I just realized today that I have no interest in Warcraft anymore and won't be returning for the new expansion.  Its surprising because I loved the game so much.

I just don't want to get on that treadmill again.

I'm also finally giving up the ghost in Warhammer Online as well.  I'm just not looking forward to the extra renown points to grind out in WAR, especially when I was so close to level 80.  The new finish line is so far away.

So it seems my tolerance for mmorpgs is about a year to two years.  I have a few more months of patience for Wizard 101 and LOTR.  So I'm not totally gameless.

Ah well, we all have to grow up at some point in our lives.  Right?

Fumigating the Laundry

So the Warhammer Online community, really the game community in general, is abuzz over a tell all blog post from an alleged employee from Mythic Bioware EA.

I'm not going to link it because that information is out there already.  Just check the back posts of Massively.com.  And I'm disappointed at Massively publishing this bit with practically no research at all.  The blog post doesn't reveal anything new about WAR or it's backstory.  It throws out unverifiable gossip about key players in the company.  But there is nothing concrete about what is happening now.  There is no information about things in development now such as the new "RvR Packs".  The blog gives no information about what WAR fans are really worried about, is the game set for closure in the next year or two?  Does the game have enough subs to justify at least a maintenance mode life?  The ranter did throw in some blows toward the still in development SW:TOR game.  Which frankly was just a bizarre addition to a post that was about WAR.

Of course the game community is loving the controversy and it's starting yet another cycle of anti-WAR sentiment.

Now my opinion of the WAR game.  I enjoy it.  I enjoy playing it a lot.  Lately I've been taking a break from it.  But I'm never bored when I am in world.  Does that mean I think everything is wine and roses with it?  NO, heck no.  I've experienced the bugs and some class imbalance issues that make others rage for hours on end.  I've seen the unfinished RvE content that many gamers would really like to see developed alongside the RvR.  Yes, I've been playing online games long enough to know that many developers have amorality problems and superiority complexes.  They also have a jones for questionable beliefs such as singularity, scrum and objectivism.  Social Darwinism is a beloved ethic among these folks.

The problems the ranter barely touched upon in his post are an all encompassing problem in contemporary capitalism today.  Not only in the gaming industry.

These problems are a direct result of game development community's devout belief in free trade and Ayn Randism.

If the game developer community hadn't been so eager to throw away their worker's rights to the winds during the go-go days of 90's/early 00's, then there would be no need for half-baked blogs like this one.  If they had decided to unionize and group together for equal rights against company management there would be no Bobby Koticks etc.  There would never have been an exodus of their jobs to India, China etc.

Well the horses are out of the barn on that one.  So the lowly developers have to scratch and bite one another  over chump change.  They didn't unionize so all they are left with are blogs to rant.  Will it get anything done?  No.  It just amuses the circus and makes the people in charge laugh.

Instead of ranting, this self named "Louse" should be getting up on a desk and holding up a Union sign.  The game industry needs more Norma Rae not Ayn Rand.

Lord of the Rings Online

I signed up for LOTR before it changed from subscription to Free2Play.  But I never had a chance to play it until now.

I'm not a big fan of the free to play model.  When done well, as in Wizard 101, it feels like a perk on top of the game.  But in other games it seems as if it is being used to milk money in any way possible.  The LOTR model is bad marriage between the two.  It's store has nice perks but the game also makes you pay for things that are needed in the game.  Lets discuss basics such as mounts.  In the Wizard 101 plan,  mounts are a perk you can buy from the get go.  In fact it is presented as a pay option from the start.  There is no farming a player can do in game to get a permanent mount.  It is a perk and customers know they must factor in the cost if they want a horse, shark, tiger or unicorn.  In LOTR, the F2P customer must buy the option to ride a mount plus the mount.  This just strikes me as a bit of gouging.  The game will let you grind your way to a mount but considering the economy in game, that could take a long, long time.

