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.
Of course the game is so popular at the moment because its about LOTR. I agree about the rating being to high compared to other games, But only one look in the different forums from this website make me understand that people dont try to be unbiased if it comes to voting for a game. I cant compare it to Ryzom, because it is to different. One being highly story driven based on a well known franchise and the other a sandbox game. I dont know DAOC and personally find COH not as good as LOTRO because of the imo very boring missions. So there you go, because part of your voting is based on what YOU expect from a game, you get this weird situation where people vote for different criteria. Thats why I dont vote on this website
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 tend to disagree. If another MMORPG had been released with an original IP that was as solid, polished and had similar amounts of non-combat gameplay to it, I'd be playing that instead of LOTRO. It's a pretty good game, but it's certainly fun to play. Which is all that really matters to me.
I've become more of a Tolkien fan SINCE I started playing the game than I ever was. I actually read the books for the very first time a couple of weeks ago, towards the end of open beta.
I just don't understand all the hate on these forums. It seems like every time a new game comes out, the people here have nothing better to do than to call it 'the worst game ever made' and so on. It's next to impossible to actually have a discussion here because of all the useless flaming that goes on.
I like LOTRO. It has its flaws, but it's fun to play and that's why I'm subscribing.
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"Give a man a fire, and he is warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he is warm for the rest of his life."
Please, don't misunderstand me, I don't have any hate to any game, let alone LotR.
I am merely interested as to why is scores so high for some people, because I personally don't see it, thats all. If this had been released alongside DAoC a few years back, I would have chosen DAoC... it's that lost on me.
Saying this though, I am very happy though to let those that like it play it, and those that are killing time until to AoC/ WAR arrives do just that as well. I have no vendetta against LotR
now saying that the game is popular because it is a LOTR title might not be an understatment
the same ting happened with D&D online
i have been an active player of D&D using third version rules and playing pen and paper great times
however i feel as if the game would have been better if it was realsed in the forgotten realms around the swords coast and in Amn (baldurs gate players now what i mean)
lets not get off track....
all major title games will get a big fan base in the begining becuase of its title just like WAR and AoC and Star treck will have
but any big game will try and be bashed as long as it is popluar no question the only real thing that matters is if you enjoy the game
but the ratings of the games is by Majority opinion of the players on the fourms
this is not fact but it may seem like it to some people but not everyone likes the same thing.
like me im into the art of the game and the enviorment,into the art of combat with in the game and the lore and story of the game
which is why im sticking with AoC
but i have no question in my mind that LOTR is a great game for some people and a not so great game for others i heard the PVP is boring and not orginal in any way expect for monster combat but other then that nothing new.
so try not to take the ratings so extermely and start bashing the game becuase you think yours is better and never take the ratigns as facts.
Saying this though, I am very happy though to let those that like it play it, and those that are killing time until to AoC/ WAR arrives do just that as well. I have no vendetta against LotR
Why would anyone just want to play it till AOC/WAR comes out. Not to be too negative but either or both games could be like Vanguard, ie. all hype and a steaming pile at launch. You just don't know at this point, all you have is hype. War has alreadty been delayed till next 2008, and lets face it Funcom's past history with launches does not exactly fill me with warm fuzzies. I mean AO is a good game now but the first year or more it was horrible for bugs, lag etc. Both may turn out to be excellent games however the key word is may
I will take a wait and see approach on both and may take a break from LoTRO when they launch, and on the other hand I may not. I have too many memories of SWG, Horizons, Dark and Light, The Matrix Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard to ever count on a game being good. One of my favorite sayings is the best MMORPG is always the one that has not launched.
Who cares if its good, as long as it knocks world of warcraft subscribers down. Maybe developers can start making innovative games once the world of warcraft style thins out. Well I can always dream anyways
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 your correct at least in that the IP is the main reason the game is so popular, and so many were willing to try it. There are a few other factors though. Making the game casual friendly and soloable was a smart move. Having a long open beta , and allowing folks to carry open beta toons into the launch was also smart. The marketing aggreement with PC gamer was also very clever. I subscribe to it, and I never would have tried the game if I hadn't gotten a free beta disk in the mail with my subscription. To be honest its kind of spooky that Turbine managed all these smooth moves. Their record the last few years has been the exact opposite of smooth.
