Update 19.1 Brings Premium Housing Upkeep on Board - Lord of the Rings Online - MMORPG.com

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Update 19.1 Brings Premium Housing Upkeep on Board - Lord of the Rings Online - MMORPG.com

Lord of the Rings Online News - When Lord of the Rings Online completes its maintenance today, players will log in to find a number of bug fixes, most specifically in PvP and the new Premium Housing features. The Premium housing Upkeep is re-enabled for non-VIP owners and leaders anchors the housing update.

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flizzer

Wish they could fix the constant crashes I expereince when entering Minis Tirith and lag in certain areas of the game now.

Sovrath

Torval said:

I'll never buy Premium Housing as long as there are upkeep fees. It's already priced at a point I consider borderline ridiculous, but I understand that the game is niche and development costs need justified to the bean counters so I can live with that, just not the strings.

What exactly is premium housing? Or, how does it differ from the previous housing system?

meonthissite

I'll be completely honest. I'll be so happy when the end of their contract comes along in 2017 so that another more talented group can get together and make a cross platform version of the game with better character graphics more options country servers rather than individual ones scaled areas, with a better system of selling the DLCs. It will be so nice to have another set of talent put something out that's both pc and console for a change!

Sovrath

meonthissite said:

I'll be completely honest. I'll be so happy when the end of their contract comes along in 2017 so that another more talented group can get together and make a cross platform version of the game with better character graphics more options country servers rather than individual ones scaled areas, with a better system of selling the DLCs. It will be so nice to have another set of talent put something out that's both pc and console for a change!

While I would love another company to have a "crack at it", truth is it probably is not going to happen.

Additionally, there is no guarantee that another company would just go ahead and make a different game with different problems.

Moirae

Hooks. Again. I'm so tired of the lazy design. I don't care how big it is, if you have hooks, it's the worst housing in the industry. The only thing worse would be no housing at all. Why bother if you're going to half ass it? Give me the ability to have 360 turns for all items, place them anywhere, inside walls, in the ceiling, in the floor, upside down and moved on the x,y,z axis and with between 1500 and 2000 items minimum in the house placed the way I want. Until you can do that, the housing an embarassing joke.

SavageHorizon

meonthissite said:

I'll be completely honest. I'll be so happy when the end of their contract comes along in 2017 so that another more talented group can get together and make a cross platform version of the game with better character graphics more options country servers rather than individual ones scaled areas, with a better system of selling the DLCs. It will be so nice to have another set of talent put something out that's both pc and console for a change!

And what makes you think they won't renew and you might not like it but others do. Hoping that some other company is going to come in and make a better game is pathetic.

Mendel

meonthissite said:

I'll be completely honest. I'll be so happy when the end of their contract comes along in 2017 so that another more talented group can get together and make a cross platform version of the game with better character graphics more options country servers rather than individual ones scaled areas, with a better system of selling the DLCs. It will be so nice to have another set of talent put something out that's both pc and console for a change!

If another company enters the picture, they will have to start from scratch.  I would doubt very much that Turbine would simply let go of their product, so it would be very unlikely that another company would take up the existing game from the current point.  Turbine licenses the Tolkien IP, but the software they have developed is theirs.  There is no compelling reason for Turbine to sell their work, even if they lose the rights to build a game for this IP.  If there were a price for the existing game, it would very likely be cost prohibitive for another company to consider purchasing it.

Starting from scratch (acquiring rights, developing code, creating art assets, etc.) almost assures that a follow-up game is at least 3 years (and probably 5 years) in the future just to get the basics up and running.  Then, there's almost 10 years of expansions to factor in.

The best possible way to play a LotR based MMORPG in the next decade is for Turbine to work out some extension for the IP rights with the Tolkien Estate.  I just happen to think that there's a lot of hurdles to overcome to make that deal work.

skeaser

I don't see what's so bad with their model. I sub when I want to play, it's cheap.

Po_gg

Sovrath said:

Torval said:

I'll never buy Premium Housing as long as there are upkeep fees.

What exactly is premium housing? Or, how does it differ from the previous housing system?

Torval, upkeep can payed with in-game gold (luckily changed the mithril-only setup at launch), and even that is waived for VIPs.

Sovrath, the main differences from the regular houses are the size (much larger houses, kinship version has an own island), the initial price (have to buy them with MC), and the no-limit (you can have only 1 normal house, but can have multiple premium houses on top of that 1 normal).

Moirae said:

Hooks. Again. I'm so tired of the lazy design. I don't care how big it is, if you have hooks, it's the worst housing in the industry.

Odd, lots of games use this model, maybe you should tell them it is the worst in the industry   (btw, 360 rotation is there )

flizzer

This is most likely the only LOTRO in a big MMO world we will get.  I doubt we will see another. 

Sovrath

Po_gg said:

Sovrath said:

Torval said:

I'll never buy Premium Housing as long as there are upkeep fees.

What exactly is premium housing? Or, how does it differ from the previous housing system?

Torval, upkeep can payed with in-game gold (luckily changed the mithril-only setup at launch), and even that is waived for VIPs.

Sovrath, the main differences from the regular houses are the size (much larger houses, kinship version has an own island), the initial price (have to buy them with MC), and the no-limit (you can have only 1 normal house, but can have multiple premium houses on top of that 1 normal).

Thanks to the both of you.

gervaise1

Sovrath said:

Po_gg said:

Sovrath said:

Torval said:

I'll never buy Premium Housing as long as there are upkeep fees.

What exactly is premium housing? Or, how does it differ from the previous housing system?

Torval, upkeep can payed with in-game gold (luckily changed the mithril-only setup at launch), and even that is waived for VIPs.

Sovrath, the main differences from the regular houses are the size (much larger houses, kinship version has an own island), the initial price (have to buy them with MC), and the no-limit (you can have only 1 normal house, but can have multiple premium houses on top of that 1 normal).

Thanks to the both of you.

Another aim was that the area would become a place for "spenders of mithril" (way it was worded originally suggested subscribers) to "hang out" or "be brought together". Doubt that will happen but it is / was an aim.

ITPalg

Moirae said:

Hooks. Again. I'm so tired of the lazy design. I don't care how big it is, if you have hooks, it's the worst housing in the industry. The only thing worse would be no housing at all. Why bother if you're going to half ass it? Give me the ability to have 360 turns for all items, place them anywhere, inside walls, in the ceiling, in the floor, upside down and moved on the x,y,z axis and with between 1500 and 2000 items minimum in the house placed the way I want. Until you can do that, the housing an embarassing joke.

EverQuest (2), and I think Vanguard...

Leave it to the grandfather devs to have the better ideas.

winghaven1

If there was confirmation that this game would be lasting for more than 2 years from now I'd jump back in in a heartbeat.

Moirae

ITPalg said:

Moirae said:

Hooks. Again. I'm so tired of the lazy design. I don't care how big it is, if you have hooks, it's the worst housing in the industry. The only thing worse would be no housing at all. Why bother if you're going to half ass it? Give me the ability to have 360 turns for all items, place them anywhere, inside walls, in the ceiling, in the floor, upside down and moved on the x,y,z axis and with between 1500 and 2000 items minimum in the house placed the way I want. Until you can do that, the housing an embarassing joke.

EverQuest (2), and I think Vanguard...

Leave it to the grandfather devs to have the better ideas.

Exactly. EQ2 is the best housing ever, even though you can't change the house itself too much. But you can have the appearance of doing so. I decorate more than I do anything else. It's just so much fun. 

Po_gg

Torval said:

[...] I really hate buying things with real money that have strings attached to them.

An interesting notion, and to be honest I've missed it so far. I'm fine with paying the upkeep if it's done by in-game money, but for premium houses it can be considered as a string attached, due to escrow.
If someone has to leave the game for more than 6 months, that could be a problem indeed...

Lithuanian

Basic thing most folks forget about Premium housing: mithril coins can be purchased with Turbine points. Turbine points may be grinded by deeds. And it's almost inevitable to finish them. So, if you are up to grind, you buy your house and pay with your time.

For me the basic problem is Lotro becoming Farmville 2.0. You want new cool armour? Feel free to collect flowers. Update 19.1: you want cool 3-slotted jewellery? Felel free to collect flowers, thousands of them.

Existing Ithilien essence crafting on Bullroared: you want to craft Ithilien essence? Feel free to collect flowers, barter them for Foragers Basket, then there is a RARE chance that rare item would drop. Some folks on forum report chance is some 30:1. So, you grind ~900 flowers to get box that gives you a chance for RNG.

Rng was pretty bad in Lotro and now crafting that depends entirely on rng. It's a mistake, one of biggest Turbine's mistakes.

Yes yes, they won't listen to me, to you, to anybody, save fanboys. Wellcome to Farmville 2.0. A game where flower collecting would be more important than fighting or questing.

macwood

I really loved this game so much, They are trying to fix the mistakes they have made in the past maybe they can pull the cat out of the bag with the mordor expansion, But I have little hope in turbine now, the team is to small to truely go out with a bang

Even the ads on this site are from the ROI expansion LOL http://imgur.com/a/1u5Up

ReaperUk

The thing people seem to be forgetting when discussing what will happen when the current contract finishes is that LotRO was originally launched when there was huge interest in the game generated by the Peter Jackson LotR movies. That has been followed more recently by the Hobbit movies keeping the franchise alive.

