LOTR or FE?

SylarX1 · January 2010

Hello all!

Once again, I'm making a thread in LFG. I already made two, and they made me try out a few games.

The game that got me most excited was Fallen Earth. It has cool aspects, new diffrent kind of MMO and like the Sci-Fi genre, the developers hear on the costumers, adding what they are asking for. I tried this before I went for holiday, in Thailand. Im now about to go home from Thailand (14 days.. god, its lovely!) but im confused which game to start/buy when I get home. FE got my attention, and I wanted to buy it. I just thought it was best to get it when i got home (free 30 days you know). But now I've been reading Lord of The Rings The Fellowship of the Ring, and damn its a good fantasy book! Before Ive watched all three movies, maaaany times, I do love them a lot ! The book is much better, thats another story tho. To the point. After reading, ive got the feeling that I want to get into the universe of LOTR and play LOTRO. But it's been out for years now, I tried it months ago, and it did get my attention abit, but not 100% (now I just.. want to do it due to the book) but I must be sure before I buy it. There's been 2 expansions to the game already. What is its future? And is it really possible for me to get a enjoyable time of it (I played till level 20 or so, as my highest character)? Can I really follow up on the game, I mean if peoplee / the kinships are too far and I wont get the feeling of the game (because I haven't done all the previous raid instances when they were there, you know what I mean). If I can do the old instances up till the new ones, and then start from there(Lv. 65 is max right?) Will it survive a few years from now? I mean if they wont stop the support and just make a new mmo. - Will it be enjoyable althought it been out for what, 3 years? I got Mines of Moria expansions and Original game, althought my highest is level 20.

About Fallen Earth. I already got all the questions asked, tried it and stuff. No need.

What game do you think is the game for me after reading the story of my mmo experience last few weeks?

I find these two games the only games enjoyable out there.

PS. I am in Thailand, sorry for the wall of text but this keyboard is KILLING me, had to rewrite 2 times already..

I wont be able to answer before friday or thursday night (14/15 hours flight......)

Please, keep the thread clear from dicussions not related or turning into flaming or other kind of stuff not related to my questions.

Answer as far as your knowledge is, and as good as you can from what my text is.

Thank you.

SylarX1 · January 2010

To state what I like and enjoy in a MMO:

- PvE. I simply love it. Tried PvP loads of times, not me.

- Story Driven is good but not neccesary.

- Id like to start RPing althought I NEVER tried it before, advices of this aswell if you dont mind.

- Good endgame but enjoyable leveling, as of thats a part of the game aswell and should not be one BIG grind.

- Good community and good developers.

Im a European btw.

Thanks

Senden · January 2010

Haha, i'm in the same boat as you with LOTRO. I've read the books five times and seen the films more times than I can remember and always wanted to get into the mmo. I can't comment in what you're after however in terms of RPin, I think it doesn't get much better than lotro.. If you're in the US there is an unofficial rpin server called Landroval which seems to be very popular and as it's unofficial, sounds perfect way to get started and will allow you to RP in your own leisure.

KalTheo · January 2010

I have played both and while my account for each is currently inactive I would reactivate LotRO long before I even made an effort to find the DVD for Fallen Earth.

Zyrena · January 2010

LotRO is great, but for gamers like me, it gets boring after a short time. The Tolkien books are amazing, the movies are great, the MMO based off of them is ok. I mean, if you're going to read all of the quests and really follow the storyline, I suppose you'll enjoy it. However, an MMO is an MMO - you do quests and level your character. There are still a lot of people playing the game, new players join all the time and old players roll alts. You will find people to play with at any given level, some servers will of course be better than others. Being that you're European, I can't really comment... I only have knowledge of US based servers.

Meh looking characters
Beautiful world
New Legendary Weapons with Mines of Moria to level
Raids for higher levels, there is gear gating, so be prepared to do intances/raids multiple times to advance to the next
Overall solid community, good opportunities to find role players

Fallen Earth is a great game as well. It's newer, only out for about four months now. Has some bugs, but the developers are well aware of them and working on them as fast as they can. A very mature community, on par with LotRO. Again though, it's an MMO so it has the usual quests to advance your character. Everything you need/want in the game can be crafted by you or you can get items as drops, quest rewards, purchase from NPCs or off of the Auction House - a lot of ways to gear yourself.

