Thread: Happy Anniversary Lotro! an open letter to Turbine

Dear Turbine,

As the 5th anniversary of Lord of the Rings Online approaches I wanted to just let you know, what it has meant to me.

My childhood has always been consumed with knights in shining armour. Dragons, Kings, Queens, Princesses, Swords, Shields, and Grand Adventures. A lot of this had to do with my father’s love for Tolkien’s books and I grew up with “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”. I grew up watching Rankin and Bass’ “The Hobbit”. Needless to say my interest was easily revitalized when the Jackson movies were released. At the same time my friends learned for the first time what Lord of the Rings was. With a new found common interest we all launched into a haze of Lord of the Rings fandom for years.

Then, one day in 2004, I stumbled across something truly amazing. Middle-earth Online. I found out about it the day Turbine bought the rights from Vivendi. Now, I knew what an MMO was, my friends and I had played Ultima Online for years by this point, and WoW was in the headlines, but the ever decreasing quality of those games compared to the promise of a fully realised 3D Middle-earth was just too much to bear.
For two and a half years we all waited anxiously sharing information about MEO. We found screenshots, videos, even some clips of soundtracks, all the information that was slowly trickling out.

As soon as registration was open for game testing I was signed up (I still have my community welcome email from 2005), but alas it was not until Alpha 3 in Dec 2006, that I got a chance to play. Little did I know that it would be the start of some amazing adventures. Below is my first screenshot of the game, taken in Alpha3:



I played all through the end of Alpha3 and the Beta phases. Then the fateful day came; pre-orders opened up and open beta with early access was available. I still remember the excitement we all had. With clients installed, and lifetime accounts purchased, we waited for March 30th, the day of the Open Beta. You see, we knew that there would be a rush to play from thousands of people, and with it would also be a rush to get names. So we planned ahead.

We wanted 3 pretty common names: Thomas, Maxwell, and Patrick, and we also went for 3 character names for dwarves “Winkin”, “Blinkin”, and “Nod” with the intention of playing them on a secondary server if Turbine ever took out main on down for maintenance (you guys never do just one at a time). To get all three some of the most common names on a single server would require some quick work and a little luck.

My friends and I sat behind our respective computers and talked on chat. We had assumed that come 12:01AM March 30th the servers would come up, and we had a plan to get our character names. But the server openings were delayed. So after getting some sleep we were up bright and early the next morning and talked on the phone with each other waiting for the servers to go live. As soon as it opened we all logged in to pre-assigned servers and quickly skipped customizing characters and just got the names my first try: attempt “Thomas” -> “that name has already been taken”. Oh No! The server had not been up for even 30 seconds and already!

My second attempt I was able to snag all three names. So I told my friends. They had also been successful. So we decided on a server, which ended up being “Silverlode” and graciously freed up the names on the other servers, as to not be complete jerks. And there on Silverlode we have resided ever since. We only really play those main characters when all three of us are on, some of you on Silverlode might have even seen us.

Fast forward 5 years. Here we are on the eve of the 5th anniversary. And after such a long story I wonder if anyone is still reading. If so, I wish to give my thoughts on the experience of the game as a whole.

Turbine, you are a wonderful company, “Powered by our Fans” indeed, don’t let anyone tell you any different. For 5 year Lord of the Rings Online (I still call it Middle-earth Online) has been that for me. Every week my friends and I still make sure to get together, even if it is for only an hour, and play. As lifetime founders we like to think that Lotro was built, in part by us, and that Middle-earth has been saved countless times thanks to the heroism of Thomas, Maxwell, and Patrick.

When the 3 of us are unable to play together we play our alts. I have more than 24 alts, but only 10 that remain at cap. I have put 12,645 hours into this game, all totaled. I could talk for hours and tell countless stories of the adventures we have had. But I will only tell one, because it was the moment that solidified Lotro as the “one MMO to rule them all” for my friends and myself:

All the way back in Closed Beta, the newbie instance defending Archet from the invading brigands used to be harder than it is now. It could prove difficult for those still getting used to the game mechanics. My friend was in the instance, and we also happened to be in a fellowship together, chatting. He was working on soloing the instance, but found himself in a spot of trouble, fighting 3 brigands at once. Unknown to him I had entered the instance and was catching up to him, just down the hill from where the instance starts. He was becoming overwhelmed and was about to die when, on his screen, I came out of the sky with my guardian and landed in the middle of the fray swinging my sword and saving the day. This kind of dramatic moment has happened to our group time and time again. Each and every time it has created memories that we will hold on to for the rest of our lives.

