LOTRO How is the game holding up?

Uberfatkid · July 2007

What are your likes and dislikes?

Mimzel · July 2007

Likes: The Graphics and the Lore

Dislikes: LOTRO is lacking fundamental content, like not being able to grind mobs for xp, too quest heavy (kill 7 mobs and get back to me, ok now go kill 14 mobs and get back to me). The quest system makes teaming a pain. Cannot see what quests the other members have. Kinship functions are in beta. Officer chat after 10 days?

I hear people saying "I left wow because I was tired of it, and now I love LOTRO - its such a balanced game", and I think "eh?"... Don't get me wrong, but LOTRO has the staying power of a snowball a certain place not to be mentioned here. It seems the Devs have gone out of their way to make their game unlike other games, but what they have ended up is doing more of all the things that are concidered bad by the other mmo's... They dont want you to grind mobs, so you end up getting next to no xp when killing mobs - you are left with grinding quests in stead. Your armor takes damage when you are in a fight and especially when you die, and the repair cost alone can be hundreds of silvers... "sorry, I'll join you guys if you pay my repair bills" - minstrel that already did the quest.

Very poor UI customization - you cant even resize chat text unless you actually just change your resolution settings...

Crafting = having enough resources and press make x 50....

Not enough inventory space, and the bank space is also too sparse.

They havent copied the functions from other MMO's that were great - they tried to invent the wheel, but made alot of the mistakes. Beta feel.

Other than to grind quests or do crafting, what the *bleep* is there really to do in this game?

Orphes · July 2007

Originally posted by Mimzel

I hear people saying "I left wow because I was tired of it, and now I love LOTRO - its such a balanced game", and I think "eh?"... [CUT]

I almost thougth you was gonna say those people that diss the bad things they remember from WoW and then praise just the same thing in LOTR.

But you didn't

Hamrtime · July 2007

LOTR is a good game for the average carebear player but its not worth playing if youre into pvp. Well balanced, hardly any bugs, good graphics, not much lag. It was put together well but I didnt have much motivation for it considering there isnt any pvp for an end game player.

LoTRoLM · July 2007

Originally posted by Mimzel

Crafting = having enough resources and press make x 50....

Or just type 50 into the text box, click make, and go make a grilled cheese with jarlsberg and pineapple yourself.

And I also have to wonder about the people who left WoW and love LOTRO because it's "balanced." These two games, while similar in appearance, are incredibly different fundamentally. LOTRO is much easier in terms of strategy and PVE progression. Gear requirements and strategies are not as important in LOTRO either. I won't get into PVP.

Now on to the likes and dislikes...A little disclaimer here as I have played WoW since February 05 and that is the extent of my MMORPG experience....well, i did play gold box graphics based NWN way the hell back but i digress.

Likes: Graphics, Story, Quest Diversity and Community.

The visuals in the games are refreshing since I have been looking at cartoon characters in WoW for a while now. Enough said on that.

There always seem to be people willing to help with quests and instances. I've made a point not to join a guild and I have never had a problem grouping yet. I would also attest this behavior to the game being young and in the honeymoon phase still. Not many arrogant and elitist alts running around beating up on the newbies yet.

One thing I like, but also get frustrated with is the number of low level zones. There are so many places to quest pre-30 that the player base gets spread out and it limits your options find an instance group to the people in that zone.

Dislikes: Crafting Viability, Server Performance, Bank Space, Travel Time.

The crafting system needs some work. In WoW, crafting items was a money pit for the most part pre-BC. You could easily obtain better gear through PVP or raiding. In BC, however, crafting became useful again and the gear was/is a worth while alternative to other sets of gear. Crafting in LOTRO feels like old school WoW crafting. I have yet to craft (Tailor) a single piece of gear that is an upgrade for my LM at lvl 36. I'm hoping this gets better at 50, but from what I have read, it doesn't.

