Originally posted by Broomy LOTRO is a very polished, lore-based PVE game. I have a lvl 42 Captain somewhere in Forochel(?) that I may pick up one day. I always seem to come back to the game for some reason. I find it very relaxing. My main problem in LOTRO is that you Cannot be EVIL. Thats right, evil! They should have made some evil choices in characters, I think it would have made the game far more interesting.
evil is as evil does. plus monster play ...cant get much more evil than that
At a second glance, NO faction or race in the modern mainstream MMOs is evil, they are all different understandings of how one should live clashing against each other.
Take WAR, the dark elves are not evil, they are treacherous because they think its a viable way of living. Men in WAR are dogmatic and war-loving, just because they think this is the best way to live.
Look at WoW, the orcs there are a misunderstood tribal warrior culture, they are not evil, at all. Or the undead, they are mistreated victims that struggle to survive...
EQ2, freeport is not an evil city, it is held together by social darwinists, they struggle for personal advantage, not evil.
Evil defines itself as an idea and a moral standard, deeds can contain evil, words can contain evil. But evil itself is a concept, a concept you cannot choose in most MMORPGs.
If you want to play EVIL, create a monster in LotRO. The seed of Morgoth does fuel itself out of his own very archetype of evil. The things "Morgoths bane" produces (orcs, uruks, curses...) cannot be inspired, they cannot _create_ things and are no creations, they are distortions of the things that inhabit earth. They seek power, but only power to destroy, the seek to do evil, just for the sake of evil...
Orcs, as they were meant to be (in Tolkiens works), are not some misunderstood tribal culture that has been seduced by the evil Lord Sauron. No, they are abominations, faded images of what they could have been if they had not been distorted against the plan of the world, mutated into something that follows only one principle: Being evil. Orcs in middle-earth don't follow sauron because he promised them goods or riches or realms. They follow him because it is their nature, they cannot do anything different, they are slaves, in the end not to sauron, but to the idea, to the archetype of evil. They don't flee, they don't care for their own lives, they fear, but they do not know why or what...
I think you get the drift, LoTRO features the only "real" evil I know, with PvMP.
At a second glance, NO faction or race in the modern mainstream MMOs is evil, they are all different understandings of how one should live clashing against each other. Take WAR, the dark elves are not evil, they are treacherous because they think its a viable way of living. Men in WAR are dogmatic and war-loving, just because they think this is the best way to live.
Look at WoW, the orcs there are a misunderstood tribal warrior culture, they are not evil, at all. Or the undead, they are mistreated victims that struggle to survive...
EQ2, freeport is not an evil city, it is held together by social darwinists, they struggle for personal advantage, not evil.
Evil defines itself as an idea and a moral standard, deeds can contain evil, words can contain evil. But evil itself is a concept, a concept you cannot choose in most MMORPGs.
If you want to play EVIL, create a monster in LotRO. The seed of Morgoth does fuel itself out of his own very archetype of evil. The things "Morgoths bane" produces (orcs, uruks, curses...) cannot be inspired, they cannot _create_ things and are no creations, they are distortions of the things that inhabit earth. They seek power, but only power to destroy, the seek to do evil, just for the sake of evil...
Orcs, as they were meant to be (in Tolkiens works), are not some misunderstood tribal culture that has been seduced by the evil Lord Sauron. No, they are abominations, faded images of what they could have been if they had not been distorted against the plan of the world, mutated into something that follows only one principle: Being evil. Orcs in middle-earth don't follow sauron because he promised them goods or riches or realms. They follow him because it is their nature, they cannot do anything different, they are slaves, in the end not to sauron, but to the idea, to the archetype of evil. They don't flee, they don't care for their own lives, they fear, but they do not know why or what...
I think you get the drift, LoTRO features the only "real" evil I know, with PvMP.
M
Thats is more or less true, i think that chaos in war is evil, that whole demon trip. But tis true that in most mmos there are no evil races (when the races have some kind of a background which isnt a feature many mmos have)
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
i played it for 2 fucking days, and even tried PvP on a Monster Character it wasnt fun getting my ass kicked by a class my level everytime i tried to find PvP, and i love the lord of the rings books and movies i cant get enough of em, but this game isnt what i expected at all.
"Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force" The Original Jedi Code
I think the game would have been alot mroe fun had we been able to play orcs or ogres or other evil races......Everyone keeps saying "but the orcs lose and we cant mess wit hte lore".......The idea of playing a game though is that both sides were represented and if players want the option to play on teh other side they should be able to...... We dont win or lose in MMOs anyway........I jsut think it would have opened alot more scenarios for the player....Also monster play wasnt much fun at all and open pvp with orc players would have been much better.......
I think the game would have been alot mroe fun had we been able to play orcs or ogres or other evil races......Everyone keeps saying "but the orcs lose and we cant mess wit hte lore".......The idea of playing a game though is that both sides were represented and if players want the option to play on teh other side they should be able to...... We dont win or lose in MMOs anyway........I jsut think it would have opened alot more scenarios for the player....Also monster play wasnt much fun at all and open pvp with orc players would have been much better.......
we had the same discussion spring 2007 when the game was new, now an expansion is out and new people start the game, don't inform themselves before, are disappointed and start the exact same argument... and even KNOW the answer to it, but keep argueing, just "because", without any logic.
Turbine has bought the license for the LotR books from Tolkien enterprises. Tolkien enterprises, as a final instance, says if something in the game is over the top or not. If Orcs invaded Rivendell or the Shire, they'd close the whole show. Tolkien enterprises doesn't need LotRO and Turbine, Turbine need s them and their "ok" concerning middle-earth lore.
This game was - since it has been resurrected from the bones of middle-earth-online - planned and announced as a PvE game. Period. How much more does one need to get this straight. It was, is, and will be a PvE game...
PvP doesn't have to be in every game and if more players would give LOTRO more than a glance they'd understand that PvP just doesn't fit with the overall theme. Its about being the hero and rising above the evil and killing them, not being evil. Even the PvMP doesn't really fit well, but it is an interesting idea that does work for the most part.
Everyone just needs to get in and give it a try or subscribe. LOTRO is so much more fun than a few screenshots and a description can explain.
One of the highlights for me is that crafting actually has a purpose and is on par with everything else, Raids and PvP gear. Everything you can make with crafting is almost similar to what you can get from raiding drops or earning in PvMP. If you compare the items all side by side their stats are almost identical. So if you're like me and don't raid or PvMP much; you can still stand toe to toe with every type of player on an equal ground...
I love these threads because I believe many of them are a symptom of the same problem. Too much theme park, not enough sandbox. Not enough non-combat, crafting and social features. No where to go and nothing to do when you need to take a break, possibly a long one, from questing, but still want to play the game. No depth.
I actually believe Lotro is one of the best games to come out since WoW, but that's not saying much. Even though Lotro is a very polished and smooth pve game, the gameplay is still shallow, and there is very little variety. They *ALL* have this problem.
Welcome to the ranks of the MMORPG fugitives. We are all wondering the desolate desert of modern day mmo development, looking for a place to call home. Until someone releases a game that takes chances and has some depth, we will continue our search.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
I love these threads because I believe many of them are a symptom of the same problem. Too much theme park, not enough sandbox. Not enough non-combat, crafting and social features. No where to go and nothing to do when you need to take a break, possibly a long one, from questing, but still want to play the game. No depth. I actually believe Lotro is one of the best games to come out since WoW, but that's not saying much. Even though Lotro is a very polished and smooth pve game, the gameplay is still shallow, and there is very little variety. They *ALL* have this problem. Welcome to the ranks of the MMORPG fugitives. We are all wondering the desolate desert of modern day mmo development, looking for a place to call home. Until someone releases a game that takes chances and has some depth, we will continue our search.
How will this fix Knived11 problem when he doesn't get the instant "I win" in PvP after 2 days? Is that not what MMO's are all about? Easy wins in PvP? You should never have to spend the time to learn a class...
i played it for 2 fucking days, and even tried PvP on a Monster Character it wasnt fun getting my ass kicked by a class my level everytime i tried to find PvP, and i love the lord of the rings books and movies i cant get enough of em, but this game isnt what i expected at all.
Noob crying thats all this psot is, did you htink that after 2 days you'd be able to survive in pvp? Creeps used to have it good before mom came so getting pwned as a creep clearly means you didnt have a clue what you were doing.
