Session play tends to have you play out a story as told by a character in game. I could imagine a session play as Merry, Pippen, or Aragorn, but not Boromir. Boromir is the only one who knows the whole Boromir story, unless they combine Aragorn's, Merry's, Pippen's, and Frodo's version of events. Frodo shouldn't be available, so all we can see are the battle. If I remember correctly, Aragorn will not reveal Boromir's last words regarding Frodo and the ring to anyone. My guess is a Merry or Pippen session play.
If they make a session play where you play one of the orcs attacking Boromir, I won't do it. I will not kill Boromir.
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. ~ Faramir
For me, I want a challenge in open regions again. I don't want to more Dunland mobs to faceroll. We're heading close to Mordor and the growing threat needs to be ramped up EVERYWHERE. The threat was very real in the books, so it should be in game.
While the soloers and casual players do need some regions where the game is a faceroll, there really does need to be more challenging open world content. Think northern Angmar on-level vs. Ring of Isengard on-level. Yes, the trolls at the front gate are scary but once you are inside, it's ridiculous that I can run around freely in the stronghold of my enemy. This does not mean more mob DENSITY but just more ELITES and less of the trash. I understand the desire to make everything soloable, but there should be a few key areas, strongholds that are just too dangerous to roam around by yourself.
Freeps: r8 Mini
Creeps: r10 Reaver, r9 Warg, r8 WL, r8 Defiler, r7 Spider, r6 BA
On skirmish soldiers outside skirmishes: First, we don't know whether we'll be able to use skirmish soldiers before we get to level 75, or outside Rohan even. After all, as many people noted, this would make your character overpowered in many areas. On the other hand, there was a thread some weeks ago that one of the novelties to come this year would be to freeze experience gain, i.e. staying on the same level while doing quests, which would reduce the overpowering. However, I feel that it's unlikely to happen outside Rohan, due to a very specific reason - the content is likely going to be designed around keeping your skirmish soldier around all the time.
The comparison with SWTOR is inevitable, where content is designed exactly this way. As some SWTOR developers said, your companions are intended to do about 40% of your combined DPS, which means that it is not an option not to use them when soloing. As a previous poster on this very thread said, you will have either to have a skirmish soldier while questing in Rohan, get a fellowship, or be several levels ahead of content (certainly not fun).
Still, even if skirmish soldiers are allowed from level 20 onwards, when you unlock skirmishes, it can be actually a good thing. My main point is that it will help classes that are intended to perform a role other than DPS to get used to (limited) group mechanics. There is currently a very good thread about group healing (though it touches other group-related issues), you can find it here:
Basically, it says that since currently you can reach level cap without ever having to group (though you can, if you want to), it doesn't offer enough opportunity to teach you to perform a role other than DPS, which is basically what you are doing all the time. The main exception is skirmishes, where you can pick a soldier with a specific role, complementing your own, exactly like it is done in SWTOR.
Thus, if you translate this to the entire game, it will be easier for these classes that are useful in groups to learn more about group mechanics. Of course, I'm not saying that this will be equal to actually having done enough group content, but it will be at least a step to remedy the current situation. For example, minstrels will have to think about things like threat management and healing/power balance, or guardians will have to make sure they keep the attention of mobs, in order their herbalist not to get swiped away, etc.
On raising the level cap to 85: The most important impact here is not that much the level grind for some (I personally try to enjoy the quest content as much as I can), but something more trivial and still unresolved - you will have once again to get a new legendary weapon. At least this comes with some advanced warning, so you will know not to get too heavily invested in relics at this point (or save TPs for relic removal scrolls). Thus, I would like to point something that has been requested for quite a long time - revise the legendary item system, so that your gear doesn't become outdated so quickly.