Just last week the server performance in certain zones and at times the whole server was really bad. Blizz has this one right and knows how to fix these problems ASAP. Turbine took 3 days on the Vilya server to fix it. I was having flashbacks to the days of early WoW. I know the game is young, but they should have a contingency for dealing with server performance issues.

Bank Space is incredibly limited. Just a personal dislike here. I'm use to having 130 slots available in the bank and really don't want to make a bank alt to store things that I do not know the use/value of yet like dyes and exceptional crafting components.

Travel time is annoying. I'm use to an epic flying mount in WoW and fast flight masters so the slow pace is skewed in my mind, but overall the game seems to be set for a slower pace of travel. Not sure if they want people to explore, take their time, or who knows what, but travel is slow....I find myself emptying the dishwasher and doing laundry while I travel.

YusukeYoung · July 2007

I dont know where some of the people get there information at times its not even funny. Lets try to avoid including features of a game that been out for over 2 years to a game ( by the way the flying part in WoW took them 2 years to get in the game so I say travels wasnt really any better in that game for a very long time ) Now what I like is Turbine has always been very talented in adding new content like some seem not very inform on these boards, Bank space is already getting a big upgrade in Book 10 coming soon so that wont be a problem anymore. Travels will also be upgraded in the next the details are still unclear but still only after 2 months there already giving us that stuff. Stability I play on another server and mine been very very stable and lag free and strangely its one of the busiest ones also. I say its just bad luck on that part.

Content is beeing added pretty often so the game changing alot, just with Evendim last month the 30-40 solo content been added alot. And crafting will get some love in book 10 also. So asking about whats good or bad about a game that gets montly updates doesnt really do it justice because the next day thing can and may have completly changed. Patience is the key here in this case. this game is young and things will changed and the experience will surely changed also. I like the game and Im enjoying it personnaly. I like the word and enjoy alot of the games element, if you really want to find out what you like and dislike try it but dont base you opinion on a 5 minute tryout response or pre-beta, close-beta or whatever beta opinion people have.

Mozinski · July 2007

Originally posted by Mimzel

Likes: The Graphics and the Lore
Dislikes: LOTRO is lacking fundamental content, like not being able to grind mobs for xp, too quest heavy (kill 7 mobs and get back to me, ok now go kill 14 mobs and get back to me). The quest system makes teaming a pain. Cannot see what quests the other members have. Kinship functions are in beta. Officer chat after 10 days?
I hear people saying "I left wow because I was tired of it, and now I love LOTRO - its such a balanced game", and I think "eh?"... Don't get me wrong, but LOTRO has the staying power of a snowball a certain place not to be mentioned here. It seems the Devs have gone out of their way to make their game unlike other games, but what they have ended up is doing more of all the things that are concidered bad by the other mmo's... They dont want you to grind mobs, so you end up getting next to no xp when killing mobs - you are left with grinding quests in stead. Your armor takes damage when you are in a fight and especially when you die, and the repair cost alone can be hundreds of silvers... "sorry, I'll join you guys if you pay my repair bills" - minstrel that already did the quest.
Very poor UI customization - you cant even resize chat text unless you actually just change your resolution settings...
Crafting = having enough resources and press make x 50....
Not enough inventory space, and the bank space is also too sparse.
They havent copied the functions from other MMO's that were great - they tried to invent the wheel, but made alot of the mistakes. Beta feel.
Other than to grind quests or do crafting, what the *bleep* is there really to do in this game?

It looks to me like your biggest complaint deals with questing. To alot of people, that is a basic fundamental in a MMORPG and LoTRO delivers rather well in this area. Many multiple quest strings to keep you busy for some time. Don't get me wrong, it may not be for you, so I'm not bashing your post. To me though, it's more of a strentgth than a weakness.

Keep in mind, the game has only been out for a couple of months, I'm sure there will be increases to inventory space, more UI freedom and other tweeky improvements as the game progresses. Overall though, the game is holding its own rather well with a great recent update to add more content and more to come in a short amount of time.

