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Lord of the Rings Online
Ariel
Member UncommonPosts: 33
For a game that is due to be released in less than 6 months (2006), I am wondering why it has not gone into beta. AFAICT it hasn't even gone into alpha.
I hope this doesn't end up being another DDO (also Turbine) which is released about 4-5 months before it is really playable.
I hope this doesn't end up being another DDO (also Turbine) which is released about 4-5 months before it is really playable.
Comments
I am thinking (hoping) that they have ironed out and polished up most of the game by the time they begin alpha.
So, testers will get a nice clean, and smooth running mmorpg to test out, and they'll report their bugs which will hopefully be fewer in number than usual, and the game will goto retail in a shorter amount of beta testing time.
If you believe all that, I got bridge . . . oh nevermind.
Turbine has been taking their time with the game, nothing has changed. Due dates are meaningless for mmorpgs, half the time, I think the stores make the up.
I'll keep optimistic about LoTRO, but I am not expecting it anytime soon.
Actually, I never quoted a store on the release date. I was referencing the LOTRO FAQ:
When will The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ be released?
Since it is June, there are only about 6 months left in the year. 6 months from today would get the game out with about 2 weeks of Christmas shopping left.
Of course, I realize those dates are not set in stone, but Turbine felt that their two announced/marketing campaign dates of Q2 2006 and Spring 2006 meant that DDO had to come out on a date that met both criteria, even if it clearly wasn't ready.
Usually the designers don't set the date to launch...the bean counters (actually marketing people) do. So even though the dates may be "flexible", the design team is working hard to get it ready by the time the marketing people want it ready. And when you spend a lot of money on marketing and making arrangements with your distributors and retailers, you actually do need a date that is relatively firm. It is very costly to push back a game once you have given an estimated release date and started pre-selling (not that they have in this case).
Part of my concern is the fact that I never saw the devs announce that alpha had begun. I already play other MMOs and have played them enough in my life. I'm not anticipating LOTRO, per se. But I am following it.
A large part of my concern stems from the very rough product that is D&D Online [they are sharpening it, don't get me wrong]. That was a franchise I cared about and was sad to see it turn out that way. I'm not a SW fanatic, but I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way about SWG. I would like to see LOTR given the treatment it deserves (to the extent that is possible in a computer gaming environment). I'm not asking for a perfect game, but I don't want to see another rushed release. I don't even have any preconceived notions for LOTRO other than that it resemble Tolkien more than WoW.
The current model for MMOs is essentially "full steam ahead and this train isn't about to leave the tracks." Unless you are in an alpha, you are not going to see game changes before launch...you are going to see game tweaks. That is a great model for making money quickly, but a poor one when a game needs work, not tweaks.
I thought the release of DDO was alright, better than many others I've played at release. There may have been some design flaws, but I don't think the game was rushed out the door.
SWG was such a huge mmorpg in scope that I don't think it would have ever been truely polished for release on a date that the "bean counters" would have accepted. It wasn't your typical mmorpg at the time, unlike now.
LoTRO has gone through a strange development, but I am not worried at all about the condition it will be released in. Again, I am more concerned about Turbines design decisions for the game.
This Christmas sounds about right for it's release. I think I read something about how it was a likely time for the game to come out.
What I meant about DDO's flaws were not bugs or problems with the servers. The same is true for my concern about the "condition" of LOTRO on release.
As far as DDO goes (I will re-iterate--the same maker of LOTRO) I meant the fact that the entire gameplay system is flawed. Over half of the population with one character at the level cap within the first 2 months of release?
The game's 100% instancing has ruffled some feathers, coupled with the fact that it has no random elements to any given dungeon. It's always the same type of trap in the same location. Always the same monster with the same abiltiies in the same spot. Always the same solution (pull a lever).
The lack of solo content is what really bothers people the most. Whether or not you are for or against team play, a company is "for" profits. Any business model which disregards their customers is a model for failure.
IMO, the lack of the game being like D&D has hurt it, as well. I'm not talking about the D&D veneer, where you play a D&D class (but only selected ones) and race (but only selected ones) and you use D&D spells (but only selected ones) and run around with a "+1 longsword." That's all well and good, but that's the same as a PS2 or Xbox D&D game, which hardly reproduces the D&D experience.
Also my opinion, but not a matter solely of opinion is the complete disassociation with the Eberron setting in an Eberron game.
Both this and the solo problem are already being addressed with big announcements of "We're hiring Keith Baker (nominal creator of Eberron) and we're adding solo play! Level cap soon to be raised! PVP is coming! Crafting!"
These are major, fundamental changes to a game that are not usually seen until a game has been out 6 - 12 months, not 1-2.