Too much running around

Gorilla

Kinda enjoying things now but really hate the running back wards and forwards (particularly in the Shire elves and dwarves seem to have it easier). Even if you plan your route there will be something that sends you back .....and then forth .....and then back. Coupled with the fact that cash to hire a horse is out of the question (cant afford to repair armour sometimes) .



There dosent seem to be a whole lot of fellowshiping going on either but maybe thats me not looking so hard.



Anyway enjoyable romp so far just not sure if I'll subscribe....I am getting a bit more selective in my old age :-)



Cheers.

Manmadegod

Yeah, I really hated all the running back and forth as well... So far in my experiences - I dislike the uselessness of crafting at this point in the game.. I have spent many hours in it getting tier 3 mastery and I am still unable to produce anything useful for my champion. - .-



All the older beta testers keep saying - Yeah, crafting blows until end game.... Well thats a broken craft imo then.

Knightblast

I think it's pretty clear they want crafting to be a side game, like it is in WoW, rather than being more significant as it was in "old" SWG or EVE.

airhead

Crafting is just out of pace with Adventuring I think. For example, to craft a good lvl 15 item, I have to go kill some level 23 mobs and get a drop, (almost impossible to do... and even if possible, it takes a long time because you are only hitting it 1 out of 10 times). Bottom line, by the time you can make it, it's not going to be something you really want.



HOWEVER, I have heard all of this changes at the highest levels (40+) and crafting will yield the best stuff in the game. A combination of the one-time recipes, critical-success while crafting, and some hard to find rare items.   So it might actually make more sense, (although this might be a more boring approach), to just level first, get 40+, then go back and grind crafting up from nothing to max all at once. Then 90% of the leveling of crafting would be trivially easy and fast, and there would be an immediate payoff when you had all the crafting mastered...

Kyleran

Yeah, you do seem to run back and forth alot... will be nice when I have enough money for a mount or can afford to take the horse vendors more places...

DeaconX

Interesting - this is not the first aspect where I've heard 'useless until max levels' which kinda blows -- armour value is apparently next to useless also? That is until you're wearing Level 40+ armour... The idea of levelling first and then going back to crafting sounds good, but I wish everything was significant at every level so as to allow players a feeling of actually achieving something rather than just looking forward to finally being better at end game.

Unknown

I don't know about other classes, but jewelers are above the curve when it comes to critting for better crafted items than found. The jeweler is able to make some absolutely amazing gear for lvl 13/15 that i've yet to see be compared with anything else on the Auction Houses.



Currently the Fine Amethyst Rings with 9 vitality are the big sellers as there isn't a higher option for vitality out there for this low level widely available.

Gamma_5

Although I've only got to lvl 6 I believe that the running around is less than WoW.

The problem I have is that the skills in the skill bar are harder to distinguish because they are too small.  I do enjoy the fact that I am part of the the LOTR story and the graphics are pretty good.

Just some thoughts,

Gamma_5

Ruthgar

What I find funny is that some beta testers said that the world is too small and wanted it to take longer to walk from say Hobbiton to the Brandwine Bridge. Imagine if it took longer with all the running around that the OP doesn't like.



I don't mind it. I always like the running around in the Shire. I will go to the Shire and quest as a (hu)Man.



I agree about crafting, but they have made a few improvements over the past few months. I hope that it is worthwhile in the lower levels.

garbonzo

Yea lot's of running.  I don't mind that it takes a while to get my first character going, but I like to have several "mains" and having to do all the same running all over again is already a little tedious.

As for the crafting comments, I'm not a huge roleplayer but I have formed a little bit of backstory for my hunter that makes the so-so crafted items actually a game element and challenge.  Basically, she's not the best crafter but she insists on making all of her own bows out of pride, and a little stubbornness - she'll only use the ones she made.  The story is making crafting more interesting, because by my own character rules, I need to make the very best possible for my level regardless of whether they are the best obtainable (by drops, etc.)  As the story unfolds and more recipes open up at higher levels, I'm thinking this backstory will give me even more satisfaction in crafting bows, when I can finally make some that hang with or surpass other sources.

Not to say that I wouldn't mind having better crafting recipes early on, but since LOTRO begs for some story-based roleplay, I'm trying to spice up the elements that might otherwise leave me wanting if I was only out for uber gear.  

Knightblast

Crafting is pretty much broken at the moment, together with the economy in general. 

NeoSpud

Originally posted by Gorilla

Kinda enjoying things now but really hate the running back wards and forwards (particularly in the Shire elves and dwarves seem to have it easier). Even if you plan your route there will be something that sends you back .....and then forth .....and then back. Coupled with the fact that cash to hire a horse is out of the question (cant afford to repair armour sometimes) .



