I wouldn't judge this game by the video's. I've been in beta for a few months and honestly I can't help but feel like they wasted the Lord of the Rings license. I wouldn't say its a bad game but I would say its a wow clone and I'm not a fan of the wow dumbed down play style. I would agree with others in that the game feels like a scripted one player game in a fairly small world.
I didn't understand when I logged in for the first time why you couldn't play a orc or one of the other "evil races", it just seemed like a glaring omission to me. Then it sorta started to make since when there was no real pvp. I never got high enough to try to fight a monster battle but it seems more like a distraction than real PVP, just my opinion mind you.
Instanced areas aren't a deal breaker for me but the world really feels tiny, when a elf can get from their area to the shire in a mater of a few minutes things seem out of scale to me. No since of epic to the maps or scope of the game. I can see people burning through much of the content fast and then what? I have a feeling those that buy the $200 for a lifetime membership will grow to regret it, I can't see this game holding peoples attention for more than a year or so.
That all said I think the game will do fine on name alone. I'm a huge lord of the rings fan but after my time in beta I can say its just not what I'm looking for. Funny thing is, if I hadn't been in beta I would have likely bought the game. I will say this very few bugs and a polished look to the world help but a small world with linear content will keep me away.
My sole concern has been something to get me through until June and the release of PoTBS, LoTR is probably going to do that, although I wouldn't expect it to keep me happy much longer than that.
Ok, forgive me if I'm wrong, but did anyone else just get a sense of Deja-vu? Seriously, how may times have you heard that 'X' game will be the new hit? Call me jaded, but I have too many games sitting on my shelf that were all dubbed the scond comming of MMOs. My new policy is to wait at least a six months to a year before I buy any new games. My wallet just sent me a valentines...
LotR is looks to be an ok training wheel game for people who don't know better though. The best I can say about it is that those that try it may one day move on to something deeper and more challenging. We can at least hope.
I know better and I know I will never bother with the level grind of Vanguard. Been there done that in Everquest.
LOTRO will be the first p2p MMORPG I've subscribed to (if I'm still playing it in about a month, that is so I am in no way a good judge whether it will dent the WOW, Vanguard, etc. userbase. However, I do think that it will attract many people who are not usually attracted to MMORPGs (and I'm not saying this because its Lord of the Rings). The linear and quest based gameplay of LOTRO will attract many people, like myself, who absolutely despise the grind that comes in MMORPGs. However, I do agree with the comments saying that LOTRO will not attract the hard-core MMORPGers (even though you can grind in LOTRO if you so desire.) As to those of talking as if PvP is non-existant, technically you are right, it's PvMP :P While it seems that LOTRO was not designed to center around PvMP, I do think that it will be good enough to satisfy the desire some people have for killing hobbits, elves, etc. (Sadly, I haven't had a chance to personally try it yet.)
While LOTRO probably will not be a blockbuster, I think that it will do well and attract a decent amount of people.
Well, I think that the people who say that it will be a 'hit' are actually pretty conservative with their numbers. I don't think anyone meant it was a WoW killer. A 'dent' was the term I see.
At any rate, the beta community is great and I can see that it will become a home for many there. It does have a particular vibe to it although I agree with the casual sentiments.
Player versus Monster Player is a little different than many people seem to think. During beta they artificially raised several players to the higher levels so that their would be a contingent of free people to combat the monster horde. However there are still only so many of them. As the released game matures there will be a large amount of high level players occupying the battle areas.
By that time however many of the monster players will have gained a full set of abilities through questing and fighting. It will be interesting to see how the numbers eventually work out.
When you reach level 10 you can enter a portal in the city wherein you choose from the monster characters. You name yourself and enter a different realm where you are presented with a starter area containing quest givers, trainers, etc. You have some beginner abilities and the same control system. There are regions to control and defend while quests send you to various areas. This monster character becomes a separate but lasting alternate that gains in power through accomplishment.
When I last checked the free people controlled the majority of the areas
LOTRO is one of the few MMO's I'm actually anticipating this year. Vanguard is/was a huge dissapointment. I don't like it much at all. I will still play EVE regardless of what comes out but LOTR:O is the game I'm looking at most right now for fantasy (unless by some miracle EA:Mythic manages to get WAR released this year (but I don't think it'll hit till 2008). I don't have much faith in Hero's Journey hitting shelves this year, I'm beginning to wonder if they're even making progress on it any longer as the devs seem to have stopped talking. Darkfall I will play if it ever comes out but it's another game I don't have a lot of faith that it'll hit shelves this year.
So of the games that I think will hit this year (or have already hit in Vanguard's case) I think LOTR:O will do the best.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online. Sig image Pending Still in: A couple Betas
I hope LoTRO does really well for Turbine so they can use the profit from it to make a game with more depth. This looks to be the solid mainstream cash cow title they hoped it would be.
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
People who have the patience to play Vanguard despite its faults probably don't fall into the same group as those who will love Lord of the Rings Online. For that reason, I don't think it will be stealing any subscribers from Vanguard. Anyway, even if stole ALL of Vanguard subscribers, it wouldn't boost its numbers by that much.
Will it steal some from World of Warcraft? I think so. It really seems like one step up from WoW, to my eyes. It's a bit less polished, though. Stuff like the camera's weak points will annoy WoW players. There's also even less character customization in LotRO than in WoW, which is rather sad. I really hope they hammer out the really small bugs before launch. If they do, they're poised to present a very solid casual experience.
