I have to agree with you here. AoC feels like Neverwinter Nights. Its not really an MMO tbh. That doesnt make it bad but its in the same class as GW as far as I am concerned. We'll just have to wait and see how it evolves.
I guess I'm on the opposite side of the fence from you guys.
I've tried LOTRO and it wasn't interesting enough for me to fulfill my RPG need after playing WoW (which I quit 2 years ago).
I've been playing AoC for 4 days now and I'm level 18 and I'm loving every minute of it. I think the main thing I've been always craving for in an MMORPG is blood, a variety of attack animations, and realtime-combat (not the old Autoattack). AoC seems to satisfy my needs on this front very well. It also DOES play like Neverwinter Nights, which is among my favorite all-time RPGs.. so go figure..
Since AoC , Ive seen the server I play on increase in activity, more low levels more mid levels now. Think if anything the AoC has completly boosted the number of LotRO players , it is awesome !
Oddly, based on this weekend so far, I would concur on my server as well. Even my ks seems to have more folks on than usual. Doesn't make the first bit of sense, honestly.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I picked up AoC Thursday evening, I spent most of the afternoon playing my Minstrel in LoTRO. I will continue playing AoC off and on for the free 30 but unless it really grabs me after I get out of the starter area I will never sub to it. it's not a bad game and has some good points but all the zoning is beginning to suck.
I was going to give AOC a try but I know I will not enjoy it, because of all the zoning/instancing it supposedly has. Theres no open world, instead the world is split up into instanced zones (correct me if I'm wrong). That is a big deal for me because it really breaks my immersion, and I like to feel the illusion that I'm a part of a real persistant world.
Yep, its true about the instancing. Don't try to tell any of the fanboi/girlz in the AoC forum that though. You'll likely get pages of pseudo sense. Statements such as "Its not the same kind of instancing as GW" etc. I played DDO and GW and the feeling I get when I play AoC is pretty similar. Im not saying its bad but its definitely not for me. I like to be able to visit the things I can see in the distance for a start and I find the feeling within AoC is one of confinement.
If instancing doesn't bother you, then by all means give it a try. I still don't really regard it as an MMO. It has MMO elements but it feels like you are on rails. That was ok in the 90s, but now I prefer something a little less linear.
Since AoC , Ive seen the server I play on increase in activity, more low levels more mid levels now. Think if anything the AoC has completly boosted the number of LotRO players , it is awesome !
might be that it is causing some to start seeing that their game of choice is going a bit stale and causing them to try some new MMO's. I have a lifetime sub here but have been messing with AoC and EQII a bit. I still consider LoTRO my main game though. Turbine has realy set the standard with it's content updates, makes it real hard to get bored over here and I have been playing over a year and a half counting beta now.
I have to agree with you here. AoC feels like Neverwinter Nights. Its not really an MMO tbh. That doesnt make it bad but its in the same class as GW as far as I am concerned. We'll just have to wait and see how it evolves. S PS : It also feels like DDO at times.
With some elements feeling like Neverwinter Nights it's probably the reason I like it so much. The cut-scenes are definitely a nice touch. Sadly those are supposed to go away after Tortage but I'll enjoy them while I can. The combat at least makes solo content interesting to me.
LOTR is still solid in areas but I'm waiting for more interesting solo content. Might not match the book content, which seems to be mostly group, but one can hope one day.
Till then I shant see why both co-existing would be horrible to either game.
Edit: DDO has a lot of grouping in it so I'm not sure what you're driving at in similarities with AoC.
Double Edit: Ah read more. The instance thing. Guess I'm neutral to that.
I have to agree with you here. AoC feels like Neverwinter Nights. Its not really an MMO tbh. That doesnt make it bad but its in the same class as GW as far as I am concerned. We'll just have to wait and see how it evolves. S PS : It also feels like DDO at times.
With some elements feeling like Neverwinter Nights it's probably the reason I like it so much. The cut-scenes are definitely a nice touch. Sadly those are supposed to go away after Tortage but I'll enjoy them while I can. The combat at least makes solo content interesting to me.
