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Great game, but somehow..I don't feel like playing anymore.
Die_Scream
Member Posts: 1,785
LOTRO is a great game. Great in that the graphics are top notch, cutomer support is A+, engine is stable, lag-free, and polished up the wahzoo.
Thats what I can't put my finger on about this game. I loved it immensly on release and for about 3-4 weeks, then suddenly I just don't feel like it anymore. I've gone through a lot of MMOs, but never had such a sudden change of heart before.
I just don't understand it TBH, I was stoked on this game, sneaking forums at work all day, looking forward to getting home to log in. One day..I just thought "meh".
Let me clarify, LOTRO is an extremely well-made game, I can't even name a fault to it, (except it may be too familiar from past experiences). But it just doesn't "grab" me long term, y'know?
Even when Turbine offered two free weeks to stay on, I turned it down. Not out of any malice at all either, I just don't wanna play anymore. What the heck is it missing from this game?
Thoughts?
Comments
Decided not to be a jerk, but seriously, what exactly are you looking to hear from other people about this? I don't know your play schedule but maybe you played too much and got burnt out. Also, the MMO scene is really dry right now (in terms of new games) LotRO (and anyone who knows anything about MMO's will agree) is not innovative in the least, its just a new skin and IP. I just picked it up today actually to tide me over while I wait for the next wave, but I'm hoping it will hold my interest for at least two to three months.
-Kanthalos
http://mmoreinsight.wordpress.com -- A Glimpse Into The World of Massively Multiplayer Games.
I feel the same once I hit 35 or so & solo activities ran out & was forced to group I lost intrest ..Evendim did nothing to improve the game , & making most solo taged quest non soloable sucked ..
IMO, there really seems to be no difference i guess between lvl 5, say and lvl 37, You are still killing the same mobs (I'm referring to the boar, crow, warg type quests) with different names, with perhaps an extra skill or two. You have more tools to kill them, but I never felt much difference between levels.
The gear is nice though, getting a new weapon or gear with some sweet stats is, as in all RPGs, awsome
I had no expectations, but I have no friends in real life who play MMOs, so I like toi come here and discuss with peers.
sorry to say, I feel the same way about the game. It took me about 2 weeks and I totally lost interest. Too shallow a game.
Well, I feel exactly the same, not to mention I was very excited to actually be able to enter an inpretation of Middle earth. Yet I find myself back playing EQ2 (which is a superb game at the moment) and I can't get myself to even log into LOTRO. Why, I just can't explain. One of my early gripes with this game was the lack of character development that actually made you different in build compared to others. What I mean is something like EQ2s AA system or the talents in WoW. I don't think the traits you get compensate this nearly enough, and somehow the whole game feels somewhat generic.
Still it is a good game and like you, I am at a loss to why I feel like I don't want to play anymore.
I think EQ2 may have that depth I seek, I hope so. I guarentee I will be re-subbing to LOTRO within 6 months to a year though, and see what Turbine have done with it.
I've noticed a few of these type threads coming up not only on this site but on a few others as well. Until recently I would have dismissed them and not really paid any attention to them. But in the past week or so I've had the same feelings about LOTRO. I've played this game since closed Beta right up to launch and have a monthly Founders membership (I didn't have $200 at the time or I would have bought the lifetime membership). I still love this game, the setting and the community but I can understand better why some have become tired of it. I can't speak for anyone else but I can give you my take on the whole situation.
1) The first factor that had lead to this situation is the fact that I think the novelty of the game has worn off some. It's been out for a few months now and the "gee-whiz" effect has gone. It's now taken it's place with the multiple fantasy games that are already out there
2) I also think there may be a serious burn-out going on here. I know that since the beta I usually log on before going to work and after I come home from work. Like any game that is new and you really, really like it kind of takes over you life. I remember spending....no losing hours apond our while playing SWG. I know alot of you out there know what I mean!
3) Summertime. The weather has gotten nice, people are going on vacation and are looking to do more in the real world. I tend to believe that during the winter months people spend more time at home and thus game more in the winter than the summer months.
4) The biggest contributor to play apathy in my experience with LOTRO is hitting the mid-20's in level. To me there was a fundemental change in this game at those levels. In the early levels I felt like I was actually a part of the Lord of the Rings adventure. I encounter Aragorn and Gandalf and had some connection with the major plot of LOTR. I felt I was making a small contribution in the grand scheme. When I started questing in the Lone Land and the North Downs I started feeling like I no longer made a difference and was just grouping and grinding. I generally like to solo but I don't mind grouping some times but a great majority of the quest in both of these areas are tailored for grouping. IMO there should be more solo content and a better connect with the events of the story that this game is based on.
I'll conclude by saying that these are my impressions of what problems Turbine needs to recognize and address. I can understand if other do not agree with either my interpretations or feel that a differnt aproach needs to be made. I look forward to hearing other opinions and suggestions.
P.S. forgive the typos I missed. My typing is terrible!!
I agree with your point #4. Once i hit the Lone Lands, it started to get less interesting.
LotR just didn't have the vamp the movies and the books had ... I know they can't reproduce everything but maybe LotR just shouldnt have been translated into a game in the first place
Anyway good luck to you, just next MMO you play find a good guild and take it easier on the leveling. In particular if it is a new game like LoTRO which is still heavy into the content adding phase.
