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Another book, the same boredom... zzzzzz
Elikal
Member UncommonPosts: 7,912
I know in the first 6 - 8 weeks playing LOTRO, shortly after launch, I was ecstatic. To this day I think there hasnt been a more beautiful landscape than that of LOTRO. Every time they add a new place or things, I returned, played a while, and got bored after 2 weeks.
Now, I have paused on purpose for about 4 weeks, partially to leave my main on level 45 to play in Forochel. To us Europeans Book 13 just came recently, so today I made my first trip into Forochel. By all means it looks great, and I am sure the stories behind the quests are interesting.
But after playing LOTRO now with breaks long, I must say it never caught me like SWG, EQ2 or for a time even DAOC did. I cant say why, exactly. The world is gorgeous, the stories behind the quests are touching, I am a BIG LOTR fan, and still... I always feel that emptiness playing that game.
One thing really pisses me off. Its that - sorry - WOW-mentality. ALWAYS people talking about splinter-mobs, crits, so many 10.000s mobs, so many 10.000 factions points. Gawd, its as if it were no funtime hobby, but a goddamn JOB! I know, maybe a Roleplayer server would have been better, but then I dont like hardcore roleplaying-nazis, always reminding me what is NO right in what I said/did. But there is a mentality only what is the next biggest mob, when to farm these and those points.
WHY cant we just be some Elves/Hobbits/Dwarves/Men in Middle Earth for the love of mother and child!?
I think what dissappoints me beyond this is that LOTRO is still a lightweight MMO for me. I dunno why. It certainly isnt that I am a hardcore player who wants harsh penalities or what. But *something* feels like it would be... hollow. And I cant rly say why. It feels like there is not... threat. No.... THING going on. It always cozy, comfortable places wanting some ... DELIVERY. I cant 100% put my finger on it, but it just does not catch me. Its all neat, cute places with delivery-problems. I dunno, sometimes I just wanted to stomp over all the neatness with a horde of ugly Trolls to shove my fist into the kind Hobbits, ethereal Elves and all the rest.
What I loved in SWG was I could go into some fukked up cantina with scantly dressed dancers, some Stormtroopers harrassed me for my Papers, some bounty hunter jumped on me while I was ordering a drink and it was DARK and DIRTY and DANGEROUS. Despite the beauty, which also was there. Something along those lines. Ok, its Tolkien, I get it. Tolkien ppl dont use toilets and dont have sex, cause its clean. Right. Wow-ish clean.
Fukk, maybe I should play AoC... despite the uber lag, at least some quest givers yell at me there. =P
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Comments
Sounds like you gave the game a fair shot and it's just not for you.
Maybe give some of the upcoming games a chance... there might be something more to your liking.
Like many people have said on this forum... LOTRO isn't for everyone... that's one of the best things about it. Those who do like it, tend to like it a lot... like myself.
Good luck on your search!
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JonMichael
Currently: AION, an MMO Beta under NDA
Played: WAR, LOTRO, Hellgate: London, CoX, GW, SotNW, DAOC, EQ2, SWG, WoW, AO, Horizons, Second Life, There, TSO
Beta'd: There, Second Life, EQ2, DAOC:LotM, LOTRO, Tabula Rasa, Gods and Heroes, Hellgate: London, Requiem:Bloodymare, AoC, WAR, DDO, Fallen Earth
I tend to agree that you gave LOTRO a shot and even liked it a bit but it doesnt float your boat. I was thinking more along the lines of waiting for WAR though. I never much liked AOC. The classes really got messed up with the later development plans in my opinion. WAR on the otherhand is starting to get AWESOME! Mind you I wont be playing either since I do love Lotro.
Sorry you didn't get "hooked" by the game. Hope you can find something to suit your needs. We'll miss you!
I play LOTRO (Snowborne) and i'm a SWG vet. SWG (Pre CU & CU) for me was and still is the best MMO i have ever played, i really miss that game so much. It may sound sad, but i long for a game that can forfill me like SWG did. I'm a massive Starwars fan and it was awesome to be in a world where the players shaped the game, the economy, PVP, the 32 proffessions ect ect.
I'm also a massive LOTR fan and as soon as i found LOTRO was coming out i beta tested it. At 1st i wasnt impressed, but as time went on i liked it more and more. I hated PVE in SWG as it wasnt engaging and the story line was very poor. However, i like PVE in LOTRO, there seems to be a purpose to it. LOTRO for me would be so much better if they had more PVP grounds, the ettenmoors get real boring.
