Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Free update heading our way...
killerwig
Member UncommonPosts: 236
Coming in June - Shores of Evendim
20-Apr-2007
COMING IN JUNE!!
Shores of Evendim
Shores of Evendim
The First Update to The Lord of the Rings Online
The greatest fantasy of all time continues to expand!
Beginning in June, heroes can adventure to the Shores of Evendim, the first of many free updates to The Lord of the Rings Online.
About 100 miles north of the Shire, in northern Eriador, lies Evendim, a vast region dominated by the Lake Nenuial; the 'Lake of the Twilight'. On the southern shore, the ancient abandoned city of Annúminas -the former capital of the kingdom of Arnor is well known amongst the Free Peoples. For according to the Legends, amidst its ruins lay a great wealth and powerful artifacts now threatened by evil creatures and the nefarious forces lurking in Angmar.
As the Fellowship prepares to leave Rivendell, Aragorn must re-forge Narsil, the Sword of Elendil. Gandalf has asked for help in Aragorn's to search the ancient lands of Evendim for an ancient jewel that once belonged in the sword's hilt. This powerful relic must be recovered before the Dark Lord Sauron finds it.
Players are challenged to secure the valuables of the abandoned city, defy Angmar's encroaching grip on Annúminas and aid Aragorn in his quest to re-forge Narsil.
Key Features:
- Discover the lands of Evendim
- Explore over 60 new Quests
- Raid in the Battle for Helegrod
- Fight against 9 new monsters
- Upgraded music system adds new instruments and lets you share your music with others
- Equip collectible Armor Sets
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just thought you all might like to know. I like free content updates 
Sorry, I don't have a link to the actual article - I grabbed this off the patcher news.
Comments
Sounds great! I myself love free content updates also. Looking foward to it.
Bleh... I was a little late too. Looks like someone else posted a thread on this.
But then again, I just woke up at 4am... so my brain is a little worse for wear, so to speak. Sorry about that.
Yep...while other games devote massive patches to fix bugs and nerf classes after launch, LOTRO will be giving us content for our subscription dollars.
/clap
yes, of course there will be bug patches in addition to the content...I guess I better add this statement.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
I hear you. For the years that I played SWG, I was duped into thinking their 'content' updates were actually content. In fact SOE seems to think that content is anything they patch to your client.
Turbine is a breath of fresh air.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
So they release a half finished game, throw in a few content patches after release (that should of made it for launch), call it a free update, and people eat it right up. Turbine has always been great at working the bullshit card, you gotta give them credit for that. Almost as good as Blizzard and ArenaNet so you know they'll be a success.
I'm sorry but I don't buy it. Any content "update" that comes this close to release is either
A. Being held back because it's not finished and needs fine tuning
B. Being held back for the sole purpose of making it seem like a free update
Almost every MMORPG does it, some better then others. What will impress me is if they meet the deadlines they give themselves.
Hopefully after a couple of these patches I'll find the game fun to play.
Here's to hoping
Middle Earth is Huge. Looking at the maps, if Turbine can keep pace with their plans, I looks like by the time they get to the final chapter in the books, the playable game world will be about 10 times bigger than it is now over the next five years.
The arguement that this is stuff that should have been in at launch, but is repackaged as free content is a bogus one. No matter what they included at launch, you could claim that any content that follows "should have been in at launch".
You know what? After seeing the way Azeroth languished in WoW for over two years waiting for an expansions that was too little, too late, I'm glad for this kind of expansion model. Every month or two there will be a fresh zone to explore, full of quests, plus what ever other game enhancements they sneak in with it.
The zones here are a lot bigger than some people have made out and the number of quests is significant. If Turbine can pull off regular updates while maintaining this level of quality the game will continue to offer an incredible gaming experience over the long term.
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
I'll go with C, which is kind of like your B but with salsa. Marketing scheme for the hundreds of thousands of people that are in the open beta, and a damn good one. Not only will you get a reduced payment option or the lifetime deal, but we will also deliver FREE meaningful content updates..