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
I love these threads because I believe many of them are a symptom of the same problem. Too much theme park, not enough sandbox. Not enough non-combat, crafting and social features. No where to go and nothing to do when you need to take a break, possibly a long one, from questing, but still want to play the game. No depth. I actually believe Lotro is one of the best games to come out since WoW, but that's not saying much. Even though Lotro is a very polished and smooth pve game, the gameplay is still shallow, and there is very little variety. They *ALL* have this problem. Welcome to the ranks of the MMORPG fugitives. We are all wondering the desolate desert of modern day mmo development, looking for a place to call home. Until someone releases a game that takes chances and has some depth, we will continue our search.
And this is the mistake of many vets of a new genre. You started with EQ/UO/M59, everything was new and fresh and shiny, you were young, and ready to do whatever it took to go places; but in its essence, the game was about socializing.
Back in the 90s, when I started pen and paper roleplaying, we had nothing but a worn GM-book, sheets and some pens, that was it. No kidding, we were sitting in a treehouse and had a blast, for endless hours, we did nothing but being creative.
And now? Be it EvE or LotRO or WoW, all these games mean nothing, they are small spare time killers, every meaning they add to your life - like REAL life - flows from socializing. Every experience that's worth remembering, every good moment you spend comes from socializing, like back in 1991, when we sat in a treehouse and defeated a dragon in a world we made up following rules we made up.
If I roleplay in the prancing pony, kill a balrog or take part in a large fleet battle in EvE, it's all the same, the only thing that makes these things worth my lifetime is the interaction with other players. As long as you lay all your hopes into the hands of game mechanics and virtual terms like "sandbox", you will be disappointed. Be it Darkfall or Hello Kitty Online...
no what i meant was i didnt even get the guy down to 3/4ths of hp, but i mean you are right, and i have to apologize for saying what i said, i decided to give LotRO another go playing to atleast mid twenties, on a normal toon, and continue to play with my monster toon.
i am deeply sorry for insulting the pvp in a pve game, that was absurd and rude on my part, i am also sorry for my other threads insulting LotRO and its Community, i hope you all can forgive me...
"Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force" The Original Jedi Code
no what i meant was i didnt even get the guy down to 3/4ths of hp, but i mean you are right, and i have to apologize for saying what i said, i decided to give LotRO another go playing to atleast mid twenties, on a normal toon, and continue to play with my monster toon. i am deeply sorry for insulting the pvp in a pve game, that was absurd and rude on my part, i am also sorry for my other threads insulting LotRO and its Community, i hope you all can forgive me...
don't sweat it knived, happy holidays if you celebrate.
I understand the frustration of wanting to dive into a game and really want to connect with it but it doesn't quite flow like you think it will. If it's any consolation, I took a break from LOTRO at one point because I ran into to many group quests. ONce they added more solo or small group content I was able to play again. And I do agree that it is a shame that the game is a bit too sublime at the start so it is hard to grab new players. Get into a good kinship and you will do well.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I love these threads because I believe many of them are a symptom of the same problem. Too much theme park, not enough sandbox. Not enough non-combat, crafting and social features. No where to go and nothing to do when you need to take a break, possibly a long one, from questing, but still want to play the game. No depth. I actually believe Lotro is one of the best games to come out since WoW, but that's not saying much. Even though Lotro is a very polished and smooth pve game, the gameplay is still shallow, and there is very little variety. They *ALL* have this problem. Welcome to the ranks of the MMORPG fugitives. We are all wondering the desolate desert of modern day mmo development, looking for a place to call home. Until someone releases a game that takes chances and has some depth, we will continue our search.
And this is the mistake of many vets of a new genre. You started with EQ/UO/M59, everything was new and fresh and shiny, you were young, and ready to do whatever it took to go places; but in its essence, the game was about socializing.
If I roleplay in the prancing pony, kill a balrog or take part in a large fleet battle in EvE, it's all the same, the only thing that makes these things worth my lifetime is the interaction with other players. As long as you lay all your hopes into the hands of game mechanics and virtual terms like "sandbox", you will be disappointed. Be it Darkfall or Hello Kitty Online...
M
I disagree. These new games give zero incentive for people to interact like a lot of the older games such as SWG did. Just as an example, look at the current trend in using Auction Houses for selling game items. Setting aside how boring crafting and resource gathering has become, the very act of selling your wares in a game has become an anonymous transaction between a player and the AH interface. No one really cares who made the item and no relationships are built between the players and the crafters.
