I’ve never played any other MMO but WoW. And I must admit that it plagues me a bit, the blogger I am.
I follow a number of general MMO-blogs which, unlike me, aren’t just obsessed with one game, but move around freely covering a much wider field. Full of knowledge and insight, they can compare their experiences from different games, recall previous successes and failures, make accurate predictions about the future and suggest how MMO:s should be changed for the better. I’m full of admiration for this kind of bloggers.
What do I know about gaming? Not very much when you think about it. After three years of WoW playing I suppose I can talk about some aspects of WoW (PvE from an alliance point of view) fairly accurately – as long as I limit myself to post-vanilla content, being a TBC baby. Whenever I try to look at the bigger picture I feel shallow and clueless, a hoax of a blogger who lacks perspective and should keep her mouth shut about things she doesn’t understand.
Maybe this will come to change though. Last week it was announced that LOTRO will go free-for-all this autumn, which of course set my mind on work. What’s in it for me? Could this be a sufficiently attractive bait to finally lure Larísa away from Azeroth?
Maybe. Maybe not. How much I’d love to see a new setting and see another take on the MMO concept, I still have some issues with it that holds me back.
Things that keep me from trying LOTRO for free
1. The Concept
A major concern I have, which probably is the one that has the strongest hold on me, is the game concept as such. I’m a huge Tolkien fan since childhood; I’ve read and re-read the books at least ten times, if not more. Mind you, I don’t consider myself a purist or a fanatic, and I had no problems to accept and love the Peter Jackson movies, with all the compromises and changes they had to do. But nevertheless: I wonder what I would feel about my world transformed into a cartoonish video game. Do I really want to see that happen?
2. The Business Model
Another holdback is the business model. I know there are many players who think a free-to-play game combined with micro-transactions is brilliant, but I’m not one of those. I want to pay my monthly subscription fee, knowing that I’ll get access to the entire game, and then not having to worry about anything.
My entire life is full of decisions and it wears me down. I don’t want to have to think and evaluate: “Do I want this thing or that thing, how much is this thing worth to me, can I live without that, but what about my game friend, if she’s bought this and I haven’t, can we still play together?” In my world this is not fun, this is more like visiting a supermarket. Something you do because you have to rather than because you enjoy it.
My problem isn’t lack of money. My problem is lack of time and energy for decision making. Before you say it – yes, I know you can still “subscribe” to LOTRO, becoming some sort of VIP member. But as a newcomer it’s the free-to-play combined with a number of different purchases that I’m facing, and it pushes me away.
Apart from this I’m notoriously suspicious of anything that is claimed to be free. For instance I refuse to read crappy advertisement financed “newspapers” that people try to force on me. I’m proud to pay my subscription, thus making sure that the news corporations will hire proper journalists and not just ad sellers. And if you’re a paying customer you can always expect better treatment. I think this goes with games as well as with newspapers.
3. The Timing
We’re in the middle of the longest and I’d dare say deepest dip in player activity that WoW has seen up until today. Summer is here, we haven’t seen any new content for ages, and we don’t know yet when Cataclysm will arrive. Guilds are struggling, and tons of players are going on a hiatus. We don’t have any official statistics on it of course, but just having a look around me in game at what normally is peak time is evidence enough. The people aren’t there anymore. And this turns into an evil spiral. An MMO that lacks people online is as dull and sad as an empty theme park in November.
I think more than one WoW player would be dying to try something else by now. But does Turbine take the opportunity to launch this free-to-play idea now? Nope. They’ll wait until “the fall”, which is rather strange to me. They may have their reasons to do so, but speaking for myself I can tell you that once Cataclysm arrives I won’t have a second over to try some other video game. I’ll have my hands full to explore and enjoy the new old world and to level and gear up my main again for raiding. What were they thinking when they scheduled this change?
Things that can make me try LOTRO anyway
I haven’t entirely dismissed the thought of trying LOTRO though. And it’s not just about educating myself to become a slightly more experienced gamer. It’s also about longing back to my MMO childhood. I would love to once again experience the feeling of being at the start of a huge adventure, of not having any idea about what to do or where to go, to not be involved in the min/max game.
