I left LotRO at the end of my 2'nd month. Why did I leave? Biggest reason is it felt like WOW, more of the same...the quest based fantasy genre and I am weary of that formula. Contributing factors? Boring deed grinding, uninteresting armor/weapons, crafting...meh..I always hate crafting in any game, and too much running back and forth.... Where I ended up was EVE..... been there for about 4 months now and I really enjoy it...quite a bit different in so many ways....and even has an amazing crafting system (but I still hate crafting) Forgot one thing....no, I won't be going back.... I'll hang in EVE until WAR or AOC comes out....going to stay out of the Fantasy genre for a bit.
Why is everyone comparing lotro to WoW. If you want to call lotro a clone, CALL it Asheron's call 2 clone because thats what it is. WoW has nothing to do with it and just because you all just playing WoW and didnt play AC2 doesnt mean its fair to call Lotro a wow version. It would be fair to call WoW an AC2 version.
Well, for starters there might be 200K people in the world who ever played AC2 (I'm being generous) so the odds on one of them being a member of MMORPG and posting here is slim.
Second, while I know all about LotRO's heritage, at no point did I call it a "clone" of WOW. That's an argument thats been held in several other threads on this forum.
Third, I used the WOW analogy because I never played EQ2, though I suspect you could substitute EQ 2 into my original post and it would change nothing regarding my original intent.
The game play shared by all 3 MMORPG's (and many others since EQ 1 first came out) include:
1) Quest based design which "leads" the player by the hand from one place to another, which results in a similar gaming experience for most players and is really noticeable when you level up an alt or 3. LoTRO even boasts about leading the player through the story with their storybook missions.
2) Deed grinding in LotRO is a hell of a lot like faction grinding in WOW, and I think I heard that in a recent expansion LotRO even added formal faction grinding as well.
3) Crafting - Well, repetitious and meaningless, like most every game, but like I said...you could leave crafting out of games if it was up to me, but I concede, some folks enjoy it for some strange reason.
4) Based on a fantasy world that has elves, dwarves and other similar races....
5) A similar look and feel in terms of player interaction with the interface and environments.
6) etc etc etc...
Point is not to compare similarities or debate who copied who.... fact remains the games play very much alike....and I am tired of that model. (I call it the EQ 1 model btw...)
Now contrast it with EVE.... after 4 months in the game I still feel like its a unique experience....and there is so much I have yet to learn about playing the game well (probably will never happen) where as in LotRO I knew within the first 2 months everything I'd ever need to know about playing and mastering the game. It just became a matter of execution with nothing really new to learn.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
But, I still had hitching issues in LOTRO. If I experienced that issue in other games, I would blame my system, but this is the only game to do this. And support still could not help...
That has been an issue with Turbine's engine since the AC2 days. And I think they just finally fixed it. When they updated DDO to Module 5 two days ago, they made engine improvements there which I thought were simply bringing the DDO engine build to parity with LOTRO's, but I think they one-upped it. They made mention of a no hitching in the release notes and sure enough, I went to the busiest parts of Stormreach (AH and mailboxes) last night where I was always guaranteed of *major* hitching, and it was smooth as glass. If they bring that update over to LOTRO in the next patch I'll be happy.
Ooo...really? I also had seen this issue in DDO...just not as prominent...
Now, I am quite interested...because they fix that engine issue, and I would come back...(at least until level 50)
I have never liked any game produced by Turbine. They just don't produce the kind of gameplay / content that appeals to me. I can't forsee ever playing another Turbine game in the future. I'm done giving that company any of my money.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
Yea...I agree...EQ2 is (have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming)
But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed...
I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that!
Originally posted by openedge1 Yea...I agree...EQ2 is (have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming) But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed... I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that! Cheers!
... what? Im no fanboy of LOTR:O (I do play it ATM)but what do you mean with that "last horror story" ?
ive played atleast WoW of those games you mentioned.. the thing that happenned was aggro.. if you heal monsters target they will get pissed and it works the same in WoW and LOTR:O not sure about GW though
Yea...I agree...EQ2 is (have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming)
But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed...
I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that!
Cheers!
I am guessing you didn't play a healer in EQ2 or WoW?
You just don't understand how NPC enemies choose their target. The problem isn't the game, the problem is your lack of understanding the game mechanics. I am not saying that to be insulting, just pointing out the obvious. Check out a wiki about threat and agro. That should clear up things for you.
Yea...I agree...EQ2 is (have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming)
But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed...
I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that!
Cheers!
I am guessing you didn't play a healer in EQ2 or WoW?
You just don't understand how NPC enemies choose their target. The problem isn't the game, the problem is your lack of understanding the game mechanics. I am not saying that to be insulting, just pointing out the obvious. Check out a wiki about threat and agro. That should clear up things for you.
