LOTR Online

[roadrunner]

Anyone trying out LOTR online? I picked up the pre-release and can participate in the open beta. I have read several articles stating that while it is pretty polished it may not have enough content for long term play. I am looking for something to carry over until Conan comes around as that looks pretty interesting.

I have reached my fill of single digit FPS and crappy coding with Vanguard. I still think the concept of VG is very good but the development staff has a lot to be desired. The patches demonstrate how the VG staff does not have a clue. In crafting they have fixed, partially fixed, broken again, or broke several things again and again. Each patch introduces more bugs than it fixes. The only thing they seem to get right the first time is the nerfs. A bigger concern is the lack of addressing fundamental concept approaches. Case in point crafted items in VG are not soulbound so they can be resold. While this is nice for the buyers it creates a situation where crafted items never leave the market. It gets worse as crafters cannot even decon those items only adventuring items. There are numerous threads about this on crafting forums but sigil would rather comment on the color of items than attempt to address the bigger issues. Heck I would be happy with just a reply saying that they understand the issue and working on a resolution. Oh well I'm done ranting.

So for anyone trying LOTR out let me know and I will create my toon on your server.

[Damaen]

my friend played it, and says that while unlike wow you feel like your actually in a little world and acomplishing things (his words, i find wow fien) he says its pretty much the same game as wow.

[rhonnin]

My wife and I will be trying it, already downloaded and waiting to install.
My belief is the game will be too easy, that's why I never cared for WoW, but the pricing is right and some of the game mechanics are incredibly detailed.
Has anyone seen some of the videos of people playing music in game? It's amazing.
blah

[roadrunner]

Most likely it will be around the same difficulty as wow as that is where the market is at the moment. VG is heading that way from the changes in XP and the experimental death changes on test. The funny thing is that I really don't feel VG is any harder than WoW but reading VG in-game chat ppl talk like it is. I may be in the minority but I don't equate harsher death penalties with difficulty. I find the combat AI about the same between the games.

Like you said the price is pretty good if you pre-order so I may take it up when it hits live based on how I like the beta.

[rhonnin]

I find it a bit more challenging than wow, but I play a rogue in VG which makes a bit of a difference, I'm not finding that strategy doesn't play as much of a roll like it did in EQ1 which kind of goes along with how the death penalty does effect the difficulty, if there's no fear of death then there's no real need to use any strategy, you can just zerg through encounters.
Though, FYI they pulled those changes off test and it wont be going live.
But really, at this point I'm so disappointed with the general state of the new games out there I'm tempted to just stick with AO for now. Eve just added integrated voice chat so I may consider that too.

[Rangerr]

I downloaded the free beta last night, what server are you guys on?

[rhonnin]

Nimrodel or how ever it's spelled for me.

[roadrunner]

I have a dwarf champion on Elendilmir.

[Tackalt]

So did VG not take off like everyone expected? Have not heard you guys talking about it at all.

[rhonnin]

I don't think any of us are playing together.
I think VG will be a great game but right now it's buggy and unfinished. I enjoy it still personally but it probably is as much a result of the people I play with as the game its self.
I also reinstalled DAOC when they turned all the old accounts back on so I've been messing with that while I can for nostalgia. Was fun to log in and find my old characters right where I had logged out the last time, well, once I figured out what servers they were on.