Thread: The reason why people like WoW better than LOTRO

Originally Posted by Cindir

Helpful info. I would think what made people stay with WoW for years is that they really did it right. There are a lot of people who played WoW as a subscriber for years. I am also sure people brought friends into the game also because it was done very well.

Well, we will always have Moria. : )

I wonder what the next really big MMO will be - if there ever will be one after WoW. Possibly SWTOR or GW2? It does not seem quite possible that Rift will ever dominate - but they seem to have pulled off something.

Now that's an interesting question.

No one will probably ever be able to match WoW for size.

I think the new trend is going to be smaller, cheaper to fund niche market MMOs. The days of the hulking MMO giants are probably gone.

Unless...

Someone finally builds the gods MMO where players pay to run their own mini-server and create their own content. It's the only thing missing from the pencil and paper games... the ability of a good Game Master to completely run the world for a select group of willing players.

Originally Posted by hex2323

And if they fixed all the bugs? At least the major ones?

My brother joined because of Free to Play. He's hardly the Lowest Common Denominator. Many of the good players I've met recently joined because of Free to Play.

Just because people have less money to spend on a game than you do doesn't mean they're worse people.

Or were you implying something else about people who play a free game?

I used the term lowest common denominator refering to cash as something that everyone has in common, not as an insult or a derogatory term. My nephews play because it is free to play also. Infact in many ways I have more respect for the f2p crowd than those who choose to buy their way through the game via the store. My point was really that even with the game going f2p, the numbers still aren't a pimple on the posterior of WoW.
As for the bugs.. It's hypothetical until it happens. We've been waiting a while. A stable MMO should be THE most important factor. It's no good having a car that looks great, and has the potential to take you to lots of nice places, if as soon as you get 3 friends in the back, it starts spluttering and kangaroo hopping along the road. Once you've had a few months of that with no fix from the manufacturer, it's going on Ebay. While the company who designed the less fancy car which works just fine, drives past laughing.

Originally Posted by hex2323

I gave reasons why it was more populated. Doesn't mean the uninitiated masses made the right call.

This kind of attitude is sad, specially when it's expressed in a community like LOTRO's which pretends being more mature. Calling people names when they don't share your taste in something as trivial as entertainment, no matter how mild or bad the name is, is just wrong.
Many veteran MMO players, many of which played those games since longer than you, enjoy WoW. Are those really "uninitiated masses", or are you just saying this to make yourself feel better in your own choice (aka to feel superior)?

Originally Posted by hex2323

Someone finally builds the gods MMO where players pay to run their own mini-server and create their own content. It's the only thing missing from the pencil and paper games... the ability of a good Game Master to completely run the world for a select group of willing players.

Neverwinter Nights (I and II) from Bioware...

Originally Posted by Korrigan

This kind of attitude is sad, specially when it's expressed in a community like LOTRO's which pretends being more mature. Calling people names when they don't share your taste in something as trivial as entertainment, no matter how mild or bad the name is, is just wrong.
Many veteran MMO players, many of which played those games since longer than you, enjoy WoW. Are those really "uninitiated masses", or are you just saying this to make yourself feel better in your own choice (aka to feel superior)?

Neverwinter Nights (I and II) from Bioware...

Okay. Perhaps I should have stated that I was NOT referring to anyone here specifically. Nor wow players in general. More of 'the public' in general, as a group, usually likes junk entertainment.

It's not name calling. It's the truth. NOT that WoW is bad or people who like WoW are bad, just that popularity is not an indicator of true quality.

And thanks for pulling one sentence out of context and trying to make me the bad guy.

Originally Posted by monteeburns

I used the term lowest common denominator refering to cash as something that everyone has in common, not as an insult or a derogatory term. My nephews play because it is free to play also. Infact in many ways I have more respect for the f2p crowd than those who choose to buy their way through the game via the store. My point was really that even with the game going f2p, the numbers still aren't a pimple on the posterior of WoW.
As for the bugs.. It's hypothetical until it happens. We've been waiting a while. A stable MMO should be THE most important factor. It's no good having a car that looks great, and has the potential to take you to lots of nice places, if as soon as you get 3 friends in the back, it starts spluttering and kangaroo hopping along the road. Once you've had a few months of that with no fix from the manufacturer, it's going on Ebay. While the company who designed the less fancy car which works just fine, drives past laughing.

Maybe it's just my personal experience, but the only recent bug that I've run into is the stuck horse bug.