Very smart and if they keep it up they will get the sub numbers they want. People are sick to death of nerfs after and before release. As long as they keep true to their statements they will do very well, and if they dont well we all know where that will lead them.
The game is fun and I am enjoying it. Im a casual gamer and it just fits my play style. If they keep the solo/small groups have just as much chance at the great loot as the raiders then Im in for the long haul. IF they dont meet that promise they had better have something fun for me to do or keep the content up for solo/small groups.
Family man first, Gamer second!
ArmySurplus makes no apologies if someone other than him has already posted his reply in part or otherwise. He cant be expected to read every single post on a thread and makes no promise to do so. If you posted a similar reply before him you undoubtedly stole his thoughts and used them without his written authorization. Please return to your post and edit it so that his post is the first to state whatever the hell he was thinking at the time. Thank you!
It floors me how many people will complain about *anything*, LoTR has been a complete, stable, and for me extremely enjoyable game for months now. One of the payoffs of Turbine having there act together is that they can do things like work on more content instead of desperately trying to patch together some bug ridden mess for a rushed release.
Middle Earth is Huge. Looking at the maps, if Turbine can keep pace with their plans, I looks like by the time they get to the final chapter in the books, the playable game world will be about 10 times bigger than it is now over the next five years.
The arguement that this is stuff that should have been in at launch, but is repackaged as free content is a bogus one. No matter what they included at launch, you could claim that any content that follows "should have been in at launch".
You know what? After seeing the way Azeroth languished in WoW for over two years waiting for an expansions that was too little, too late, I'm glad for this kind of expansion model. Every month or two there will be a fresh zone to explore, full of quests, plus what ever other game enhancements they sneak in with it.
The zones here are a lot bigger than some people have made out and the number of quests is significant. If Turbine can pull off regular updates while maintaining this level of quality the game will continue to offer an incredible gaming experience over the long term.
WoW didn't languish because of lack of updates, it suffered from a bad gaming model from the beginning and that's what will eventually be it's downfall I think. The entire game is based around collecting items with little to no open-ended gameplay. Even its PvP is about collecting items. While it keeps people interested, that's only as long as they can add more items and even that will start to lose its charm.
LOTRO suffers from a similarly bad model. Following a static linear storyline that eventually ends. So to work passed this they are releasing the game in small updates over time to keep people from finishing the story too quickly. By releasing it in chunks they keep subscribers. I doubt this is the only content "patch" they have waiting to be released. They probably have 2 or 3 more that could be released now but they want to keep people wanting more.
The problem with this is the same problem that is happening with Guild Wars and DnD. They can't keep up with demand and they start losing customers.
The difference between Guild Wars and LOTRO is that Guild Wars is free and has a PvP system that can make up for lack of updates, but of course that leaves them with a whole different problem to deal with.
Turbine is going to be in for a balancing act that I don't think they can keep up with. That have to release just enough updates to keep you guys wanting more without overwhelming the customers and spreading themselves too thin. If they do this the story can become old and stagnant and they really have nothing to fall back on. No cool looking highend loot to raid for, no intense PvP to keep customers interested, they do have that cool new music system (which I love), but who's going to be paying $15 for that.
I really hope this isn't the new business model for games though. Things were looking up for open-ended gameplay with the sandbox model, and just because a few games didn't have the means to make a complete and fun game doesn't mean they should give up on it. I really think if the right developer came along they could do it right.
While "loot" based and linear style games are right for some, there is a whole untapped market just waiting to be grabbed by the first developer willing to put forth the effort.
P.S. to ayanel
I don't know where people get off calling LOTRO bug free. I've been playing since closed beta and I can tell you there are just as many bugs as any other game released. The difference though is fans of the game seem to turn a blind eye to them and anyone who brings them up get squashed out by people like you.
A month ago I would have said I expect to see quite a few squashed before release, and while they did cut out a big chunk it's not as impressive as many people are saying.
Also if you read the rest of my post you'll understand why I don't buy this content "patch".
Of course you will agree that any MMO is always under development. You will also agree, I think, that any properly run company will have certain deadlines in place, and certain milestones at which time no more major content should be added because it can't be tested properly before launch (exactly what VG failed to do--a lot of changes right before launch with little to no testing). Turbine has been doing both of these.