I'm sorry to hear that nothing has filled the void SWG has left. It makes me wonder why they made the NGE and didnt roll back. I just hope that Bioware and LA are doing somthing to fill our Starwars need. I would hope they are bringing out SWG again but with new graphics.
Which server did you play on?
Palatine Afcanblac (Ahazi)
The SWG curse,you will not be satisfied with another mmorpg until one comes out similar to SWG pre-cu.If that indeed ever happens.You will enjoy a few,for a brief time,but they will lose your interest.You will have the feeling that"something is missing".32 mix and match professions,A real crafting system,a good community with a purpose. a combo that hasn't come along since.
SWg ruined so many people from enjoying other games,me included.I hope there is a special Hell for the people that came up with and implemented the CU-NGE.
I play Lotro now,and have from the beta.It's the only one that I can even sort of enjoy.I wish it were a bit harder tho.I have 15 char's on 3 servers 3 50's,4 49's and 4 35-46 with a total of 9 GM crafters others are storage.
I've tried 4-6 other mmo's after SWG and couldn't get into them at all..
Your not alone in that "something is missing " feeling
OP: You have described exactly how I feel about Lotro as well. I want so much to like it but I just can't get into it like I can with Vanguard, EQ2 or even EQ1. I don't know why, it is as you said a beautiful world, but it does indeed feel lightweight. Why I don't know (or rather I know that I think they should better the way they handle character diversity but it can't be just that, oh and the combat system is boring too).
Performance issues aside (for some reason, i just cannot get this game to run well on a multitude of systems...) the UI was still a bear to work with. The mapping system really got to me after playing EQ2 and the awesome AoC which has by far the best mapping system in game. The fact that the LOTRO map takes up the whole screen totally pulls you out of the immersion of the world...
You cannot run around with your map open...unless you want to watch an arrow moving on the screen...and it makes it difficult to get around...in so many words...memorize the world, or forget getting directions easily
I think the game could have been great if a few decisions had been made differently in playability...
Well, AoC is coming soon and EQ2 still rocks..so back to those..
Thanks
I can not remember a game that more players feel this way about it. Many love LoTRO but many also wanted to like it and gave it a good shot but felt let down and many of them can not put their finger on exactly why. I am one of those I really wanted to love LoTRO and gave it months but eventually stopped logging in. After all these years it is EQ2 that keeps me logging in. I do have to state I am a pre-nge SWG vet and nothing even eq2 has come close to the fun of that experience. I hope LoTRO would be that sort of sandbox since all the possibilities for that are in the lore. I really wanted to be a Hobbit gardener in the Shire. Or a human with a tavern somewhere near Brie.
The thing you guys are trying to put your finger on? It's very simple and was stated by a few people in this thread; emptiness, shallowness, lack of depth. Turbine invested all their resources into the graphics then put together a shell of gameplay that has no real depth or direction.
Remove Lord of the Rings from the title and you'll end up with the subscription performance of Tabula Rasa. And even now their subscriptions are not what you'd have expected from a Lord of the Rings IP.
Simply put, LoTRO is an underachieving and for good reasons. LoTRO, IMHO, should have been based after the LoTR trilogy. Instead, like I've said before, the players are really nothing more than the audience watching a play and have no real meaning or purpose. Soulless.
splat
i am enjoying lotro alot more than any other current mmorpg atm. Though truthfully i am only lvl 29 and on book 2 chapter 8. But then again i am a casual player, and only play about 15 hours a week (have a kid and job which keep me occupied).
And to keep the game within the confines of the lore, there was only so much they could do...it was the main reason they could only release with specific content. People wanted to go to Moria, raid Isengard...but can't...yet...or maybe never..(Moria we know IS on...but Isengard...who knows...)...but instead we were stuck within the confines of a small piece of the world...
Now...luckily the content keeps coming, and thanks to their numbers (at least based now on NPD data)...they are the #3 MMO in the US (use to be #2...or wait, I think they are still #2 in North American "developed" MMO's..AGGHH,....sales speak)...they have a chance to continue to redeem themselves...
Gameplay decisions can be changed...like make that mapping system different for Moria...no one will want to stop, look at the map, and then hit ESC and start up again..Also, big monitors are in, so fix the font and UI issues...(which Turbine is discussing)...fix animations, and overall quests...and we may have a winner next year..