I know there are others, but how common are they? I'm asking because I don't know. Really. How common are they?

I have the same issue with WoW that I had with SWTOR. Both are good games but the problem is that both of them are so big in terms of players and number of servers that you are lost in the crowd. The other MMOs I played, like Age of Conan, Star Trek Online and LOTRO are smaller and of course have more technical issues due to a smaller staff but you don't feel like a number.

The general forums on each of those games is a good example. It can take up to a day for a thread on the general page to go to page two. With WoW and SWTOR you can't even keep up. I know, I tried. Everyone knows everyone on the forums of those smaller games and being a big fan of game forums, that's how I like it.

For myself personally, and this is just how I feel, it seems like the playerbase here either plays because they love the books, or love the movies, or like me and love both. I mean, I've been here for 5 years and I still look forward to logging on and playing. A game that holds me for that long must be doing something right. The lack of gold sellers is a major plus for me.

I'm also a huge Conan fan but that game just has too many game related issues. Star Trek was ok but just got too repetitive for me. I really cannot think of any game related issues with it, just got bored.

But what it comes down to is that for me, when I played WoW I felt like I was playing a game. When I play LOTRO I feel like I'm in Middle Earth.

I think the name of the title should be "The Reason why OTHER people like WoW better than LOTRO".

Originally Posted by hex2323

Maybe it's just my personal experience, but the only recent bug that I've run into is the stuck horse bug.

I know there are others, but how common are they? I'm asking because I don't know. Really. How common are they?

Common enough for Turbine to intervene because the thread on the forum related to the lag / stutter was getting pretty full. Of course, that doesn't include all the people who simply don't bother to report bugs any more. As for the Draigoch bug, who knows. There have been an awful lot of people reporting that too. When some kins are reporting they are no longer raiding due to these bugs, it becomes obvious it's not the odd person here or there with a #### PC, but a more widespread problem. Of course, if you want actual percentages, that's not going to happen, but then you know that don't you
I think the answer to your question boils down to - much more than is acceptable, and much more than can be deemed as 'normal' for any large game. Some things just aren't acceptable for a company with a size such as Turbine. The Beta status of the forum is a pretty good reflection. I think it'll still be in beta the day they turn off the servers. I'm sure WoW or almost any other large scale MMO wouldn't allow the same. It's not a huge thing, but it kind of represents the state of things over here. It seems beta now means, we're not bothering to fix this, so we'll just slap a beta badge on it, so it looks like a work in progress.

Originally Posted by monteeburns

Common enough for Turbine to intervene because the thread on the forum related to the lag / stutter was getting pretty full. Of course, that doesn't include all the people who simply don't bother to report bugs any more. As for the Draigoch bug, who knows. There have been an awful lot of people reporting that too. When some kins are reporting they are no longer raiding due to these bugs, it becomes obvious it's not the odd person here or there with a #### PC, but a more widespread problem. Of course, if you want actual percentages, that's not going to happen, but then you know that don't you
I think the answer to your question boils down to - much more than is acceptable, and much more than can be deemed as 'normal' for any large game. Some things just aren't acceptable for a company with a size such as Turbine. The Beta status of the forum is a pretty good reflection. I think it'll still be in beta the day they turn off the servers. I'm sure WoW or almost any other large scale MMO wouldn't allow the same. It's not a huge thing, but it kind of represents the state of things over here. It seems beta now means, we're not bothering to fix this, so we'll just slap a beta badge on it, so it looks like a work in progress.

Not looking for percentages. Not even looking for points to argue. If my kin stopped raiding due to bugs or if I was constantly running into bugs, I'd be boiled. No doubt. In my kin only one member has had constant lag/stutter issues. Took a while to get his settings adjusted (lower of course) before he was good again.

I know it must be happening. People aren't complaining over nothing. I get it. I just haven't experienced it... yet. I did experience it in WoW. So, it can happen in either game.

These forums? Yeah. Tell me about it. You know when they'll finally remove the beta tag? Once things here work smoothly, they'll remove the beta tag and probably break everything they fixed. BUT, they're not a forum design company.

I know that you and others are very anti-turbine. Some because of the store, some due to poor communication, some about the content release having bugs, some just because.

I am very pro-turbine because I have seen a lot of other games and MMOs and game companies and software and the industry as a whole has similar problems. When I start a new game, I prepare myself for two things. 1. learning curve. 2. limitations. I've found that LOTRO is a game where I don't have much to complain about.

