This week on the official forums the new LOTRO producer, Produktion Malphunktion, introduced himself. He’s been with Turbine for awhile and was recently brought to LOTRO from DDO. It’s very cool to see the new producer introduce himself directly on the forum and start communicating with players, even if it’s just jokes. However the truly intriguing thing about PM is that he has also made a post asking for players to tell him what they don’t like and what they do like about the game:
Since I’m new to the community, I need some guides to what you guys and gals think about the game.
I’ve read a bunch of the forums, and been playing the game. I have my own ideas, and some idea of what people want, what they don’t and what they seem to really like.
I won’t promise anything except listening. Help me get the lay of the land here.
Disclaimer! If I say good idea, or interesting, that is all it means, I think it’s a good idea or interesting. It is not in the next release. I’m not writing up a spec on it. It’s not promised for the future.
Gamer to gamer. Let’s just have a conversation about the state of the game from your point of view. Remember I’m new here, I don’t know what was promised in the past, or what was flatly denied. (I do know the current EP’s wishes tho).
Here is your chance. What do you want from the World? What would help you tell your story? What would help you have more fun? What makes you batty and you wish would just disappear? (don’t say rune-keepers…or hobbits.) Small things, big things, crazy things I want to hear it all.
For example there are already some things the fan base does that impresses me like the music festivals.That is so crazy unique to this game… I’d love to hear how we can help that a bit.
Many people accuse the Turbine staff of not listening to the player base. With this, I don’t think you could ask for a more clear example that they are listening. If you want to give your input, go write your two cents (or more!) here.
Additionally, PM is not just letting the thread lie. He’s come back and asked follow up questions about concerns people have raised and has made it clear that he is actively going through the thread and reading responses. As a big fan of cosmetics I’m glad to see that he has made note of the “No more tablecloth horses” plea that many of us have been making for awhile now!
Loading ...
It’s simply smoke and mirrors. Aaron Campbell did the same thing when he arrived (back), but nothing actually changed.
The forums are aggressively censored so anything properly critical will disappear, leaving us with the usual suspects painting a picture of all being sweetness and light.
Characters destroyed, no viable grouping-based endgame, endless grind – sadly that is all that left of what once was an amazing game.
I heavily disagree. I see rampant negativity(read: not criticism) on the forums on a daily basis, which means that either Turbine does *not* censor everything that doesn’t protray them in a good light, or they aren’t very good at it. Considering how some people like to portray Sapience as Satan incarnate, I’d be inclined to believe the former.
Second, I tend to see this argument of Turbine censoring from people who consider such statements of ‘you’ve killed the game’ or demanding certain employees be *fired* to be constructive criticism. It ain’t.
Furthermore, Rowan’s return has done great things for the game in my opinion. Communication has greatly increased, the U13 Beta period was very successful compared to previous updates on Bullroarer and Devs now regularly feature on LOTRO’s streams to directly talk to players. To say nothing has changed is flat out false. I daresay it’d be more accurate to say nothing has changed in the areas you want them to.
‘Nothing has changed in the areas (I) want them to’
That is indeed a fair statement – except it isn’t just me. Grind appears to be the new endgame, that seems very clear.
No, it isn’t just you(no one is ever the only person to think anything about anything), but don’t presume to believe you’re the majority opinion. As for ‘grind being the endgame’, that’s a gross simplification, especially considering grind has the staple of LOTRO’s endgame from the very beginning, and I refuse to heed the rose-tinted nostalgia of people who paint ‘the old days’ to be a time of unicorns dancing on rainbows.
That said I actually agree that LOTRO’s endgame is rather lackluster right now, mainly because I rather dislike dailies. But I’m not so delusional as to believe the way I see things is the ‘reality’.
I have to strongly disagree that the endgame has always been a staple of the endgame.
In Moria, the endgame was the Watcher. Where some might believe that earning the Radiance gear to give themselves a chance to venture into its lair was a grind, it was almost the exact opposite, in my opinion.