I think Turbine knows how to appeal to their targeted customers. DDO, after all, was actually more of a financial success than Vanguard.
Im sorry but the fact that they will not have any real PVP turned me off,then those 2 videos(page 1) reminded me of what I was seeing when I watched someone in beta.
Boring cannot even begin to describe this game if you ask me,I have seen faster combat in pong.
I never could understand why Turbine got the rights to LOTR anyways, they were a one trick poney(AC). Hopefully this seals their fate, lord knows we do not need anymore MMORPG developing companys that just can't produce the goods.
------------------------------ You see, every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with their surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You spread to an area, and you multiply, and you multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.-Mr.Smith
LOTRO will draw far more players from WOW than Vanguard...which should leave WOW with "only" 7.75 million subscribers...
Not just because WOW has so many more to steal, but rather because LOTRO is geared towards the causal gamer..and appears to be trying to "out-casual" WOW at its own game.
I'm currently playing Vanguard, and if they don't get things cleaned up in the next 3 months or so I'll consider playing LOTR until something new like AOC, Darkfall, or WAR are released.
Its not my style of game, but I'll be it would be fun for a little while... which is all I really look for in a game... I'm not looking for a permanent gaming home....
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Comments
I didn't understand when I logged in for the first time why you couldn't play a orc or one of the other "evil races", it just seemed like a glaring omission to me. Then it sorta started to make since when there was no real pvp. I never got high enough to try to fight a monster battle but it seems more like a distraction than real PVP, just my opinion mind you.
Instanced areas aren't a deal breaker for me but the world really feels tiny, when a elf can get from their area to the shire in a mater of a few minutes things seem out of scale to me. No since of epic to the maps or scope of the game. I can see people burning through much of the content fast and then what? I have a feeling those that buy the $200 for a lifetime membership will grow to regret it, I can't see this game holding peoples attention for more than a year or so.
That all said I think the game will do fine on name alone. I'm a huge lord of the rings fan but after my time in beta I can say its just not what I'm looking for. Funny thing is, if I hadn't been in beta I would have likely bought the game. I will say this very few bugs and a polished look to the world help but a small world with linear content will keep me away.
My youtube MMO gaming channel
While LOTRO probably will not be a blockbuster, I think that it will do well and attract a decent amount of people.
Well, I think that the people who say that it will be a 'hit' are actually pretty conservative with their numbers. I don't think anyone meant it was a WoW killer. A 'dent' was the term I see.
At any rate, the beta community is great and I can see that it will become a home for many there. It does have a particular vibe to it although I agree with the casual sentiments.
Player versus Monster Player is a little different than many people seem to think. During beta they artificially raised several players to the higher levels so that their would be a contingent of free people to combat the monster horde. However there are still only so many of them. As the released game matures there will be a large amount of high level players occupying the battle areas.
By that time however many of the monster players will have gained a full set of abilities through questing and fighting. It will be interesting to see how the numbers eventually work out.
When you reach level 10 you can enter a portal in the city wherein you choose from the monster characters. You name yourself and enter a different realm where you are presented with a starter area containing quest givers, trainers, etc. You have some beginner abilities and the same control system. There are regions to control and defend while quests send you to various areas. This monster character becomes a separate but lasting alternate that gains in power through accomplishment.
When I last checked the free people controlled the majority of the areas
Just some rambling thoughts....
So of the games that I think will hit this year (or have already hit in Vanguard's case) I think LOTR:O will do the best.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
People who have the patience to play Vanguard despite its faults probably don't fall into the same group as those who will love Lord of the Rings Online. For that reason, I don't think it will be stealing any subscribers from Vanguard. Anyway, even if stole ALL of Vanguard subscribers, it wouldn't boost its numbers by that much.
Will it steal some from World of Warcraft? I think so. It really seems like one step up from WoW, to my eyes. It's a bit less polished, though. Stuff like the camera's weak points will annoy WoW players. There's also even less character customization in LotRO than in WoW, which is rather sad. I really hope they hammer out the really small bugs before launch. If they do, they're poised to present a very solid casual experience.
I think Turbine knows how to appeal to their targeted customers. DDO, after all, was actually more of a financial success than Vanguard.
Im sorry but the fact that they will not have any real PVP turned me off,then those 2 videos(page 1) reminded me of what I was seeing when I watched someone in beta.
Boring cannot even begin to describe this game if you ask me,I have seen faster combat in pong.
I never could understand why Turbine got the rights to LOTR anyways, they were a one trick poney(AC). Hopefully this seals their fate, lord knows we do not need anymore MMORPG developing companys that just can't produce the goods.
------------------------------
You see, every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with their surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You spread to an area, and you multiply, and you multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.-Mr.Smith
LOTRO will draw far more players from WOW than Vanguard...which should leave WOW with "only" 7.75 million subscribers...
Not just because WOW has so many more to steal, but rather because LOTRO is geared towards the causal gamer..and appears to be trying to "out-casual" WOW at its own game.
I'm currently playing Vanguard, and if they don't get things cleaned up in the next 3 months or so I'll consider playing LOTR until something new like AOC, Darkfall, or WAR are released.
Its not my style of game, but I'll be it would be fun for a little while... which is all I really look for in a game... I'm not looking for a permanent gaming home....
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon