles
 * ability to grow the large variant of mallorn trees
 * cedar trees that can be found in harad and in forests
 * new Vales of Anduin biomes/sub-biomes such as hills
 * new carved mordor, Gondor and rohan rock, pillar rohan mordor and Gondor rock, androttenn logs
 * custom waypoints cannot be created in a banner-protected area
 * you can now change the alignment threshold for faction-based banner protection
 * water textures change by latitude, instead of only changing in the ocean (changes are unaffected if you have a texture pack)
 * new shire sub biomes including moors and marshes
 * a compass is now on the top right corner of your screen which has directions and biome IDs (if this interferes with the minimap mods, you can remove it in the config), as well as a compass on the map screen
 * you can now stack food on plates, up to their limited stack (64).
 * banners on gold blocks protect themselves, but this can be disabled on the banner GUI.
 * there is now a ten second fast travel timer, which you cannot move in, and will show a tell tale line that has ab countdown.
 * there is now a new faction, the black uruk hai, which have black Uruk hais, black Uruk steel, structures, banners, and block of steel.
 * regular uruk hai now have little things on their helmets like in the movie.
 * you can now whitelist 16 players so they can bpasss the banners security.
 * the config for the lotr mod can be accessed by opening the mods part of you minecraft home screen and clicking config.

SECOND NOTE: all the provided information is from the mod's Facebook page.

Beta 22 and Beyond
In the near future, new factions will be added, and Harad and Rhun will be filled with new content.

What the far future holds is unknown; quests, major structures and new/improved mobs may be the focus of these updates.