I had complaints about WoW because it was just not my style of storytelling, of world, and of game mechanics. It didn't fit me. I didn't hang around long. It's probably just fine for other people, but not for me. Just as LOTRO is fine for me, but not for these other people.

My main point was, and still is, the two games compared side by side are close enough that you can't realistically claim one or the other is better EXCEPT in your own estimation of the facts as they stand. If I ever run into a bunch of glitches and bugs and game changes that make me upset, then I will join the angry voices. Right now, it's just not happening to me. They've always treated me fair. GMs have been awesome to me. Customer support handled a few of my issues adroitly.

So, obviously if things have gone well for me here over the years I'm going to say LOTRO is a better game. What I probably SHOULD have said is...

Overall, I've had a better experience playing LOTRO than WoW.

Originally Posted by hex2323

Overall, I've had a better experience playing LOTRO than WoW.

Now that's a fair comment I never got into WoW for various reasons, mainly because I'm one of those shallow gamers who can't really look past the cartoon graphics. But, that's my problem and obviously others can. So with so many people still playing, despite the graphics, they obviously have got the gameplay nailed. Plus they say that imitation is the best form of flattery, and as so many companys have 'borrowed' ideas from WoW, they clearly know how to run a good show.

Originally Posted by monteeburns

mainly because I'm one of those shallow gamers who can't really look past the cartoon graphics.

That's pretty much me also. That's why I cannot stand Picasso but I love Boris Vallejo. Same thing with my games.

Originally Posted by Nymphonic

That's pretty much me also. That's why I cannot stand Picasso but I love Boris Vallejo. Same thing with my games.

I hear that, the cartoonish look of WoW doesn't stack up to Lotro really.







Apologies for image massiveness if you click the links, it was late and I couldn't be bothered to scale them down.

I love how panoramic those pictures are.

Main reason I play this game: the community. In WoW asking a question in general chat: Learn to play noob. In LOTRO asking a question: actually getting an answer.

Following 2-3 years of playing WoW on and off, I've come to realise that playing WoW has become increasingly more boring and mundane as I've progressed through my levels and geared to the highest of my abilities.

Having completely geared my main character to the nines with the very best of items on offer, I began to find myself constantly looking for something to fill my time with whilst playing WoW as the end-game content simply is not up to scratch.

Having cancelled my subscription which is due to expire next week, I've been drawn to LOTRO after weeks of watching video's, reading these forums and generally clueing up on what is required when playing this LOTRO.

I had actually made a character some few months ago, however lost interest when my PC went into meltdown and I needed a full neew rig. Now having finished my studies and bought a new PC, I've decided to give LOTRO another go as the graphics (in my opinion) look absoloutely stunning and are far superior to that of World of Warcraft.

I've always enjoyed the Lord of the Rings story line and found the movies to be amazing, so hopefully now that I've finally created an account and almost finished downloading, I can begin enjoying what so many of you have been posting about for all these years!

If anyone has any tips or pointers they'd wish to share, then I'd be happy to listen in!

Originally Posted by Korrigan

This kind of attitude is sad, specially when it's expressed in a community like LOTRO's which pretends being more mature. Calling people names when they don't share your taste in something as trivial as entertainment, no matter how mild or bad the name is, is just wrong.
Many veteran MMO players, many of which played those games since longer than you, enjoy WoW. Are those really "uninitiated masses", or are you just saying this to make yourself feel better in your own choice (aka to feel superior)?

So you believe "uninitiated masses" was used as an insult? Do you know what "uninitiated" means? Honest question. He didn't say "unwashed masses," by the way.

Originally Posted by wizarrrd

If anyone has any tips or pointers they'd wish to share, then I'd be happy to listen in!

The New Player discussion section can be helpful, and of course questions posted to General and the other subforums like Quests/Instances are usually answered forthwith. My main tip for all new players is the quote in my sig.

__________
Crit crafting & the RNG | Dumb noob things we've done in LotRO...
"Be not so eager to advance that you fail to experience the moment, in life and in all things." -Deluros, Rivendell

Originally Posted by Nymphonic

I love how panoramic those pictures are.

They're straight out of the screenshots folder, god bless nVidia and 2d surround

WoW has it's merits, never really did it for me though, had I not played Lotro first I might think differently but after roaming around a massive game world that looks as good as Lotro I've yet to find anything that comes close, I'm told AOIN looks good but after trying AOC, warhammer, WoW and SWTOR they've all had big shoes to fill and failed, badly.

