I started back at launch and i had a minstrel i got him to lvl 10 jammed out at the pony then found the scry pools, i entered one and never turned back, i became a 100% monster player.

Unfortunatly i think that pvmp has become lotros red headed step child, nothing much has happened to pvmp in 3 expansions, i understand tthat lotro is mainly about pve and the story side of things but i believe they could do more with pvmp.

My dream of monster play in lotro was not max lvl monsters secluded to one area thats 5 minutes of running across, i was hoping that one could play lvl 1 monsters in the normal areas to, i suppose i have to keep dreaming.

ill go back to lotro in a heartbeat if they had a subtantial update to pvmp (new areas, more baddy content etc etc)

I'm with ya man, I too have retired my 80 rogue in favor of LOTRO for a number of valid reasons.

The community of LOTRO is awesome. Of course any game community will appear that way when comparing to WoW. That was never a problem with me in WoW though. I played with friends from my town that I have known for years and ignored the annoying teenagers that infiltrate that game.

The optimization and coding of WoW is terrible. LOTRO is awesome... DX10, beautiful graphics and shadows and runs great. It is important to me to be able to utilize my badass computer that I own, and getting poor performance with old games because of their poor coding is a huge turnoff.

WoW is not even an MMORPG anymore, it is in it's own genre now, some sort of co-op que lobby with generic RPG character advancement. It seems the seemless open world they built is wasted now as everyone just stays in one place and ques up for dungeons or raids or pvp... That is the biggest turn off for me, I can see how others enjoy that style of gaming. I tried to make a WoW comeback after 3.3 when my friend game me Rezz scroll, but after a couple of days I hated it. I don't like the direction they took the game.

Originally posted by Aramanu2

I started back at launch and i had a minstrel i got him to lvl 10 jammed out at the pony then found the scry pools, i entered one and never turned back, i became a 100% monster player.

Unfortunatly i think that pvmp has become lotros red headed step child, nothing much has happened to pvmp in 3 expansions, i understand tthat lotro is mainly about pve and the story side of things but i believe they could do more with pvmp.

 

My dream of monster play in lotro was not max lvl monsters secluded to one area thats 5 minutes of running across, i was hoping that one could play lvl 1 monsters in the normal areas to, i suppose i have to keep dreaming.

ill go back to lotro in a heartbeat if they had a subtantial update to pvmp (new areas, more baddy content etc etc)

I agree, LOTRO gets alot of criticism about it's pvp. But it is really good actually, it is just very small and under developed. They could turn it into so much more if they wanted to. I think it would be a great idea to make one of the new zones for the next expansion both pve and mpvp.

 Great article, although if i'm not mistaken there is a way to turn off the auto facing in combat in the options...dont quote me on that though. :P I'm actually playing Vanguard right now myself and kind of had the same experience you're talking about with LotRO. The game is vastly improved and I can honestly say the only reason tons of people aren't playing is because A) they are jaded from launch/beta and B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game until they see a lot of people want to play it. It's a sad circle because gamers aren't going to play it for the reason of C) No gamers are going to go to a game that they see as a "sinking ship" . 

Originally posted by Sortis

 Great article, although if i'm not mistaken there is a way to turn off the auto facing in combat in the options...dont quote me on that though. :P I'm actually playing Vanguard right now myself and kind of had the same experience you're talking about with LotRO. The game is vastly improved and I can honestly say the only reason tons of people aren't playing is because A) they are jaded from launch/beta and B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game until they see a lot of people want to play it. It's a sad circle because gamers aren't going to play it for the reason of C) No gamers are going to go to a game that they see as a "sinking ship" . 

There is an option for move to target" which can be turned off. However, I'm wondering what he is talking about becasue wow has tab targetting and facing your opponenet just like lotro. so he must mean move to target.

I liked the article, but did it seem to just end suddenly, with no closing statements?

I kept looking for the 2nd page. still a good article. and I feel the same way.

Although I disagree about the combat. It has improved somewhat considerably since beta.

I wish my LotRO experience had been even a little bit like yours.

When I finally decided to try it, I found the quests to be terribly boring, and I could not get a soul to speak a word to me, in character or out. It was sad, for when I got to Bag End it was borderline magical for me to see it brought to life. Exploring the Shire was indescribable, seeing it in three dimensions.

But the closed off community, dull quests and crappy crafting killed it for me, and I'll never revisit it.