In SWG and other games, I always had my favorite crafters and alternate crafters who I shopped with. Many of them became friends, and others became my customers because they would hire me to farm resources for them. I would usually travel long distances just to buy from them because I knew they kept their stock up, and their quality good. They would email me when new item runs were coming out, or even virtual "coupons". It was a blast. They knew what I needed, and I knew what they could do.
These relationships were built because we had to go to the crafter's shop and either buy from that person or their vendors. No one ever complained about having to actually travel to someone's shop, or interact with other people. That is until easy-button games like WoW came along and introduced having everything handed to you with little or no effort involved, let alone player interaction. Certainly no crafter *ever* complained about being able to create and open their own store front in the game world, instead of just throwing stuff up on an AH.
SWG's sandbox game mechanics are what drew and kept the people that built the awe-inspiring community back in the day. It happened spontaneously as a result of needing to rely on other players, and having a game that allowed the freedom of forging your own path through the world. There will never be a themepark only game that will have an interactive community like that. If you ever find one, please tell me about it because I will join the game in a heartbeat.
You mentioned role playing. The strange and wonderful thing about sandbox games is that their very nature seems to foster a basic level of role playing, even if you are not an RP person. I've never been a role player, but in SWG there was always a basic level of it there, and it was part of the game's culture. Because you were so free to use your imagination rather than being stuffed into a neat little arch-class, you were more engaged with the world. It wasn't so much about being "in character" as it was about acknowledging, through your behavior, that you were a part of the game's tightly woven community. I have yet to experience this in a themepark mmo.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
No really in pvp you have to know what you're dpoing, when to use which skills. And that is not something you'll learn in 2h. Dyou really think a warg unstealth can run up to a champ and think about killing it?
In lotro pvp there is a very used technique called running around, if your ennemy is running around you you wont be able to hit him since you have to face him. THis is how 90% of the noobs get pwned and msot hardcore freeps use this technique.
So once again dont blame the game if you are the one doing it wrong.
Do you excpect to go play cs with some of the best players in the world when the only fps you've ever played is doom? And blame the game for being crappy because the other players 1shot you with a glock?
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
I'm on the trial right now and I thought the intro was well done especially in comparison to FFXI, Lineage 2, or even WoW. FFXI and L2 pretty much throw you into the world without any sense of direction. The only mmo I've played with a better intro would probably be Guild Wars.
Playing - FFXIV, ESO Played - FFXI, WoW, Lineage 2, Guild Wars, Aion, SWToR, LotRO, GW2, TERA, Rift, ArcheAge, TSW
So the OP creates threads (yes, as in more than one) doing his best to bash this game and never follows up to answer any of the posts? So he finds that more fun than lotro? Seriously?
There are MANY games I have played that I didn't enjoy for a multitude of reasons... yet I never sat down and wrote paragraphs of text to bash those games. I just don't play them. I do write a review for EVERY game I play on this site however, perhaps the OP should find that link and stop greifing this forum.
By your own admission, you spent as much (or more) time reviewing the game on this forum than you did playing it. The moment I read that you played just one hour and quit I realized your opinion on the game means absolutely nothing (to me anyways).
You win the best post award for that perfect synopsis of what is in all our heads. +1
Well, I've been playing this game for 6 months now and I have to agree on some of the OP's points.
The character models are pretty bad, looking more like action figures than real people. The animations are also very stiff.
(The monsters and the landscapes look nice, though).
The combat is a little sluggish.
There are some interesting quests (including the book ones), but there is a lot of "filler" quests which are essentially just grinding.
The game is completely linear (I guess this is the case in most MMORPGs). I've yet to see a quest that has more than one way to complete it, much less ones with different endings..
Heres the Orcs story....they get their asses beat. Now why would you play the side you know will lose no matter what in the x-pac withMinas Tirth and the Black Gate. They would have to destory lore otherwise. Now Conquest on the other hand doesn't care too much. After seeing this post I think you should just get out of mmos. I mean all quest can't be epic or there wouldn't be many. Its either kill these mobs for a long time or do it for a quest grinding is grinding.
*raises hand*
I would, in 99.9% of the games i've played your character is the hero, no matter what he/she is coming out on top....would be an unusual step to be able to play as the bloke who's going to snuff it at the end, eh?
