It appears that the only thing going on here is someone is trying to pad their post count.

Originally posted by Thillian

Originally posted by grandpagamer

Originally posted by Thillian

Originally posted by dreamscaper

Originally posted by Thillian 

 

What would you choose. Be honest please:

• a) the skirmishes system you have now
• b) a whole new end-game zone.

 

B. If I want to play mini-games, I go play Wii with friends. Skirmishes are nothing more than instances with a pet system added (and yes, I HAVE played them, all save for the two that require the book chapters to unlock).

I've spent a signifcant amount of time in every zone in the game. They have far more replay value for me (everyone is different in this regard) that the diversion system they gave us.

<3

I'm glad someone else shares the opinion with me. Skirmishes are a cheap, instant and repeatable  way to have "fun" in an instanced space. Sure, some people might find that entertaining, but I still think majority of the loyal players (lore-fans) are much more interested in the Middle Earth world graphical representation than the actual gameplay.

I do think Turbine is not trying to please its main playerbase as usual, but rather keep looking to attrack new players. I think that is their initial marketing and design strategy ever since they offered extremly cheap lifetime offer. They strategy is not to maintain the customers, and are not afraid to sacrifice and break promises made at release in order to gain favor in newcommers (for example -> during the beta, they announced LM is as far as they will ever go with the magic).

 

Turbine as usual is not trying to please its playerbase? Then why would someone who isnt pleased with the way turnbine treats its playerbase pay for an xpac on tuesday only to cancel his account shortly thereafter?

 

Again, another t.ll post with an attempt to discredit someone without really reading the thread. I am not gonna explain it when and how I cancelled. It's somewhere here already.

LOL how about explain to me how Mirkwood is a small zone ?  seriously need to buy vowel. :)

Originally posted by Skooma2

Why do you trolls keep coming out from under your bridges?  I can understand one or two posts about not liking skirmishes, but to sit here all day and continuously denegrate what everyone else says is beyond my ken.

I happen to love the skirmishes.  I could give you all the reasons, but the bottom line is they're fun.  And, in MMOs, fun is the bottom line.  In fact, the only reason I am here now is my main has gone through all the dailies today and I have some time on my hands.  But, it cracks me up that someone WHO HAS NOT HAD A SUBSCRIPTION for two months is criticizing the skirmishes and opining on what could have been done with the development resources.

I can understand about not liking a company, game, developer, etc. and posting your opinion about it  (i.e. just get me started about Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Brenneman) but to sit there all day and make 13 posts in this thread in 8 hours is just sad.

It is easy to call people trolls when they have a differ opinion than you isn't it? This is a forum and LOTRO skirmishes were  brought up. I think it's fair to say if you don't like them it is fine to say you don't, do you not as well?

I completely agree that a forum is the appropriate place to make comment on skirmishes.  However, this guy has 13 posts in this thread.   To what point?  To state a negative opinion is not trolling.  Making 13 posts repeatedly stating that he doesn't like the skirmishes is trolling.  That's the point I was trying to make.

Originally posted by Skooma2

I completely agree that a forum is the appropriate place to make comment on skirmishes.  However, this guy has 13 posts in this thread.   To what point?  To state a negative opinion is not trolling.  Making 13 posts repeatedly stating that he doesn't like the skirmishes is trolling.  That's the point I was trying to make.

No, trolling is actually when you write a post where you don't say anything to the point, but insult / discredit opposition. What is exactly what you did in your last 3 posts.

To the poster above who menitoned Mirkwood is a large area:

Mirkwood is smaller than Evendim, Forochel, North-Downs, Eregion. For explorers, it's a disappoitment. The way the world is built right now does not feel persistent and open at all. The way the zones are connected is not far from an actual instanced world with a few paths that connect them. Each new zone they add, just worsen the situation.

It's a game based on one of the best IP's out there, and its sad to see they pay no attention to open up the spaces between already existing zones - as I already mentioned. And with the recent limited updates, it is even more sad to see they spend too much time with a gameplay which adds nothing to the world because it all happens in some instanced space, instead of making them part of the world.

I think skirmishes is interesting one part of the game .... like in past, lotro developers think about "what new we will bring to our players" ... i think as one of the few, they are doing well in this option. They wabnt to bring something new and they try it. Not only promises. They do ...

And if its not a stunishing and neverending fun for all, they will keep it in game, but they will think about something other new.

Like in past with session play (not new improvements), hobbies (not new improvements), housing (not new improvements) .. etc ... but its all something what makes this game wider and wider and not only adjust mash like many other games are today.

I think skirmishes is good arena / cinematic / battlefield fight field-guildwars missions mash, with interesting chances for further expansion options, which may come regardless of developments in the world around...

Originally posted by qombi

Skirmishes with everyone having pets is why I left lotro. I didn't want to play a pet class nor level a group of characters.