I never knew how privileged I was as I leveled my first character in WoW, innocently strolling around, exploring, messing up, gasping at everything I encountered, generally having a good time. It wasn't until a long time afterwards that I understood.
Once you’ve done it, there’s no going back. I’m looking forward to Cataclysm as much as anyone else, but I don’t think the novelty will ever be the same as when you play a game for the very first time, since you’ve already eaten the apple.
What makes it even more attractive is that with the huge influx of new players you can expect, I would be far from the only noob in the starter zone. With all respect for veteran LOTRO players, who I imagine will stay as far as possible from the noob infested areas, I think it will be fun times for the newly arrived players. As opposed to if you roll an alt today in WoW, you’ll have plenty of people around who are equally clueless and equally happy to form groups and to try to help each other to figure out this world. (And yes, I have a very optimistic view on the shape of a game community until I’ve been proved otherwise.)
The tipping point
I haven’t yet reached a verdict on the LOTRO case, whether to give it a go or not. One factor to take into the calculation is “what will my friends do?” If a bunch of my guildies enthusiastically would head over for LOTRO urging me to come along, I might find it hard to resist. They’re a bunch of nice people to hang around with after all and the setting isn’t that important in the end.
Another factor to count on is how easily accessible the game is. I have an extremely low tolerance level for technical troubleshooting. I want the download and installation to be quick and more or less effortless, not requiring me to go through complicated instructions or do a lot of settings in my computer. I want the game to be ready-to-go in just a few intuitive clicks.
In the end I believe the tipping point will be all about timing. If they release the game for free at a point when there isn’t much to do in WoW and my guild is on a break from raiding due to lack of players and content – sure, I might give it a go, in spite of my doubts.
But if Cataclysm arrives before this happens, you’re very unlikely to ever see your innkeeper setting her foot in Middle-earth. Clueless blogger or not.
I follow a number of general MMO-blogs which, unlike me, aren’t just obsessed with one game, but move around freely covering a much wider field. Full of knowledge and insight, they can compare their experiences from different games, recall previous successes and failures, make accurate predictions about the future and suggest how MMO:s should be changed for the better. I’m full of admiration for this kind of bloggers.
What do I know about gaming? Not very much when you think about it. After three years of WoW playing I suppose I can talk about some aspects of WoW (PvE from an alliance point of view) fairly accurately – as long as I limit myself to post-vanilla content, being a TBC baby. Whenever I try to look at the bigger picture I feel shallow and clueless, a hoax of a blogger who lacks perspective and should keep her mouth shut about things she doesn’t understand.
Maybe this will come to change though. Last week it was announced that LOTRO will go free-for-all this autumn, which of course set my mind on work. What’s in it for me? Could this be a sufficiently attractive bait to finally lure Larísa away from Azeroth?
Maybe. Maybe not. How much I’d love to see a new setting and see another take on the MMO concept, I still have some issues with it that holds me back.
Things that keep me from trying LOTRO for free
1. The Concept
A major concern I have, which probably is the one that has the strongest hold on me, is the game concept as such. I’m a huge Tolkien fan since childhood; I’ve read and re-read the books at least ten times, if not more. Mind you, I don’t consider myself a purist or a fanatic, and I had no problems to accept and love the Peter Jackson movies, with all the compromises and changes they had to do. But nevertheless: I wonder what I would feel about my world transformed into a cartoonish video game. Do I really want to see that happen?
2. The Business Model
Another holdback is the business model. I know there are many players who think a free-to-play game combined with micro-transactions is brilliant, but I’m not one of those. I want to pay my monthly subscription fee, knowing that I’ll get access to the entire game, and then not having to worry about anything.
My entire life is full of decisions and it wears me down. I don’t want to have to think and evaluate: “Do I want this thing or that thing, how much is this thing worth to me, can I live without that, but what about my game friend, if she’s bought this and I haven’t, can we still play together?” In my world this is not fun, this is more like visiting a supermarket. Something you do because you have to rather than because you enjoy it.
