"Lowest common denominator," describes the market the game seems to be targeted at, nothing more.  It's like a blockbuster summer movie, more or less, it's meant to appeal to the widest market possible.

As for, "competitive massively multiplayer," you have to admit that a player can do just fine, except for the toughest quests, without any player interaction or competition with other players at all, even though it is classified as a massive multiplayer design.  And, I am sure the game was designed that way; so that players could solo it.  I listed the other MMOGs as a comparision to how the game differs in this aspect.

Originally posted by sempiternal

"Lowest common denominator," describes the market the game seems to be targeted at, nothing more.  It's like a blockbuster summer movie, more or less, it's meant to appeal to the widest market possible.

As for, "competitive massively multiplayer," you have to admit that a player can do just fine, except for the toughest quests, without any player interaction or competition with other players at all, even though it is classified as a massive multiplayer design.  And, I am sure the game was designed that way; so that players could solo it.  I listed the other MMOGs as a comparision to how the game differs in this aspect.

Originally posted by sempiternal

As for, "competitive massively multiplayer," you have to admit that a player can do just fine, except for the toughest quests, without any player interaction or competition with other players at all, even though it is classified as a massive multiplayer design.  And, I am sure the game was designed that way; so that players could solo it.  I listed the other MMOGs as a comparision to how the game differs in this aspect.

That simply isn't true.  I can only assume you didn't get past level 20 if you think it is.  You can level to 20 by doing mostly solo quests, if you do the low level quests for a few different races, but in the mid to higher levels, you need the fellowship quests to advance... unless you want to a whole lot of grinding random mobs.   The game doesn't leave solo players out in the cold, but it doesn't cater to them either.  If people want to level at a reasonable pace, see all the cool content and have the best gear, they have to get in a group to do it. 

Originally posted by sempiternal

Originally posted by CognetoJoe
Great review,  your are saying "I bought the game for my son , and now I am going to write a review without playing it."

 

Originally posted by bballermc333

Ok I have not played LOTRo yet but I have read alot about it.

 

You know, I come to expect no less from MMORPG users; blind flames, misinterpretations, assumptions, views from people that have not even tried a game - the level of ignorance here is obscene.

No!  Where did I write that I never played the game? Where did I ever write that I got the game for my son, or even that he spends a lot of time on it?  All ignorant assumptions, which speak on your character and the worth of your posts. My son plays it occasionally, but I got the game for myself.  I played it for several months, but now the only one to play it is my son.

And, to the guy that has not even played the game before, I started playing in beta! Why don't you try playing the game before judging someone else's review of it, for crying out loud.  You are basing everything off of what you have read rather than first-hand experience?

LOTRO just wore out quickly for me. For me, player competition is always more interesting and fun than endless NPC content and, for the most part, there is very little benefit to interacting with others in LOTRO except for completing quests. Endless amounts of players rush by you without returning a single greeting.

Players are not grouping with the need to trust each other in higher level quests, they are merely grouping because the quests require multiple players to handle without extreme difficulty. When there is no freedom for betrayal, there is no chance for trust. LOTRO is a highly controlled environment, chock full of NPC content to keep you busy.

Fifthred was the flamer.

I never stated my son soloed any quests, I merely stated that he plays it; that's another assumption on your part.

I am a veteran of MMOG games because I have been playing them since they existed.

As for your opinion that Roma Victor is one of the worst MMOGs ever, that is only evidence of more unfounded speculation, either that or you do not have very much knowledge of MMOGs in general.  Roma Victor is one of the most advanced and complex MMOGs to date right down to its historical authenticity.  The only other MMOG I would consider comparing it to is EVE Online. Yes, it does have bugs and lag, but the game design is excellent.  Either way, if you don't like Roma Victor, I'm sure you will be quite happy with LOTRO.

Make sure to buy a founder's key and use it before May 24th and get possibly a lifetime of entertainment for $199; hopefully, they keep upgrading the technology every year. They are selling on ebay for as low as $4.00.

Originally posted by bballermc333

Ok I have not played LOTRo yet but I have read alot about it.

First off your post is completly onesided, showing bad points of the game that are not even really true.

Well actually they ARE true - at least up to about 25 or 30. After that it supposedly gets a lot better, but I am not that far along yet.

For someone that has not played, you seem to have some strong opinions about the game. Most of the wrong,but...

