The only thing it has going for it is the Setting..otherwise a same ole same ole mmog we have all seen before, and frankly I think that was the way it was intentionally designed....a very safe game to develope...and let Tolkin's world do the selling of the game.
Those people who wrote the "reviews" are shills. If you don't believe me, take some time to actually read these "reviews", and you will be appalled. The lack of professionalism and outright favoritism is immediately apparent. Don't forget to pay special attention to where these "reviewers" state they were given special tours of the developers headquarters and privileged information about the game.
Most people klnow not to take this places ratings serious given the fact a piece of trash game like Eve online was up top for years and won pretty much every award that mmog.com did last year due to there fan bois and the devs and mods over on official forums encouraging ppl to come spam there rating up.
Lotro has fans I like it I think its a good game is it great? no but name one mmog that is ever gonna be called great,most of us who have been around since M59 and UO and played everything in between know how things evolve a new game will come out alot of ppl will move to it claiming how great it is nature of the beast.In the end I play what I like and could care less what the rating is.
Edit: I'm not going to invite a flame war by quoting directly, but I think it's clear which posters this is directed at (obviously not melanoma). Peace citizens...
/rant on
/sarcasm on
Yeah, it's utterly impossible that any of us actually like the game. Actually, you found me out. I've been maintaining this account for years just so that I would appear to have some sort of "street cred" when i post about why I think LotRO is the best thing since waffles after it comes out. Posting on other boards that I was afraid this game would bite because Turbine (of "how the fuck do you screw up a cannot miss IP,,,,,DDO!!! That's how!" fame...and "Lets screw the last four fans of AC II out of as much money as possible before we shut down the servers" fame) was developing LotRO was all part of my incredibly clever multi-year plan.
/sarcasm off
Are you guys out of your damn minds? The only new accounts/ potential shills I see on this board are the apes bitching that the game isn't "hard enough", or "sandbox enough", or "it doesn't totally redefine MMOs and my subjective impression of what it means to be a human" or whatever. Half of them have items their posts that indicate quite clearly that they can't have played the game for more than an hour (at most). Really stupid factual errors. "The game has no crafting"... "there is only one kind of quest" .."the game is totally instanced"...."you can't customize your characters at all, every Loremaster is exactly the same." I mean what the hell? If you're going to be a shill, or a troll, or whatever at least do enough research that someone might actually believe you know what you're talking about.
I have managed to pretty much stop responding to this crap, but insinuating that anyone that claims to like the game is a shill is beyond assinine. Different people like different things. Just because you don't like liver and onions does not mean that my Grandmother (who loves it) is a corporate shill for the Beef Liver Farmers of America.
We know you don't like the game. Lots of other people do. Get the hell over it.
/rant off
I love how you make up quotes, thats just a fantastic way to support your argument that no one is having.
I am specifically referring to some of the "reviewers" who have written "reviews" on gaming sites, not john q forum poster. To be even more specific, I'm referring to people such as MeenKeenLaurikeen and Loktofeit who posted "reviews" on the LOTRO Vault. Both of them posted outrageous reviews of the game, with 9's and 10's in made up categories, as well as overall 9.5's. There are others as well, but the point stands.
You can choose not to believe it. You can argue till you are blue in the face that shills don't exist, but you cannot possibly expect a person of moderate intelligence to believe that a random person creates a post stating that Turbine "Leads the industry by example". It just doesn't happen.
the ranks are not really misleading all the games up there are great games
GW- a free fast paced MMO where in three days or good playing you can get to max level but your not done there GW is a great game it teaches you stragey and timing attack with other players and using the right skils at the right time and the right builds for the right teams and so on and so fourth. it teachs you how hardcore PVPers work and with only 8 skills the game balences and depends on skills of the players and the group the game has great PVE as well and really fun ideas comming up is GWEN or guild wars eyes of the north (fourth and last expansion) and in GW the game takes it to the next level and will still be free
EQ2- never have played it and i always feel like i ahve missed out but i think it was because i got into DAOC first but from what i ahve seen and read about it was/is a great game
EVE-played it for about 20 minutes thats it but i guess they are doing a bunch of great things with it now but the whole spaceship thing was for me
DAOC- there cant be enough said about this game and every expansion makes it better for those who want to still try it play on the classics still amny people playing PVE and RVR and im still enjoying my slef to the day! but again if i started on all the things about this game that makes it great i would fall alseep before i was done.