However, I will say this. Even if the game were just "generic fantasy slock" version 1.2...if I had tried it I'd still be playing it. I can't inagine how they would have comee up with something this immersive and engaging without a fully fleshed out IP to draw on. So the IP is a key part of what they wre able to create, But a game that had the attention to detail that LotRO does and that put as much effort into storytelling would certainly hold my interest for a while. It's honestly the best thing I've played since DAoC, to my personal tastes.
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.
now saying that the game is popular because it is a LOTR title might not be an understatment
the same ting happened with D&D online i have been an active player of D&D using third version rules and playing pen and paper great times however i feel as if the game would have been better if it was realsed in the forgotten realms around the swords coast and in Amn (baldurs gate players now what i mean) lets not get off track....
Totally off track, but I agree with you 100%. DDO would have been a lot better if they had gone with an "open world" game set in the forgotten realms.
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.
Saying this though, I am very happy though to let those that like it play it, and those that are killing time until to AoC/ WAR arrives do just that as well. I have no vendetta against LotR
Why would anyone just want to play it till AOC/WAR comes out. Not to be too negative but either or both games could be like Vanguard, ie. all hype and a steaming pile at launch. You just don't know at this point, all you have is hype. War has alreadty been delayed till next 2008, and lets face it Funcom's past history with launches does not exactly fill me with warm fuzzies. I mean AO is a good game now but the first year or more it was horrible for bugs, lag etc. Both may turn out to be excellent games however the key word is may
I will take a wait and see approach on both and may take a break from LoTRO when they launch, and on the other hand I may not. I have too many memories of SWG, Horizons, Dark and Light, The Matrix Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard to ever count on a game being good. One of my favorite sayings is the best MMORPG is always the one that has not launched.
hehe I liked this quote... mind if I steal it?
All I can say about the rest of your post is, well, maybe...
TBH though, if AoC falls flat I am honestly done with MMORPGS for at least 5 years. there has just been way too much crap (in my opinion) released recently, and I am honestly getting burnt out. If LotR OL is what the market dictates, then I think this genre isnt for me anymore.... The public wants what the public gets, afterall. WoW has taken the whole thing in a direction that I am not comfortable with and the market's embracing of a weak (again, in my opinion) game like LotR is a sign that things are not gonna get better in any time soon. If something dosent redeem the hobby in the near future I'm gonna just jump ship and play single player for a long while. S.T.A.L.K.E.R and even Geometry Wars have given me so more fun recently then any MMORPG. Fable II is looking very tempting already...
Speaking of Geometry Wars btw... made me smile to see it's got the same Vista graphics ratings as LotR... Required 3.0, recomended 4.0... wonder if this has any meaning?
Saying this though, I am very happy though to let those that like it play it, and those that are killing time until to AoC/ WAR arrives do just that as well. I have no vendetta against LotR
Why would anyone just want to play it till AOC/WAR comes out. Not to be too negative but either or both games could be like Vanguard, ie. all hype and a steaming pile at launch. You just don't know at this point, all you have is hype. War has alreadty been delayed till next 2008, and lets face it Funcom's past history with launches does not exactly fill me with warm fuzzies. I mean AO is a good game now but the first year or more it was horrible for bugs, lag etc. Both may turn out to be excellent games however the key word is may
I will take a wait and see approach on both and may take a break from LoTRO when they launch, and on the other hand I may not. I have too many memories of SWG, Horizons, Dark and Light, The Matrix Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard to ever count on a game being good. One of my favorite sayings is the best MMORPG is always the one that has not launched.
hehe I liked this quote... mind if I steal it?
All I can say about the rest of your post is, well, maybe...
TBH though, if AoC falls flat I am honestly done with MMORPGS for at least 5 years. there has just been way too much crap (in my opinion) released recently, and I am honestly getting burnt out. If LotR OL is what the market dictates, then I think this genre isnt for me anymore.... The public wants what the public gets, afterall. WoW has taken the whole thing in a direction that I am not comfortable with and the market's embracing of a weak (again, in my opinion) game like LotR is a sign that things are not gonna get better in any time soon. If something dosent redeem the hobby in the near future I'm gonna just jump ship and play single player for a long while. S.T.A.L.K.E.R and even Geometry Wars have given me so more fun recently then any MMORPG. Fable II is looking very tempting already...