Thats ok...ALWAYS play a healer...Monk in GW, Priest in WoW, Cleric / Fury in EQ2...over 4+ years of MMO's.
As an example, just two days ago, saw someone getting attacked in EQ2...healed him, and the mob still left me alone...the difference is ...as you said...mechanics. In GW...if you worked through the heals...say start low (small heal) then use a better skill...then the healer was safe...or maybe one enemy would leave aggro, and attack you...
The "aggro" holder if alloted, can keep the aggro...but in LOTRO it did not matter how much aggro was being pulled...except a guardian (the only class in LOTRO that can keep aggro)...in so many words...the other games (GW, EQ2, WoW) all classes have a chance to keep aggro...in LOTRO, any heal is an instant "Kill the healer" mechanic...as this was what I saw from Closed Beta, and then 3 months of regular play...it did not matter (except if a Guardian was in the group)...Burglar could not keep it, Loremaster, Ranger...
So, thanks for the suggestions...but, I understand the mechanics of MMO's...and basically the LOTRO healer is a BIG RED DOT with a TARGET in the center saying "Kill me please..."...
At least in the other titles I played...that target was considerably smaller and manageable.
Cheers!
(Please note, no statement of facts were used in this post. It contains personal opinion based on various feelings of my own, and as well, gathered data by reading various posts, blogs and reviews...so do not misconstrue this post as a stated fact, but an opinion of how the title was played by myself, and does not include other individuals unless express permission was given by that person or the knowledge was made public.)
I left LOTRO a couple weeks ago, have not started with another yet. I've gone through WoW, EQ2, and several others, so I'm just waiting to see what new ones come about in the next few months.
Reason for leaving LOTRO and, really, all the others, was mainly because of weak solo play support at higher levels. I love online games, peopled with other players, but I don't really like to deal with all the problems of group play. Grouping once in a while is nice, but being penalized for solo play in the upper levels causes me to drop out and look elsewhere.
I'm not sure why game developers insist on tilting the games for group play in upper levels. Maybe they think they have to, to keep the kiddies coming back. But for me, it just means I play the games up to the point where it gets too hard to solo, then I look for another.
Up to about level 35, I thought LOTRO was absolutely the best MMORPG so far. Gorgeous graphics, cute and fun quests, nice balance of combat and exploring, good interface. Was sad to see that it petered out on the solo quests so early on.
The "aggro" holder if alloted, can keep the aggro...but in LOTRO it did not matter how much aggro was being pulled...except a guardian (the only class in LOTRO that can keep aggro)...in so many words...the other games (GW, EQ2, WoW) all classes have a chance to keep aggro...in LOTRO, any heal is an instant "Kill the healer" mechanic...as this was what I saw from Closed Beta, and then 3 months of regular play...it did not matter (except if a Guardian was in the group)...Burglar could not keep it, Loremaster, Ranger... So, thanks for the suggestions...but, I understand the mechanics of MMO's...and basically the LOTRO healer is a BIG RED DOT with a TARGET in the center saying "Kill me please..."...
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
The "aggro" holder if alloted, can keep the aggro...but in LOTRO it did not matter how much aggro was being pulled...except a guardian (the only class in LOTRO that can keep aggro)...in so many words...the other games (GW, EQ2, WoW) all classes have a chance to keep aggro...in LOTRO, any heal is an instant "Kill the healer" mechanic...as this was what I saw from Closed Beta, and then 3 months of regular play...it did not matter (except if a Guardian was in the group)...Burglar could not keep it, Loremaster, Ranger... So, thanks for the suggestions...but, I understand the mechanics of MMO's...and basically the LOTRO healer is a BIG RED DOT with a TARGET in the center saying "Kill me please..."...
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Please read the bottom of my post, as I stated clearly this is how I saw it. So, maybe you had luck doing this...but every group I was in...except for a Guardian..no one else could "hold" aggro..One heal from my Minstrel, and everything was all over me.
I am sorry if my post has offended you in any way, I can only state what I have seen...and there is no need for me to make it up. You state you can take aggro...but can you hold it if the Minstrel does a heal? Maybe you can..but, I never saw this mechanic work...again except for the Guardian..
The "aggro" holder if alloted, can keep the aggro...but in LOTRO it did not matter how much aggro was being pulled...except a guardian (the only class in LOTRO that can keep aggro)...in so many words...the other games (GW, EQ2, WoW) all classes have a chance to keep aggro...in LOTRO, any heal is an instant "Kill the healer" mechanic...as this was what I saw from Closed Beta, and then 3 months of regular play...it did not matter (except if a Guardian was in the group)...Burglar could not keep it, Loremaster, Ranger... So, thanks for the suggestions...but, I understand the mechanics of MMO's...and basically the LOTRO healer is a BIG RED DOT with a TARGET in the center saying "Kill me please..."...
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Please read the bottom of my post, as I stated clearly this is how I saw it. So, maybe you had luck doing this...but every group I was in...except for a Guardian..no one else could "hold" aggro..One heal from my Minstrel, and everything was all over me.