My problem isn’t lack of money. My problem is lack of time and energy for decision making. Before you say it – yes, I know you can still “subscribe” to LOTRO, becoming some sort of VIP member. But as a newcomer it’s the free-to-play combined with a number of different purchases that I’m facing, and it pushes me away.
Apart from this I’m notoriously suspicious of anything that is claimed to be free. For instance I refuse to read crappy advertisement financed “newspapers” that people try to force on me. I’m proud to pay my subscription, thus making sure that the news corporations will hire proper journalists and not just ad sellers. And if you’re a paying customer you can always expect better treatment. I think this goes with games as well as with newspapers.
3. The Timing
We’re in the middle of the longest and I’d dare say deepest dip in player activity that WoW has seen up until today. Summer is here, we haven’t seen any new content for ages, and we don’t know yet when Cataclysm will arrive. Guilds are struggling, and tons of players are going on a hiatus. We don’t have any official statistics on it of course, but just having a look around me in game at what normally is peak time is evidence enough. The people aren’t there anymore. And this turns into an evil spiral. An MMO that lacks people online is as dull and sad as an empty theme park in November.
I think more than one WoW player would be dying to try something else by now. But does Turbine take the opportunity to launch this free-to-play idea now? Nope. They’ll wait until “the fall”, which is rather strange to me. They may have their reasons to do so, but speaking for myself I can tell you that once Cataclysm arrives I won’t have a second over to try some other video game. I’ll have my hands full to explore and enjoy the new old world and to level and gear up my main again for raiding. What were they thinking when they scheduled this change?
Things that can make me try LOTRO anyway
I haven’t entirely dismissed the thought of trying LOTRO though. And it’s not just about educating myself to become a slightly more experienced gamer. It’s also about longing back to my MMO childhood. I would love to once again experience the feeling of being at the start of a huge adventure, of not having any idea about what to do or where to go, to not be involved in the min/max game.
I never knew how privileged I was as I leveled my first character in WoW, innocently strolling around, exploring, messing up, gasping at everything I encountered, generally having a good time. It wasn't until a long time afterwards that I understood.
Once you’ve done it, there’s no going back. I’m looking forward to Cataclysm as much as anyone else, but I don’t think the novelty will ever be the same as when you play a game for the very first time, since you’ve already eaten the apple.
What makes it even more attractive is that with the huge influx of new players you can expect, I would be far from the only noob in the starter zone. With all respect for veteran LOTRO players, who I imagine will stay as far as possible from the noob infested areas, I think it will be fun times for the newly arrived players. As opposed to if you roll an alt today in WoW, you’ll have plenty of people around who are equally clueless and equally happy to form groups and to try to help each other to figure out this world. (And yes, I have a very optimistic view on the shape of a game community until I’ve been proved otherwise.)
The tipping point
I haven’t yet reached a verdict on the LOTRO case, whether to give it a go or not. One factor to take into the calculation is “what will my friends do?” If a bunch of my guildies enthusiastically would head over for LOTRO urging me to come along, I might find it hard to resist. They’re a bunch of nice people to hang around with after all and the setting isn’t that important in the end.
Another factor to count on is how easily accessible the game is. I have an extremely low tolerance level for technical troubleshooting. I want the download and installation to be quick and more or less effortless, not requiring me to go through complicated instructions or do a lot of settings in my computer. I want the game to be ready-to-go in just a few intuitive clicks.
In the end I believe the tipping point will be all about timing. If they release the game for free at a point when there isn’t much to do in WoW and my guild is on a break from raiding due to lack of players and content – sure, I might give it a go, in spite of my doubts.
But if Cataclysm arrives before this happens, you’re very unlikely to ever see your innkeeper setting her foot in Middle-earth. Clueless blogger or not.
32 comments:
As a previous LOTRO player I have to say that as an F2P game it is ABSOLUTELY worth checking out. The graphics, the audio, the world is brilliant, but its worth CHECKING OUT... not living in. Go as a tourist, enjoy the sights and sounds and then move on. I won't say that LOTRO isn't without its merits, but it seems a game lost in itself. It can't seem to figure out what it wants to be and ultimately the lack of direction seems to be the biggest drawback for me.
Long story short, plan on taking a nice extended holiday to LOTRO, but feel free to pack light and just enjoy the trip with no expectation for "end game".
Go for it!
I got the game when it first came out, and was far from... good. It is (so i've heard) a lot better these days, and lore-wise, let me put it like this:
If you loved the books, but didn't mind what the strange New Zealander did with it (the movies), you'll love the game.
The buisness model, If you are just exploring and having fun in game, the expense will be minimal.
The timing: screw that.
Bottom line for me is this: You learn so much about WoW from playing other games. You do. It is also always refreshing to try something new, if nothing else, to make you appreciate what you have :)
Go for it! Roll a little Hobbit (amirite??) and save the shire
I'd echo what Dwism says :P And definitely roll a hobbit :D
I am currently running around with lots of low level characters, and from what I have seen so far, it is a very pretty and fun game.
forgot to mention this:
http://www.lotro-europe.com/free-trial
Look at that, a free 14 day trial of the game.
The 'buy from store' items are not going to be BiS end-game, or mandatory for leveling. Consider them as 'perks' like BiS level 10 gear, or a mount which takes you longer to get knocked off of, or a trinket which gives you +5% movespeed.
As a current (and since release) player of LotRO, Howard's comment just doesn't seem to resonate with me. I can't see how he came to those conclusions or why he would suggest against wanting to stay.
Currently in WoW I only subscribe when there's new content to run, and after that month or two, let me account go rotten until the next patch. I imagine this is similar to how a freebie might play LotRO. Play free to level cap, buy xpac when it comes out, play to next level cap... no subscription, no item store purchases.
You have a lot of good points, and I've been wondering about their release date, as well. I think their plans will be crushed by the flock to Cataclysm.
If you do decide to come over... come to Landroval! We have minstrel contests and people who actually have their RP flags on and fill out their bios...!
I think you're doing yourself down too much. You're a superb writer, full of exceptional insight and your blog is very well worth reading.
Regarding the cartoony feel of Lotro it really doesn't feel that way at all. It has been very clearly made by developers who adore Lord of the Rings and who take meticulous care over tiny details. The one thing no one comes away with is a feeling that the game trivialises the IP.
Regarding the timing you really don't need to be in at the start. Wait until Cataclysm is in this phase, everyone seen everything and bored then make a Lotro alt. Lotro won't go anywhere and judging by DDO the starter areas will still be very busy months and months after the launch.
DDO has changed to the F2Play model and has been doing better since the change.
I currently only play DDO on Tuesdays when the server is down for WoW.
DDo also allows the accumulation of factions points ingame, which hitting certain amounts of faction spills over to give you Turbine points, which are what are used to open new content, etc. You can earn them free and spend them for more content which u can rinse and repeat. It is possible to open tons up without paying, but takes a lot of work and time and multiple characters. Wonder if there is something similar in LOTRO?
http://my.ddo.com/referral/Colddrawn
I'm a bit of a purist (some bits of the movies bother me, and I'm forever telling people that Arwen didn't have some pendant called the Evenstar... that was her name) and I didn't have a problem with the game world.
It's much less cartoony than WoW, and much less linked to the modern "real world". For example, you won't find any Harris Pilton in Rivendell or other blatant easter eggs. It takes itself seriously as (I think) it should.
If the concept is troubling to you, I'd recommend you get the trial version, it was very worthwhile to me.
Do US and EU share servers in LOTRO? If they do, look for Gilmaraen and Iswyn on Windfola!
I have been trying out LotRO for the last two weeks and I don't think I will stay.
Yes, the community is awesome, friendly and über-helpful - but I wonder how long that will remain once the game is F2P. The roleplaying is not bad and there are a handful of excellent RP guilds on Laurelin (EU). Here, again, I feat that will change once the game goes F2P. Another bone I have to pick with LotRO is that I cannot get attached to my character the way I get attached to my WoW characters. No matter what I do - it doesn't happen.
And don't get me started about the crafting system. THAT bugs the hell out of me.
If you are concerned about how true to the source the game is let me assure you that it has much more in common with the book than the movie. Sure, the architecture (especially the elven architecture) borrows quite a bit frome the film's aesthetics, but storywise they lean much more on how Tolkien envisioned his tale. You can go visit Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, if you like, everybody and their cousins distrusts and dislikes the rangers.
Also, there is no mage class.
@Howard: If you say so... :)
If I'd have a look at it, it would probably be with the tourist glasses on and it really sounds perfect for that purpose from your description.
@Dwism: A hobbit you say? But...but.. Are there hobbits with pink pigtails? Admittedly I feel very much like a shire person. I think the Pink Pigtail Inn would fit pretty well into the environment. Well, apart from the pink issue then. Are you suggesting I shouldn't wait for them to release it free, but go for a trial?
@Xaxziminrax the Second: Is that an EU server? Is it divided into EU/US servers like WoW?
@Issy: OK, I hear you... More voices in the Larisa-should-go-LOTRO-club.
@Stabs: aww, you're sweet, thanks. I'm glad to hear that the creaters are fans, that's a good starter. I think that was what made the movies pretty good. I got the feeling they really tried their best and didn't just exploit a succesful IP.
@Cold: Oh that sounds a bit complicated. If I'd try it, I think I'd be very, very casual or maybe more into RP. Just strolling around and enjoying it sort of.
@Rhii: if a purist is fine with it it sounds promising indeed.
@Chadrassa: Tom B exists! Nice one. That's one of the things that bugged me most about the movies, even though I could see why they did what they did. But still I couldn't help wondering: couldn't there have been a spot for him if they had cut down just a LITTLE on the war scenes?
I can see the concerns about the community but that's hard to tell until you've seen it come alive really.
@lar: yes I am suggesting that you spend this wow-lull trying out something different.
That is the great thing about video-games, you are allowed to cheat :D
(plus your trial account can most assurdly be turned into a real toon once the f2p goes live)
Lotro is an excellent MMO. It really feels "cozy" and the initial levels make you get the feeling of the game very well.
But... it has a terrible UI. I don't think it's unfair to compare UI's of games of the same genre.. but I've tested a lot of MMO's myself and even tho DDO, LOTRO and City of Heroes are great games , their UI is clumsy and that can be a very dissapointing point.
btw, i found this blog via CynicalBrit.com and "wow". awesome place to keep an eye on. keep it up !
and if it's the case of simple player burnout. I'd suggest you take a look at single player games !
Sometimes you just don't wanna log in for pvp or alts, you just want to see something different.
It's an odd idea, but it really helps me and my group of friends/guild.
There're some cool RPG titles that can be very addictive, and just so you can have a free-of-wow free time
I'll add my voice that you should give LotRO a go. The world is VERY detailed, as others have said its obvious the developers were huge fans that wanted to treat the source material properly. Obviously there are going to be little things changed to make it possible to be an MMO, but these seem pretty minor. But, run some quests in the Shire and you'll see some of the care. Sure, many think running pies around or carrying mail bags is stupid, but as my better half said, "those quests feel very hobbit-like!"
One common complaint is that LotRO feels a lot like WoW; obviously this might not be a big issue for you. Note that it's not exactly like WoW, so you will have to learn a few new things. Also, the combat system has always felt "off" to hard-core WoW players, so give it some time to adjust. Also, it will take some time to get used to the classes because they are very original to the game.
As for it going free-to-play, I wouldn't sweat that too much. Assuming it's like DDO, there will be an option to just subscribe and get access to everything, including a stipend of points to buy yourself some additional items (or save them up to buy access for those times when you don't want to subscribe). I plan to keep my subscription going after the change, even though I happily play DDO without a subscription.
