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Lord of the Rings Online - The Official Thread.

post #1 of 161
4/24/07 at 4:59am
Thread Starter 
So, anyone else diving into the world of Middle-Earth?

I've become a full blown junky with this game. Just terrible. I know I'm a junky because I let myself starve Sunday afternoon unwilling to get up and grab the steaks that were just cooked from the kitchen stove.

It's only a World of Warcraft clone...blah blah blah. Why is it that I played WoW for the past 5 months and it felt like a chore. That when I sat down with Guild Wars I felt alone.

This does what the other MMO's I've tinkered with couldn't achieve. Addiction. You take the story driven arcs from Guild Wars, then mash it up with the ease of use of Warcraft, and you end up with this bleeding time sink...

Of course it helps that I've joined our interoffice Kinship. Maybe that's what was missing from my GW/WOW experiences was actually playing with people I knew. So in fairness I'll admit that.

But I like the open world style of play offered. I'm not just tossed into the newb zone and tasked with killing 10 rat things, 10 rat things with vests, 10 rat things with candles on their heads, 10 baby wolves, 10 adult wolves...I'm surprised I can go about for the most part and freely explore things without being decimated by something I can't beat without grinding my character for a week.

That and they actually reward you if you do decide to grind it out with the Deed system that enhances learnt skills.

I've only played through to the 2nd major town/hub...looking at the f'ing map shows I'm barely out the front door.

If you've gotten yourself a copy you can find me on the Silverlode server playing as "Bobcaygeon".
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post #2 of 161
4/24/07 at 6:07am
I am very interested in it and I'll probably start it up this weekend. Does anyone know if it's the same deal as WOW, separate servers for US and Europe that is? Because it would be fun if some like minded chewers would like to start up a fellowship.
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post #3 of 161
4/24/07 at 8:35am
It is seperate, as far as I know. Codemasters are taking care of it in Europe.

I played a beta for a while. It doesn't have that many original ideas in it (Deed system is great, though), but it's very well put together and very addictive. But what I really liked about is how relaxing it is. You just explore the world, do whatever you want to do and, for some reason, level grinding is the last thing on your mind. Don't tell me you won't have an urge to take a snapshot of yourself horse-riding while Weathertop stands still in the background.
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post #4 of 161
4/24/07 at 9:26am
I've read reviews that say it does take ideas from other games, but it takes ideas that work, and where's the problem with that?

I was in the beta and enjoyed it but was hardcore into Burning Crusade at the time. Now I haven't touched WoW in over a month, and with the great reviews this is getting (and with my Tolkien obsession), I may have to get this.
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post #5 of 161
4/24/07 at 9:30am
As gay as I am for the idea of walking around Middle-earth, I would still like to get some school- and regular work done.
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post #6 of 161
4/24/07 at 12:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert K.
It is seperate, as far as I know. Codemasters are taking care of it in Europe.

I played a beta for a while. It doesn't have that many original ideas in it (Deed system is great, though), but it's very well put together and very addictive. But what I really liked about is how relaxing it is. You just explore the world, do whatever you want to do and, for some reason, level grinding is the last thing on your mind. Don't tell me you won't have an urge to take a snapshot of yourself horse-riding while Weathertop stands still in the background.

No they changed this due to customer complates Europe can use US servers and vis versa . So they listened to there customers , So +1 for turbine , I have beta tested this game and got a copy already , its lots of fun .
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post #7 of 161
4/24/07 at 1:04pm
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a dev on LOTRO - but I wanted to say I'm glad that you're enjoying it, Mongy!
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post #8 of 161
4/24/07 at 7:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenGellor
No they changed this due to customer complates Europe can use US servers and vis versa . So they listened to there customers , So +1 for turbine , I have beta tested this game and got a copy already , its lots of fun .
Thanks. I didn't know that as I wasn't following LOTRO news ever since I Pre-ordered my copy some time ago.
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post #9 of 161
4/24/07 at 7:31pm
What's the monthly fee?
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post #10 of 161
4/24/07 at 10:31pm
Thread Starter 
cool...a dev. Great game you assembled.

