PVP:Yes | Distribution:Download,Retail | Retail Price:$09.99 | Pay Type:Free | Monthly Fee:$14.99
Desktop Client | System Req:
| ESRB:T
Lord of the Rings Online News - Turbine, Midway Announce Founder's Plan
Posted by on Jan 25, 2007 | 67 comments in our forums
Turbine and Midway Games announce new Founder's Program for Lord of the Rings Online. Turbine also announces the release date of April 24, 2007.
Turbine, Inc. and Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) today announced the details of the revolutionary pre-order Founder's Program for The Lord of the Rings Online(TM): Shadows of Angmar(TM). The highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game, The Lord of the Rings Online, lets players experience the greatest epic fantasy adventure of all time and join with millions of fans from around the globe in the vast world of Middle-earth.
This exciting Founder's Program rewards all players who pre-order The Lord of the Rings Online with special $9.99 monthly subscription pricing, early access to the game (beta version), character roll-over and unique in-game bonus items. Players can become a Founder by pre-ordering the title at www.lotro.com/preorder or at retail stores nationwide beginning February 1, 2007. This limited-time offer is exclusively available to pre-order customers.
"The Lord of the Rings Online immerses you in one of the greatest literary works of all time," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine. "The Founder's Program pricing plan rewards fans for their loyalty with a special opportunity to join Middle-earth from the beginning."
The Lord of the Rings Online Founder's Program* offers players two different membership options:
Only $9.99 per month subscription price!
OR
Just $199 for a Lifetime Membership!
In addition to these special pricing options, The Lord of the Rings Online Founders receive:
Open Beta: Guaranteed access provides Founders the first opportunity to create a character and enter Middle-earth currently planned for March 30, 2007
Character Roll-Over: Moves the character that you created during the Open Beta into the live service --along with the stats, levels, items, and experience that character earned prior to launch!
Bonus Items: Two special in-game items that are only available to those who pre-order:
Enchanted Cloak of Regeneration
Ring of Agility
This exciting Founder's Program is available for a limited time until the commercial launch of The Lord of the Rings Online (currently scheduled for April 24, 2007). At launch, millions of fans will be able to explore the untold stories of Middle-earth, interact with legendary heroes like Gandalf, and play a vital role in the War of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings Online is the first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The game recreates the vast world of Middle-earth with incredible dedication to the Tolkien lore with an unprecedented level of detail. The game delivers an experience that takes players beyond the books to where they can create their own story within the most famous fantasy world of all time. For more information, visit www.lotro.com.
Read more here.
Not to be the one who cried 'bash this game' now however although liking the idea of a 'lifetime' membership totaling that up it's about 20-ish months (just under 2 years) of gameplay costs (assuming it subcription price stays at $9.99), in my head it's a bit of a gamble as there is no reason to state that you will even play the game for that long or even the game will last that long...
If it does manage that length of time whats going to be their funding stratagy if many of it's playerbase choose the lifetime option? Yea they'll have a huge cash bundle in the short term but long term it's better to keep it with subcriptions so they have a perminate cash flow, TBH with the 'lifetime option' it looks like even they don't expect to see the game past 2 years and just want a huge cash injection as fast as possible
I disagree. Satellite radio offers lifetime subs for around the same price. I've had mine for almost two years now and I do not have any desire to drop it.
So, as long as Turbine provides its monthly updates or maybe an expansion or two and maybe no massive nerf bats I can see myself sticking around for awhile. I did that with EQ and AC was in both games for several years.
This sounds good, I am onboard!
I enjoyed Dungeons and Dragons Online, and I like Turbine's mmos in general, so this is good news for me. I never had high hopes for LotRO, but for $9.99, I am definitely going to be playing it in the beginning. Hopefully, it'll have a long and interesting lifespan and make it worth while for the players who pay the lifetime fee. I am way too fickle for that, though, as I might jump ship and play another mmorpg at any given time.
It's a good point, but pre-ordering isn't as much of a big deal as some people make it out to be. Whoever has access to a Gamestop can simply put down $5 for LotRO. It is then Pre-ordered, and you are a Founder (as long as you buy the game). If you realized that you don't like the game according to what you read or what you experience in Open Beta, simply transfer your $5 pre-order to something else or get a credit for it at Gamestop, and you haven't lost anything.