Having referenced SWTOR once before, I feel it's quite appropriate to do it again here. They have found a much smoother way to let your gear grow with you - modifications. For those not familiar with SWTOR, it's quite similar to relics, in the meaning that you equip your gear (not only weapons) with various modifications that boost your basic stats. You usually have 3 or 4 slots, and the quality of modifications improves from area to area. You get those in exchange for barter tokens, so it is not that far from the LI system in LOTRO. The thing is that these modifications are what effectively levels your gear, so if you update them regularly, your gear doesn't become outdated every 5 or 10 levels. So think about that, I think there is broad consensus that the LI system is quite imperfect, so it is high time to revisit it.
On mounted combat: Well, this will be refreshing. However, I do hope that you won't have to grind a lot for your warhorse, in order to be competitive, as this will be the LI system all over again. Unfortunately, I am afraid that this is exactly what is going to happen, especially when you will be able to equip your mount with armour and develop its skills. Yet, it is going to be something not seen before, and I am curious to see how it pans out.
I guess this is enough for now, after all, we don't have enough information, so I am not making a definite judgment before having seen the actual content. Let's hope the game can only improve, as unfortunately as much as Moria was a great expansion (in my personal opinion), Rise of Isengard was exactly the opposite, I'm afraid.
Whoa, in addition to mounted combat, we'll get to bring our soldiers wherever we go.
This isn't new in the MMO world. There is another option available that allows you to have an NPC companion with you from level 5-7. It just started and is fairly iconic as well.
Again, this feature isn't new now, if they had allowed it from day 1 when the skirmish companions were first developed, *that* would have been ground breaking.
And how exactly would you like the War Steed implemented?
Is it really necessary a steed, that you have to level? They could level on the same way as the combat pets of the LM's levels with his "masters". War-stead for mounted combat: OK. Leveling & grinding like LIs??? No, thank you.
I know, it not sayed yet, how we can level them, but my trust in Turbines promises have been killed sometime last year by a signatue "Communicator", as they tryed to erase that "convenience, not advantage" posting from Patience.
Yes, that just happened. I started an article with a "Zohmaigawd!", because it was the only way I could possibly respond to this week's news regarding this fall's expansion for "Lord of the Rings Online", "Rise of Isengard". When RoI was first announced, Turbine stated it would include many updates for LOTRO's version of PvP content, PvMP (Player vs. Monster-Player), including a new PvMP zone. As all PvP content in LOTRO is currently contained into one zone (The Ettenmoors), this was welcome news to the PvMP community.
This week, in an interview on Ten Ton Hammer, the devs broke the news that no new PvMP zone would be coming in RoI. There would be updates to PvMP content, but no new zone in which they could be played. While the PvE crowd continues to follow the path and story of the Ring, PvMP players are still in the Ettenmoors. Where they've been for years. Fighting over the same real-estate. Over and over again.
Now I would like to say this was simply a matter of time constraints, that the new PvMP zone was cut so that "Rise of Isengard" will make it out on time. I would like to say that, but I can't. Based upon all of the other announcements (level cap will be going to 75, rather than just to 70 as originally announced; class updates along the way to 75; a 24-man raid; etc), it seems to me that the new zone wasn't cut due to time. It was cut due to Turbine's overriding desire to please PvE players at the expense of the PvMP crowd.
That's right, I just went there. Oh, snap!
Sinthema/Faja | Gaming status > inactive until GW2 |
Yes, that just happened. I started an article with a "Zohmaigawd!", because it was the only way I could possibly respond to this week's news regarding this fall's expansion for "Lord of the Rings Online", "Rise of Isengard". When RoI was first announced, Turbine stated it would include many updates for LOTRO's version of PvP content, PvMP (Player vs. Monster-Player), including a new PvMP zone. As all PvP content in LOTRO is currently contained into one zone (The Ettenmoors), this was welcome news to the PvMP community.
This week, in an interview on Ten Ton Hammer, the devs broke the news that no new PvMP zone would be coming in RoI. There would be updates to PvMP content, but no new zone in which they could be played. While the PvE crowd continues to follow the path and story of the Ring, PvMP players are still in the Ettenmoors. Where they've been for years. Fighting over the same real-estate. Over and over again.