Pricing right now is standard ($15-ish) for non pre-order customers. Pre-order folk should've gotten a founders code for $9.99 monthly (or $199 lifetime).
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post #11 of 161
4/25/07 at 1:06am
Just ran through the intro levels for the race of Men, and damned if that wasn't one of the more exciting experiences I've had in a MMORPG. It builds nicely to the climax and you really feel like you're in the middle of an epic story.

And damn smooth launch too -- no lag whatsoever.
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post #12 of 161
4/25/07 at 3:55am
After the first month of play is over, I'm seriously thinking about paying the lifetime fee. Especially if I consider how much money I've spent on WOW.
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post #13 of 161
4/29/07 at 12:00pm
We do have some pretty crazy things further on in the Epic story - since we get to instance certain dungeons depending on which section of the story you're in, we can do some neat single-player-RPG style events; even Tom Bombadil gets to be kind of a bad-ass, and that's no small feat.

Stelios, I think the Lifetime plan is only an option if you preordered? Maybe you did, though.
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post #14 of 161
4/29/07 at 2:37pm
I like how the plan seems to be to expand the game according to the storyline of the book. So as the Fellowship reaches Rohan, they'll open up Rohan to the players. That'll really add to the immersion and the sense that you're part of the story.
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post #15 of 161
4/30/07 at 4:22am
Thread Starter 
Still addicted...now I have two characters going. The newer one is a Minstrel that'll provide my main character with ore and wood.

Game is obscenely huge. I got some nuts and ventured beyond Combe/Staddle/Marshes and went to see how far north of Bree I could go. Surprisingly the area was empty. Found the vacant festival place - wonder if that'll be a place to be later on in the game. It's really satisfying just turning a corner and finding raw materials to mine, good raw materials, and not be in a race to harvest it with anyone else. All was well until I got abused by a crow and an orc.

I have a long way to go if I want to catch up with my Kinsmen (who've been playing since the beta). Thankfully they're willing to slum it out and help me nab the harder fellowship quests on my plate.
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post #16 of 161
4/30/07 at 4:47am
Well. I'm a level 9 Champion now (Ingadan on the Snowbourn server) and I'm liking the game a lot. They were wise not to stray too far away from the established mechanics of the genre, but some of the changes they made are excellent. Especially the Deeds and Traits. It's a great solution to grinding which in my mind is the kiss of death for any MMORPG. I make it a point to never grind on purpose in the games I play but here I'm slowly turning into a Deed whore. Also great quest grouping so far. You never have to travel too far for a quest and if you do, you usually pick up a few more along the way.

On the technical side, smooth as butter launch, great graphics and art direction but the character animations need some work.

I think I'm gonna be in for the long run.
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post #17 of 161
4/30/07 at 10:21am
are there any good reviews up of the game?
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post #18 of 161
4/30/07 at 10:27am
There's a few here.
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post #19 of 161
4/30/07 at 12:02pm
i'm in the same boat as some of you. I've pretty much put WoW on the backburner(guild disbanded and I hate being by myself and I'm too casual to join a big guild). I may have to look into getting this.
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post #20 of 161
4/30/07 at 12:09pm
I have to agree on the quest grouping -- I'm doing the series of quests in Chetwood right now, and I finished off four quests in about half an hour just running around the woods. I did accidentally stumble into the Weather Hills and nearly got killed by a level 19 spider, but even that was fun.

