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It finally clicked for me and why Im never leaving
admriker4
Member Posts: 1,070
Ironically I made a post about 2 months ago on not being able to enjoy LOTR. I listed its strong points but I simply couldnt find a hook to keep me playing.
Well I went back shortly after that post and Im happy to say Ive enjoyed myself so much that Ive bought a lifetime account with LOTR.
For me, it was all about simply changing my approach to playing LOTR. LOTR isnt a power grind game, its about the story. Previously the quests were just a means to an end (reaching lvl 50). Too many quests and I got annoyed. This time, instead of trying to blow out as many quests as possible, I slowed down and actually read them. Im glad I did, because it was like sitting inside a Tolkien novel...they are that good.
I looked at a map in-game, then I looked at a poster of Middle Earth on my son's wall. They were identical. Turbine made the game very accurately. It was kinda fun pointing out places on a real map that Ive actually explored.
And speaking of exploring, the game was designed for it. One of the things I most missed from my SWG days was exploring. In LOTR exploring is a total blast. On days when Im a little tired of questing or crafting, I put my boots on and go explore someplace Im probably not supposed to be at (like last night i was in Angmar with my lvl 38 hunter).
I also noticed that Turbine has really made some sweet additions to the game. Either that or I just never noticed them before...
character barber shops - ala swg, I love that I can go change my hair style, color, remove or add scars. Its a welcome addition which games like wow doesnt have. I use wow as a comparison because LOTR has often been called a wow clone.
outfits - you can have two seperate outfits equipped and switch your appearance anytime. No longer are you stuck with purple pants, a yellow and green shirt and pink boots like in wow. Add in the fact that you can dye outfits and you can have a completely unique look to your appearance !
crafting - I missed the days in SWG where crafted goods were superior to loot. Well so far in LOTR crafted goods are much better than loot or quest rewards. Im currently a lvl 38 hunter and Ive worn nothing but player made goods to this point. It might be different at end-game level, i dont know but at least from 1-38 crafters are quite useful.
music - I havent touched a musical instrument yet but its wonderful to walk into an AH in Bree and have 3 people playing a real song for you while you shop. Just another little feature that gives the gamers something to do besides raid 24/7
community - definitely a strength of LOTR is its community. A community can make or break a game and with LOTR it makes it great. Ive had the pleasure of finding many great groups to quest with since ive come back.
The game still has its flaws. I dont like the housing because I cant place items anywhere inside. I dont like the fact that the server I chose (Brandywine) is unfriendly to rpers. And combat animations need work.
But overall the game is quite good. And Turbine continues to add free content.
One last thing, in some MMO's once theyre a year out it isnt very friendly for new players to join. You feel overwhelmed by everything and frankly left behind. Its one of my fears starting out in an established MMO. That is definitely not a problem in LOTR.
Now if I could only find a light RP friendly kinship...
Comments
Yea I miss playing music in LOTRO. Everquest 2 has all the features you listed but that.
LOTRO is a great game in its own right, I just couldn't get over the goofy looking player models and no Main Character PvP(unless this has changed since launch)
Couldn't help read this and say to myself, "Perhaps I should try out LoTRO"...
Pretty awesome to hear that is has enough depth to keep a casual player happy with just logging on, exploring and being a part of the world. Does remind of SWG along time ago for me when I could simply log on and sit in a Cantina for a little while talking to some guild mates and then going to explore a planet for a bit.
Perhaps I will give the trial a shot, and I am imaging that there is a trial.
Anyways, nice little review of Lotro.
Playing: Diablo 2, Medievia, SWG EMU
In between: Eq Mac
Retired: Guild Wars (2x), EQ, DAoC, PSO, Tibia, Runescape, WoW, SWG, Maple Story
Waiting: WaR (hesitant), New Star Wars MMO
To the OP
This is great that you have found a game you enjoy. But LOTRO isn't a true mmorpg. There are limits to what you can do. For instance, you can't kill and loot people's bodies. So for me, Lotro is like a game of digital pokemon. Yes you can link up to other gameboys and play with them, but no, it is nto a true mmorpg. In a true mmorpg you can roleplay.
And it's great to see the music feature. Hopefuly other games, including mmorpgs with real pvp, will include this like ultima online did too.
Just my opinion..Don't flame me..sincerely yours
Steven P.
