Heyas,
Obviously, I've not been keeping up on MMORPGs past, present & future... but I noticed on the catacombs site, that LoTR Online has gone through several production houses, and is now slated for an April 2007 release. (I had thought it came & went a few years back) (or did it?)
Anyways, I found a few screenshots like [url]http://lotro.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=24&image=http://lorimages.turbine.com/files/38/41/98/88/796_tn.jpg&page=1&rank=10&gallery[gallery_id]=3&image[edit_image_id]=796[/url]
It certainly seems pretty. Anyone ready up more on this one? What kind of combat, magic, skill systems, etc.??
Lord of the Rings Online - BRANDYWINE SERVER
Moderators: Kharybdis, Tribal Council
Lord of the Rings Online - BRANDYWINE SERVER
Last edited by Urgon on Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
<i><font size=1>Game Naked.<br>...often...</font></i><br><img src="http://www.volsungtribe.com/picons/urgon_prof5.jpg" align=bottom><br>
<b>LoTRO:</b><br>--Skrotto, Hobbit Hunter of 16 broken arrows--
<b>EQ2:</b>
--Samadhi, Dwarven Priest of 33 Vitae and 34 Dwarven Stouts--<br> {GMT -8}
<b>LoTRO:</b><br>--Skrotto, Hobbit Hunter of 16 broken arrows--
<b>EQ2:</b>
--Samadhi, Dwarven Priest of 33 Vitae and 34 Dwarven Stouts--<br> {GMT -8}
I signed up for a chance at beta, we'll see 
No, or very very little PvP I hear, they don't relish the idea of elves ganking hobbits in the Shire :p
No, or very very little PvP I hear, they don't relish the idea of elves ganking hobbits in the Shire :p
Lilae Peutiann - 50 shaman DAoC Galahad
-----------------------------------
Lylae - 60 NE Druid WoW - Kilrogg
http://ctprofiles.net/13573
Lilae - Cow Druid WoW - Kilrogg
Since the NDA was lifted yesterday I can openly admit I've been playing the beta. Seems fun so far..but my highest level char is only around 14 or so.
Feldenak - 50 Elf Hunter
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
Here's Mithan's write up of it
---------------------------------------------------------
I have not played beta for 3 weeks so some of my opinions may be a bit out dated with some recent patches/bug fixes but here goes anyways:
Please note these are "impressions". This isn't a review of the game.
Graphics:
The graphics are great. In fact, I found the graphics to be a step above other recent MMO releases such as Vanguard, which I found to be graphically a little on the "bleh" side due to the "raspy" looking textures. Textures, shaders, draw distance, etc, etc are all well done and definitely help provide that immersive feel to the environment. It is also able to compete with WoW's on its artistic merits as well by providing some very breath taking views though obviously not every area has that "WOW" factor but whatever. For instance, the first time you go to Rivendell will blow your mind at the graphical beauty and you can see some shots below.
Performance:
Performance wise, the game runs fine on the highest graphical settings at 1920x1200 on my system, which is as X2 4200, 2 gigs of Ram and a X1900XT and is a definite cut above other recent releases. Those of you with high end systems or new 8800 based graphics cards are definitely NOT going to need to worry about performance and will be able to enjoy the full graphics of this game today, not in 2 years from now after you upgrade....
Models:
I think Turbine learned its lesson of over modeling everything like they did in AC2 and this is good because it means there is a good variety in the types of players, monsters, equipment types, etc you see in the game. I was hoping for more "big" monsters to kill like WoW has, but what is here will suffice. I think some of the human types could stand out a bit more depending on their classes and some of the animation isn't that great (I hate the jump animation) but it is well done overall.
User Interface:
The UI is basically like every other MMO out there these days, which means it copies heavily from WoW but that is ok because it works. For the most part, the UI works very well and does the job. There are a few annoying problems such as the UI-Scale not changing with your resolution (there is no UI-Scale, unless they fixed it in the last couple of weeks which I doubt) and this is very annoying.
Another problem that could have been fixed in the last couple of weeks is that the UI Buttons "felt" sticky and slow. For example, in other games when I hit a button to launch an attack, it "FEELS" like I got a solid thunk off and part of this is due to the way the buttons work, but LOTRO feels a bit sticky and unresponsive to me. Its a weird feeling to describe. Perhaps if the UI buttons scaled the way they should, the bigger icons counting down would change my mind...
World Size:
Having run around almost every map area, I managed to see a lot of the world and can honestly say it is both varied, interesting and feels fairly well done with unique locations. Some of these locations ARE going to blow your mind the first time you see them in their full graphical glory. The world also seems like it has plenty of room for expansion packs, which is always good.
Combat:
I wont get heavily into the combat aspects since its still a work in progress (and I only played the Champion) but from what I am seeing, the combat is well done and fairly similar to other MMO's, so it is definitely something you can jump into without reading anything before hand. The biggest issue I had was the lack of variety in the different attacks available to my Champion and a couple UI issues, but that could be resolved with more or better animations and some UI work and since some of it is based on my personal preference, I am not going to criticize them over it.
Questing:
Questing has become a staple in MMO's these days, which is a good thing. Those of you who remember playing AC2 or currently play WoW will definitely feel at home in LOTRO because the game has tones of quests for you to do and like WoW, the different starting areas provide you with different quests. From what I can see, the game was totally "questable" from 1 to level 19 that I reached and I would guess all the way to 60. There were a few Group Quests but plenty of solo quests to do.
As for the variety in quests, yes, some of them are your basic fedex or bounty stuff, but there are the non-instanced instanced stuff or whatever you want to call it that is pretty cool. These are basically the story line quests that most people will do and enjoy.
Soloing:
Soloing APPEARS to be alive and well. I soloed to 19, only grouping for a few mob kills here and there that required a group, so it was nice that Turbine didn't cave into the EQ mentality of Forced Grouping All The Time. The speed of it was ok and while it required some common sense and knowing aggro ranges and stuff to keep single pulls on you, it was doable. Solo'ers make up a large segment of the market so keeping it like this is a good thing.
Group Content:
I didn't do any real group content so I don't have much to say on this aspect. The few mobs I did kill with other people left me feeling that the UI needs to improve for group situations.
Level Cap "High Level" Concerns:
(Yes, I refuse to say "End Game")...
One of the greatest failings of AC2 was that it totally ran out of content at the level cap and until then, most of us loved the game. The monthly content that then came out was quickly consumed in days.... Some complain today that WoW turns into World of Raidcraft at 60 (70) and I would agree with them. I hope that LOTRO is going to address this concern by providing meaningful rewards and repeatable content for people to do when they cap out. Not all of us want to be in Raids all the time, especially after enjoying a lot of solo content on the way to the level cap.
Crafting:
I did not get into crafting.
Overall:
Honestly? I like the game and these days, I tend to dislike most MMO's, so that is saying a lot for me. The game is just fairly well done and you can tell that Turbine is trying very hard to put out a quality game and for the most part, they are really succeeding. The game has almost all of it and it is done fairly well for the most part, such as crafting, combat, soloing, grouping, a nice world to explore, tonnes of quests, good system performance, not too many bugs, etc, etc, etc. It is like they have finally taken what they learned from AC1, AC2 and DDO and put them into a game that should correct most of these errors.
Granted, there are still some flaws. As I said above, the UI needs some improvements and these are things that should NOT be left until release. While people always forget about the UI, how you interact with the game is just as important as the game itself when there are problems with it, so I want more attention put into this before release.
The animation gripes I mentioned are more on my own personal preference than anything and will likely not be improved ever at this point so I wont gripe too much about it.
My only real "gameplay" concern is one of content. Will there be enough solo/group content to get people to the level cap? Will there be enough content to do once you reach that level cap? Will this be a repeate of AC2 and (from what I hear) DDO?
MMO's are ultimately about character development and adventure so I hope the answer to this content question is a resounding YES THERE WILL BE TONNES TO DO, else they are going to have problems with subscription numbers in the future...
However when all is said and done, I like the beta so far and it gives me a "warm feeling" inside (which could also be the coffee) and see myself playing it at release.
It still needs polish and work, but I think this is stuff they can cover by the release of the game.
Ultimatly? Get yourself a beta account and go try it out and form your own opinion, just keep in mind that it is still a bit from release.
---------------------------------------------------------
I have not played beta for 3 weeks so some of my opinions may be a bit out dated with some recent patches/bug fixes but here goes anyways:
Please note these are "impressions". This isn't a review of the game.
Graphics:
The graphics are great. In fact, I found the graphics to be a step above other recent MMO releases such as Vanguard, which I found to be graphically a little on the "bleh" side due to the "raspy" looking textures. Textures, shaders, draw distance, etc, etc are all well done and definitely help provide that immersive feel to the environment. It is also able to compete with WoW's on its artistic merits as well by providing some very breath taking views though obviously not every area has that "WOW" factor but whatever. For instance, the first time you go to Rivendell will blow your mind at the graphical beauty and you can see some shots below.
