Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Is MEO Turbine's next project?
BruceYee
Member EpicPosts: 2,556
While I was playing LOTRO the other day I realized that we are probably around two expansions away from our stories in this game coming to an end. I see two more expansions, probably 'Path to Gondor' and "Fires of Mordor" or something like that but after that we will all technically "finish the game" and $$$ going to Turbine, WB and The Saul Zentz company will go down considerably.
The recent hiring of multiple devs http://www.gamespot.com/news/turbine-hires-elder-scrolls-designer-ken-rolston-6398568
makes me think that they are gearing up for a new MMO project, and if so then what is it? MEO? AC3? Harry Potter MMO?
There is no doubt that MEO had the community support back in the day that any developer would love to have today. I do not see the creation of MEO conflicting with LOTRO at all, seeing as one is themepark, and the other is sandbox both set in different ages. When you play one you "might" get the urge to play the other to experience a different time in Middle-Earth.
I also believe there is a shift in focus going on behind the scenes with many game companies, and they are all looking to make either the first successful "Sandpark" or just cash in on the fact that there are many players fiending for a good AAA (ground based) sandbox MMO. I think Smed might've spilled the beans on it here http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/10/23/sony-online-everquest-next-design/
And last but definetly not least, I started to wonder about Blizzard's next project Titan and how they said that it would still "be growing strong" in 10, 15, 20 years as stated below and how it plays into everything. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28Blizzard_Entertainment_project%29
We all know as proven with EVE that sandbox games retain their playerbase quite well and that their numbers actually grow over time, which has me thinking that Turbine's next project will be a sandbox style game.
For all the reasons stated above I believe MEO: Days of the King <my little addition to it all 
would be a winner if developed properly, seeing as it has one of the world's most popular IP's and an evergrowing & devoted fanbase.
What do you guys/girls think?
Comments
Turbine has the rights to create game content up to and including The Similarion. They're pretty set for content for LOTRO. Also, Turbine is a company that DOES learn from history, especially their own. Any attempt at a sequel to an existing IP would probably be met with severe skepticism if not complete rage by brand (not necessarily game) loyal fans.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Sorry to sound like a nub, But whats MEO?
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
Um no.
The next expansion is the half of Rohan people actually care about. Helms Deep and Edoras.
The expansion after that will probably be half of gondor. With another "expansion" coming out a year later with teh white city and osgiliath.
It's not like they couldn't continue after mordor. Sure it would be anticlimactic but there are entire regions of middle earth they could go to.
I think the game will be aborted before ever reaching Mordor. I also don't see them getting a renewed license passed 2017, they totally dropped the ball with the most love Fantasy IP in the world besides maybe Harry Potter.
The Spillamillion? The Spamcotillion? The Spermpavillion? The Sillycivilian? The Simvaudevillian? The Stillvermillion? The Sadbrazilian? The Sealpillion?
...
...I'm out.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire:
Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.
No they don't. The Silmarillion was published after Tolkien sold the rights to Hobbit/LOTR to Saul Zaentz. Christopher Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate have the rights secured to the Silmarillion, Lost Tales, ... They have no desire to sell them to let people make games based on them. Christopher Tolkien is teh one that disowned a son and removed him from the board of the Tolkien Estate after his son publicly supported the LOTR movies.
Having two MMOs with the same Ip would conflict far too much for them to do it, I think.
Turbine made the deliberate choice to transform Middle Earth Online into a WoW clone. Why would they go back on that?
LotRO isn't performing very well, Turbine would be more likely to just abandon Middle Earth than giving it another go. The investors would give it to another company before giving Turbine a second chance to cock it up.
It's what LotRO was called throughout most of its development because it was NGE'd and turned from a sandbox to a WoW clone. They're the same game, but totally different style, like pre NGE SWG and recent SWG.
My info was from a conversation about WBIE and ownership of the various IPs about a year or two ago, so I evidently misunderstood which content Turbine had access to. Thanks for the correction on the information and spelling.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
i would prefer another company to have a crack at lotr. Turbine has relied to much on the name. FFS it took them 5 years to get to rohan? most people i know that still play lotro say the mounted combat isnt amazing or real awesome. This was there big selling point for rohan was mounted combat meh.