Later
Open has some good points in his last post. The UI I'm fairly certain is being redone for Moria. They've hinted at it on the lotrointerface website. I believe they're making it similar to WoW with mod support and things of that nature, which would be really nice. A way for custom mods to intercept data being sent to the UI, etc. So that's a good thing.
Combat will improve as levels go on. I do believe we'll see an animation speed increase across the board at some point in the near future, which is all I feel combat really needs to give it a bit more excitement. The animation replaces global cooldowns and things of that nature in other games, so a 5% animation speed increase would speed up all combat by 5%. I think it would need to be a bit higher than that but probably not too much more.
I wouldn't worry too much about Isengard and Moria. Turbine secured the rights through 2014 for a reason. They've got plenty of money to invest in the game. Unless they do something similar to NGE and really piss off the existing players without bringing in new ones to replace them I think the game will be around years to come.
I can say that while i probably won't continue playing after this weekend, I will be playing for the long haul once Moria comes out I think. As a side note, I'm very interested to see what new game Turbine is working on that they just got $40 mil in funding for and have been hiring console devs to work on. If it's AC3 (or another Turbine game with an original IP built to be a game) then I'd be all over that.
At least miagisan sees what Turbine has done here, but I guess it takes someone playing the game to understand.
Turbine created a niche game that is actually something that brings entertainment back into gaming. While many hardcores (miagisan excluded) consider this to an abomination, there is a niche market of people that actually play a game for the casual aspect of having a LARGE amount of entertainment. There are those of us with responsbilities that can NOT afford to camp in a line a 24 hours spawn cleric epic NPC to get our rez stick (EQ classic for peeps like Snorf).
Not all of us game the same way or even have the same interest for that matter. Turbine has actually decided to pick up on a niche market; casual, mature, IP fans, and those that put more weight on a story rather than killing the next space ship wrecked demon with aliens and try to call it a fantasy.
First off people should consider reading the book as they play, it brings a whole new light to the game. And for those that watched a movie and consider themselves to be Tolkien lore experts, try again please. Then I would advise playing it as a casual game, do NOT rush, take your time, explore, smell the roses, and immerse yourself into the story line. If you have to have a hardcore fix either try PvMP or do as miagisan has play another game. Lately I am playing shooter games for my fix, yet I am still having a great time in LoTRO.
Evilsam said : The SWG curse,you will not be satisfied with another mmorpg until one comes out similar to SWG pre-cu.If that indeed ever happens.You will enjoy a few,for a brief time,but they will lose your interest.You will have the feeling that"something is missing".32 mix and match professions,A real crafting system,a good community with a purpose. a combo that hasn't come along since.
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Amen Brother. Tell it like it is!
I completely /agree with that statement. SWG DID ruin it for everyone concerened. There will never be another swg pre nge again, ever. Why? One Word "WoW" Everything will try to be like that since that is the magic sauce all the game companies which to reproduce. But so far have only gotten weak sauce. I miss SWG way too much. /sigh
Chaad Losan (Starsider)
The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity. - Harlan Ellison
"Freedom is just another name for nothing left to lose" - Janis Joplin
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Naw, I'm not buying it. I know a guy, very intelligent, hard working person... loves games. He played SWG and hated it (pre changes) because he said it felt like a job.
So sure, some people do miss a game like this but I'm not convinced that this really is the silver bullet. And quite frankly, if it was, you would have a lot of games like it.
I mean, heck Ryzom had a lot of these things and never did very well. Apparently SWG wasn't doing well enough because they tinkered with it.
A game like that is for people who want to live in another world. However, from what I've seen, most people just want to play a game and don't have time to while away hours on end just so they can kill a boss or find an ingredient.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Naw, I'm not buying it. I know a guy, very intelligent, hard working person... loves games. He played SWG and hated it (pre changes) because he said it felt like a job.
So sure, some people do miss a game like this but I'm not convinced that this really is the silver bullet. And quite frankly, if it was, you would have a lot of games like it.
I mean, heck Ryzom had a lot of these things and never did very well. Apparently SWG wasn't doing well enough because they tinkered with it.
A game like that is for people who want to live in another world. However, from what I've seen, most people just want to play a game and don't have time to while away hours on end just so they can kill a boss or find an ingredient.