Jackdog · July 2007

The games population is showing a steady growth on my server. It is a good game, not perfect. They are making adjustments and improvements with each patch and adding content steadily. In short it is holding up really well.

Charlizd · July 2007

Very steady on my server 2 never get lag and recruiting 5-10 ppl in my kin per day so imo will be a while b4 numbers drop from this game or even if they do drop at all.

And could really care less if it gets even close to WOW cause how it is now to me is right on the money plenty of ppl to enjoy the game with and not 2 many arse munching kiddies to spoil my fun ( Arse munching kiddies not directed at WOW it is directed at the tools that have nothing better than to spoil a game then just enjoy and play it)

Kyleran · July 2007

Originally posted by YusukeYoung

I like the word and enjoy alot of the games element, if you really want to find out what you like and dislike try it but dont base you opinion on a 5 minute tryout response or pre-beta, close-beta or whatever beta opinion people have.

Er.... from what I read, I don't think a single poster had only played the game for a short time. No reason to assume that because they didn't enjoy it that they were baseless in their opinions.....

I gave the game a go for a couple of months.... got a Guardian to 30 and a Minstrel to 24 and decided I didn't care for the endgame that i was heading for. At two months of play, I actually knew everything I needed to about how to play the game. No, I hadn't explored everywhere, or conquered every quest, but those were just matters of execution, I knew if I put in the time and ground out the quests/deeds, I'd get there in a short matter of time....

Contrast that with my current game EVE...where I'm approaching the 2 month mark and realize how little I really know. So many questions I still have (despite studying countless game guides), I'll still be learning how to play it (well) at the one year mark.... which is the strong appeal to me.

Where as with LotRO...what are your end game goals? Unlike DAOC/WAR... there's no PVP end game you can strive for. No reason to better your characters to win battles in PVP, except for arena type fights in the MP zone.... not my cup of tea.....

How about gear.... WOW does a nice job for the loot addicted...they clearly define armor sets and weapons that players can obtain if they accomplish certain pve raids, faction grinds and instances...so players work hard to build the perfect character, be it for PVP, PVE or whatever....

But in LotRO... you can look forward to.... new areas to explore, new quests (by the thousand I'm sure) to complete (but how many boars, lion cubs and orcs can you kill?) and gear upgrades that really serve no purpose.... and end game that some will enjoy I'm sure, but I knew I wouldn't.....

TheHumannBee · July 2007

Likes: lots and lots of quests, cool environments, really fun in groups, good lore, good community, fun combat (as a burglar)

Dislikes: being a farmer (crafting profession) I don't make any money, so I'm pretty broke. They need to make farming more important.

bhelley · July 2007

I just started playing this week, but so far I like what I see. My only MMO experience was WoW, but I hit 70 and just felt bored. I don;t get enough time to play to raid, so there was little I could do besides a little PvP. (Which, don't get me wrong, is alot of fun.)

I like how LotRO has so many quests available. I hate having to grind, so for me, unlike the OP, I love how many quests are available. I also like what I have seen so far of the instancing. They do a good job of using it to tell a story. And if I'm not playing the game for the story, I might as well just disconnect my keyboard, and just press keys randomly while sitting on my couch. Thats all the grind is to me. /yawn

Regarding crafting, I have created some pretty decent bows with Woodworking, but I can't speak for the other professions.

But anyway, to each their own. Everybody likes different things about a game. If there was one perfect game out there everyone liked, we wouldn't need all these games MMORPG is covering.

After two years of Fantasy MMOs I am starting to get a little tired fo the fantasy scene though. Thats why I'm looking forward so much to Tabula Rasa. Looks to be quite different from many MMOs out there. Will it be good? Only time will tell...

