The High Res package has not been implemented as well. Im pretty sure someone said open beta is when that would be put in, so aesthetically the people with higher end computers will get a boost.
OK, so I finished running a magnet across an extra hard-drive to see what would happen. Lets just say its a goner. However, the next on my to-do list was play LotRO. Short Version: The game is pretty average, just like the last gen of games. Its like a dubbed down wow clone. Long Version: Gameplay- The gameplay is extremely generic. Attack speed per weapon is 1.2 seconds per swing and big weapons are close to 3 meaning the swings are slow. Link this with generic combat that is just like last gen games and you will pretty much let out a big yawn after 5 minutes. The skill system is also incredibly generic exactly like WoW. You go to the trainer and can buy every skill. The quests for the most part are generic. Go kill X, go get Y, go talk to Z. However, there are a few well-planned quests which is a nice break from all the generic. Additional generic portions also include the races, classes, and the towns pretty much look like counterparts in WoW. Probably the one saving point I can find in the gameplay is the /music system where you can build your own.
Graphics- The graphics in a technical aspect are well made. The poly counts are right on cue with an mmorpg, the textures are nicely detailed, and the options for graphics are pretty nice. Such as being able to choose Ultra Sharp filtering is a nice option. Aesthetically, I don't think the graphics quite cut it. They just don't look like Lord of the Rings. They look like a slightly more detailed WoW. The saturation and spec maps just don't give the effect. The actual style that appeared in Lord of the Rings has transfered over to games, and base techniques to achieve that style have been used in Huxley, Project Offset, and Age of Conan. However, the style in Lord of the Rings Online didn't come close to matching this style. The saturation was high, and the spec maps weren't set at a low enough level to give that crisp look to the stones or the dustyness from the ground. The character graphics are also pretty well done. Same mistake as above, but they had descently painted and detailed textures. One thing I particularly like about the armors is that the shoulder pads look like shoulder pads. Also the armors themselves just look like they fit well. Animations- Animations are just bad. The characters don't run with the basic movements of a person. The hip doesn't even lower. Sound- Sound is generic, I kinda tuned it out after 5 minutes since it was so dull. It really doesn't have that Lord of the Rings feel to it, and I am using a 7.1 channel surround sound system. Overall- This game is like a dubbed down WoW clone. If you ask me it ranks #4 in mmo's currently playable. 1. Granado Espada 2. Guild Wars 3. WoW 4. LotRO There are many things that could bring it up in my book. Some of the engaging quests brings it up a little; but they are also linear with no choice making. Good PVP would make this game rank higher then WoW due to the better graphics, and the /music system. Also including Mordor factions in the game would be fun.
I am going to just come out and say two things...
1. If you think guild wars is an MMO then I don't think you are qualified to review anything. (note that I said "I think" meaning my opinion)
2. It is "Dumbed down" not "Dubbed down" please get it right when you are comparing every single game in the world to WoW....
this review is bull! LotRO is NOT a dubbed down WoW clone! it has monster play, a much better story, and the instanced quests r very well played out. and plus, WoW is an EQ clone so stfu about WoW clone WoW clone WoW clone WoW clone well guess what WOW IS AN EVERQUEST CLONE GET THE F^&% OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh and GE sucks just like all the other crappy korean MMOs out there
yes because WoW clearly doesn't have instanced quest and..oh no wait, it DOES have instanced quests, will you look at that!
I find it quite funny that you attack 2 other games to justify your own favorite game.
Come back to this forum in 2 years and then we will talk.
Sorry gameloading but so does a lot mmo's. G.E. Has instances as well but yet you fail to mention that.
And What is the huge difference between what your doing and anyone else, not a damn thing , you are pushing your G.E. just like the rest of the trolls.
My personal Opnion , I like instances , It creates smooth game play , as well as making areas become your own level to do your quest without outside interference from gankers. But it is obvious you love gankers , when your at the last part o your quest and get killed by the leet pwnzor.
Look at the difference in object models , shaders , and art direction. LotRO is a real game and it just makes you annoyed that G.E will get burried under its wake.
Basing a games style on how they interpret it from the book is just lazyness if you ask me. The majority of thier potential player base isn't going to be the people who have read the entire middle-earth chronicle. Its gonna be people who loved the movie. When they get in the game and play it won't feel like Lord of the Rings mainly due to the color scheme. In the movie scenes were softer and blends well together, however in the game they went with what everyone last gen chooses as a color scheme Split-Complimentary which creates a harsh contrast.
Also what is so special about the Traits, Accomplishmens, Crafting, and Conjunctions. Nothing about them screams worth mentioning. Crafting you can choose different archetypes, o00ooo00. Then you can...buy recipes from and NPC and purchase all the materials from various other PCs at crafting headquarters. They didn't really push crafting any further then it was already pushed. Infact its almost pushed back from the crafting systems of Vanguard and EQ2. Conjunctions are also cool, but done last gen, and don't really add much to the mundane combat; its like a controlled reaction from Vanguard.
Accomplishments are a new and interesting way to customize your character, but not really that special. It still draws on last gen methods for customization, traits are just like talents in WoW. However the method is actually pretty cool that you gain them through merit. However, 1 problem arises on how to limit accomplishments so a player doesn't get overly powerful, or offering a good variety of traits to choose from so they cannot max out while also keeping the traits balanced. This could pose future game breaking nerfs in the future. Edit- Also finally western mmos are splitting customization features from level.
The monster hunting now that I take a closer look at it is a very great feature. A++. I always wanted to do that in an mmo. I think this brings its rank up to 3 passing wow cause the PVP is better.
Remember, Guild Wars might not let you combat with over 100 players at anytime, but it allows you to socialize with thousands in towns. In many cases the sheer amount of contact you make in guild wars with players is far more massive then some MMOs. Sure they may use instances for all the missions and exploration, but do you really want to fight a challenging boss and find out it is camped by 600 people?
Edit- The thing that makes Granado Espada and Guild Wars rank so high is because the combat involves strategy. In all other MMOs except Planetside, you really can just use the same tactic on the next monster as you did on the previous which makes it... mindless. Sure with conjunctions it allows an oppurtunity to spice up the mindless gameplay, but on the next monster you can still use the same strategy and win. This is where Granado Espada and Guild Wars differs. You literally can build various strategies right from the character select screen. Also the strategies can be stronger or weaker against certain monsters or amount of enemies. Its more then I Use this ballad and it hurts the enemy, even if the enemy has no ears. Its takes much more thought since the next enemy could be a complete opposite of the first and you gotta recognize it. Also the huge multitude of PVP options increases the chance for an evolving strategy.
Now that I think about it, thats cool and not really done in MMOs yet to that degree. However, not enough to get passed rank 3.
Edit- GE is only a hack and slash cause your choosing to play it poorly. Hack and Slash won't cut it passed level 20. Your trying to play the game on easy mode. You gotta use skills, and change your strategy or else your gonna get mauled later on.
Wow , all this judging at rank 3 , give me a bleeping break . That spider is elite 20 mob . When the Conjunction menu pops up , every player has to press the same symbol for it to work , there are 4 symbols , and each symbol has a different effect.
I would post my forest troll pics but I think that is something you have to see for yourself and play through the level.
you should at least play till lvl10 and try monster play/check out the bigger citys/look into the trait system for both your main char and the monster skill/trait system before even try to give an opinion. To many kids that play for 1 hour and think they have seen all because "I played MMO's for like 10 years, how can I be wrong?" or "Look at my cool signature with all the games I've played.....I'm a MMO specialist".
I have every intention of playing more, but my initial impressions of the game is 'meh'. First impressions are everything My first impression from the start should be 'wow'!
I haven't dissed the game in any way, nor have I been antagonistic in posting my initial thoughts. I've simply stated that, so far, I'm not impressed.
It's a little presumptuous to call me, or the other posters, kids. I, for example, am a very successful 36 year old professional who's been playing RPGs as a hobby for over 20 years. By commenting as you have, you only display your own immaturity.
you should at least play till lvl10 and try monster play/check out the bigger citys/look into the trait system for both your main char and the monster skill/trait system before even try to give an opinion. To many kids that play for 1 hour and think they have seen all because "I played MMO's for like 10 years, how can I be wrong?" or "Look at my cool signature with all the games I've played.....I'm a MMO specialist".
I have every intention of playing more, but my initial impressions of the game is 'meh'. First impressions are everything My first impression from the start should be 'wow'!
I haven't dissed the game in any way, nor have I been antagonistic in posting my initial thoughts. I've simply stated that, so far, I'm not impressed.
It's a little presumptuous to call me, or the other posters, kids. I, for example, am a very successful 36 year old professional who's been playing RPGs as a hobby for over 20 years. By commenting as you have, you only display your own immaturity.
~Ripper
I think you are misenterpreting his usage of the word kid. Maybe he was using the word kid to represent the gaming population as opposed to saying "People".
And listing yourself as a "Successful 36 year old professional" is probably a bad idea as people here tend to take anything they can sling as an insult and run with it.
I just don't really get why everyone gets so worked up about what other people say about a game. It all comes down to opinions, everyone has a slightly different one, so there isn't really a "right" opinion. With that said, I played LotR online when it was closed beta and gotta tell you i didn't particularly care for it, i got farther than level 10 and i did actually enjoy the crafting things, like farming, however boring it was i still thought it was cool. But I'm just gonna say it, i think it is a lot like WoW, not a clone, but for me it just doesn't differentiate itself enough to be enjoyable to me. If this game does well, i think it will be because of the IP, not the actual game being a huge success. Clearly there are people who will play it because they enjoy it, which is just fine with me. Someone said earlier how they game wasn't released yet and how it wasn't finished, sure, they might make some balance or bug changes but the nothing major is gonna change between now and release. And finally, while i didn't play through everything, and i don't have as much experience in game as other people, i can tell you, if i don't enjoy the game in the beginning, there is no way i am gonna pay money to play through stuff i don't like, just to get to some stuff that i might like, it just doesn't make sense.
If I was a programer for LOTRO I would be thrilled that people were comparing it to WOW & relieved there not comparing it to Vanguard
Some points do concern me a tad , These are my obsorvations while playing the stress test & I could be wrong on all of them
1: unlimited arrows so no crafting better arrows everying has exactly the same ?
2: Bank size : I think only about 30 slots
3: 5 Bags at start of game : so no Tailoring bigger bags or mob drop bags ?
4: Swiming ? I love the Thorpe animation but My poor hobit never lifts his head to breath
5: Quests ok on most part but they could learn from WOW Burning crusade It has some of the most fun quests I have ever seen in a game
Example : lvlv 10 quest I think it was , You follow an NPC through the forest & during the quest you can Fly , Swim under water , get turned into a Panther , Rescue NPC's & thats just the 1 quest , then theres the one where you are given your own Griffon to fly & thro bombs down on the enemy & there buildings I laught all that quest
I just don't really get why everyone gets so worked up about what other people say about a game. It all comes down to opinions, everyone has a slightly different one, so there isn't really a "right" opinion. With that said, I played LotR online when it was closed beta and gotta tell you i didn't particularly care for it, i got farther than level 10 and i did actually enjoy the crafting things, like farming, however boring it was i still thought it was cool. But I'm just gonna say it, i think it is a lot like WoW, not a clone, but for me it just doesn't differentiate itself enough to be enjoyable to me. If this game does well, i think it will be because of the IP, not the actual game being a huge success. Clearly there are people who will play it because they enjoy it, which is just fine with me. Someone said earlier how they game wasn't released yet and how it wasn't finished, sure, they might make some balance or bug changes but the nothing major is gonna change between now and release. And finally, while i didn't play through everything, and i don't have as much experience in game as other people, i can tell you, if i don't enjoy the game in the beginning, there is no way i am gonna pay money to play through stuff i don't like, just to get to some stuff that i might like, it just doesn't make sense.
Hi res textures is kind of major ? Totally agree with the last bit. Also think people just need to really look at what they are typing and see if it is trolling, I personally am trying my hardest and when I slip , I go back and edit .
After playing around with it in beta, LOTR just reminds me of a polished version of DDO.
"Whosoever shed last blood By man shall his blood be shed For immunity of God make he the man Destroy all that which is evil So that which is good may flourish And I shall count thee among my favored sheep And you shall have the protection of all the angels in Heaven."
Yes, the combat is like other traditional MMOGs. So it's similar to WoW, EQ2, EQ1, DAoC, and many other successful titles. The OP prefers a different style, something very active. Personally I think a more standard system is appropriate for LOTRO.
The graphics are spectacular. They are not a translation of the movies, and they're not intended to be. Ditto sounds. I like them, I *do* think they're in line with Middle-Earth, but Howard Shore wasn't involved. This is not Lord of the Rings - The Movies - Online. If you were hoping for shield-surfing elves and comic-relief dwarves, you may be disappointed.
Sorry gameloading but so does a lot mmo's. G.E. Has instances as well but yet you fail to mention that.
And What is the huge difference between what your doing and anyone else, not a damn thing , you are pushing your G.E. just like the rest of the trolls.
My personal Opnion , I like instances , It creates smooth game play , as well as making areas become your own level to do your quest without outside interference from gankers. But it is obvious you love gankers , when your at the last part o your quest and get killed by the leet pwnzor.
Look at the difference in object models , shaders , and art direction. LotRO is a real game and it just makes you annoyed that G.E will get burried under its wake.
Why do you even attack a game that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject? I didn't mention G.E because GE is a complete diffrent game that has just about as much in common with LOTRO as potatoes with cars. Lord of the rings online can be compared to WoW because they are simply very much alike.
Where did I push G.E in this thread? Did you even READ my post?
But fine, I'll take your bait. Granado Espada is already more successfull then Lord of the rings online will ever be, simple as that. To "attack" a game like GE, you will have to hit the asian market, because that is the most important market. The NA/EU markets are small fry. and unfortunatly for you, Nobody in asia gives a damn about the Lord of the rings. in fact, Turbine won't even release the game in asia, knowing it will bomb there.
Just to give you a small example. Granado Espada had 100k beta sign ups in Japan.......
Basing a games style on how they interpret it from the book is just lazyness if you ask me. The majority of thier potential player base isn't going to be the people who have read the entire middle-earth chronicle. Its gonna be people who loved the movie. When they get in the game and play it won't feel like Lord of the Rings mainly due to the color scheme. In the movie scenes were softer and blends well together, however in the game they went with what everyone last gen chooses as a color scheme Split-Complimentary which creates a harsh contrast.
Sorry to ruin your best, but thoroughly inaccurate, arguement. It has nothing to do with laziness. Turbine does not have the license to copy the movies. Period. End of story. In fact, they have to purposefully steer away from movie iconography. In alpha, they had a hill jokingly named after Orlando Bloom (though disguised as Sindarin Elvish). They've since taken that out.
You think the style is bland. Take a look at the Hildebrandt brothers interpretation of Middle Earth, and I think you'll see where Turbine artists got a lot of their inspiration. Peter Jackson used Allen Lee, and Turbine (my unofficial opinion) used Hildebrandt. Rich, saturated colors. A bit more hyper-real or surreal than Allen Lee's minimalistic realist approach.
_____________________________ 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.
Sorry gameloading but so does a lot mmo's. G.E. Has instances as well but yet you fail to mention that.
And What is the huge difference between what your doing and anyone else, not a damn thing , you are pushing your G.E. just like the rest of the trolls.
My personal Opnion , I like instances , It creates smooth game play , as well as making areas become your own level to do your quest without outside interference from gankers. But it is obvious you love gankers , when your at the last part o your quest and get killed by the leet pwnzor.
Look at the difference in object models , shaders , and art direction. LotRO is a real game and it just makes you annoyed that G.E will get burried under its wake.
Why do you even attack a game that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject? I didn't mention G.E because GE is a complete diffrent game that has just about as much in common with LOTRO as potatoes with cars. Lord of the rings online can be compared to WoW because they are simply very much alike.
Where did I push G.E in this thread? Did you even READ my post?
But fine, I'll take your bait. Granado Espada is already more successfull then Lord of the rings online will ever be, simple as that. To "attack" a game like GE, you will have to hit the asian market, because that is the most important market. The NA/EU markets are small fry. and unfortunatly for you, Nobody in asia gives a damn about the Lord of the rings. in fact, Turbine won't even release the game in asia, knowing it will bomb there.
Just to give you a small example. Granado Espada had 100k beta sign ups in Japan.......
in just 7 hours.
GL, your ability to turn any topic into Asian vs Western is truely frightening.
I like them both.
(OMG, there must be something wrong with my brain!!!!! I enjoyed WoW, I played and Loved Lineage2, LotRs is awsome, I've been playing it for 4 months, DAoC was the bomb back in the day, AC was my first love in MMOs, Grando Espada is really fun to play, I'm looking forward to Conan AND Aion.........or could it be that I judge and rate games on their own individual merit? I have superior and diverse gameskillz, I guess lol call me 1337 because I can do P&C AND WASD, I'm da man!!!!)
Basing a games style on how they interpret it from the book is just lazyness if you ask me. The majority of thier potential player base isn't going to be the people who have read the entire middle-earth chronicle. Its gonna be people who loved the movie. When they get in the game and play it won't feel like Lord of the Rings mainly due to the color scheme. In the movie scenes were softer and blends well together, however in the game they went with what everyone last gen chooses as a color scheme Split-Complimentary which creates a harsh contrast.
Sorry to ruin your best, but thoroughly inaccurate, arguement. It has nothing to do with laziness. Turbine does not have the license to copy the movies. Period. End of story. In fact, they have to purposefully steer away from movie iconography. In alpha, they had a hill jokingly named after Orlando Bloom (though disguised as Sindarin Elvish). They've since taken that out.
You think the style is bland. Take a look at the Hildebrandt brothers interpretation of Middle Earth, and I think you'll see where Turbine artists got a lot of their inspiration. Peter Jackson used Allen Lee, and Turbine (my unofficial opinion) used Hildebrandt. Rich, saturated colors. A bit more hyper-real or surreal than Allen Lee's minimalistic realist approach.
QFT
Pointless review, I doubt the OP made it past level ten, doubt they participated in the PvP, there was not much to be said about it was there? Not much to be said about the game really except that it is apparently a "dubbed down WoW clone", is that what I read? Nice try Cleffy, enjoy GE while it lasts, great game tbh but just doesn't hold my interest for more than 30 minutes. Tell me I am not playing it properly, I will just laugh out loud.
Currently Playing: Everything but MMORPGs Cancelled: L2, FFXI, VSoH, LotRO, WAR, WoW Looking Forward To: SW:TOR
Originally posted by christwarior this review is bull! LotRO is NOT a dubbed down WoW clone! it has monster play, a much better story, and the instanced quests r very well played out. and plus, WoW is an EQ clone so stfu about WoW clone WoW clone WoW clone WoW clone well guess what WOW IS AN EVERQUEST CLONE GET THE F^&% OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh and GE sucks just like all the other crappy korean MMOs out there
So you defend the game you play and bash another? Very prespective, that just earned you no points and no one will take you seriously, because to everyone else you just titled yourself a fanboi for LoTRO. Everyone is going to refer to WoW for one reason, it is the most successful MMORPG to this date with out 8million subscribers, it doesn't matter how long you played MMORPGs and what you know about the golden days of MMORPGing. It will always be refrence to WoW because of it's success. With that said, this is the exact impression I had when I played CB, it felt, looked and controled just like WoW.
But, I gave it a chance and kept playing, moving on to the new lands and change of landscapes. In the end it wasn't what I was hoping for, it didn't feel at all like being shoved in a LoTR world. It felt like just walking around an undiscovered, unnamed, bland fantasy world and it was just that. The combat was biggest let down in the game, slow amd repeative, I had a sequence where all I had to do was push the 3 sames buttons ever battle and boom the mob was dead, new skills didn't seem new at all, just rehashed versions of the old ones with bigger output damage. The quests, ugly, kill x mobs, or bring this thing to x at x town. This was LoTR one of biggest fantasy settings in the world of lands unexplored and long adventures, yet I was killing x of something in a cave or grove or field. I never felt like I had a part in the world or what I'd ever do in game mattered. With the age of technology this game takes a breather on interactivity, sure the graphics but that doesn't make up for the dull gameplay and lack of evolving world.
Oh yes and before I forgot, "warrior" is spelled with two r's.
[[ DEAD ]] - Funny - I deleted my account on the site using the cancel account button. Forum user is separate and still exists with no way of deleting it. Delete it admins. Do it, this ends now.
Basing a games style on how they interpret it from the book is just lazyness if you ask me. The majority of thier potential player base isn't going to be the people who have read the entire middle-earth chronicle. Its gonna be people who loved the movie. When they get in the game and play it won't feel like Lord of the Rings mainly due to the color scheme. In the movie scenes were softer and blends well together, however in the game they went with what everyone last gen chooses as a color scheme Split-Complimentary which creates a harsh contrast.
Sorry to ruin your best, but thoroughly inaccurate, arguement. It has nothing to do with laziness. Turbine does not have the license to copy the movies. Period. End of story. In fact, they have to purposefully steer away from movie iconography. In alpha, they had a hill jokingly named after Orlando Bloom (though disguised as Sindarin Elvish). They've since taken that out.
You think the style is bland. Take a look at the Hildebrandt brothers interpretation of Middle Earth, and I think you'll see where Turbine artists got a lot of their inspiration. Peter Jackson used Allen Lee, and Turbine (my unofficial opinion) used Hildebrandt. Rich, saturated colors. A bit more hyper-real or surreal than Allen Lee's minimalistic realist approach.
Great response, there aren't that many people on these forums who go into detail about art direction. I still think that the style could have been mimiced without treading water on the Movie copyrights. There are still the base attributes of the style that are universal. The analgous color scheme, and the way the light spreads across the surface. I know that replicating Rivendall from LotR's movie would put them in serious shit, but no one will notice following the color scheme.
I still think my argument holds true. People are expecting it, and any game made about Lord of the Rings since 2001 should feel like the movie since it is so universal and most of the people who would play come from movie fans.
I still think my argument holds true. People are expecting it, and any game made about Lord of the Rings since 2001 should feel like the movie since it is so universal and most of the people who would play come from movie fans.
Most people think the game is pretty darn gorgeous just the way it is. That plus the fact it plays well on pretty much any computer sold off the shelf in the few years is all that 99.99999 % of the people who enjoy it care about.
The game is based on the books - end of story. To many fans the movies were a knife in the back. ( I liked the movies)
Again, game is in beta still and IMO is a fantastic game, graphics are great (Turbine is awesome in that area.) I guess WoW can be compared to almost any game as it copied from everybody and then put together a mix to feed the masses -and it worked (not for me, hate WoW) so people will compare LoTRO to WoW . As far as comparing to DDO - maybe graphic quality, but that is it. Fighting is totally different in each game, and DDO is all instanced, LoTRO is not, and has a large world to explore, cool crafting and farming etc..The OP 's title said it all "Flame bait" -
Sorry gameloading but so does a lot mmo's. G.E. Has instances as well but yet you fail to mention that.
And What is the huge difference between what your doing and anyone else, not a damn thing , you are pushing your G.E. just like the rest of the trolls.
My personal Opnion , I like instances , It creates smooth game play , as well as making areas become your own level to do your quest without outside interference from gankers. But it is obvious you love gankers , when your at the last part o your quest and get killed by the leet pwnzor.
Look at the difference in object models , shaders , and art direction. LotRO is a real game and it just makes you annoyed that G.E will get burried under its wake.
Why do you even attack a game that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject? I didn't mention G.E because GE is a complete diffrent game that has just about as much in common with LOTRO as potatoes with cars. Lord of the rings online can be compared to WoW because they are simply very much alike.
Where did I push G.E in this thread? Did you even READ my post?
But fine, I'll take your bait. Granado Espada is already more successfull then Lord of the rings online will ever be, simple as that. To "attack" a game like GE, you will have to hit the asian market, because that is the most important market. The NA/EU markets are small fry. and unfortunatly for you, Nobody in asia gives a damn about the Lord of the rings. in fact, Turbine won't even release the game in asia, knowing it will bomb there.
Just to give you a small example. Granado Espada had 100k beta sign ups in Japan.......
in just 7 hours.
GL, your ability to turn any topic into Asian vs Western is truely frightening.
I like them both.
(OMG, there must be something wrong with my brain!!!!! I enjoyed WoW, I played and Loved Lineage2, LotRs is awsome, I've been playing it for 4 months, DAoC was the bomb back in the day, AC was my first love in MMOs, Grando Espada is really fun to play, I'm looking forward to Conan AND Aion.........or could it be that I judge and rate games on their own individual merit? I have superior and diverse gameskillz, I guess lol call me 1337 because I can do P&C AND WASD, I'm da man!!!!)
