Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Lord of the Rings Online: The Year In Review
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Lord of the Rings Online Senior Producer Aaron “Rowan” Campbell has written a short note on the official site reviewing 2011 and what it meant to the game. Calling 2011 a "huge year", Campbell reminds players of what has passed and peeks ahead at 2012.
Read the full letter on the Lord of the Rings Online site.
Comments
"In July, we unified our North American and European LOTRO Communities together under the Turbine Global Service. We're extremely delighted to have our European community here with us, as Sauron's darkness continues to encroach upon the Free Peoples and Isengard rises in the south.
Still, global WoW, SWTOR and RIFT to name a few I've played have their own European servers and better latency (approximately three times better), so maybe you should ask if *we* the players are extremely delighted (especially in pvp) and not *you* the management.
And btw Turbine force-changed my 4 year old spider name that never bothered Codemasters or any other players, never said why, and asked me for real money to choose a name I'd like.
Add to this an underwhelming full priced expansion, a smash your face constant LOTRO STORE ingame banners, and random system combats that need 15 hits to kill a wolf and on the top of it... no mounted combat as we are now playing for Rohirrim.
So mr producer, allow me not to be "extremely delighted" about LOTRO in 2011 and worried for LOTRO in 2012.
Well said.
I used to play Lotro a lot, spent around 2500-3000 hours together over the years, and the game in my eyes went downhill since Moria. I am still blaming the cheap lifetime offer at release, which drained the long-term revenues severely and now when lots of their veteran players are already lifetimers, they have to rely on store-items and making and selling cosmetic items, which doesn't really add the "content" value, and the game seems heavily stagnating.
I'll be watching the year 2012, since according to the producer's main words, is going to be the year with most content added, however unrealistic and exaggarated that statement sounds.
REALITY CHECK
Game has lost me this year and I'm a lifetime sub. It just doesn't capture me this year the way it did with the mirkwood expansion. Too much focus, once again, on the tired WoW endgame raid model.
I am actually coming back. Lifer since 2007 and quit in 2009 when skirms and radiant gear was focus. I know there isn't much emphasis on radiant now (if at all?) but it seems skirmishes has become a huge thing which I'm disappointed in. I'll get my hunter to 75, finish the fun and the grindy deeds and see how I feel after that.
I am worried about the game though. I just don't see how much they can be making with cash shop (especially since lifers get free points monthy anyways).
There still are lots of VIP subscribers like myself and my friends who pay $10 per month to play. I've never bought TP though, and I only buy from the store from my monthly allowance and earned points. The only purchases that are (somewhat) required from the store are the Relic Removal Scrolls, which are usually only necessary when upgrading to a Second or First Age legendary weapon or class item. For my playstyle, that will only be a few times in a year. So for the most part, players like me just ignore the store and play LOTRO as it was before the store was introduced.
What could *really* hurt the game would be to lose subs like me, and that will happen if they don't release a steady stream of content (especially end-game) throughout 2012. They have promised that they will; we shall see. Themepark, level-based MMOs like LOTRO, WoW and SWTOR are getting long-in-the-tooth for many of us MMO vets. LOTRO will probably be my last one, and I'm just not really feeling it for the Galaxy Far Far Away ...
Agreed, I am playing SWTOR now and am enjoying the Journey once again
LOTRO has kinda lost me to Minecraft to be honest, lol. I can rp a dwarf in Minecraft and feel so much more dwarven than I ever have in LOTRO.
Oh, yeah, and Skyrim.
LOTRO will most likely lose me when GW2 comes out. The lack of good updates and long stretches between updates have really hurt the game. One thing that has always bothered me is that when I get a Legendary weapon why can't I keep it and work at upgrading it instead of throwing it away? I do like the fact that radience is gone (what a stupid idea). I predict the game will really be hurting in 2012 (unless they pull off a miracle). The lifetime sub thing was a really bad idea.
uhm yeah this is definitely not a big year for LOTRO, their fail expansion said it all for me. The only two things they improved upon in this expansion were the class dynamics for pve and thereputation grind which was fine in the beginning. Nothing else new from a very old mmo. They need to take a hint from Rift, SWTOR and most especially from GW2 and start thinking on fixing every major mmo issue EVERY game has had thus far. (excluding GW2 since it's not out yet). The legendary weapon system is really antiquated and very time consuming, more time consuming then dailies for rep are on World of Warcraft during the burning crusade and that's saying something right there.
What journey, there is no such thing in SWTOR, your hand is held the entire way and level 50 is only a few weeks of gameplay away. At least there is still some journey in Lotro.
Lotro needs more content, I just hope the playerbase is spending enough to fund it.
I completely agree. LOTRO has also lost me this year and I'm a lifetime sub. I'm really just hanging around waiting for GW2 and then I'm not likely to login again for any reason.
They completely lost the spark that was in the original LOTRO. All the focus is now on the damn store and the raid end-game.
Once Lord Of The RIngs Went Free To Play They lost the feel of the original game. I do not want to be told to keep buying CRAP to add to the Game, Go to the Store for everything that I do not need. I am a Lifetime Member and am not playing anymore on a regular basis.. They even added the new Expansion and that did not keep my interest in the game.. I opened the Horse paths and never played it again..
I went on to Rift and that got boring real fast since there is NEVER enough people playign to get help anymore.. Once Star Wars The Old Republic opened up I am staying there and once in a while hit LOTRO to keep my house in good order incase they find something that will make the game interesting again and maybe they can find a wat to STOP Crying for people to use their store
i was actually excited for roi at first then i got into roi beta and was the same crap nothing there was new just rehashed areas no pvp map there either even though they said there was going to be. Then the next thing i hear about the pvp map is "thats not going to happen at roi" so once again i was lied to i should have learned my lesson when they lied in moria about the new map.
you go to log in and put pass "advertisement to BUY NOW"
You go to loading screen and it has another advertisement to BUY NOW
you then go the login screen to select character and the turbine store button is bigger then all the buttons on the loading screen LOL
its just a virtual grocery store now/pay 2 win
and dont forget to buy a key to have a chance to get one those new creeps skins for your monster players lmao
thank god for tor advertisement free and no buy now button
Its pretty sad i feel like im going through swg 2 with lotro unsuscribe ftw just sucks in 4 years this is where its at = /