Free to play stuff

[rosencrantz]

Internet rumor has it that there's alot of later content, like say in the North Downs at Esteldin that is locked until you purchase it. (I saw a screenshot, but don't remember from where).

[mts]

is that new content? i seem to remember questing in the north downs already. i would assume "old" content would be included free. and its the new regions... especially the areas added with expansions, that would cost extra money.

i am a one character player in lotro. i don't intend to do anything but play on my burglar.

[rosencrantz]

Rumor has it that old content is only available up to around level 20 though (aka the starting zones and Bree-land), similar rumors also say that you would have to use turbine points to get access to those higher level zones.

Confirmed information says that if you purchased the expansion packs already you will still have access to that content. So it may end up being a bit weird.

[mts]

that doesn't seem right. shouldn't the content that came with the game when i originally bought it, count as "paid for"? there was enough content between lvl 20 and lvl50 that should come as free....

unless they are talking about making the lotro clinet free to download... and if you start a new account with a free download, you have to buy those areas.

[rosencrantz]

I believe the lotro client is going to become free to download.

Actually, here's a good comparison of the different levels, and it's official too! So yeah.. looks like it's not rumor, you just get
"Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land
(can purchase more)" as the base, and everything if you're a VIP and pay the monthly fee.

http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html

[Ack]

Hehe, there goes our LOTRO come back!

[carrier]

but you can earn the points you need to open new zones just by playing and leveling up, right? i seriously doubt they would make you pay real money for each and every zone... would they?

[mts]

we should have lots of free points by virtue of having paid for the client.

so i don't think this applies to us. but then again.. i didn't follow rosen's link to read the post.

[Morgan]

Reading what Ryan linked, it seems you have access to all the content you "own". If you bought the base game, you have access to all that content, if you bought mines of moria, you have access to all that content as well, if you buy Siege of Mirkwood, you get access to all of that content.

The idea with these changes is to basically do away with the monthly recurring fees, but entice people to purchase the games and turbine points instead.

[Odinson]

In researching this, I too came upon the whole limited experience with the free-to-play portion. It also included things like limiting the amount of gold you can carry to 3g, limiting the number of toons you can create, limiting you to the base classes (apparently there are 2 expansion classes?), etc. Obviously, a free game isn't bad, but all these limitations make me wonder about just buying the game, especially since it costs like $10 atm.

Which makes me wonder, are there different servers to log onto like WoW? If so, which server are you guys on?

[carrier]

In researching this, I too came upon the whole limited experience with the free-to-play portion. It also included things like limiting the amount of gold you can carry to 3g, limiting the number of toons you can create, limiting you to the base classes (apparently there are 2 expansion classes?), etc. Obviously, a free game isn't bad, but all these limitations make me wonder about just buying the game, especially since it costs like $10 atm.

Which makes me wonder, are there different servers to log onto like WoW? If so, which server are you guys on?

Server = Vilya

you earn points while you play, and i am pretty sure you can buy this stuff w/ points you earn while in game. or you can take a short cut and buy the points with money and unlock stuff that way. some stuff i am betting you will have to pay for... but not everything.

[Odinson]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Ya, I'm sure they're gonna make their money one way or the other. My feeling is I'd like to start out with the bought version and go from there.

Do you have any thoughts on races, classes, or professions? Missing a certain kind of role (tank, dps, healer) in the Elders group?

[mts]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Ya, I'm sure they're gonna make their money one way or the other. My feeling is I'd like to start out with the bought version and go from there.

Do you have any thoughts on races, classes, or professions? Missing a certain kind of role (tank, dps, healer) in the Elders group?

i think we're missing a whole lot if we don't all go back, lol.

in terms of tank, dps, and healing... i'll let you guess which one of the 3 types is completely overpopulated and which two are always in demand. heheh.

and of the dps classes... they kind of differentiate between types there as well. champions are aoe damage. hunters are single target damage. loremasters and burglars are crowdcontrol.

all that being said.... guardians are the best tanks. wardens and champions can sorta tank. minstrels are the best healers. captains can sorta heal. if you don't have the best for one role, you kinda want to have the best or multiple for the other role.

the group dynamics are a bit different than wow, since its 6 members instead of 5.

(i haven't played in 3 years, so this data may be out of date.)

[Odinson]

Well, I ended up picking a Dwarf Champion for now. He's level 5 right now. His name is Brewmore

Definitely, the game is alot like WoW, but it some ways very different. One thing I've been struggling with is the graphics. They look really mediocre, even on the ultra high settings. Is this how it looks, or have I done something wrong? I mean, it looks pixelated, like I was playing a game from 1995. Maybe I have to log out and back in or reset the computer to take effect. I would have futzed more, but we lost power yesterday in a big thunderstorm.

Another thing, the quest givers can be hard to see. Their names and the ring over their heads get in the way of each other. Don't know if this is related to the above graphics issues, but its a pain.

So far, combat is ok, but feels a little clunkier than WoW.

Also, there seems to be quest only solo instances, that seem to lock you in. Don't know if you can log out of the game and get back to where you were without screwing things up.

Anyhow, that's my thoughts for now. Any help with the graphics stuff would be appreciated. Hope to see you guys around.

[mts]

graphics should be way better than wow. directX 10 support etc.... make sure you are running natively in the highest resolution your monitor supports. 1680x1050 or whatever. only reason it would like like 1995 graphics is if you were running in 1995 resolution.... 1024x768? hehe.

another champion is as good as any i suppose.

the intro quest you start off with is instanced. i'm pretty sure you can stop in the middle of that if you like. the game should remember where you left off.