So yes, the content developers for LOTRO are always working on more content. Heck, as a poster pointed out elsewhere, these content developers are probably already working on THE NEXT PATCH after Evendim.
I know it's hard for many of you jaded players to believe, but LOTRO is doing some great things here. I myself having been burned by SWG and my hopes dashed by VG have found Turbine to be a top notch company.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
Well, with this statement, I now understand you completely. You are one of those types that are never satisfied, grass always greener on the other side. For you Turbine can do no right, and even if they were some how able to pull off what you ask, you'd still find something to complain about.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
No, that is not true. Vanguard was far far far buggier at release than LoTR is now. (And may be for all I know, I did not stay past my free month.) AO was worse than even Vanguard. EQ released an expansion where when the "epic enemy" was defeated a bunch of broken events and placeholder art rolled out across the world. Shadowbane’s servers were not stable 6 months after release. Archlord is so broken they made it free to play. Horizons was a mess. AC2 (also a Turbine game) did not even have a working chat system. I could go on, the majority of MMO’s are a mess when they release.
I have seen a few very minor bugs in LoTR online, none of them have decreased my enjoyment of the game at all, and most of them have been fixed. (I kind of miss ghost bear actually.) There have been maybe two MMO releases that I have been in that have gone as well as the LoTR open beta.
Now this is not to say that there is not a place for the sandbox model, I hope some great ones come out soon, but WoW’s 8 million or more active subscribers is a huge success and in now way indicative of a bad game model.
Now this is not to say that there is not a place for the sandbox model, I hope some great ones come out soon, but WoW’s 8 million or more active subscribers is a huge success and in now way indicative of a bad game model.
I would also point out that LOTRO is adding sandbox elements. Music is just the tip. There are a few mini-games as well as crafting, secret emotes to discover. You can grind old skool style for xp or loot. The devs have said they want to add housing (they did in AC1) and kinship halls.
The one sandbox element it will never have is a skill-based system. I guess for some people, skill-based = sandbox.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
LOTRO in Beta 1 had fewer bugs than other MMOs I played in beta or release. I played SEED beta and could never move. WoW at release was a bug filled, lag filled, server roll back, gorefest.
I will agree with some of the naysayers that Turbine has an ambitious plan. If they deliver with regular content updates (not just new dungeons, items, or quests) that contain new features (housing) and new areas, they will have a hit on their hands.
I hated DDO and didn't expect much from LOTRO, but I think it will take away those bad memories.
I don't understand why people think LOTRO doesn't have PvP. Monster play is better than most of the PvE game sthat slam in PvP.
I think most people feel that PvP is just ganking lowbies. Monster play isn't Realm vs Realm, but as far as instanced PvP, I think it is fun.
WoW didn't languish because of lack of updates, it suffered from a bad gaming model from the beginning and that's what will eventually be it's downfall I think. The entire game is based around collecting items with little to no open-ended gameplay. Even its PvP is about collecting items. While it keeps people interested, that's only as long as they can add more items and even that will start to lose its charm.
LOTRO suffers from a similarly bad model. Following a static linear storyline that eventually ends. So to work passed this they are releasing the game in small updates over time to keep people from finishing the story too quickly. By releasing it in chunks they keep subscribers. I doubt this is the only content "patch" they have waiting to be released. They probably have 2 or 3 more that could be released now but they want to keep people wanting more.
The problem with this is the same problem that is happening with Guild Wars and DnD. They can't keep up with demand and they start losing customers.
The difference between Guild Wars and LOTRO is that Guild Wars is free and has a PvP system that can make up for lack of updates, but of course that leaves them with a whole different problem to deal with.
Turbine is going to be in for a balancing act that I don't think they can keep up with. That have to release just enough updates to keep you guys wanting more without overwhelming the customers and spreading themselves too thin. If they do this the story can become old and stagnant and they really have nothing to fall back on. No cool looking highend loot to raid for, no intense PvP to keep customers interested, they do have that cool new music system (which I love), but who's going to be paying $15 for that.