Customizable characters, they are on par with the graphic qualities of the world
Desert atmosphere, so it is rather bland, but the graphics are good with improvements since release
Variety of ways to level, questing, killing, crafting, harvesting - they all give you XP and AP
PvP areas that you can go into, or avoid if it's not your thing
Overall solid community, have seen some role players, but not my thing, so haven't paid much attention

Hope that helps you a little bit. Overall both have really solid and mature communities. Other than that, they are two very different games. My favorite at this point is Fallen Earth, and that is the game I personally would recommend.

Good luck!

johnmatthais · January 2010

If you want a game similar to the style of EQ and WoW, but a bit different, play LotRO.

If you want a totally new mix of themepark and sandbox gameplay with a twitch-based style gameplay more similar to Mass Effect than to Halo, then play Fallen Earth.

Nuff said.

PhelimReagh · January 2010

A danger with LotRO is that it is a long-established game with most players at End-Game. That means you're more likely to be alone as you level up, and will find most players hardened into existing social circles in-game.

This won't be the case with FE.

LotRO will give you more RPing opportunities if you can break through, but when I tried I had no luck (even on the RP server).

I've learned that I'll never join a long-established game. It's just not worth it to play solo for months, and then get to end game and expect to know how to play your character in a group. A newer game would be the way I'd go, most certainly.

Gabby-air · January 2010

I dno, i always see alot more people in lotro in lower lvls then games like wow, vanguard,etc. It is true that you will be lvling mostly solo, but lotro has an awesome community so you never will feel alone. Also it is a hard choice, imo any one of them is a great choice.

postlarval · January 2010

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

A danger with LotRO is that it is a long-established game with most players at End-Game. That means you're more likely to be alone as you level up, and will find most players hardened into existing social circles in-game.

Not true. There are many, many lower level players in LOTRO. I myself have characters ranging from level 7 to 63. Nimrodel server (the one I play on) is crawling with lower level players.

Everyone in my kinship has multiple alts and we play ALL of our toons. This is also true of the kins we play with.

However, having said that, you have to remember that LOTRO has a more mature crowd. You go in regurgitating things like "Sup dudez?" or "Who wants 2 helpz me wif a quest" and I guarantee you'll be ignored. We don't think it makes you sound cool, we think it makes you sound stupid. We hear enough of that crap from our kids.

SylarX1 · January 2010

Does sounds good. I'm still very confused of which to choose. Lotro sounds great, at some points, but Fe at some other. I'm not sure which to. That it has a mature community and not a kiddy (Thinking WoW) is always good!

Mysk · January 2010

Honestly the only reason why I don't have Fallen Earth is because I don't want to pay the box price. If I could simply download it and begin the subscription then I'd have done so already.

Instead I went back to LoTRO (for what is probably a short stint). Perhaps I didn't give the community a proper chance before I ditched it. Paying the box price isn't something that I needed to do with LoTRO, and my character isn't nearly high enough level to get any real benefit from the expansion.

Fallen Earth was cool, I enjoyed it, but I'll go the cheaper route as stingy as that is.

Oham · January 2010

I played LOTRO for years, now I just ocassionally check back to see old ppl or have some casual fun in pvp area for a while - basically burnt out on this game otherwise. I also played fallen earth for about two months. Here is my take on these games in form of comparison:

Focus: LOTRO is mainly PvE while Fallen Earth devs claim their game's focus in the future will be PvP. That said, current state of the game is in my opinion way more PvE oriented, in spite of these claims. Nevertheless, you might want to take this into account because PvP might be where FE is heading in the long run.

Settings: Low fantasy/postapocalyptic

Style: Both games are 'theme parks'. I respectfully disagree with people who claim FE is a sandbox. It has slightly more 'sandboxy' feel, mainly due to classless character development, but it's just the surface imo.

Polish: LOTRO is more polished than FE. And this is not to be attributed to age. LOTRO at launch still was more polished than FE at launch. That said, FE is by no means intolerably buggy, it's fairly acceptable.

Combat: LOTRO is WoW clone in this respect - autotargetting, skillqueue. Combat used to be slower than in other games yet this has been changed recently. Fallen Earth is FPS/autotargetting mix - shooting guns and swinging melee weapons use your crosshair to determine whether you hit or miss while using so called mutations (read: disguised spells) is implemented in the classical way. Personally, I would prefer FE to scrap mutations completely and focus solely on arms and a few CC skills to make melee viable.

