Middle Earth Online: Alignment System Removed

Admin · March 2005

Turbine Entertainment released a new developer diary today written by Teos. In this entry it announces that the "Alignment" system has been removed from the game design and goes into great detail about why this change took place. A preview is below:

Alignment? GONE!!!

OK, now that we have that out there, lets talk about why Alignment had to go, what went into the decision, and how well be approaching the evaluation of every other feature in our game.

First, understand that the Alignment system (Good vs. Evil, Purity vs. Corruption, Virtue/Vice) as we have discussed it in the past is something I personally was heavily invested in - this was not a decision made lightly at all, but the story of its demise serves as a keen example of what we have been doing around here. For those of you new to the site, or just to refresh your memory, the Alignment system was designed to let all characters start out as neutral characters whose actions would determine their progress down a Pure or Corrupt path (coloring content experiences, class advancement and the like, not terribly unlike Knights of the Old Republic).

Read the full dev diary at this link.

Irathon · March 2005

if you read the full dev blog he sais there will be no PvP in MEO. ::::12::

Seemed like Middle Earth was just the perfect setting for PvP.

Irathon,

MisfitZ · March 2005

Yea, I saw that. No PvP, whatesoever.

No thanks.

Elnator · March 2005

This is a tremendous mistake on Turbine's part. No other storyline I know lends itself to PVP as much as this besides, maybe, Star Wars.... and you can see how successful that venture is.

PVP, done correctly, could really have made MEO a fantastic game. No PVP at all will make it just another EQ/EQ2 clone. And I think we know who will ultimately win that battle. Turbine just doesn't have the resources to give constant updates and quality content that SOE has. They've proven it time and time again. MEO will become a niche game.

Truely sad... I was looking forward to MEO... now not so much.

Menias · March 2005

Yeah Im with most people on this one... to many great battles just fizzled and died... maybe the runelords will become an MMo then we can get some pvp.

Jackdog · March 2005

MEO withouth PvP and playable orcs and trolls. No Thanks. Looks like VU dumped this one when they saw what was coming.

kishe · March 2005

Before they revamped the website, the word was there will NOT be playable "dark races"

Owyn · March 2005

First we scratched D&DO off our list of potential games, because it will have no pvp.

Now MEO gets whacked off also, for the same reason.

Wow. Whoever develops the next real pvp game is going to have a hundred thousand players drop in their lap just because they have NOTHING else to play...!

I guess is makes sense though. Newbies prefer non-pvp games; pvp (in some format, either RvR or real pvp) is preferred by more experienced players (on the average - not always). MEO and D&DO are going to try to leverage the licenses to drag a lot of people into the genre who have never played MMOs before, so from that perspective, no pvp makes sense.

Just frustrating for those of us who are looking for the next solid pvp game, that's all.

Jackdog · April 2005

It will be a middle Earth with themeparks ala SWG. And about as interesting.

Elnator · April 2005

Originally posted by Jackdog
It will be a middle Earth with themeparks ala SWG. And about as interesting.

Have you tried SWG at all since JTL came out? Or, more importantly, since all the recent PVP changes? It's far from the same SWG it was at release. Much much more immersive and realistic now. And a LOT more fun.

IMO it's the best MMORPG out right now and ranks in the top 3 PvP wise as well.

D0ZeR · April 2005

Typical Turbine. They say one thing, then change their mind and do it another way. The scary part with these guys. Like AC2 was one way at end of beta. Start of retail the live team changed the whole concept of the game. Then as time went on people moved off game new ones came aboard. They went and changed the game again then again. Turbine has no clue how to make a real game. They lost all the good guys that made AC1 and have been lost from that time on. Really sad if you ask me.

Jackdog · April 2005

The really funny thing is no one outside the MEO website seems to give a darn one way or the other. Major studio, major license and yet everyone is so apathetic , that has to be the cruelest blow of all.

Oh and no I have not even glanced at my SWG box since I canceled at the three month mark. I was one of the first 500 in the beta and they ignored my pleas and feedback on everything from the HAM system and the cata$$ grind of the crafting system. They could not get me back in that game with a towtruck if it was free. Although I heard the latest combat revamp is getting rid of the HAM and mind damage so I will take this opportunity to tell Raph Koster " told ya so fool!".

Eva-01 · April 2005

Originally posted by Owyn

First we scratched D&DO off our list of potential games, because it will have no pvp.
Now MEO gets whacked off also, for the same reason.
Wow. Whoever develops the next real pvp game is going to have a hundred thousand players drop in their lap just because they have NOTHING else to play...!
I guess is makes sense though. Newbies prefer non-pvp games; pvp (in some format, either RvR or real pvp) is preferred by more experienced players (on the average - not always). MEO and D&DO are going to try to leverage the licenses to drag a lot of people into the genre who have never played MMOs before, so from that perspective, no pvp makes sense.
Just frustrating for those of us who are looking for the next solid pvp game, that's all.

i am defending DDO, have you even played the P&P D&D? its not focused on PVP, its focused on party cooperation

Elnator · April 2005

Originally posted by Eva-01
Originally posted by Owyn
First we scratched D&DO off our list of potential games, because it will have no pvp.
Now MEO gets whacked off also, for the same reason.
Wow. Whoever develops the next real pvp game is going to have a hundred thousand players drop in their lap just because they have NOTHING else to play...!
I guess is makes sense though. Newbies prefer non-pvp games; pvp (in some format, either RvR or real pvp) is preferred by more experienced players (on the average - not always). MEO and D&DO are going to try to leverage the licenses to drag a lot of people into the genre who have never played MMOs before, so from that perspective, no pvp makes sense.
Just frustrating for those of us who are looking for the next solid pvp game, that's all. ;)i am defending DDO, have you even played the P&P D&D? its not focused on PVP, its focused on party cooperation

Very true. AD&D was never about PVP so wanting it in the MMO version strikes me as silly. Even as a DM who had an evil rogue in a couple of his parties groups we never had PvP... we had some interesting situations where the human warrior slammed the scrawny lil halfling up against a wall, but never PvP

Howdy, Stranger!

Middle Earth Online: Alignment System Removed

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Middle Earth Online: Alignment System Removed

Comments