After playing pretty much all the MMORPGs out there up until AoC and Pirates, LOTRO quickly became my favorite. It stole me away from both WoW and CoH/CoV which I played simultaneously. I'm not a casual gamer and had full stables of maxed toons. So the switch wasn't an easy decision.
Of course the content was the initial draw. Getting to play in the world crated by Tolkien appealed to me greatly. I was very hesitant to play a game by turbine after the AD&D slop. But, they proved themselves to be quick adapters and seemd to take ideas from many other games to create a not necessarily innovative yet unique game play system.
Character creation was richer than that of WoW but not up to the standards of CoH. Still the models were detailed and captured the feel of the books and mvoies. The environment is very lush but I miss the surreal almost cartoon feel of WoW. However the textures are far richer and overall better. And, if you have the chance definitely check it out in all it glory on a machine that can handle max graphics in DX10--breathtaking.
Although possibly thin a definite attempt was made to get away from the standard grind. Plots and rich stories are added to give meaning to the otherwise mundane. Also, they added to the standard quests models of hunt, gather, kill, escort and deliver with drinking and eating quests, training quests (as in horse riding) and generally adding a layer of reality by making quests more environment sensitive. Such as clandestine meetings that must be done only at night, or doing a timed delivery where you can't cross too steep a gradient or you drop your item. One great quest device used in LOTRO which is not often seen in other games except in much less complex fashions is the event identifier/event/negating object system. Sometimes as simple as lighting a torch. To as complex as using a specific item in a specific location when a key phrase is uttered by a boss mob.
Quests no longer are isolated most are related to a chain. And some, as seen in the book quest line contain more than 10 complex multi-goal quests in themselves with complex narration and story forwarding by NPCs.
Leveraging a bit from CoH/CoV the deed system was expanded to include not just exploration and kills but levels # quests completed in a zone and other such things. They also expanded on CoH/CoV by adding Traits to the Titles given in the aforementioned. In my opinion traits are a poor tradeoff for a truly customizable character class system such as in EQ2 or even the tree system seen in WoW. But it suffices
One of the best things about the game system is that it all feels like it is in context of the Ring Mythos. Even the simplest quests are somehow brought back into context of the people of middle earth. The choice to follow the books (which are like parallel plots to the path of Frodo and the ring) is up to you. But even if you forego the books, the mythology is brought to the forefront time and time again. Even the smallest detail can sometimes have great meaning...dare I mention Sara Oakheart.
There are instanced and public dungeon/maps something most games don't mix. The instance are supported by numerous quests that not just take you into the instances but lead you through to an eventual end goal. Sometimes taking you in multiple times. And, often instances will play a role in the furthering of the books.
Even if you're not a hard core gamer but just a fan of the ring series this game provides compelling reasons to play. Story arcs from the books. Characters who you not only meet but interact with on a meaningful level exist and truly come to life as you explore the world.
Then there was the price point for us early gamers...$9.95/mo or a one time lifetime fee. The one time fee screamed at me. As I knew I could always go back and play no matter what other game came out. My hesitation about whether the game would have the longevity to meet the required almost 2 year play period (as figured if you took the $9.95/mo subscription) were quickly put to rest when the first content upgrade came out. Not only was a new are revealed, but major changes to game play were addressed. Surprisingly few major bugs brought the system down (unlike changes to the CoH/CoV system). Turbine seems to be committed to keeping the game fresh with almost bi-monthly updates. And on top of that, game scenarios are unlocked by the actions of the players on each server making the world truly change as the players play. On top of that the traditional special events are held as seen in the festivals and other events. Recently the GMs have appeared spawning special story promoting character appearances where special GM drops can be gathered.
If you're a hard core crafter this game does fall short. EQ2 has a much more crappy and complex system. But at least it is comparable to the WoW system. And at the time I left CoH/CoV there wasn't a true craft system even in place (now in place). There are many crafting vocation with 3 of an assortment of crafting skills. This gives the character the ability to somewhat customize the crafting choices. Tiers are used to create a leveling feel powered by creating items themselves. In my opinion just a grind system. Even the attainment of materials needed for crafting is a simple grind mechanism. A few quests were thrown in to break up the monotony...but they are basically just kill for an item style quest or standard item retrieval style.
You have your choice of housing in each of the four main racial areas. The choice of homestead is not limited by race however, and you can customize any to feel more like one of the other races by choosing your furniture wisely. A nice feature added at the same time were trophies first limited to general animals like the black bear or warg. Soon expanded into very cool and desirable boss mob trophies from instances and even the silly fishing trophy added with hobbies (I'm not going to say anything more about hobbies...NMCOT)
The races are typical of most games having little impact on the initial character and only small impact at later stages. An attempt seemed to be made to shuffle the standard roles of the classes from other games. For instance the primary healer class "Minstrel" is actually a formidable and powerful foe. Easily solvable unlike many healing classes in other games. Character look can be altered from the "currently worn" armor to one of two unlock able by level costume sets. Basically you can place any item equitable by the character in the appropriate slot in a costume and switch between the three looks. Very simple yes, but also very effective. Clothes/armor can be dyed giving a great many possible combinations and looks.
I'm not a hard core PvPer so I will keep my comments about the player versus monster (yes monster) system to what my friends and kin-mates say. The system is lacking and very unbalanced. Not my thoughts. Just what I've heard. In my opinion the monster play seems to be a novelty. But does have potential. The only problem is keeping changes in monster vs. player combat balancing efforts from undermining the general PvE system. Good luck with that one.
For you uber players out there who have to get the best gear and have spent many instance crawls, only to find that coveted class item didn't drop or worse an item for a class not in the group dropped (vendor fodder)--your frustration has been mitigated. Instead of the actual class item or special piece dropping, a barter item is dropped which any player can get and can turn in for the appropriate class reward. Ah...some sanity in the end game instance crawls.
Even general game play is constantly being evaluated and changed. Each class has had at least one complete overhaul. Hobbies were added recently which helps augment the cooking crafting skill set. (Boring otherwise--virtual fishing?!? Please!
) New monster types have been added and other modified. The world is not just expanding with new zones but subtle changes have taken place in the zones themselves as events have unfolded and time progressed A faction system has been added (IMHO it should have been in the original release). Bartering and Trophies are other additions that came later in the game.
So, I think it is clear that not only is the canvas for game play beautifully mastered and rich in detail, that game play is fun and at least not a terrible grind, but that a continued effort is being made to keep the game fresh and new for even the most avid player. I urge you, don't put the game down for more than two months or you're likely to come back to a world and game you hardly know. A very good thing in my opinion.
Thanks for taking the time to read this horrendously long post....comments welcomed.
why? : LOTROExtreme
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