Group/solo: In both games it's easy to reach level cap on your own. If you are hardcore raider, LOTRO has probably more group content for you when you reach the level cap. Getting groups for lower level raids, however, is hard. Although it's true there is quite lot of low level characters in LOTRO, these are often alts of veterans who often rush through the content and may be a bit impatient when grouping with a genuine newbie.

Community: Both games have good community (I play LOTRO on europian server).

Crafting: I'd say FE has more engaging crafting/harvesting system and crafting is a big part of FE - at the very least you will need to make ammunition (whichi is unlimited in LOTRO) and some other consumables (which are more important in FE than in lotro).

World: LOTRO has quite large landscape and quite diverse, too. Alas, that cannot be said about mobs and their placement which is just awful and despite different models they are basically all the same. Wherever you go in lotro you will be aggroing mobs which spawn at nodes resembling a mesh. FE has more believable mob placement, on the other hand it somewhat lacks variety in landscape design. There are no cliffs to fall off and water is off-limits, too (invisible wall) unlike in LOTRO where you can swim. The great thing about FE is that it's completely loading screen free environment and that most buildings in first sector can be entered - sadly that cannot be said about S2 and S3 buildings. The distances in FE are much longer, making mounts and vehicles essential (while in lotro they are actually pretty useless despite ppl will tell you otherwise). Also, there is no fast travel in FE which adds to the feel of vastness. Obviously, despite huge, the game world is largely empty. Overall it feels more realistic with both pros and cons.

'Grindiness': LOTRO used to be less grindy than comparable games, however, it has changed a lot since the original game and it is extremely grindy now, at least if you strive for good gear/character. First, grind levels, then grind traits, then grind levels for legendary items then grind stuff to improve your legendary items, meanwhile grind some endgame gear. If you get bored, grind some stuff from which you can grind up your crafting skill so you can grind more stuff to craft something... FE is currently somewhat less 'grindy' game but since they plan to eventually make a level cap of 150, i am pretty sure by that time it will be very grindy too. What I am trying to say is that while grind is inevitable in MMOs, lotro's grindiness is a bit over the top recently imo.

Stealth: Not sure this concerns you but LOTRO has 'completely disappear' kind of stealth with 'has a chance to spot him' as a countermeasure with minimap (radar) not showing mobs/players while FE has no visual stealth at all but mobs/players are visible on minimap and there is a passive skill hiding you from minimap which is countered by another passive skill of your opponent.

Game survival: LOTRO wins imo in this respect - it is around for some time. It is made by a major company which is probably not completely dependent on just this particular game. It's has a stable playerbase and nothing suggests this is about to change. Fallen Earth is newer, made by less known developer which did not have time to prove its real potential (or lack thereof) yet. Two years from now, FE can be excellent refined game or it can as well be history since it stopped being profitable.

Well, that's about what i can tell you about these games. I hope it helps you choose the one right for you. Definitely, both games are worth a try.

Gabby-air · January 2010

To the above poster, i didn't read the entire post but FE devs NEVER claimed to have the game being pvp focused, ever since the beginning they've had pvp on the side.

Kungaloosh1 · January 2010

Both have trials and if you are on the fence, i would recommend doing them both.

I have played both games and in my personal experience, LoTRO is far superior to FE.

While there are aspects about FE that are amazing, and overall it isn't a bad game, to me what killed it was how utterly clunky combat feels.

On the flip side, the open world is very well done.

Lotro though isn't perfect. Combat tends to get on some people's nerves, but turbine has made strides in making it more friendly.

While the world is beautiful, i think what i complain about the most is the massive amount of mundane wildlife i have to fight. (bears wolves boars oh my!!!!)

But anyway, in a head to head comparison, if i had a choice between the two games, i would choose lotro.

PhelimReagh · January 2010

Originally posted by PostLarval

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

A danger with LotRO is that it is a long-established game with most players at End-Game. That means you're more likely to be alone as you level up, and will find most players hardened into existing social circles in-game.

Not true. There are many, many lower level players in LOTRO. I myself have characters ranging from level 7 to 63. Nimrodel server (the one I play on) is crawling with lower level players.

Everyone in my kinship has multiple alts and we play ALL of our toons. This is also true of the kins we play with.

However, having said that, you have to remember that LOTRO has a more mature crowd. You go in regurgitating things like "Sup dudez?" or "Who wants 2 helpz me wif a quest" and I guarantee you'll be ignored. We don't think it makes you sound cool, we think it makes you sound stupid. We hear enough of that crap from our kids.

Yes, it is quite true. I joined the RP server and tried engaging people both in-character and out. A fervent hater of leet-speak, there was never a word that came off my keyboard that would have failed a spell-checker. So leave the straw men in the cornfields.

The truth is, in about ten to fifteen hours of gameplay, if I did rarely see someone actually playing around my level, they were interested only in making sure they got to nodes before me or getting some quest person to follow them first. Requests to group on escort quests or just for the heck of it were met with...

... crickets...

If you're a long-established player, like you, I'm sure LotRO is a wonderful experience.

If you're new, the community is too busy for you.

What's more, it didn't thelp that LotRO has some of the worst, most tedious questing I've ever experienced in an MMO, and that all crafting requires in-game vendor bought items. If it didn't have the Tolkien IP, this game would be dead. Definitely one of the worst games I've ever played.

junzo316 · January 2010

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

Originally posted by PostLarval

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

A danger with LotRO is that it is a long-established game with most players at End-Game. That means you're more likely to be alone as you level up, and will find most players hardened into existing social circles in-game.

Not true. There are many, many lower level players in LOTRO. I myself have characters ranging from level 7 to 63. Nimrodel server (the one I play on) is crawling with lower level players.

Everyone in my kinship has multiple alts and we play ALL of our toons. This is also true of the kins we play with.

However, having said that, you have to remember that LOTRO has a more mature crowd. You go in regurgitating things like "Sup dudez?" or "Who wants 2 helpz me wif a quest" and I guarantee you'll be ignored. We don't think it makes you sound cool, we think it makes you sound stupid. We hear enough of that crap from our kids.

Yes, it is quite true. I joined the RP server and tried engaging people both in-character and out. A fervent hater of leet-speak, there was never a word that came off my keyboard that would have failed a spell-checker. So leave the straw men in the cornfields.

The truth is, in about ten to fifteen hours of gameplay, if I did rarely see someone actually playing around my level, they were interested only in making sure they got to nodes before me or getting some quest person to follow them first. Requests to group on escort quests or just for the heck of it were met with...

... crickets...

If you're a long-established player, like you, I'm sure LotRO is a wonderful experience.

If you're new, the community is too busy for you.

What's more, it didn't thelp that LotRO has some of the worst, most tedious questing I've ever experienced in an MMO, and that all crafting requires in-game vendor bought items. If it didn't have the Tolkien IP, this game would be dead. Definitely one of the worst games I've ever played.

I enjoy the crafting in LotRO. It's not as in depth as EQ2, but it's nice. When I first joined the community (about a year ago) I felt much the same way. People were stuck in there own little community circles, but once I started putting myself out there and joined a nice kin, it became a different story. I really enjoy the quests in LotR. They are some of the most well-written quests in any MMO. Sure, you still have to kill those ten boar, but that quest giver was REALLY convincing that it needed to be done. I really enjoy the immersion and depth of the game. And the community is second to none.

SylarX1 · January 2010

Hey all!

Thanks for the very nice answers, it got me thinking.

I'm just still not sure at all. Because yes, I don't like the combat system of FE at ALL.

But LOTRO yes its been out for 3 years.. problem is if I can really get into the community.

one thing is tho, there's no other games around that I want to play. Before SWTOR/FFXIV.

I'll have to think but it will be hard and im still confused.

SylarX1 · January 2010

Ok, so I choosed, since I love the Tolkien so much, it will be LOTRO. : )

Thanks for all the answers.. One more, Snowbourn is most popular server on the EU right?

SylarX1 · January 2010

I now played constantly for 2 days and wow, its dissapointing. I don't have a Tolkien feeling at ALL, but i thought I would have that, was kinda the why I wanted to play.. I don't feel its middlearth (ofc it is, but.. i dont feel im IN tolkiens universe) and Im thinking about already quiting ....

SylarX1 · January 2010

I feel weird to ask for a MMo again.. but FE i tried trial bit and I dont feel its something for me. I checked GA but doesn't look like a real "mmo" in my eyes.. anything else you can suggest? there's long time till swtor thats why i need a new game.. Lotro is afterall a wowclone, which is bit dissapointing aswell.. A FTP would be OK but I DEFENTLY prefer PTP 100%.What you think i should do?

jatobi · January 2010

Lotro is nont really a "wow clone." WoW is simply the first very large and successful MMORPG that has lasted a very long time. Which set the basic layout of most mmos. Why? Because people enjoy playing what they're already used to. As in the UI is generally the same, making the game easier to jump into. That sort of stuff.