Performance:
Performance wise, the game runs fine on the highest graphical settings at 1920x1200 on my system, which is as X2 4200, 2 gigs of Ram and a X1900XT and is a definite cut above other recent releases. Those of you with high end systems or new 8800 based graphics cards are definitely NOT going to need to worry about performance and will be able to enjoy the full graphics of this game today, not in 2 years from now after you upgrade....
Models:
I think Turbine learned its lesson of over modeling everything like they did in AC2 and this is good because it means there is a good variety in the types of players, monsters, equipment types, etc you see in the game. I was hoping for more "big" monsters to kill like WoW has, but what is here will suffice. I think some of the human types could stand out a bit more depending on their classes and some of the animation isn't that great (I hate the jump animation) but it is well done overall.
User Interface:
The UI is basically like every other MMO out there these days, which means it copies heavily from WoW but that is ok because it works. For the most part, the UI works very well and does the job. There are a few annoying problems such as the UI-Scale not changing with your resolution (there is no UI-Scale, unless they fixed it in the last couple of weeks which I doubt) and this is very annoying.
Another problem that could have been fixed in the last couple of weeks is that the UI Buttons "felt" sticky and slow. For example, in other games when I hit a button to launch an attack, it "FEELS" like I got a solid thunk off and part of this is due to the way the buttons work, but LOTRO feels a bit sticky and unresponsive to me. Its a weird feeling to describe. Perhaps if the UI buttons scaled the way they should, the bigger icons counting down would change my mind...
World Size:
Having run around almost every map area, I managed to see a lot of the world and can honestly say it is both varied, interesting and feels fairly well done with unique locations. Some of these locations ARE going to blow your mind the first time you see them in their full graphical glory. The world also seems like it has plenty of room for expansion packs, which is always good.
Combat:
I wont get heavily into the combat aspects since its still a work in progress (and I only played the Champion) but from what I am seeing, the combat is well done and fairly similar to other MMO's, so it is definitely something you can jump into without reading anything before hand. The biggest issue I had was the lack of variety in the different attacks available to my Champion and a couple UI issues, but that could be resolved with more or better animations and some UI work and since some of it is based on my personal preference, I am not going to criticize them over it.
Questing:
Questing has become a staple in MMO's these days, which is a good thing. Those of you who remember playing AC2 or currently play WoW will definitely feel at home in LOTRO because the game has tones of quests for you to do and like WoW, the different starting areas provide you with different quests. From what I can see, the game was totally "questable" from 1 to level 19 that I reached and I would guess all the way to 60. There were a few Group Quests but plenty of solo quests to do.
As for the variety in quests, yes, some of them are your basic fedex or bounty stuff, but there are the non-instanced instanced stuff or whatever you want to call it that is pretty cool. These are basically the story line quests that most people will do and enjoy.
Soloing:
Soloing APPEARS to be alive and well. I soloed to 19, only grouping for a few mob kills here and there that required a group, so it was nice that Turbine didn't cave into the EQ mentality of Forced Grouping All The Time. The speed of it was ok and while it required some common sense and knowing aggro ranges and stuff to keep single pulls on you, it was doable. Solo'ers make up a large segment of the market so keeping it like this is a good thing.
Group Content:
I didn't do any real group content so I don't have much to say on this aspect. The few mobs I did kill with other people left me feeling that the UI needs to improve for group situations.
Level Cap "High Level" Concerns:
(Yes, I refuse to say "End Game")...
One of the greatest failings of AC2 was that it totally ran out of content at the level cap and until then, most of us loved the game. The monthly content that then came out was quickly consumed in days.... Some complain today that WoW turns into World of Raidcraft at 60 (70) and I would agree with them. I hope that LOTRO is going to address this concern by providing meaningful rewards and repeatable content for people to do when they cap out. Not all of us want to be in Raids all the time, especially after enjoying a lot of solo content on the way to the level cap.
Crafting:
I did not get into crafting.
Overall:
Honestly? I like the game and these days, I tend to dislike most MMO's, so that is saying a lot for me. The game is just fairly well done and you can tell that Turbine is trying very hard to put out a quality game and for the most part, they are really succeeding. The game has almost all of it and it is done fairly well for the most part, such as crafting, combat, soloing, grouping, a nice world to explore, tonnes of quests, good system performance, not too many bugs, etc, etc, etc. It is like they have finally taken what they learned from AC1, AC2 and DDO and put them into a game that should correct most of these errors.