Ive been on and off of wow everynow and again to play with my friends and see the new updates, i mean i like wow its good but i always seem to come back to lotro been waiting for rohan for so long :)

got a lvl 65 warden atm but i dont really like the deeds just mainly mindless grinding on like 600 creatures is just annoying but both games have there ups and downs and with the amount of players playing wow ur likely to have lots of children playing who spam up trade channels but seems better than it was before with less gold spams i have to say :)

Originally posted by Sortis

 Great article, although if i'm not mistaken there is a way to turn off the auto facing in combat in the options...dont quote me on that though. :P I'm actually playing Vanguard right now myself and kind of had the same experience you're talking about with LotRO. The game is vastly improved and I can honestly say the only reason tons of people aren't playing is because A) they are jaded from launch/beta and B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game until they see a lot of people want to play it. It's a sad circle because gamers aren't going to play it for the reason of C) No gamers are going to go to a game that they see as a "sinking ship" . 

yeah, you can turn off the auto facing in lotro.  i think that it may be off by default now, but it is one of the things that remember to  make sure is turned off when i create a new character.

sorry about vanguard.  i actually thought about trying it out a few times, but i can't justify to myself (or to my boyfriend) in paying for another fantasy based mmo right now when i've got a lifetime membership with lotro... and then there's the problem of finding the time to actually play it.

Originally posted by Pagoas

Originally posted by Sortis

 Great article, although if i'm not mistaken there is a way to turn off the auto facing in combat in the options...dont quote me on that though. :P I'm actually playing Vanguard right now myself and kind of had the same experience you're talking about with LotRO. The game is vastly improved and I can honestly say the only reason tons of people aren't playing is because A) they are jaded from launch/beta and B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game until they see a lot of people want to play it. It's a sad circle because gamers aren't going to play it for the reason of C) No gamers are going to go to a game that they see as a "sinking ship" . 

 

yeah, you can turn off the auto facing in lotro.  i think that it may be off by default now, but it is one of the things that remember to  make sure is turned off when i create a new character.

sorry about vanguard.  i actually thought about trying it out a few times, but i can't justify to myself (or to my boyfriend) in paying for another fantasy based mmo right now when i've got a lifetime membership with lotro... and then there's the problem of finding the time to actually play it.

Yeah I dont blame you and LOTRO is an excellent game, if you're enjoying yourself then dont fix what isnt broken ;)

When I read the article I had an overwhelming feeling of deja vu - and then I realized that I had almost the exact same experience with WoW, especially the part about the PvP Battlegrounds. WoW really is a victim of its own success, because the underlying game is solid. But the experience of that community (on multiple servers) just made me feel like I did *NOT* belong there.

It's not just the RP server, I play on Brandywine which is the most populated server as far as I'm aware and the community is nice. The public chat is much more respectful and people actually help each other regularly, it's a nice change of pace from most MMOs.

I agreed with a lot of this article, but the line that caught me was "I had a lot of fun playing WoW and the combat system, to me, is the best of any MMORPG." That is just crazy, the WoW combat system is terrible. And the whole game revolves around control (ex Fear, Root, Snarl, etc etc.). Everything is about stunning or stopping someone else from moving, it is annoying and terrible. But that's just my opinion.

I find it interesting that all the folks are returning to lotro,  Right after I got all my character slots to 65 all of them including the new ones.    I have a lifetime account to lotro, this is the first time in for me in that game to say I am retired from LOTRO. I have been playing since beta.  It is clear what lotro thinks is fun and what I think is fun are two different things.

When you get all you alts to 65, at that point there is nothing left to do, except endless armor runs and skirmage runs.   I wish all you guys luck.  As when you get to the end game theres nothing left to do except the same old 3 and 6  and 12 man runsg.

Originally posted by erictlewis

 As when you get to the end game theres nothing left to do except the same old 3 and 6  and 12 man runsg.

 

Isn't that true of almost all mmorpg's* with the exception of sandbox types (Ultima Online) for example, or PVP?

*Haven't played many mmo games so if I'm wrong, sorry :)

Thats all fine but I have found most of the stable community kinships in the eu to be up their own arses a different kind of annoying group if you will.  The levelling is lovely difficult and requires friends to complete it all.  But the endgame is downright awful lotro is a decent story if you get to do all the books but after that you have completed your online rpg.

My family ended up going back to wow even opening more accounts up than ever before.  MMORPGs are more about who you play with than the game maybe a roleplay server in wow would suit you it seems you enjoy that kind of environment.

Also the lag in the eu is awful at the moment huge load times and terrible tech support. Turbine upgraded their servers and codemasters havent I guess thats what happens when 3 people try to slice a small pie (tolkien enterprises, turbine and codemasters).

Im not upset but the nail was the tech service for me.

 Jason, it appears you and I think alike.  I can't say my tastes have changed (I still love PVP), but LOTRO fills a need I didn't know I had during my 4 years of WoW.  Although I can't sound-bite it very well, I'd say 'completeness' comes close.  Good features and good story.  And, yes, very few Chuck Norris jokes.