Now I would like to say this was simply a matter of time constraints, that the new PvMP zone was cut so that "Rise of Isengard" will make it out on time. I would like to say that, but I can't. Based upon all of the other announcements (level cap will be going to 75, rather than just to 70 as originally announced; class updates along the way to 75; a 24-man raid; etc), it seems to me that the new zone wasn't cut due to time. It was cut due to Turbine's overriding desire to please PvE players at the expense of the PvMP crowd.
That's right, I just went there. Oh, snap!
There will be no new pvp zone by fall and after fall. If you haven't quit giving turbine money for pvp experience, please stop.
Sinthema/Faja | Gaming status > inactive until GW2 |
Yeah, i see my question wasn't very cleverly formulated What i meant, how is it compared to the eriador regions?
How large, compared to the eriador land-masses, will East Rohan be?
We can really only speculate at this point. In general I think it goes something like this:
Moria > Dunland ~ North Downs > Mirkwood
The size of the expansion is said to be twice that of Moria, so about the size of Dunland and North Downs put together, which is absolutely massive.
Content-wise, it's said to have twice as much content as Dunland so that would put it around 700 quests, 80 deeds. Also quite a bit. If they deliver quality content that large, it will be quite impressive.
Freeps: r8 Mini
Creeps: r10 Reaver, r9 Warg, r8 WL, r8 Defiler, r7 Spider, r6 BA
Roi launched in a very messy state as most of us know. Who capitalized on that? SWTOR mostly. Now in 2012 there will be at least 4 promising MMO's coming out, Tera Online in May, The Secret World in April, Blade and Soul at the end of the year and Guild Wars 2 in a still undisclosed date.
... Turbine you cannot afford to botch this one up!
Update = Yay!
Details of said update = a continued fall from grace of what was an excellent game.
Soldier and Mounted warfare I just consider pretty lame. There are so many imbalances between classes and quests that would have to be sorted and fixed before this would make the game any challenge at all, or it will just make the game it a zerg charge.
I find it hard to be excited by any of the rest of the details.
RoI is still full of bugs, and its all to easy to see this expansion being pretty big as promised (although I consider the RoI maps tiny), and being full of quests requiring you to ride from west Rohan to East Rohan, and back again, many many many times.
It would mean that all the effort spent to getting a good (2nd age) LI has to be done all over again.
I am currently grinding for the Orthanc gear and that Dragon cloak... which will most likely take me 6-8 months.
That would leave me with a few weeks or maybe a month before they quickly become obsolete.
My interest in grinding through our current content has more or less dropped to zero.
Is it really necessary a steed, that you have to level? They could level on the same way as the combat pets of the LM's levels with his "masters". War-stead for mounted combat: OK. Leveling & grinding like LIs??? No, thank you.
I know, it not sayed yet, how we can level them, but my trust in Turbines promises have been killed sometime last year by a signatue "Communicator", as they tryed to erase that "convenience, not advantage" posting from Patience.
Regards
CA
It is to be a great (in terms of size) addition to the game. Something on par with the LI system or skirmishes. It simply can't be _just_ a pet, that's like one new skill to your bar.
Re-ni-AN-nen - strayed (ppt. of renia- 'to stray')
Aeled Reniannen, Defender of Middle-earth ~ Nendhiniel, Forge-Warden : Captain and Wardenette from [EN-RP] Laurelin
Fluffrash, Blade of Barashish ~ Nathraen, Conqueror of Towers : Warg Puppy and Spider Tailor from the darker side thereof
Faradwen, Swift-Arrow : Huntress from [EN-RE] Landroval
As if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.
~~~~~
Kári was a little Dwarf. / Smaller than you or me. / And wherever Kári went / He took his axe… or three.
More details better come forward BEFORE a pre-sale... Not getting my money again without more details.. You got me once with that, but not again...
As for mounted combat - not excited if there is grinding for anything such as horse armor, better horse, etc... Adding a new feature to a game, but also adding yet another grind is BAD game design.
Yay New AREA before the expansion!!! BOOOOOO IF only VIP's get it free, lifers are screwed once again...
