Re: LOTRO Goes Free to Play : Sept 10 (Sept 8 for Cool Kids)

[Malakili]

I've come and gone from Lotro lots of times. I never leave in a rage. I just get overcome with boredom and stop logging in.

This is more or less my experience.  Its like, its a good game, I don't have anything particularly against it, it just doesn't do anything exceptionally well either.

[Modern Angel]

I don't know. I just don't feel the grindiness.

Do you not bother with traits and titles or crafting then?

I worry only about the traits I actually need for warden tanking and those have gone up mostly organically; especially in Moria and beyond you can and will cap to ten most of the ones you need with little effort. I don't worry much about titles since the best ones (like Pie Eating Champion) are free. I do Explorer and sell everything.

[Azazel]

Communities are self-selecting. A group of people who play any game "seriously" is going to generally have positive feelings about the game and not perceive its problems as problems.  These aren't the guys to listen to if you hope to attract and retain new people. On the other hand you don't want to destroy their game like SWG did either.

I've come and gone from Lotro lots of times. I never leave in a rage. I just get overcome with boredom and stop logging in.

This is a good description for me. I don't hate lotro or anything, I'm just finding it tedious at the moment, and therefore not really playing.

[Soln]

Communities are self-selecting. A group of people who play any game "seriously" is going to generally have positive feelings about the game and not perceive its problems as problems.  These aren't the guys to listen to if you hope to attract and retain new people. On the other hand you don't want to destroy their game like SWG did either.

I've come and gone from Lotro lots of times. I never leave in a rage. I just get overcome with boredom and stop logging in.

This is a good description for me. I don't hate lotro or anything, I'm just finding it tedious at the moment, and therefore not really playing.

sadly you have to add myself and my spouse to these feelings as well.  For us and a lot of former kinnies the end-game and LI grind is just not all there.  But the upcoming moves Turbine has made of leveling and making the old content accessible is great.  Not enough for us to go back yet, but still exactly what I was hoping for.  They need to patch the fun back in.

[Modern Angel]

I think that's perfectly valid and not sad at all. I think it's far healthier in every respect to look at these things as games, long term though they are, which you'll come back to off and on instead of a lifestyle choice you're dead set on staying hitched to for a decade or more.

[WayAbvPar]

I don't know. I just don't feel the grindiness.

Do you not bother with traits and titles or crafting then?

Or leveling beyond the early 30s?

[Nebu]

Or leveling beyond the early 30s?

I have found 40-50's much more enjoyable (and less grindy) than the 30's.  I'm glad I gave the game another try.  I'm quite enjoying the play from 35-55.

[Modern Angel]

Have a 65 and a 51 actively leveling. I'd agree with the leveling assessment prior to them speeding up pre Moria leveling.

[caladein]

If you like Skirmishes, the 30s are made fantastically easy by the Skirmish Daily.  ~5k experience isn't a whole lot at 40+ though.  I do hope the bonus doesn't change too much with the minimum level going down to 20 since the 20s are already pretty fast.

Aside from that, the "fast" horse is down to level 20 so trotting around North Downs on a horse that's barely faster than class travel abilities is gone.

[Rasix]

I wish I could even get to 20.  I usually get bored(or distracted by something shinier)  before that. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Skirmishes also start at 20, and now instances are scalable.

[Azazel]

If you like Skirmishes, the 30s are made fantastically easy by the Skirmish Daily.  ~5k experience isn't a whole lot at 40+ though.  I do hope the bonus doesn't change too much with the minimum level going down to 20 since the 20s are already pretty fast.

Aside from that, the "fast" horse is down to level 20 so trotting around North Downs on a horse that's barely faster than class travel abilities is gone.

Horse prices still the same?

[Sir T]

Aside from that, the "fast" horse is down to level 20 so trotting around North Downs on a horse that's barely faster than class travel abilities is gone.

DO they still have that stupid "GO visit every Shitty location in Middle Earth" quest to unlock the fast horse?

[Nebu]

DO they still have that stupid "GO visit every Shitty location in Middle Earth" quest to unlock the fast horse?

Yes.  It destroys morale when you see multiple timed quests in a row with timers near and in excess of 20 mins.

[Mrbloodworth]

DO they still have that stupid "GO visit every Shitty location in Middle Earth" quest to unlock the fast horse?

Yes.  It destroys morale when you see multiple timed quests in a row with timers near and in excess of 20 mins.

I think he means after the patch.

[caladein]

If you like Skirmishes, the 30s are made fantastically easy by the Skirmish Daily.  ~5k experience isn't a whole lot at 40+ though.  I do hope the bonus doesn't change too much with the minimum level going down to 20 since the 20s are already pretty fast.

Aside from that, the "fast" horse is down to level 20 so trotting around North Downs on a horse that's barely faster than class travel abilities is gone.

Horse prices still the same?

Starter horse is still 220s, but the fast horse is now 500s.