I fully undeerstand what you are coming from, but have you actually tried how the skirmishes work? The soldiers dont work like pets at all and you have pretty much 0 controll over them.

And its not like you have to do skirmishes... there is till a huge zone and a raid "cluster" in the expansion +crafting have become very viable again.

Originally posted by Papadam

Originally posted by areb

Am I the only one meaning to go to Mirkwood, but can't because I'm hooked on skirmishes?  It's instantly funa nd there seems to be a lot of depth to the system.  My captain has a rank 10 warrior, my burg has a low level bannerguard, and my champ has a rank 5ish herbalist.  These seem to be good matches so far.  My captain can do tier 2s pretty well, but I got owned trying a tier 3 skirmish...  Need to buff up my soldier more!

 

Damn, skirmishes sound awesome! Im very hyped for SoM right now!

And Codemasters have announced that Europe will get it tomorrow, so kudos to them :) (we even got a pre-patch which US didnt get)

Yay for soloing online for 15/month. I would prefer to play single player games than be in an instance by myself with npc pets. At least I am doing the same thing but without a sub fee.

I dont understand these stupid coments .... Skirmishes is only one of functions in game. Lotro isnt skirmishes ... skirmishes is part of lotro. If u dont want to play it, go play something other and dont post some stupidities like ... soloing skirmishes, pets etc whent you know big piece of **** about this game. Try it and rate it ... But stop posting and *lame flame*

Originally posted by qombi

Yay for soloing online for 15/month. I would prefer to play single player games than be in an instance by myself with npc pets. At least I am doing the same thing but without a sub fee.

Of course, you could always make a few friends and group the instances. No-one said you had to do them alone.

Originally posted by Thillian

Originally posted by Skooma2

I completely agree that a forum is the appropriate place to make comment on skirmishes.  However, this guy has 13 posts in this thread.   To what point?  To state a negative opinion is not trolling.  Making 13 posts repeatedly stating that he doesn't like the skirmishes is trolling.  That's the point I was trying to make.

 

No, trolling is actually when you write a post where you don't say anything to the point, but insult / discredit opposition. What is exactly what you did in your last 3 posts.

To the poster above who menitoned Mirkwood is a large area:

Mirkwood is smaller than Evendim, Forochel, North-Downs, Eregion. For explorers, it's a disappoitment. The way the world is built right now does not feel persistent and open at all. The way the zones are connected is not far from an actual instanced world with a few paths that connect them. Each new zone they add, just worsen the situation.

It's a game based on one of the best IP's out there, and its sad to see they pay no attention to open up the spaces between already existing zones - as I already mentioned. And with the recent limited updates, it is even more sad to see they spend too much time with a gameplay which adds nothing to the world because it all happens in some instanced space, instead of making them part of the world.

Would you have preferred Skirmishes to have been implemented similar to PQ's from WAR?  For me that was the ONLY thing I liked about WAR, but the reward system for that was annoying at best, and ludicrous at worst.

Scripted public events existed long before the hype arouse around public quests in WAR. But yeh it could be quite similiar, altho I primarily had in mind the Tabula Rasa scripted attacks on bases in random intervals.

Originally posted by Thillian

Originally posted by Skooma2

I completely agree that a forum is the appropriate place to make comment on skirmishes.  However, this guy has 13 posts in this thread.   To what point?  To state a negative opinion is not trolling.  Making 13 posts repeatedly stating that he doesn't like the skirmishes is trolling.  That's the point I was trying to make.

 

No, trolling is actually when you write a post where you don't say anything to the point, but insult / discredit opposition. What is exactly what you did in your last 3 posts.

To the poster above who menitoned Mirkwood is a large area:

Mirkwood is smaller than Evendim, Forochel, North-Downs, Eregion. For explorers, it's a disappoitment. The way the world is built right now does not feel persistent and open at all. The way the zones are connected is not far from an actual instanced world with a few paths that connect them. Each new zone they add, just worsen the situation.

It's a game based on one of the best IP's out there, and its sad to see they pay no attention to open up the spaces between already existing zones - as I already mentioned. And with the recent limited updates, it is even more sad to see they spend too much time with a gameplay which adds nothing to the world because it all happens in some instanced space, instead of making them part of the world.

Trolling could also be defined as LURKING in a thread and swarming it with negative posts about the topic when all people wanted to do was talk positively about the topic. Unfortunately I can see where the OP unknowingly put up a sign inviting trolls in by posting the topic of the thread as a question "Hooked on skirmishes?" and not a direct statement like "I am hooked on skirmishes". I'm just amazed there have not been more trolls visiting this thread hehe.

^^Originally posted by Shadewalker

Originally posted by qombi

Yay for soloing online for 15/month. I would prefer to play single player games than be in an instance by myself with npc pets. At least I am doing the same thing but without a sub fee.

