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Posts Tagged ‘LOTRO’

5 Reasons to be Excited About F2P LotRO

Jun 9, 2010 Articles Recommend, Lord of the Rings Online|199views

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about free things.  I love buying one Coolatta and getting a second free, for instance.  But when “free” is applied to MMOs some players tend to scoff and turn their noses up.  Free MMO, as discussed numerous times on this site and across the internet, is almost synonymous with “bad MMO”.  But Turbine, along with companies like Frogster and gPotato, has been giving players reasons to change their tune.  The quality of the free MMO has only been going up in recent years, and is bound to make a sharp spike with ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2.  And given the success and complete turnaround of DDO since going free to play, it seemed like only a matter of time before another AAA game tried a different sort of revenue model that doesn’t bank too much on subscriptions. 

And so this fall we’ll be getting to traipse about Middle-earth for the low price of nothing.  It’s a controversial subject no doubt, especially since Lord of the Rings Online isn’t exactly a game that needed the saving DDO once desperately required.  LotRO may be one of the best performing MMOs in the western market, and yet Turbine is obviously confident that going F2P will make it even more successful.  But the change is bound to have its share of ups and downs.  In the spirit of remaining positive, here’s our list of five reasons to be excited about a F2P Middle-earth.  Don’t worry naysayers, next week, we’ll have five reasons to be concerned.

#5 Now Everyone is Lifetime

Now one thing that I’ll be sure to say before anyone who hasn’t read the FAQ gets upset: all existing Lifetime members of LotRO will never have to pay the optional “VIP” subscription that comes with the conversion to F2P.  They’ll automatically get VIP status from day one and never have to pay a cent for those VIP privileges.  But the one of the best things about this conversion is that now everyone will have constant access to Middle-earth without the need of a monthly subscription.  I’ve always had an on and off love affair with LotRO. 

I’ve been playing since launch on and off again, but I never seem to last more than three months at a time because of some other game grabbing my attention.  So I was always constantly subscribing and unsubscribing, and wrestling with the torment (hyperbole I know) that I should have bought the lifetime subscription from the start because LotRO is one of those games that is always deserving of visitation even if you never stay all that long.  Now, with the conversion to F2P, that agonizing and self-derision over subscribing and unsubscribing can finally be put to rest.  Whenever I feel like visiting Hobbiton, I’ll be able to without whipping out the credit card.  I can finally stop beating myself up over not buying the Lifetime membership.

#4 Free Might Mean Free Expansions Too

Initially the launch of F2P LotRO will still require players to buy Moria and Mirkwood to experience the game’s first two paid expansions.  But if history is any indicator further content additions may be more along the lines of “free”, as they have been for DDO.  This is pure speculation, and perhaps I missed some statement from Turbine that said otherwise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if future expansions to the game were more on the smaller scale of those being added to DDO.  Of course there’s still the hurdle for those players who never anted up for Moria or Mirkwood, but beyond the mines and the forest it’ll be interesting to see how Turbine’s Middle-earth evolves.

#3 More Free Peoples

One of the biggest complaints for new players to any aging game is that there simply aren’t enough fellow newbies around.  F2P games never seem to suffer this fate as there is always a stream of new folk hopping in and out of the game, and the conversion of LotRO to F2P should do much for the low-population of the game’s beginning zones.  There are downsides to the influx of new people of course, but this article is for looking on the brighter side so we’ll just leave it at that.  MMOs are best played when they’re filled with players, and the F2P model will undoubtedly help LotRO in that regard.

#2 More and More Content Updates

LotRO is already one of the industry’s best examples of “timely updates”.  But under its new F2P model, DDO has really shown developers how to keep their titles in the eyes of players with a constant stream of “mini-updates” coming every couple of months.  LotRO, already familiar with this format, will undoubtedly seek to keep the same mantra as DDO.  The more often your game grows and changes, hopefully based on the players’ wants and needs, the more you’ll convince them to pony up cash for VIP status and Turbine points.  There’s a lot of Middle-earth already represented in LotRO, and I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing even more in much swifter fashion with the conversion to F2P.  At least if DDO’s any example to go by.