Speaking of Geometry Wars btw... made me smile to see it's got the same Vista graphics ratings as LotR... Required 3.0, recomended 4.0... wonder if this has any meaning?
I hear ya. I'll probably give WAR a try, since I am more into PVP now, but if doesn't live up to expectations, I'll probably be done with MMORPG's, and maybe even PC gaming in general. Instead of upgrading my PC, I'll just buy a PS3.
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...
I am an EQ2 player also, for the past 3 years and still.
What makes LoTRO better? I am not sure, I am not even sure if it IS better. Its a bit different.
EQ2 graphics on a techical scale are better than anything on the market, that being said, I find LoTRO graphics perfectly appropriate for the game. I also really love the atmospheric effects and the art direction in lotro.
The biggest difference for me is that in LoTRO i feel like im actually in middle-earth. Between the perfectly laid out cities, the living taverns and the wide open spaces, it really feels like world. While there are some nice graphics in EQ2, it has never felt like anything other than an elf-themed amusement park. Dont get me wrong, I love EQ2 and think its a great game (remember, 3 years and going), but on an immersion level, it does nothing for me.
The same goes with the story in LoTRO, i really dig the way it was incorporated. While EQ2 NPCs had voices, they always felt like something gimmicky and done just for the sake of having voices, rather than for the sake of bettering the game.
Aside from monsterplay, LoTRO really doesnt have any amazing new features. But then again, neither did EQ2, its all about taking whats been done well and polishing it for these games. While doing that doesnt make a game better or *next gen*, it does still make it just as good, if not better.
It comes down to the world for me I think. The EQ2 world just felt completely dead and irrelevant. I always thought it was because it was tiny, but then I bought vanguard and while the world was HUUUGE and beautiful, it felt just as dead. LoTRO got the world right imo.
p.s. soga models are really a personal preferance, they make me cringe every time i see them. EQ2 showed me that the important thing is not for the graphics to be BEST (which in EQ2 they are), but for them to be most appropriate. City of Heroes is a good example, graphics were pretty basic techincally, but they perfectly fit the game, so they were great. LoTRO is the same for me.
cheers.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall Currently Playing: ESO
Originally posted by ariesteI am an EQ2 player also, for the past 3 years and still.
What makes LoTRO better? I am not sure, I am not even sure if it IS better. Its a bit different.
EQ2 graphics on a techical scale are better than anything on the market, that being said, I find LoTRO graphics perfectly appropriate for the game. I also really love the atmospheric effects and the art direction in lotro.
The biggest difference for me is that in LoTRO i feel like im actually in middle-earth. Between the perfectly laid out cities, the living taverns and the wide open spaces, it really feels like world. While there are some nice graphics in EQ2, it has never felt like anything other than an elf-themed amusement park. Dont get me wrong, I love EQ2 and think its a great game (remember, 3 years and going), but on an immersion level, it does nothing for me.
The same goes with the story in LoTRO, i really dig the way it was incorporated. While EQ2 NPCs had voices, they always felt like something gimmicky and done just for the sake of having voices, rather than for the sake of bettering the game.
Aside from monsterplay, LoTRO really doesnt have any amazing new features. But then again, neither did EQ2, its all about taking whats been done well and polishing it for these games. While doing that doesnt make a game better or *next gen*, it does still make it just as good, if not better.
It comes down to the world for me I think. The EQ2 world just felt completely dead and irrelevant. I always thought it was because it was tiny, but then I bought vanguard and while the world was HUUUGE and beautiful, it felt just as dead. LoTRO got the world right imo.
p.s. soga models are really a personal preferance, they make me cringe every time i see them. EQ2 showed me that the important thing is not for the graphics to be BEST (which in EQ2 they are), but for them to be most appropriate. City of Heroes is a good example, graphics were pretty basic techincally, but they perfectly fit the game, so they were great. LoTRO is the same for me.
cheers.
I agree with this, generally speaking, although I am not a big fan of EQ2.
To me, I've never quite understood why people get so deeply involved in discussions of which game has "technically superior" graphics. It seems like a very odd obsession to me, and I don't relate to it.