I really hope this isn't the new business model for games though. Things were looking up for open-ended gameplay with the sandbox model, and just because a few games didn't have the means to make a complete and fun game doesn't mean they should give up on it. I really think if the right developer came along they could do it right.
While "loot" based and linear style games are right for some, there is a whole untapped market just waiting to be grabbed by the first developer willing to put forth the effort.
Just a few things.
Firstly thanks for your post and i appreciate your opinions and views.
Your argument and reasoning however is inherently flawed on many many levels.
Firstly any software application particularly an MMORPG that can boast a peak of @8 million subscribers, sells 2.4 million copies of an expansion in 24 hours becoming the fastest selling PC title of ALL time and is to be honest single handedly responsible for dragging WHAT was an essentially niche hardcore market (MMORPG's) and dragging them it the mainstream limelight (for better or worse) is totally and utterly NOT a failed business model, let alone a failed game model...........The words you are seeking are "Benchmark Application" whether or not you love the title or despise it....it is a success bordering on Phenomenon....End of Discussion. And i dont play anymore for the record.
It can have its downfall due to living out its lifespan, agreed. And i think its "back to basic" concepts and limited shelf life are JUST beginning to show through now, but however it will never be remembered for its downfall in the public eye - only what a benchmarking title and a sound solid gamel it was and is too so many people.
And whilst WoW simplified the genre in terms of its gameplay mechnics and internal complexity (something you seem to focus heavily on being a sandbox fan) it simply delivered something which to be fair was utterly utterly missing from MMORPG games before its time a solid released code, out of the box polish and a first time excellent play experience. Its Subscription numbers and success are testament alone to this fact among others, whilst bringing the industry of previously far more complex games crashing down to earth and back to basics due to its success...it delivered the core fundamentals that ANY software title should have and core fundamentals most of which were utterly utterly lacking in the Niche market of MMORPG's until that time of its release.
I take star wars galaxies as an example, one of the most advanced MMORPG's i have ever played in my life even to this day in terms of internal mechanics and systems and a tradjedy in gaming history. However much i loved that game with my friends, it DID NOT get right the basic building blocks....those basic building blocks of Performance, Polish and Code Stability. I love building sandcastles but without the water necessary to hold it together...... it just falls to pieces and gets washed away.
However i will always bear fond memories for galaxies becuase at the time the industry in terms of raw numbers of players was significantly smaller, technology was more trial and error in all departments particularly , and players simply worked around or got through the bad code and numerous glitches easier perhaps.
I think however a precident has now been set. For better and Worse the industry now has a very solid example of a benchmark and business model...Us as gamers may not see that entirely but you can certainly take it as granted that other publishers and developers in the market space are...and so those days of old, when games would have massive complexity and internal mechanisms for gamers and gamers would be willing to pay for beta quality for three - six months whilst launch features were added and poor code and engines were patched up are dieing, if not very much dead. And there historically is the camp that the sandbox generally falls into....
An example of vanguards recent terrible launch is a testament to how much this industry space has changed because gamers consiously or SubConsiously have a more recognizable measuring stick now...the genre has been benchmarked and expectations in some cases have been made. Vanguard is a title that released with amazing open world sandbox like potential that i really looked forward to, the reality was a lot harder to swallow and so far for a game based on its budget its future looks terrible. And that is a game that was released by developers with yesterdays business and gaming models, into todays market........
Despite Lord of the rings short comings, of which there are some, it hasnt shot for innovation, complexitty or sandbox....it has gone more after the Genre's benchmark title with its own popular IP and its own developers small additions and improvements and make no doubt i believe it will be a very popular game. I enjoy it immensly and the core building blocks of a quality product are there....
I WOULD LOVE the innovation of Galaxies and Vanguard in a game with the polish and out of the box performance focus of LOTRO and WoW however i think your wishing for something which to put simply in the mainstream MMORPG market just doesnt exist as of yet....we have yet more ground to tread.