Went off on a tangent there. Sorry. Bottom Line: I like LotRO.

themanxx72 · July 2007

LOTRO is a breath of fresh air. I do enjoy the casual environment it has to offer along with a very rich story. The graphics are top notch, the sound rich. I'm a "retired" WoW head who was looking for something more casual, and less demanding socially. WoW turned into a grind for gold and a "work" schedule of raids.

LOTRO has filled my need for a "casual" game, allowing me to enjoy the summer yet play for short periods of time and make progress. There are many 'gasp' "WoW" similarities that many WoW-heads scream about but I personally see it as a positive "standard". It was nice to just jump into the game and hit the same keys resulting in the appropriate action.

Overall the game has so far provided me with good quality entertainment. The people have thus far been enjoyable, with a few that were obviously EQ or WoW players, spewing complaints about the game during a group quest. This in return started a general chat battle. The unique music system is a blast. Playing a Guns and Roses tune on my lute in middle earth is comical. Professions have been simplified allowing me to concetrate on the quests at hand, farming as I go.

Server performance has been fine, I have yet to be disconnected or experience network lag (due to turbine not my ISP).

Things that I would like to see improved. The map system and mod capabilities. I do enjoy game modifications, seeing what creative players create to enhance gameplay. A post death res option that doesn't penalize you when soloing.

I still have a long ways to go with LOTRO and much to explore. I agree its not for everyone, but neither was WoW or EQ. Its good to see another MMO succeeding in this WoW and EQII dominated market.

Valentina · July 2007

I just started this week as well..I really enjoy this game. It's a breath of fresh air, there's a true story to follow and they communicate it perfectly IN the game. So much to do as well...Definantly if you haven't....do give it a shot.

ryanmarshall · July 2007

likes

very pretty graphics
very stable performance
lots of quests some of which are cool
you get storage form the start
musical instruments a bit of a gimmick but cool N.B. can become annoying when at vault and some guy is playing awful music
some of the characters from lotr ar e around the place-still doesnt realy feel like lotr unless your in hobbiton but thatll improve in patches
the grp maneuvre are pretty cool
in game music is decent but not great

Dislikes

altho graphics are nice character models are ugly especially horses
few bugs in game like hide in plain sight not working when wounded altho game is still new so no biggy
unmounted when horse falls small distance also recieve an annoying slow debuff - from roleplaying perspective this still makes no sense seeing as i couldt summon a horse in freaking middle earth anyhow and a horse wouldt disappear if i fell while riding it
the classes are very simple and i played what many consider to be a more advance class burglar still very easy to play and not at all fun gameplay is pretty much keeping opponent debuffed while spamming 3 attack keys and an occasional stun or heal on a 30 sec timer sounds better than it is other classes i played were much the same except for loremaster which had some cool cc but was still ridiculously simple. I probably have to extrapolate on this but this is a brief list
virtue trait system is just timesink and an attempt to add content without doing anything
same monsters everywhere orcs and goblins and more orcs and more goblins
birds that hit you off your mount in 1 hit
no toggle skills on mount including ore tacker or wood tracker
useless tradeskills andyone who says they get better gear from trades that quests is not doing their epic quests which are easy as hell
takes ages to get anywhere
no in world pvp
pvp is instanced and is lacking you play against monsters who have around 5 skils they can equip and are no where near as good as you are
no real opposite faction which takes away atmosphere a lot of what I like about pvp is not only playing with other people but also playing aginst them and besides one small area thats impossible
although there are some quests that are fun others are extremely boring and tedious e.g. look treasure 2km away no aint there look for it 5 km away no aint there look for it 4 km away no aint there look for it 20 km away no aint there etc get to end to find no treasure and u get a crappy item for 30+ mins of running around getting thrown of your horse (yay fun)
poor character movement
auction house has little functionality
ui is ugly and no mods can be made at this time. Is still functional
cant swim underwater

wykkid79 · July 2007

Originally posted by LoTRoLM

Originally posted by Mimzel

Crafting = having enough resources and press make x 50....