I know in the first 6 - 8 weeks playing LOTRO, shortly after launch, I was ecstatic. To this day I think there hasnt been a more beautiful landscape than that of LOTRO. Every time they add a new place or things, I returned, played a while, and got bored after 2 weeks.

Now, I have paused on purpose for about 4 weeks, partially to leave my main on level 45 to play in Forochel. To us Europeans Book 13 just came recently, so today I made my first trip into Forochel. By all means it looks great, and I am sure the stories behind the quests are interesting.

But after playing LOTRO now with breaks long, I must say it never caught me like SWG, EQ2 or for a time even DAOC did. I cant say why, exactly. The world is gorgeous, the stories behind the quests are touching, I am a BIG LOTR fan, and still... I always feel that emptiness playing that game.

One thing really pisses me off. Its that - sorry - WOW-mentality. ALWAYS people talking about splinter-mobs, crits, so many 10.000s mobs, so many 10.000 factions points. Gawd, its as if it were no funtime hobby, but a goddamn JOB! I know, maybe a Roleplayer server would have been better, but then I dont like hardcore roleplaying-nazis, always reminding me what is NO right in what I said/did. But there is a mentality only what is the next biggest mob, when to farm these and those points.

WHY cant we just be some Elves/Hobbits/Dwarves/Men in Middle Earth for the love of mother and child!?

I think what dissappoints me beyond this is that LOTRO is still a lightweight MMO for me. I dunno why. It certainly isnt that I am a hardcore player who wants harsh penalities or what. But *something* feels like it would be... hollow. And I cant rly say why. It feels like there is not... threat. No.... THING going on. It always cozy, comfortable places wanting some ... DELIVERY. I cant 100% put my finger on it, but it just does not catch me. Its all neat, cute places with delivery-problems. I dunno, sometimes I just wanted to stomp over all the neatness with a horde of ugly Trolls to shove my fist into the kind Hobbits, ethereal Elves and all the rest.

What I loved in SWG was I could go into some fukked up cantina with scantly dressed dancers, some Stormtroopers harrassed me for my Papers, some bounty hunter jumped on me while I was ordering a drink and it was DARK and DIRTY and DANGEROUS. Despite the beauty, which also was there. Something along those lines. Ok, its Tolkien, I get it. Tolkien ppl dont use toilets and dont have sex, cause its clean. Right. Wow-ish clean.

Fukk, maybe I should play AoC... despite the uber lag, at least some quest givers yell at me there. =P

Sounds like you gave the game a fair shot and it's just not for you. 

Maybe give some of the upcoming games a chance... there might be something more to your liking.

Like many people have said on this forum... LOTRO isn't for everyone... that's one of the best things about it.  Those who do like it, tend to like it a lot... like myself.

Good luck on your search!

 I tend to agree that you gave LOTRO a shot and even liked it a bit but it doesnt float your boat. I was thinking more along the lines of waiting for WAR though. I never much liked AOC. The classes really got messed up with the later development plans in my opinion. WAR on the otherhand is starting to get AWESOME! Mind you I wont be playing either since I do love Lotro.

Sorry you didn't get "hooked" by the game.  Hope you can find something to suit your needs.  We'll miss you!

I play LOTRO (Snowborne) and i'm a SWG vet. SWG (Pre CU & CU) for me was and still is the best MMO i have ever played, i really miss that game so much. It may sound sad, but i long for a game that can forfill me like SWG did. I'm a massive Starwars fan and it was awesome to be in a world where the players shaped the game, the economy, PVP, the 32 proffessions ect ect.

I'm also a massive LOTR fan and as soon as i found LOTRO was coming out i beta tested it. At 1st i wasnt impressed, but as time went on i liked it more and more. I hated PVE in SWG as it wasnt engaging and the story line was very poor. However, i like PVE in LOTRO, there seems to be a purpose to it. LOTRO for me would be so much better if they had more PVP grounds, the ettenmoors get real boring.

I'm sorry to hear that nothing has filled the void SWG has left. It makes me wonder why they made the NGE and didnt roll back. I just hope that Bioware and LA are doing somthing to fill our Starwars need. I would hope they are bringing out SWG again but with new graphics. :)

Which server did you play on?

Palatine Afcanblac (Ahazi)

The SWG curse,you will not be satisfied with another mmorpg until one comes out similar to SWG pre-cu.If that indeed ever happens.You will enjoy a few,for a brief time,but they will lose your interest.You will have the feeling that"something is missing".32 mix and match professions,A real crafting system,a good community with  a purpose. a combo that hasn't come along since.

 SWg ruined so many people from enjoying other games,me included.I hope there is a special Hell for the people that came up with and implemented the CU-NGE.

 I play Lotro now,and have from the beta.It's the only one that I can even sort of enjoy.I wish it were a bit harder tho.I have 15 char's on 3 servers 3 50's,4 49's and 4 35-46 with a total of 9 GM crafters others are storage.