The amount of medallions needed to get the best Radiance gear was 70. By completing, just once, the Challenges in each one of the instances:
The Grand Stair Daily Challenge: 7 (Clearing the entire stair gets you 10, I believe)
The Forges of Khazad-Dum Daily Challenge: 10
The Fil-Gashan Challenge: 9
The Skumfil Challenge: 10
The 16th Hall Challenge: 10
The Dark Delvings Challenge: 10
…was worth 56 medallions. One Filikul run gave three more, for 59. After that, you just needed to slay one more turtle and adventure once more into any of those, and you had your Radiance gear. The amount of time to do so, given a capable group, was about 6-7 hours.
And at that point, the end game was the very opposite of a grind, in my opinion. Rather than doing something easy over and over again, you were trying to do something very difficult just once! Then, if you succeeded, you could choose to experience that challenge again or not.
Moria was such an amazing expansion. Each of those instances leading up to the Watcher was there to help teach a facet of the battles to come. Together, they wove an amazing tapestry that helped transform me from someone who pretty much just chose attacks at random into a far more thoughtful and dedicated Scout 🙂
The Lothlorien radiance armor was much the same: 50 medallions for the three pieces.
The Halls of Crafting Daily Challenge: 9
The Water-wheels Challenge: 9
The Hall of Mirrors Challenge: 9
So, just two adventures into each instance of danger, and you were set! Total time: maybe 4-5 hours.
Barad Guldur in Mirkwood? The same. 60 medallions needed for the three pieces:
The Sword Halls Easy Challenge: 3
The Sword Halls Hard Challenge: 8
The Warg Pens Challenge: 12
The Dungeons of Dol Guldur Challenge: 10-16 depending on how many prisoners are saved, I believe.
The Sammath Gul Challenge: 8-10
So, 41-49 depending, for just one successful run of each. Total time needed: Maybe 5-7 hours or so.
The first time any real grind was introduced into the endgame was Hytbold, in my opinion. When you compare the endgame of the first three places I mentioned to that of the Entwood, the contrast is pretty shocking, in my opinion.
I think one of the main issues right now is that there simply very little for us toward which to aspire. We caretake in Rohan, we caretake in Fangorn. And we will caretake in Gondor to come. And that is very important. It has always been a part of our endeavors in these lands that we do so.
But, in the most dangerous time for the Free Peoples of this age, there is little else for us to do. The best armor and shinies once can acquire are either crafted by the many able craftspeople of our time or are acquired in the least dangerous areas in our lands, able to be soloed, duoed, or completed by teams missing half or more of the number they could bring, and done so easily.
Many of us are restless. Many are not as well. I hope that, going forward, both of those groups will be given something they can enjoy 🙂
“I have to strongly disagree that the endgame has always been a staple of the endgame.”
*laughs* Oh, dear. You know what I mean. I strongly disagree that *grind*has always been a staple of the endgame 🙂
A succinct comparison indeed. The other difference: your early examples required grouping, something which has been heavily reduced now.
You also express, in words much better than mine, my missing of the goal to strive to. I want to have to evolve, to get my character and skills better, to be able to take on and defeat the hardest challenges. FINALLY getting my first clear of DN was a period of elation, as was the first challenge clear of BG. I miss those times, and that sense of purpose in play.
I totally agree with Kaleigh, the first couple expansions’ endgame were the golden age of LOTRO, it’s been going downhill pretty much since Isengard.
When Hytbold came out I thought it couldn’t get any worse.
Sadly, I was wrong…
I think it may be wise to wait at least six month to effectively judge whether this is the case.
What will happen in 6 months? No functional 6+ class based grouping is planned for the foreseeable future.
I thought ALL games go through ebb & flow. Now tons of cool things to do and everyone is all skippy and now not so cool, rage quitters and whatnot. I am a founder with 2 lifetime accounts and I’ve watched players rant and I’ve watched them rave the ENTIRE time. I’ve seen it in every single other game I’ve ever played. I’ve also learned I’m not wasting any more money in any other game because no matter what Turbine seems to do with lotro, THIS is where I’m the happiest 😀
It is nice to rant n rave every so often…
But ultimately I agree, in LOTRO with its quirks and bugs I am happy 🙂
Well the Harvest Festival 2014 just started and guess what: Another freaking tablecloth horse with ‘matching’ robe and cloak. So much for Aaron Campbell’s promises. :/