I just did this for Vanguard: Saga of Hereos. I had the Collectors Edition pre-ordered for months and finally had enough of the poor performance I get while trying to test in the beta (which is only days away from becoming final). So the preorder for Vanguard will now become my pre-order for LotRO. Easy as pie, whatever that means.
I wonder how this turns out for European customers? This offer seems sweet as... pie.
Nobody knows what condition the game will be in come April 27th, or whenever the launch date will actually be. It is a few months from now. To say that it will still be in a beta state is speculative.
Even still, some players will not mind the bugs and will pay to play LotRO from the start, and to do that while paying $9.99 per month is better than paying $14.99.
If the launch really is terrible, there is always patience and understanding, and then as we mostly see, there is rage and ridicule for the game and its developer, in which case, there is a cancel subcription button waiting, and it's the same if you are paying $9.99 as a Founder or if you've picked up the game after release and pay $14.99.
For those who are optimistic and can see more good than bad in LotRO, and think it will be fun to play, this Founder deal is a good thing. Of course it isn't good for someone who already looks at the game negatively.
1- Preordering gives you access 1 month prior to launch
2- You get to keep your characters and items (lvl limited)
3- You don't pay for the beta part, just the preordering fees
The $199 lifetime has the advantage of keeping your account alive and never loosing your chars. (Ooooh, so many times have i started over in games because of this) :)
I like the idea of $10 a month, but I'm not sure about the $200. If you end up loving the game and it's the new Game To Play, then sure a flat lifetime fee is fine. Odds are though that you may not play it for 20 months, which is what the flat fee equates to really.
I got my beta invite yesterday, so hopefully I can get some good insight as to how the game is working out. Unfortunately, I did not care for DDO at all, so personally Turbine as 1 strike against them in my book. They could still hit a homer though.
I hope you enjoy the beta, but don't tell us about it, there is still an NDA! There are always fears about pre-ordering, and that's understandable, since sometimes you never know what you'll get. But in this case, you will know after you've tried the Open Beta. Even if you've pre-ordered and gotten into the beta that way, you can still opt out and not buy LotRO if you don't like what you've seen.
This is the way I'd like to see all mmorpg progress. With closed beta and then a beta open to everyone, almost like a trial, so that they can get a sense of the game before they buy the box. The 30 days free was a nice try, but you had to pay $50 or more first. If you didn't like the game after those 30 days, you've just wasted money. Most single player games release a demo, and it should be no different for mmorpgs in the form of an open beta before release.
The pre-order is for people who know they would like to play, and Turbine is simply rewarding them for their initial loyalty and investment.
Currently, WoW has me going for 1.5 years and will break the previous streak. So to say that I'd play LotR for 2 years to make it worth it would be a gamble for the $200. I'd rather not risk it, try it, and if it is a great game, I won't mind spending an extra 3-5 bucks a month to play. So the only other advantage is the 'bonus' stuff. I don't see transfering characters over as a bonus since that will be quickly erased after a few months play by everyone else and those who will play 24/7 and have a better character anyway.
Maybe a collector pin might make it worth it, or a special item that shows I was a 'Founder' other than a ring and a cloak.
Games that offer in-game advantages for preordering are not worth playing. They are allowing players to essentially buy advantages and this is unfair. Gaming purists who play MMOGs on the basis of sportsmanly competition, the way MMOGs were originally designed to be, don't want anything to do with this type of bastardization. Everything should be earned in-game thru expended effort only. A low character rollover and a few minor trinkets is too much of an advantage.
I also agree that being locked into a 2 year contract for a measly $5 discount per month is not worth it. I highly recommend you beta this product first to understand why.
Is there a link that shows what these items are compared to other items?
I can't see LOTRO handing out lvl 50 super awesome gear to a bunch of lvl 1's who preordered... perhaps these special items are 1-20 lvl valuable... and then you get upgrades anyway... in which case... what's 2 pieces of gear really matter that much in a game where gear isnt *that* big of a deal?
or perhaps these items gain stats with level? I don't know... I have yet to see anything explaining gear/stats on gear/effect of gear for lotro yet
the beta rollover is a great idea, I'm not the type to care if people start higher level than me, and imo, it's a good thing, because then on release day a good majority of people who would have logged in the first instant they could will not be hogging the starter areas... :)
Since this is not really a pvp game I don't really see that there is any real competition. It's more a story based game so in essence it seems to correspond to reading a book and then having someone be a few chapters a head of you.