LOTR is still solid in areas but I'm waiting for more interesting solo content. Might not match the book content, which seems to be mostly group, but one can hope one day.
Till then I shant see why both co-existing would be horrible to either game.
Edit: DDO has a lot of grouping in it so I'm not sure what you're driving at in similarities with AoC.
Double Edit: Ah read more. The instance thing. Guess I'm neutral to that.
Fair comments, although I rather wonder why you would play an MMO expecting reams of SP content. To be fair to LotRo, you CAN solo to 50. Obviously you cant do all the books solo but within the books there are many solo quests. The Books are their to provide a cohesive backbone and to encourage groups to experience the larger part of the story that runs through the game. Alternatively you can go to different areas and run through a lesser story (albeit still connected to the larger story) as a solo player or with a small group (1-3 people).
AoC is no threat to LotRo IMHO and vice versa. I bought AoC, played it for a couple of days, cancelled my sub and deleted it. It's not for me. I don't have any rabid hatred for it either. People seem to be enjoying it so more power to them. Ill stick with LotRo for now (and I just resubbed to Vanguard to see whats going on there). Turbine got more than one thing right with LotRo, but one of the best things about LotRo is the way it has been designed to follow the story of the actual books (The progression of the fellowship as it were) and the constant addition of quality content. For example, Evendim, which is enormous or Forochel. I havent seen any other companies offer this kind of free content recently (if ever) and it's the ability to constantly explore new places and see new things that, among other things, keeps me hooked.
Haven't noticed any change. If anything I have seen more people on than I had over the last month. Got bored of the beta and didn't like it enough to buy the game. I welcomed them all back
i was in the the beta and open beta of lotro..i hoped it was the next best thing since wow, but sadly i was mistaken and i played it for a year just to kill time until AoC came out. the game is appealing to older mmo players and its a slow dull game, i lvl'd 3 chars to 50 and each time i was bored the whole way through.
just a rant i know. but if im any indicator of your average long term lotro player (and there are alot of them) i fell...and hope they find somthing new like i did in AoC
hardcore since pong
Somehow I doubt the average player has maxed 3 characters while being bored the whole time.
If you were so bored then why do it again, twice!
~~~ Currently Playing ~~~ LOTRO- Guardian Wrymstrum & Lore-master Stabler on Nimrodel.
Conan- Zoltar <Angels of Death> Guardian on Stormrage.
Only Turbine can affect LotRO and where they take this game. In my opinion, the major issue hurting the game is the linear story progression through their Book System. It's been over a year and we haven't even seen the Mines of Moria.
How long do we have to wait for Rohan, Gondor, Minas Tirith, Fangorn Forest, etc.
I am willing to wait another year for Moria if it becomes as great as Eriador. I've been playing for an year and I still haven't seen or maxed all stats. Turbine keeps providing more and more stuff.
The global population of the servers has not imo suffered much, only some kinships are affected.
Only Turbine can affect LotRO and where they take this game. In my opinion, the major issue hurting the game is the linear story progression through their Book System. It's been over a year and we haven't even seen the Mines of Moria. How long do we have to wait for Rohan, Gondor, Minas Tirith, Fangorn Forest, etc. In my opinion, too long.
I have to disagree with you here. No company has added as much FREE content as Turbine since launch. Just be patient! I'd rather have a quality product than a rushed one
I agree 100% with sharkeypal. The game has had tons of content added and i want to see more but i want to experience it to its full potential when it comes not some rushed shit.
Now Lotro is probably the best MMO i have ever played and i am not a "old" gamer. That is i aint no 50 year old man playing this.However there are several things that i wish the game had. Now i understand turbine is bound by the lore. But this here has nothing to do with lore. Lotro lacks "customization" I hate it how the only difference between any two lvl 50 classes is their geer. Grant it there are race/ trait differences but i am talking about skills . Every class gets the same skills and i hate it when another burg tries to tell me how to play my class because i have the same skills as him. I play my class in my unique way. Unfortunately there are fights where you have to play your class a certain way or your group gets destroyed. But i wish there was more customization class wise in the game.My thought for the new expansion as i stated on the official forums that from lvl 50-60 it should be like an ancillary skills set with multiple chioce. boosting character customization not a whole lot but a bit,Also adding respect instances and another big contributer to the lotro customization is SLOTED enhanced weapons. Special stones however you get them to be slotted into your weapon to make it more powerfull.And even set bonus enhancements stones. There is so much they could do do improve this area without killing lore.That at the is my biggest concern with the game, other then that i love lotro great MMO!