COV/COH- i enjoyed these games and played them for about a year. this game would have been a lot better if the made the PVP better and more enjoyable. i realy didnt the grind so much because the attacks were so different and so many people were different things that everything looked amanzing each mob of badies and i fell that this game got PVE down perfectly and made two great enjoyable games
Ok, first off, before all the sensitive types jump in screaming 'troll! troll!', this is just a POV, not an attempt to flame. Just because someone sees something differently and wants to discuss it dosent mean they are trolling ok? Right... All I really wanna know is why is this game so highly rated? The environment graphics are just ok... pretty standard for these days, and nowhere near as pretty as EQ2 or VG. The character models are really downright crude, though I admit not as fugly as VG's efforts... TBH, even Guild Wars and CoX are better overall graphically, to be *really* honest even DDO is actually better looking taken as a whole. EQ2's soga character models make LotR look like amateur time, which is amazing consiering that game's age now. I know graphics dont make a game, but lets be honest, they are frickin important... Otherwise we would all still be playing 'Lords of Midnight', right? So, if it's not the graphics, which are 'ok' at best, what is it? I disagree on the graphics, personally I thing the game looks very good. The game play is just cookie cutter fantasy MMO. If you wanna play this style of game, why not, again, play EQ2, which has such a depth of content and activities it makes LotR look pretty vacuous and soley relying on the thin veil of a well known IP for it's substance. Nothing new here, just the standard blah blah blah of EQ lite. The lack of classes, races, and starting locations, bland quests (fetch 10 of this, kill 10 of that... meh), and hand holding directionals that guide you throughgout make this a shallow experience at best. Why do you LotR OL fans rate this game more highly then EQ2? At least VG reached for the stars, even if it did fail, to create something epic and great. LotR OL dosent even want to seem to get out of bed... So, if it's not the game play, which is bland and formulaic at best, what is it? As whole, I agree with you on the gameplay. Its so "been there done that" its not funny. Where I would disagree is on a portion of the quest. Many of them (the story driven instance ones) are very good. Turbine does make some good content. It is based on an IP and there is a lot of given and take when you do that. Its a very good job at making you feel you are part of a large scope story. Story is an element a game needs if its an RPG by definition. I am genuinely interested why people rate this game so highly, 'cause to be honest, I just don't see it... Is it just shiny new game syndrome?? Is it the recognised IP?? Is it follow the leader?? I compare it a lot to EQ2 here mainly because that's the game it is closest to in so many ways, without being as good in any of them... Seriously, if a LotR OL fan can help me out with what makes this game rank above EQ2, I would be very interested in reading your opinions. Apples and orenges IMHO. Although the gameplay is similar. They are both fantasy clones. I thought the gameplay in EQ2 was horribly slow paced. That was like a year ago. maybe its changed. Thats another thing that turned me off about EQ2, like its SOE brother SWG, its was always undergoing revamps. When I left they had just revamped the crafting system. They had revamped combat and classes....SOE just creates an unstable atmosphere with its customers. btw, I was in the game for approx 40 mins before I saw my first 'Frodoesque' named hobbit... it made me shudder.... Just to think of all those Legolis, Gandelf, Grimli, Fredo, or whatever just waiting for me makes me wanna cry... Those are players doing that, whatcha gonna do? I saw "frodoeque" names in EQ2 also. /shrug
IMHO a big factor is as follows. Its been a really long long time since a good (by good I mean quality or at least working) title launched. Its very familiar in gameplay to a large group of players and its pretty well made. WoW has pretty much tapped out.
But all in all, in many ways, its more of the same, is some its better then what else is out there. I like it though. I play it on and off.
Are you guys out of your damn minds? The only new accounts/ potential shills I see on this board are the apes bitching that the game isn't "hard enough", or "sandbox enough", or "it doesn't totally redefine MMOs and my subjective impression of what it means to be a human" or whatever. Half of them have items their posts that indicate quite clearly that they can't have played the game for more than an hour (at most). Really stupid factual errors. "The game has no crafting"... "there is only one kind of quest" .."the game is totally instanced"...."you can't customize your characters at all, every Loremaster is exactly the same." I mean what the hell? If you're going to be a shill, or a troll, or whatever at least do enough research that someone might actually believe you know what you're talking about.
I have played, and by the sound of it probably several more months than you have:
1) Yes, there is crafting but it resembles something the devs threw in at the last Friday meeting before beta started ("Oh damn guys, we forgot crafting! Anyone have any ideas? Hey, pass me that chocolate donut"). I particularly like the unrealistic nodes popping up in the oddest spots (I half expected to find one in the Prancing Pony next to Barliman Butterbur).
2) There are actually two kind of quests -- kill quests and kill-quests where you have to return several times to the NPC quest-giver for orders on killing more things.
3) You can customize your characters; unfortunately, everyone decided to make their Elf look exactly like mine.
4) And no, it's not every loremaster that's the same -- it's every guardian that's the same. Sheesh, n00bs!
You post, sir contains several factual errors, as anyone who has played the game is aware. I'm done with this.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I don't get it either but something felt rather fishy with the rating. First of all it was given a solid up the upper 8s and then all the other games below suddenly were given LOWER ratings and the SAME ratings as all the other runner ups. I don't recall the exact number but it was like this. LOTRO : 8.5 GUILD WARS: 7.2 EVER QUEST 7.2 EVE ONLINE 7.2 DAOC 7.2 COV 7.2 COH 7.2 And this happened conveniently the SAME day that all the advertising space was filled with LOTRO ads. I smell jury rigging. Still.. i don't see why the ratings for all the other games went DOWN, they are still BELOW what they were once LOTRO was put on. I played the game and I agree with the original poster's topic, i was not impressed and strongly felt that it did not merrit the rating it had gotten. I am in the advertising business myself, and giving sites extra cash to change ratings on purpose to boost the advertisement power is not unheard of.
all comments aside, which may have some truths and falsehoods --- this is probably true
Edit: I'm not going to invite a flame war by quoting directly, but I think it's clear which posters this is directed at (obviously not melanoma). Peace citizens...
