Lord of the Rings Online

Originally posted by Illyrian

After reading Ugarit's comments I have an urge to go to EVE/DAOC/EQ/EQII/VG/SWG sites and bash them there. Unlike Ugarit here I am not in a habit of visiting forums and commenting on games I don't play.

 

I would just liek to point out that the games he mentioned are 3/4 dead, with exception of EVE. EQ/EQII/VG had the same root and it is no secret that VG was to be LOTRO killer. My guess is that is where venom comes from, if there was no LOTRO people MIGHT play EQ & VG. Most likely not since both games have serious issues but it is easier to blame an outsider than to accept internal failings.

 

DAOC, SWG and EVE are different type of games and to be honest I respect DAOC. SWG is semi dead for awhile (thanks to NGE) and what is left shows its age. EVE is sandbox gankatron that, in my opinion, owes majority of its success to the fact SF MMO market is woefully slim so you either play EVE or nothing at all. I don't plan to discuss my view of EVE as it is a personal opinion based on trying the game.

Well said Illyrian

I too get a kick out of trolls complaining that too many people are saying that LoTRo is a great game on a forum for discussion of LoTRo  (but, we are only doing it because we are lifers?  heh). 

So, then I guess next year... when we are still here and LoTRo is doing better than ever with the MoM release... what will be the excuse that we like LoTRo then?   We'll be past the monthly return on investment... so, I wonder what the new excuse from the trolls for so many players liking LoTRo will be?

I don't understand why people can't accept the fact that quite a lot of players actually enjoy playing LoTRo for what it is.  We like the environment, we like the story, we like the game-play, we like the community, we like the developers.  What is so hard to believe about that.  We aren't saying LoTRo is perfect, we aren't saying that LoTRo is for everyone.

We are saying that we enjoy playing it.  Yup... that was a period at the end there.

Edit:  Just thought I would share an example of a great MMO development team.  Below is a link to the official boards.  They admit they made an error, they are doing a fix for that error that favors the players.   For those that want the summary version. 

When Book 12 came out, new armor sets were included.  Some of the quests that these armor sets were acquired from were put onto quests that were available pre-book 12 (that was the mistake part), so if you'd completed that quest already, that armor drop would not be available to you; so there was no way to complete the set.  With Book 13 that will be fixed, per requests from the community to do so.

Just another example of how a dev. team and it's player community should work.  We let them know of problems, they investigate, then fix said problems.  All in a relatively short amount of time.

forums.lotro.com/showthread.php

I dont know, the only trolling i see in this thread is by some feared fanboy who is worried someoen could throw mud on his beloved precious.

I respect LOTRO for what it is and thats not much.

LOTRO has 2 innovative elements for me that bring the MMO genre forward.

a) trying the concept of interactive story telling.

b) the fun music system.

In many other aspects it just disappointed me.  In some cases its a true step backwards. That begins when running through another character causes no collision. It feels so ugly when ur used to games with "solid" models. And it ends when you realise that there are almost no queststs that demand a decission to be made which causes a consequence for your toon other than a reward.

The oh so celebrated graphics is only good as long as you dont watch any animation.

Why did they even bother with PvMP? Why waste resources for a side game that has no influence on the story or the world at all?

And you applaude they fix bugs quickly? I think they are rather slow with it, the auction house bug was in for weeks. I also found it very frustrating that EU players - altho paying more than the US players are treated second class. Loads and loads of disadvantages compared to the US servers. Most annoying is that the EU players have no access to the Lore Book yet almost 1 year after release. (Or is that fixed now?)

LOTRO is a simplified WoW clone with a niche audience. If it was a good MMO with that license you could read "2 MILLION SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW!" - "3 MILLION SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW" everywhere over the net. But its not a good MMO its only a good license hiding behind nice landscape graphics.

Call it  trolling but this thread discusses the downsides of LOTRO - which can clearly be seen when reading the title of the thread - if you disagree, why do you even bother to troll this thread?

Bursche.

Originally posted by Bursche

I dont know, the only trolling i see in this thread is by some feared fanboy who is worried someoen could throw mud on his beloved precious.

I respect LOTRO for what it is and thats not much.

LOTRO has 2 innovative elements for me that bring the MMO genre forward.

a) trying the concept of interactive story telling.

b) the fun music system.

In many other aspects it just disappointed me.  In some cases its a true step backwards. That begins when running through another character causes no collision. It feels so ugly when ur used to games with "solid" models. And it ends when you realise that there are almost no queststs that demand a decission to be made which causes a consequence for your toon other than a reward.

The oh so celebrated graphics is only good as long as you dont watch any animation.

Why did they even bother with PvMP? Why waste resources for a side game that has no influence on the story or the world at all?

And you applaude they fix bugs quickly? I think they are rather slow with it, the auction house bug was in for weeks. I also found it very frustrating that EU players - altho paying more than the US players are treated second class. Loads and loads of disadvantages compared to the US servers. Most annoying is that the EU players have no access to the Lore Book yet almost 1 year after release. (Or is that fixed now?)

LOTRO is a simplified WoW clone with a niche audience. If it was a good MMO with that license you could read "2 MILLION SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW!" - "3 MILLION SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW" everywhere over the net. But its not a good MMO its only a good license hiding behind nice landscape graphics.

Call it  trolling but this thread discusses the downsides of LOTRO - which can clearly be seen when reading the title of the thread - if you disagree, why do you even bother to troll this thread?

Bursche.

 

Well, we disagree with disagreement. That being said, yes, all fantasy themed, PvE orinted games have similarities. After all, WoW was called watered down EQ etc.

I like LOTRO but I doubt there ever will be any game that can be called the BEST game, depends on preferences.