I am an "end user", not a technical afficionado. I care about whether the graphics look good, are pleasing to the eye, and suit the world they portray -- I don't care who has the latest whizbang, the highest pixel count or the newest cutting edge engine. I care about the end-user experience, and games that create a great graphical experience for the player, in my mind, are the game with the "best graphics", rather than whoever happens to have designed a game using an edgier engine. LOTRO's graphics are sharp, detailed, pleasing to the eye and fit the world -- as a result I think the game has great graphics from the end-user experience perspective. The rest of the debate is technical gobbledygook, as far as I'm concerned.
Originally posted by ariesteI am an EQ2 player also, for the past 3 years and still.
What makes LoTRO better? I am not sure, I am not even sure if it IS better. Its a bit different.
EQ2 graphics on a techical scale are better than anything on the market, that being said, I find LoTRO graphics perfectly appropriate for the game. I also really love the atmospheric effects and the art direction in lotro.
The biggest difference for me is that in LoTRO i feel like im actually in middle-earth. Between the perfectly laid out cities, the living taverns and the wide open spaces, it really feels like world. While there are some nice graphics in EQ2, it has never felt like anything other than an elf-themed amusement park. Dont get me wrong, I love EQ2 and think its a great game (remember, 3 years and going), but on an immersion level, it does nothing for me.
The same goes with the story in LoTRO, i really dig the way it was incorporated. While EQ2 NPCs had voices, they always felt like something gimmicky and done just for the sake of having voices, rather than for the sake of bettering the game.
Aside from monsterplay, LoTRO really doesnt have any amazing new features. But then again, neither did EQ2, its all about taking whats been done well and polishing it for these games. While doing that doesnt make a game better or *next gen*, it does still make it just as good, if not better.
It comes down to the world for me I think. The EQ2 world just felt completely dead and irrelevant. I always thought it was because it was tiny, but then I bought vanguard and while the world was HUUUGE and beautiful, it felt just as dead. LoTRO got the world right imo.
p.s. soga models are really a personal preferance, they make me cringe every time i see them. EQ2 showed me that the important thing is not for the graphics to be BEST (which in EQ2 they are), but for them to be most appropriate. City of Heroes is a good example, graphics were pretty basic techincally, but they perfectly fit the game, so they were great. LoTRO is the same for me.
cheers.
I agree with this, generally speaking, although I am not a big fan of EQ2.
To me, I've never quite understood why people get so deeply involved in discussions of which game has "technically superior" graphics. It seems like a very odd obsession to me, and I don't relate to it.
I am an "end user", not a technical afficionado. I care about whether the graphics look good, are pleasing to the eye, and suit the world they portray -- I don't care who has the latest whizbang, the highest pixel count or the newest cutting edge engine. I care about the end-user experience, and games that create a great graphical experience for the player, in my mind, are the game with the "best graphics", rather than whoever happens to have designed a game using an edgier engine. LOTRO's graphics are sharp, detailed, pleasing to the eye and fit the world -- as a result I think the game has great graphics from the end-user experience perspective. The rest of the debate is technical gobbledygook, as far as I'm concerned.
Understood and agreed on this, but I can't help looking at my female halfling in EQ2, and then my female hobbit in LotR... the difference in quality (by 'quality' I mean animations, textures, 'personality' etc) for me personaly is stark... Honestly, forgive me when I say this, but my LotR hobbit runs like a 7 year old with Down's Syndrome...
On this point, well, you will notice right at the start that I stated graphics were not the be all and end all for me, but there is no denying they matter. Quality visuals definitly help most of us to enjoy the game... Played many MUDs recently?
2) It runs smoothly even at "minimum requirements"
3) It's pretty much bug-free
4) Excellent attention to detail within the game
And, most importantly:
5) It's FUN (well for most anyway)
And where you come off saying the graphics aren't top notch I don't know. They're equal to or better than anything else on the market as is the sound.
If you don't like it, that's cool. But the game is highly rated because it's a solid title that gives exactly what it promised to give.
Stable is good, sure, but not enough surely to sell the number of boxes we are seeing for this game? Your not telling me that people buy a game just because it's stable?
I think point 2 is part of point 1?