I am sorry if my post has offended you in any way, I can only state what I have seen...and there is no need for me to make it up. You state you can take aggro...but can you hold it if the Minstrel does a heal? Maybe you can..but, I never saw this mechanic work...again except for the Guardian..
Cheers!
Having played as a minstrel since release,I cant say I ever found this to be even remotely true at all. The only time youll draw aggro like that is by spamming group heal almost continually even whilst the tank is at full health. Youll get all the aggro you want that way.
Get some -threat instruments,some lute strings and use song of soothing and distraction.
So yes,you can have it as your opinion,but unfortunately its completely wrong.
The "aggro" holder if alloted, can keep the aggro...but in LOTRO it did not matter how much aggro was being pulled...except a guardian (the only class in LOTRO that can keep aggro)...in so many words...the other games (GW, EQ2, WoW) all classes have a chance to keep aggro...in LOTRO, any heal is an instant "Kill the healer" mechanic...as this was what I saw from Closed Beta, and then 3 months of regular play...it did not matter (except if a Guardian was in the group)...Burglar could not keep it, Loremaster, Ranger... So, thanks for the suggestions...but, I understand the mechanics of MMO's...and basically the LOTRO healer is a BIG RED DOT with a TARGET in the center saying "Kill me please..."...
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Please read the bottom of my post, as I stated clearly this is how I saw it. So, maybe you had luck doing this...but every group I was in...except for a Guardian..no one else could "hold" aggro..One heal from my Minstrel, and everything was all over me.
I am sorry if my post has offended you in any way, I can only state what I have seen...and there is no need for me to make it up. You state you can take aggro...but can you hold it if the Minstrel does a heal? Maybe you can..but, I never saw this mechanic work...again except for the Guardian..
Cheers!
Having played as a minstrel since release,I cant say I ever found this to be even remotely true at all. The only time youll draw aggro like that is by spamming group heal almost continually even whilst the tank is at full health. Youll get all the aggro you want that way.
Get some -threat instruments,some lute strings and use song of soothing and distraction.
So yes,you can have it as your opinion,but unfortunately its completely wrong.
It is only wrong if I said it happened to you...You stated it did not, and I never said it did...so how is my answer wrong? I stated it happened to ME multiple times...so, why am I wrong? Because you have NOT seen it, but I have, I am wrong and your right?
Incorrect...
Sorry...but, this is the way it almost always happened to me...and no spams, no group heals needed...all it took was for one heal to pull on me...unless a Guardian was in the group, I was guaranteed to pull them off...
Again, I am glad you have had a different reaction, but I did not, and to me it WAS a horror story (besides the massive hitching, too many group quests to have any fun unless I could find a PUG, which proved difficult for me, an interface that was too small for my screen, and ugly icons that I did not enjoy, armor that was not pleasant to look at, and poor tech support)
Does that make me wrong that I did not like these issues?
Seeing that you are the only one I've heard or seen of having this trouble, It could just be that you don't understand the mechanics. It might be easier to just blame the game for bad mechanics I guess.
Maybe you heal to big to fast or grouped with bad players. While it is your experience with the game, it is equally plausable that you are at fault moreso than the whole game is flawed. Number of complaints about this mechanic and all.
I've gamed with people for years in my guild that just don't get the finer points. Nothing wrong with that as long as you enjoy the game.
Never was a full time LOTRO player, I am an EVE player but enjoyed LOTRO as my 'fantasy fix' for a while. I ended up cancelling my account and have no intention of going back though. I just can't get past the whole 'class/level' system. The cookie cutter character syndrome just drives me bananas. Give me a skill tree system any day of the week.
Loved the quest system though. Especially the storylines.
"A ship-of-war is the best ambassador." - Oliver Cromwell
I left LOTRO a couple weeks ago, have not started with another yet. I've gone through WoW, EQ2, and several others, so I'm just waiting to see what new ones come about in the next few months.
Reason for leaving LOTRO and, really, all the others, was mainly because of weak solo play support at higher levels. I love online games, peopled with other players, but I don't really like to deal with all the problems of group play. Grouping once in a while is nice, but being penalized for solo play in the upper levels causes me to drop out and look elsewhere.
I'm not sure why game developers insist on tilting the games for group play in upper levels. Maybe they think they have to, to keep the kiddies coming back. But for me, it just means I play the games up to the point where it gets too hard to solo, then I look for another.
Up to about level 35, I thought LOTRO was absolutely the best MMORPG so far. Gorgeous graphics, cute and fun quests, nice balance of combat and exploring, good interface. Was sad to see that it petered out on the solo quests so early on.
So you miss the other half of the game because you want a single player RPG that's online... have you tried Diablo 2?
You and a ton of other people seem to forget the MMO part in MMORPG. Massivelymultiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of onling role-playing game (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world.