...yeah, i could see the appeal on playing the losing side.
By your own admission, you spent as much (or more) time reviewing the game on this forum than you did playing it. The moment I read that you played just one hour and quit I realized your opinion on the game means absolutely nothing (to me anyways).
A fair point, I stopped reading OP when one of the first complaints was that he had to patch the game.
Comments
evil is as evil does. plus monster play ...cant get much more evil than that
So you can't be evil in LotRO?
At a second glance, NO faction or race in the modern mainstream MMOs is evil, they are all different understandings of how one should live clashing against each other.
Take WAR, the dark elves are not evil, they are treacherous because they think its a viable way of living. Men in WAR are dogmatic and war-loving, just because they think this is the best way to live.
Look at WoW, the orcs there are a misunderstood tribal warrior culture, they are not evil, at all. Or the undead, they are mistreated victims that struggle to survive...
EQ2, freeport is not an evil city, it is held together by social darwinists, they struggle for personal advantage, not evil.
Evil defines itself as an idea and a moral standard, deeds can contain evil, words can contain evil. But evil itself is a concept, a concept you cannot choose in most MMORPGs.
If you want to play EVIL, create a monster in LotRO. The seed of Morgoth does fuel itself out of his own very archetype of evil. The things "Morgoths bane" produces (orcs, uruks, curses...) cannot be inspired, they cannot _create_ things and are no creations, they are distortions of the things that inhabit earth. They seek power, but only power to destroy, the seek to do evil, just for the sake of evil...
Orcs, as they were meant to be (in Tolkiens works), are not some misunderstood tribal culture that has been seduced by the evil Lord Sauron. No, they are abominations, faded images of what they could have been if they had not been distorted against the plan of the world, mutated into something that follows only one principle: Being evil. Orcs in middle-earth don't follow sauron because he promised them goods or riches or realms. They follow him because it is their nature, they cannot do anything different, they are slaves, in the end not to sauron, but to the idea, to the archetype of evil. They don't flee, they don't care for their own lives, they fear, but they do not know why or what...
I think you get the drift, LoTRO features the only "real" evil I know, with PvMP.
M
Thats is more or less true, i think that chaos in war is evil, that whole demon trip. But tis true that in most mmos there are no evil races (when the races have some kind of a background which isnt a feature many mmos have)
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
i played it for 2 fucking days, and even tried PvP on a Monster Character it wasnt fun getting my ass kicked by a class my level everytime i tried to find PvP, and i love the lord of the rings books and movies i cant get enough of em, but this game isnt what i expected at all.
"Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force"
The Original Jedi Code
I think the game would have been alot mroe fun had we been able to play orcs or ogres or other evil races......Everyone keeps saying "but the orcs lose and we cant mess wit hte lore".......The idea of playing a game though is that both sides were represented and if players want the option to play on teh other side they should be able to...... We dont win or lose in MMOs anyway........I jsut think it would have opened alot more scenarios for the player....Also monster play wasnt much fun at all and open pvp with orc players would have been much better.......
we had the same discussion spring 2007 when the game was new, now an expansion is out and new people start the game, don't inform themselves before, are disappointed and start the exact same argument... and even KNOW the answer to it, but keep argueing, just "because", without any logic.
Turbine has bought the license for the LotR books from Tolkien enterprises. Tolkien enterprises, as a final instance, says if something in the game is over the top or not. If Orcs invaded Rivendell or the Shire, they'd close the whole show. Tolkien enterprises doesn't need LotRO and Turbine, Turbine need s them and their "ok" concerning middle-earth lore.
This game was - since it has been resurrected from the bones of middle-earth-online - planned and announced as a PvE game. Period. How much more does one need to get this straight. It was, is, and will be a PvE game...
M
Yup very true Meridion^
PvP doesn't have to be in every game and if more players would give LOTRO more than a glance they'd understand that PvP just doesn't fit with the overall theme. Its about being the hero and rising above the evil and killing them, not being evil. Even the PvMP doesn't really fit well, but it is an interesting idea that does work for the most part.
Everyone just needs to get in and give it a try or subscribe. LOTRO is so much more fun than a few screenshots and a description can explain.