/rant on
/sarcasm on
Yeah, it's utterly impossible that any of us actually like the game. Actually, you found me out. I've been maintaining this account for years just so that I would appear to have some sort of "street cred" when i post about why I think LotRO is the best thing since waffles after it comes out. Posting on other boards that I was afraid this game would bite because Turbine (of "how the fuck do you screw up a cannot miss IP,,,,,DDO!!! That's how!" fame...and "Lets screw the last four fans of AC II out of as much money as possible before we shut down the servers" fame) was developing LotRO was all part of my incredibly clever multi-year plan.
/sarcasm off
Are you guys out of your damn minds? The only new accounts/ potential shills I see on this board are the apes bitching that the game isn't "hard enough", or "sandbox enough", or "it doesn't totally redefine MMOs and my subjective impression of what it means to be a human" or whatever. Half of them have items their posts that indicate quite clearly that they can't have played the game for more than an hour (at most). Really stupid factual errors. "The game has no crafting"... "there is only one kind of quest" .."the game is totally instanced"...."you can't customize your characters at all, every Loremaster is exactly the same." I mean what the hell? If you're going to be a shill, or a troll, or whatever at least do enough research that someone might actually believe you know what you're talking about.
I have managed to pretty much stop responding to this crap, but insinuating that anyone that claims to like the game is a shill is beyond assinine. Different people like different things. Just because you don't like liver and onions does not mean that my Grandmother (who loves it) is a corporate shill for the Beef Liver Farmers of America.
We know you don't like the game. Lots of other people do. Get the hell over it.
/rant off
I love how you make up quotes, thats just a fantastic way to support your argument that no one is having.
I am specifically referring to some of the "reviewers" who have written "reviews" on gaming sites, not john q forum poster. To be even more specific, I'm referring to people such as MeenKeenLaurikeen and Loktofeit who posted "reviews" on the LOTRO Vault. Both of them posted outrageous reviews of the game, with 9's and 10's in made up categories, as well as overall 9.5's. There are others as well, but the point stands.
You can choose not to believe it. You can argue till you are blue in the face that shills don't exist, but you cannot possibly expect a person of moderate intelligence to believe that a random person creates a post stating that Turbine "Leads the industry by example". It just doesn't happen.
Your right I did make up the quotes. I would have thought it was obvious from my tone to anyone that they were not direct quotes.
And I apologize if I offended you. In fact my post wasn't really directed to you at all, but I can see where you thought it was. I think for the most part the rave reviews that the game is getting are because folks genuinley like the game. I think the guy at the IGN site, for example, is just a genuine fan of the game (I agree that it doesn't hold the weight of something from a real gaming news site). However, Turbine have proven themselves pretty shady in the past, I wouldn't put it past them to hire a viral marketing firm. There certainly may be some truth to your allegations.
And no, I'm not waffling. I'm just not in rant mode. "/rant on" is Yeebo speak for I'm not going to attempt to be fair or ballanced in any way. I'm just going to rant and rave until I feel better, and hopefully entertain a few that bother to read it while I'm at it. Peace man.
Edit: (all above this is unchanged, btw) Hadn't bothered to check your links when I wrot my original response. Most of those look like random fanboy brown nosing to me. However, the last one that you posted is ideed quite suspicious.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I don't understand why people say that the graphics are only ok. LOTRO on the low graphics setting is horrible, but on the high or ultra high is outstanding. The clouds, the flocks of birds flying by, the grass, the water, are all a step above anything I have seen in an MMORPG (I haven't played VG yet). Most of my friends that have complained about the graphics were playing with the low res client and lower graphic settings.
I agree that the gameplay reminds me of DDO without the twitch combat. It can be boring if you are soloing, but when you are in a fellowship using conjunctions it can be fun.
The character creation is rather limited. People do tend to look alike, but I usally go to the extreme and haven't seen a hobbit like mine.
Crafting is still basic, but it is better than WoW's simple crafting system. You can make lower level purple items that are better than much higher yellow items.
There are plenty of kill x mob and get x and y drops, but there are some unique ones like scout the goblin camp without being spotted, as well as exploration deeds that give xp and traits.
Monster Play is also a unique approach to adding PvP in a PvE world game. If they had allowed Dwarfs to gank Elfs and Humans to gank Hobbits, I'd have rated LOTRO very low. PvP needs to be about Player vs Player. Players should kill other players because they can play their character better, not just because they are a higher level. While limiting PvP to one zone is a minus, when you have enough players on both sides it is a great pvp experience.
They really need to work on character creation and crafting, but as a whole LOTRO is a solid 8/10 in my rating.
[quote]The environment graphics are just ok... pretty standard for these days, and nowhere near as pretty as EQ2 or VG. [/quote]
I stopped reading here. I have a really powerful PC and at high settings I found Vanguard just ok. Everquest is comparable to vanguard but certainly not nex-gen.