[AlteredOne]

I'm liking the f2p changes after the first day.  The biggest improvement is giving players a reason to revisit many great old end-game instances that have been seldom seen.  Last night I found groups for 2 Annuminas instances, and the Great Barrows.  Those were formerly instances for levels 50 and 30, but now they scale well for 65.  And you can get decent usable rewards from a much wider variety of places than before.

The negatives... The new bank vault interface is very confusing.  And there are some bugs with the scaling of the instance content.  "Hard Mode" for one of the Great Barrows instances seems to be broken, or at least badly documented in the quest tips.

The neutral... There is a new "layering" mechanism for preventing server lag, by reducing how much you see and hear in crowds.  Since I'm the leader of a music band on Landroval, this could be a problem for our concerts.  However, I gather for large events a GM can override "layering" for an area.

[Numtini]

Does the instance thing help find a group or is it like the skirmishes were in Jan, you have to build a group (without any tools) first and then you can do the instance?

Most of my fast travel points are locked and it says to go to the store to unlock them, but it's only one use stuff. Is that just how it is now? Because that would seem a little, horrific.

Other than that, owning all the expansions, I haven't run into any real differences other than not paying for the game. everything seems to be unlocked.

[Mrbloodworth]

Does the instance thing help find a group or is it like the skirmishes were in Jan, you have to build a group (without any tools) first and then you can do the instance?

You do have to pre-form a group, but like skirmishes, no one needs to be near each other, and they will be put back where they were when its over, also scaling.

[Cheddar]

DO they still have that stupid "GO visit every Shitty location in Middle Earth" quest to unlock the fast horse?

Yes.  It destroys morale when you see multiple timed quests in a row with timers near and in excess of 20 mins.

Its gone now.  You just have to run around the track.  Confirmed in game with my warden. 

[Nebu]

Its gone now.  You just have to run around the track.  Confirmed in game with my warden. 

That, in and of itself, may give me the will to level a minstrel alt.

[HaemishM]

Most of my fast travel points are locked and it says to go to the store to unlock them, but it's only one use stuff. Is that just how it is now? Because that would seem a little, horrific.

If that's the case, that may be the one thing that keeps me from playing this that often. Granted, as a hunter, my use of swift travels is probably less than most others, but there are some horse routes no man, dwarf, elf or fucking hobbit should have to endure more than once.

[Numtini]

To be more specific, regular horse route travel works, but the fast travel options to adventure locations don't and you're asked if you want to unlock them, but the link goes to a temporary free travel pass that says its for using horse roots without in game cost, not to an unlock.

[Reg]

150 points unlocks fast travel for an hour. It's ridiculous. It's like they're planning to make money off the shittiness of the game rather than fix it.

[Nebu]

150 points unlocks fast travel for an hour. It's ridiculous. It's like they're planning to make money off the shittiness of the game rather than fix it.

If that's also true for subscribers, I'm done.  The long travel the first time is ok as it gives you a feel for the expansiveness of the world.  When their quests require that you navigate long distances repeatedly, then they better give me something better to to than hop on a horse and afk for 15 mins. 

[Reg]

No, it's unlocked for subscribers. I'm not certain if the rep grinds to unlock the fast routes in the first place still exist though.

[Mrbloodworth]

May want to read what Numtini said. I'll look when I get home. Untill you guys brought it up i have never heard about it, but I did know you can buy something that makes them free for an hour.

Perhaps there is some confusion going on here?

[Reg]

Numtini didn't mention whether she was paying for a subscription or not. I'd assumed not.

[Numtini]

No, I'm not paying. The confusion is with an unclear option being given by the "unlock this" button. I had expected to be charged a fee to unlock the point. Instead, it seems to be a 1 hour access thing, which with most travel would mean a one time use as you're unlikely to be bopping around to different places.

[Nebu]

No, it's unlocked for subscribers. I'm not certain if the rep grinds to unlock the fast routes in the first place still exist though.

Good.  Oddly enough, I don't mind the rep/deed grinds.  I find that $30 for 3 months is a bargain on this game especially if it gives me fast travel.  I may make it to 65 yet. 

[Reg]

You haven't been to Forochel yet have you? Talk to me again about how you feel about rep grinds and fast travel once you've been through that hellhole.

[Nebu]

You haven't been to Forochel yet have you? Talk to me again about how you feel about rep grinds and fast travel once you've been through that hellhole.

I enjoyed that zone.  I liked it a LOT more than Misty Mountains... which was my personal hell hole. (except I enjoyed Goblin city  )

[Soln]

Do the fast travel routes from NPC’s still require kindred rep to open them?  One example: that route from Estledin to Garth Fornaire (?) in Angmar (the cave) was awful to grind.  Can you buy that now via the store?  

[Mrbloodworth]

This is an excellent site: http://lotro.mmorsel.com/

[HaemishM]

I didn't mind the Forochel unlock, but the Garth Forthnir one I never did. Luckily, as a hunter, I got the port spell that takes me straight there, so didn't have to worry about it.