To be honest, I was very disappointed they used rigid classes, and so few, from the beginning. I've been waiting for a new game to use something more like the old SWG skill-based advancment, but I'm smart enough to know that's a long shot. The genre is moving in this direction because it's easier to develop+balance and easier for players new to MMOs to pick up.
Despite that, skill-based advancement would have been such a great fit for LotR. Some of the characters in the Fellowship can be easy classified as a Guardian or Hunter, but not all. Sam, for instance, was part Guardian, part Minstrel, part Burglar. Aragorn was part Champion and Captain. There's so much room in the story for characters to play more than one role, I really think Turbine missed an opportunity and went with the path of least resistance. I understand the reasons why, but it's still disappointing.
Longest subs ive had was 18 months in swg and 2 and a half years on wow which i left about 3 months ago, i was beta and pre-release in AoC and to be honest for me i hate heavily instanced games, so ive cancelled my AoC already and im going to be looking at Lotro this week, got wow burn out so going back i wont be, but also really looking forward to Aion.
As lots have said AoC wont really damage any of the big mmorpg's out there as once the dust has settled and the hype is gone, AoC will have its own little niche market that dont mind playing on a 100 man server's(instance) not really a mmo to me, but thats my opinion
Playing: FFXIV Future: wishing for SWG 2, World of Warcraft Classic Played: Most current and extinct MMO's - 18 Years in....
I think one influence can be spotted already. The forum activtity of LOTRO forums has dropped alot since AoC launch.
The official LOTRO forums and also this one here has far fewer new threads and posts than it had before AoC. No idea how it is on the servers, because i quit the game.
Comments
I have to agree with you here. AoC feels like Neverwinter Nights. Its not really an MMO tbh. That doesnt make it bad but its in the same class as GW as far as I am concerned. We'll just have to wait and see how it evolves.
S
PS : It also feels like DDO at times.
I guess I'm on the opposite side of the fence from you guys.
I've tried LOTRO and it wasn't interesting enough for me to fulfill my RPG need after playing WoW (which I quit 2 years ago).
I've been playing AoC for 4 days now and I'm level 18 and I'm loving every minute of it. I think the main thing I've been always craving for in an MMORPG is blood, a variety of attack animations, and realtime-combat (not the old Autoattack). AoC seems to satisfy my needs on this front very well. It also DOES play like Neverwinter Nights, which is among my favorite all-time RPGs.. so go figure..
"Freedom is just another name for nothing left to lose" - Janis Joplin
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Oddly, based on this weekend so far, I would concur on my server as well. Even my ks seems to have more folks on than usual. Doesn't make the first bit of sense, honestly.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I dont think it will effect lotro at all and if it does, expect there to be a player spike when mines of moria comes out
I picked up AoC Thursday evening, I spent most of the afternoon playing my Minstrel in LoTRO. I will continue playing AoC off and on for the free 30 but unless it really grabs me after I get out of the starter area I will never sub to it. it's not a bad game and has some good points but all the zoning is beginning to suck.
I miss DAoC
I was going to give AOC a try but I know I will not enjoy it, because of all the zoning/instancing it supposedly has. Theres no open world, instead the world is split up into instanced zones (correct me if I'm wrong). That is a big deal for me because it really breaks my immersion, and I like to feel the illusion that I'm a part of a real persistant world.
Yep, its true about the instancing. Don't try to tell any of the fanboi/girlz in the AoC forum that though. You'll likely get pages of pseudo sense. Statements such as "Its not the same kind of instancing as GW" etc. I played DDO and GW and the feeling I get when I play AoC is pretty similar. Im not saying its bad but its definitely not for me. I like to be able to visit the things I can see in the distance for a start and I find the feeling within AoC is one of confinement.