I still can't understand why people want to solo in this type of game... there's also another type of game... they are called "First Person Shooters"... those might be more your speed. Leave the grouping for the adults.
So you miss the other half of the game because you want a single player RPG that's online... have you tried Diablo 2? You and a ton of other people seem to forget the MMO part in MMORPG. Massivelymultiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of onling role-playing game (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. I still can't understand why people want to solo in this type of game... there's also another type of game... they are called "First Person Shooters"... those might be more your speed. Leave the grouping for the adults.
I'll tell you a few reasons why people want to solo in MMOs - read slowly so you can understand [I promise not to use any big words].
1. People who have a limited playing time due to work and/or family don't want to spend half their playing time looking for a group, or running to where a group is, or waiting for the group to get to them.
2. Many times there are conflicts within groups due to playstyle - generally soloers don't mind going slow and like to read the quest objectives, etc; many groups exist to just rush through a quest to get the reward, then run to the next quest. Division of the loot as well as the role of each group member can also be a problem.
3. Many groups are already full of asshats like yourself who think that anyone who wants to play in a style different than yours is somehow wrong. Dealing with narrow-minded morons like you all week, I prefer to play almost exclusively solo!
So you miss the other half of the game because you want a single player RPG that's online... have you tried Diablo 2? You and a ton of other people seem to forget the MMO part in MMORPG. Massivelymultiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of onling role-playing game (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. I still can't understand why people want to solo in this type of game... there's also another type of game... they are called "First Person Shooters"... those might be more your speed. Leave the grouping for the adults.
I'll tell you a few reasons why people want to solo in MMOs - read slowly so you can understand [I promise not to use any big words].
1. People who have a limited playing time due to work and/or family don't want to spend half their playing time looking for a group, or running to where a group is, or waiting for the group to get to them.
2. Many times there are conflicts within groups due to playstyle - generally soloers don't mind going slow and like to read the quest objectives, etc; many groups exist to just rush through a quest to get the reward, then run to the next quest. Division of the loot as well as the role of each group member can also be a problem.
3. Many groups are already full of asshats like yourself who think that anyone who wants to play in a style different than yours is somehow wrong. Dealing with narrow-minded morons like you all week, I prefer to play almost exclusively solo!
I never called you a name or insulted you. Please don't with me.
If people want to play an MMORPG casual, that's fine by me... but for a company to make the game so easy that it's very casual friendly, then they shouldn't be playing an MMORPG.
I too am a casual player, usually 2 hours to sometimes 4 (depending on the day), and I too enjoy to solo... but to say an ONLINE game can be soloed from 1 to max... that's just sad and shows that the MMORPG in general aren't what they use to be.
I understand each person has their own play style, I was just saying that people tend to forget about the MMO part... I wasn't calling anyone names.
If people want to play an MMORPG casual, that's fine by me... but for a company to make the game so easy that it's very casual friendly, then they shouldn't be playing an MMORPG. I too am a casual player, usually 2 hours to sometimes 4 (depending on the day), and I too enjoy to solo... but to say an ONLINE game can be soloed from 1 to max... that's just sad and shows that the MMORPG in general aren't what they use to be. I understand each person has their own play style, I was just saying that people tend to forget about the MMO part... I wasn't calling anyone names.
Why does casual = easy? The main reason casual can't compete with hardcore is that most games are loot-centric grindfests. Has nothing to do with difficulty and everything to do with time investment. If both player types are paying the same monthly fee, then both should be catered to. Skill based combat systems and player made gear would help a lot. But every game seems to keep the same tired paradigm that caters only to the unemployed and juveniles with time on their hands.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR Playing: WAR Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
It stinks that it's usually the immature children with nothing better to do that has the end high gear...
Doesn't mean that the casual person (like myself) can't do that either. I might take a little longer, but when I do get there, my stuff will be better because I've taken my time through the game and haven't rushed just to be one of the first to cry about not being able to do anything 2 months into a new game.
If people want to play an MMORPG casual, that's fine by me... but for a company to make the game so easy that it's very casual friendly, then they shouldn't be playing an MMORPG. I too am a casual player, usually 2 hours to sometimes 4 (depending on the day), and I too enjoy to solo... but to say an ONLINE game can be soloed from 1 to max... that's just sad and shows that the MMORPG in general aren't what they use to be. I understand each person has their own play style, I was just saying that people tend to forget about the MMO part... I wasn't calling anyone names.
Why does casual = easy? The main reason casual can't compete with hardcore is that most games are loot-centric grindfests. Has nothing to do with difficulty and everything to do with time investment. If both player types are paying the same monthly fee, then both should be catered to. Skill based combat systems and player made gear would help a lot. But every game seems to keep the same tired paradigm that caters only to the unemployed and juveniles with time on their hands.
pretty much sums it up really
The loot-centric grindfest unfortunately is the most popular model currently,as seen in wow,eq/eq2 and by the looks of it lotro. I suppose the 5 night a week raiders will be ecstatic.