Lord of the rings on highest settings (you do need the release client as the beta didn't have the high-res client instead) blows every other game away graphically, Vanguard doesn't even come close.
Aside from that Lotr just a far more enjoyable game.
As for your name concerns, I don't play with name plates turned on for that very reason. And people with really unoriginal names I refuse to group with. Toiletduck is a funny name, Legooolas is just stupid. oh i am so using Toiletduck
The landscape... Are you playing at max settings with High Res textures? To me, the landscapes in LotRO blow any other MMO out of the water.
lol i can just imagine all the big MMO's competing with each other in a pool and the winner gets the shotgun...
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds -Solid non level based game -Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
I must admit my first impression was also "oh noes another troll about to start a flamewar", but I guess your questions are honest.
Its hard to explain, and some of your critique is valid. I see you come from EQ2, and since I played EQ2 over 2 years myself, I think I know where you come from and what your ideas about MMO maybe are.
IMVPO the landscape graphics are the best I have ever seen in a MMO. My opinion - you seem to feel quite otherwise, to which you are entitled, but I kinda dont understand that. Especially the high res version is quite stunning. The toons are something entirely different. I was a huge SOGA lover, so I fully understand your gripe - and share it. I really wish they had put more detail and "beauty" in the toons, but my game fun does not entirely depend on it, even tho they are usually very important for me. But I accepted that compromise because I found the world itself very stunning to see.
I dont feel its cookiee cutter at all. The world of LOTR (the books) is quite old fashioned compared to what most younger ppl regard in fantasy terms. One example: over the past 20 years Orcs made a similar development in fantasy like Klingons in Star Trek: from mindless, evil monsters to some version of a native or primitve but honorable warrior culture. Today, if you play any modern MMO you have those "dark races" quite naturally as part of the world, where unlike in Tolkien everything is still quite old-fashioned and in that way a world design against the current trend. It has some really unique things in the game itself also, like the specialization over quests, deeds and accomplishment instead of mere levelbased traits, or monsterplay PVP (which I found quite fun.)
I agree, LOTRO is limited in classes and races. It could have been more. But I just fled from Vanguard, which is solely based on MASS (15 classes, 19 races) and GAWD was that boring and sterile. So essentially Turbine/Codemasters stayed to what they could do and what the world allowed, so to speak. The Tolkien lore does limit what is possible, but I dont see that as harm in general. I see the world which was presented at launch was VERY polished and ready, so they really can focus on expanding the world - unlike Vanguard, where the developers will be lost months or years in repairing the trash. So I can hope in LOTRO it gets more and better on the way. The classes also are not exactly as the usual classes. Bard is NOT like the usual healer, Loremaster is NOT like the usual spellcaster, Captain is NOT like the usual Paladin, they are all a bit different and in that way innovative.
The quests... yes there is the usual thing, but in what MMO isnt? I found LOTRO has a lot of quests which are really interesting, both the quests itself and the story involved. I am REALLY reading them, which I didnt in EQ2 most of the time.
Going into LOTRO I feel like its a way made with "love" if you forgive me such a silly expression, where in Vanguard I felt it was mostly made to impress and brag with size. I know I would have preferred more classes and races and also definitely better character models, as I too was used from EQ2, but after 2+ years I had enough of EQ2 and longed for something new. LOTRO is quite a good game - but surely the impression is altered by the fact almost all MMO that were released in the last 12 months or so were more or less bad. The thing I missed in Vanguard most and LOTRO deliveres GREAT is: they know how to tell a story. I admit, I dont play LOTRO as I used to play EQ2 or wanted to play Vanguard, I play LOTRO more casual and dont make a home and hosue there. But if you accept that you get QUITE a good game.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
The game is pretty good and that pisses people off.
"The game is pretty good, and that pisses people off"
As far as I can tell you are correct. Turbine may have indeed paid off some shills (follow the entire thread, check all the links). And in my mind they wer just setting money on fire if they did. This game rocks. well trully and utterly. All the rave reviews that will come out of real gaming sites in the next few weeks (and no, i'm not playing baron vone crackhead or mistress phone psychic....the previews at 1up, gamespy, IGN, and several other sites are extremely positive....i'd be amazed if the reviews did not follow suite) pluss word of mouth from those that are playing are all the game needs. Shills are neither welcome nor needed.
What I can't understand is how the game attracted trolls so quickly on this board. That, and why I didn't buy heuvos rancheros instead fo an omlette the last time i bought breakfast.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
Are you guys out of your damn minds? The only new accounts/ potential shills I see on this board are the apes bitching that the game isn't "hard enough", or "sandbox enough", or "it doesn't totally redefine MMOs and my subjective impression of what it means to be a human" or whatever. Half of them have items their posts that indicate quite clearly that they can't have played the game for more than an hour (at most). Really stupid factual errors. "The game has no crafting"... "there is only one kind of quest" .."the game is totally instanced"...."you can't customize your characters at all, every Loremaster is exactly the same." I mean what the hell? If you're going to be a shill, or a troll, or whatever at least do enough research that someone might actually believe you know what you're talking about.