I disagree and also dont really understand what you mean by looting other bodies...unless your referring to Lineage which I believe players can loot each other (unsure). You certainly can loot anything that you kill in LOTR.
Im a vet of MMO's. Ive played them for over 10 years going back to MUD and beyond. Ive got a pretty good grasp of what an MMO is. And believe me, LOTR is an MMO and a great one at that.
I havent touched Monster play yet so I cant comment on it. But a lack of true pvp doesnt bother me in the least bit. Im in LOTR to enjoy the stories, explore the sites I reab about from the books, etc. Beating some other player for bragging rights isnt a feature I care about. The game is about PVE content and nobody has more than LOTR does. It even puts WoW to shame with the sheer number of quests and theyre adding more each month.
LOTR hooked me though like SWG did. It wasnt the great graphics (lotr has the absolute best graphics of any MMO around). It wasnt the classes or crafting, all good in their own right. In the end, it was the little things that I hadnt noticed before. MMO's dont have to be 100% about combat and raiding and gear. There are other things to enjoy and Turbine realized this obviously.
Ive run across tons of ex-swg players. Im guessing theyre in LOTR for the same reason I am. LOTR is very friendly to all sorts of playstyles and gives you much more than just kill/loot/repeat experience for your money.
And the best part is its very casual friendly. You can start the game a year after it launched and still be right in the mix of things. Other MMO's, once a year out forget ever catching up or seeing anyone in the newb areas.
I think we can safely say this is a matter of YOUR opinion. It also defines WoW as NOT bing a true MMORPG, you can only loot players in BG's or on PvP servers with random generated cash that is not out of the players pocket. As far as roleplay, where do people get that to roleplay one must be able to PvP? And besides LoTRO has PvMP that has more immersion than grind in BG's or gank fest in world PvP but there is not a war in the lore of the game only strained relations.
PvMP *is* real PvP. It's a Player competing against another Player. Ergo... PvP.
This whole thing of "If it's not open world PvP where you can attack anyone, anywhere, anytime it's not real PvP" is such a flawed mentality and I wish people would get over it already.
Of course, I know why people characterize it as "not real PvP" - it makes their argument seem more "solid" while making the game seem "lacking" or flawed. Unfortunately, the only people who truly buy into that mindset are the willfully ignorant, or sorely misinformed.
PvP by definition requires only that live players are competing against each other. Player versus Player. As long as it satisfies that qualification, it's PvP. After that, it's a matter of what *type* of PvP it is.
Is it consensual?
Is it non-consensual?
Is it world-wide PvP?
Is it restricted to designated PvP zones?
Is it based on server rulesets?
... and so forth.
Those are all variations on PvP - but they're all PvP nonetheless.
So.. in that case, yes, LoTRO does have real PvP in the form of PvMP.
As for it not being a true MMORPG.. well that's a ridiculous notion from the get-go. Once again, what defines a game as being a MMORPG is not defined by specific PvP or looting rules.
What you seem to be looking for in the end is a MMORPG that has "Open" or "Free For All" world PvP with the ability to loot fallen opponents' bodies. So no, LoTRO is not a MMORPG with that type of PvP.
As for the OP:
Great to hear that you're finding it enjoyable again! And I think your mindset is key - the game is set up with all these side-activities and such so players can take a break from grinding/questing or even crafting, and still have things to entertain themselves. Quite different from other MMOs that offer little to nothing to do besides the endless grind to end-game.
LoTRO is very much about the journey... especially considering anything resembling a "destination" is a *long* way off.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
So by your definition the only two true MMORPGS are Asheron's Call 1 and Ultima Online? Those are the only two that I know of where you could loot other players after killing them in PvP. I mean, your name is WoW4Lifer yet by your very definition WoW is not a "true MMORPG".
Let's break down why LotRO (and WoW) are true mmorpgs... MMO stands for, you guessed it, Massively Multiplayer Online. RPG stands for, perhaps onto something again, Role-Playing Game. At no point in MMORPG do I see anything related to killing other people and looting them, or even PvP at all.
So, while this isn't supposed to be a flame, it's probably hard not to interpret it as that since you're so insanely wrong it's hard to put into words.
