Grats to turbine.  Hopefully more companies will raise their quality like Turbine did with LOTRO.

grats to turbine, my vote again .  Turbine will actually listen to thier core audience, and I love em!

It's quite simple, really.  This award is for best MMO Studio.  There's no doubt at all that Turbine is the best of all the options listed.

Next year (you heard it here first), the Best MMO Studio 2009 with go to Bioware (The Old Republic) or Masthead (Earthrise), depending on which of the two rises to it's potential.

Originally posted by Gameloading

 

It's not just my personal opinion, it's the opinion of many professional critics as well who are, unlike many voters on this website, not biased.

Yeah well it's biased if it's not the studio you gush over.

I look at your sig laugh my ass off  and dismiss your credibility.

Oh Smed...Smeeeedddddd!!!!  /smirk

Originally posted by bodypass

Another MILESTONE of bad taste and a tribute to what mmorpg.com readers stand for.

In 2008 Turbine introduced .... FISHING ! Yep you read it here first. Wow.

First they ruined AC. Everyone agrees on that.

Then they ruined the beautiful playing Lore I grew up with: Dungeons and Dragons

Then they ruined the best original Fantasy Lore ever: Middle Earth with a pure and utterly dead (faction wise) Wow clone. The books were epic, the film legendary, the game clownesk and as dead as the puppets you control (I always found the hunter shooting at zero range a disgrace for Legolas).

The only thing it has is a copyright carton figure giving you quests with a ring above his head.

If it weren't for the bought out lore, this game would have less players than Ultima Online.

And hail to their animations: every avatar in Turbine products are stuck with a stick in their ass.

Cheers. It demonstrated what MMORPG.COM is becoming. A place of old moaning grognards who don't have a clue.

 

Quoting for truth and emphasis.

Originally posted by bodypass

Another MILESTONE of bad taste and a tribute to what mmorpg.com readers stand for.

In 2008 Turbine introduced .... FISHING ! Yep you read it here first. Wow.

First they ruined AC. Everyone agrees on that.

Then they ruined the beautiful playing Lore I grew up with: Dungeons and Dragons

Then they ruined the best original Fantasy Lore ever: Middle Earth with a pure and utterly dead (faction wise) Wow clone. The books were epic, the film legendary, the game clownesk and as dead as the puppets you control (I always found the hunter shooting at zero range a disgrace for Legolas).

The only thing it has is a copyright carton figure giving you quests with a ring above his head.

If it weren't for the bought out lore, this game would have less players than Ultima Online.

And hail to their animations: every avatar in Turbine products are stuck with a stick in their ass.

Cheers. It demonstrated what MMORPG.COM is becoming. A place of old moaning grognards who don't have a clue.

 

So true.
 

Glad Turbine won as opposed to any of the other companies that were listed.

That said, Turbine isn't using its full potential, which is sad. They should, in my opinion, go back to making new IP game worlds and expanding on the skill based progression system that was in AC instead of taking established IPs and going the themepark route. Such a huge waste of creative potential, in my opinion.

Grats to Turbine for well deserved accolade.

here's a bit of cheese and  a few crackers for the posters in this thread who have been using their sour grapes to make a bit of whine.

im happy for them but with all the anti blizzard hate from so many on these forums its a rather bias win. But I do like turbine there just not up to par with blizzard in my mind.

Originally posted by Daedrick

Originally posted by bodypass

Another MILESTONE of bad taste and a tribute to what mmorpg.com readers stand for.

In 2008 Turbine introduced .... FISHING ! Yep you read it here first. Wow.

First they ruined AC. Everyone agrees on that.

Then they ruined the beautiful playing Lore I grew up with: Dungeons and Dragons

Then they ruined the best original Fantasy Lore ever: Middle Earth with a pure and utterly dead (faction wise) Wow clone. The books were epic, the film legendary, the game clownesk and as dead as the puppets you control (I always found the hunter shooting at zero range a disgrace for Legolas).

The only thing it has is a copyright carton figure giving you quests with a ring above his head.

If it weren't for the bought out lore, this game would have less players than Ultima Online.