Being kinda bug free is good as well, sure, but see point 1.
Your telling me LotR has more 'attention to detail' then say CoH, WoW, or EQ2? How so?
It's what makes it fun for fun for people that I am trying to understand.... Like I say, I don't get it. For all the reasons I have stated, I don't see why this game is any more 'fun' then other, imo better, existing MMORPGs out there that plough the same field. This is at the heart of what I asked originally.
I have said already that the environmental visuals are ok for whats expected off modern game. Played at the highest settings, it looks nice, but then EQ2 looks great peaked out as well, which is kinda what I am saying and probably accounts for the reason that EQ2 has a higher graphics rating then LotR on this site, despite being 2.5 years older... I still stand by my assertion that the character models are fugly and crude though. The sound I don't have an issue with at all, they seem to have done a nice job with it I agree.
I'm not flaming you here, and I agree people are free to like it or not, it's all good, but just 'solid' isnt enough I guess for me I guess
btw, for the other guy... I read the Hobbit when I was 10 (have read it around 4 times again since), I read the LotR triology first when I was 11 (have read it, again around 4 times since then), and have ploughed through the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales (though only both once... hehe). Trust me when I say not reading the books or understanding the IP isnt at the heart of why I ask what I ask
I understand now tis LOTRO hype. LOTRO is good game for thouse who like Roleplay and are adults, yes tis is adults game. I like more fantasy style games like WoW. I never liked play human style chars when i play mmorpg. Adults like more play with friends and dont are so action lovers+they love roleplay. Tis game is not cleary for every one and will ever be good as WoW but least its offer for adults good game.
I understand now tis LOTRO hype. LOTRO is good game for thouse who like Roleplay and are adults, yes tis is adults game. I like more fantasy style games like WoW. I never liked play human style chars when i play mmorpg. Adults like more play with friends and dont are so action lovers+they love roleplay. Tis game is not cleary for every one and will ever be good as WoW but least its offer for adults good game.
Still; For the horde!:)
What makes LotR more adult then, say, DDO, CoX, DAoC, AO, EvE, EQ1, Vanguard, or, yes, EQ2? All these games, and many others out theere, have good communities in my experience, and all especially at launch.
I understand now tis LOTRO hype. LOTRO is good game for thouse who like Roleplay and are adults, yes tis is adults game. I like more fantasy style games like WoW. I never liked play human style chars when i play mmorpg. Adults like more play with friends and dont are so action lovers+they love roleplay. Tis game is not cleary for every one and will ever be good as WoW but least its offer for adults good game.
Still; For the horde!:)
What makes LotR more adult then, say, DDO, CoX, DAoC, AO, EvE, EQ1, Vanguard, or, yes, EQ2? All these games, and many others out theere, have good communities in my experience, and all especially at launch.
Can you quantify this plz?
that is a darn good question and I wish I could name off two or three points to back up my opinions. However they are just that an opinion. I also feel that LoTRO seems to attract a more mature crowd. Don't get me wrong I have seen a few asshats since release but the key word is a few. The asshead population seems to be lower than in some games I could name .
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.
i fully agree
and yes the other games suddenly dropped drastically in rating the same day
Comments
Of course the game is so popular at the moment because its about LOTR. I agree about the rating being to high compared to other games, But only one look in the different forums from this website make me understand that people dont try to be unbiased if it comes to voting for a game. I cant compare it to Ryzom, because it is to different. One being highly story driven based on a well known franchise and the other a sandbox game. I dont know DAOC and personally find COH not as good as LOTRO because of the imo very boring missions. So there you go, because part of your voting is based on what YOU expect from a game, you get this weird situation where people vote for different criteria. Thats why I dont vote on this website
I've become more of a Tolkien fan SINCE I started playing the game than I ever was. I actually read the books for the very first time a couple of weeks ago, towards the end of open beta.
I just don't understand all the hate on these forums. It seems like every time a new game comes out, the people here have nothing better to do than to call it 'the worst game ever made' and so on. It's next to impossible to actually have a discussion here because of all the useless flaming that goes on.
I like LOTRO. It has its flaws, but it's fun to play and that's why I'm subscribing.
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"Give a man a fire, and he is warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he is warm for the rest of his life."