Sure there is monster play but that is not a focus of the game.
I actually think it's a good idea. Since this is a story based game, you lose a little replayability since who wants to do all the quests "all over again" after they've done them several times in Beta?
I think it's all a non issue. Sure, I think the "lifetime" option is a bit of overkill but the 9.99 is good for people who have played it, like the game and know they are going to be playing it for a little bit.
Turbine had me hooked on this game a looooooong time ago.
These pre-order incentives have caused my desire to play this game go through the roof!
April can't come fast enough.
We Europeans can go and get f***ed...
The pre-order specials for Europe are going to be determined by Codemasters and Turbine together. It's likely they will come up with something similar.
Also, everyone should note that the pre-order page states that the $9.99 a month deal is only for as long as you maintain an active account, without terminating it. As soon as you cancel the account, whether permanently or temporarily, you will have to re-sub at the regular $14.99 price. So if you're planning on playing it for a while, it's a pretty good idea. Now, if you're absolutely sure you'll be playing it for the next 1.5 years+ and you can afford to drop some money up front, the $200 is the best deal. Of course, you'll still have to buy expansions, but your subscription will always be covered...
Unfortunately the options are not quite the same.
Either £99.99 for a lifetime membership or a six month package for £35.94 (£5.99/month)
Got mine pre-ordered!
Not sure I care for the idea of letting people roll over in beta..but as was stated by another..its not really a competetive pvp game, so no one is really gaining an advantage by it.... so no big deal in the end I guess...
It is a really good deal at 9.99.... or 199.00 even.... and if this gimmick helps improve their launch and gain some traction, more power to them....
There is plenty of friendly competition in a PVE game. There is competition for best items, fastest leveling, most advanced crafter, etc. all of which are aided by preorder in-game advantages. It's a bad precedent to sell in-game advantages of any degree and game companies that don't understand this are just being greedy. I can't support a game that starts off on this basis. It doesn't bode well for future game policies.
Hogwash. Games were designed to make money, pure and simple. With the current state that games launch in these days those who pre-order deserve a bonus to put up with the pain. This is obvisously designed to raise capital and reward those who are willing to preorder. Don't forget that Turbine has expansions planned including Rohan which will include mounts. They are essentially embracing both the subscription based and expansion based economic models. Everygame that has ever come out including PnP games have included extra material or expansions that you have to pay for and these expansions have included better loot. That's the nature of the beast, profit, for without profit there is no game.
I say it's about time pre-orders got something worth while.
I personally want to know more about the european pre-order, like where to pre order it from etc.
Still, im definantly going for the 200$ ( 99£) sub, no doubt!
I wish that D&D Online would have had the lifetime offer available some months ago, and $9.99 pricing. DDO is the type of game that is great to play on and off over a 2 or 3 year period while simultaneously playing another MMO that offers more traditional gameplay. The $199 pricing model would make it more affordable to do.
I think this plan with LoTR online is a smart one. They should eventually offer this plan to non-founders too. I hope they charge everyone $9.99 per month without something like a 2 year commitment.
I think offering $9.99 pricing only for pre-orders will cause more of a community backlash than the pre-order character bonuses will. Think about all the gamers out there that will not know about the pre-order pricing but plan on buying the game within the first month or two. Worse, imagine being the type of shopper that might buy this the first week the game is out, because you happened to see it on the shelves, only to find out that if you had bought it a week or two ago you could be saving $5 per month.
This is nothing new. What about all those old commercials where you "buy now" and you get a set of ginsu knives? Besides, I believe someone on the main LOTRO site indicated that there was a lvl limit that would be carried over. I just don't see it as an issue. Because then you will have the other people saying "what about people who have infinite amounts of time to play? They have an unfair advantage".
I think it should all be fine.