If instancing doesn't bother you, then by all means give it a try. I still don't really regard it as an MMO. It has MMO elements but it feels like you are on rails. That was ok in the 90s, but now I prefer something a little less linear.
might be that it is causing some to start seeing that their game of choice is going a bit stale and causing them to try some new MMO's. I have a lifetime sub here but have been messing with AoC and EQII a bit. I still consider LoTRO my main game though. Turbine has realy set the standard with it's content updates, makes it real hard to get bored over here
and I have been playing over a year and a half counting beta now.
I miss DAoC
With some elements feeling like Neverwinter Nights it's probably the reason I like it so much. The cut-scenes are definitely a nice touch. Sadly those are supposed to go away after Tortage but I'll enjoy them while I can. The combat at least makes solo content interesting to me.
LOTR is still solid in areas but I'm waiting for more interesting solo content. Might not match the book content, which seems to be mostly group, but one can hope one day.
Till then I shant see why both co-existing would be horrible to either game.
Edit: DDO has a lot of grouping in it so I'm not sure what you're driving at in similarities with AoC.
Double Edit: Ah read more. The instance thing. Guess I'm neutral to that.
AC2 Player RIP Final Death Jan 31st 2017
Refugee of Auberean
Refugee of Dereth
From the sounds of it, AoC is more similar to WoW than LOTRO, i think it wont affect the LOTRO population too badly.
With some elements feeling like Neverwinter Nights it's probably the reason I like it so much. The cut-scenes are definitely a nice touch. Sadly those are supposed to go away after Tortage but I'll enjoy them while I can. The combat at least makes solo content interesting to me.
LOTR is still solid in areas but I'm waiting for more interesting solo content. Might not match the book content, which seems to be mostly group, but one can hope one day.
Till then I shant see why both co-existing would be horrible to either game.
Edit: DDO has a lot of grouping in it so I'm not sure what you're driving at in similarities with AoC.
Double Edit: Ah read more. The instance thing. Guess I'm neutral to that.
Fair comments, although I rather wonder why you would play an MMO expecting reams of SP content. To be fair to LotRo, you CAN solo to 50. Obviously you cant do all the books solo but within the books there are many solo quests. The Books are their to provide a cohesive backbone and to encourage groups to experience the larger part of the story that runs through the game. Alternatively you can go to different areas and run through a lesser story (albeit still connected to the larger story) as a solo player or with a small group (1-3 people).
AoC is no threat to LotRo IMHO and vice versa. I bought AoC, played it for a couple of days, cancelled my sub and deleted it. It's not for me. I don't have any rabid hatred for it either. People seem to be enjoying it so more power to them. Ill stick with LotRo for now (and I just resubbed to Vanguard to see whats going on there). Turbine got more than one thing right with LotRo, but one of the best things about LotRo is the way it has been designed to follow the story of the actual books (The progression of the fellowship as it were) and the constant addition of quality content. For example, Evendim, which is enormous or Forochel. I havent seen any other companies offer this kind of free content recently (if ever) and it's the ability to constantly explore new places and see new things that, among other things, keeps me hooked.
Regards,
S
I played AoC this weekend, won't be continuing after the 30 days. Nothing new here other than the combat.
The performance of the game just stinks. I see lots of cancellations after 30 days. I gave it a shot.
I played lotro Sunday night and I didn't noticed anything out of the ordinary w.r.t. population.
Haven't noticed any change. If anything I have seen more people on than I had over the last month. Got bored of the beta and didn't like it enough to buy the game. I welcomed them all back
Somehow I doubt the average player has maxed 3 characters while being bored the whole time.
If you were so bored then why do it again, twice!
~~~ Currently Playing ~~~
LOTRO- Guardian Wrymstrum & Lore-master Stabler on Nimrodel.
Conan- Zoltar <Angels of Death> Guardian on Stormrage.