Please, don't misunderstand me, I don't have any hate to any game, let alone LotR.
I am merely interested as to why is scores so high for some people, because I personally don't see it, thats all. If this had been released alongside DAoC a few years back, I would have chosen DAoC... it's that lost on me.
Saying this though, I am very happy though to let those that like it play it, and those that are killing time until to AoC/ WAR arrives do just that as well. I have no vendetta against LotR
now saying that the game is popular because it is a LOTR title might not be an understatment
the same ting happened with D&D online
i have been an active player of D&D using third version rules and playing pen and paper great times
however i feel as if the game would have been better if it was realsed in the forgotten realms around the swords coast and in Amn (baldurs gate players now what i mean)
lets not get off track....
all major title games will get a big fan base in the begining becuase of its title just like WAR and AoC and Star treck will have
but any big game will try and be bashed as long as it is popluar no question the only real thing that matters is if you enjoy the game
but the ratings of the games is by Majority opinion of the players on the fourms
this is not fact but it may seem like it to some people but not everyone likes the same thing.
like me im into the art of the game and the enviorment,into the art of combat with in the game and the lore and story of the game
which is why im sticking with AoC
but i have no question in my mind that LOTR is a great game for some people and a not so great game for others i heard the PVP is boring and not orginal in any way expect for monster combat but other then that nothing new.
so try not to take the ratings so extermely and start bashing the game becuase you think yours is better and never take the ratigns as facts.
but again thats IMO
I will take a wait and see approach on both and may take a break from LoTRO when they launch, and on the other hand I may not. I have too many memories of SWG, Horizons, Dark and Light, The Matrix Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard to ever count on a game being good. One of my favorite sayings is the best MMORPG is always the one that has not launched.
I miss DAoC
I think your correct at least in that the IP is the main reason the game is so popular, and so many were willing to try it. There are a few other factors though. Making the game casual friendly and soloable was a smart move. Having a long open beta , and allowing folks to carry open beta toons into the launch was also smart. The marketing aggreement with PC gamer was also very clever. I subscribe to it, and I never would have tried the game if I hadn't gotten a free beta disk in the mail with my subscription. To be honest its kind of spooky that Turbine managed all these smooth moves. Their record the last few years has been the exact opposite of smooth.
However, I will say this. Even if the game were just "generic fantasy slock" version 1.2...if I had tried it I'd still be playing it. I can't inagine how they would have comee up with something this immersive and engaging without a fully fleshed out IP to draw on. So the IP is a key part of what they wre able to create, But a game that had the attention to detail that LotRO does and that put as much effort into storytelling would certainly hold my interest for a while. It's honestly the best thing I've played since DAoC, to my personal tastes.
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 want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I will take a wait and see approach on both and may take a break from LoTRO when they launch, and on the other hand I may not. I have too many memories of SWG, Horizons, Dark and Light, The Matrix Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard to ever count on a game being good. One of my favorite sayings is the best MMORPG is always the one that has not launched.
hehe I liked this quote... mind if I steal it?
All I can say about the rest of your post is, well, maybe...
TBH though, if AoC falls flat I am honestly done with MMORPGS for at least 5 years. there has just been way too much crap (in my opinion) released recently, and I am honestly getting burnt out. If LotR OL is what the market dictates, then I think this genre isnt for me anymore.... The public wants what the public gets, afterall. WoW has taken the whole thing in a direction that I am not comfortable with and the market's embracing of a weak (again, in my opinion) game like LotR is a sign that things are not gonna get better in any time soon. If something dosent redeem the hobby in the near future I'm gonna just jump ship and play single player for a long while. S.T.A.L.K.E.R and even Geometry Wars have given me so more fun recently then any MMORPG. Fable II is looking very tempting already...
Speaking of Geometry Wars btw... made me smile to see it's got the same Vista graphics ratings as LotR... Required 3.0, recomended 4.0... wonder if this has any meaning?
I will take a wait and see approach on both and may take a break from LoTRO when they launch, and on the other hand I may not. I have too many memories of SWG, Horizons, Dark and Light, The Matrix Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard to ever count on a game being good. One of my favorite sayings is the best MMORPG is always the one that has not launched.
hehe I liked this quote... mind if I steal it?