What is constantly repeated by naysayers is that LOTRO isn't ZOMFG amazing success with gazillion of subscribers. And since it is not a WoW killer it must be a bad game and I disagree with that logic. Each to its own though.

I agree with you Bursche but you forgot one thing what makes mockery of LOTR title and thats maps. I never ever seen in any MMO with monthly sub such a ugly drown maps. Whole map system is a joke.

I wouldn't say anything if there is at least some options so that we can put our own markers but no its unbelievable i can stand on some position and look at the map and its just unrecognizable. Tolkien put some effort and draw maps 60 years ago.

Thanks god for few web sites who can provide us with better maps but cmon why not have it in game.

You mentioned PvMP and its true its stupid but i can understand that probably people who like LOTRO dont like to see any kind of PvP but whats wrong with Housing why is this huge part of the game empty and you all rpgers asked for it.

One more thing, i cant understand why no one use this in game system to create fellowship. Its very hard to find decent group, most of the time impossible. This could be because there is not enough people in game.

I couldn't believe when i started conversation how many high levels 40+ never hear about coordinates and how you can use them in LOTRO.

I'm not exactly happy with this game and talking about community in LOTRO its most immature community from all games i ever tried. Sometimes i have a feeling that its all 10y old around me.

I agree on that it has nice landscapes but toon animations looks like they came from 80' so again it ruins overall impression about graphics in this game.

I've also tried very hard to like LotRO. The graphics were incredible. I liked the diversity of quests from combat to non-combat. I enjoyed the immersion factor, even the music and environments were nicely done. But, I too, found myself totally bored with the game. I guess it comes down to my own personal taste.

I'm simply tired of linear MMOs. I'm tired of having to commit wilderness animal genocide just to level up. I'm tired of mobs conveniently placed all over the place just so I don't have to be bothered walking more than five feet to kill something. I'm tired of NPCs who do nothing but stand or dance in place ad infinitum. Give me a living & breathing world for once. The Shire is a beautiful place to start the game in...but it is dead and lifeless. It is Disneyland in a video game with all of its fake buildings and costumed characters who do nothing more than just smile and give you a graphical menu when you click on them. I want more than this, especially for a Middle Earth world.

I'm not blaming Turbine or LotRO or accusing them of making a bad game for not doing it the way I want it to be. For what they've done, the game is great. But, if you're like me who has spent years playing MMOs, this kind of linear game has simply become boring.

Originally posted by vipjerry

One more thing, i cant understand why no one use this in game system to create fellowship. Its very hard to find decent group, most of the time impossible. This could be because there is not enough people in game.

I couldn't believe when i started conversation how many high levels 40+ never hear about coordinates and how you can use them in LOTRO.

I'm not exactly happy with this game and talking about community in LOTRO its most immature community from all games i ever tried. Sometimes i have a feeling that its all 10y old around me.

After playing EQ, WoW, SWG, Guild Wars, DAoC, LoTRO and a couple more I have forgotten about I think there is a strong possibility of the maturity level you are comparing LoTRO as to other games is quite mistaken.  I am sure you may have experienced immaturity in the game, for in sneaks into all games either a lot or a little.  But to compare it as an over extending amount of the player base at this time is just wrong.  MOST, if not nearly all, of the player base is of the more mature player type.  Best example of this is watch the advice channel when someone asks a question, and my proof is that is not filled with constant babbling about Chuck Norris, or how the person that asked such a stupid question clearly sucks at this game, or their epeen (err I mean gear) is totally huge and it RoXXers.

For the first time in 7 years I can play an MMO that I don't feel I have to log and and rush to level because all of the action is in the "end game". 

For the first time I can smell the roses and enjoy the ride as I play the game and an enjoyable and leisurely  pace.

I can ask questions about the game in the advice channel and OMGawdz get real answers.

I can play a game that actually honors the originators view of the world they created rather than butcher it for the good of a few hardcores to maximize gameplay.  And I am reading Lord of the Rings yet again while I play the story through, and I can actually relate even more to the maps, mathom houses, the shire, etc. because of it.

I can play a game that is visually pleasing to my eye.

I can play a game that doesn't all of the sudden incorporate dinosaurs, space aliens, and demons to further a story line.

I can enjoy all five factors of MMO gaming at this time, crafting, questing, soloing, grouping, and raiding.  And each is just as rewarding and proficient as the other.

I can enjoy combat mechanics that are more true to fantasy as Tolkien provided us than the giant fire ball, ice coment, corruption illusion of other games.

Perhaps the reason some people get bored so easily with LoTRO is because effectively Turbine has taken the "carrot on a stick" away and replaced it with our own curious drive and need to explore the fantasy.

Originally posted by Orthedos

To Boomer:

Read the fine prints in many of our replies here.  Its almost concensus that LOTRo is good, its polished, its bug free, it is breathtaking in terms of grafix, its .... very good.  Many agreed on this.  We do not need to compare with WoW or EQ2, LOTRo stands tall in terms of professional finishing.

The issue is, we somehow failed to connect to the game for too long, a month a few months, we somehow lost touch with the game.  The latest announcement about MoM is most exciting, and as a lifetimer, I am going back to take a look at the new scenery.  It must be very beautiful.

Still its sad to know that as a lifetimer, I am not loggin onto it till MoM.  That is exactly what baffled me.  LOTRo is good but somehow I do not feel like loggin in, and I am unable to identify a weakness in the game.

Maybe in time, after the expansion or two, then it can match in playability of games like WoW or EQ2...that is barring the new games do not steal the thunder (WotlLK, WAR, AoC), and then people who left WoW for something new, make their way back to WoW or decide to try something new.

Later

Originally posted by DragonOak