 

Of course, you could always make a few friends and group the instances. No-one said you had to do them alone.

^^^^^This....a lot of people are doing skimishes as a group activity.  I think they are s great innovation.

I logged on to SoM expecting to spend most of my time in Mirkwood, but I made the "mistake" of logging on to my level 34 Champion first to clear out some gear.  I saw the mail from the skirmish captain, started the intro quest, and thought, "What the hell, I'll give it a go and see if I like them for a few minutes."

A couple of days later, I'm only just out of the starting instance in Mirkwood with one of my characters as I've had far too much fun playing skirmishes to do much more.  They really are deep, deep gameplay, and they really show a lot of loving care from the dev team.  The rewards are mostly fluff (apart from the level 45 class quest stuff which I find fantastic now that I'm kin-less) but the skirmishes themselves are so much fun, I don't care.  I've only tried the solo and small fellowship ones so far, but I'm hoping to give at least one of the raid skirmishes a go tonight.  

I particularly like the variability of them-some of the lieutenants and encounters have strategies involved that you simply don't see in solo play in most MMORPGs.  The Weathertop one is fantastically frantic, with a constant need to keep the fires burning while enemies come at you from all sides, it is one of the few times I've actually felt like I need the same strategic thinking I use in raid encounters in a solo instance. 

I'm not overly worried about the lack of landmass for Mirkwood itself.  It is big enough for a "mini-expansion" (and still more than big enough to get lost in), and between the great combat changes and all the QOL stuff that dropped under most people's radar (auto-complete in the TO: field of in-game mail, shared storage, mount changes, etc) I'm very happy that I came out of the equation with excellent value for money.

Im Too old for only 2 hours sleep . And for fun not work in an mmo . that hasnt happend since my lan party days. Which skirmishes should be great for...gonna do it this weekend hopefully. Good times.

I've done a few skirmishes now, solo with my 49 Guardian, and have done the tutorial with my 40 Hunter.

I found them fun, but they do have the frantic aspect that I always find very tiring and conducive to headaches in good groups, a primary reason for my preferring to solo these days, and with half an hour being about the maximum time I'd want to spend on one I think. Difficulty level is critical, as without much in the way of loot it can be very expensive if you happen to die a few times. Death is also very dependent on the randomness of the skirmish which is an area that may need some tweaking as it can be pretty hit and miss.

One concern that I'd like to see  addressed is that I really don't want my inventory cluttered up with assorted skirmish marks and bounties etc  the whole time, couldn't they simply be itemised on another window like your cash?

I'm now sure how much I'll want to repeat the skirmishes, notwithstanding their randomness, but on the whole I welcome their intrroduction as they undoubtedly provide an additional aspect to the game and that is always a good thing.

Originally posted by Shadewalker

 

I've done a few skirmishes now, solo with my 49 Guardian, and have done the tutorial with my 40 Hunter.

I found them fun, but they do have the frantic aspect that I always find very tiring and conducive to headaches in good groups, a primary reason for my preferring to solo these days, and with half an hour being about the maximum time I'd want to spend on one I think. Difficulty level is critical, as without much in the way of loot it can be very expensive if you happen to die a few times. Death is also very dependent on the randomness of the skirmish which is an area that may need some tweaking as it can be pretty hit and miss.

One concern that I'd like to see  addressed is that I really don't want my inventory cluttered up with assorted skirmish marks and bounties etc  the whole time, couldn't they simply be itemised on another window like your cash?

I'm now sure how much I'll want to repeat the skirmishes, notwithstanding their randomness, but on the whole I welcome their intrroduction as they undoubtedly provide an additional aspect to the game and that is always a good thing.

I think as you continue with skirmishes you'll find that death is not really dependant on randomness.  You know you are going to get easy waves and hard waves.  You need to be able to deal with a lieutenant and a couple of adds, that's where the deaths come from.  Of course, each lieutenant is different so you need to learn what to do with each one.  I can tell you that after a week of skirmishing every day I've figured out what each lieutenant in solo skirmishes do.  I've also figured out strategies for each one, but maybe not optimal strategy.

 I did the Gondoman skirmish last night on my lvl 44 Guardian (my first real skirmish) and the only problem I had was with a eagle type bird that was hard to take down,,,,not sure about the strategy on that one.  But it was crazy fun and I finished it (ran it a few levels lower till I level up my soldier and get the hang of them. 

Originally posted by avalon1000

 I did the Gondoman skirmish last night on my lvl 44 Guardian (my first real skirmish) and the only problem I had was with a eagle type bird that was hard to take down,,,,not sure about the strategy on that one.  But it was crazy fun and I finished it (ran it a few levels lower till I level up my soldier and get the hang of them. 

If I recall correctly, he gets buffed based on the number of allies he has.  Take out the other mobs first and he should fall quicker.