To the OP:
I really enjoyed LotRO for a long time because of all the reasons you listed. It's how my wife and I approached the game from the beginning. It was quite refreshing to get back to that style of play from the rush to the top mentality of WoW. However, we started playing in early Alpha stages and played all the way through Book 10. Eventually we just ran out of things to do. But I will say, LotRO is the only game I ever actively played from alpha/beta all the way through launch and a good bit into the game and enjoyed it the entire time. We have every intention of playing again once MoM comes out and at that point we'll have so much new stuff to do that we will probably play LotRO once again for a very, very long time.
Depends on what you mean by main character pvp. Main characters can absolutely pvp, but you need to be at or near max level. If you want to PVP before then, you must play on the evil side. These "monster characters" become available once you get a main character to level 10. There's 5 (about to be 6) monster classes to choose from. They start out at level 50, but you don't gain XP. You level up by gaining pvp ranks. The higher your rank, the more skills and stat boosts you can buy.
~~~ Currently Playing ~~~
LOTRO- Guardian Wrymstrum & Lore-master Stabler on Nimrodel.
Conan- Zoltar <Angels of Death> Guardian on Stormrage.
In my opinion, LoTRO was created to be an MMO for fans of Tolkien's work. They knew that hundreds of thousands of people love Tolkien's books and would love to play in an MMO. The vast rush to play it when it first came out bears out their belief as do many of the posts on the forums about how much fun it is to 'walk in Frodo's shoes' or watch the sun set over the shores of the Elven lands. I bought a PC with great graphics just to see this game and it was well worth it. I have hundreds of pictures posted on my flickr account because I find LoTRO THAT beautiful.
As my signature says on the LoTRO forums - Lord of the Rings Online,my first and the best MMORPG I've ever played.
its funny that he call a game "Not a real MMO" and list features from Original UO... but his Name is WoW4Life. Like THAT would be any better... its impossible to take this guy seriosuly.
"This is not a game to be tossed aside lightly.
It should be thrown with great force"
Being a major fan of Tolkien, I tried really hard to get into LotRO. I managed about five separate attempts but never got a character over level 25.
I suppose my gripe with LotRO is my gripe with most MMOs today: too linear, too theme parkish for me.
The graphics in LotRO are very beautiful. However, the world itself is too "animatronic" for my tastes. I feel like I'm standing in a line waiting to get on a ride at Disneyland. It would be nice if an MMO came along that didn't have it's NPCs either just stand there or stand there performing very limited animations ad infinitum. I want more like NPCs ala Oblivion. I really wanted a more living/breathing world of Middle Earth, not just beautifully rendered landscapes and towns that are as lifeless as any MMO on the market today.
I'm tired of fantasy MMOs who expect players to commit wilderness genocide. Again, LotRO is fairly typical in that once a player leaves the safety of a town, he is bombarded with mobs strategically spread out upon the landscape. I felt this killed immersion for me because nowhere in the books were people simply outright slaying bears and wolves and other creatures, who, if met in the woods, would most likely leave you alone. But, games like LotRO forces a player to kill, kill, kill, kill. If anything, the books were about saving nature, not going out and slaying all the creatures.
LotRO is no different than WoW or any other fantasy based MMO on the market today. I would have preferred a true virtual world of Middle Earth where the players have control over the world. I would have preferred a good vs. bad side with players choosing sides and competing against each other over control of land and resources. I'm god damn tired of these "hold my hand" quest style MMOs. I want something real, like EVE Online, for my fantasy based MMO.
Now, if you don't mind the theme park zones, don't mind leveling up characters, don't mind instancing taken too far (can't stand having to instance into every building - and people have the nerve to complain about 1-2 second chunking in Vanguard) and prefer a game over a virtual world, then, by all means, play LotRO. If you enjoyed Wow (and I did for a time) and want more of that same experience (without all the raid/PvP blah blah blah), then LotRO is the game for you. However, if you want a deeper experience, tired of the level concept, move on. This game is not for you.
Currently playing: No MMOs. They all suck.
That would be cool.. Only, if they did do that in a MMO, I'd hope if the NPCs talked to each other, their conversations would be a bit more lucid...
Have you ever stopped and listened to the complete randomness that ensues when 2 or more NPCs start talking in Oblivion? It's like everyone in that world has ADD.
NPC 1: "Have you heard of that bandit on the loose?"
NPC 2: "Oh yes, it's quite frightening"
NPC 1: "Martha down the street bakes wonderful pies!"