I miss DAoC
I think LOTRO was launched at the wrong time and sorta caught in the middle, like everyones playing WoW, GW , EVE, EQ2 ATM and now the mmorpgs are all going next gen and all and i think LOTRO should have been released like when WoW was because now everyones waiting for AOC, huxley, WAR....and all dem
I'm with the OP, I didn't play too much, heck, I had a level 30 Guardian and 24 Minstrel in 2.5 months of play. But as others said...as I moved into the Northlands/Lonelands...it started to pale. The deed grinding grew onerous, with having to kill hundreds of the same mobs to level up a talent.
And the mobs...no matter where you went, you are killing the same boars, bears, wolves, orcs, just with a different name... and their combat abilities never vary....
No, the OP is right, LotRO is just missing the spark somehow that many gamers need to stay engaged, but like the others have said...its hard to put your finger on it.
"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
It just lacks that something which grabs you and makes you comeback time after time...
Not the point I was trying to make. The point is all level based games are pretty much the same old thing. The only reason to play any MMORPG is for the social aspect.
The more MMO's you have played the faster burn out occurs. Unless you get like some of us and realize the reason you play a game has very little to do with the game itself.
I miss DAoC
Completely agree w/ the OP. Game is well done, gorgeous, runs like silk etc.
I loved, loved, loved it to start. Even went founder. However around level 34ish I just lost the will to log on. I have tried several times and each time I have logged off after a few minutes. The 100% quest - centric feel to it coupled with the linear progression is wearing rather thin imho.
Standing in Evindim at level 34 i know EXACTLY how the next 5 levels are going to play out and I havent even explored yet. It'll be quest, quest, quest--group quest, group quest, solo, solo ...and Ill move gradually through the zone from one outpost to the next-and finally ill be done...i will then pack up and move to the nxt zone and do the EXACT same thing.
Not enough dungeons, not enough solid dungeon crawl/seat of your pants type adventure and the game is over the top w/ quests. Cant stand how groups come together for 10 minutes and then members start drifting off the moment thier quest is done. Just not like it once was when groups stayed together for hours and explored, devled deep into dungeons etc....
Perhaps a shift a bit toward rare mobs/loot would add another element to the game. It doesnt have to be questing `100% of the time. Add in some "camps" , rare mobs deep in dungeons that drop good loot etc..give it some variety.
I will return but as the OP and others say..ther is something missing here...something major.
oncw again you describe EVERY MMORPG that has been or ever will be made. You are either group or solo killing mobs or questing for progression. Take your pick.
I miss DAoC
I hoped the North Downs would be better than the Lone Lands, and it is a little more lively (I guess there's only so much you can do with a wasteland like the Lone Lands), but I only ended up staying there to farm rich iron ore.
If you stick with it until your lower 30s and make it to Rivendell, you'll find Frodo and company, and get some pretty interesting quests from them (like reforging Narsil), but the trek through the Trollshaws to Rivendell is long and dangerous if you're squishy.
That's where I am now, so I'm not sure about anything in the end game.
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Achiever 60.00%, Explorer 100.00%, Killer 6.67%, Socializer 33.33%
Above describes EXACTLY how I feel. When it first came out I was feeling like I had finally come home. I now know I'll never play again.....took me about 2 months. The strange thing is, I can't quite put my finger on why. I simply don't have anything bad to say about the experience or Turbine. If the game sucked, it would be easy. I'd say this game sucks and it was a waste of my money. For whatever reason I just have no desire to play it............strange.......
So you played the game for 2 months but you now feel as if it sucks and a waste of money? How many single player games have you payed 50 bucks for, played a single month and thought were great games? Wierd.
I miss DAoC
So you played the game for 2 months but you now feel as if it sucks and a waste of money? How many single player games have you payed 50 bucks for, played a single month and thought were great games? Wierd.
jackdog ur missing the point of an mmo i believe. An mmo is supposed to have way more things to do and have a life that spans across many years. Single player games dont hvae additional content given out (besides expansions or small patches) and are made to be finished and completed. An mmo is supposed to be a whole virtual world where there is supposed to be an abundance of things to do, and since they are getting monthly fees, they should be able to put way more effort than they are doing now.
So you played the game for 2 months but you now feel as if it sucks and a waste of money? How many single player games have you payed 50 bucks for, played a single month and thought were great games? Wierd.
jackdog ur missing the point of an mmo i believe. An mmo is supposed to have way more things to do and have a life that spans across many years. Single player games dont hvae additional content given out (besides expansions or small patches) and are made to be finished and completed. An mmo is supposed to be a whole virtual world where there is supposed to be an abundance of things to do, and since they are getting monthly fees, they should be able to put way more effort than they are doing now.
After a reread of the original post I quoted I did misi read his post. I will use the excuse ythe wife was bugging me as I read it
However I think you are missing the big point. No MMO or single player game can provide content for more than a few months of play. The only reason to keep playing after a few weeks or months is the social interaction. If you are not enjoying that aspect you will find yourself dissapointed no matter what MMO you play.
I miss DAoC