The thing fir any games really is what you find fun and that will never be the same for everyone. There is a set of people who find the style and grind of wow just what they want. There are others who like to explore and run around a world with a story enjoyable as well. The thing really is give things a try if think it might work for you and take advantage of the fact that just about every game out there has free trials just for that. I will admit that never really played wow and never had a big desire for it after many years of EQ. Wow and others with the endless need for raids and quest for gear made my game feel like a job and was not fun and was why left EQ. With LOTRO I  will admit that I find myself just wandering and exploring, walking around and seeing the spots and places that are in there from books. In doing this I end up doing some quests and get deeds as seems orcs do not like it when you go sightseeing in their camps. But what I see as biggest thin is the belief that you MUST race to level cap that fills so many games and in doing so you pass by so much in a game. I know at one point I felt that way as well and here we are 7 weeks or so out from the last expansion and just bairly hit 64 and am still exploring places in moria let alone the new areas. Even took time out and when they redid a zone took my then 61 char back there to see what was changed and while was not getting xp or the loots the experiece for me of exploring the world, of taking some friends who started playing with me and let them explore as well was quite fun.  Guess in a way the song from the Black Eyed Peas 'Now Generation" fits many of the wow kids and recent trend in MMO's

I have been with LOTRO sinse beta as a founder subscriber  mostly because I was impressed by the lore and the immursion isnt too bad either,, and one of THE best additions was the  COSTUME CLOTHING window  this  effectivly removed all the clones  and took  the organic feel to another level.

I very much liked LOTRO up to 50ish  but ive been very dissapointed with the hack and slash   that is  both mines of moria and now mirkwood,  I am not a hack and slasher  to be honest it bores me to tears  and the expansions is one brawl after another after another after another    most games that are on the market these days are dumbed down  and focus on the arcade instant gratification fights  and  as a casual player  cant compete with the louder voice of  these warmonger  FPS players looking for their next blood fix.   Im not saying a game needs to be devoid of combat  but I do like to see it part of  the scenery not  the whole pourpose for existance  even the economy is combat based  never seen anyone trade a stack of buscuts for a new chest piece

so yes im kind of a gamer refugee  looking for a game/world with an organic real feel  kind of like a  coliny on a new planet  with construction exploration,discovery lots of crafting, mysteries  and yes combat

oh yes the star trek  game is exactly the same  a big steaming pile of hack and slash  talk about raping Mr. Roddenberrys vision to hell.

sometimes I wish i had the skills to just write my own game

Originally posted by Sortis

 Great article, although if i'm not mistaken there is a way to turn off the auto facing in combat in the options...dont quote me on that though. :P I'm actually playing Vanguard right now myself and kind of had the same experience you're talking about with LotRO. The game is vastly improved and I can honestly say the only reason tons of people aren't playing is because A) they are jaded from launch/beta and B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game until they see a lot of people want to play it. It's a sad circle because gamers aren't going to play it for the reason of C) No gamers are going to go to a game that they see as a "sinking ship" . 

Sadly the reason many don't play it is because pvp is horribly boring...so basically gamers who enjoy pvp tend to avoid LOTRO like the plague. I'm a huge Tolkien fan but LOTRO was a big letdown for myself. I played from launch for alittle under a year until I realized how little pvp content LOTRO had (and how little they were going to do with it) and haven't looked back since.

I'm loving LotRO for a lot of reasons. This article title sounds very similar to a video I stumbled upon a few days ago. It's called "Goodbye, LotRO. Roads Go Ever On." If a player can quit an MMO and make a special, beautiful tribute to it when he leaves, then you know that MMO is superb.

I'm getting tired of WoW, and, even though LotRO is very similar gameplay-wise, I'm truly enjoying it. Why? Mainly, one of the biggest reasons: much better community. But, even more than that, I get a strong DAoC vibe while playing it.

Whaaaaaat? Did he say DAoC!?!?!

Yes, I did.

What I loved about DAoC even more than RvR was the authentic, immersive atmosphere and feel of the world. Albion felt like medieval Britain; Midgard felt like Norway/Denmark, and Hibernia felt like Ireland. I'm sure everyone here has experienced a heavy medieval world before in a game. Well, with LotRO, that feeling has finally returned. It's the small things that count. The buildings in LotRO look almost exactly like buildings in Albion, except with much improved textures, of course. Many small details on just about everything you see lend to immersion to a point where you really feel like you're part of Tolkien's world, just as you felt like you were really part of the realm you were fighting for in DAoC. Sounds, graphics, descriptions, almost everything is reminiscent of DAoC, and I love it. Hell, they even have horse routes that allow you to dismount mid-travel, unlike, say WoW's gryphons. Just like DAoC.

Combat is smooth and responsive (though players seem pretty weak when faced with multiple opponents - I suppose this is realistic, but it can be frustrating at times - yes, even tank/healing classes). I play a Hunter and I thoroughly enjoy turning my targets into pincushions full of arrows before they even reach me; no more stupid bear pet as a tank like in WoW (not until I play a Loremaster, anyways). UI is simple to understand, customizable, and very aesthetically pleasing. Nothing is hard to read or ugly. I especially like the crafting interface. And, speaking of which, crafting is logical (if you gather wood, then you'll be able to make bows and such) and I like the customized animations.