I left in large part due to boredom. To be honest, I can't quite place my finger on why it is about the game that caused so much boredom, though. It was a lot of fun to be able to play through ME. I liked the way they present the story here, too. Perhaps at the point I left, I was just burnt out on quest-centric fantasy MMOs.
I don't care for most of the classes. I generally play caster classes, like mage in WoW, and elementalist in GW. I understand the lore reasoning for not having a damage based mage, but most of the melee classes outside of the overplayed champion didn't cut it for me. The developers were grasping at straws to fit in traditional game MMO mechanics into the lore, why not just add a typical caster class or two?
This game wasn't as solo friendly in some cases as I would like. The main thing that appeals to me about MMOs are generally the UI and the open ended nature of the game world. I'm not completely against grouping, but would prefer to solo when I can. But some of the main storyline quests were too fellowship focused. Rather than progressing through the game, I'd stand around in town spamming "LFG" messages. It would be all right if leveling a bit would add enough power to your character so you could go back and solo in cases like that. There was usually something else to do in game, so I could have moved on and then tried again later. But I would have preferred to not have the main storyline come to a screeching halt if you can't get a group.
Right now, I'm checking out Hellgate: London. It's not a true MMO, but it has enough of the features that I like while being solo friendly the whole way through. There's also Guild Wars to go back to here and there. EQ2 was a lot of fun, so I might check it out again at some point, too. My main gripe with MMOs right now is that while many are solo friendly up to level cap, the focus often changes to be so raid heavy at end game. For someone like me, there's not much to do other than PvP or roll another alt and level up again.
And if so which MMORPG are you going to join? What about LOTRO is making you leave? Do you plan on trying the game again?
I am curious as I see all the "I am quitting LOTRO" posts on the official forums and I wonder where everyone ends up. I am not happy with the current situation with the gold spammers and the slow response but overall I am not leaving.
1) Yes I left three days ago. I had stopped playing it since 6 weeks ago and found out I didnt really miss it.
2) I didnt join any other MMO. I play a bit SWG, revived my entertainer to "kill time" and once or twice a week log into EQ2; but thats both just to stay in touch. I really wait for PotBS and WAR, hope they will be good.
3) LOTRO was nice, great graphics, good gameplay, but it was FAR too shallow and bland. No lasting qualities, too little diversity in classes and races and mobs to kill. I prefer games with a big variety of classes, races, mobs and things to do, like EQ2 and also VG has. But after 3+ years I kinda have enough of EQ2 and VG has FAR too many probs.
4) Hm, I am not sure. I MAY try it again, if they make some really new additions. All those free patches were nice, but all were just more of the same. No new races to play, classes, no REAL PVP... I dunno I never felt like really living in Middle Earth like I felt in live in Norrath in EQ2 or in the SWG galaxy. I always felt like going through a kind of Disney Land: always led from one attraction to the next. As VG was too hardcore, LOTRO was too easy. I always preferred the middle ground difficulty of EQ2. But as I said, after so many years I have seen the EQ2 system enough now.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Comments
Why is everyone comparing lotro to WoW. If you want to call lotro a clone, CALL it Asheron's call 2 clone because thats what it is. WoW has nothing to do with it and just because you all just playing WoW and didnt play AC2 doesnt mean its fair to call Lotro a wow version. It would be fair to call WoW an AC2 version.
Well, for starters there might be 200K people in the world who ever played AC2 (I'm being generous) so the odds on one of them being a member of MMORPG and posting here is slim.
Second, while I know all about LotRO's heritage, at no point did I call it a "clone" of WOW. That's an argument thats been held in several other threads on this forum.
Third, I used the WOW analogy because I never played EQ2, though I suspect you could substitute EQ 2 into my original post and it would change nothing regarding my original intent.
The game play shared by all 3 MMORPG's (and many others since EQ 1 first came out) include:
1) Quest based design which "leads" the player by the hand from one place to another, which results in a similar gaming experience for most players and is really noticeable when you level up an alt or 3. LoTRO even boasts about leading the player through the story with their storybook missions.
2) Deed grinding in LotRO is a hell of a lot like faction grinding in WOW, and I think I heard that in a recent expansion LotRO even added formal faction grinding as well.
3) Crafting - Well, repetitious and meaningless, like most every game, but like I said...you could leave crafting out of games if it was up to me, but I concede, some folks enjoy it for some strange reason.
4) Based on a fantasy world that has elves, dwarves and other similar races....
5) A similar look and feel in terms of player interaction with the interface and environments.
6) etc etc etc...
Point is not to compare similarities or debate who copied who.... fact remains the games play very much alike....and I am tired of that model. (I call it the EQ 1 model btw...)