I have played, and by the sound of it probably several more months than you have:
1) Yes, there is crafting but it resembles something the devs threw in at the last Friday meeting before beta started ("Oh damn guys, we forgot crafting! Anyone have any ideas? Hey, pass me that chocolate donut"). I particularly like the unrealistic nodes popping up in the oddest spots (I half expected to find one in the Prancing Pony next to Barliman Butterbur).
2) There are actually two kind of quests -- kill quests and kill-quests where you have to return several times to the NPC quest-giver for orders on killing more things.
3) You can customize your characters; unfortunately, everyone decided to make their Elf look exactly like mine.
4) And no, it's not every loremaster that's the same -- it's every guardian that's the same. Sheesh, n00bs!
You post, sir contains several factual errors, as anyone who has played the game is aware. I'm done with this.
Please explain how my observations of a game I played are in error? The crafting system is certainly weak in comparison to other games I've played, the vast majority of all quests are indeed kill quests (how you could have missed this is beyond me, unless you're still collecting pies in the Shire), the next time you're in Rivendell take a look at the Elvish PC's (they indeed all look the same), and there is virtually nothing to differentiate one character from another in a given class through the trait system (unless of course you're wearing a silly three musketeers hat).
There are a lot of quality posts here, and I have read them all. I start to see where people are generally coming from I think... Forgive me for generalising here btw, I havent the time to respond to individuals
Just to clarify things though for the graphics supporters here, I am running this game on a decent enough rig with, in Vista terms, a performance rating of 5.3. To put this into perspective for those that don't know, the game itself has a minimum rating of 3.0, and a recommended rating of 4.0. While I am not to concerned avbout going into specifics at this point about whats what, be assured I am running this game peaked out. Any opinions I have expressed on graphics have nothing to do with my settings
Honestly, the general overall vibe here seems to be one of... well... theres just nothing else.
Well, thats ok and all I guess, but it really dosent bode well for the future of this game eh? I am not declaring it's death or anything, but tbh LotR OL just seems like a filler game for most, unable to inspire the enthusiasm that other games have seen, rightly or wrongly.
Ultimately, if nothing else, this game will serve as a test on how far a very average porridgy game can be carried by a popular IP. If it is a big success, which I think it will be, then expect many more of a similar type I guess.
I personally think we do oursleves a disservice by supporting this game. Personally, I think we deserve better.
Ok, first off, before all the sensitive types jump in screaming 'troll! troll!', this is just a POV, not an attempt to flame. Just because someone sees something differently and wants to discuss it dosent mean they are trolling ok? Right... All I really wanna know is why is this game so highly rated? The environment graphics are just ok... pretty standard for these days, and nowhere near as pretty as EQ2 or VG. The character models are really downright crude, though I admit not as fugly as VG's efforts... TBH, even Guild Wars and CoX are better overall graphically, to be *really* honest even DDO is actually better looking taken as a whole. EQ2's soga character models make LotR look like amateur time, which is amazing consiering that game's age now. I know graphics dont make a game, but lets be honest, they are frickin important... Otherwise we would all still be playing 'Lords of Midnight', right? So, if it's not the graphics, which are 'ok' at best, what is it? The game play is just cookie cutter fantasy MMO. If you wanna play this style of game, why not, again, play EQ2, which has such a depth of content and activities it makes LotR look pretty vacuous and soley relying on the thin veil of a well known IP for it's substance. Nothing new here, just the standard blah blah blah of EQ lite. The lack of classes, races, and starting locations, bland quests (fetch 10 of this, kill 10 of that... meh), and hand holding directionals that guide you throughgout make this a shallow experience at best. Why do you LotR OL fans rate this game more highly then EQ2? At least VG reached for the stars, even if it did fail, to create something epic and great. LotR OL dosent even want to seem to get out of bed... So, if it's not the game play, which is bland and formulaic at best, what is it? I am genuinely interested why people rate this game so highly, 'cause to be honest, I just don't see it... Is it just shiny new game syndrome?? Is it the recognised IP?? Is it follow the leader?? I compare it a lot to EQ2 here mainly because that's the game it is closest to in so many ways, without being as good in any of them... Seriously, if a LotR OL fan can help me out with what makes this game rank above EQ2, I would be very interested in reading your opinions. btw, I was in the game for approx 40 mins before I saw my first 'Frodoesque' named hobbit... it made me shudder.... Just to think of all those Legolis, Gandelf, Grimli, Fredo, or whatever just waiting for me makes me wanna cry...
Well, I agree with you on the graphics part (nice world, but ugly lowpolygon characters yes) and the simple gamemechanics. The reason I play it is because i found that the quests are great. Finally some decent stories. Also, finding a group is so incredibily easy in the game. The gamemechanics also encourage this. Quests give major xp, mobs almost none. So when people realise that grinding mobs and competing for them is useless they tend to invite others to make it more fun and faster. Which is quite refreshing if you think about some recent games (WoWto lvl70, VG, SWG, EQII).
And about the namechosing. Are you serious? If you play MMORPG's you know that you find morons in every single one of them. Generally more when the game is easy. (So I guess you could say that it is a weak point of LOTRO ).