Uh Ryzom failed for many reasons that had nothing to do with the fact that it was a sandbox. Take a look at that games history (ownership etc) and see what i mean.I, and many others, would love to play in a virtual world again. Thats what an MMORPG means to me. This type of game will probably never have WoW subscriptions (due to the kiddie factor) but it would definately have a very healthy fanbase if it was done right. EVE is a sandbox (and doing very well) and the only reasons that game hasn't done even better is that its got a steep learning curve (which i like) and its more tactical than fast paced and it also requires a brain to play. Since AoC has basically bombed in my mind (will take a lot to convince me otherwise, but i'm still open to suggestion) I think i will go to EVE. I played this game for like 6 weeks and stopped because i didn't want to get too much into it because of AoC coming soon. Worst decision ever.
Ok Ive only played up to Combe, but while the world and areas are gorgeous, the world doesnt feel like its living and breathing. There is a void of wildlife and stuff happening around you. I see a squirrel every now and then, but he just kinda hops around with no real goal or purpose. They should be jumping from limb to limb, harvesting nuts and berries, or males chasing females up and down the tree trunk.
That to me is immersion and attention to detail that the LOTRO Dev team seems to have missed. Again im basing this off of levels 1-15. maybe its gets better.
Not that world detail makes or breaks it for me. LOTRO is still a good game. I just hope that future titles really take the time to make the enviroment seem alive.
I have yet to see any MMO that does what you described. And to use it as the basis for immersion, since no MMO does that elaborate of AI, is kinda silly to me. But if you really need to immerse like that go outside, take a breath of fresh air, visit the park, and watch a squirrel or two.
I have yet to see any MMO that does what you described. And to use it as the basis for immersion, since no MMO does that elaborate of AI, is kinda silly to me. But if you really need to immerse like that go outside, take a breath of fresh air, visit the park, and watch a squirrel or two.
Ryzom actually had elaborate AI like that.
I can not say since I have never played Ryzom. And perhaps Ryzom suffered the same as the competition and various haters try to impress about LoTRO, nothing more than hate filled comments that are based on fictitious information, play experience that is dated at nearly a year ago, the 10 minute man who tried it and uninstalled in that many minutes, or the preconceived game expectations that was spread by the an escapee of the insane asylum.
But then again if that kind of AI was what a MMO was all about wouldn't Ryzom be number one?
I can understand how many feel. I am currently subscribed to both LOTRO and EQ2. I play lotro because I am a huge fan of JRR Tolkien and the world he created. Turbine did a great job of bringing that world to life. However....
I feel like nothing I do really matters. I mean, we all know how this story ends. Sauron is destroyed, Aragorn becomes King, and what my character does isn't going to change that at all.
So I play LOTRO for my Middle Earth fix and I play EQ2 when I want good depth of gameplay and a feeling that my character is actually accomplishing something.
I think, what would be great is if LOTRO had been set in the 4th Age right after the death of Aragorn and the passing of Legolas (and Gimli) into the West. You could still have the same races. The Elves while rarer were still there both at the Grey Havens and in the Woodland realm of Mirkwood. I think some Elves were still in Rivendell with Celeborn, and Elrond's Sons.
Whole new story lines could have been created, PvMP could be greatly expanded, sand box features could be added.
Anyway that's what I think.
When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other in order that the people may require a leader.
-- Plato
I have yet to see any MMO that does what you described. And to use it as the basis for immersion, since no MMO does that elaborate of AI, is kinda silly to me. But if you really need to immerse like that go outside, take a breath of fresh air, visit the park, and watch a squirrel or two.
Read my last sentence. I said i hope future games have this. Making not only the game mechanics fun, but making the world around you seem alive would be a step in next generation MMO's. It will happen, maybe not soon, but within this century.
To be able to interact with anything in the game. need wood for crafting? You can chop down trees that actually fall down, break a wooden barrel or crate, steal a wooden desk from some NPC's home etc...
I did, and what I am seeing is that you want a game that in effect replicates real life even to the point that real life is missed in advent of a game. Meaning you want to cut a tree down because you need wood in a game, but when was the last time you actually used a chain saw, cut firewood, or downed a tree?
If we keep expecting games to take over our real lives, laugh all you want, but that sets precedent for a matrix like setting. A place where we become drones to a replicated world over what is real.
I played it to 59 or so, 1 level from max and than i just relised. This game sucks The only reason i did not notice this earlier was because i was playing it with frindes but the last week it was like, hanging around and chatting only. The game is dull, really nothing to do and even if landsacape was pritty nice i hated character models and animations simply sucked plus non existant pvp. Thinking back of it i woulde't even give this game 2/10,