One of the highlights for me is that crafting actually has a purpose and is on par with everything else, Raids and PvP gear. Everything you can make with crafting is almost similar to what you can get from raiding drops or earning in PvMP. If you compare the items all side by side their stats are almost identical. So if you're like me and don't raid or PvMP much; you can still stand toe to toe with every type of player on an equal ground...
I love these threads because I believe many of them are a symptom of the same problem. Too much theme park, not enough sandbox. Not enough non-combat, crafting and social features. No where to go and nothing to do when you need to take a break, possibly a long one, from questing, but still want to play the game. No depth.
I actually believe Lotro is one of the best games to come out since WoW, but that's not saying much. Even though Lotro is a very polished and smooth pve game, the gameplay is still shallow, and there is very little variety. They *ALL* have this problem.
Welcome to the ranks of the MMORPG fugitives. We are all wondering the desolate desert of modern day mmo development, looking for a place to call home. Until someone releases a game that takes chances and has some depth, we will continue our search.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
How will this fix Knived11 problem when he doesn't get the instant "I win" in PvP after 2 days? Is that not what MMO's are all about? Easy wins in PvP? You should never have to spend the time to learn a class...
Noob crying thats all this psot is, did you htink that after 2 days you'd be able to survive in pvp? Creeps used to have it good before mom came so getting pwned as a creep clearly means you didnt have a clue what you were doing.
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
And this is the mistake of many vets of a new genre. You started with EQ/UO/M59, everything was new and fresh and shiny, you were young, and ready to do whatever it took to go places; but in its essence, the game was about socializing.
Back in the 90s, when I started pen and paper roleplaying, we had nothing but a worn GM-book, sheets and some pens, that was it. No kidding, we were sitting in a treehouse and had a blast, for endless hours, we did nothing but being creative.
And now? Be it EvE or LotRO or WoW, all these games mean nothing, they are small spare time killers, every meaning they add to your life - like REAL life - flows from socializing. Every experience that's worth remembering, every good moment you spend comes from socializing, like back in 1991, when we sat in a treehouse and defeated a dragon in a world we made up following rules we made up.
If I roleplay in the prancing pony, kill a balrog or take part in a large fleet battle in EvE, it's all the same, the only thing that makes these things worth my lifetime is the interaction with other players. As long as you lay all your hopes into the hands of game mechanics and virtual terms like "sandbox", you will be disappointed. Be it Darkfall or Hello Kitty Online...
M
no what i meant was i didnt even get the guy down to 3/4ths of hp, but i mean you are right, and i have to apologize for saying what i said, i decided to give LotRO another go playing to atleast mid twenties, on a normal toon, and continue to play with my monster toon.
i am deeply sorry for insulting the pvp in a pve game, that was absurd and rude on my part, i am also sorry for my other threads insulting LotRO and its Community, i hope you all can forgive me...
"Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force"
The Original Jedi Code
don't sweat it knived, happy holidays if you celebrate.
I understand the frustration of wanting to dive into a game and really want to connect with it but it doesn't quite flow like you think it will. If it's any consolation, I took a break from LOTRO at one point because I ran into to many group quests. ONce they added more solo or small group content I was able to play again. And I do agree that it is a shame that the game is a bit too sublime at the start so it is hard to grab new players. Get into a good kinship and you will do well.
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
And this is the mistake of many vets of a new genre. You started with EQ/UO/M59, everything was new and fresh and shiny, you were young, and ready to do whatever it took to go places; but in its essence, the game was about socializing.
If I roleplay in the prancing pony, kill a balrog or take part in a large fleet battle in EvE, it's all the same, the only thing that makes these things worth my lifetime is the interaction with other players. As long as you lay all your hopes into the hands of game mechanics and virtual terms like "sandbox", you will be disappointed. Be it Darkfall or Hello Kitty Online...
M
I disagree. These new games give zero incentive for people to interact like a lot of the older games such as SWG did. Just as an example, look at the current trend in using Auction Houses for selling game items. Setting aside how boring crafting and resource gathering has become, the very act of selling your wares in a game has become an anonymous transaction between a player and the AH interface. No one really cares who made the item and no relationships are built between the players and the crafters.
In SWG and other games, I always had my favorite crafters and alternate crafters who I shopped with. Many of them became friends, and others became my customers because they would hire me to farm resources for them. I would usually travel long distances just to buy from them because I knew they kept their stock up, and their quality good. They would email me when new item runs were coming out, or even virtual "coupons". It was a blast. They knew what I needed, and I knew what they could do.