And hail to their animations: every avatar in Turbine products are stuck with a stick in their ass.

Cheers. It demonstrated what MMORPG.COM is becoming. A place of old moaning grognards who don't have a clue.

 

 

Quoting for truth and emphasis.

The problem here is that players can't separate "favorite studio" from "favorite game".

Is Body Pass correct about some things? i would say yes.

Fishing? Bah from me.

Bad Avatars? Agreed. Stick up A** of characters? Agreed.

Ruined D&D? Well, some like it. I think it's ok. I have fun playing it for short periods. LOTRO not epic? Well I think it is Epic but it's also sublime and most mmo players will not be able to appreciate that.

But that is an argument about the games. Not about the studio and its relationship to the players. It is THAT fact that won it this bit of recognition.

There is no monetary prize or plaque or gift certificate. Just a bit of harmless polling in an mmo website. It's a way for players to say thanks to their favorite studio or an acknowledgment that Turbine is somehow greater than the sum of its parts.

Even though Bodypass has some valid points it does not detract from them listening but not bowing to players, their involvement with the playerbase and their willingness to add free content, constantly improve their games and try to make interesting or at least different games in some cases.

So people have to stop reading this as "favorite game". It's favorite studio. And given the studios that were on that list is it really so hard to believe that Turbine wouldn't win or at least be in the top?

edit: ok let's see...

Blizzard
14.7%

I actually think Blizzard is a great studio but there is a lot of Blizzard Backlash because of the popularity of WoW and the perception that somehow it is responsible for the end of the world as we know it. maybe/maybe not and maybe good or maybe bad
 

› CCP
13.2%

I think they are also a good studio, especially for creating a very unique game. There are issues here and a lot with perceived scandals (true or false) perceived favoritism, selling isk, etc. Could those have been factors?
 

› Mythic Entertainment
10.2%

People feel cheated that Warhammer wasn't what they thought it would be. I can't say if they are a good studio though they do seem involved with their playerbase.
 

› NCsoft
12.4%

I like their games but I think they are an arrogant company from what I've seen. That' my opinion and mostly from playing Lineage 2.
 

› Turbine
46.7%

see post above
 

› Funcom
2.8%
 

People feel cheated regarding Conan. Not only because some had issues but because of all the instancing, the lack of features when the game went live, the perception that they witheld info regarding how the world was to manifest itself. They have done a lot to fix issues and I have been having a bit of fun in Conan. I think they are a company that just improves its games over time. It's as if they need to just throw the clay on the floor and then start really working thereafter.

Turbine effectively destroyed my two favourite IPs in the MMO market: D&D and Lord of the Rings. Either one could have been an incredible game, but they both feel fake and Turbine bastardised the feel of the world with ridiculous mechanics. The only thing I can praise them for is the RP gear slots in LOTRO. That was very clever, and they do deserve kudos for the idea; other games should follow suit.

But I tried desperately to like both of these games, and am even a founder of LOTRO, but they both feel *wrong.* They couldn’t carry the feel into the world, and they made bad games trying to change what already worked perfectly in D&D. Why would you change a system that has been developed over several decades? They are by far the kindest and most helpful in customer service, but their games, while polished (and launching without a single hitch that I saw) and gorgeous, they are just poor excuses for IP development.

Congrats to Turbine!! They are exceptionally good Devs and I'm glad they won.

Originally posted by silkakc

Congrats to Turbine!! They are exceptionally good Devs and I'm glad they won.

   I would have to agree, I would still be with them LOTRO if my business did not demand so much of my attention.  Gee , I wonder How SOE fared in this the award......Muahahahahaha < Nevemind.

Kudos to Turbine, you guys deserve it :).  I don't play any of your games at the moment, but Lotr is on my short list of games I'd like to try.  This recommendation, plus what friends tell me, bumps it to the top.

Congrats Turbine. Having experienced many MMO Studios, none compare with Turbine's excellent service.  The amount of free quality content alone puts them head and shoulders above all other studios.  Maybe some day players of certain other MMOs will realize that their studios are playing them for suckers, raking in money and giving little back. Their loss I guess.

