General Discussion

I've been told I can't take my XBOX 360 to college, so I'm getting my revenge by using the laptop my parents bought me to game!  My only MMO experience is (very) brief dalliances with WoW and SWG.   Now I can pay the fees, and AoC and LotRO look very exciting.  Please help me decide.  My comp is CORE 2 DUO 2.4 GHz, 3 GB RAM, 256 MB NVIDIA 570M.   Other ideas are also welcome.

Honestly asking that question now is pretty stupid question.  There are fans of both games, there are haters of both games.

Compared to AoC, LOTRO had a quiet launch.  There were no problems or major bugs to deal with.  The biggest problem that I had with the game was the limited leveling areas and the incomplete world.  At launch, the game had only like 6 major areas to visit and there were very few upper level areas to level.  The route in the game is very linear and you'll follow the same route almost every time you play after level 10.  The combat is very dull and the entire game is essential placed at your feet so that there's no question as to where you go next.  The story is a lot better than most MMOs out there since it is epic and makes the player feel an urgency to complete the tasks.

I can't say the same for AoC; however, from what I can tell it's slightly less linear and the combat system is far more active.

To be honest if you REALLY want an MMO, wait for WAR to come out this fall and play WoW in the meantime.  EA Mystic knows what they're doing and the launch will most likely be stable.  Another alternative would be Guild Wars.  The game is soloable though requires some team work later on and (depending on your laptop's monitor - Dell or HP) the game will look absolutely gorgeous.

I just quit AoC and went back to LotRO. Age of Conan could have been a good game but funcom has ruined it. LotRO is a safe bet with tons of content and an expansion coming this fall. Oh and it will run well on your laptop...unlike AoC!

Originally posted by bsmith239

I just quit AoC and went back to LotRO. Age of Conan could have been a good game but funcom has ruined it. LotRO is a safe bet with tons of content and an expansion coming this fall. Oh and it will run well on your laptop...unlike AoC!

Agree...  Go LOTRO..  It's a safe bet, the game is smooth, runs on less than stellar hardware and looks amazing.   It's more fun with friends, but still solo / casual friendly.   It's not one that requires the time commitment like WoW to get anywhere in it. 

Overall, it's a good game.  AoC, one day may be a good game, is lacking right now.  Depending on your level of patience, it could be a good game for you.  

Age of Conan makes baby Jesus cry.

Your laptop probably won't even run AoC.  The game engine is terrible.  Even on my high end gaming desktop the framerates were unforgiveable.

LOTRO is a very story driven game.  Lots of grouping to do some quests.  Lots of quest reading.  It's certainly not for everyone, but it is an excellent mmo.

i as well just quit AoC and returned to lotro. i honestly cant tell you what you will enjoy more. AoC was just not a good time for me anymore. the higher i got the more dull it seemed to become. there also seems to be a communication problem between staff and players not sure they speak english and the moderation has become quite harsh.

i had quit Lotro because i wasnt having fun but they game seems to have improved quite a bit since release. time will tell and there is always other good games out there. it is hard to advise you without knowing your tastes.

good luck in school

LOTRO wins in my choice.

Works nice out of the box, hardly a bug to be found, I find lots of players online always.

AoC, dont play it myself, but some friends did, Didnt sub after the free month, too much instancing, too many bugs, etc. Hope AoC does pull their heads out of the sand and get it sorted sooner than later as there is heaps of MMO's coming out and competition is nasty for your sub. Longer they take the less plauyers they going to have/keep.

For me, I playing LOTRO since release, and still enjoy it today, and with another major content update only a week or so away I really cant wait to see the new stuff they adding. and then down the track a new EXP is coming out Mines of Moria :) thats going to rock.

Can't speak for AoC, but I tried to get into lotro on three seperate occasions (first attempt at launch, and the last  just a couple months ago), and I could never get hooked into the game. I never last more than a handful of days each time, and I'm a massive LotR & mmo nerd, so wth

After playing AOC I have found that it lacks that certain I dunno...feel to make you think of the game while at school or work.  When I get home its like maybe I will  play maybe I should mow the lawn.   LOTRO is a better choice.  But if you are looking for something that is free maybe you should try RF online its a ok mmo with decent pvp.