There dosent seem to be a whole lot of fellowshiping going on either but maybe thats me not looking so hard.



Anyway enjoyable romp so far just not sure if I'll subscribe....I am getting a bit more selective in my old age :-)



Cheers.

I think the lack of fellowshiping is a product of the level cap.  If you run the chapter quests up to 10 and beyond i think you'll see that more content requires grouping.  There isn't really a whole lot you can't do solo pre-15.  Its funny though... there's a quest i've done 2 or 3 times now that has a few NPC's sending messeges back and forth to eachother... you get to do the running back and forth.  I personally don't mind it too much, it only got tedious after my 3rd character.  Being human isn't that bad either i guess.



I prefer seeing different areas opposed to being forced to spend 24 hours play time in one area to get stuff done.  I like a change of scenery.

JonMichael

Originally posted by Novaseeker

Crafting is pretty much broken at the moment, together with the economy in general. 

Neither crafting nor the economy are broken at the moment.

I have both a tailor and a scholar who are both doing extremely well at the moment.  I can't even craft enough potions to put on auction before they sell out.  The tailor is also selling armor at a very good rate.

As for the economy, it's tight.. as it should be.  This early in the game (prelaunch/launch), you don't want excess money to throw the economy totally out of whack.  As the community matures, so will the economy.

There are also tweaks still being made on both issues... crafting is getting adjustments along with repair prices to help with the economy. 

allegria

Originally posted by airhead

Crafting is just out of pace with Adventuring I think. For example, to craft a good lvl 15 item, I have to go kill some level 23 mobs and get a drop, (almost impossible to do... and even if possible, it takes a long time because you are only hitting it 1 out of 10 times). Bottom line, by the time you can make it, it's not going to be something you really want.



HOWEVER, I have heard all of this changes at the highest levels (40+) and crafting will yield the best stuff in the game. A combination of the one-time recipes, critical-success while crafting, and some hard to find rare items.   So it might actually make more sense, (although this might be a more boring approach), to just level first, get 40+, then go back and grind crafting up from nothing to max all at once. Then 90% of the leveling of crafting would be trivially easy and fast, and there would be an immediate payoff when you had all the crafting mastered...

Not sure what crafting profession you are, but this is not accurate.  I can craft level 15-16 purple jewelery and leather armour ( i am tinker and explorer ) and the ingredients come off mobs from levels 13-18.

Perhaps you are referring to the quest mobs one must kill to obtain the next tier of crafting. There is an issue here but it is not all that hard. As a tailor and Jeweler i can tell you that in order to reach tier 3 ( lvl 20+ items) i had to do 2 quests which required killing lvl 21ish signature mobs. 4 of us at level 15 did this without too much trouble.

I know that Scholar and Metalsmith are harder, but if the quests were done at say 17 instead of 15 it would be that much easier. My guild has done the above quests for Metalsmith and it was a pain, but doable at 15 if you are willing to put the time in.

-Allegria

starman999

Amen brother.........



The constantly being sent back and forth is such a shameless time sink effort by the devs. Instead of putting more content into the quests themselves they make you run between towns at 5 to 8 minutes a shot sometimes 4 or more times during the same quest and that is pathetic.



Either change the quests or make the standard run speed faster.

airhead

Originally posted by allegria




Not sure what crafting profession you are, but this is not accurate. 


Perhaps you are referring to the quest mobs one must kill to obtain the next tier of crafting.

Talking about Metalsmith Quest Mobs. And as a tailor-hunter who is an expert, I'm wearing nothing I've made. The purple westmarch stuff drops from orcs (i got several pieces of that, been a few days since i've been on).... and i currently can not make anything better than what I'm wearing. I suppose that depends on where you hunt (been doing orcs/undead in high teens) as far as comparing drops to crafted.



But from discussions with CB people, it really kicks in later I hear. I'm not complaining that much... just saying that from 1-40, the crafted items are little lower than dropped, from my experience.

Gorilla

Well I pre-ordered it anyway. has a decent feel for something this early in its life.



I'm determined to finish all the quests in the shire with this character at least. I just hit autorun and then read or play around on my laptop.



It is a shameless time sink or poorly concieved. Getting the mail through was kinda Ok cause it had you going in the same sort of direction and took you to new towns. The spoilt pies well nice idea but it is basically running backwards and forwards. If you throw in a  couple of other too and frow quests it gets kinda old. Oh not forgeting the only trainers are right in the corner of the map.



With this character i guess I have spent well over half of my time getting somewhere or  other  maybe even 80% <shrug>

fiontar

The amount of running around varies by zone. It's unfair to say you have to run around too much based on Questing in the Shire. With the Shire, they have tried to minimize killing quests and give you a feel for the setting that until recently was pretty isolated from the problems of the rest of the world.