So Turbine, as I close out this message to you I just want to let you know that every little detail of what you guys have done in the past 5 years, right down to the sand castle on island beach of Evendim is appreciated, and you affect people’s lives more than you can possibly imagine. It may seem odd that a video game could be so important in life, but in many ways the product that you guys at Turbine have built has actually facilitated some of the greatest moments in my life. In 5 years a lot of things change. Life takes us strange places, friends graduate from college, get married, they get new jobs, they move away, and there so many other ups and downs. Its often hard to find some consistent thread through it all to keep these relationships alive, but Lord of the Rings Online has been that for my group of friends.

Here’s to you Turbine, and to the great world you have made for us.

Cheers,
Thomas

[reserved in case I have more to say]

What a beautiful letter! I didn't hear about LOTRO until summer of 2008, so I have a later start than most, but my experience is similar to yours. Turbine does an excellent job bringing Middle-earth to life.

I remember the first time traveling from the Shire to Bree-town with my little Hobbit minstrel. It was the first time leaving the Shire, and of course it was at night. I stuck to the Great East Road, panning the camera around wildly when I would hear a wolf howling, sure that some wild animal would pop out of the dark and eat me up whole. When I finally saw the gates of Bree in the distance, I was filled with wonder and relief.

That was such a special moment in game for me. It has been followed by many, many more special moments.

Thank you, Turbine, for all your hard work. You'll never know how many lives you've touched with this "game."

Great stories there. "Powered by our fans" ...indeed!

Here's to another 5 years (and more!)
*raises glass*

Originally Posted by Ryzes

Here's to another 5 years (and more!)
*raises glass*

Hear Hear!
*clink*

Hear him, hear him! Huzzah for a positive post!

I have only been playing LOTRO for 1-1/2 years. It too has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. Cannot say enough about the power of good company in the right kinship of players.

Here's to many more years of 'storming the castle' with friends!

Cheers,

Fara

When I was very young, I had a teacher that was wonderful. She taught me the joy of reading. In her classroom she had shelves stuffed with books for young people. Not childrens stories, young peoples stories. I gobbled up the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and then moved on to Tom Swift. I had discovered Science Fiction. I loved it. I started going to the public library almost every day. When I had more books borrowed than I was allowed, I would just sit there and read until I was done and turned it in for another. I read so many SciFi books that by the time I was 10 years old I had literally read every one in that library.

I panicked. What was I going to read next? Then, as I was standing near the check out desk, an older man (a college student actually but to me he was old hehe) turned in a large rather thick book with a fanciful picture of a dragon flying around a mountain top. I picked it up and asked the clerk if she knew what it was about. She said that she wasn't sure but I was welcome to check it out and read it and tell her later. It was "The Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien. After reading the very first page, I was hooked. If you can believe it, a 10 year old read that book from cover to cover in 2 days. After I finished it, I found "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and those four books together started a 47 year love affair with fantasy adventures. Since then I have read and reread those four books over a dozen times and have read much more than a few times, all the other Tolkien materiel I could find.

I am now embarrassed to say that my first MMO was WoW and I played it for quite a few years, until someone in chat happened to mention that he had tried LOTRO and hated it. I asked him what he meant by LOTRO and he told me The Lord of the Rings Online. I was stunned. My head was so far in a pigeon hole (so to speak) that I hadn't even heard until that moment that someone had made an MMO about my all time favorite story. I immediately logged off and googled LOTRO. Found the website and paid for a sub (this was before Free to Play) and started the long download of the Mirkwood edition. I never went back. Even when I found out that my 2 very valuable WoW accounts had been hacked, I didn't care. I love this game and the fact that the community is just as wonderful as the game just makes it that much greater.

