Here I go again on my own.
Help me like Lord of the Rings Online.
I don’t need long winded posts epousing how good the game is. You probably, if playing the game, don’t feel like you need to explain why it is so good. I don’t need convincing by any means.
I need company. After the break.
This was in my Inbox. Yes, I have tried LOTRO before, a few times. I actually bought the box when it was released and toiled in it. I even did a recent trial. Besides other points I made, the big one that made it hard for me to really enjoy the game is that I was utterly alone. At least when I solo in WoW I have someone to talk to. I am a social animal, (some say, chameleon), and I know that if I take the week long free trial again I am just going to be bored playing by myself. I don’t need a group (although, fun to be had), I would just love to give the game a fair chance by having a guild or chat channel to ask questions, joke around in, and heck, giggle.
This on the heels of a new game to alpha test, and sludging my reroll through WOTLK content. I really want to like LoTRO, I see the potential – I just can’t realize that potential without someone to share it with. Any suckers takers?
I’m sure you can find someone to sweettalk/bribe into joining you in your pain.
I don’t have any real-life friends who still play MMOs either, but that doesn’t stop me. For the most part, LOTRO has attracted a very friendly and mature player base on pretty much all servers (I’m tempted to place Brandywine as the closest to WoW, however, but it’s also the most populated server) and I’ve made tons of LOTRO friends to chat with, group with, etc.
@Hezzy: I couldn’t do that to you (or at least be responsible for the outcome) after all, what I did to you in WoW. =) (besides, this bonus is only for returning people who own the game)
@Scott: Last time I trialed it that was the downfall for me – I didn’t see – or talk to – a single soul in 10 days. Perhaps it was the server choice, the time of day I was playing, who knows. Hence why I’m looking for a leg up on a server choice so I have someone(s) to bug while I try it out again =)
Might I suggest http://www.lotro.com/trial/ for anyone interested in taking Chris up on his offer.
Heh… I already have it, Capn, just never started it. And I don’t think Chris enjoys my company that much!! 😀
Actually… Now I have an even more fun idea! Cap’n? Hez? Maybe we can all get together and trial it together. Schedule a handful of 1 hour play sessions, drag in other family, friends, and blog friends and actually have some fun with it. I talk about gaming with the lot of you yet never get to actually game. Interest? Possibility? Anyone? 🙂
Hmm… maybe, maybe.
I’m game. 🙂
So, after playing a few days on my wee elf hunter, I’ve come to a couple (probably not startling) conclusions:
I love the realism of the characters and the landscape. After playing WoW for so long, it’s a nice change. I also like the challenge of not having a questhelper to show you exactly where you need to go for a quest.
On the other hand… the movement is laggy, at best (and I’m on a dedicated T3 line). What takes a quick flick of the wrist in WoW takes a lot of twisting and turning in LOTR. And the quests are still ‘Bring me X of Y’ or ‘Kill Y of X’. Still somewhat aimless grinding, IMO. And the lack of interaction with other players is… definitely killjoy.
Oh, and I happened to join the Brandywine server, if anyone cares to join… 🙂
I played LOTRO for a while, through the beta and a while after launch. I knew a few people that played, but they faded out, and I felt the same way about the game. I got a champion up to the 20s, I believe, and then just felt no ambition to play more because I didn’t know many people, and the ones I did played a lot more than I did, and levelled way past me.
I’ll admit though, I’m thinking of trying something out again, since WoW has currently began to stagnate for me. I believe I was on the Brandywine server too…
@Joe: Exactly. A game isn’t much without people to play with, which is what I alluded to to previous “tries” of the trials.
I rolled up on Brandywine last night for a super fast session, and going to talk about it in my next post a bit =)
Brandywine, ten day trial, check… what race?
Moi? Or are you referring to the Master?
(Elf Hunter, in case you care, Tesh :P)
Ha, I made an elf too. Stupid elves.
with the 25% xp increase (when does that end?) the first few levels fly by. We should definitely set a night next week for an hour to all get on at the same time. Someone poke Cap’n John.
Heh, my question was for anyone. I’ll go ahead and make a few characters, so I can see as much as possible. I’ll probably start with a Dwarf of some sort, but there are some other classes that look fun. Altitis hits early and often… Human Captain, Elf Lore-Master, Hobbit Hunter…
OK, so no more LOTRO with my two year old on my lap. She watched the Dwarven Intro quest where a hapless Dourhand dwarf busts through a wall, releasing a Cave Troll. Now she has nightmares that a monster will break through the wall behind her bed, and freaks out if we try to get her to sleep in her bed.
Dumb Daddy move #451.
Psychological scarring of my poor little girl aside, I’m liking the game so far. I’ve played a Dwarven Champion through most of the Intro, and a Elven Lore-Master through the same. I do have some experiences that I’ll write about on my blog at some point, but for now, LOTRO is leaving a mostly favorable impression.
My son came and sat in my lap one evening during a gaming session and I didn’t even think about the game I had in. I always assign him a key or two of responsibility and let him know when to press it. 10 minutes later I had a moment of “oh my god, what am I doing!?!” and embarrassingly turned the game off.
The title? Left 4 Dead.
One of those mishaps after a super long day where my mind was fried.
I’ll pay for it later in therapy bills, no doubt.
OK, experiment over. Game uninstalled. Toddler’s still afraid of her room. I’m chalking this one up as “fun, but not worth it in the long run”… in more ways than one.
I do have some good screenshots, though. Thanks for prompting me to finally check out the game, Chris!
I’m sorry I didn’t get to join you. I have been work-MIA past couple of weeks. The blog was the only thing (under family/friends/work, etc) that could afford to be neglected.
Heh, no worries. Neglect away; your priorities are correct. I didn’t get much time to play anywho, only making it to level 8 with one character and 5-7 with three others. So it goes. 🙂