NPC 2: "Yes they are quite delicious!"
NPC 1: "Is there a booger hanging from my nose?"
NPC 2: "Well, I didn't want to say anything, but now that you mention it..."
NPC 1: "I love pickles!"
NPC 2: "Me, too!"
NPC 1: "Take care now!"
NPC 2: "buh-bye!"
And so forth...
Well not sure if it's truly 100% bona-fide official or not (was alot of "yes it is"/"no it isn't" when I last checked) but supposedly there's likelihood of an Elder Scrolls MMO in the works.
So... we shall see
.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I am concerned at the sheer number of people that say they are a fan of Tolkien but after you read their posts it become obvious they never read the books. Watching a movie is fine, and in this case can justify some of their awareness about Tolkien's work since the film had to adhere to the lore and approvals of the license. People need to be aware though that even the movies, as wonderful as they were, left so much of the book out. Minor details, major places, even the journey is missing so much of the story.
If you really want to enjoy the game to a whole new level, read the book while you play. This has brought the gaming experience to a whole level of immersion that the "other games" have lost along the way.
That would be the best thing Bethesda could do if their next Elder Scroll was online! That would rock so much... Although, didn't Todd Howard express his love for the single player experience at one point and all but ruled out an MMO?
Kemih ~ 13 Red Mage | Currently playing FFXI & LOTRO, awaiting Warhammer Online & Aion...
TO the OP:
I agree completely. Only two other games have ever grabbed me the way LOTRO does...OLD AO, and OLD SWG.
LOTRO has a lot of the elements that I miss from those games.
And on the subject of an Elder Scrolls MMO....the potential is staggering...IF they didn't make a TES4 mistake and dumb the game down for console players.
As far as LOTRO pvp....I like the fact that
a: the pvp system doesn't break the lore,
b: because of it's design, PVE doesn't suffer from constant nerfs designed to balance PVP, and
c: it's differant...unique. It's fun to play a monster character ("creep"). I mean, who wouldn't want to play as an Urok, or a Warg, even if just for the novelty of it?
Lotro has more role play then any MMO i've seen. Just read their forums and pick the right server. Also look up a role playing kingship. I am on Elendilmir server and there is always role players. The fact you say because you can't loot players and PK shows me you might not even understand what ROLE playing means.
As for not being a "true MMORPG" because you can't loot players bodies? What does PK have to do with RPG in a storyline based world?
The fact that your name is WOW4lifer just ends my bid to try to explain any further. Just go back to WOW what you consider a true mmorpg
WOW being a true pvp mmo is a joke. You want real pvp come over to EVE. EVE you can loot your player enemys wreck for what didnt get destroyed. When you die you really loose the ship, what it is equiped with and what's in it's cargo. WOW is nothing but safe secure no loss pvp. That's pokemon of pvp compaired to the hardcore ways in EVE.
SHOHADAKU
I am not flaming you but MMO's are simply Massively Multiplayer. MMO's are not defined by PVE or PVP but by the fact many players can play on the same server and interact. Players can interact in many, many ways in LOTRO.
I just took my main character on one of the Epic story line quests to help in reforging the sword Narsil. I will often solo but I called out for a group to join as this is a tough, tough quest called "The Tomb of Elendil" and within minutes I was invited into a great fellowhip of six other players. While this is PVE it is one of the things that are the essence of MMOs in my opninion. It was a blast and when done some of us trecked of to Rivendell to help Aragorn while some went elsewhere. This to me is what makes an MMO fun and is the spirit of an MMO. This is my personal take but I have never liked beating down other players and taking their stuff. I have "challenged" many like level characters to see how I do but that is a friendly bashing.
Anyway, I rant but you get the point. MMO does not mean PVP or PVE and can be equally either.
To the OP. As you can tell by my post I am loving LOTRO as it is a great MMO with a fantastic story. You have captured the heart of it. While some might call it a quest grind those are the folks that do not absorb themselves in the great tale that Turbine is telling in Middle Earth.
I am not flaming you but MMO's are simply Massively Multiplayer. MMO's are not defined by PVE or PVP but by the fact many players can play on the same server and interact. Players can interact in many, many ways in LOTRO.