Now contrast it with EVE.... after 4 months in the game I still feel like its a unique experience....and there is so much I have yet to learn about playing the game well (probably will never happen) where as in LotRO I knew within the first 2 months everything I'd ever need to know about playing and mastering the game. It just became a matter of execution with nothing really new to learn.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
That has been an issue with Turbine's engine since the AC2 days. And I think they just finally fixed it. When they updated DDO to Module 5 two days ago, they made engine improvements there which I thought were simply bringing the DDO engine build to parity with LOTRO's, but I think they one-upped it. They made mention of a no hitching in the release notes and sure enough, I went to the busiest parts of Stormreach (AH and mailboxes) last night where I was always guaranteed of *major* hitching, and it was smooth as glass. If they bring that update over to LOTRO in the next patch I'll be happy.
Ooo...really? I also had seen this issue in DDO...just not as prominent...Now, I am quite interested...because they fix that engine issue, and I would come back...(at least until level 50)
Cheers!
I have never liked any game produced by Turbine. They just don't produce the kind of gameplay / content that appeals to me. I can't forsee ever playing another Turbine game in the future. I'm done giving that company any of my money.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
You guys should all consider EQ2!
eqnext.wikia.com
no thanks.
Yea...I agree...EQ2 is
(have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming)
But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed...
I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that!
Cheers!
... what? Im no fanboy of LOTR:O (I do play it ATM)but what do you mean with that "last horror story" ?
ive played atleast WoW of those games you mentioned.. the thing that happenned was aggro.. if you heal monsters target they will get pissed and it works the same in WoW and LOTR:O not sure about GW though
Yea...I agree...EQ2 is
(have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming)
But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed...
I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that!
Cheers!
I am guessing you didn't play a healer in EQ2 or WoW?You just don't understand how NPC enemies choose their target. The problem isn't the game, the problem is your lack of understanding the game mechanics. I am not saying that to be insulting, just pointing out the obvious. Check out a wiki about threat and agro. That should clear up things for you.
Yea...I agree...EQ2 is
(have already clocked 160 hours in one month compared to 90 in 3 months of LOTRO...that is fun gaming)
But, I will try LOTRO and see if they got it together...but I will always have the last horror story that happened when I logged off and unsubscribed...
I saw another player being chased by 6 guys, so I attempted to heal him (I was a Minstrel)...and then all 6 enemies stopped in their tracks, turned and all jumped me...my wife attempted to pull aggro...but, no luck....That was some very unbalanced gameplay in my opinion...never have had that happen in EQ2, GW or WoW...I then knew that balance issues existed, and Turbine needed more time to fix that!
Cheers!
I am guessing you didn't play a healer in EQ2 or WoW?You just don't understand how NPC enemies choose their target. The problem isn't the game, the problem is your lack of understanding the game mechanics. I am not saying that to be insulting, just pointing out the obvious. Check out a wiki about threat and agro. That should clear up things for you.
Thats ok...ALWAYS play a healer...Monk in GW, Priest in WoW, Cleric / Fury in EQ2...over 4+ years of MMO's.
As an example, just two days ago, saw someone getting attacked in EQ2...healed him, and the mob still left me alone...the difference is ...as you said...mechanics. In GW...if you worked through the heals...say start low (small heal) then use a better skill...then the healer was safe...or maybe one enemy would leave aggro, and attack you...
The "aggro" holder if alloted, can keep the aggro...but in LOTRO it did not matter how much aggro was being pulled...except a guardian (the only class in LOTRO that can keep aggro)...in so many words...the other games (GW, EQ2, WoW) all classes have a chance to keep aggro...in LOTRO, any heal is an instant "Kill the healer" mechanic...as this was what I saw from Closed Beta, and then 3 months of regular play...it did not matter (except if a Guardian was in the group)...Burglar could not keep it, Loremaster, Ranger...
So, thanks for the suggestions...but, I understand the mechanics of MMO's...and basically the LOTRO healer is a BIG RED DOT with a TARGET in the center saying "Kill me please..."...
At least in the other titles I played...that target was considerably smaller and manageable.
Cheers!
(Please note, no statement of facts were used in this post. It contains personal opinion based on various feelings of my own, and as well, gathered data by reading various posts, blogs and reviews...so do not misconstrue this post as a stated fact, but an opinion of how the title was played by myself, and does not include other individuals unless express permission was given by that person or the knowledge was made public.)
I left LOTRO a couple weeks ago, have not started with another yet. I've gone through WoW, EQ2, and several others, so I'm just waiting to see what new ones come about in the next few months.
Reason for leaving LOTRO and, really, all the others, was mainly because of weak solo play support at higher levels. I love online games, peopled with other players, but I don't really like to deal with all the problems of group play. Grouping once in a while is nice, but being penalized for solo play in the upper levels causes me to drop out and look elsewhere.