Main reason is quite simple - people are blinded by the branding. If this was not Lotr, there would be about 1/10 of the people talking about it and even less playing it.
It would be rated below DAOC, RYZOM and COH and thought of as a simple but bland starter MMO, certainly not 'THE BEST' as many people are shouting.
I think that is another huge factor as well. If this game was called... Swords and Sorcery Online... people would probably have a far different reaction to it. As I've said in several posts though, once people get over the "ohh ahh" factor of it being LOTR, they'll see it for the game it is, and opinions will change.
Comments
And I agree with the other poster, suddenly every other game went down and LoTRO got a 8.5
Smells fishy, you're damn right!
Most people klnow not to take this places ratings serious given the fact a piece of trash game like Eve online was up top for years and won pretty much every award that mmog.com did last year due to there fan bois and the devs and mods over on official forums encouraging ppl to come spam there rating up.
Lotro has fans I like it I think its a good game is it great? no but name one mmog that is ever gonna be called great,most of us who have been around since M59 and UO and played everything in between know how things evolve a new game will come out alot of ppl will move to it claiming how great it is nature of the beast.In the end I play what I like and could care less what the rating is.
I am specifically referring to some of the "reviewers" who have written "reviews" on gaming sites, not john q forum poster. To be even more specific, I'm referring to people such as MeenKeenLaurikeen and Loktofeit who posted "reviews" on the LOTRO Vault. Both of them posted outrageous reviews of the game, with 9's and 10's in made up categories, as well as overall 9.5's. There are others as well, but the point stands.
You can choose not to believe it. You can argue till you are blue in the face that shills don't exist, but you cannot possibly expect a person of moderate intelligence to believe that a random person creates a post stating that Turbine "Leads the industry by example". It just doesn't happen.
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49167
Here are some more examples of shilling.
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=50583
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49687
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49784
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49731
Heres an interesting one...
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49534
Equal opportunity troll.
the ranks are not really misleading all the games up there are great games
GW- a free fast paced MMO where in three days or good playing you can get to max level but your not done there GW is a great game it teaches you stragey and timing attack with other players and using the right skils at the right time and the right builds for the right teams and so on and so fourth. it teachs you how hardcore PVPers work and with only 8 skills the game balences and depends on skills of the players and the group the game has great PVE as well and really fun ideas comming up is GWEN or guild wars eyes of the north (fourth and last expansion) and in GW the game takes it to the next level and will still be free
EQ2- never have played it and i always feel like i ahve missed out but i think it was because i got into DAOC first but from what i ahve seen and read about it was/is a great game
EVE-played it for about 20 minutes thats it but i guess they are doing a bunch of great things with it now but the whole spaceship thing was for me
DAOC- there cant be enough said about this game and every expansion makes it better for those who want to still try it play on the classics still amny people playing PVE and RVR and im still enjoying my slef to the day! but again if i started on all the things about this game that makes it great i would fall alseep before i was done.
COV/COH- i enjoyed these games and played them for about a year. this game would have been a lot better if the made the PVP better and more enjoyable. i realy didnt the grind so much because the attacks were so different and so many people were different things that everything looked amanzing each mob of badies and i fell that this game got PVE down perfectly and made two great enjoyable games
IMHO a big factor is as follows. Its been a really long long time since a good (by good I mean quality or at least working) title launched. Its very familiar in gameplay to a large group of players and its pretty well made. WoW has pretty much tapped out.
But all in all, in many ways, its more of the same, is some its better then what else is out there. I like it though. I play it on and off.
Cool, at least you made a nice, rational argument
I have played, and by the sound of it probably several more months than you have:
1) Yes, there is crafting but it resembles something the devs threw in at the last Friday meeting before beta started ("Oh damn guys, we forgot crafting! Anyone have any ideas? Hey, pass me that chocolate donut"). I particularly like the unrealistic nodes popping up in the oddest spots (I half expected to find one in the Prancing Pony next to Barliman Butterbur).
2) There are actually two kind of quests -- kill quests and kill-quests where you have to return several times to the NPC quest-giver for orders on killing more things.
3) You can customize your characters; unfortunately, everyone decided to make their Elf look exactly like mine.
4) And no, it's not every loremaster that's the same -- it's every guardian that's the same. Sheesh, n00bs!
You post, sir contains several factual errors, as anyone who has played the game is aware. I'm done with this.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I am specifically referring to some of the "reviewers" who have written "reviews" on gaming sites, not john q forum poster. To be even more specific, I'm referring to people such as MeenKeenLaurikeen and Loktofeit who posted "reviews" on the LOTRO Vault. Both of them posted outrageous reviews of the game, with 9's and 10's in made up categories, as well as overall 9.5's. There are others as well, but the point stands.
You can choose not to believe it. You can argue till you are blue in the face that shills don't exist, but you cannot possibly expect a person of moderate intelligence to believe that a random person creates a post stating that Turbine "Leads the industry by example". It just doesn't happen.
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49167
Here are some more examples of shilling.
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=50583
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49687
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49784
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49731
Heres an interesting one...