Granted, there are still some flaws. As I said above, the UI needs some improvements and these are things that should NOT be left until release. While people always forget about the UI, how you interact with the game is just as important as the game itself when there are problems with it, so I want more attention put into this before release.
The animation gripes I mentioned are more on my own personal preference than anything and will likely not be improved ever at this point so I wont gripe too much about it.
My only real "gameplay" concern is one of content. Will there be enough solo/group content to get people to the level cap? Will there be enough content to do once you reach that level cap? Will this be a repeate of AC2 and (from what I hear) DDO?
MMO's are ultimately about character development and adventure so I hope the answer to this content question is a resounding YES THERE WILL BE TONNES TO DO, else they are going to have problems with subscription numbers in the future...
However when all is said and done, I like the beta so far and it gives me a "warm feeling" inside (which could also be the coffee) and see myself playing it at release.
It still needs polish and work, but I think this is stuff they can cover by the release of the game.
Ultimatly? Get yourself a beta account and go try it out and form your own opinion, just keep in mind that it is still a bit from release.
Lilae Peutiann - 50 shaman DAoC Galahad
-----------------------------------
Lylae - 60 NE Druid WoW - Kilrogg
http://ctprofiles.net/13573
Lilae - Cow Druid WoW - Kilrogg
I didn't copy over the screenshots, but man are they amazing
Lilae Peutiann - 50 shaman DAoC Galahad
-----------------------------------
Lylae - 60 NE Druid WoW - Kilrogg
http://ctprofiles.net/13573
Lilae - Cow Druid WoW - Kilrogg
Optimism
Well, that all sounds fairly optimistic, which is good. It sure feels like it is worth a few months to try it out!?
I do wonder about the crafting system, and the group combat/class balance aspects. Darith? Any thoughts?
Ultimately, a good MMORPG should appeal to several types of gamers: hardcore/casual, roleplayer/minmaxer, crafter/adventurer, soloer/raider, etc.
I've still not tried WoW, and probably will not. Kudos to Blizzard for getting over 7 milllion copies out. That is truely amazing and surprising.
I still feel that EQ2 was super super strong, and alot of fun to play. Aside from the lack of RvR or PvP (which I know is the #1 requirement for some of you), I was really surprised that nobody else in VT enjoyed it.
I would just like to play the next MMORPG with this great group of players, so please post your intent when it becomes something you're sure about. VT will ride again!
I do wonder about the crafting system, and the group combat/class balance aspects. Darith? Any thoughts?
Ultimately, a good MMORPG should appeal to several types of gamers: hardcore/casual, roleplayer/minmaxer, crafter/adventurer, soloer/raider, etc.
I've still not tried WoW, and probably will not. Kudos to Blizzard for getting over 7 milllion copies out. That is truely amazing and surprising.
I still feel that EQ2 was super super strong, and alot of fun to play. Aside from the lack of RvR or PvP (which I know is the #1 requirement for some of you), I was really surprised that nobody else in VT enjoyed it.
I would just like to play the next MMORPG with this great group of players, so please post your intent when it becomes something you're sure about. VT will ride again!
<i><font size=1>Game Naked.<br>...often...</font></i><br><img src="http://www.volsungtribe.com/picons/urgon_prof5.jpg" align=bottom><br>
<b>LoTRO:</b><br>--Skrotto, Hobbit Hunter of 16 broken arrows--
<b>EQ2:</b>
--Samadhi, Dwarven Priest of 33 Vitae and 34 Dwarven Stouts--<br> {GMT -8}
<b>LoTRO:</b><br>--Skrotto, Hobbit Hunter of 16 broken arrows--
<b>EQ2:</b>
--Samadhi, Dwarven Priest of 33 Vitae and 34 Dwarven Stouts--<br> {GMT -8}
It is a fun game and I've enjoyed the beta.
Crafting: I kinda like this aspect, I've only played DAoC and a little Star Wars. I like being forced to find metal deposits to mine, hides to harvest, wood to chop, etc...
When beta opens up (later this month?), I would suggest getting into the beta and trying it out. I've been on the Brandywine server (Feldenak the elf hunter and Darith the human guardian).
Crafting: I kinda like this aspect, I've only played DAoC and a little Star Wars. I like being forced to find metal deposits to mine, hides to harvest, wood to chop, etc...
When beta opens up (later this month?), I would suggest getting into the beta and trying it out. I've been on the Brandywine server (Feldenak the elf hunter and Darith the human guardian).
