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LOTRO vs. Vanguard
phonetools
Member Posts: 3
hey everyone
so, i've been looking to get into a new MMO, and so far these are my top two choices. I have played WoW for over a year and am over it, and want to try something new. I played the trial for LOTRO and it was pretty fun, but i really don't feel like downloading another huge file just to try the vangaurd trial...
i have heard there have been a lot of improvements made on both games since they were released. so, which of these games is better, and why?
Comments
Well, that's a tough question.
LOTRO is a better game... however, if you're tired of WoW you'd probably find Vanguard more interesting. Vanguard is more of a 'sandbox' game, whereas LOTRO is a lot like WoW, with better graphics and lore.
I never play Vanguard before but I played LOTRO. LOTRO has very good graphics so it gave me very fresh excitment when I log in first time. But you may hit the level cap in very short time and there is no contents to follow. I think if the game is combat oriented then there is no need for housing. EQ2 has housing because that game has speical crafting system but game like LOTRO has no need to provide housing. But most life time subscribers are decided the future of LOTRO, and LOTRO scenario is binded by the book. If MMORPG limited by the storyline then everything would be limited.
If you are casual player then I will recommend to download free game from this website. There are plenty of free game available. It is unique enjoy for people able to play every game than those who stick in one game.
I have played both and would have to say that LOTRO is the better. It has a really good community, the game is steaped in lore that the quests really make you feel part of. Graphically it is very pleasing and Turbine does an awesome job of providing frequent game updates at no cost. For the quality and amount of free updates they provide for LOTRO and DDO, I am excited to see what their retail expansions bring to the table (lets not bring up AC2
)
LoTR is the only game iv'e played that i didnt feel like logging back in after the first 20 mins
I only played both games for about 2 months back when they launched, so can't really offer an opinion on the games as they are today. But I do think if you like WOW, you'll probably like LotRO better than VG.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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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
Comparing LOTRO to Vanguard is like comparing sparkling grape juice to a proper vintage french wine aged to perfection.
Vanguard still runs terribly, the colors are washed out, the content in some parts is still horribly incomplete, the lore-basicaly doesnt exist, it hitches, stutters and lags. The raid content is threadbare and there remains almost nothing really to do post 50. That and huge tracts of it are empty of actual players.
LOTRO runs smooth as silk, the graphics are vibrant and beautiful-up close or at a distance, the LORE is the best in gaming today, the world is full of players, there is a real community , there is real content. Raiding is well done but a bit skinny. There is also a decent pvp system for those interested.
Vanguards dev. team spends most of its time fixing bugs, optimizing performance to make it playable and putting in basic content. LOTRO's dev team adds entire regions, has added 400+ quests since release, has added housing, fishing, reputation, and a few raids. LOTRO has a paid expansion on the docket for October.
Vanguard survives due to the station pass, LOTRO is growing daily.
I was an avid follower of Vanguard, was in the beta, played for a month, returned three months later, returned again 6 months later and even logged in a few weeks ago. I was truly hoping this game would meet at least some of the promises of its dev. team. IMHO its failed in every category. LOTRO quite simply as meet or exceeded every promise...find a promise theyve made and show how it hasnt come true-its all there. Its not perfect but for a casual, semi-hardcore game its the best on the market.
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
I agree with the sentiment on LOTRO. However, if you liked WoW, you may also want to consider EQ2
Good Luck
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
*bump*
well thanks for your responses everyone! it appears that LOTRO is winning by a lot! i am probably going to end up getting that game. but before this thread is over in specific i was wondering about a few things that don't seem to have a clearshot winner
-which community is better?
-which game's art style, and graphics, is do you like better?
-which game's combat is better?
-which game's 'atmosphere' do you find more enjoyable? as in, which game has more personality and 'soul' to it? (yes this is actually important to me, seeing as how if i find most mmo's to be lifeless and bland)
thanks!!!!
Vanguard is okay these days, most of the content (there is a lot) is aimed at the leveling of characters, but due to many tweaks to the leveling curve you now out-level most of it before you can even scratch the surface of it. At 50 there is one amazing raid zone, but that's about it, other than grinding reputation/drops for class armors/items.
Vanguard offers a lot of depth, performance is pretty good on a stable rig and graphics are great on a high end rig, but it just doesn't add content at a decent pace and you will find yourself with nothing to do after three months.
Lotro is basically WoW in Tolkien's universe, new content comes fairly quickly, everything is nicely polished, everything is nice and easy, and that's about it. You can't go wrong with Lotro to be honest, unless you don't like quest orientated games. It has solo, group and raid content, it has an expansion due out before the end of the year to raise the level cap, they just added a new high level zone this past week, in all... biggest downside if the half-arsed attempt at pvp it has.
Bah, both games have their pros and cons.
Vanguard is technically weak comparred to LotR but what isn't? The game is very strong in an open ended, PvE sense but it is very lacking in a compelling reason to keep playing. Its missing some key sandbox elements that woiuld keep that audience and its missing a real endgame to appeal to that crowd. It is a "fun" grinder, has a nice open end scope and is massive to say the least, has decent diversity of play meaning you can do a lot more then grind on mobs. Has customizable housing, boats, mounts all sorts of goodies. Updates are only semi-frequent and spread between fixing it up and adding content so they are not as "meaty" as LotR.