I just took my main character on one of the Epic story line quests to help in reforging the sword Narsil. I will often solo but I called out for a group to join as this is a tough, tough quest called "The Tomb of Elendil" and within minutes I was invited into a great fellowhip of six other players. While this is PVE it is one of the things that are the essence of MMOs in my opninion. It was a blast and when done some of us trecked of to Rivendell to help Aragorn while some went elsewhere. This to me is what makes an MMO fun and is the spirit of an MMO. This is my personal take but I have never liked beating down other players and taking their stuff. I have "challenged" many like level characters to see how I do but that is a friendly bashing.
Anyway, I rant but you get the point. MMO does not mean PVP or PVE and can be equally either.
To the OP. As you can tell by my post I am loving LOTRO as it is a great MMO with a fantastic story. You have captured the heart of it. While some might call it a quest grind those are the folks that do not absorb themselves in the great tale that Turbine is telling in Middle Earth.
I don't know what's up with all the "LoTRO rocks" and/or "Should I try this game?" threads popping up now, but I like em! Lol. LoTRO's a great game, and because it's PvP is lacking some could argue that it lets you roleplay even more. To embrace the fact that you're helping Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring by being in the background is pretty fun, even more so if you liked the trilogy. Talking to characters like Gandalf and Aragorn doesn't hurt either! It's definetely an MMO, and I think it's the easiest MMO to RP in. Alot of good things about this game, except the PvP, but that can be improved.
--------------------------------------
A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"
Order of the White Border.
Every time I read a post like the OP's I start thinking along the same lines as him, maybe it is all about the journey, and perhaps I should give the game another go with a different mindset than my first time around.
But, then I realize there's one key element missing from LotRO (and WOW and most other games) and that is in the end, there is no way for the player to have lasting impact on the world.
Open world PVP is an important factor for my games, even though I don't pvp much. Because for me a game has to let me control the world, and deny other players access to it (or let me try to break their control of it).
Now its true, I'll probably never dominate the universe in EVE, but I could, if I put the time into it,and at the very least I can contribute to an overall effort to control space. That's something lacking from most other games and why I just could never come back to LotRO.
I'm not saying its not a a good game, it certainly is, just not the right sort of game for players like me.
"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
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
Right, that's why I think if they just tweaked the Monster System a little bit (it's supposed to be PvP but it still feels like PvE...) then it'd be much better. The Ettenmoors are a giant open world area, and they could always add more in future patches/expansions. As for the controlling it all aspect, that you won't find in LoTRO, games with siege battles and keep control can probably give you that feeling even if you're not doing it alone. Good points though.
--------------------------------------
A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"
Order of the White Border.
I was just wondering , anyone can answer . I played for a good 6 months or so then I took a couple month break - I never uninstalled the game or updated my video drivers ( or made any changes to my PC , blah blah etc...) Played great , looked great.
When I decided to play again I was getting slightly more than occasional - enough to annoy - choppiness and minor screen lock-ups. Before I left I could play on "very high" settings (probably higher - just didn't worry about it), when I came back , I had to turn alot of things down and still hit some slow-mo and choppiness.
Of course I tried messing with drivers and hardware etc...(I am decent at tweaking my own gear and settings and such ) and could run EQ2 with ALL the trimmings , including shadows, with no problem ... and every other game I played ... still no luck in LotrO. I have plenty of machine to run it.
I read LOTS of people with Nvidia 8 series cards having this problem - I have an 8800 gts 640 consequently ... is this still happening ? I haven't been there for a while now and really enjoy this game but not going to worry about it if it is still a pain.
tnx in advance to anyone
Full corpse looting does not define what is and isn't an MMO.
To the OP... if you are enjoying the game.. stay with it.
If you stop enjoying it leave.
If you take a break from it (while enjoying it) you never know what could happen.
I say that not to flame lotro.. but in regards to losing a few MMO's I enjoyed.
Earth and Beyond was one of those. I took a break for a few months and then got the email that it would be shut down.
So if you enjoy it.. just stay there and be happy.
Try defragmenting your drive and also look into the possiblity that you might have a bunch of unneccessary processes running in the background. Over time it's easy for your system to get bogged down.
~~~ Currently Playing ~~~
LOTRO- Guardian Wrymstrum & Lore-master Stabler on Nimrodel.
Conan- Zoltar <Angels of Death> Guardian on Stormrage.