Regards
Mag
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
WoW didn't languish because of lack of updates, it suffered from a bad gaming model from the beginning and that's what will eventually be it's downfall I think. The entire game is based around collecting items with little to no open-ended gameplay. Even its PvP is about collecting items. While it keeps people interested, that's only as long as they can add more items and even that will start to lose its charm.
LOTRO suffers from a similarly bad model. Following a static linear storyline that eventually ends. So to work passed this they are releasing the game in small updates over time to keep people from finishing the story too quickly. By releasing it in chunks they keep subscribers. I doubt this is the only content "patch" they have waiting to be released. They probably have 2 or 3 more that could be released now but they want to keep people wanting more.
The problem with this is the same problem that is happening with Guild Wars and DnD. They can't keep up with demand and they start losing customers.
The difference between Guild Wars and LOTRO is that Guild Wars is free and has a PvP system that can make up for lack of updates, but of course that leaves them with a whole different problem to deal with.
Turbine is going to be in for a balancing act that I don't think they can keep up with. That have to release just enough updates to keep you guys wanting more without overwhelming the customers and spreading themselves too thin. If they do this the story can become old and stagnant and they really have nothing to fall back on. No cool looking highend loot to raid for, no intense PvP to keep customers interested, they do have that cool new music system (which I love), but who's going to be paying $15 for that.
I really hope this isn't the new business model for games though. Things were looking up for open-ended gameplay with the sandbox model, and just because a few games didn't have the means to make a complete and fun game doesn't mean they should give up on it. I really think if the right developer came along they could do it right.
While "loot" based and linear style games are right for some, there is a whole untapped market just waiting to be grabbed by the first developer willing to put forth the effort.
Just a few things.
Firstly thanks for your post and i appreciate your opinions and views.
Your argument and reasoning however is inherently flawed on many many levels.
Firstly any software application particularly an MMORPG that can boast a peak of @8 million subscribers, sells 2.4 million copies of an expansion in 24 hours becoming the fastest selling PC title of ALL time and is to be honest single handedly responsible for dragging WHAT was an essentially niche hardcore market (MMORPG's) and dragging them it the mainstream limelight (for better or worse) is totally and utterly NOT a failed business model, let alone a failed game model...........The words you are seeking are "Benchmark Application" whether or not you love the title or despise it....it is a success bordering on Phenomenon....End of Discussion. And i dont play anymore for the record.
It can have its downfall due to living out its lifespan, agreed. And i think its "back to basic" concepts and limited shelf life are JUST beginning to show through now, but however it will never be remembered for its downfall in the public eye - only what a benchmarking title and a sound solid gamel it was and is too so many people.
And whilst WoW simplified the genre in terms of its gameplay mechnics and internal complexity (something you seem to focus heavily on being a sandbox fan) it simply delivered something which to be fair was utterly utterly missing from MMORPG games before its time a solid released code, out of the box polish and a first time excellent play experience. Its Subscription numbers and success are testament alone to this fact among others, whilst bringing the industry of previously far more complex games crashing down to earth and back to basics due to its success...it delivered the core fundamentals that ANY software title should have and core fundamentals most of which were utterly utterly lacking in the Niche market of MMORPG's until that time of its release.
I take star wars galaxies as an example, one of the most advanced MMORPG's i have ever played in my life even to this day in terms of internal mechanics and systems and a tradjedy in gaming history. However much i loved that game with my friends, it DID NOT get right the basic building blocks....those basic building blocks of Performance, Polish and Code Stability. I love building sandcastles but without the water necessary to hold it together...... it just falls to pieces and gets washed away.
However i will always bear fond memories for galaxies becuase at the time the industry in terms of raw numbers of players was significantly smaller, technology was more trial and error in all departments particularly , and players simply worked around or got through the bad code and numerous glitches easier perhaps.
I think however a precident has now been set. For better and Worse the industry now has a very solid example of a benchmark and business model...Us as gamers may not see that entirely but you can certainly take it as granted that other publishers and developers in the market space are...and so those days of old, when games would have massive complexity and internal mechanisms for gamers and gamers would be willing to pay for beta quality for three - six months whilst launch features were added and poor code and engines were patched up are dieing, if not very much dead. And there historically is the camp that the sandbox generally falls into....