I'm not sure why game developers insist on tilting the games for group play in upper levels. Maybe they think they have to, to keep the kiddies coming back. But for me, it just means I play the games up to the point where it gets too hard to solo, then I look for another.
Up to about level 35, I thought LOTRO was absolutely the best MMORPG so far. Gorgeous graphics, cute and fun quests, nice balance of combat and exploring, good interface. Was sad to see that it petered out on the solo quests so early on.
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Please read the bottom of my post, as I stated clearly this is how I saw it. So, maybe you had luck doing this...but every group I was in...except for a Guardian..no one else could "hold" aggro..One heal from my Minstrel, and everything was all over me.
I am sorry if my post has offended you in any way, I can only state what I have seen...and there is no need for me to make it up. You state you can take aggro...but can you hold it if the Minstrel does a heal? Maybe you can..but, I never saw this mechanic work...again except for the Guardian..
Cheers!
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Please read the bottom of my post, as I stated clearly this is how I saw it. So, maybe you had luck doing this...but every group I was in...except for a Guardian..no one else could "hold" aggro..One heal from my Minstrel, and everything was all over me.
I am sorry if my post has offended you in any way, I can only state what I have seen...and there is no need for me to make it up. You state you can take aggro...but can you hold it if the Minstrel does a heal? Maybe you can..but, I never saw this mechanic work...again except for the Guardian..
Cheers!
Having played as a minstrel since release,I cant say I ever found this to be even remotely true at all. The only time youll draw aggro like that is by spamming group heal almost continually even whilst the tank is at full health. Youll get all the aggro you want that way.Get some -threat instruments,some lute strings and use song of soothing and distraction.
So yes,you can have it as your opinion,but unfortunately its completely wrong.
Not to be rude but that is just one big lie. I have played as hunter, loremaster and champion. Everyone of those can take aggro from minstrel easily.
Please read the bottom of my post, as I stated clearly this is how I saw it. So, maybe you had luck doing this...but every group I was in...except for a Guardian..no one else could "hold" aggro..One heal from my Minstrel, and everything was all over me.
I am sorry if my post has offended you in any way, I can only state what I have seen...and there is no need for me to make it up. You state you can take aggro...but can you hold it if the Minstrel does a heal? Maybe you can..but, I never saw this mechanic work...again except for the Guardian..
Cheers!
Having played as a minstrel since release,I cant say I ever found this to be even remotely true at all. The only time youll draw aggro like that is by spamming group heal almost continually even whilst the tank is at full health. Youll get all the aggro you want that way.Get some -threat instruments,some lute strings and use song of soothing and distraction.
So yes,you can have it as your opinion,but unfortunately its completely wrong.
It is only wrong if I said it happened to you...You stated it did not, and I never said it did...so how is my answer wrong? I stated it happened to ME multiple times...so, why am I wrong? Because you have NOT seen it, but I have, I am wrong and your right?
Incorrect...
Sorry...but, this is the way it almost always happened to me...and no spams, no group heals needed...all it took was for one heal to pull on me...unless a Guardian was in the group, I was guaranteed to pull them off...
Again, I am glad you have had a different reaction, but I did not, and to me it WAS a horror story (besides the massive hitching, too many group quests to have any fun unless I could find a PUG, which proved difficult for me, an interface that was too small for my screen, and ugly icons that I did not enjoy, armor that was not pleasant to look at, and poor tech support)
Does that make me wrong that I did not like these issues?
Thanks and cheers!
Seeing that you are the only one I've heard or seen of having this trouble, It could just be that you don't understand the mechanics. It might be easier to just blame the game for bad mechanics I guess.
Maybe you heal to big to fast or grouped with bad players. While it is your experience with the game, it is equally plausable that you are at fault moreso than the whole game is flawed. Number of complaints about this mechanic and all.
I've gamed with people for years in my guild that just don't get the finer points. Nothing wrong with that as long as you enjoy the game.
Never was a full time LOTRO player, I am an EVE player but enjoyed LOTRO as my 'fantasy fix' for a while. I ended up cancelling my account and have no intention of going back though. I just can't get past the whole 'class/level' system. The cookie cutter character syndrome just drives me bananas. Give me a skill tree system any day of the week.
Loved the quest system though. Especially the storylines.
"A ship-of-war is the best ambassador." - Oliver Cromwell
So you miss the other half of the game because you want a single player RPG that's online... have you tried Diablo 2?
You and a ton of other people seem to forget the MMO part in MMORPG. Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of onling role-playing game (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world.
I still can't understand why people want to solo in this type of game... there's also another type of game... they are called "First Person Shooters"... those might be more your speed. Leave the grouping for the adults.
1. People who have a limited playing time due to work and/or family don't want to spend half their playing time looking for a group, or running to where a group is, or waiting for the group to get to them.
2. Many times there are conflicts within groups due to playstyle - generally soloers don't mind going slow and like to read the quest objectives, etc; many groups exist to just rush through a quest to get the reward, then run to the next quest. Division of the loot as well as the role of each group member can also be a problem.