He is absolutely correct when he says that there is almost no player interaction though. You don't have an MMO, you have 300,000 people soloing in an MMO playground. But even with that, it is still better than WOW... :D

Aside from a few quest completions, there is NO reason to ever group in this game until you hit the 30's. The xp from killing mobs sucks, the only way to level up in a reasonable time is to do every quest possible. I would guess that 90% of the xp comes just from quests.

There is no such thing as dungeon plowing except to get to the boss mob so everyone can get their quest up date. As soon as that is done, the group is gone.

The game is fun to play, has great scenery, and tons of quests. Some things are done very well. But some things, like the awful auction system, are not.

I have serious doubts about the long term playability of this game. In EQ2 I could make 5 alts, and level every one up to 50 or so and never hit the same zones or areas twice. But LOTRO is much much smaller - if you make any alts, by level 15 they will probably all be doing exactly what your previous character did, and the same quests, the same mobs.

The expansion due out in June might help, but at this point this is a pretty decent but small and limited game. Perfect for casual play, but I don't expect it will draw a lot of excitement from heavy duty players. At this time there is no end game, pretty much when you hit 50, that is it (and yest, there are some 50's already).

Originally posted by bballermc333
None of what I said was a blind flame, I stated that it was all from what I have read on the game, you are the first person i've seen to state that the game is a "Solo" questing/leveling game, and every other reveiw I have read on it has said that you group ALOT.

The OP pretty much sums up the game nicely.

I think everyone can agree that LOTRO is a basic run of the mill casual kids/first timer MMO.

Its not meant as an insult to say these things, its just fact. If you like playing a simple casual MMO like this, then fine have fun, but don't call people like the OP trolls for stating the truth.

I agree.

This game has no staying power, like D&D online.

Less than a month to get to max level, with no end game content?

The only people who will play this game long term are online dabblers.

Originally posted by sempiternal

Originally posted by Votary
Just want to say that don't assume all "veteran" MMO players have the same taste as you ;)

That's a fair statement, and from reading my short review, most people should come to the realization that I prefer player competition over completing NPC content.

But see, thats why your "review" doesn't work. LotR never, ever said it was going to be "competitive" or PvP based. Not once since Turbine got ahold of it in 2003 did they say anything about it being what you want. LotR's was ALWAYS from day 1 planned on being a content driven game. So...if thats you main gripe about it, then YOU picked the wrong game.

You "reviewed" for what it isn't not what it is. Sort of like saying you don't like a car because it doesn't fly or bashing on Lineage 2 because the PvE is boring.

Part of being an MMO player is having sense enough to know what type of game a new title is. Generally you find that on the game's homepage.

Originally posted by phluux

As far as staying power, we shall see, but I doubt I would count on any of the "expert" opinions here though. ;)

Originally posted by phluux

I can get at least 3 characters to max level in WoW in a month and some are complaining about one character at max level in LOTRO... that's hilarious.

I call BS on this statement.. there is no way in hell you can get 3 characters to lvl 70 in a months time.. unless you are botting..  1 character sure.. and maybe another halfway...

Not saying WoW is hard.. but lets not  start talking out our butts...

Originally posted by Torak

LotR never, ever said it was going to be "competitive" or PvP based. Not once since Turbine got ahold of it in 2003 did they say anything about it being what you want. LotR's was ALWAYS from day 1 planned on being a content driven game. So...if thats you main gripe about it, then YOU picked the wrong game.

No I didn't.  Believe it or not, I also enjoy crafting and PvM and I really like the Lord of the Rings franchise. I give every new MMOG that catches my interest a fair try, whether it's competitive or content based.

However, from my experience, ultimately nothing in the long-run compares to directly competing with other real players, whether that competition is political, economical, or combative.  And there is no better game suited to take advantage of multiplayer competition than an MMOG.  In order for players to seek interaction there needs be incentives to interacting or disadvantages to not interacting.  In a highly protective environment there is little disadvantage to not interacting, in fact, in many cases a player can often gain more faster if they dont "waste time" interacting in such an environment.  I did challenge other players to duel often, but these were frequently declined.  I found LOTRO to be lacking in player interaction outside of grouping to complete NPC quests, and groups of friends external from the game, maybe it can be improved?

Originally posted by Halfmad
I've only been playing a week but already I've found it very entertaining and enjoyable, I am however very much a casual player who has gone to this game with 6 or so friends from other games, so I have a ready made Kinship (guild) and people to talk to straight away.

As a Burglar...

I had fun playing the game too, even for several months, but as I wrote earlier, with little player competition and interatction it wore out.

One of my characters is also a burglar, but what is the point of a burglar that cant burgle?