I see interest in the Tolkien world decreasing now the movies have been made, so the only options I see are for the game franchise to be extended, or closed down when it comes unprofitable. I don't see any other company wanting to build a new LotR mmo for many years.

Aethaeryn

Torval said:

Po_gg said:

Sovrath said:

Torval said:

I'll never buy Premium Housing as long as there are upkeep fees.

What exactly is premium housing? Or, how does it differ from the previous housing system?

Torval, upkeep can payed with in-game gold (luckily changed the mithril-only setup at launch), and even that is waived for VIPs.

Sovrath, the main differences from the regular houses are the size (much larger houses, kinship version has an own island), the initial price (have to buy them with MC), and the no-limit (you can have only 1 normal house, but can have multiple premium houses on top of that 1 normal).

Yeah I know and that probably works for most people. I also get that while you're VIP you get enough gold from daily/weekly logins to cover it. I really hate buying things with real money that have strings attached to them. That's just one too many.

I'll buy the xpacs and content updates though, when they're on sale, and I sub 3 - 6 months out of the year so they get their bit.

That is about how I play. If I understand though you don't pay any upkeep if you are VIP? Or is there still in game currency as upkeep?

Aethaeryn

ReaperUk said:

The thing people seem to be forgetting when discussing what will happen when the current contract finishes is that LotRO was originally launched when there was huge interest in the game generated by the Peter Jackson LotR movies. That has been followed more recently by the Hobbit movies keeping the franchise alive.

I see interest in the Tolkien world decreasing now the movies have been made, so the only options I see are for the game franchise to be extended, or closed down when it comes unprofitable. I don't see any other company wanting to build a new LotR mmo for many years.

I am pretty sure this is exactly what would happen. I like LOTRO enough to go back once in awhile. Someone could make some cheap browser game or something that you can play on a tablet I suppose. Likely if LOTRO closes that would be the end of it. There is not as much interest from investors / developers as their used to be in MMOs and LOTRO is running decently enough.

Ozmodan

Moirae said:

ITPalg said:

Moirae said:

Hooks. Again. I'm so tired of the lazy design. I don't care how big it is, if you have hooks, it's the worst housing in the industry. The only thing worse would be no housing at all. Why bother if you're going to half ass it? Give me the ability to have 360 turns for all items, place them anywhere, inside walls, in the ceiling, in the floor, upside down and moved on the x,y,z axis and with between 1500 and 2000 items minimum in the house placed the way I want. Until you can do that, the housing an embarassing joke.

EverQuest (2), and I think Vanguard...

Leave it to the grandfather devs to have the better ideas.

Exactly. EQ2 is the best housing ever, even though you can't change the house itself too much. But you can have the appearance of doing so. I decorate more than I do anything else. It's just so much fun. 

SWG was better.

Ozmodan

Aethaeryn said:

Torval said:

Po_gg said:

Sovrath said:

Torval said:

I'll never buy Premium Housing as long as there are upkeep fees.

What exactly is premium housing? Or, how does it differ from the previous housing system?

Torval, upkeep can payed with in-game gold (luckily changed the mithril-only setup at launch), and even that is waived for VIPs.

Sovrath, the main differences from the regular houses are the size (much larger houses, kinship version has an own island), the initial price (have to buy them with MC), and the no-limit (you can have only 1 normal house, but can have multiple premium houses on top of that 1 normal).

Yeah I know and that probably works for most people. I also get that while you're VIP you get enough gold from daily/weekly logins to cover it. I really hate buying things with real money that have strings attached to them. That's just one too many.

I'll buy the xpacs and content updates though, when they're on sale, and I sub 3 - 6 months out of the year so they get their bit.

That is about how I play. If I understand though you don't pay any upkeep if you are VIP? Or is there still in game currency as upkeep?

Upkeep is free for VIP's so is access to all the expansions.

Cuningas

License will NEVER be a problem for LotRO. The community guy said so in the ExtraLife stream. Cleared a lot of misinformation there. I don't remember exactly what he said, but the gist of it was that they can keep the game running as long as there is someone who pays.

And they will keep going after Mordor, they'll come up with something. Said that also. So the game is not closing any time soon.

I've been playing a lot of this lately, this game has the best atmosphere of MMOs. I like it a lot. A little easy side now, but it is nice to chill with this game.

gervaise1

Ozmodan said:

<snip>

Upkeep is free for VIP's so is access to all the expansions.

Did I miss something in the patch notes?

VIPs (used to) have to buy the expansions; it was access to the Quest packs and Skirmishes is free. The expansions being Mirkwood, Moria, Rohan and Helm's Deep of course.

(I own all the expansions and Skirmishes so wouldn't notice such a change but that is how it used to be.)