3. Many groups are already full of asshats like yourself who think that anyone who wants to play in a style different than yours is somehow wrong. Dealing with narrow-minded morons like you all week, I prefer to play almost exclusively solo!
<p align=center><a target=_blank href=http://www.nodiatis.com/personality.htm><img border=0 src=http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/20.jpg></a></p>;
1. People who have a limited playing time due to work and/or family don't want to spend half their playing time looking for a group, or running to where a group is, or waiting for the group to get to them.
2. Many times there are conflicts within groups due to playstyle - generally soloers don't mind going slow and like to read the quest objectives, etc; many groups exist to just rush through a quest to get the reward, then run to the next quest. Division of the loot as well as the role of each group member can also be a problem.
3. Many groups are already full of asshats like yourself who think that anyone who wants to play in a style different than yours is somehow wrong. Dealing with narrow-minded morons like you all week, I prefer to play almost exclusively solo!
I never called you a name or insulted you. Please don't with me.
If people want to play an MMORPG casual, that's fine by me... but for a company to make the game so easy that it's very casual friendly, then they shouldn't be playing an MMORPG.
I too am a casual player, usually 2 hours to sometimes 4 (depending on the day), and I too enjoy to solo... but to say an ONLINE game can be soloed from 1 to max... that's just sad and shows that the MMORPG in general aren't what they use to be.
I understand each person has their own play style, I was just saying that people tend to forget about the MMO part... I wasn't calling anyone names.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR
Playing: WAR
Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
It stinks that it's usually the immature children with nothing better to do that has the end high gear...
Doesn't mean that the casual person (like myself) can't do that either. I might take a little longer, but when I do get there, my stuff will be better because I've taken my time through the game and haven't rushed just to be one of the first to cry about not being able to do anything 2 months into a new game.
pretty much sums it up reallyThe loot-centric grindfest unfortunately is the most popular model currently,as seen in wow,eq/eq2 and by the looks of it lotro. I suppose the 5 night a week raiders will be ecstatic.
I left in large part due to boredom. To be honest, I can't quite place my finger on why it is about the game that caused so much boredom, though. It was a lot of fun to be able to play through ME. I liked the way they present the story here, too. Perhaps at the point I left, I was just burnt out on quest-centric fantasy MMOs.
I don't care for most of the classes. I generally play caster classes, like mage in WoW, and elementalist in GW. I understand the lore reasoning for not having a damage based mage, but most of the melee classes outside of the overplayed champion didn't cut it for me. The developers were grasping at straws to fit in traditional game MMO mechanics into the lore, why not just add a typical caster class or two?
This game wasn't as solo friendly in some cases as I would like. The main thing that appeals to me about MMOs are generally the UI and the open ended nature of the game world. I'm not completely against grouping, but would prefer to solo when I can. But some of the main storyline quests were too fellowship focused. Rather than progressing through the game, I'd stand around in town spamming "LFG" messages. It would be all right if leveling a bit would add enough power to your character so you could go back and solo in cases like that. There was usually something else to do in game, so I could have moved on and then tried again later. But I would have preferred to not have the main storyline come to a screeching halt if you can't get a group.
Right now, I'm checking out Hellgate: London. It's not a true MMO, but it has enough of the features that I like while being solo friendly the whole way through. There's also Guild Wars to go back to here and there. EQ2 was a lot of fun, so I might check it out again at some point, too. My main gripe with MMOs right now is that while many are solo friendly up to level cap, the focus often changes to be so raid heavy at end game. For someone like me, there's not much to do other than PvP or roll another alt and level up again.
PotBS is definitely outside the mold.
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Achiever 60.00%, Socializer 53.00%, Killer 47.00%, Explorer 40.00%
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2) I didnt join any other MMO. I play a bit SWG, revived my entertainer to "kill time" and once or twice a week log into EQ2; but thats both just to stay in touch. I really wait for PotBS and WAR, hope they will be good.
3) LOTRO was nice, great graphics, good gameplay, but it was FAR too shallow and bland. No lasting qualities, too little diversity in classes and races and mobs to kill. I prefer games with a big variety of classes, races, mobs and things to do, like EQ2 and also VG has. But after 3+ years I kinda have enough of EQ2 and VG has FAR too many probs.
4) Hm, I am not sure. I MAY try it again, if they make some really new additions. All those free patches were nice, but all were just more of the same. No new races to play, classes, no REAL PVP... I dunno I never felt like really living in Middle Earth like I felt in live in Norrath in EQ2 or in the SWG galaxy. I always felt like going through a kind of Disney Land: always led from one attraction to the next. As VG was too hardcore, LOTRO was too easy. I always preferred the middle ground difficulty of EQ2. But as I said, after so many years I have seen the EQ2 system enough now.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert