Well lets be honest though, the content and gameplay revolves around the storyline quests, the crowd will follow it, and mob exp drops off in terms of relative exp when you get higher. Yes, you CAN skip the main storyline, the instances, the linear questgrind and play "sandbox mode", but there are games that do it far better, and the game is not designed to work that way. Especially since a lot of areas and zones are quite artificially giving you a "path" from quest hub to quest hub, be it through narrow mountain passes, roads or natural obstacles like rocks, mountain cliffs and rivers.
I am looking forward to the game as a place to tide me over till AoC, but lets not talk a quality into it that isnt there. LotR is designed to be played as a linear group-centric storyline. The fact you can go out of your way to skip and avoid things like that doesnt change the fact its meant, built, and most likely will be further developed in that spirit.
Well lets be honest though, the content and gameplay revolves around the storyline quests, the crowd will follow it, and mob exp drops off in terms of relative exp when you get higher. Yes, you CAN skip the main storyline, the instances, the linear questgrind and play "sandbox mode", but there are games that do it far better, and the game is not designed to work that way. Especially since a lot of areas and zones are quite artificially giving you a "path" from quest hub to quest hub, be it through narrow mountain passes, roads or natural obstacles like rocks, mountain cliffs and rivers.
I am looking forward to the game as a place to tide me over till AoC, but lets not talk a quality into it that isnt there. LotR is designed to be played as a linear group-centric storyline. The fact you can go out of your way to skip and avoid things like that doesnt change the fact its meant, built, and most likely will be further developed in that spirit.
Let us take a fully sandbox game that people often pine over. SWG-Pre-CU. The biggest complaint was the game had no content. Imagine if you will that SWG had its initial sandboxy element, and then add on top of that 1500 quests.
What has changed? You can still experience the sandbox elements. Now of course LOTRO doesn't have a skill system, nor is the terrain as open nor as painfully empty as SWG. But you can create a lot of sand box play if you ignore all the toys placed there. Turbine has said they will be adding more sandbox elements (music being just the tip).
It seems to me Turbine has done something amazing..if they follow through. Unlike the many failed game models of designing the sandbox first and filling it with toys later, Turbine has brought the toys in right away and will add the sandbox later while you play with the toys. This approach may well breath life back into sandbox game play which has been killed with SWG-NGE and VG.
EDIT: oh, and I am being honest. Everyone awaits the messiah of sandbox games, and are inevitably disappointed. LOTRO has sandbox elements that you can have, right now, if one is not myopically quest oriented.
_____________________________ 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.
Here is what I mean by linear, since I just tried out the early stages of the Dwarf quest. You talk to a dwarf, he points you towards a mine. You enter through a door to talk to another dwarf.
Now that door you just entered is locked so you cannot get out until you go through the linear quests offered to you. Kind of feels like a mousetrap just like online where you click on a website, but cannot click the backbutton because it keeps you at the website. Very forced, very frustrating gameplay.
Now you can still develop a game with sandbox type play and have quests point you in a direction without forcing you there. But from what I've seen so far in LOTRO, you're an actor who must follow a script in the tutorial, even down to the scenes.
You're referring to the 'starter instances' - until about level 5-6, you're actually in a separate 'instance' of the game that is designed to help you learn to play. Once you finish the starter area (for Elves and Dwarves it's 'Skorgrims Tomb', for Hobbits and Men it's 'Assault on Archet') you get a LOT more choices - you can go LOTS of different placesin the world and explore, find different quests, etc... They even have immidiate travel to other areas of the world from your 'starting area' so you can start exploring right away.
I guess it all depends on taste. I enjoy the elements that are hinged to a larger story line while still having the complete freedom to roam anywhere in the world (at my risk of course). I found the five minute intro quest to be fine. It did not detract from my immersion or fun at all. I suspect being somewhat versed in the whole story to begin with lends to the enjoyment factor for me. Although, in comparison, I was really not very well versed in World Of Warcraft (other than Warcraft II ladder play in the 1990s) and found it fairly easy to get into the story and lore.
There are, I suspect, enough games out there for everyone to find something that works for them. LoTRO definetly works for me.