Feldenak - 50 Elf Hunter
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
If folks want to get together and play it I can probably be convinced to play it after release. I'm seriously considering preordering it to lock in the price of $9.99/month. If you feel you want to spend extra $$ you can preorder and pay $200 for a lifetime membership and avoid monthly fees altogether.
The quest system is rather robust and well thought out. My hunter is actually level 12 and has been in a total of 2 groups. Soloing is a viable option and grouping, while encouraged, is certainly not necessary.
Crafting is interesting too. You choose a primary trade and gives you 3 subtrades. For example, my hunter is a Woodsman which gives me the 3 subtrades of Farmer, Forester and Woodworker. I haven't messed with the farming at all yet but Forester is what allows me to gather & treat various types of wood for the Woodworker profession and collect & tan hides to sell to other crafters (leatherworkers & armorcrafters mainly).
The quest system is rather robust and well thought out. My hunter is actually level 12 and has been in a total of 2 groups. Soloing is a viable option and grouping, while encouraged, is certainly not necessary.
Crafting is interesting too. You choose a primary trade and gives you 3 subtrades. For example, my hunter is a Woodsman which gives me the 3 subtrades of Farmer, Forester and Woodworker. I haven't messed with the farming at all yet but Forester is what allows me to gather & treat various types of wood for the Woodworker profession and collect & tan hides to sell to other crafters (leatherworkers & armorcrafters mainly).
Feldenak - 50 Elf Hunter
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
-
WUNBadassTHANE
- Axe of Siggurd
- Posts: 599
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:34 am
- Location: Polo!
BEHOLD!!!! The gaseous stench of SKELETOR's breakfast burrito!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wptJ2fYm3A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wptJ2fYm3A
-
WUNBadassTHANE
- Axe of Siggurd
- Posts: 599
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:34 am
- Location: Polo!
On a second note, only game I will consider playing will be Age of Conan. They are taking drastic measures to make the game fun in a pvp environment.
BEHOLD!!!! The gaseous stench of SKELETOR's breakfast burrito!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wptJ2fYm3A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wptJ2fYm3A
Well, I've actually been given the go-ahead from the wife if I wanted to game again, so color me interested in this one.Darith wrote:If folks want to get together and play it I can probably be convinced to play it after release. I'm seriously considering preordering it to lock in the price of $9.99/month. If you feel you want to spend extra $$ you can preorder and pay $200 for a lifetime membership and avoid monthly fees altogether.
LOTRO: Brandywine Server
Wyllraen: 50 Minstrel
Caeta: 27 Burglar
Wyllough: 15 Hunter
Kharybdis: 15 Champion
Wyllraen: 50 Minstrel
Caeta: 27 Burglar
Wyllough: 15 Hunter
Kharybdis: 15 Champion
oh what the hell. Don't you dare make me buy another game.Kharybdis wrote:Well, I've actually been given the go-ahead from the wife if I wanted to game again, so color me interested in this one.
Lilae Peutiann - 50 shaman DAoC Galahad
-----------------------------------
Lylae - 60 NE Druid WoW - Kilrogg
http://ctprofiles.net/13573
Lilae - Cow Druid WoW - Kilrogg
Heh, it's not going to take much to push me to buy this game..Kharybdis wrote:Well, I've actually been given the go-ahead from the wife if I wanted to game again, so color me interested in this one.Darith wrote:If folks want to get together and play it I can probably be convinced to play it after release. I'm seriously considering preordering it to lock in the price of $9.99/month. If you feel you want to spend extra $$ you can preorder and pay $200 for a lifetime membership and avoid monthly fees altogether.
Pre-order though, you can lock in a $9.99/month instead of $14.95 (or you can pay the $200 and never have a monthly charge).
Feldenak - 50 Elf Hunter
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
Avarys - 23 Human Burglar
Darith - 30 Elf Champion
Amanddal - 21 Elf Minstrel
Tagnarn - 24 Dwarf Guardian
Lord of the Rings - Brandwine Server
Yeah, because it's always a big twist of your arm to make you start a new game.Lilae wrote: oh what the hell. Don't you dare make me buy another game.
Haven't you been looking for something fresh and new, anyhow?
LOTRO: Brandywine Server
Wyllraen: 50 Minstrel
Caeta: 27 Burglar
Wyllough: 15 Hunter
Kharybdis: 15 Champion
Wyllraen: 50 Minstrel
Caeta: 27 Burglar
Wyllough: 15 Hunter
Kharybdis: 15 Champion