Originally posted by todeswulf

Originally posted by Gameloading

 

It's not just my personal opinion, it's the opinion of many professional critics as well who are, unlike many voters on this website, not biased.

 

Yeah well it's biased if it's not the studio you gush over.

I look at your sig laugh my ass off  and dismiss your credibility.

Oh Smed...Smeeeedddddd!!!!  /smirk

If a person is currently paying for one game, they probably aren't experiencing the other and this is the case with most voters.

I dismissed my "Credibility"?  Awww, a SOE hater says I lack credibility, I'll be crying myself to sleept tonight.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Originally posted by Gameloading

Originally posted by LordAdder

Originally posted by Gameloading

Can't say I really agree with it. Imho, Lotro has never really justified it's existance.  It's always been a WoW clone with very little improvements that doesn't really set itself apart. It's a "good, just not as good as..." game.

 

Good God. Here we go again... WoW clone.

The category isn't best MMO, it's best MMO Studio.  Turbine won because of their Devs' constant presense and availablity to the customers through the forums and even in-game, great customer service, smooth launches, and the constant free content updates.

 

I think it's only fair to judge a studio by the quality of the games they produce, no?
Turbine developers can spend as much time on the forums they like, that doesn't make a game good. In fact, I'd say it really doesn't matter if a developer visits the forum, or if Community managers pass on the issues players have with the game to the developers.

 

Nice, you go completely off topic and then try to back peddle when they call you on it.  BTW when you consider what is out there in this genre Lotro is as good as any other.   AC1 and DDO are not bad either and they continue to provide free updates for both.

Turbine continues to provide the best support in the industry.  Only CCP comes close.

Stop talking out of your ass, You judge a company based on their games, and only partly on their service.  Would NP Cube be a great development studio if only they delivered great customer service and frequent content updates? Ofcourse not, because Dark & Light is still a crappy game, no matter how much customer service you throw at it.

Keep in mind that I didn't say Lotro is by any means bad, it's a really good game, just not as good as World of Warcraft. Which wouldn''t be a problem, if they weren't so similar to each other. but they are, so why should a person play Lotro over WoW? Unless you're a die hard Lord of the rings fan, I really see no reason why anybody should play Lotro over WoW.

You're right, Lotro is as good as any other...except for Warcraft, the game they have been trying so hard to imitate.

But oh dear, what am I saying? We can't have Blizzard win any awards now can we? Oh gosh no.

Originally posted by Kordesh

I said to myself I wasn't going to butt in, but here we go.

Turbine deserved this is hands down. Anyone who's played the early years of AC or LoTRO knows they know how to run a game, and they know how to create a symbiotic relationship between the players and the company, rather than simply leeching them dry like some other companies that won't be mentioned.

People compairing the game to WoW are falling into the same trap and curse that every other game on the market is under right now. The preconception that "To be a good MMO, you must be WoW'. Yes, it shares the core mechanics in that you kill stuff, loot drops, and you level. But that is not "core WoW mechanics" that's core MMO mechanics. WoW hardly cornered the market on "grinding loot and levels". What WoW players tend to look for and what the people who play LoTRO look for is vastly different. WoW players look at LoTRO and see a boring game where the armor isn't ridiculously huge or flashy enough, without constant raiding or the other gear grinding accoutrements they're used to. What they don't see is that's not the point, and that's what differentiates this so called "WoW Clone." LoTRO was designed using the old MMO concept of developing a virtual world, not just a linear gear grind. It's not about powering on to the level cap so you can raid raid raid until the next armor tier is dropped. It's about exploring the LoTRO universe, playing through the story as it unfolds with each book, and running around with your group completing a few quests or earning some deeds, maybe crafting a few things,  before capping off the day by going back to your player owned house and fishing in the nearby lake. As mentioned before, LoTRO is all about the journey, not the destination, or the grinding, or the loot. Sure, it's there, but it's not the only driving force to the game. This doesn't appeal to everyone because to most of the people brought in by WoW, the WoW concept of what an MMO is, is all they know, and they're just looking for simple grinding fun. That's fine, it's different. But understand that just because it caters to a different audience, doesn't make it simply "failing at being this game I think is better."