And my first view of the Midgewater Marsh was perfect. Crested a hill, saw some ruins in the distance and this huge fen beneath me, it felt just like when I read the book for the first time.
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post #21 of 161
4/30/07 at 12:43pm
What kind of systems are you guys playing on? I seem to juuuust make the "recommended" (translation: minimum) requirements--2.8Ghz P4, 1GB RAM, Radeon x800 XT--so I'm wondering how playable we're talking here.
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post #22 of 161
4/30/07 at 12:50pm
I've got an HP Pavilion Media Center Edition with dual AMD processors and 512mb video card and over a gig of RAM and it recommened pretty high graphics settings for me, and so far there's been no problems.
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post #23 of 161
4/30/07 at 1:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
And my first view of the Midgewater Marsh was perfect. Crested a hill, saw some ruins in the distance and this huge fen beneath me, it felt just like when I read the book for the first time.
That's pretty fucking good.
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post #24 of 161
4/30/07 at 10:33pm
Thread Starter 
Pretty fucking good would be your first time in the Old Forest just west of Bree. Great art work matched with an excellent score....awesome. That's all I have to say on that (you can go there and see the other cool touches thrown in).
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post #25 of 161
5/7/07 at 6:03am
I have to go on a quest with Aragorn, and I'm ashamed to admit that I'm completely geeked out about it.

Somebody please shoot me.
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post #26 of 161
5/9/07 at 7:37am
This game is great. I'm hooked. I would actually be playing right now if it weren't for the servers being down for maintenance, god damn it!
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post #27 of 161
5/9/07 at 1:38pm
This looks like a blast. Fuck'em for not making it a universal app, though--us Apple folk want to play, too!
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post #28 of 161
5/9/07 at 6:35pm
Is it anywhere near the grind that WoW is? I love WoW but I don't have the patience that some people do...i'm a 44 hunter and I feel like i've been in the 40s forever. It's such a grind....does this achieve a better balance?
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post #29 of 161
5/9/07 at 8:23pm
I haven't been able to play much lately, but I can say that the quests are much more story-driven than "gotta level-up" missions. I just helped in the courtship of two young hobbits, and then there's the all-encompassing Angmar storyline going on.

I'm itching to get into the Monster levels too.
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post #30 of 161
5/9/07 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark
Fuck'em for not making it a universal app, though--us Apple folk want to play, too!
it was surprisingly easy to use Bootcamp on my wife's mac. Game runs alright on mac hardware with our copy of XP.
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post #31 of 161
5/9/07 at 10:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark
This looks like a blast. Fuck'em for not making it a universal app, though--us Apple folk want to play, too!
Yes, but have you don't have to deal with little fat guy whining all the time about how hard he is to use.
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post #32 of 161
5/9/07 at 11:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
Yes, but have you don't have to deal with little fat guy whining all the time about how hard he is to use.
Right when I was reading this post, an Apple commercial came on TV.

I am loving this game. I have never played any MMORPGs before, but since they let people try the game out in beta I gave it a try.

Since I never played WOW, I have no basis for comparison, but I will say that there are lots of things to do besides leveling up. Besides the various quests, there are deeds that when completed give you various traits that strengthen your character, and there are various crafting vocations you can pursue.

The only negative thing I have to say so far about the game is the serious lag around the most populated areas. It looks like they have added a patch to help minimize the lag, though.
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post #33 of 161
5/10/07 at 12:03am
Whoops.
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post #34 of 161
5/10/07 at 12:03am
I suck. Sorry.
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post #35 of 161
5/10/07 at 8:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boe
The only negative thing I have to say so far about the game is the serious lag around the most populated areas. It looks like they have added a patch to help minimize the lag, though.
Based on how much better the game performed with regards to lag yesterday, I'd guess there has been some pretty frantic upgrading going on. Still, all things considered, LOTRO performs much better than WOW did at this stage of its life.