I don't know much about WOW, Lotro is my first and only mmo and I'm glad I chose it... not that WOW was ever an option, but if given the choice Lotro would have been picked either way by me since I am more familiar with Tolkien's world and would have no idea what WOW is about and might not have gotten into its story-line if it even has one, some people say it doesn't so I wouldn't know. My guess is that like most games it does have some sort of story and the whole "it doesn't have a story-line like lotro" is merely just a way of comparing better aspects of the games of some sort.

As far as the question to why more people play WOW goes... well, there are a lot of people playing Lotro, but my guess (if I'm not mistaken) would be WOW was around before Lotro I think? And I suppose that's why there may still be more people playing. I've had a couple of in-game friends I met in Lotro who spoke of going back to WOW and did... I can't imagine why, but maybe it's for the same reason a lot of people return to Lotro after playing a newer game, which I've seen happen time and time again. It's something they know and are familiar with. And once they get the newer game out of their system they come back, and maybe all of their old friends play there and miss them, plus they may see better qualities in the game itself that they enjoy over the other one and would rather invest their time and money into something they feel they'll get more enjoyment out of. I still think Lotro is the best mmo ever, but that's just my conclusion or guess.

Originally Posted by JustEscape22

...
As far as the question to why more people play WOW goes... well, there are a lot of people playing Lotro, but my guess (if I'm not mistaken) would be WOW was around before Lotro I think? And I suppose that's why there may still be more people playing. I've had a couple of in-game friends I met in Lotro who spoke of going back to WOW and did... I can't imagine why, ...

It's pretty simple really - the "Why". WoW is just a better game. Of course this is subjective, and both games have their strong points, but many people just think WoW is much better - and for good reason. Or should I say - they prefer WoW - and for good reasons. The game is very polished, has PVP along with PVE, has a huge world, less grind than here, good customer service, more end game content, a dungeon finder, no issues with bag space, to name a few things. Like Lotro, WoW is just a very good game - and people like it. If I could only choose one game to play in my life (WoW or Lotro) I would pick WoW in an instant. More fun, and a company that does more (cause it has tons of money maybe).

Some people hate WoW, some people would pick Lotro in an instant. Just saying WoW has some very strong points, and that's why so many people play or played it. It's a fun game.

And for the people who love Lotro above all games I will mention some ways Lotro is better: the story, the graphics and design, less cartoonish, better player base kind of, and its own unique amazing brand of PVP (just kidding on the last one). Actually once we get crystals like in WoW then the games should be about even.

Originally Posted by Cindir

It's pretty simple really - the "Why". WoW is just a better game. Of course this is subjective, and both games have their strong points, but many people just think WoW is much better - and for good reason. Or should I say - they prefer WoW - and for good reasons. The game is very polished, has PVP along with PVE, has a huge world, less grind than here, good customer service, more end game content, a dungeon finder, no issues with bag space, to name a few things. Like Lotro, WoW is just a very good game - and people like it. If I could only choose one game to play in my life (WoW or Lotro) I would pick WoW in an instant. More fun, and a company that does more (cause it has tons of money maybe).

Some people hate WoW, some people would pick Lotro in an instant. Just saying WoW has some very strong points, and that's why so many people play or played it. It's a fun game.

And for the people who love Lotro above all games I will mention some ways Lotro is better: the story, the graphics and design, less cartoonish, better player base kind of, and its own unique amazing brand of PVP (just kidding on the last one). Actually once we get crystals like in WoW then the games should be about even.

Everything you said is true and I'm not arguing at all against anything you said here. On the contrary everything you said is right on the money. Especially the part about "WoW being a better game". For example, fishing was fun in WoW and it bores me here.

But for some reason I cannot put my finger on, I don't like the game and it's not fun. For all it's flaws, LOTRO is the only MMO that has kept my interest for so long.

If you were to ask me for specifics, I could not give you any. But when I play WoW I feel like that even though I'm playing a well designed and polished game, I still playing that. A game. When I play LOTRO I feel like I'm actually in Middle Earth.

I don't think that being a Tolkien freak is the only reason I stay. For example, I am a HUGE Robert E. Howard fan but Age of Conan got tedious for me and I quit.

Yes. Lotro is really casual.

people play WoW because thats the 1st mmo they played. My 1st mmo was lotro, i tried WoW and couldnt get into it because it was too cartoony for my liking

Originally Posted by bastardoGrande

Yes. Lotro is really casual.

I like casual. After 3 1/2 years of Ultima Online I got burnt out on death penalties, losing your mount permanently and stuff like that. Got to be not fun after a while.