As for one of the bigger complaints about the look and feel of the game, it's not going to appeal to everyone. The LoTR universe can best be described as "realisitc fantasy". As in, it's a fantasy world no doubt, but it's one that with a dash of trolls and pinch of magic added, could actually exist. As the game is kept well in check to not go blatantly against the spirit of the LoTRO universe, the classes, abilities, and yes the armor styles, are stylized but conservative to the point where you could actually see them being worn/made as opposed to WoW where it's not uncommon to see a human warrior hauling around more steel than a panzer tank. Personally, especially with Moria, I like how they're managed to keep it semi-realistic while still making the newer equipment look more ornate.

tl;dr version: WoW and LoTRO are similar in core MMO concepts only. The direction and community are wholely different animals. WoW players might not understand it, but LoTRO players don't understand what WoW players see in their game either. What needs to be accepted is that things can be different without being "not enough like that other game." Not everything needs or wants to be similar, and not everything must be assimilated.

Excellent.  I completely agree.  I never understood the appeal of WoW but I am a huge fan of MMO in general and of LOTRO for the reasons you mentioned.

Originally posted by Kordesh

I said to myself I wasn't going to butt in, but here we go.

Turbine deserved this is hands down. Anyone who's played the early years of AC or LoTRO knows they know how to run a game, and they know how to create a symbiotic relationship between the players and the company, rather than simply leeching them dry like some other companies that won't be mentioned.

People compairing the game to WoW are falling into the same trap and curse that every other game on the market is under right now. The preconception that "To be a good MMO, you must be WoW'. Yes, it shares the core mechanics in that you kill stuff, loot drops, and you level. But that is not "core WoW mechanics" that's core MMO mechanics. WoW hardly cornered the market on "grinding loot and levels". What WoW players tend to look for and what the people who play LoTRO look for is vastly different. WoW players look at LoTRO and see a boring game where the armor isn't ridiculously huge or flashy enough, without constant raiding or the other gear grinding accoutrements they're used to. What they don't see is that's not the point, and that's what differentiates this so called "WoW Clone." LoTRO was designed using the old MMO concept of developing a virtual world, not just a linear gear grind. It's not about powering on to the level cap so you can raid raid raid until the next armor tier is dropped. It's about exploring the LoTRO universe, playing through the story as it unfolds with each book, and running around with your group completing a few quests or earning some deeds, maybe crafting a few things,  before capping off the day by going back to your player owned house and fishing in the nearby lake. As mentioned before, LoTRO is all about the journey, not the destination, or the grinding, or the loot. Sure, it's there, but it's not the only driving force to the game. This doesn't appeal to everyone because to most of the people brought in by WoW, the WoW concept of what an MMO is, is all they know, and they're just looking for simple grinding fun. That's fine, it's different. But understand that just because it caters to a different audience, doesn't make it simply "failing at being this game I think is better."

As for one of the bigger complaints about the look and feel of the game, it's not going to appeal to everyone. The LoTR universe can best be described as "realisitc fantasy". As in, it's a fantasy world no doubt, but it's one that with a dash of trolls and pinch of magic added, could actually exist. As the game is kept well in check to not go blatantly against the spirit of the LoTRO universe, the classes, abilities, and yes the armor styles, are stylized but conservative to the point where you could actually see them being worn/made as opposed to WoW where it's not uncommon to see a human warrior hauling around more steel than a panzer tank. Personally, especially with Moria, I like how they're managed to keep it semi-realistic while still making the newer equipment look more ornate.

tl;dr version: WoW and LoTRO are similar in core MMO concepts only. The direction and community are wholely different animals. WoW players might not understand it, but LoTRO players don't understand what WoW players see in their game either. What needs to be accepted is that things can be different without being "not enough like that other game." Not everything needs or wants to be similar, and not everything must be assimilated.

Actually the biggest issue is that many developers such as turbine, not players, think that to be a good/successful mmo you have to be like WoW. You're trying to make Lotro be something that it clearly isn't. Lotro isn't designed to create a virtual world anymore than a game like WoW. Players have very little influence on the actual game world. Some people call this the "theme park" mmo concept and while I don't really like to call it that way, it's clear that the game directs your experience. It sends you from one quest to the next and from area to area. There is no room for politics or any sort of non - controlled PVP.