Granted, I haven't reached end-game or anything like that yet, and that's where most of the complaints seem to lie. I've heard Moria is horrid and things such as Radiance and drop rates for important items could be adjusted. Still, I'll worry about all that once I'm higher than level 25. I don't care if this is a themepark and not a sandbox. I love the world Turbine has created and I plan to spend my time in Middle-earth, not in Azeroth.

Edit: Yeah, if you like PvP, there are better games than LotRO out there. Still, it's an excellent PvE/role-playing game.

Originally posted by Comnitus

Granted, I haven't reached end-game or anything like that yet, and that's where most of the complaints seem to lie. I've heard Moria is horrid and things such as Radiance and drop rates for important items could be adjusted.

Naw, moria isn't horrid. There are horrid thigns about it but it's actually a fun place to be provided you are the type of person who can make your own gameplay and not listen to complaints.

It's a fun place to explore. I don't agree with how they implemented it (dwarves taking it over) as I think it would have been more fun to experience a fully non-invaded Moria but that's my taste.

I had about the same experience as you in regards to lotro. I quit after about 3 months. Last June I picked it up again after suffering WoW burnout  and found the experience a refreshing change. I've been playing lotro ever since. Yeah, you find the occasional annoying player but no where near the overwhelming amount as there are in WoW. Lorto's got a respectful and helpful community for the most part.

It is always a wonderful thing to me when someone kicks WoW. No matter what game it is for it is refreshing to see people break free of that FAD and stop feeding that machine of addiction.

Was a great day when I was able to do it and I remember the first game that I actually tried to play honestly and without bias. I knew it was over between me and WoW that day and while I miss the many people who became friends there until we meet in another game they can never be convinced to leave. Many don't even know why they play any longer and just sit around chatting in vent or doing horrible daily quests just kind of going through the motions. One day they will wake up I tell myself.

Congrats to you author and may any of your returns to that place be brief. So much more out in game land to entertain and seek wonder and fun again.

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

I agreed with a lot of this article, but the line that caught me was "I had a lot of fun playing WoW and the combat system, to me, is the best of any MMORPG." That is just crazy, the WoW combat system is terrible. And the whole game revolves around control (ex Fear, Root, Snarl, etc etc.). Everything is about stunning or stopping someone else from moving, it is annoying and terrible. But that's just my opinion.

Hey, guys, I appreciate all the comments and feedback so far.

In response to SnarlingWolf, my point is - and I know it's not too clear in the article - that I had become so accustomed to WoW's combat system it made it difficult to want to learn any new ones. I bet there are a few games out there better in that respect, but it's like me trying to use an Xbox controller...I'm all over the place. Watching me play Halo with a controller is a disgrace.

Also, guys, thanks for the tip on the auto facing. I'll look into it.

---

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

I wish my LotRO experience had been even a little bit like yours.
 
When I finally decided to try it, I found the quests to be terribly boring, and I could not get a soul to speak a word to me, in character or out. It was sad, for when I got to Bag End it was borderline magical for me to see it brought to life. Exploring the Shire was indescribable, seeing it in three dimensions.
 
But the closed off community, dull quests and crappy crafting killed it for me, and I'll never revisit it.

---

Seems rather "closed off" with your mind when you don't allow for the way the LoTRO chat channels work (there are no global chat channels; you only speak in the region you are in, and you know how lazy people are/can be using LFG tools). You also fail to realize the disparity between server communities.

Personally I can't afford more than one subscription, and right now EQ II still holds me.

They are deleting the group content, making the game more solo friendly. Check my thread in the LoTRO forums here.

Originally posted by Params7

They are deleting the group content, making the game more solo friendly. Check my thread in the LoTRO forums here.

Looks like you forgot something my friend

During these past  weeks I have been thinking about going back to LOTRO.I started back when the game launched and left after 5 months.After playing almost everything that has been released during these last 5 years,I found that all these games lack the community feel I experienced in LOTRO.

I'm still undecided because I don`t want to enter the game and found myself alone in the lower level zones and solo all the way to higher levels.I like to play with people and see people all around the place.

Will it be difficult for me to pick up my 50 Minstrel and play to 65 as lots have changed since I left?

I like the article hope it goes some way to get more players.

That is by far the only problem with lotro, lack of players.  I stopped subscribing after trying for nearly a week to get a team to do some group content.  -  I dont mind soloing, but I HATE skipping quests because I cant get a team.  I want to play more than I want to level.

After then I just do monster play! - pretty much always people there and always a good fun.. but again, sometimes lacks players.

My only worry with them adding more PVM area's is that it might spreadplayers even more thinly

PvMP unfortantly isn't a very strong form of PvP, though if you're willing to make an effort all the main PvMP people end up moving to elendmir, so looking to have some PvP I would suggest going to that server.