And it seems that the first content update will happen in a couple of weeks.
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post #36 of 161
5/10/07 at 2:03pm
I've never been much of a fan of MMO games but this game has me somewhat intrested. But I think I'll wait until the mines of moria get added before I take the plunge.
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post #37 of 161
5/10/07 at 9:47pm
I just got it today. It's really good, I just need to upgrade my RAM because I can't even move at times. Seems to be a lot of fun, though...
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post #38 of 161
5/11/07 at 11:00pm
just got it on sale at Target today. Will dive in this weekend. So everybody list your servers so I can play with some chewers!
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post #39 of 161
5/12/07 at 6:07am
I'm on Gladden.
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post #40 of 161
5/12/07 at 6:41am
For you European LOTRO playing chewers, I'm Ingadan on the Snowbourn server. Feel free to send a /tell.
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post #41 of 161
5/12/07 at 9:35pm
I've never played an MMO and often mock my friends mercilessly for being WoW addicts, but for some reason I felt compelled to pick this up. It's a hell of a lot of fun so far. I just finished my first instance as a Man and sadly feel like I've now truly accomplished something in my day. Plus it's good to have those friends I mocked around to help me with the MMO learning curve. Took me awhile just to get used to walking around...
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post #42 of 161
5/13/07 at 12:20am
my install keeps fucking up at the same part....
It won't copy one of the files from the disc. Ive tried several times. What are my options?
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post #43 of 161
5/13/07 at 1:33am
yay now it inexplicably works. this is why i hate PC gaming
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post #44 of 161
5/13/07 at 10:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Straight Edge
yay now it inexplicably works. this is why i hate PC gaming
Agreed. I suck at figuring out specs and knowing what the hell my computer is capable of. In my perfect world everything would be on a console...
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post #45 of 161
5/13/07 at 10:20pm
Got some substantial playing time in today on my two characters (Rheochar, a Human Champion from Rohan, and Ohtarwen, an Elf Hunter from Rivendell) and this game is the goods. The quest stacking is impressive -- I'm so used to WoW, where you pretty much run one NPC dry before moving on to another, but here, two or three NPCs give quests that head you to the same area, so you can knock out one quest while getting the location of a second and third quest.

And I love how the game nudges you into interacting with other players by making the crafting classes interconnected. You simply can't do everything -- if you're making weapons, you still need someone to provide you certain raw materials your skills don't, and that person need someone else, and so on. It's a lot more elegant than simply making a quest too difficult for one person. And while I haven't made one yet, the scholar skill looks fascinating.

I also learned the hard way how destiny points work -- I didn't realize you got the benefits instantly, I thought you got them like skills to use whenever, so I blew about 400 points for nothing.

And of course, as a Tolkien fan, I really appreciate the job they've done staying true to the world. The names have an authentic ring and the NPCs and monsters don't just seem like they've been ported in from another game. I'm really excited about following this storyline as the game follows the books.
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post #46 of 161
5/14/07 at 12:39am
Thread Starter 
I've moved to the Shire. Took a break from the Barrow Downs and the Old Forest. My character has not developed much in the past few days. It's cool though to just breeze through hobbit quests working on upgrading my virtue traits. Next week I'll return to standard questing...I'm almost tempted to take the pass to Elf/Dwarf land.

I also demolished my first stone troll. Best thing about the Shire is how empty is it. I'm free to mine and forage the supplies for my two characters. Better than wasting my time fighting over ore deposits in Chetwood/Midgewater sections outside of Combe.
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post #47 of 161
5/14/07 at 3:21am
If your computer can handle it, just go up on Weathertop, turn the graphics all the way up and have a look at the view. Fucking glorious.
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post #48 of 161
5/14/07 at 3:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
I also learned the hard way how destiny points work -- I didn't realize you got the benefits instantly, I thought you got them like skills to use whenever, so I blew about 400 points for nothing.
The same thing happened to me. When I first saw the buffs that you can get I was impressed because I thought they were permanent. It was only after 700 wasted points that I noticed the countdown. Now I keep all my points for monster play.
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post #49 of 161
5/14/07 at 10:54am
How many jobs can you have? I think in wow it was 2.
What are virtues? There are so many deeds and traits, i dont think i have everything sorted out as to what i should be working on besides questing. Any pointers?
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post #50 of 161
5/14/07 at 10:10pm
Thread Starter 
you can only have 1 profession at a time. I find it easier to have an alternate character on the same server suppliment your main...ie, one's the resource gatherer while the other crafts the resources into usable items.

Virtues are traits that help your character with stats/buffs. You get those by fulfilling deeds/quests, but mostly deeds. Such as killing 90 neekerbreekers = buffs to Might. When you've fulfilled the deed to get a virtue, you visit your local minstrel. The town minstrel, for a fee, lets you apply whatever virtue you've earned to your character for a permanent buff.

I hope that was explained ok...
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