All I can say about the rest of your post is, well, maybe...
TBH though, if AoC falls flat I am honestly done with MMORPGS for at least 5 years. there has just been way too much crap (in my opinion) released recently, and I am honestly getting burnt out. If LotR OL is what the market dictates, then I think this genre isnt for me anymore.... The public wants what the public gets, afterall. WoW has taken the whole thing in a direction that I am not comfortable with and the market's embracing of a weak (again, in my opinion) game like LotR is a sign that things are not gonna get better in any time soon. If something dosent redeem the hobby in the near future I'm gonna just jump ship and play single player for a long while. S.T.A.L.K.E.R and even Geometry Wars have given me so more fun recently then any MMORPG. Fable II is looking very tempting already...
Speaking of Geometry Wars btw... made me smile to see it's got the same Vista graphics ratings as LotR... Required 3.0, recomended 4.0... wonder if this has any meaning?
I hear ya. I'll probably give WAR a try, since I am more into PVP now, but if doesn't live up to expectations, I'll probably be done with MMORPG's, and maybe even PC gaming in general. Instead of upgrading my PC, I'll just buy a PS3.Equal opportunity troll.
What makes LoTRO better? I am not sure, I am not even sure if it IS better. Its a bit different.
EQ2 graphics on a techical scale are better than anything on the market, that being said, I find LoTRO graphics perfectly appropriate for the game. I also really love the atmospheric effects and the art direction in lotro.
The biggest difference for me is that in LoTRO i feel like im actually in middle-earth. Between the perfectly laid out cities, the living taverns and the wide open spaces, it really feels like world. While there are some nice graphics in EQ2, it has never felt like anything other than an elf-themed amusement park. Dont get me wrong, I love EQ2 and think its a great game (remember, 3 years and going), but on an immersion level, it does nothing for me.
The same goes with the story in LoTRO, i really dig the way it was incorporated. While EQ2 NPCs had voices, they always felt like something gimmicky and done just for the sake of having voices, rather than for the sake of bettering the game.
Aside from monsterplay, LoTRO really doesnt have any amazing new features. But then again, neither did EQ2, its all about taking whats been done well and polishing it for these games. While doing that doesnt make a game better or *next gen*, it does still make it just as good, if not better.
It comes down to the world for me I think. The EQ2 world just felt completely dead and irrelevant. I always thought it was because it was tiny, but then I bought vanguard and while the world was HUUUGE and beautiful, it felt just as dead. LoTRO got the world right imo.
p.s. soga models are really a personal preferance, they make me cringe every time i see them. EQ2 showed me that the important thing is not for the graphics to be BEST (which in EQ2 they are), but for them to be most appropriate. City of Heroes is a good example, graphics were pretty basic techincally, but they perfectly fit the game, so they were great. LoTRO is the same for me.
cheers.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
Currently Playing: ESO
To me, I've never quite understood why people get so deeply involved in discussions of which game has "technically superior" graphics. It seems like a very odd obsession to me, and I don't relate to it.
I am an "end user", not a technical afficionado. I care about whether the graphics look good, are pleasing to the eye, and suit the world they portray -- I don't care who has the latest whizbang, the highest pixel count or the newest cutting edge engine. I care about the end-user experience, and games that create a great graphical experience for the player, in my mind, are the game with the "best graphics", rather than whoever happens to have designed a game using an edgier engine. LOTRO's graphics are sharp, detailed, pleasing to the eye and fit the world -- as a result I think the game has great graphics from the end-user experience perspective. The rest of the debate is technical gobbledygook, as far as I'm concerned.
Today, for some reason, we measure value in looks..
You know, like we do with women....
Myself, I prefer intellect before looks, any time of the day.
Played so far: 9Dragons, AO, AC, AC2, CoX, DAoC, DF, DnL, DR, DDO, Ent, EvE, EQ, EQ2, FoMK, FFO, Fury, GW, HG:L, HZ, L1, L2, M59, MU, NC1, NC2, PS, PT, R:O, RF:O, RYL, Ryzom, SL, SB, SW:G, TR, TCoS, MX:O, UO, VG, WAR, WoW...
It all sucked.