There is a lot of running around, but if you are able to enjoy and immerse yourself in the world, it isn't a detriment. If it annoys you, the other zones have a lot less running around. (BTW, say in Bree-Lands, you have a lot more running if you obssess over turning in everything as soon as it's completed than if you just load up on quests and go out and explore the zone, hitting quests along the way).



The Shire has timed quests that involve running and avoiding obstacles. You can deliver mail from one town to the next, but you have to be quick about it and avoid Nosey Hobbits. You can deliver Pies, but make sure you don't drop them and avoid those Hungry Hobbits! You can't fight while carrying the post or the pies, if you stop to do so, you fail the quest. You can't swim either. At the most basic level, these are pure fed-ex, but in game they are actually very fun.

gatheris

Originally posted by starman999

Amen brother.........



The constantly being sent back and forth is such a shameless time sink effort by the devs. Instead of putting more content into the quests themselves they make you run between towns at 5 to 8 minutes a shot sometimes 4 or more times during the same quest and that is pathetic.



Either change the quests or make the standard run speed faster.

in other words

"please give me a instant lvl 50 button"

play the frikkin game - actually read the quests - change that mentality of gaining quest exp to lvl - enjoy the world

Yeebo

I only started fooling with crafting on my third toon.  I have a level 13 Champion that made himself a pair of gloves that (so far) is far superior to anything I've found questing.  Even assuming I knew exactly where to go to get the very best quest gear for my level, it seems like cook, scholars, and jewelers would still make items you'd want (you get beans for jewelry at first, and I'm always running out of food and potions).

Einherjar_LC

It seems about right to me. 

 

Not so much its a total pain, but enough to make you feel like you've done something to earn the reward.

 

You're always gonna have the "fedex" type quests no matter what MMO you play.  It's a staple of the industry and unless this is your first MMO, you should be used to it by now.  The devs can't make every single quest an epic adventure. 

Cerion

Originally posted by Novaseeker

Crafting is pretty much broken at the moment, together with the economy in general. 

I know you've been passionate on the official boards regarding farming which is in the process of being tweaked.  But to say catagorically that crafting and the economy is broken is a bit of a stretch in my opinion.

Gorilla

Flontar, I do take your point (in my original post I did say me elf was faring better). Actually the timed nature of things like the pies gives a nice challenge and a lot of the quests are well written.



I think perhaps the answer is more travels options  at a reasonable price. Stables are a wee bit expensive. EQII had a decent enough system where if you did a quest for the grifon rider you could use the grifon stations. Something like that would work - for example once having completed the mail quests being rewarded with a 'postmans pass' for the stables or some such,



These lines do draw you into day to day life in the shire but after a while the constant back and forth actualy damages the imersion for me.



Cheers.

Unknown

Originally posted by Manmadegod

Yeah, I really hated all the running back and forth as well... So far in my experiences - I dislike the uselessness of crafting at this point in the game.. I have spent many hours in it getting tier 3 mastery and I am still unable to produce anything useful for my champion. - .-



All the older beta testers keep saying - Yeah, crafting blows until end game.... Well thats a broken craft imo then.

I woud have to agree with that stattement.

If crafting is of no use at the lower levels, then why ever bother to HAVE lower levels.

Unknown

Originally posted by Einherjar_LC


It seems about right to me. 
 
Not so much its a total pain, but enough to make you feel like you've done something to earn the reward.
 
You're always gonna have the "fedex" type quests no matter what MMO you play.  It's a staple of the industry and unless this is your first MMO, you should be used to it by now.  The devs can't make every single quest an epic adventure. 

My question is.. Why?

And yes, every MMO uses them. Isn't it time to think outside the box, or maybe even get a new box?

Einherjar_LC

Originally posted by Laiina

Originally posted by Einherjar_LC


It seems about right to me. 
 
Not so much its a total pain, but enough to make you feel like you've done something to earn the reward.
 
You're always gonna have the "fedex" type quests no matter what MMO you play.  It's a staple of the industry and unless this is your first MMO, you should be used to it by now.  The devs can't make every single quest an epic adventure. 

My question is.. Why?

And yes, every MMO uses them. Isn't it time to think outside the box, or maybe even get a new box?

For me, unless they are overused, which I do not think is the case so far in LOTRO, it is an acceptable quest dynamic when mixed with other dynamics.  As I already stated, every quest can't be an epic quest and there seem to be only so much you can do within the quest dynamic.

My question to you is what would be your "outside the box" or "new box" suggestion for a fix? 

When pointing out a problem, I always try to have an idea for a fix instead of just saying there is a problem.  I'm always open to new ideas and would be eager to hear what you'd have in mind.  If it's a really good idea, gaming companies occasionally listen to them.