As to the amount of people, I play on Firefoot... one of the smallest servers (maybe not the smallest since I don't know their numbers but we quite often are in the suggested server to play lol) its not hard to find groups for end game instances/content.

when people say they have trouble finding a group I usually find out that their trying to get group content in the lower levels, but all MMOs (maybe excluding WoW with the amount of people that are trying it out all the time I barely played it) end up with that problem when the orginal player base has moved on the higher level content. best way I've found is to get in a good kin and run with people's alts through that. its also the reason they are redoing of the epic story line with the option to do it solo, 2 man ,3 man, 4 man or full group of 6.

If you want to have people to talk too you can always /joinchannel glff works on any server I've played while its mostly respectful and I've barely ever seen any fights happen (I've seen 2 in my two years), there is however humor sometimes that can be considered childish, but you will almost always get a serious response if you ask a question (besides maybe asking where the bat cave is )

but thats from me so you can safely disregard everything I said two year lifetime subscriber as long as I take the occasional breaks (hmm dragon age was great) I can enjoy myself with my kinmates, solo, or in a group and really if you can't enjoy why play the game? to each his own

and to the article poster Welcome to LOTRO

I think no MMO has such a great atmopshere as LOTRO, partially because of the great visual design of the world, and because many of the quests are more staged events and not "go there and do XYZ", especially the book quests. It all weaves a carpet of stories around you and ever region has a story of it's own of which you are part. I recall in beta, when I first was in the transition quest from the starter area to the open world of Elves and Dwarfs, and I felt like being inside of a movie and less of a mere MMO. I miss those epic story feelings in every other MMO, and thats what makes LOTRO special IMO.

 I'd rather be in the prancing pony, smoking weed and hanging out after a days pve and maybe some pvp. If a later expansion allows to play a Mordor faction rather than monster play, then pvp would improve, but meh, the other parts of the game make up for it.

Deleting my 80s in WoW soon in case my inactive account gets hacked and just playing LotR for a while.

I`m a Lifer with LOTRO, and have been since the start, and i`ve played many online games - more than i can remember. Up to this day, none shine through like LoTRo. The gameworld, communty, quests,   - everything - is top notch.

Someone said in the thread that the quests were dull, sure a lot of them you have to kill this and that an `X` number of times, but there are a lot of fantastic quests wich emerse you fully into the game. I remember one part of a quest, i think it was part of a book quest, where you just had to walk around Rivendale listening to the npc tell his story, it was so relaxing, it made everything i had thought about the game, just true, and  hadn`t been kidding myself all along. LoTRo  is a very special game., and what makes it more special is the community.  The community is near perfect, there`s no idiots or kids, just people who want to help.

I remember about a month or two into the game, i was in a group, with my burglar, we`d happened upon a group of elites, and i was under instruction to riddle one of them (stun the mob), i riddled the wrong one, and we eventually wiped. After apologisiing to the rest of the group, i was expecting to be called `you effing Noob!`  and all manner of worse things - like happns in WoW.... the replies came thick and fast - `don`t worry / its a fun / its just a game, lets gather and roll again`  - i knew then that there was something special in the community and LoTR.

just my two pennies,

great article btw, i enjoyed it a lot.

Plater

 I had the exact same experience.  I played in the beta on the B server ( i think) and was completly addicted from day 1.  I found the hardcore group of beta players and along with them became the first max levels on the server and i was the first of my class.  We completly dominated monster play, and being the only max level people it was constantly the group of us vs everyone else and it was a blast.  I remember trying to convince everyone i knew from other games that this was the game to play, i remember taking a detour from leveling to explore everything that was way too high of a level for me.  A friend and i went to Rivendel and i remember both of us pretty much saying "omg wtf this is rediculously real" the entire time we were walking there.

Then the beta phase came to an end, they started giving people levels and a few days later deleted everything.  Although the game was fun there was no real end game in place and i think that killed it for me so i decided to just go back to playing BF2 and occasionally wow and wait for something else.

Now im having mmo withdrawl and Im torn between trying lotro again or reactivating my AOC account (since i actually own AoC and have a max level char)

You know what's worse than immature kids from WoW? Immature adults from LOTRO. LOTRO has many immature adults who thinks they're better than everyone else and they're very selfish. I don't ever remember getting help from anyone in LOTRO, but at least those kids help you out in WoW when needed/asked. And no i'm not defending WoW I played both and stopped. I'm not sure if this is the same for every server but it is for Gladden. Go read their forums you know what I mean. Despite the immature players LOTRO is a great game with great scenery until it reach MoM where everything starts to get dark and gloomy. And Turbine is getting lazy too early. Lvl 50 - 60 not much new skills (mainly upgraded version of older skills) and very nice looking armour, but I hated the nerf they put on weapon DPS to even out PVMP. Which they mention when PVMP was releash that they would not change the game in anyway just for PVMP, well they lied, why can't Turbine be like Blizzard, ignore all they complaint people have on classes (not including bugs) and do what they think is right. By doing that it's not making them bad gms, but it's keeps people happy. Let say out of 20,000 freeps and 200 creeps. The 200 creeps complained to turbine of how overpower the freeps are and they end up nerfing the freeps (which they did) now they end up upsetting 20,000 players instead of a small handful of 200. Lvl 60 - 65 no new skills, very lame look armour. And last Turbine haven't even fix the Champion's sprint yet, the skill say 125% running speed, but it's only 25%. I tested it by racing a captain, even guardian sprint faster. So like i mentioned before LOTRO is a great game with a very nice view, not including the lack of work from Turbine and the immature players.
 