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=49534
Your right I did make up the quotes. I would have thought it was obvious from my tone to anyone that they were not direct quotes.
And I apologize if I offended you. In fact my post wasn't really directed to you at all, but I can see where you thought it was. I think for the most part the rave reviews that the game is getting are because folks genuinley like the game. I think the guy at the IGN site, for example, is just a genuine fan of the game (I agree that it doesn't hold the weight of something from a real gaming news site). However, Turbine have proven themselves pretty shady in the past, I wouldn't put it past them to hire a viral marketing firm. There certainly may be some truth to your allegations.
And no, I'm not waffling. I'm just not in rant mode. "/rant on" is Yeebo speak for I'm not going to attempt to be fair or ballanced in any way. I'm just going to rant and rave until I feel better, and hopefully entertain a few that bother to read it while I'm at it. Peace man.
Edit: (all above this is unchanged, btw) Hadn't bothered to check your links when I wrot my original response. Most of those look like random fanboy brown nosing to me. However, the last one that you posted is ideed quite suspicious.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
Ignorance-weed (some crossbred with troll tobacco
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
Ignorance-weed (some crossbred with troll tobacco
DB
LoL, let me guess, you are a pipe weed farmer?
The game is pretty good and that pisses people off.
Ignorance-weed (some crossbred with troll tobacco
DB
LoL, let me guess, you are a pipe weed farmer?
The game is pretty good and that pisses people off.
Actually, I'm a historian, so I do have the farming skill, but so far I've only grown onions
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
I agree that the gameplay reminds me of DDO without the twitch combat. It can be boring if you are soloing, but when you are in a fellowship using conjunctions it can be fun.
The character creation is rather limited. People do tend to look alike, but I usally go to the extreme and haven't seen a hobbit like mine.
Crafting is still basic, but it is better than WoW's simple crafting system. You can make lower level purple items that are better than much higher yellow items.
There are plenty of kill x mob and get x and y drops, but there are some unique ones like scout the goblin camp without being spotted, as well as exploration deeds that give xp and traits.
Monster Play is also a unique approach to adding PvP in a PvE world game. If they had allowed Dwarfs to gank Elfs and Humans to gank Hobbits, I'd have rated LOTRO very low. PvP needs to be about Player vs Player. Players should kill other players because they can play their character better, not just because they are a higher level. While limiting PvP to one zone is a minus, when you have enough players on both sides it is a great pvp experience.
They really need to work on character creation and crafting, but as a whole LOTRO is a solid 8/10 in my rating.
[quote]The environment graphics are just ok... pretty standard for these days, and nowhere near as pretty as EQ2 or VG. [/quote]
I stopped reading here. I have a really powerful PC and at high settings I found Vanguard just ok. Everquest is comparable to vanguard but certainly not nex-gen.
Lord of the rings on highest settings (you do need the release client as the beta didn't have the high-res client instead) blows every other game away graphically, Vanguard doesn't even come close.
Aside from that Lotr just a far more enjoyable game.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
I must admit my first impression was also "oh noes another troll about to start a flamewar", but I guess your questions are honest.
Its hard to explain, and some of your critique is valid. I see you come from EQ2, and since I played EQ2 over 2 years myself, I think I know where you come from and what your ideas about MMO maybe are.
IMVPO the landscape graphics are the best I have ever seen in a MMO. My opinion - you seem to feel quite otherwise, to which you are entitled, but I kinda dont understand that. Especially the high res version is quite stunning. The toons are something entirely different. I was a huge SOGA lover, so I fully understand your gripe - and share it. I really wish they had put more detail and "beauty" in the toons, but my game fun does not entirely depend on it, even tho they are usually very important for me. But I accepted that compromise because I found the world itself very stunning to see.
I dont feel its cookiee cutter at all. The world of LOTR (the books) is quite old fashioned compared to what most younger ppl regard in fantasy terms. One example: over the past 20 years Orcs made a similar development in fantasy like Klingons in Star Trek: from mindless, evil monsters to some version of a native or primitve but honorable warrior culture. Today, if you play any modern MMO you have those "dark races" quite naturally as part of the world, where unlike in Tolkien everything is still quite old-fashioned and in that way a world design against the current trend. It has some really unique things in the game itself also, like the specialization over quests, deeds and accomplishment instead of mere levelbased traits, or monsterplay PVP (which I found quite fun.)
I agree, LOTRO is limited in classes and races. It could have been more. But I just fled from Vanguard, which is solely based on MASS (15 classes, 19 races) and GAWD was that boring and sterile. So essentially Turbine/Codemasters stayed to what they could do and what the world allowed, so to speak. The Tolkien lore does limit what is possible, but I dont see that as harm in general. I see the world which was presented at launch was VERY polished and ready, so they really can focus on expanding the world - unlike Vanguard, where the developers will be lost months or years in repairing the trash. So I can hope in LOTRO it gets more and better on the way. The classes also are not exactly as the usual classes. Bard is NOT like the usual healer, Loremaster is NOT like the usual spellcaster, Captain is NOT like the usual Paladin, they are all a bit different and in that way innovative.
