Lord of the Rings Online: E3 2005 Impressions

Comments

• Orcc Member Posts: 3,043

  May 2005

  Well this is one game thats seems to be taking a turn for the better. I really like the new look of the game, it feels much more fantasy-ish, as opposed to the ultra-realistic look before. I just hope its more than fighting and questing, with trade skills and more open-ended gameplay... only time will tell.

  
• Rexfelis Member Posts: 40

  May 2005

  I love the LOTR movies and had been a lukewarm fan of the novels.  I am a much greater fan of Dungeons & Dragons and its more dramatic use of wizardry, so theres no question I'll be playing DDO by Turbine.  But LOTR Online?  I'd surely like to try it out.  It sounds nice, and different enough from DDO that there ideally shouldn't be much attempts at comparison between the two (but there always is anyway...)  I just hope that Turbine can put their full support behind these two huge liciences: DDO & LOTRO.  I don't like hearing this article say "Looks like LOTRO will be the flagship" product of Turbine.  If one gets too much internal attention then what about their other game?
• WuduLarch Member Posts: 140

  May 2005

  I am so pumped abot this title. I hope to be first on the pre-order list. The movies were great, but the books go so much deeper and explore so much more area. I have been waiting for this to be completed for well over a year and it seemed that the previous developer (Verant or Vivendi, I can never keep them straight.) was dawdling but Turbine really seems to be working on it. It looks great! 
• Dana Member Posts: 2,415

  May 2005

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  Originally posted by Rexfelis
  I love the LOTR movies and had been a lukewarm fan of the novels. I am a much greater fan of Dungeons & Dragons and its more dramatic use of wizardry, so theres no question I'll be playing DDO by Turbine. But LOTR Online? I'd surely like to try it out. It sounds nice, and different enough from DDO that there ideally shouldn't be much attempts at comparison between the two (but there always is anyway...) I just hope that Turbine can put their full support behind these two huge liciences: DDO & LOTRO. I don't like hearing this article say "Looks like LOTRO will be the flagship" product of Turbine. If one gets too much internal attention then what about their other game?

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  When I called it the flagship that was me calling it the flagship... I was trying to say it looked better than D&D Online - not that D&D looked bad, but LOTR just looked really really good

  Dana Massey
  Formerly of MMORPG.com
  Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
• Antiquitas Member Posts: 26

  May 2005

  I'm really getting the impression this one is going to trump other mmorpgs on the market. Please let it be so!! What I am seeing looks extremely impressive...Good job so far Turbine!!
• methusala Member Posts: 15

  May 2005

  Where do you get the "Turbine is known for SOLID,beautiful,FUN games?"Which Turbine mmorpg were you thinking of?
• Embers Member UncommonPosts: 66

  May 2005

  You can't play an orc, can't play a mage, you can't pvp...

  Going to be interesting to see how this is going to have any long term appeal when it is released in 2 years.
• Anofalye Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 7,433

  May 2005

  I like the solo focus of this game.  At last a game that not say meaningless solo lure, but that a soloer can do EVERYTHING, thereby missing nothing.

   

  My only concern is about challenge and fun, can they make it FUN and challenging?  No PvP and no orc is fine, no wizard is a logical choice.  No healer as well I assume, or they walk away from logic on this in order to make a more ''interesting gameplay''(both options are fine with me)?  If there is a lack of real challenge, I will be the first to say Morrowind is better then this game, but instancing is indeed necessary for the solo instanced challenges such a game would need, high end to soloers only(I can think of arachnea solo instanced to earn uberness)!

   

  This game have the potential to rip the consoles world and bring TONS of new players online(I bet Sony and Microsoft more or less like this idea), however it will only succeed well if there is enought challenge and that the players can always progress and learn even if they experience majors setbacks(eh, experiencing setback but eventually overcoming them is part of LotR story).  Maybe failing an instanced solo challenge ''penalties'' can be avoided if a friend of you come to finish another instanced to ''free you''(in the meanwhile you should be allowed to play at something or some other stuff, no point in really waiting for your friend(s) to do it solo).

   

  We will see.