Only Turbine can affect LotRO and where they take this game. In my opinion, the major issue hurting the game is the linear story progression through their Book System. It's been over a year and we haven't even seen the Mines of Moria.
How long do we have to wait for Rohan, Gondor, Minas Tirith, Fangorn Forest, etc.
In my opinion, too long.
I am willing to wait another year for Moria if it becomes as great as Eriador. I've been playing for an year and I still haven't seen or maxed all stats. Turbine keeps providing more and more stuff.
The global population of the servers has not imo suffered much, only some kinships are affected.
I have to disagree with you here. No company has added as much FREE content as Turbine since launch. Just be patient! I'd rather have a quality product than a rushed one
S
I totally agree with Sharky...quality over quantity anyday.
******************************
Brandywine Global LFF chan "/joinchannel glff"
I agree 100% with sharkeypal. The game has had tons of content added and i want to see more but i want to experience it to its full potential when it comes not some rushed shit.
Now Lotro is probably the best MMO i have ever played and i am not a "old" gamer. That is i aint no 50 year old man playing this.However there are several things that i wish the game had. Now i understand turbine is bound by the lore. But this here has nothing to do with lore. Lotro lacks "customization" I hate it how the only difference between any two lvl 50 classes is their geer. Grant it there are race/ trait differences but i am talking about skills . Every class gets the same skills and i hate it when another burg tries to tell me how to play my class because i have the same skills as him. I play my class in my unique way. Unfortunately there are fights where you have to play your class a certain way or your group gets destroyed. But i wish there was more customization class wise in the game.My thought for the new expansion as i stated on the official forums that from lvl 50-60 it should be like an ancillary skills set with multiple chioce. boosting character customization not a whole lot but a bit,Also adding respect instances and another big contributer to the lotro customization is SLOTED enhanced weapons. Special stones however you get them to be slotted into your weapon to make it more powerfull.And even set bonus enhancements stones. There is so much they could do do improve this area without killing lore.That at the is my biggest concern with the game, other then that i love lotro great MMO!
To be honest, I was very disappointed they used rigid classes, and so few, from the beginning. I've been waiting for a new game to use something more like the old SWG skill-based advancment, but I'm smart enough to know that's a long shot. The genre is moving in this direction because it's easier to develop+balance and easier for players new to MMOs to pick up.
Despite that, skill-based advancement would have been such a great fit for LotR. Some of the characters in the Fellowship can be easy classified as a Guardian or Hunter, but not all. Sam, for instance, was part Guardian, part Minstrel, part Burglar. Aragorn was part Champion and Captain. There's so much room in the story for characters to play more than one role, I really think Turbine missed an opportunity and went with the path of least resistance. I understand the reasons why, but it's still disappointing.
Previous played: SWG (pre-NGE), DAoC, CoH, Anarchy Online, DDO, Champions Online Beta, LOTRO, GW2, SWTOR
Longest subs ive had was 18 months in swg and 2 and a half years on wow which i left about 3 months ago, i was beta and pre-release in AoC and to be honest for me i hate heavily instanced games, so ive cancelled my AoC already and im going to be looking at Lotro this week, got wow burn out so going back i wont be, but also really looking forward to Aion.
As lots have said AoC wont really damage any of the big mmorpg's out there as once the dust has settled and the hype is gone, AoC will have its own little niche market that dont mind playing on a 100 man server's(instance) not really a mmo to me, but thats my opinion
Playing: FFXIV
Future: wishing for SWG 2, World of Warcraft Classic
Played: Most current and extinct MMO's - 18 Years in....
Interesting Fact - I own 27 Tarantula's
given there appears to be a huge percentage of people leaving conan in the first month i doubt it ll have much effect on any mmo from june onwards .
AoC is all hype. It will have no long term effect on the more mature LOTRO community.
I think one influence can be spotted already. The forum activtity of LOTRO forums has dropped alot since AoC launch.
The official LOTRO forums and also this one here has far fewer new threads and posts than it had before AoC. No idea how it is on the servers, because i quit the game.
Sam.