A tease from Sapience about MP does not justify excitement.. We have been lied to many times before, too many to count. A hint of MP could be anything from a new region to a new playable class only available in the store, to a new pot in the store.
And what is with everyone getting so excited? Take off the rose-colored glasses people.. This smells fishy. I don't care how much money they have, new areas, level caps, etc take time to build and get right. They way things usually go in beta on Lotro, this expansion is the quickest to come out and will probably have twice the issues.
Last edited by abrahamL; Jan 25 2012 at 01:57 PM.
Reason: meant to add IF
Update 6 and the Riders of Rohan expansion are two different things. If you aren't a VIP you'll be able to buy the Update 6 quest packs in the LOTRO Store. Rohan is an expansion and we'll be talking more about pre-sales, beta, and such in the coming weeks and months.
Will we get a chance to get the ROI pre-order cloaks again with the new expansion? I'm a new player to the game, and was rather disappointed that with purchasing the legendary edition of the ROI expansion that I did not get the cloaks, even though the wording and display on the site gave every reason to believe you were indeed getting the entire set of Rohirrim style armor.
Being that the new expansion is Rohan, I would like my Rohirrim characters to be in full Rohan style armor. Missing the cloak is a big disappointment since Rohan is my favorite region (my Guardian and Captain from Rohan are also disappointed they cannot wear all of their colors). I hope the new expansion will at least have a re-release of the armor, or new Rohirrim style armor to go with it. Minor thing, but still something I'd like to enhance my enjoyment of the game.
Some day, someone will best me. But it won't be today, and it won't be you.
Yay New AREA before the expansion!!! BOOOOOO only VIP's get it free, lifers are screwed once again...
Begging your pardon, but I thought lifers got VIP perks free of charge for the life of the game. In which case, you will receive the The Great River as well.
Didn't they promise a load of stuff in RoI and didn't fore-fill that promise and we are still waiting on said content, plus RoI is so buggy to this day, with bad graphic bugs, bugs that have not been fixed.
So, well done Turbine for making up more content that you probably wont implement.
Begging your pardon, but I thought lifers got VIP perks free of charge for the life of the game. In which case, you will receive the The Great River as well.
You thought of working for turbine cos that just made me stop and think ugh! lmao
WoW don't think Turbine liked what I posted...think I got SOPA'd by them, forums went down and couldn't login to the game...suck it up Turbine you can't keep ya promises :P
So, skirmish soldiers out in the world...wonder if the devs have a little SWTOR envy? I guess imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Originally Posted by Ellyllon
Will skirmish soldiers (fully directable, I hope) be able to take up a party position, as they do in SW?
Originally Posted by Adanamir
The comparison with SWTOR is inevitable, where content is designed exactly this way.
Er... AI companions are hardly a new thing to MMO's. AI companions you can direct the position of, that take up party slots, that can be equipped with items, have their skill use commanded, and that content is more or less balanced to account for? Nope, still not new in the slightest. SWTOR certainly didn't invent any of that, or even advance them much. Games like Guild Wars are built around them. Even games like Ragnarok Online have worked them in.
I mean I get that SWTOR is the shiny new toy on the market so it readily springs to mind for comparison, but come on ya'll. You're making my Dervish sad.
"Life is 10% what you make it, and 90% how you take it." - Irving Berlin Mirkwood ● Isengard ● LOTRO-Wiki
very exited to hear about the mounted combat, and even more exited about how it will be available to every class. I heard a rumor that mounted combat was going to be class specific, and that would be LAME.
If you aren't a VIP you'll be able to buy the Update 6 quest packs in the LOTRO Store.
Note the plural. +Sapience Is this a typographical error, or do you have something else up your sleeve?
Note: +Celestra referred to IoF/HoN like QPs, so its entirely possible +Sapience may be doing something similar here and not necessarily referring to an additional region.;
Great to hear about a huge landmass bigger than Moria and mounted combat too. Also the new area around the great river sounds good too.