Then again, I really like the picture in your sig so I can't be too critical
When it comes to an mmo, you usually dont just random pick the game off the shelf. I don't know about you or everyone else, but I always make sure to check the grade that the mmo has got, and what the monthly fee is.
So no I don't think what you mentioned about people randomly going into a store to buy the game after the 5$ per month discount, will be that big of a deal, if any.
Secondly, there is going to be a lot of advertising about this founding program, so i doubt that anyone will be missing out. Ofcourse there probaly will be some disputes about it in the future, where pre order members and exsisting members argue back and forth about the whole 200$ and 10 $ per month odeal. But think of it this way, we are taking a risk pre ordering and paying 200$ for a sub to a game that we dont even know if we will like or play for a longer period of time.
I myself am buying the 200$ package, and encouraging my mmo friends to do so aswell.
Well, hopefully you'll have at least a month to figure out if you want to commit $200 a month. However, if you do commit and its not your thing, you could always sell it ~cough~ give it away I mean. I'm sure there are more details that haven't been revealed yet. I remember another game doing something similar but it turned out the reduced rate only lasted for a few months.
I certainly wouldn't mind paying $200 for a lifetime subscription so long as the game is enjoyable. I played DAoC probably close to 3-4 years in total if you count all the months. Everquest probably a total of 2 years.
Yeah if I had seen the beta at friends house or something I would have decided I was going to gamble 200 bucks plus the box fee for about the same reasons, just substitute UO for EQ. I figure they have at least 3 expansions planned and if I get burn out between them I just set the game aside till the next expansion.
Well I don't see how preorder rewards or collector's edition ingame rewards are bad. Usually they are items or abilities that are helpful in the beginning but become less useful later on. Example was CoH Collector's Edition gave a bonus power to "glide" over surfaces, basically it was a faster than normal Sprint. Once you hit 14 and got your normal travel power you didn't use that one anymore.
WoW gives ingame pets, Netherwhelp for TBC, so I don't see how that is a bad idea.
And name a mmo now thats come out in the last year and had no incentive of any kind for a preorder for a new game or expansion. ( everquest comes to mind on expasnions but thats it ). I can tell you that my inetrest int the game has increased when i read about the preorder incentives.
Bottom line is that in the next year theres going to be alot of fighting for the MMO players dollar, and it can only go so far. This game has same plus that WOW had.. A huge fanbase thats familiar with the content. Thers 2 directions this game can go.. Wow route( not to the nummber of subcribers but least succesful, or Star Wars Galaxies. in the start have adecent amount of players but desginers kill the game.
Time will tell.
Turbine usually lays an egg when it comes to marketing and promotion of their games but this is probably the most brilliant idea I have seen for a pre order plan.
One of World of Warcrafts best marketing tools has been touting high subscription numbers. People read the news article and say well 1 million people are playing maybe I should try it out. After a while 1 million becomes 2 million and the new headline comes out about 2 million subscribers, and someone reads the article and says hmm maybe I should try it out and so on.
You really want to hit the ground running at launch and keep momentum going and it looks like they may be headed in the right direction. The game seems really polished at this point so this may be one of the best launched games we have seen for some time. What I would really like to see is a all access pass for Dungeons and Dragons Online and Asheron's Call thrown in like what Sony does.
Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. The lifetime membership doesn't appeal to a player like me, that almost never sticks with an MMO for more than a few months - but the $9.99 deal? Yeah, of course I'd go for that - and then, be reluctant to quit. In the end, I'd still be getting a good deal, but they come out ahead, because it'd encourage me to stick with the game longer.
If they did give a lifetime discount, regardless of whether one quits or not, how would that benefit them? I don't consider it underhanded or anything, just a pretty good strategy that works for both the game and its players.
Sounds to me like something more MMOs should consider.
Also, what really ticks me off is the universal "truth" that time = currency in MMOs, and real money doesn't. I have more money than time (which is not to say that I have a lot of money - just too little time) and grinding faction for x hours in order to be allowed entrance to instance y is if not impossible then at least highly annoying for me. Get me right - I played DaoC back in the days when I could spend 6 hours per day in the game, and I never complained then (nor would I have spent money to speed up my progress either) but those days are gone and I don't want to do useless things for hours at an end simply because there are millions of unemployed/studying/playing at work people out there still that can.