I want to add my thanks to Turbine for creating my dream world and say Happy Anniversary with hopes for many many more wonderful years to come.

Hear hear. Turbine has crafted a wonderful online environment for us to enjoy, backed by robust lore drawn from the seminal work of high fantasy and supported by an incredible community.

As others have stated, here's to another 5 years of adventure in Middle Earth!

Awesome letter by the OP!

Nice!

Oh...Happy Anniversary in advance Lotro!


"Light will flood your hearts...Hope is given." ~Ephesians1:18
Http://TheLegionOfHopeAndLight.guildlaunch.com

./cheers my friend.

+1 rep for OP
+10000000000000000000000 rep for Turbine

keep this at the top, it's a welcome change

Happy Anniversary Lotro.
/cheers to everyone in game, from an italian Tolkien's fan, and new LOTRO player

This forum needs more posts like this.

Okay, strike that, they're less special if there are too many. It just needs less posts that are the opposite of this.

My first post. Wonderful thread and I couldn't resist adding my two cents.
I came to the game late (sometime after f2p started; late 2010?) and by the time I reached Trestlebridge, I couldn't stop playing. Shortly thereafter, I went VIP and have been extremely satisfied ever since. As a fan of the books and the movies, the world Turbine has created for us has given me the wonderful feeling of being a part of these stories which I have loved so much.
I recall two seminal moments in particular: First, riding aimlessly through the Trollshaws trying to find Rivendell and then (finally) seeing the Elves standing guard at the top of the path...I got goosebumps as the music changed while I rode down the path and eventually came to the Last Homely House. More recently, after spending many moons in the dark despair of Moria, I remember finally fighting my way through to the First Hall, then emerging into the Dimrill Dale and taking a moment to look back at the magnificent entranceway carved in Durin's visage.
I'm in Mirkwood now; taking my time to enjoy the surroundings while I fight my way through orc and goblin. Even though there are times when things can be a grind, I've always felt it was a good grind. After all, I'm part of the story now.
Thank you, Turbine. Hears to many more years of advancing the story and exploring Tolkien's world.

I feel like dancing now.

*dances*

What? That's how I dance!

Great post. Happy Anniversary (in advance), LOTRO!

I started with LOTRO in October 2010, when someone on another forum that I frequent mentioned an MMO based on LOTR. For me, at the time, MMOs equaled WoW, and I had had plenty of experience with WoW players to not be interested in an MMO. But I was recovering from a sickness and with nothing to do, so I started my 14-day trial (this was before F2P launched in Europe). I've never taken more than two weeks off LOTRO since.

Two situations always stick in my mind. One was when, at L28, another player and myself decided to make a dash through to Rivendell. At the time, you had to be L35 to get a steed, so we ran all the way through to the Ford, and died multiple times. We never got there but it was a great adventure nonetheless. The other incident is when I came out of Moria for the first time and I went 'woah!'. There are many incidents like that in this game, and if I had to write about all of them, I could probably write a novel.

So, while there has been a lot of negativity surrounding Turbine and LOTRO on these forums lately, I feel it's excellent that we also recognize the greatness of the game that Turbine has given us. While many people predicts LOTRO will die a slow and painful death soon, I hope the game thrives for another five years at least.

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Lotro
Happy Birthday to You.

From good players and true,
From old players and new,
May good luck go with you,
And happiness too.

Oh I remember the day Lotro went live, the excitement building up, the late start, the queues. The magnificent landscapes, helpful people I met, my first Kin who taught me more than they knew and my very first character a Guardian by the name of Adanessa. At the 5 year point I guess I feel like a seasoned veteran but the excitement and awe never stops, this is still the place I want to be and there is still much to learn..... Oh and lest I forget when it comes Happy Anniversary Lotro and to all of us.

Oh, forgot to add the Epic storyline and quests have given hours of enjoyment. Last but not least to the OP, wonderful post!!

Such an amazing post, I can't stop smiling! Happy anniversary to Lotro and all of its players!

./echo and +rep

and /wave to a fellow Silverlodian!