5 years in and there still on the same pvp map to all they did was move things around and claim its a new moors/revamp well they promised a new pvp map 2 times when selling an xpac then shelf the map. 5 years on the same pvp map and thier still 5 years in unable to balance pvp. Instead they cater the OP fotm crowd 5 years in lol.
I would love to see another lotr mmo by another company turdbine has turned lotr in lord of the turbine store sadly.
I hope if there is another lotr mmo its with another company turbine does not listen and they do not learn from thier mistakes see asherons call and lotr itself lol.
You might have to deal with the scourge of the shire after mordor.
I always thought, that since they can't re-write it so your character drops the ring - the final expansion may involve you needing to reach the undying lands - and that could be a pretty epic 'conclusion' .
That statement is wrong on so many levels. I'm not even going to argue with that, but rather just point how that is untrue.
Or opening up the Grey Havens and allow our characters to sail "Into the West" one final time and then it's over, would be a nice way to conclude the game
Permit me to express utter skepticism about this. Turbine is a company now only focused on making money, the welfare of their customers doesn't matter anymore. They learned nothing from e.g. AC2's demise, and they are repeating history.
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
- PANTERA at HELLFEST 2023
It's funny, because by stomping on their customers by giving the ol NGE to Middle Earth Online, and then making one of the worst FTP systems out there... they're making LESS money.
They didnt drop the ball. Its very good rendition of middle earth. In fact probably best LOTR game for computers/consoles.
But its running out of steam (subscribers). I seriously can not see them ever reaching Mordor.
Its just to ambitios for allready old game everyone have grown bored of.
If anything they hired Kenny Rolston , because he was available. So they snatched him for cheap.
I just hope they at least plan new IP. A sandbox one...
Because Turbine is probably the best MMO dev in the long run.
If its AC3 and its sandbox like the first one i will pre order right now.
They dropped the ball in a huge way. A good rendition of Middle Earth wouldn't force you through linear zones with invisible walls and artificial hills, or instance every cave, nor would it insta kill you for trying to explore. LotRO was dated the day they released it because they based it entirely on WoW, which was already outdated at the time of LotRO's release. Linear quest grinding was just about the worst system they could have used in LotRO. There was a reason LotRO never got big.
Your opinion =/= fact..
LotrO is relativly big.
I can give you lots of reason why it didnt become bigger but maybe that is for another thread.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
Gotta agree with you guys, I think LotRO is being handled correctly. The whole thing is story driven, so the gameplay must follow the story and mostly lead the player along the story. You are given some freedom of what to do and where to go within the confines of the story and your level and I feel this is how it should be. I played LotRO from the start up until the Isengard expansion and by this point I was getting bored with LotRO. The Isengard expansion was not all that great from my perspective, more of the same to be sure which can be a good thing but it felt lackluster to me. The Rohan beta didn't really impress me a whole lot; the mounted combat was decent but felt pretty stiff and laggy in a sense. I'm not interested in plopping down $40 for the expansion, feels too expensive...that's almost as much as I paid for the full game when it first came out.
I would rather Turbine either A) make another Asheron's Call game more in spirit of the first game than AC2 or barring that
do something with a new IP. I don't think we need another Lord of the Rings/Middle Earth MMO at this point in time.
Turbine WAS one of the best MMO devs - today's Turbine is not the same at all.
I'm playing a bit here and there since I have a lifetime and expansions are basically free for me, but I'm not overly impressed by Rohan. Maybe I'm just bored of quest hub MMORPGs, I also got one week back in WoW so I tried that, and same thing, I quickly got bored of the gameplay. The slow combat in LOTRO makes it even harder.
LOTRO is aging, it shows, but I sincerely hope for those who still enjoy it fully and for whom it's the main MMORPG they play that they will make it to Mordor. But Turbine laying off team members isn't a good sign...
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
- PANTERA at HELLFEST 2023