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money
To me, I've never quite understood why people get so deeply involved in discussions of which game has "technically superior" graphics. It seems like a very odd obsession to me, and I don't relate to it.
I am an "end user", not a technical afficionado. I care about whether the graphics look good, are pleasing to the eye, and suit the world they portray -- I don't care who has the latest whizbang, the highest pixel count or the newest cutting edge engine. I care about the end-user experience, and games that create a great graphical experience for the player, in my mind, are the game with the "best graphics", rather than whoever happens to have designed a game using an edgier engine. LOTRO's graphics are sharp, detailed, pleasing to the eye and fit the world -- as a result I think the game has great graphics from the end-user experience perspective. The rest of the debate is technical gobbledygook, as far as I'm concerned.
Understood and agreed on this, but I can't help looking at my female halfling in EQ2, and then my female hobbit in LotR... the difference in quality (by 'quality' I mean animations, textures, 'personality' etc) for me personaly is stark... Honestly, forgive me when I say this, but my LotR hobbit runs like a 7 year old with Down's Syndrome...
On this point, well, you will notice right at the start that I stated graphics were not the be all and end all for me, but there is no denying they matter. Quality visuals definitly help most of us to enjoy the game... Played many MUDs recently?
I'll wag a guess here:
1) It's stable
2) It runs smoothly even at "minimum requirements"
3) It's pretty much bug-free
4) Excellent attention to detail within the game
And, most importantly:
5) It's FUN (well for most anyway)
And where you come off saying the graphics aren't top notch I don't know. They're equal to or better than anything else on the market as is the sound.
If you don't like it, that's cool. But the game is highly rated because it's a solid title that gives exactly what it promised to give.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
I have said already that the environmental visuals are ok for whats expected off modern game. Played at the highest settings, it looks nice, but then EQ2 looks great peaked out as well, which is kinda what I am saying and probably accounts for the reason that EQ2 has a higher graphics rating then LotR on this site, despite being 2.5 years older... I still stand by my assertion that the character models are fugly and crude though. The sound I don't have an issue with at all, they seem to have done a nice job with it I agree.
I'm not flaming you here, and I agree people are free to like it or not, it's all good, but just 'solid' isnt enough I guess for me I guess
btw, for the other guy... I read the Hobbit when I was 10 (have read it around 4 times again since), I read the LotR triology first when I was 11 (have read it, again around 4 times since then), and have ploughed through the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales (though only both once... hehe). Trust me when I say not reading the books or understanding the IP isnt at the heart of why I ask what I ask
I understand now tis LOTRO hype. LOTRO is good game for thouse who like Roleplay and are adults, yes tis is adults game. I like more fantasy style games like WoW. I never liked play human style chars when i play mmorpg. Adults like more play with friends and dont are so action lovers+they love roleplay. Tis game is not cleary for every one and will ever be good as WoW but least its offer for adults good game.
Still; For the horde!:)
Ok... Obviously you like your WoW why worry about lotro if you're not interested?
clone meaning exact replica
WoW is a cartoony game based off of warcraft ..ok
LoTRO more realistic look. based off of Lord of the rings
ok so were do we get clone
well things in common
They both have an interface ..ok.. every game does
There both mmorpgs ok there are alot of them
they both have wasd move controls well so do alot of games
for some reason im not seeing a clone anywere here
if your going to use the word clone make sure you know what it means first!
What makes LotR more adult then, say, DDO, CoX, DAoC, AO, EvE, EQ1, Vanguard, or, yes, EQ2? All these games, and many others out theere, have good communities in my experience, and all especially at launch.
Can you quantify this plz?
What makes LotR more adult then, say, DDO, CoX, DAoC, AO, EvE, EQ1, Vanguard, or, yes, EQ2? All these games, and many others out theere, have good communities in my experience, and all especially at launch.
Can you quantify this plz?
that is a darn good question and I wish I could name off two or three points to back up my opinions. However they are just that an opinion. I also feel that LoTRO seems to attract a more mature crowd. Don't get me wrong I have seen a few asshats since release but the key word is a few. The asshead population seems to be lower than in some games I could name .Of course I keep OOC chat turned off also.
I miss DAoC
and yes the other games suddenly dropped drastically in rating the same day
Knowledge is Power!