I would like to see some immersion in the new zones beyond the quest line. Some rep/deed dungeons built into the landscape that you ride up to the door too. The return of rare-signatures (solo & badass) and some elite areas that are not solo.
So, skirmish soldiers out in the world...wonder if the devs have a little SWTOR envy? I guess imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
....
Since LOTRO had skirmish soldiers years before TOR launched, who imitated who? Many posts on these forums speculated that skirm soldiers might be unleashed on the landscape long before TOR launched, so maybe a dev from TOR read these forums and copied that idea? Either way, it's clear that some combination of Turbine, LOTRO, and the posters on these forums had the idea first, not TOR.
other favorite middle-earth related games: The One Ring RPG, published by Cubicle 7; LotR: The Card Game, published by FFG
Will there be the chance to exchange the old raid gear for the new one?
I don't know why I should farm the "old gear" when there will be a new one, what means: Boring --> another game
I like LOTRO. Played since May 2008 without a break. And I don't want to look for another game to bridge the time :/
Forgive my skepticism, but I fear that both mounted combat and skirmish soldiers on the landscape have very little chance of being bug-free.
I also fear that they'll end up like so many other ideas in LOTRO and remain unfinished, buggy, or just plain abandoned over time (hobbies, "legendary" items, ability to BPE on horseback, and the barter wallet spring to mind (jury is still out on the instance finder, I suppose)).
I'd hope in Rohan and every region from there onwards
Re-ni-AN-nen - strayed (ppt. of renia- 'to stray')
Aeled Reniannen, Defender of Middle-earth ~ Nendhiniel, Forge-Warden : Captain and Wardenette from [EN-RP] Laurelin
Fluffrash, Blade of Barashish ~ Nathraen, Conqueror of Towers : Warg Puppy and Spider Tailor from the darker side thereof
Faradwen, Swift-Arrow : Huntress from [EN-RE] Landroval
As if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.
~~~~~
Kári was a little Dwarf. / Smaller than you or me. / And wherever Kári went / He took his axe… or three.
Since LOTRO had skirmish soldiers years before TOR launched, who imitated who? Many posts on these forums speculated that skirm soldiers might be unleashed on the landscape long before TOR launched, so maybe a dev from TOR read these forums and copied that idea? Either way, it's clear that some combination of Turbine, LOTRO, and the posters on these forums had the idea first, not TOR.
They aren't really skirmish soldiers. They are companions, you have access to their skill bars and how to gear them like an actual toon. Not to mention content is created with the companions in mind. Pulls aren't just 1 mob like in lotro, almost every pull has multiple mobs and many times a signature or higher in the mix too.
Add skirmish soldiers to LOTRO and 90% of the solo content is even more face-rollable and irrelevant. You can pretty much faceroll it all with a LM as it is now (as with most other classes as well). Need that item, send pet in - grab item let pet die. There are many other ways that pets break content. Give me another pet to control and I'll be invincible in the current content framework.
As others posted out, TOR wasn't the first either to have companions - it is just funny watching the progression of LOTRO start to fall in-line with other games. This is just another example of it. One day I hope they copy the less-grind part that other games have that people love. Maybe they'll copy SWTORs quest structure using bonuses and decent story telling too. Voice acting would be great as well. Just hire someone that sounds like Morgan Freeman and have him read every quest text...I don't even need to interact.
Forgive my skepticism, but I fear that both mounted combat and skirmish soldiers on the landscape have very little chance of being bug-free.
I also fear that they'll end up like so many other ideas in LOTRO and remain unfinished, buggy, or just plain abandoned over time (hobbies, "legendary" items, ability to BPE on horseback, and the barter wallet spring to mind (jury is still out on the instance finder, I suppose)).
Ummm more bugs...how many bugs can the server take??? waiting for Turbine to blame Sauron for causing all the bugs ingame
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Originally Posted by Granaatappel
What i meant, how is it compared to the eriador regions?
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Re: Forth Eorlingas!
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Re: Forth Eorlingas!
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RIP LOTRO
Re: Forth Eorlingas!
Ok, thank you!
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