PH34R MY 31337 SK177Z
I didn't turn it into an asian vs western thread, I just completely fail to see why people are attacking G.E. in this thread.
Comments
I am going to just come out and say two things...
1. If you think guild wars is an MMO then I don't think you are qualified to review anything. (note that I said "I think" meaning my opinion)
2. It is "Dumbed down" not "Dubbed down" please get it right when you are comparing every single game in the world to WoW....
I find it quite funny that you attack 2 other games to justify your own favorite game.
Come back to this forum in 2 years and then we will talk.
And What is the huge difference between what your doing and anyone else, not a damn thing , you are pushing your G.E. just like the rest of the trolls.
My personal Opnion , I like instances , It creates smooth game play , as well as making areas become your own level to do your quest without outside interference from gankers. But it is obvious you love gankers , when your at the last part o your quest and get killed by the leet pwnzor.
Look at the difference in object models , shaders , and art direction. LotRO is a real game and it just makes you annoyed that G.E will get burried under its wake.
who me ?
Basing a games style on how they interpret it from the book is just lazyness if you ask me. The majority of thier potential player base isn't going to be the people who have read the entire middle-earth chronicle. Its gonna be people who loved the movie. When they get in the game and play it won't feel like Lord of the Rings mainly due to the color scheme. In the movie scenes were softer and blends well together, however in the game they went with what everyone last gen chooses as a color scheme Split-Complimentary which creates a harsh contrast.
Also what is so special about the Traits, Accomplishmens, Crafting, and Conjunctions. Nothing about them screams worth mentioning. Crafting you can choose different archetypes, o00ooo00. Then you can...buy recipes from and NPC and purchase all the materials from various other PCs at crafting headquarters. They didn't really push crafting any further then it was already pushed. Infact its almost pushed back from the crafting systems of Vanguard and EQ2. Conjunctions are also cool, but done last gen, and don't really add much to the mundane combat; its like a controlled reaction from Vanguard.
Accomplishments are a new and interesting way to customize your character, but not really that special. It still draws on last gen methods for customization, traits are just like talents in WoW. However the method is actually pretty cool that you gain them through merit. However, 1 problem arises on how to limit accomplishments so a player doesn't get overly powerful, or offering a good variety of traits to choose from so they cannot max out while also keeping the traits balanced. This could pose future game breaking nerfs in the future. Edit- Also finally western mmos are splitting customization features from level.
The monster hunting now that I take a closer look at it is a very great feature. A++. I always wanted to do that in an mmo. I think this brings its rank up to 3 passing wow cause the PVP is better.
Remember, Guild Wars might not let you combat with over 100 players at anytime, but it allows you to socialize with thousands in towns. In many cases the sheer amount of contact you make in guild wars with players is far more massive then some MMOs. Sure they may use instances for all the missions and exploration, but do you really want to fight a challenging boss and find out it is camped by 600 people?
Edit- The thing that makes Granado Espada and Guild Wars rank so high is because the combat involves strategy. In all other MMOs except Planetside, you really can just use the same tactic on the next monster as you did on the previous which makes it... mindless. Sure with conjunctions it allows an oppurtunity to spice up the mindless gameplay, but on the next monster you can still use the same strategy and win. This is where Granado Espada and Guild Wars differs. You literally can build various strategies right from the character select screen. Also the strategies can be stronger or weaker against certain monsters or amount of enemies. Its more then I Use this ballad and it hurts the enemy, even if the enemy has no ears. Its takes much more thought since the next enemy could be a complete opposite of the first and you gotta recognize it. Also the huge multitude of PVP options increases the chance for an evolving strategy.
who me ?
Now that I think about it, thats cool and not really done in MMOs yet to that degree. However, not enough to get passed rank 3.
Edit- GE is only a hack and slash cause your choosing to play it poorly. Hack and Slash won't cut it passed level 20. Your trying to play the game on easy mode. You gotta use skills, and change your strategy or else your gonna get mauled later on.
I would post my forest troll pics but I think that is something you have to see for yourself and play through the level.
who me ?
I haven't dissed the game in any way, nor have I been antagonistic in posting my initial thoughts. I've simply stated that, so far, I'm not impressed.
It's a little presumptuous to call me, or the other posters, kids. I, for example, am a very successful 36 year old professional who's been playing RPGs as a hobby for over 20 years. By commenting as you have, you only display your own immaturity.
~Ripper
I haven't dissed the game in any way, nor have I been antagonistic in posting my initial thoughts. I've simply stated that, so far, I'm not impressed.
It's a little presumptuous to call me, or the other posters, kids. I, for example, am a very successful 36 year old professional who's been playing RPGs as a hobby for over 20 years. By commenting as you have, you only display your own immaturity.
~Ripper
I think you are misenterpreting his usage of the word kid. Maybe he was using the word kid to represent the gaming population as opposed to saying "People".
And listing yourself as a "Successful 36 year old professional" is probably a bad idea as people here tend to take anything they can sling as an insult and run with it.