Time does not equal currency, even if Blizzard tries to tell us so (I quit WOW for that reason). It doesn't in real life (you don't automatically make more money because you work more - you need to build a career. You don't win the Australian Open simply by practising more - you need talent to succeed, etc) so why should it in MMOs?
I'll stop before I offend anyone (if that is possible) :) but I am intrigued by the lifetime membership that I will definitely consider - what better way to alleviate the pressure of "I must play because I pay to be here" that is a fun destroyer as much as anything else for those of us that have too little time?
Refreshing. I hope the game is good enough for me to try it!
SWG taught me never to sign up for a year at a time. Something like a month after I had signed up for 12 months, they unleashed the CU and before my 12 months ran out, they unleashed the NGE to deliver the death blow. That's how much an MMO can be butchered in such a short amount of time.
Dark and Light taught me never to preorder something unless there's either an easy way for me to back out of it and get my money back, or I'm already in the beta and thus know what I'm getting myself into. I would not have preordered VG, had it not been for me being in the beta. Even then, it was only little less than a week ago that I decided to preorder due to the sudden massive improvements the game saw near the end of beta.
Having said that, I think the lifetime offer is an interesting concept worth exploring further in other MMOs, as long as there's an option in the NDA for a refund if there's a major revamp, such as changing from a skill to a level based system or suddenly reducing the number of classes to a 3rd of what the game released with.
I personally couldn't see myself sign up for something like that with a WoW style MMO because they just don't keep me interested for that long. A sandbox game like pre-CU SWG on the other hand. Or heck... EVE online would be perfect for this type of setup because it uses real time skill training. Then taking a six month break from the game wouldn't make it feel like such a setback because you just lost half a year of skill points.
considering a SOE station pass is 25 a month USD and I only have time to play one game at a time anyway I figure I will go with the lifetime deal. I played UO for 4 years straight, then DAOC and EQII each for 2 plus years off and on. The 200 bucks is not a bad deal even if I play for six months then put it down till the expansion hits then play for 4 more etc etc. I think there will be at least 3 expansions and from everything I have heard the game is solid and fun even if it is just another fantasy game. I have to admit though that the MvP is what intrigues me the most since from what I have heard is pretty much old style DAoC with a twist or two. That in itself will add to the replayability for me at least. Each to their own there of course.
I hardly think a low level cloak and ring are going to totaly ruin anything as far as the economy goes, that is just BS. I think the big reasons for this is trying to beat WoW's launch numbers just to be able to say they did it. And secondly I think most people will go for the 9.99 deal and since that goes away if you cancel and resub people will thing twice before canceling knowing that if they get the urge to play again it will cost 15 a month. Smart move by the marketing boys imho.
If I had made a game and know people won't be playing it for a long time, I would be choosing the same way. My marketing expert shall give a news out of a revolutionary new preorder system...
Good to make quick money before people realize what they get.
No, it's up to players to pick what's right for them. If they have good reason to believe they'll be sticking with the game (e.g. beta experience and longterm gaming tendencies), then great, take the lifetime deal. If not, don't. If someone chooses badly, it's thier own fault, not Turbine's, IMHO.
Not bashing the game but you should really play it before paying anything, beta or otherwise.
Many folks got burn't with DnL, Horizons etc etc.
Maybe that is why some people play mmo's, but there are a lot of us, who don't care if we have the "best" items, we enjoy the game instead of rushing through to be the highest level as fast as we can. And I was given a nice item for pre-ordering DDO, it didn't make a darn bit of difference in the game play that I noticed. It's not like they are giving out lvl 50 items to lvl 1 chars. So you get an item or two that gives you a +1 to some stat....wooo big advantage....not. lol
Oh and I have been in beta, I have it pre-ordered and I am seriously thinking about the $200 option.
http://lotro.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=103
I agree and according to the FAQ here they will have a public open beta beginning April 06 according to item 10 and according to item 26 you have until April 24 to pre order so that would give you 18 days to try before you buy.