The penny pinching over mounts in LOTR is just annoying, especially when they are ignoring the truly pay dirt pay options such as housing.  I'm sure Wizard 101 makes a bundle with vanity housing.  You cannot buy housing in LOTR as a pay option.   Plus there are limits within the game on housing, such as only one house to an account on one character.  If you want more housing, you need to create another account.  You must buy the housing with in game gold (slow in the gathering) plus be subjected to weekly rent.  Also the player has limits to housing size and limits to what can be placed inside of the house.  Mansions are only available to guilds (called kinships).  This set up just strikes me as insane.  Especially when Turbine could be charging real money for this option with no limits and people will buy it.  They would and will buy multiple houses for each character.  I've checked out their forums and there are rumors that Turbine is looking to changing the set up, but nothing is concrete.  Many on the forums have speculated that the code the housing is built upon will not scale.  So that is why the game puts so many caveats on the option.

LOTR is graphically gorgeous to behold.  The creators have truly worked hard to create Tolkein's world in VR.  The avatar creation process is simple yet holds numerous possibilities in looks and background stories.

There are two, instanced starting areas for all 4 races (Men, Dwarves, Hobbits and Elves).  One start area is shared by Elves and Dwarves the other by Hobbits and Men.  So there is quite a bit of overlap in the quest story lines.  As players level, they all end up on the main quest line which converges in Bree Town.  Basically players are just a few steps behind the story written by Tolkein in his trilogy.

The fight mechanics are the same as any mmorpg where LOTR excels is the graphics and the IP it is based upon.  Lord of the Rings gave birth to the modern fantasy genre so visiting this mmorpg is rather like being able to visit fantasy's Ur.  All the important landmarks have been lovingly recreated by the graphic designers.  Truly no expense was spared when it came to creating the visuals.

The game play is strictly PvE and the player will never run out of quests to complete.  If one is an explorer there are even more hidden quests with found objects and from lonely NPC travelers.  The number of quests do depend on the type of subscription the player is working on.  If F2P, there is an option to buy more quests.   Premium players (those who use the Turbine store) get a few more perks.  But to truly get everything the game offers (with the exception of a few designer classes), VIP is the way to go.  VIP is a monthly pay subscription to the game.

The PvP option is not as large nor seems that popular with the players.  It is embodied as something called MonsterPlay, which only VIP customers can access.  Monsterplay allows players to build an endgame level Orc to fight against players on the side of Frodo & Co.  I haven't tried it yet, so I can't properly review it.

The training system for classes and professions is well done.  There is also the well loved fishing hobby included in the game play.  A past time that I never understood the love for in WoW or in this game.  There have been players in Wizard 101 and WAR asking for Fishing to be added.  Why?  Fishing doesn't feel like playing a game...well...whatever.  If you love virtual Fishing, it is in LOTR.  And like the rest of the game, it is beautifully animated with appetizing fish and gorgeous fishing hole locations.  LOTR even includes a profession that I've only seen in Asian mmorpgs, which is farming.  The farming areas are located in Hobbit villages such as Michel Delving, Straddle and Buckland.  Just throw out seed and reap the rewards.  Although the produce can only be used by players who have cooking as a sister profession.

The economy is slow.  It is a black mark it shares with Asian mmorpg's such as Jade Dynasty.  Which means the rewards gotten from quests are really chump change.  The AH is inundated with junk and basics.  Which means it will take a player a long, long, long time to make that first gold piece.  On the other hand, if you do manage to slog all the way to level 20, then the rewards will improve and drops from monsters get better as well.  So it does get better.

What is not slow is the population.  I'm on a server that is very busy.  Which is good to see.  It seems that the free option has attracted more players and not scared away older, paying players.  While sometimes it can turn into a fight fest to get to monster NPCs first or farm nodes, it is better than playing in totally empty areas.

To sum up this game has a lot to offer.  While it does have some drawbacks in it's F2P option, it makes up for it in wonderful game looks and play.