You claim that unlike WoW, Lotro is all about exploring the Lord of the Rings Universe. How is that done anymore than WoW? Lotro lets you discover Middle Earth, but so does WoW. We explored Azeorth in classic WoW, meeting important characters from the games and books, The Burning Crusade introduced Outland, where you would discover the land of the draenei and  meet well known characters from the games and books. WOTRL did..well you get the picture. There is no difference between the two, nor are any of the other things you mentioned.

Questing with your group, fishing, crafting, with the exception of your player house (neighborhoods are instanced), all of that can, and is, being done in WoW.

WoW and Lotro in design are nearly identical to each other, and the driving force is up to the player,. If your driving force is leveling, questing, getting more and better items, you can do that in both mmorpg's. If you want a more "relaxed" experience, you can do that in both games as well.

Nearly everything you mentioned can and is being done in WoW.

Originally posted by Gameloading

Stop talking out of your ass, You judge a company based on their games, and only partly on their service.  Would NP Cube be a great development studio if only they delivered great customer service and frequent content updates? Ofcourse not, because Dark & Light is still a crappy game, no matter how much customer service you throw at it.

Keep in mind that I didn't say Lotro is by any means bad, it's a really good game, just not as good as World of Warcraft. Which wouldn''t be a problem, if they weren't so similar to each other. but they are, so why should a person play Lotro over WoW? Unless you're a die hard Lord of the rings fan, I really see no reason why anybody should play Lotro over WoW. *

You're right, Lotro is as good as any other...except for Warcraft, the game they have been trying so hard to imitate.

But oh dear, what am I saying? We can't have Blizzard win any awards now can we? Oh gosh no.

 

You claim that unlike WoW, Lotro is all about exploring the Lord of the Rings Universe. How is that done anymore than WoW? Lotro lets you discover Middle Earth, but so does WoW. We explored Azeorth in classic WoW, meeting important characters from the games and books, The Burning Crusade introduced Outland, where you would discover the land of the draenei and meet well known characters from the games and books. WOTRL did..well you get the picture. There is no difference between the two, nor are any of the other things you mentioned.

WoW and Lotro in design are nearly identical to each other, and the driving force is up to the player,. If your driving force is leveling, questing, getting more and better items, you can do that in both mmorpg's. If you want a more "relaxed" experience, you can do that in both games as well.

* Let me answer that:

1 - I prefer less cartoonish characters

2 - I prefer a good story, a good RP to a rush to the level Cap a beeing called a noob all the way up

3 - I prefer a live, textured world to an untextured neon and blunt place

4 - Did i mention that i don't like cartoons?

5 - I like my shoulder's size the way they are, thank you.

6 - I don't think any kind of character can wear 1 Ton of Metal and still have enough agility to evade an attack

7 - I prefer a mature community

8 - I don't like to follow the herd and play a game "just because 10 million can't be wrong".

9 - I prefer a Company with activelly speaking and hearing devellopers, that interact and actually implement and answer do private messages.

10 - I don't like people considering other players "lesser players" just because they don't have reached max level yet.

11 - I my game to be fun at all levels, not just at endgame.

12 - DirectX 10? :)

13 - The Shire, Bree-Town, Rivendell, Weathertop, Fornost, Annuminas, Carahadras, Hollin Gate, 2nd Hall, Chamber of Crossroads, Endless Stairs, Lothlorien and all those mythical places.

Wa.. What? Are you actually comparing Lord of the Rings lore and Books to Warcraft lore and books? And putting them in the same scale? That boggles the mind...

Yes, the driving force is the player. And i would never trade the community we have at lotro for your 10 million friends.

I wonder when was the last time you got a free REGION in wow for free. Or the last time you had a free Class for free. Heck? Do you even have the chance of a lifetime membership or be able to go to the barber without RMT?

Both blizzard and Turbine are companies and are here for the money. But Turbine allways gives something back and blizzard just takes it all away.