#1 It’s LotRO and it’s Free

Kind of a no-brainer sure, but it’s honest.  LotRO is one of the best traditional MMORPGs on the market today.  And it’s going to be free to play.  Imagine what it would be like to see those same words uttered about so many other titles you might have affection for but not the time to commit to a subscription with.  LotRO is one of those titles for me, and the fact that it’s becoming F2P, micro-transactions and VIP status be damned, means I’ll always have Middle-earth just waiting for me whenever I want to pop in.  If only I could convince Blizzard, NCSoft, Mythic, and well just about all of my current hard-drive inhabitants to do the same thing.  Of course, not every game needs to be F2P.  I’m not saying that.  But it’s clear that Turbine understands the need to innovate in an increasingly competitive market.  Gameplay isn’t the only thing that needs to evolve in the MMO industry.  The subscription-only mentality is frankly something I’m glad to see challenged these days, and I couldn’t be happier that the Hobbits are the ones with the eggs to do it. 

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LOTRO developer diary revisits the Lone-lands

Nov 26, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|412views

The latest developer diary entry is from Lord of the Rings Online Senior Designer Allan “Orion” Maki, and takes us back to a very familiar area: The Lone-lands. While the region seems like a low-level walk in the park to the majority of players these days, Maki had always felt that there was a bit of a “disconnect” and that players were being sent to an area far above their level. The Lone-lands have been given what he describes as a “massive overhaul”, bringing them more in line with low and mid level players abilities.

Players will find changes such as a solo version of Weather Top, a new horse travel mount to make the initial trip to the Forsaken Inn less dangerous, and some new faction and quest systems. Those, however, are just the beginning. With Siege of Mirkwood only days away, players eager to explore the expansion will find their path in the earlier areas considerably smoother.

The full entry is worth looking at, as it contains four pages of great information on the overhaul — it’s a valuable resource for anyone still hanging out around Ost Guruth.

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Turbine Announces LOTRO: Siege of Mirkwood Expansion

Sep 4, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|469views

Today Turbine announced Siege of Mirkwood,  the second expansion for Lord of the Rings Online.  Looks like Turbine is following  the footsteps of Warhammer with there new “Skirmishes” feature, which sound like it’ll be PvP battlegrounds that you can join from a queue.

Siege of Mirkwood will expand the online world of Middle-earth where players will join forces to press further eastward into the dark, foreboding and treacherous forest of Mirkwood and take part in the epic conclusion to Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online

NEW FEATURES:

  • The Epic Conclusion to Volume II: Mines of Moriaâ„¢ – Under the command of Celeborn and Galadriel, players will fight through vast armies of Orcs alongside the Elves of Lórien in a battle that will take them to Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths.  This update includes Book 9 and the Epilogue to the sweeping epic tale begun with the award-winning Mines of Moria expansion.
  • Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 65, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.
  • Answer the Call of War! – Jump into the heat of battle with the new Skirmishes feature.  Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow.  Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new “World Join” function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.
  • Take up Arms! – Infiltrate the dark jails, deadly arenas and savage stables of Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths, and strike a blow against Sauron’s forces in new 3 and 6-player instances.  Call upon your fellows to adventure into the most deadly 12-player raid yet and face the ultimate challenge – the Nazgûl Lord!
  • Major Gameplay Enhancements – Turbine continues to improve the award-winning experience of LOTRO with major improvements to the combat and Legendary Items systems.  Players will experience improved responsiveness when in the heat of battle.  Players will also be able to create and craft their own customized Second and Third Age Legendary Items from raw materials and grow their weapons’ power to level 60.  Achieve new Legacies, new titles, and a fourth Runic slot that will make Legendary Items even more unique and powerful.

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The different factors that make lotro be a visually appealing game

May 8, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|438views

The term “graphics” has been widely identified with a number of aspects of a game’s engine and game play since the creation of the first coin-operated arcade machines. In the 21st century, the era of MMOs, we can identify some specific traits which correspond to a concise definition of what makes a game look good.