All in all, I don't think there's a downside. As I said, give it a serious try and get into it. Despite being a developer of these games for over 12 years now, LotRO is the first MMO my better half really wanted to play. She's a gamer geek (we met playing D&D in college and puts up with my game development obsession), but I think it was the setting that really drew her in. Give it a chance and it might do the same for you.
Larisa,
Based upon how happy you were with the events of your guild's anniversary, I suggest you get a one-month trial subscription, roll a toon on the Vilya server, and view or participate in the Friends of Frodo fellowship for a period of two weeks.
You may want to first check the following links to have an idea of FoF is all about:
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=324915
http://my.lotro.com/kinship-vilya-friends_of_frodo/
http://www.rguilds.com/defenders/news.php
On another subject, I hope to read what you thought of "Everything is Illuminated (movie)" one day!
Here's what I'd boil it down to - do you like solo PVE, such the WoW leveling game? If you do, LOTRO is definitely worth a visit under the current model, and most likely under the f2p model as well. If, on the other hand, you view solo leveling as a chore to get to the good stuff at endgame, you're going to be disappointed by the limited and grindy options at endgame.
Incidentally, be warned that the game deliberately has a slower, more challenging combat pace than WoW. I tried the mage-like classes, but found them to be too squishy, and ultimately went with the Champion (plays kind of like a Fury Warrior, fights multiple mobs at once with self-healing). When I came back to my mage after my first stint in LOTRO, I nearly died fighting a single non-elite even-level mob because I just wasn't in the mindset that having the mob hit me was a bad thing. :)
Ignore all the people who want you to go to US servers. Laurelin is pretty good :)
I think you'll enjoy the Shire a lot, and Tolkien would have liked it also. It has many many inns and although you can't have pink hair, you can have a collection of very silly hats. It's probably worth a visit even if you find the game itself dull or slow compared to WoW.
I tried the game over a two week trial period, and I found there were aspects that I really enjoyed, and aspects that I really did not.
Combat is mostly standard affair for any MMO. You'll have to learn a bit of new jargon, but the majority of concepts have WoW parallels (which really are EQ/UO/The Realm parallels, but let's not let history get in the way of description!), but no outright magicky classes. A couple get close, but that was a turn off for me personally.
The world is not actually cartoony at all. As such it does suffer from a lack of detail in models problem, where they want to be somewhat realistic, but can't quite get there all the way. It still is a pretty game. WoW will generally look more polished due to its strong cartoony aesthetic which is easy to represent in current graphics technology, though.
The UI, however, is pretty poor. We're beyond spoiled with addons in WoW, but Blizzard has made concious efforts to update the base UI over the years with new features and tweaks. LOTRO's UI feels like I was playing EverQuest all over again. Well, not that bad, but it does feel like a step backwards.
I find the story and quest aspect in LOTRO much stronger than WoW's. Voice acting, scenes, you're actively playing in a story where you're shown the consequences and action as opposed to told via text. This is WoW's biggest flaw in my mind and something LOTRO actually does quite well.
Despite the naysayers, I actually did like the more in-depth crafting system, though I didn't really get very far into the game mind you. WoW's always seems to..flat. Boring.
I do hope you like travelling through the world...a lot. Many quests will have you go to an area, do something, come back, rinse and repeat anywhere from 3 to 8 times! WoW's quest hubs feel like a luxury compared to being forced to traipse to a quest area and back over and over again to get through a quest line.
So yeah, overall, neat game with some interesting ideas. I probably wouldn't buy it, personally, due to a few of what I consider fatal flaws (excessive travelling and UI in my mind). But definitely worth the trial account just to get a good look and idea for the game. So I echo Howard's sentiment that you should go check it out.
@Dwism: are you sure? But what would Larísa say? It would break her heart!
On the more serious side: I think my family would appreciate if I cheated on WoW during the summer spending more time with them and less time in front of the PC. But I'll see. Seeing the reactions on this post I get slightly, slightly more tempted to at least throw a glance towards Middle-earth.
@Hiram: I'm not really urgently burned-out, but many others are so things get a bit slow in WoW these days. A part of me thinks its a great time to check out something else and finally become a "gamer" rather than a "WoW-playe" if you get the difference. The other part of me says: fine! Enjoy the summer, give your body and your family some attention. Read a book, excercise, see some friends and get away from the screen for a while.
@Brian "Psychochild" Green: I have huge respect for you, as a blogger and professional, and I trust on you if you say that it's *that* good. If they've succeeded to stay fairly true to the books, making them justice, it's really a great accomplishment. I'll pay it some more thought. The level of seriousness though... hm... I'm quite devoted to my WoW guild, which I think shows in my blog posts.
@Hugmenot: that looks absolutely amazing. People seem to be doing what we are doing once a year, but much more often. Huge fun! But is it a US or EU server?
@Green Armadillo: solo leveling can be fun for a little while, but it's not what pulls me to MMO. The magic is in group play. So a switch is very unlikely. But maybe, maybe it's worth just having as a distraction. For free.
@Spinks: it IS a little (just a little) bit tempting to see some different sort of inn setting. Got to check up on my competitors ;)
@All: thanks for the enthusiastic shoutouts. We'll see what I'll make of it. As you see by the post I'm not seriously thinking about switching or anything. But yeah, after reading your comments maybe I shouldn't shy away from at least have a glance at it when it's free.
@Talarian: I imagine I would share your views - it sounds as if you really know what you're talking about.
I've got mixed feelings about travelling. It was a part of the magic as I levelled up, but as you grow older in WoW you get more and more impatient and look more to efficiency, you want to get forward, get your stuff done, get xp, loot etc... Which maybe isn't a good and sound thing at all, but that's the mechanism.
It's possible that I'd be more patient with travelling in a new world that I've never seen before. In that situation it would become more of an adventure, interesting - something to look at. On the other hand I guess those sparkles of novelty will fall off pretty quickly.
Maybe the key to happiness is to take it easy and not travel around so much. Maybe stick to the starting zone, open an inn there and hang around, enjoying the banter and doing a little bit of role playing even (if I dare to... I'm such a coward.)
I don't think you'll have time, Larisa, I really don't. You see, word from the guy who knows a guy who's cousin said that his brother's girfriend's mother's neice said that the real Cataclysm beta has been going on for months and the xpac will come out next week. :)
So I guess LORTO won't be graced by your pink pig tails, or whatever the Hobbit equivalent to that is.
But I guess just in case the guy who knows a guy...anyway, just in case that person is, ya know, wrong, I'd say roll a free trial just to look. It's not like you're cheating on anyone, go on, have a go!
u better not...thats all i'm saying haha <3
One more voice here suggesting at least taking the trial for a spin. I did, and while I like the game for what it is (even as a Tolkien fan), it just wasn't enough to sub to. That said, I think it's a good game, and don't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who likes these MMO things.
If for no other reason, it's good to check out what it does differently from WoW, so you can appreciate what you like about it more. ;)
Hrmble, silly Chrome/Blogger/internet pixies. That's me, Tesh, not Anonymous... no matter what the name says.
Funny - I'm contemplating giving EVE Online a try.
Not so much a plan to quit WoW, just something to switch things up with.
At least until I get overwhelmed with the freshness of a new expansion!
I will play lotro again once it's free, for sure. Given I have all of maybe 8 hours a month to dedicate to an mmo, I don't feel I'm getting value for money when paying for a subscription any more.
@Gronthe: you say so? :)
I'm still sticking to my November prediction, and if that turns out to be true and LOTRO will have an early release of free-to-play I suppose there will be a little bit of time.
But letting go of it now would have been batter timing.
Maybe doing a trial isn't such a bad idea after all. I'm pretty certain my ordinary wow raiding will decrease over the summer - with a raiding squad of 26, we're likely to have to go down to 10-mans quite a lot and that will mean sitting out. It remains to see what I'll do those nights. Either I'll just do something else but play games. Which might be a good thing. Or I'll download a trial version of LOTRO.