Originally posted by Sortis

 Great article, although if i'm not mistaken there is a way to turn off the auto facing in combat in the options...dont quote me on that though. :P I'm actually playing Vanguard right now myself and kind of had the same experience you're talking about with LotRO. The game is vastly improved and I can honestly say the only reason tons of people aren't playing is because A) they are jaded from launch/beta and B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game until they see a lot of people want to play it. It's a sad circle because gamers aren't going to play it for the reason of C) No gamers are going to go to a game that they see as a "sinking ship" . 

Just to repeat that: B) SOE isn't going to throw any fair amount of money into this game

I sure HOPE not!  I don't want SOE to come anywhere near THINKING about touching this game.  They ruined everything else they bought and just kept their money in EQ.  SOE killed Matrix, and ruined SWG.  LOTRO is a Turbine game.  And I agree with some that Turbine has made the mistake of listening to the whiners on some changes, and tried to appeal to more people by adding in magic-users and tweaking things to balance PVMP a little.  Overall it is a solid game based primarily on a well built world.  Not just the scenery, but they actually tried to create the illusion of an echo system.  Ever notice how many useless prey animals there are in each region?  Kill off all the predators, and more prey animals will spawn, for a little while.  Not the best combat system, but a good game and a good story to pull you into the world.  The Lifetime account option will ensure a loyal fan base for a long time to come.  I'm looking forward to the final expansion that will inevitably allow us to fight right through the gates of Mordor.  Hopefully there will be more innovative growth in the way there (and no more magic users or wizards).

Originally posted by gunweapon123

1.  You know what's worse than immature kids from WoW? Immature adults from LOTRO. LOTRO has many immature adults who thinks they're better than everyone else and they're very selfish.

2.  Lvl 50 - 60 not much new skills (mainly upgraded version of older skills) and very nice looking armour, but I hated the nerf they put on weapon DPS to even out PVMP.

3.  why can't Turbine be like Blizzard, ignore all they complaint people have on classes (not including bugs) and do what they think is right.

4.  Let say out of 20,000 freeps and 200 creeps. The 200 creeps complained to turbine of how overpower the freeps are and they end up nerfing the freeps (which they did) now they end up upsetting 20,000 players instead of a small handful of 200.

5.  the skill say 125% running speed, but it's only 25%. I tested it by racing a captain, even guardian sprint faster. 

Edited for easier responding...

1.  The same could be said of every mmo.  I met a lot of immature adults in WoW too.

2.  As a game increases in levels through expansions you kinda HAVE to slow down on giving new skills, otherwise you end up with 8 hotbars full of nothing but different skills and you end up not using most of them.  For example, getting a new skill every two levels in a 50 level game is fine...you end up with 25 skills, but when that game has expanded to 80 or 100 levels, that same one skill every two levels ends up being 40-50 skills.  So, you just focus on making your current ones more powerful so they stay relevant, and add an occasional new one every 4 or 5 levels.

3.  Blizzard has done the same thing.  In BC, Priests got Prayer of Mending, a spammable low-mana spell that would heal you for a small amount the next time you took damage.  Priests were able to spam this on themselves during fights to keep themselves alive, but while spamming the spell they were not able to do any damage to their opponent and it was only a matter of time till our mana would run out and we'd die anyway.  PvP players complained loudly and strongly in-game and in the forums to have the spell nerfed.  Their reason?  It took too long to kill priests.  We weren't un-killable.  We weren't winning more fights.  We simply died more slowly and that was too much for the gankers to handle.  So, it was nerfed and a cooldown was added because priests weren't supposed to survive being ganked.

4.  If there are 20,000 freeps against 200 creeps, you honestly don't see that as evidence that something is wrong with class balance?  If one side has such staggering numbers on their side then yes, something does need to be changed, because both sides should be relatively equal.

5.  Generally, at least in all the mmo's I've played, 100% run speed means "normal" run speed and 125% means "25% faster than normal".  100% run speed does NOT mean "double" speed.  My guess is you were thinging it meant "125% FASTER run speed" instead of the actual "125% run speed".  So, unless your 25% sprint speed made you start walking instead of running, you were indeed going 25% faster than your normal run.