Modelling is the first step of creation and that leads to the general sculpted shape of sets, characters and weapons. The rigging and texturing allows for the characters to have a “skeleton” and a skin through which they can be manipulated into moving. Finally, the animation allows the movement, fighting and interacting between players and makes the game immersive. It is necessary for a development team to master all of these steps in order to make a game aesthetically pleasing to the public and, so far, LOTRO has done a tremendous job at keeping Tolkien’s legacy not just in the storyline but also in mood and visual impact.

To be able to look at LOTRO as objectively as possible and be able to appreciate its graphical features, you must take yourself back to the first hours of interaction with the game. Yes, the game has improved since then, yet that first impression is the one that I regard as most genuine and true to what originally appealed to you.

The modeling itself must have been arduous work, yet you can appreciate the care and detail portrayed not only in the characters but also in the environment in which you play. All MMOs deal with factions, and each faction is unique in its look, feel and actions. Hence proportions had to be established and many races, such as hobbits, require adjustments made not only in housing and infrastructure but also in regards of weapons and clothing. If I were to choose the best-sculpted scene in the game it would have to be Bree Town, and it is not only for its size and busy mood but also for the tiny details in archways, décor, guild spaces and interior architecture. The only critique I would make so far is the rigid edges kept in some of the clothing, lamps and fountains especially. It is important to allow for some smoothness as light and texture seams will clearly show later on in the development process.

Now the texturing and lighting process is of the utmost importance to creating a realistic set up of whatever you are attempting to simulate. In the case of Tolkien’s novel, the battle between the Dark Lord Sauron and the inhabitants of Middle Earth was purposefully contrasted in symbolic imagery in both the aura of the characters but also in the battlefields and the homes of the people involved. LotRO, in my opinion, has done the best job in keeping that emotion and tension throughout the game and engaging the players to recognize and sense land that is “safe” and land that is “hostile”. The flickering candle lit interiors offer another great view of the simple rigging that allowed such an authentic feeling and how it directly affects the appreciation one gives to these places.

A suggested improvement would be directed more into the technical application of texturing and the use of “bump mapping”. A bump map is an image the same size as your root texture file which tells how “deep” the shadows should be in the texture. The light is used therefore to create a sense of depth and grain on a certain object without modifying its actual geometric structure. The bump map contains black and white areas, black for “going in” and white for “going out”. Going back to LotRO, we see many cases where bump maps could be used to enrich the architecture as well as some of the clothing. Bricks, wooden poles, roofs and walls are just some of the areas that can be given a bit of touch, especially with such good lighting going around.

And lastly, we have the animation practice which is the most complex and elongating of them all. From the very start the characters themselves showed quite a bit of personality, especially in their walks, and allowed for some good contact with the environment. I have played recent MMOs that have depended on their gameplay so much they forgot about putting some consistent effort into making these aspects work. For example, in one of these games, after gaining a helmet that I had been waiting for, it appeared that the character’s hair would go through the model of the helmet and create this intertwining mess of geometry, as if the back of the helmet was going in my head. Of course I wrote a bug report and nothing got fixed, not a surprise, yet the animation field had some issues too. Shooting arrows was sometimes misleading as they would freeze in the air while being shot and sometimes late even with the damage reports on the hits.

On the other hand LotRO for me has been the most visually complex fantasy MMO I have ever played, with an abundance of benefices. Clothing follows movement on characters, the mounts have well founded offset motions, weapon actions are fairly varied and with no flaws or glitches and there is a great attention to detail such as the interaction of clothing to wind as well as the constantly moving sky. There is also a harmony in the synchronization of the sound with all sorts of actions from pure city life noise to a substantial battle depiction.

I have to say that having all of these layers upon layers of simulations works great in the context of this game. Even if you are walking alone in a city you still get a sense of action, of people chatting to each other and always up and about. It is as if no one ever sleeps, and it keeps you going. There are numerous aesthetic freedoms given to the player too, from selecting your own costumes and clothing to choosing a house and decorating it as you please. The artistic side adds complexity, but also flexibility and choice. It allows each of us to differentiate each other even more and create unique identities in this world where appearances can sometimes go unnoticed.

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