   

  PS: Long term appeal can only be gained with enought challenges and enought progression, both of them...with a lack of challenge or progression, I feel this game will fall beside the mark.  It need to beat Morrowind and justify the monthly fees, and if it does, it will drain many soloers from all existing MMORPGs and from the consoles at large...it have the potential to break everything we see so far...but it also have the potential to fail.

   

  PPS: It would have been nice to include a grouping advancement system, that only affect you in groups so soloers dont care about it, and that you can only earn while grouped.  Having no reason to group is not a good thing.  Shafting soloers would not be a good thing either(yet the competitors all do it for some lame reason).  But having ''Kheldian'' like power to be earn in group only(see CoH cosmic balance), now we are talking about having a reason to group that soloers would just not care at all about, which is a win/win scenario!

  - "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
• Elapsed Member UncommonPosts: 2,329

  May 2005

  
  

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  Originally posted by methusala
  Where do you get the "Turbine is known for SOLID,beautiful,FUN games?"Which Turbine mmorpg were you thinking of?
  

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  AC1 is a solid, fun game, and when it was released it was failry beautiful. AC2 is just beauty. Seeing the lengthy development time they are taking with LotR and DDO I think Turbine learned not to rush a game like what happened with AC2.
• admriker444 Member Posts: 1,526

  May 2005

  Thank you for a wonderful review AND giving me hope for a new great mmorpg. I was pretty down after the Vanguard review (group oriented) and didnt see much else of interest. Im currently bouncing around to various 14 day trials in a state of misery since the disaster that was the CU (SWG).

  This gives me something to look forward to.
• Whiteknight Member Posts: 82

  May 2005

  after reading the article and the news that MEO (guess I will stop calling it that one day but I like that name better kind of) has been revived. And from what your review says it sounds like they are doing a great job with it which is great, and I hope they keep going down that same path and make it very worthwhile to play for gamers who are interested in it.

  It's a good day to beleive
  
• Jackdog Member UncommonPosts: 6,321

  May 2005

  No PvP, no mages, no player housing. A bunch of different m

  I miss DAoC
• escaflowne15 Member Posts: 5

  May 2005

  I am absolutly looking forwars to this game, at the moment i'm going to try Guild Wars, and hopefully that will pass the time until this game is released. Of course this game wont be everyone's cup of tea but to me this game is everything I want in a MMO. PvE, noone is a main character, everyone is on the same side and the biggest plus, you get to explore a beautifully designed world that encompases all of tolkien's lands.

   

  Also another bonus is that mobs arnt just walking back and forth waiting to be attacked, they (to the best of my knowledge) arnt in peaceful areas (ie the shire) to stay true to the book, they are only in enemy/contested areas, also not have a spell caster class might affect population but most hard core LOTR fans wont mind this as it follows the book and, if you want to cast spells, why not just play any other fantasy game that has been made?

   

  -rob
• sanca Member Posts: 1

  May 2005

  [quote]Originally posted by Anofalye
  [b]I like the solo focus of this game. At last a game that not say meaningless solo lure, but that a soloer can do EVERYTHING, thereby missing nothing.[/quote]

  
  Erm, where d'you get that from? I've been following MEO/LOTRO for a good while and the team has always stated that parts of it will be soloable but you will need a group for a good part of it as well.

  If I just misunderstood what you said then ignore me.
• Archa Member Posts: 32

  June 2005

  What i have read so far about lotro it seems that this game will be very attractive to a large amount of people who haven't played mmorpg yet.

  Personally i don't think this game will provide enough content for hardcore gamers and as there is no player versus player yet i don't think the game will remain interesting for very long.

  However, the graphics look fantastic and i think that when you buy this game you will defeatnely be sucked into the world of tolkien and enjoy the beauty of it.

  But so far I haven't noticed much originality. Time will tell.

  Another thing that struck me odd is the fact that you can play only 4 races? (To little if you ask me...)
  and that includes the hobbits.....
  Would anybody want to be a hobbit? I don't:). I want to be an almighty bowing elf or a sword fighting human.
  
• wilq Member UncommonPosts: 144

  March 2006

  i wait for this game, he gives me almoust all i want from mmorpg, no pvp good i hate ppl only camping to get another kill, no mages? can you see any in lotr, only ishtari are substytute of mage and no would become one of them. i like to go with my friends exploring new places and doing quests