Here is what I mean by linear, since I just tried out the early stages of the Dwarf quest. You talk to a dwarf, he points you towards a mine. You enter through a door to talk to another dwarf. Now that door you just entered is locked so you cannot get out until you go through the linear quests offered to you. Kind of feels like a mousetrap just like online where you click on a website, but cannot click the backbutton because it keeps you at the website. Very forced, very frustrating gameplay. Now you can still develop a game with sandbox type play and have quests point you in a direction without forcing you there. But from what I've seen so far in LOTRO, you're an actor who must follow a script in the tutorial, even down to the scenes.
how often does "get past the noob area" have to be repeated?
personally i prefer to play games against the grain - as in, if it is quest oriented - do everything but quests - if it is sandbox concentrate on missions/quests
but for some reason i really am enjoying going with the flow in LOTR
this game seems to have a certain intangible something that just makes me happy to play - very weird and down right goofy
all though last night i did get my first quest that required me to form a group to complete it - hah! - screw that - plenty of other stuff to do (more of my "against the grain" playstyle rearing its not so ugly head)
Comments
I am looking forward to the game as a place to tide me over till AoC, but lets not talk a quality into it that isnt there. LotR is designed to be played as a linear group-centric storyline. The fact you can go out of your way to skip and avoid things like that doesnt change the fact its meant, built, and most likely will be further developed in that spirit.
Let us take a fully sandbox game that people often pine over. SWG-Pre-CU. The biggest complaint was the game had no content. Imagine if you will that SWG had its initial sandboxy element, and then add on top of that 1500 quests.
What has changed? You can still experience the sandbox elements. Now of course LOTRO doesn't have a skill system, nor is the terrain as open nor as painfully empty as SWG. But you can create a lot of sand box play if you ignore all the toys placed there. Turbine has said they will be adding more sandbox elements (music being just the tip).
It seems to me Turbine has done something amazing..if they follow through. Unlike the many failed game models of designing the sandbox first and filling it with toys later, Turbine has brought the toys in right away and will add the sandbox later while you play with the toys. This approach may well breath life back into sandbox game play which has been killed with SWG-NGE and VG.
EDIT: oh, and I am being honest. Everyone awaits the messiah of sandbox games, and are inevitably disappointed. LOTRO has sandbox elements that you can have, right now, if one is not myopically quest oriented.
_____________________________
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/
Here is what I mean by linear, since I just tried out the early stages of the Dwarf quest. You talk to a dwarf, he points you towards a mine. You enter through a door to talk to another dwarf.
Now that door you just entered is locked so you cannot get out until you go through the linear quests offered to you. Kind of feels like a mousetrap just like online where you click on a website, but cannot click the backbutton because it keeps you at the website. Very forced, very frustrating gameplay.
Now you can still develop a game with sandbox type play and have quests point you in a direction without forcing you there. But from what I've seen so far in LOTRO, you're an actor who must follow a script in the tutorial, even down to the scenes.
Fugnudz,
You're referring to the 'starter instances' - until about level 5-6, you're actually in a separate 'instance' of the game that is designed to help you learn to play. Once you finish the starter area (for Elves and Dwarves it's 'Skorgrims Tomb', for Hobbits and Men it's 'Assault on Archet') you get a LOT more choices - you can go LOTS of different placesin the world and explore, find different quests, etc... They even have immidiate travel to other areas of the world from your 'starting area' so you can start exploring right away.
When scary things get scared, that's bad...
I guess it all depends on taste. I enjoy the elements that are hinged to a larger story line while still having the complete freedom to roam anywhere in the world (at my risk of course). I found the five minute intro quest to be fine. It did not detract from my immersion or fun at all. I suspect being somewhat versed in the whole story to begin with lends to the enjoyment factor for me. Although, in comparison, I was really not very well versed in World Of Warcraft (other than Warcraft II ladder play in the 1990s) and found it fairly easy to get into the story and lore.
There are, I suspect, enough games out there for everyone to find something that works for them. LoTRO definetly works for me.
how often does "get past the noob area" have to be repeated?
personally i prefer to play games against the grain - as in, if it is quest oriented - do everything but quests - if it is sandbox concentrate on missions/quests
but for some reason i really am enjoying going with the flow in LOTR
this game seems to have a certain intangible something that just makes me happy to play - very weird and down right goofy
all though last night i did get my first quest that required me to form a group to complete it - hah! - screw that - plenty of other stuff to do (more of my "against the grain" playstyle rearing its not so ugly head)