These relationships were built because we had to go to the crafter's shop and either buy from that person or their vendors. No one ever complained about having to actually travel to someone's shop, or interact with other people. That is until easy-button games like WoW came along and introduced having everything handed to you with little or no effort involved, let alone player interaction. Certainly no crafter *ever* complained about being able to create and open their own store front in the game world, instead of just throwing stuff up on an AH.
SWG's sandbox game mechanics are what drew and kept the people that built the awe-inspiring community back in the day. It happened spontaneously as a result of needing to rely on other players, and having a game that allowed the freedom of forging your own path through the world. There will never be a themepark only game that will have an interactive community like that. If you ever find one, please tell me about it because I will join the game in a heartbeat.
You mentioned role playing. The strange and wonderful thing about sandbox games is that their very nature seems to foster a basic level of role playing, even if you are not an RP person. I've never been a role player, but in SWG there was always a basic level of it there, and it was part of the game's culture. Because you were so free to use your imagination rather than being stuffed into a neat little arch-class, you were more engaged with the world. It wasn't so much about being "in character" as it was about acknowledging, through your behavior, that you were a part of the game's tightly woven community. I have yet to experience this in a themepark mmo.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
No really in pvp you have to know what you're dpoing, when to use which skills. And that is not something you'll learn in 2h. Dyou really think a warg unstealth can run up to a champ and think about killing it?
In lotro pvp there is a very used technique called running around, if your ennemy is running around you you wont be able to hit him since you have to face him. THis is how 90% of the noobs get pwned and msot hardcore freeps use this technique.
So once again dont blame the game if you are the one doing it wrong.
Do you excpect to go play cs with some of the best players in the world when the only fps you've ever played is doom? And blame the game for being crappy because the other players 1shot you with a glock?
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
I'm on the trial right now and I thought the intro was well done especially in comparison to FFXI, Lineage 2, or even WoW. FFXI and L2 pretty much throw you into the world without any sense of direction. The only mmo I've played with a better intro would probably be Guild Wars.
Playing - FFXIV, ESO
Played - FFXI, WoW, Lineage 2, Guild Wars, Aion, SWToR, LotRO, GW2, TERA, Rift, ArcheAge, TSW
By your own admission, you spent as much (or more) time reviewing the game on this forum than you did playing it.
The moment I read that you played just one hour and quit I realized your opinion on the game means absolutely nothing (to me anyways).
Yeah the intro is a bit slow paced unless your gettign throught with a friend ( the best way to get through 90% of this game).
I'm not a no life that sits in front of his computer all day long, I'm an intern that sits in front of his computer all day long.
So the OP creates threads (yes, as in more than one) doing his best to bash this game and never follows up to answer any of the posts? So he finds that more fun than lotro?
Seriously? 
There are MANY games I have played that I didn't enjoy for a multitude of reasons... yet I never sat down and wrote paragraphs of text to bash those games. I just don't play them. I do write a review for EVERY game I play on this site however, perhaps the OP should find that link and stop greifing this forum.
http://www.facebook.com/thejodygilbert
You win the best post award for that perfect synopsis of what is in all our heads. +1
http://www.facebook.com/thejodygilbert
Well, I've been playing this game for 6 months now and I have to agree on some of the OP's points.
The character models are pretty bad, looking more like action figures than real people. The animations are also very stiff.
(The monsters and the landscapes look nice, though).
The combat is a little sluggish.
There are some interesting quests (including the book ones), but there is a lot of "filler" quests which are essentially just grinding.
The game is completely linear (I guess this is the case in most MMORPGs). I've yet to see a quest that has more than one way to complete it, much less ones with different endings..
R.I.P. City of Heroes and my 17 characters there
*raises hand*
I would, in 99.9% of the games i've played your character is the hero, no matter what he/she is coming out on top....would be an unusual step to be able to play as the bloke who's going to snuff it at the end, eh?
...yeah, i could see the appeal on playing the losing side.
A fair point, I stopped reading OP when one of the first complaints was that he had to patch the game.
I don't even play LOTRO but i had to comment on this ... the OP made up his mind that he wouldn't like the game before he even started the download.
when you "know" you're not going to like the game even before you DL it its easy to pick apart ANY game.