3 Huzzahs all round for Turbine's creation. Happy Anniversary Lotro!

Happy Anniversary, LOTRO, and many thanks to Turbine for crafting such an amazingly detailed representation of Middle Earth for us all to enjoy.

My late grandfather introduced me to Tokein as a kid, having himself read through the trilogy several times, so the series is very close to my heart. LOTRO is undeniably the best and most complete recreation of Middle Earth in the gaming world, and we're all very fortunate that it continues to grow and receive excellent support. :cheers:

Nice to hear someone positive!!! Agree with the OP missed alpha and beta here but have been here since 2007,
have tried other MMO's but none have captured my imagination and loyalty like this world Turbine has ceated for us. Thanx Turbine!

Originally Posted by Ryzes

Great stories there. "Powered by our fans" ...indeed!

Here's to another 5 years (and more!)
*raises glass*

Indeed - and agreed.

(and I'll try not to mention the store )

I'll be honest. I am a LOTRO Loyalist. I love this game. It's the only MMO in 13 years to hold my interest for more than 18 months, and I've been here for 5 years next April.

I had been playing for maybe 6 months or so,starting in Archet,making my way down to Combe, Bree, Barrowdowns, Old forest, and then to Lone Lands, and Trollshaws.

It was then that someone mentioned the Shire, and I was like "WHAT! Where's the Shire?????" After hearing that it was past Buckland(that's as far West as I had gone), I made a beeline to the Brandywine Bridge and fell in love.

It wasn't until sometime in 2008 when I made my first alt that landed me in Ered Luin that I realized that the game had yet MORE lands that I had not been too.

To this day, 5 years later, I still walk around the Shire time to time and listen to the Hobbit dialogue. Listening to some female Hobbit rant about the priviliged few having the best pie fillings gets me every time!

I, like so many others, started off playing Wow. I hadn't heard of Lotro until about Dec 2010 and finally joined in Jan '11. I haven't looked back since. I've really enjoyed being immersed in this mmo. I've enjoyed the novels and movies very much. It wasn't a hard decision for me to leave former mmo for Middle Earth. It was a bit of a difference getting used to everything, I think the biggest was that level cap was 65 after being used to 80-85 in wow.

The community is better and friendlier here, crafting is much better and I love having skirms as something else to do. Haven't done anything major like raiding yet, I've raided in wow before. My kin and I enjoy running smaller 3 man content as we don't have many active members, but that's ok with me. I'm more of a solo player and have a stable of alts. I've recently started branching out to other servers as to get more character slots and new alts.

Overall, to me, the game is great. I don't mind a little bit of grinding here and there, it's really not so bad here if you've ever played other games and saw what a grind they can be. I always look forward to updates and new content.

Here's to the future and hopefully many more wonderful years to come! Cheers!

Originally Posted by LeppardUK

Great post. Happy Anniversary (in advance), LOTRO!

Agreed!

My gaming history goes back fairly far, back to a delightful 2D MMO that few have heard about called Clan Lord. From there I moved up to EQ. But while I was playing EQ, EQII, DAoC, GW, SWG, WoW, and others, this is the game that I was waiting for. I remember starting out in EQ, near the end of their beta, and thinking what an amazing thing online 3D MMORPGs were. It felt like the EQ devs must have gotten a lot of their fantasy ideas from Tolkien, and I thought wouldn't it be great to have a game that was really, truly, based on his work? A game that stayed true to that work - as much as humanly possible given that the game would have to appeal to a wide audience. And of course, run by a company that wasn't Sony.

I too was fortunate enough to land a spot in early beta. I have never felt more honored, to be even a tiny part of the creation of such a work. Those who say the devs don't appreciate or listen to the player base are simply unaware. These designers do care, about the player experience as much as being true to the books, and they have cared since the start - which far predates the official release. Have things changed a bit since coming under the wing of WB? They have. But the heart and soul of the design persists, in spite of it all.

Anyways, the bottom line is that I game-hopped a lot before Lotro, I know a lot of players still do. But for me personally and a small handful of friends, this game has become home. As long as Turbine continues to unfold Tolkien's world in the grand fashion that they have so far established, we will continue to live vicariously through our characters in that world. Thank You Turbine indeed!

/raise mug .. cheers!