Just a heads up...
If I was a programer for LOTRO I would be thrilled that people were comparing it to WOW & relieved there not comparing it to Vanguard
Some points do concern me a tad , These are my obsorvations while playing the stress test & I could be wrong on all of them
1: unlimited arrows
so no crafting better arrows everying has exactly the same ?
2: Bank size : I think only about 30 slots
3: 5 Bags at start of game : so no Tailoring bigger bags or mob drop bags ?
4: Swiming ? I love the Thorpe animation but My poor hobit never lifts his head to breath
5: Quests ok on most part but they could learn from WOW Burning crusade It has some of the most fun quests I have ever seen in a game
Example : lvlv 10 quest I think it was , You follow an NPC through the forest & during the quest you can Fly , Swim under water , get turned into a Panther , Rescue NPC's & thats just the 1 quest , then theres the one where you are given your own Griffon to fly & thro bombs down on the enemy & there buildings I laught all that quest
who me ?
"Whosoever shed last blood
By man shall his blood be shed
For immunity of God make he the man
Destroy all that which is evil
So that which is good may flourish
And I shall count thee among my favored sheep
And you shall have the protection of all the angels in Heaven."
The OP's comments are appropriate for his tastes.
Yes, the combat is like other traditional MMOGs. So it's similar to WoW, EQ2, EQ1, DAoC, and many other successful titles. The OP prefers a different style, something very active. Personally I think a more standard system is appropriate for LOTRO.
The graphics are spectacular. They are not a translation of the movies, and they're not intended to be. Ditto sounds. I like them, I *do* think they're in line with Middle-Earth, but Howard Shore wasn't involved. This is not Lord of the Rings - The Movies - Online. If you were hoping for shield-surfing elves and comic-relief dwarves, you may be disappointed.
Be seeing you.
Where did I push G.E in this thread? Did you even READ my post?
But fine, I'll take your bait. Granado Espada is already more successfull then Lord of the rings online will ever be, simple as that. To "attack" a game like GE, you will have to hit the asian market, because that is the most important market. The NA/EU markets are small fry. and unfortunatly for you, Nobody in asia gives a damn about the Lord of the rings. in fact, Turbine won't even release the game in asia, knowing it will bomb there.
Just to give you a small example. Granado Espada had 100k beta sign ups in Japan.......
in just 7 hours.
Sorry to ruin your best, but thoroughly inaccurate, arguement. It has nothing to do with laziness. Turbine does not have the license to copy the movies. Period. End of story. In fact, they have to purposefully steer away from movie iconography. In alpha, they had a hill jokingly named after Orlando Bloom (though disguised as Sindarin Elvish). They've since taken that out.
You think the style is bland. Take a look at the Hildebrandt brothers interpretation of Middle Earth, and I think you'll see where Turbine artists got a lot of their inspiration. Peter Jackson used Allen Lee, and Turbine (my unofficial opinion) used Hildebrandt. Rich, saturated colors. A bit more hyper-real or surreal than Allen Lee's minimalistic realist approach.
_____________________________
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/
Where did I push G.E in this thread? Did you even READ my post?
But fine, I'll take your bait. Granado Espada is already more successfull then Lord of the rings online will ever be, simple as that. To "attack" a game like GE, you will have to hit the asian market, because that is the most important market. The NA/EU markets are small fry. and unfortunatly for you, Nobody in asia gives a damn about the Lord of the rings. in fact, Turbine won't even release the game in asia, knowing it will bomb there.
Just to give you a small example. Granado Espada had 100k beta sign ups in Japan.......
in just 7 hours.
GL, your ability to turn any topic into Asian vs Western is truely frightening.
I like them both.
(OMG, there must be something wrong with my brain!!!!! I enjoyed WoW, I played and Loved Lineage2, LotRs is awsome, I've been playing it for 4 months, DAoC was the bomb back in the day, AC was my first love in MMOs, Grando Espada is really fun to play, I'm looking forward to Conan AND Aion.........or could it be that I judge and rate games on their own individual merit? I have superior and diverse gameskillz, I guess lol call me 1337 because I can do P&C AND WASD, I'm da man!!!!)
PH34R MY 31337 SK177Z
Sorry to ruin your best, but thoroughly inaccurate, arguement. It has nothing to do with laziness. Turbine does not have the license to copy the movies. Period. End of story. In fact, they have to purposefully steer away from movie iconography. In alpha, they had a hill jokingly named after Orlando Bloom (though disguised as Sindarin Elvish). They've since taken that out.
You think the style is bland. Take a look at the Hildebrandt brothers interpretation of Middle Earth, and I think you'll see where Turbine artists got a lot of their inspiration. Peter Jackson used Allen Lee, and Turbine (my unofficial opinion) used Hildebrandt. Rich, saturated colors. A bit more hyper-real or surreal than Allen Lee's minimalistic realist approach.