I played WoW on a pretty regular and sometimes hardcore level for nearly 4 years, and have wtached it gone downhill IMO ever since the first expansion.  Like you I did not like the direction the latest expansion and patches have taken the game.  I have met a few nice folks on there, and for a long time I tried to hang on to the game for those people - all the problems you have mentioned have just made it unbearable for me.  At the end of last year, I was at the top of my game but I just had to walk away from it all.

I started playing LoTRO as one of my main games after I left WoW - I must say LoTRO was a real surprise for me.  I wasn't interested in LoTRO when it first came out and never bothered with it.  I think I must have a roleplayer in me somewhere, since I tend to get quite attached to my gear, and when Mines of Moria came out the idea of gear that grows and evolves with you fasinated me.  And that was what drew me to LoTRO after the expansion came out.

I currently have a level 56 Runekeeper, and I am loving the game thus far, with the rich environments, the amazing graphical effects, the epic PvE story quests and overall lore, the music, et cetera.  But it's not all roses though.  I am finding it hard to get group content done, since most players are at the top end of the game and are mostly into their raids and instance farming, leaving the lower areas disturbingly empty.  To make things worse, a lot of those who are in the lower tier areas often turns out to be alts, who just wants to power level for endgame and have no interest in playing the game.  Speaking of which leveling is also too fast IMO, and I find myself moving through the zones almost too quickly.  And as for the community, I'm a bit mixed about the folks on my server at this stage.  Most of the players seems very anti-social, and most are unhelpful and borderline rude, with some very upper-classed attitudes.  You have no idea how many times I have been laughed at and told off for asking simple questions, and a lot of times with the most helpful comments being "go look it up".  And I have been yelled at and told off a few times for throwing a heal or two as I was passing by another player, since apparenly according to them I was stealing their precious XP.  A couple of times the folks even went around and gathered and aggroed mobs onto me just for throwing a heal on them.

Anyways enjoy your time on LoTRO while it lasts.  It's always good to see people, especially ex-WoW players, playing other MMOs other than WoW.

I think BCAnimus, like a few other people, makes a good point and it's something I don't plan to overlook in future articles.

Everybody has their own story. No two experiences are the same. While it's nice to know so many people have been in a similar boat, I understand that it's not exactly the same. Like BCAnimus, I'm encountering mostly people on alts (and not new players). They're already familiar with the content and end up just leading me through quests. Unfortunately, that's just the way things are 2+ years after the release of a MMO. I missed my opportunity with LOTRO. It's one of the reasons I still hang on to my EQ memories so close. I leveled up in EQ with "everyone".

-At the moment i got both wow and lotro subed and playing both, lotro is nice game imo since i prefer pve over pvp but it gets boring with deeds and lack of dungeons, but thats why i play wow too :P i raid in wow and play lotro for fun untill some other good MMO come out :)

I've played Lotro off and on since release (currently on).  Everything that's been said about it is true.  It's one of the best games on the market for alot of players.   If you take the time to enjoy the trip, see the scenery, read the quests, its great.  But there are some things to be aware of:

It can drive completists to distraction, deed grinding is painful.

It's primarily a solo game with some group quests.  The split is maybe 75/25 solo/group or so.  If you're looking for 'bring a group or dont bother' types of games, it's not your cup of tea.

PvP frankly is a bolt on.  The PvMP system is unique and interesting, but its not a focus of development.  Don't expect battlegrounds, or any force balancing mechanisms.  Those would be great, but I don't see it ever happening.

The engine has limits.  Some parts of the engine is from the original MEO iteration which dates from 03 or earlier.   I think that this truely shows in the inventory system.  They've patched it by making things stack better, reducing the number of different items dropped, etc, but truth is it's horrid in a lot of respects.  Inventory Management is a part time job sometimes, require mule alts for crafting materials, recipies, etc.  And now there are probably 10+ barter systems all using different barter tokens which all have to be stored in inventory, and most systems have multiple types of barter tokens.  Ugh, just ugh.

But for all that, don't sweat the small stuff, enjoy the ride, play a couple of classes through the game and you'll get your money's worth and have alot of fun memories.

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

I wish my LotRO experience had been even a little bit like yours.

 

When I finally decided to try it, I found the quests to be terribly boring, and I could not get a soul to speak a word to me, in character or out. It was sad, for when I got to Bag End it was borderline magical for me to see it brought to life. Exploring the Shire was indescribable, seeing it in three dimensions.

 

But the closed off community, dull quests and crappy crafting killed it for me, and I'll never revisit it.

Thats stramge, on GLFF channel theres allways chatter going on about everything but finding a fellowship to join :)   

Plus, finding a nice guild is allways nice when trying for being part of a community and get involved into stuff.

Originally posted by Plater

I`m a Lifer with LOTRO, and have been since the start, and i`ve played many online games - more than i can remember. Up to this day, none shine through like LoTRo. The gameworld, communty, quests,   - everything - is top notch.