The quests... yes there is the usual thing, but in what MMO isnt? I found LOTRO has a lot of quests which are really interesting, both the quests itself and the story involved. I am REALLY reading them, which I didnt in EQ2 most of the time.
Going into LOTRO I feel like its a way made with "love" if you forgive me such a silly expression, where in Vanguard I felt it was mostly made to impress and brag with size. I know I would have preferred more classes and races and also definitely better character models, as I too was used from EQ2, but after 2+ years I had enough of EQ2 and longed for something new. LOTRO is quite a good game - but surely the impression is altered by the fact almost all MMO that were released in the last 12 months or so were more or less bad. The thing I missed in Vanguard most and LOTRO deliveres GREAT is: they know how to tell a story. I admit, I dont play LOTRO as I used to play EQ2 or wanted to play Vanguard, I play LOTRO more casual and dont make a home and hosue there. But if you accept that you get QUITE a good game.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
www.gamesradar.com/us/pc/game/reviews/article.jsp
www.gamedaily.com/lord-of-the-rings-online-shadows-of-angmar/pc/game-reviews/3408/
www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php
I miss DAoC
2 month and lotro start show hes real face. New game is always good but then its start loosing players.
Ignorance-weed (some crossbred with troll tobacco
DB
LoL, let me guess, you are a pipe weed farmer?
The game is pretty good and that pisses people off.
"The game is pretty good, and that pisses people off"
As far as I can tell you are correct. Turbine may have indeed paid off some shills (follow the entire thread, check all the links). And in my mind they wer just setting money on fire if they did. This game rocks. well trully and utterly. All the rave reviews that will come out of real gaming sites in the next few weeks (and no, i'm not playing baron vone crackhead or mistress phone psychic....the previews at 1up, gamespy, IGN, and several other sites are extremely positive....i'd be amazed if the reviews did not follow suite) pluss word of mouth from those that are playing are all the game needs. Shills are neither welcome nor needed.
What I can't understand is how the game attracted trolls so quickly on this board. That, and why I didn't buy heuvos rancheros instead fo an omlette the last time i bought breakfast.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
This has not happened to a game with a strong launch yet.
It happens every few months when games with issues like Vanguard roll out unfinished however.
LotR launch was a non-event it went so smooth. I am curious about how its going so far for them. Its been pretty quite since launch.
I have played, and by the sound of it probably several more months than you have:
1) Yes, there is crafting but it resembles something the devs threw in at the last Friday meeting before beta started ("Oh damn guys, we forgot crafting! Anyone have any ideas? Hey, pass me that chocolate donut"). I particularly like the unrealistic nodes popping up in the oddest spots (I half expected to find one in the Prancing Pony next to Barliman Butterbur).
2) There are actually two kind of quests -- kill quests and kill-quests where you have to return several times to the NPC quest-giver for orders on killing more things.
3) You can customize your characters; unfortunately, everyone decided to make their Elf look exactly like mine.
4) And no, it's not every loremaster that's the same -- it's every guardian that's the same. Sheesh, n00bs!
You post, sir contains several factual errors, as anyone who has played the game is aware. I'm done with this.
Please explain how my observations of a game I played are in error? The crafting system is certainly weak in comparison to other games I've played, the vast majority of all quests are indeed kill quests (how you could have missed this is beyond me, unless you're still collecting pies in the Shire), the next time you're in Rivendell take a look at the Elvish PC's (they indeed all look the same), and there is virtually nothing to differentiate one character from another in a given class through the trait system (unless of course you're wearing a silly three musketeers hat).
Morthoron the Moriquendi
There are a lot of quality posts here, and I have read them all. I start to see where people are generally coming from I think... Forgive me for generalising here btw, I havent the time to respond to individuals
Just to clarify things though for the graphics supporters here, I am running this game on a decent enough rig with, in Vista terms, a performance rating of 5.3. To put this into perspective for those that don't know, the game itself has a minimum rating of 3.0, and a recommended rating of 4.0. While I am not to concerned avbout going into specifics at this point about whats what, be assured I am running this game peaked out. Any opinions I have expressed on graphics have nothing to do with my settings
Honestly, the general overall vibe here seems to be one of... well... theres just nothing else.
Well, thats ok and all I guess, but it really dosent bode well for the future of this game eh? I am not declaring it's death or anything, but tbh LotR OL just seems like a filler game for most, unable to inspire the enthusiasm that other games have seen, rightly or wrongly.
Ultimately, if nothing else, this game will serve as a test on how far a very average porridgy game can be carried by a popular IP. If it is a big success, which I think it will be, then expect many more of a similar type I guess.
I personally think we do oursleves a disservice by supporting this game. Personally, I think we deserve better.
Main reason is quite simple - people are blinded by the branding.
If this was not Lotr, there would be about 1/10 of the people talking about it and even less playing it.
It would be rated below DAOC, RYZOM and COH and thought of as a simple but bland starter MMO, certainly not 'THE BEST' as many people are shouting.
And about the namechosing. Are you serious? If you play MMORPG's you know that you find morons in every single one of them. Generally more when the game is easy. (So I guess you could say that it is a weak point of LOTRO
Equal opportunity troll.