@Ritsuka: why not? You think I'd rather join you in Aion?
@Tesh: I hear you. You're a wise guy. So I'll take your advice into consideration. :)
@Darthegis: Tobold's and some other peoples writings have been enough to really push me off from ever trying EvE. I honestly don't think it would fit my playstyle. I'm not much for gold-gatheringstuff, I'm not PvP minded and well.. no I just don't think a pink pigtailed gnome would fit in there. Middel-earth is probably a better spot for me.
@Flex: That's understandable. Personally, if my gaming would have be to be restricted to 8 hours a month I'm honestly not sure I'd find it worth to keep playing though. Free nor not. It might work if you have some real life friends who play, but otherwise... It's hard to knit any social bonds in game with so little time at your hands.
LotRO was my first foray into MMOs. Graphically it is exquisite. It's not cartoon like at all. I was worried when we came over to WoW that WoW would be far too cartoonlike after having spent evenings just sitting watching sunsets/sunrises etc, finding beautiful views.
Play-wise it's highly restricted by the lore. Even though it needs to break lore itself sometimes to be playable. There are no amusing pop culture references, nor are there the quirks that make WoW so eye-opening.
End game when I left was absolutely minimal, and we'd been forced into grinding repeated solo encounters to better our weapons, which wasn't fun. We'd been playing solidly for about 2 years by then. And there was little we could for further challenge except alt.
Having said all that, I did play it for two years, had the most glorious house in Celondim, with the most beautiful view, there are dyes, and wardrobes, and far more customiseable character appearances and oh yes, its beauty is absolutely breathtaking at times. It's most definitely worth a nose. For me it was a wonderful love affair while it lasted.
I find it amusing that there is a fear in the WoW community that F2P will make their players run to LoTRO. The first reason is that these same people haven't run to DDO and it has been F2P for some time.
The second reason is because LoTRO players are afraid that WoW players will run to LoTRO once it's free (the, uh, less mature ones in particular). When I joined the game a year ago, everyone was very helpful and group ones were the norm. The more WoW players that join, the more you see words like "fail" in chats and the more you see people begging 65's for "help". These are the people many of us play LoTRO to escape from.
I will say that the first 20 levels could get you hooked if you are a fan of the books. It's not just Tom, but the barrows, the old forest and even old man willow. They are all in the game.
Personally, I'm about to buy my first LoTRO home and I'm so excited. My hunter has many stuffed fish for me to place on the walls!
As for classes, you might like a loremaster as they remind me very much of warlocks. While some will say runekeepers are closer to a mage, I have heard that the 2 "special classes" (runekeepers and wardens) will not be open to free players.
Downloaded it at one point, installed, played about 30 minutes, didn't log in for the next month, uninstalled.
As a fellow LotR buff and a similar "WoW is my first mmolove" person, I think you'll have a very similar experience with the game should you go for it.
@Nowiamtree: it sounds as if I at least should have a look at the views.
@Barrista: I'm not sure about what to think of this player-house feature. It isn't anything I've wished for, but then I'm not a Sims player and doubt I'll ever be.
And yeah; the mutual suspicousness from LOTRO and WoW players is a bit funny. I wonder what people would think if I dropped by. "Yak! A spie"?
@Iustthegoat: yeah, I think it's possible that I'm just too spoiled with WoW since it's in a dfferent class as far as I've understood it. But hm... local football matches sometimes have their charm too, don't they? Even if it isn't premier league.
I recently dabbled with Warhammer Online, and it was so refreshing having a completely new world and game to explore, so I know where you're coming from there.
WoW is the only MMO I've ever really played, and with over 5 years of it under my belt I still feel like there's lots for me to do on my characters, but that's probaby because I don't raid.
I did find that I wanted to go back to WoW after playing WAR though, maybe that's just me, but I like that I know what I'm doing in it rather than being a complete newbie!
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