QFT
Pointless review, I doubt the OP made it past level ten, doubt they participated in the PvP, there was not much to be said about it was there? Not much to be said about the game really except that it is apparently a "dubbed down WoW clone", is that what I read? Nice try Cleffy, enjoy GE while it lasts, great game tbh but just doesn't hold my interest for more than 30 minutes. Tell me I am not playing it properly, I will just laugh out loud.
Currently Playing: Everything but MMORPGs
Cancelled: L2, FFXI, VSoH, LotRO, WAR, WoW
Looking Forward To: SW:TOR
So you defend the game you play and bash another? Very prespective, that just earned you no points and no one will take you seriously, because to everyone else you just titled yourself a fanboi for LoTRO. Everyone is going to refer to WoW for one reason, it is the most successful MMORPG to this date with out 8million subscribers, it doesn't matter how long you played MMORPGs and what you know about the golden days of MMORPGing. It will always be refrence to WoW because of it's success. With that said, this is the exact impression I had when I played CB, it felt, looked and controled just like WoW.
But, I gave it a chance and kept playing, moving on to the new lands and change of landscapes. In the end it wasn't what I was hoping for, it didn't feel at all like being shoved in a LoTR world. It felt like just walking around an undiscovered, unnamed, bland fantasy world and it was just that. The combat was biggest let down in the game, slow amd repeative, I had a sequence where all I had to do was push the 3 sames buttons ever battle and boom the mob was dead, new skills didn't seem new at all, just rehashed versions of the old ones with bigger output damage. The quests, ugly, kill x mobs, or bring this thing to x at x town. This was LoTR one of biggest fantasy settings in the world of lands unexplored and long adventures, yet I was killing x of something in a cave or grove or field. I never felt like I had a part in the world or what I'd ever do in game mattered. With the age of technology this game takes a breather on interactivity, sure the graphics but that doesn't make up for the dull gameplay and lack of evolving world.
Oh yes and before I forgot, "warrior" is spelled with two r's.
Sorry to ruin your best, but thoroughly inaccurate, arguement. It has nothing to do with laziness. Turbine does not have the license to copy the movies. Period. End of story. In fact, they have to purposefully steer away from movie iconography. In alpha, they had a hill jokingly named after Orlando Bloom (though disguised as Sindarin Elvish). They've since taken that out.
You think the style is bland. Take a look at the Hildebrandt brothers interpretation of Middle Earth, and I think you'll see where Turbine artists got a lot of their inspiration. Peter Jackson used Allen Lee, and Turbine (my unofficial opinion) used Hildebrandt. Rich, saturated colors. A bit more hyper-real or surreal than Allen Lee's minimalistic realist approach.
Great response, there aren't that many people on these forums who go into detail about art direction. I still think that the style could have been mimiced without treading water on the Movie copyrights. There are still the base attributes of the style that are universal. The analgous color scheme, and the way the light spreads across the surface. I know that replicating Rivendall from LotR's movie would put them in serious shit, but no one will notice following the color scheme.
I still think my argument holds true. People are expecting it, and any game made about Lord of the Rings since 2001 should feel like the movie since it is so universal and most of the people who would play come from movie fans.
Most people think the game is pretty darn gorgeous just the way it is. That plus the fact it plays well on pretty much any computer sold off the shelf in the few years is all that 99.99999 % of the people who enjoy it care about.
I miss DAoC
The game is based on the books - end of story. To many fans the movies were a knife in the back. ( I liked the movies)
Again, game is in beta still and IMO is a fantastic game, graphics are great (Turbine is awesome in that area.) I guess WoW can be compared to almost any game as it copied from everybody and then put together a mix to feed the masses -and it worked (not for me, hate WoW) so people will compare LoTRO to WoW . As far as comparing to DDO - maybe graphic quality, but that is it. Fighting is totally different in each game, and DDO is all instanced, LoTRO is not, and has a large world to explore, cool crafting and farming etc..The OP 's title said it all "Flame bait" -
QFT
Where did I push G.E in this thread? Did you even READ my post?
But fine, I'll take your bait. Granado Espada is already more successfull then Lord of the rings online will ever be, simple as that. To "attack" a game like GE, you will have to hit the asian market, because that is the most important market. The NA/EU markets are small fry. and unfortunatly for you, Nobody in asia gives a damn about the Lord of the rings. in fact, Turbine won't even release the game in asia, knowing it will bomb there.
Just to give you a small example. Granado Espada had 100k beta sign ups in Japan.......
in just 7 hours.
GL, your ability to turn any topic into Asian vs Western is truely frightening.
I like them both.
(OMG, there must be something wrong with my brain!!!!! I enjoyed WoW, I played and Loved Lineage2, LotRs is awsome, I've been playing it for 4 months, DAoC was the bomb back in the day, AC was my first love in MMOs, Grando Espada is really fun to play, I'm looking forward to Conan AND Aion.........or could it be that I judge and rate games on their own individual merit? I have superior and diverse gameskillz, I guess lol call me 1337 because I can do P&C AND WASD, I'm da man!!!!)
PH34R MY 31337 SK177Z
I didn't turn it into an asian vs western thread, I just completely fail to see why people are attacking G.E. in this thread.