 I've tried 4-6 other mmo's after SWG and couldn't get into them at all..

 Your not alone in that "something is missing " feeling

OP: You have described exactly how I feel about Lotro as well. I want so much to like it but I just can't get into it like I can with Vanguard, EQ2 or even EQ1.  I don't know why, it is as you said a beautiful world, but it does indeed feel lightweight. Why I don't know (or rather I know that I think they should better the way they handle character diversity but it can't be just that, oh and the combat system is boring too).

Originally posted by OBK1

OP: You have described exactly how I feel about Lotro as well. I want so much to like it but I just can't get into it like I can with Vanguard, EQ2 or even EQ1.  I don't know why, it is as you said a beautiful world, but it does indeed feel lightweight. Why I don't know (or rather I know that I think they should better the way they handle character diversity but it can't be just that, oh and the combat system is boring too).

Performance issues aside (for some reason, i just cannot get this game to run well on a multitude of systems...) the UI was still a bear to work with. The mapping system really got to me after playing EQ2 and the awesome AoC which has by far the best mapping system in game. The fact that the LOTRO map takes up the whole screen totally pulls you out of the immersion of the world...

You cannot run around with your map open...unless you want to watch an arrow moving on the screen...and it makes it difficult to get around...in so many words...memorize the world, or forget getting directions easily

I think the game could have been great if a few decisions had been made differently in playability...

Well, AoC is coming soon and EQ2 still rocks..so back to those..

Thanks

Originally posted by OBK1

OP: You have described exactly how I feel about Lotro as well. I want so much to like it but I just can't get into it like I can with Vanguard, EQ2 or even EQ1.  I don't know why, it is as you said a beautiful world, but it does indeed feel lightweight. Why I don't know (or rather I know that I think they should better the way they handle character diversity but it can't be just that, oh and the combat system is boring too).

I can not remember a game that more players feel this way about it. Many love LoTRO but many also wanted to like it and gave it a good shot but felt let down and many of them can not put their finger on exactly why. I am one of those I really wanted to love LoTRO and gave it months but eventually stopped logging in. After all these years it is EQ2 that keeps me logging in. I do have to state I am a pre-nge SWG vet and nothing even eq2 has come close to the fun of that experience. I hope LoTRO would be that sort of sandbox since all the possibilities for that are in the lore. I really wanted to be a Hobbit gardener in the Shire. Or a human with a tavern somewhere near Brie.

The thing you guys are trying to put your finger on? It's very simple and was stated by a few people in this thread; emptiness, shallowness, lack of depth.  Turbine invested all their resources into the graphics then put together a shell of gameplay that has no real depth or direction.

Remove Lord of the Rings from the title and you'll end up with the subscription performance of Tabula Rasa.  And even now their subscriptions are not what you'd have expected from a Lord of the Rings IP. 

Simply put, LoTRO is an underachieving and for good reasons.  LoTRO, IMHO, should have been based after the LoTR trilogy.   Instead, like I've said before, the players are really nothing more than the audience watching a play and have no real meaning or purpose.  Soulless. 

i am enjoying lotro alot more than any other current mmorpg atm. Though truthfully i am only lvl 29 and on book 2 chapter 8. But then again i am a casual player, and only play about 15 hours a week (have a kid and job which keep me occupied).

Originally posted by Dethnoble

The thing you guys are trying to put your finger on? It's very simple and was stated by a few people in this thread; emptiness, shallowness, lack of depth.  Turbine invested all their resources into the graphics then put together a shell of gameplay that has no real depth or direction.

Remove Lord of the Rings from the title and you'll end up with the subscription performance of Tabula Rasa.  And even now their subscriptions are not what you'd have expected from a Lord of the Rings IP. 

Simply put, LoTRO is an underachieving and for good reasons.  LoTRO, IMHO, should have been based after the LoTR trilogy.   Instead, like I've said before, the players are really nothing more than the audience watching a play and have no real meaning or purpose.  Soulless. 

And to keep the game within the confines of the lore, there was only so much they could do...it was the main reason they could only release with specific content. People wanted to go to Moria, raid Isengard...but can't...yet...or maybe never..(Moria we know IS on...but Isengard...who knows...)...but instead we were stuck within the confines of a small piece of the world...

Now...luckily the content keeps coming, and thanks to their numbers (at least based now on NPD data)...they are the #3 MMO in the US (use to be #2...or wait, I think they are still #2 in North American "developed" MMO's..AGGHH,....sales speak)...they have a chance to continue to redeem themselves...

Gameplay decisions can be changed...like make that mapping system different for Moria...no one will want to stop, look at the map, and then hit ESC and start up again..Also, big monitors are in, so fix the font and UI issues...(which Turbine is discussing)...fix animations, and overall quests...and we may have a winner next year..

Later