Lotro is a nice game. It is very story driven. If you're into "lore" and role play, this is definately a good choice. Each quest you do ties in with the book. Also, the main "book" quests are very well played out. You play through the quest for these "book" quests in a movie like sequence. It's neat.

Lotro has a lot of features some mmos can never meet. Take for instance musical instruments you play. You can buy the skill and the instrument and play using your keyboard in a midi fashion. You are fully able to play any song you choose, even write your own. You can also use "ABC" sheets to automate your songs for you. This is a feature I have never seen in any other mmo and I have to say, it's awesome. As a feature was posted on mmorpg about this, I point out as well, it makes people stop and listen. It can lead to conversations and friendship.

The pvp is pretty bland. It's one zone, not sure if theres more since moria. You have your humans, your "player characters" and your creeps. Humans are of course you, what ever you may be, elf, dwarf, human, hobbit. And Creeps are the bad guys, orcs, spiders, worgs, etc. Playing as your character you gain pvp ranks which give you access to pvp gear and titles. Playing your creep you get points to spent on upgrading your character. Making them faster, stronger, etc. to keep up with the human pvpers ranks. As creeps have no levels and the players do. All in all, pvp is pretty bland honestly. I did it for a while and quit.

I enjoyed most of my time just playing through all the quests. Some were really difficult to complete. The way they did the quests with the lore was awesome.

As for end game, when I played we only have the Balrog to kill, which wasn't a hard fight. The rift ( the end game instance ) all in all wasn't very difficult. Easy loot to get, wasn't very rewarding considering the effort you put into it (little). With Moria I have no idea.

All in all: Lotro is a great game for the casual gamer who enjoys lore, not so much pvp, wants end game, and enjoying their leveling experience. It didn't feel much like a grind to get to max level. It was a pleasant pace.

As for FE: I didn't enjoy it. The whole desert theme and the starter quests threw me off the band wagon very soon. I just didn't enjoy myself.

I'm sort of in the same boat as you right now. I'm playing Darkfall to bide my time and taking breaks throughout the day to play FPS's to kill off boredom. There is very little choices right now which have not already been over killed 20 times over. I've played wow, I still do from time to time, I don't enjoy it anymore though. I'm about to try this "AIKA" beta thats on mmorpg right now and check it out. Though I'm skeptic lol.

Hope my lil review helps ya.

SylarX1 · January 2010

Well.. Thanks, but lotro is not me, not as much tolkien as i thought...

Im just looking for something to kill time with, and have to be mmo.. i play fps games once in a while aswell, to kill time.. there must be some game out there, while waiting for better releases (SWTOR)

ewin · January 2010

Sorry to disappoint, but you're probably like me and many others that are waiting for a good game to be released. Just about everything has been a letdown in the past couple years.

SylarX1 · January 2010

Yeah, well and I think SWTOR or FFXIV will be THE games.. But wtf to do untill? What you play for example?

Comnitus · January 2010

Originally posted by SylarX1

To state what I like and enjoy in a MMO:

- PvE. I simply love it. Tried PvP loads of times, not me.
- Story Driven is good but not neccesary.
- Id like to start RPing althought I NEVER tried it before, advices of this aswell if you dont mind.
- Good endgame but enjoyable leveling, as of thats a part of the game aswell and should not be one BIG grind.
- Good community and good developers.

Im a European btw.

Thanks

You just listed LotRO's strong points. Really. Add in beautiful graphics and you've got it nailed. I'd say #4 may be a little iffy, as I do hear some endgame complaints and leveling requires a lot of questing (though they recently added Skirmishes which help break the monotony while providing good exp). So I recommend LotRO.

Edit: Well, nevermind, if it's not "Tolkien" enough for you... if you have Medieval II: Total War, I recommend Third Age: Total War. Not an MMO, but pretty "Tolkien" as it's made by a bunch of Tolkien fans.

SylarX1 · January 2010

Althought I did try it now for two days playing constantly and I did NOT like it, a bit but well I didn't get a tolkien feeling.. So im either playing FE or else I dont know what else

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