Someone said in the thread that the quests were dull, sure a lot of them you have to kill this and that an `X` number of times, but there are a lot of fantastic quests wich emerse you fully into the game. I remember one part of a quest, i think it was part of a book quest, where you just had to walk around Rivendale listening to the npc tell his story, it was so relaxing, it made everything i had thought about the game, just true, and  hadn`t been kidding myself all along. LoTRo  is a very special game., and what makes it more special is the community.  The community is near perfect, there`s no idiots or kids, just people who want to help.

I remember about a month or two into the game, i was in a group, with my burglar, we`d happened upon a group of elites, and i was under instruction to riddle one of them (stun the mob), i riddled the wrong one, and we eventually wiped. After apologisiing to the rest of the group, i was expecting to be called `you effing Noob!`  and all manner of worse things - like happns in WoW.... the replies came thick and fast - `don`t worry / its a fun / its just a game, lets gather and roll again`  - i knew then that there was something special in the community and LoTR.

just my two pennies,

great article btw, i enjoyed it a lot.

Plater

Thats very true, i can remember when in a pug with not so bright members we wipped like 10 times and hey, lets do it again feeling :)

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Originally posted by Vaske1984
i raid in wow and play lotro for fun

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It's good to separate work and recreation!

Originally posted by Zilverrug

 

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Originally posted by Vaske1984
i raid in wow and play lotro for fun

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It's good to separate work and recreation!

I got a good laugh out of this.  So true.

Im currently subscribed to LotRO and I cant even force myself to play because most days I forget I am subscribed. I have a level 57 Rune Keeper and Moria has pretty much killed this game for me, it is just far too dull and uninspired.

Other things like mind nunmbing quests, stupid game design(deeds), horrible class balance(RKs cant heal, only Minnies can heal), elitist and new player unfriendly guilds and lack of non-max level grouping makes me understand the old "Bored of the Rings" moniker.

I did quit after getting level 35 for a bit because 30 to 40 was as dreadful as 50 to 60 is but I came back and found 40 to 50 was pretty good so maybe Lothlorien and Mirkwood will be good. I'll have to get out of Moria ASAP and find out.
If its not then I'll fight my gag reflex long enough for my time to run out and quit until the next free week(which are like every other month).

Originally posted by Xiaoki

Im currently subscribed to LotRO and I cant even force myself to play because most days I forget I am subscribed. I have a level 57 Rune Keeper and Moria has pretty much killed this game for me, it is just far too dull and uninspired.

Other things like mind nunmbing quests, stupid game design(deeds), horrible class balance(RKs cant heal, only Minnies can heal), elitist and new player unfriendly guilds and lack of non-max level grouping makes me understand the old "Bored of the Rings" moniker.

I did quit after getting level 35 for a bit because 30 to 40 was as dreadful as 50 to 60 is but I came back and found 40 to 50 was pretty good so maybe Lothlorien and Mirkwood will be good. I'll have to get out of Moria ASAP and find out.
If its not then I'll fight my gag reflex long enough for my time to run out and quit until the next free week(which are like every other month).

hell i dont mind the free weekends actually its the only time ive really played tbh i havent been subscribed in like 3 months but ive lvled at least 6 times during the past two welcome back weekends so hey if they want to keep giving me free time to play then yea im going to take it whether im bored or not

I fully agree with what the OP had to say about world of warcraft and about lord of the rings online. Man do I miss those old school days of asherons call. I wish turbine would create another asherons call one, no no, not two, one!. Those were the best days of mmorpg's. I may come back to lotro because all the other mmorpg's are stale and boring these days and most have flopped to some degree.

Long live asherons call. I'll never forget the fun on darktide and later on on leafcull. :(

There was one thing that put me off lotro. The fact that I cant go to iconic locations because they are instanced and require high level quest to even enter them.

I was exploring a bit, trying to go to the gates of moria (the glowy door on the mountain), was lvl 41. I couldnt even get near the area because the entire area around moria was instanced and wouldnt even let me in to take a look without some lvl 50 quest. That completely killed it for me. Even if I couldnt kill any mobs there, I still wanted to have a look. And I suspect most iconic areas in lotro's world will be like that. So I couldnt bring myself to play it anymore. I slowly began playing less and less, and a few weeks ago, I quit.

Originally posted by Angorim

Originally posted by Zilverrug 

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Originally posted by Vaske1984
i raid in wow and play lotro for fun

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It's good to separate work and recreation!

I got a good laugh out of this.  So true.

Good one!

Back to the OP, I can say I enjoyed your article and I don't find the combat so bad, even it seems Turbine is now aiming at tweaking it to make it feels more responsive. Makes me remember SWG in which we could queue like 10+ actions in a row, watching them being executed while enjoying some tell hell at the same time.

Honestly it's been a loong time singe I ever even felt or answerer "tell hell" to another player.