An example of vanguards recent terrible launch is a testament to how much this industry space has changed because gamers consiously or SubConsiously have a more recognizable measuring stick now...the genre has been benchmarked and expectations in some cases have been made. Vanguard is a title that released with amazing open world sandbox like potential that i really looked forward to, the reality was a lot harder to swallow and so far for a game based on its budget its future looks terrible. And that is a game that was released by developers with yesterdays business and gaming models, into todays market........
Despite Lord of the rings short comings, of which there are some, it hasnt shot for innovation, complexitty or sandbox....it has gone more after the Genre's benchmark title with its own popular IP and its own developers small additions and improvements and make no doubt i believe it will be a very popular game. I enjoy it immensly and the core building blocks of a quality product are there....
I WOULD LOVE the innovation of Galaxies and Vanguard in a game with the polish and out of the box performance focus of LOTRO and WoW however i think your wishing for something which to put simply in the mainstream MMORPG market just doesnt exist as of yet....we have yet more ground to tread.
Regards
Mag
Well written Magpie!!
My only beeF is that my problems arent fixed.
Rites of the Four Horsemen
http://www.rotfh.com
First, if Blizzard had invested in productive development tools and properly re-invested profits into free world expanding updates, it would not be in the very vulnerable state it is currently in. You may hate WoW and it's game model, but it reached a peak of 8 million players and has done nothing but grow over it's two and a half years. Players waited over two years for an expansion that added three months of new world content. That's why many long term players are looking for something else.
Second, Turbine has set up an excellent model, assuming they can keep pace with their plans and maintain quality. Yes, the backstory of the fellowship is linear and will not change from the books. Occasionally the players cross paths with the fellowship, but that is not the story the players are involved in. The world of Middle Earth had a lot more going on and this game presents those untold stories. The story we play out is original and not spoiled by the books.
It looks like the back story of the fellowship will cover four to five years of game expansion. I expect the game world will be roughly ten times bigger by the time Mordor is released. Guess what? The devs have made clear the game doesn't end there. Life in Middle Earth went on after the destruction of the One Ring and there are vast areas of Middle Earth beyond those covered in the story of the Fellowship.
Yes, your game Vanguard is much more vast. It's also a very unfinished, unpolished, troubled game with rapidly dwindling playerbase. If they had been sane and focused on releasing just one continent at launch, with the others slated for expansions, it still would have been a huge game at launch and they might have been able to pull it off with success. Vanguard is definitely NOT a model for developers to follow, even if their original goals were very laudible.
Guild Wars is a very different game with a different audience and unique subscription free model. With the announcement of Guild Wars 2, with a persistant shared game world, we can see they understand the flaws with their model and seek to keep what has worked and scrap the rest.
There was a LOT more wrong with DDO than lacking updates (taking your word for it, since I don't play and know how much content they are adding). The game was flawed from the start. If they are having trouble keeping up with content expansion goals now, I would say that has a lot to do with the player base not being large enough to fund their original plans. That is the risk of planned free expansion, the core game has to be good enough to financially support continued expansion.
There is enough content in this game now to support the playerbase with out any expansion for at least six months, or the majority casual player base for even longer. If we then had to wait a year or two for expansion, the game would eventually hit a wall and be in trouble. With continuous free updates between paid expansions, there is always something fresh to keep ahead of the curve and even the hard core power players who cut through any amount of content like butter have something new to look forward to that's never more than a month or two away.
Obviously, if Turbine, with productive tools and development teams, is able to put the planned content into place over the next five years, that's five years of development time on content. If they followed your advice and waited to release it all at once, we wouldn't see the game until 2012! No thanks, I'd rather play the game now and experience the new content as it arrives!
Oh and to say the game is as "bugful" as every other MMORPG is the most dis-ingenous thing you could say. The bugs are so few and so minor that I've continued to be shocked, having many other MMO beta experiences to compare it to. The difference between LotRO and Vanguard pre-launch is night and day, which makes your comments all the more ironic.
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