I have talked to some people that are in the LOTRO beta. It sounds like the game will be mostly PVE with a large number of quests. The PvP can be done as an evil character (level 10+ main character) or a good character (level 40+ main character) in a massive PvP map. Good and Evil fight over contested forts and bases for controll of the map. I hear LOTRO is rather polished already. If I wanted to play another mostly PvE with some PvP I would give this game a shot (especially with this founder and reduced subscription cost promotion). However I want a more PvP oriented game. I am waiting for possibly WAR, AoC, or Huxley.
I was invited to the Weekend beta stress test, downloaded the with the recomended download agent 2+ gig of client clicked the Setup icon and, (drum roll please) NOTHING. Well I would have to say I think that pretty much settles it for me. Wouldn't touch LotRO with a tenfoot poll. Just my opinion.
No it's not operator error(nice you instantly assume faulty sofware performance is the fault of the user) when you download it 3 times and it fails to launch every time. I am in the IT field I know how to trouble shoot problems. Thats not the issue so much as the fact that if you want people to play your game every thing needs polish and at the very least it need to function as intended, which the client download clearly does not. It really should be bullet proof but unfortunately I am left with a bad impression with the developer and thier project. Simple as that, I hope that is clear enough for you.
I don't know how many people are in the beta but obviously more than a few have not had any problems.By rthe way it still is closed beta for 2 more months, not try before buy or open beta which begins April 06.
Obviously the point of my post has escaped you to the extent that you are answering what I am saying blinded by your own thoughts on subjets not related to what I am saying. So I will make this my last attempt at clearification; I won't play the game because of MY percieved problem turbine has with their client, with a game this high profile I don't want to see anything broken, end of story.
I am not interested with every other beta testers experiences, or when the open beta starts or any try before you buy nonsense you mentioned. When Turbine invites ME to test I make MY decission based on MY experiences, the software failed, leaving a bad impression, don't need to see anything more. So MY opinion is "I wouldn't buy it" Your comments are waisted on this subject with me, by all means you can tell other people your opinions of course. But your comments that are pointed at my posts make no sense to me, at least the way I see it. For what it's worth, that is MY opinion, your not going to change it.
I really don't even see any point at all to any of your 20 something posts about this or any other games you have commented on to be honest
Average subscriber for WoW = 14 months or 15 x 14 = 210 dollars
average subscriber time for any game except WoW = 6 months.
If you cancel with the 9.99 deal and resub for an expansion or whatever later it will be 15 a month. Pure marketing genius in my opinion. These games are a business after all and if they don't make money on them they would stop making them.
Thtat statistic seems made up. Sure Wow is a sucessfull game financially. But I would bet the older MMO's such as UO, EQ, DAoC have a longer average subscriber time than WoW.
There will be a open to the public beta beginning April 06 according to #10 of this FAQ
http://lotro.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=103
that will give you about three weeks to decide if the game is for you before spending a dime. Play it before paying in order to make a informed desicion is always a giood thing if in doubt. I am going to pre order as soon as Best Buy has the pre order boxes on the shelf but that is just me.
Aye but where are these European pre-orders. Play.com are showing 24/04/2007 (launch date) for their pre-orders. Gameplay.co.uk are showing 30 March 2007. GAME are showing Preorder - 24-Apr-2007 (launch day).
Codemasters state: Ten days Early access into the game before its commercial launch on April 24th. No UK company is offering any sort of pre order pack or release for April 10th or prior. I've had this pre-ordered at Play.com since 20/04/2006 because I knew I'd be at least trying it due to the IP. I don't know if I should let this pre-order stand or not.
Maybe it's too early and the pre-order packs will appear soon and closer to release. I sure as hell hope they don't pull a "Blizzard" type release strategy and piss all over us folks in the UK like that company always does.
If you're in the IT field like so many of us then why do you seem so oblivious to the requirements of testing, the aim being to discover bugs such as the one you seem to be struggling to cope with? If you have so little tolerance for faults then why get involved with the beta testing at all when you can just wait another couple of months for the finished (polished and bullet proof) product which I'm sure will run fine on your PC?
Being invited to join in the beta test is a privilege not a right and as such it should be treated as an opportunity. An opportunity to help improve & polish the final product, perhaps even shaping it's development through feedback & ideas. It's an opportunity that many would relish and it saddens me to see such a blinkered approach from someone who by their own admission works in the IT sector.