LotR, although very strong in technical presentation the game is extremely linear, totally combat driven and pretty much similar to WoW in gameplay. (thats a pretty broad generalization but for the mostpart it holds up) Classes are really dry IMHO also. Its captured a pretty decent sized community (maybe because it is so familiar in gameplay) so its pretty "lively" right now and content updates are high quality and frequent but they pretty much need to be or else you run out of stuff to do as its really based on a "quest of the month" formula. They introduce a new "book", everyone runs and grinds it out then waits for the next one. Tubine did the same thing in AC years back only here its totally linear. If you don't do the "books" there really is no point in playing the game.
Between the two, if you can tolerate a glitchy game that is still being fleshed out and you are not tunnel-visioned to get to an "endgame", like to explore, like a lot of diversity of gameplay in both areas, classes, races and activities VG is a better game.
If you are willing to sacrifice MMORPG style gameplay for high technical quality, LotR is a better choice. It puts you on rails and sends you on a ride. A very good ride mind you but feels a lot more like a single player game or a concole game with a lot of boar and animal killing thrown in, then an MMO....or a lot like WoW.
Or, like others have said, go middle of the road and play EQ2. Personally, I would hold out for WAR and play RTS or FPS in the meantime because there really isn't anything all that great out there right now or in the near future.
Lotro is a Very high quality game...Vangaurd is a Very low quality game
Heres a personal video i made of Lotro www.lotromovies.net/moviedownload.php
Its prety old but i think its gives you a good idea of the game
Playing: World of Warcraft.
Played: Lord of the Rings Online, Starwars Galaxies.
Tried: Starwars the Old Republic, Everquest 2, Guild Wars, Vanguard, Age of Conan, Aion.
Well to be honest, I personally wouldnt play either.
I have played both for around 4-5 months each and both games are totally lacking in various departments.
LoTRO is far more polished than Vanguard, but for me it was dull and simple as hell. in fact I would go as far to say that this game is even more simple than WoW. Dont get me wrong, the game works well and its a good game for what it is, but it just doesnt have enough meat to it. The storyline quests are good fun though.
Vanguard, on the other hand is a game with a lot more to do, unfortunately last time I was subscribed (for one month in October to check on its progress) it was still in an unfinished state. There were still glaring technical issues such as hitching, crashing, graphical anomilies etc. These may have been fixed now, I couldnt say, but they were a real letdown for me last time I subscribed.
Now to get to your questions above:
Community: I'd give this to Vanguard, although both games have a great community compared to the game that you are coming from, which is generally considered to be the worst in any P2P MMO. The Vanguard community is small, but adult, people are usually very friendly and go out of their way to help a newbie out. The LoTRO community is bigger and is generally really nice too, unless you manage to get yourself the wrong side of an ardent Tolkienite, these guys take their Middle Earth very seriously.
Art Style/Graphics: This one is purely personal taste. I think LoTRO's Art Style is better, the environment looks great, the characters look goofy as hell to me though. However, technically Vanguards graphics are better, I love cranking the view distance right up, you get some awesome panoramic views also the sky and clouds look better than I have seen in any other MMO to date. Some areas in Vanguard seem really bland though, probably because its such a big seemless world compared to LoTRO.
Combat: Neither game excels in this department imho, although I'd probably give it to Vanguard by a nose for its active system where you get an opportunity to counter various attacks upon you. Say for instance you are a necromancer and are in combat with another spellcasting class, you have the ability to see what spell is being cast against you and to neutralise it before it damages you. Beyond that though, both games combat leaves a lot to be desired, the animations are clunky and ugly. Again this is only my personal opinion.
Atmosphere: This one has to go to LoTRO. Vanguard always seemed to be a bit souless to me, its something that I cant really put my finger on, just a general feeling I had while playing the game. LoTRO, on the other hand, especially if you are a fan of Tolkien's work is full of atmosphere, its probably the only thing that kept me playing for 5 months as the game itself is far to 'dumbed-down' for my liking.
Well, I hope this helps you to make your mind up.
Like I said at the start, personally I would play neither game and would probably wait and see what AoC, WAR, Aion etc are bringing to the table. Although I will be playing AoC at launch, I cant wait for a decent SKILL-BASED MMO (preferably sci-fi) myself, but unfortunately I seem to be in the minority.
Bear in mind that the above are my opinions only.
MMORPG History:
Playing - EVE Online.
Played (Retired) - AO, SWG, MxO, WoW, RFO, SoR, CoX, EQ2, GW, L2, Vanguard, LotRO, AoC, TCoS, Aion.
Favourite MMO - Pre-CU SWG, 3 Years, 4 Accounts, 2 Pre-CU Jedi (1 Pre-9).
Awaiting - Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Secret World, Earthrise.
# Replay 390432940'2340'943292934 to "whos better"
There are not "better" but different games.
Well one thing i can say for sure and thats that Lotro has a much brighter future then vangaurd.
Playing: World of Warcraft.
Played: Lord of the Rings Online, Starwars Galaxies.
Tried: Starwars the Old Republic, Everquest 2, Guild Wars, Vanguard, Age of Conan, Aion.
From my own experience I found Vanguard to be the more enjoyable of the two games.
I just can't place my finger on what is missing from LotRO, but there's something...