Been playing Lords of the Ring Online lately and found the experience to be really fun, casual and addictive. Any dopers on LOTRO too?
I’m on the first server (Elendilmir) and I have two toons - Cergulf (Champion) and Slvendir (Loremaster)
Yup, love it. I’m on a EU server though, regrettably. Check out the top thead about Doper Gaming Guilds - I think there’s an US based LOTRO Guild there.
There’s a small contingent of us on Silverlode.
A few of us on Meneldor as well.
I recently got back into playing on Silverlode. (up to 39 with my minstrel!) Little hobbit named Drano currently running around Evendim.
a coworker got me started (couldnt resist the lifetime membership) and I’m on the same server. Ottawa is my main I’m working on atm. I havent had time to play much with work & moving; even WoW has suffered.
Just out of curiosity.
What style game is it?
What does it cost?
Does having deep knowledge of Middle Earth aid gameplay at all?
Are there players that wander around killing newbies?
I have never played an MMORPG*, how hard is it to get started?
- Minimal exception, I played Disney’s ToonTown with my kids but this is far from what most multi-player online games are. (I think).
(I numbered your questions for my convenience.)
- If you’ve played any games like Titans Quest, Oblivion or other PC RPG games you’ll have a basic feel for the combat and quest systems.
- They are running a special right now for 9.95 a month, the regular price is 14.95. They are also offering an anniversary special, lifetime subscription for $199.
- No, existing Middle Earth knowledge won’t really help gameplay though it will help you ‘feel’ the game more. The new release yesterday is going to change this, but the fellowship has been at Rivendell. (with the new release they are heading toward Moria) There was just something really cool about going to Rivendell, stopping by the last homely house and seeing Frodo and the gang.
- No. The only PvP (player versus player) play is through the monster play system. Once you have a regular character that has reached level 10 you can play on the other side. Monster play has it’s own quests and story. But it is limited currently to one area. Your monster character will be level 50 (the current cap) and fighting against level 50 players. The players are referred to as “freeps” (the free peoples) and the monster players as “creeps”.
- You should be able to pick it up quickly, it’s a fairly easy learning curve.
Thank you. I am disappointed that detailed knowledge of the world won’t help, but it does sound interesting.
Jim
In some ways it makes the game more rewarding. There is nothing quite like pulling up into Rivendell for the first time, and there are also several in-jokes that show up occasionally.
The game itself is great fun, and is particularly solo- and casual-friendly. As I understand it, the community tends to be a little older than, say, WoW, and it shows.
Griefing is pretty much nonexistent.
What is Griefing?
Players that exist solo to cause grief to others.
ETA - actually, they are griefers. The grief causing is what griefing is.
I actually just went to Rivendell for the first time recently. (I couldn’t find my way up the pass in the Trollshaws…and was only like 35 so it was hard work) The view into Rivendell as you descend the pass is nothing short of breathtaking.
You’re right about the older community, I find that most of the people I run into are pretty mature. It’s been awesome. The goldspamming is pretty much kept to a minimum as well.
Windfola. Founding member. I only have one level 50 character, though.
Casual (i.e. nonraiding) player.
Recently got hooked into City of Heroes (wanted to do something that wasn’t Sword & Sorcery, like LOTRO or WoW), so my toons now all have full rested available to them. Heh.
Addendum: LOTRO has some very beautiful scenery in some spots. The character models are outstanding, IMO.
It is a damn tough walk. My first time, I admit, I just used my newly-acquired racial port. When I helped a buddy hike it from the Lone Lands, it was amazing.
Gold spamming has really been curtailed in the last year. I hardly notice it unless I am strolling through Bree. It isn’t usually such a bother that I have to turn OOC off.
Must be nice! My racial port goes to the Shire. And my kinships house is in Thorin’s Hall so neither really get me where I need to be at this point. Thank goodness for horses.
I had a couple other thoughts about previous LOTR knowledge and the game. While they don’t help with the gameplay, you can use it in other ways. For example, I always hide shoes/boots that my hobbits wear. I wear them for the armor and stat bonuses but always hide them in the UI because I know that hobbits go around barefoot. Little things like that go a long way toward increasing immersion and overall enjoyment of the game.
Heh. My kin’s house is in Celondim. Gorgeous, but useless.
As for taking you where you need to go, time to borrow a hunter. Are you high enough level for the swift taxi?
Agreed. On some servers there is also a relatively active RP community. Having real knowledge of the milieu probably helps that enormously. This isn’t really my bag, as I tend to be more of a raider and optimizer. But quite a few people where I live, even on the unofficial PvP server (Meneldor) seem to RP.
I’m 39, so I can use swift travel to get most places. I think 40 is when the last of the swift travel options open up. (Of course you have to have found those places already) I’m a bit lazy, so if I need to go to Bree for something I’ll use my racial to get to the Shire and then use the 1 silver swift travel to Bree from there.
Yeah, laziness is the name of the game. Sometimes LOTRO plays like the old SNL skit “How Do You Get There”, or whatever that was called. Thank goodness for the new faction swift travels, though. The slow boat from Esteldin to Tinnudir was frightful.
When are you going to make a toon on Meneldor? 
Faction swift travel? I don’t know about that yet. Do you need ally standing or something?