I tried WOW & at the time liked the graphics. Thought they was not too bad & then I saw LOTRO graphics. That was it I was playing this game. LOL WOW as others have said is just too cartoony for me. I have checked out many other MMos & the graphics just dont appeal to me. I dont even like the graphics for GW2.

I love both Lotro and WoW, although for different reasons. Both games have been 'improved' by their devs in ways that make me want to scream and tear my hair out. Both games have parts that I love and each game does some things better than the other (ie Lotro has a brilliant crafting system, but WoW's fishing is actually fun to do!) Each game has some character classes that are brilliant and others that I won't even bother playing, especially since they were 'improved'. I wish Lotro would allow us to interact with our pets in the way that WoW did, ie finding the right food for feeding them, learning pet skills and training them, etc, instead of just treating them as preprogrammed automatons!

Lotro is definitely the better game overall, but WoW does have one tremendous advantage. There are private servers available where you can play older versions of the game, versions that haven't been 'improved' and are more enjoyable than the new version! That is something I really wish I could do with Lotro, go back and play an older version of the game that hasn't been changed to satisfy the QQers. For example Minstrel, I will never play one again and deleted my near cap level Minstrel as I hate what it has become. OK lots of players love it, but the point is that to satisfy them the devs ruined my game playing enjoyment. With WoW I don't have that as I play on a server that is still running the 'Burning Crusade' version of the game. That is the version that was current when I bought the game and still the best as far as I am concerned.

Originally Posted by LeonardoB

WoW drives the unreal into well...... an unreal level which is why it looks childish on the outside to someone who has never played it

That's because it is childish, even to those who have played it extensively.

two different type of game , now i found lotro suits me more- -

Originally Posted by LeonardoB

For the most part I've seen that WoW beets LOTRO in a landslide of population.
LOTRO has better graphics

LOTRO's graphics are becoming out-dated, so they won't have that shine for long. I think WoW's graphics are just as beautiful as LOTRO's, and certainly graphics should never be taken into account for a game.

LOTRO has a story; WoW does not

Of course WoW has a story! Its lore is just as dynamic as LOTRO's, and without it, WoW wouldn't exist.

LOTRO has one of the best crafting systems out there

How? LOTRO uses the Vocation system which automatically gives three professions to a character with zero customisation. How does that make LOTRO possess the 'best' crafting system? Imo, WoW's crafting system is better because you can customise which professions to take and it's gonna be better in MoP since they're adding new ways to encourage less grind and more fun with crafting, while on LOTRO we still have to grind our way to the top. Imo, WoW wins because its crafting system is more dynamic than LOTRO.

LOTRO is a book-based MMORPG naturally appealing to LOTR fans; WoW has no basis.

WoW has a basis, and all fantasy MMORPGs were based on a foundation from a book. WoW has influences from many epic poetry and fantasy novels, including Lord of the Rings. However, it is not explicit on WoW, but it is more explicit on LOTRO, hence the LOTR license.

LOTRO gameplay (in my opinion) is better that WoW's

The term 'gameplay' is generic; you do not elaborate. Which aspect of gameplay? The combat? PvP? Raids and dungeons? Care to elaborate? Until you elaborate, WoW's 'gameplay' serves a better interest in my gaming habits.

SO WHY DO MORE PEOPLE PLAY WoW?????!!!
I did a little bit of research on WoW and on MMORGPS in general and learned somthing: people play MMORPGs because they want (in a sense annyway) another world to dwell in; somthing that is out of the world. They want something different from the world as we know it. Think about it would you be DEEPLY interested and drawn to a game where you can only play as a human and do ordinary things? of course not! People want these games because they want to be a hero or an adventurer or simply because it makes they forget about who they are for a short time. I LOVE LOTRO, and I have to admit that it (again in my opinion) is FAR superior to anything WoW will ever become. BUT (yes, there is a "but") WoW drives the unreal into well...... an unreal level which is why it looks childish on the outside to someone who has never played it. But this is what player WANT. As good as a game as LOTRO is I believe it lacks some out-of-this-world things. like for example WoW has flying mounts. can you capture what it would be like to have a FLYING mount in LOTRO!??!??!?!? Or gigantic trees like in WoW's Sheterglen? Lothlorian has HUGE trees but the place is too..... unchallenged. WoW does a great job on satisfying the desire to be.... something more in a place where it just is a dream come true.
Personally I admit that I would probably switch to WoW if I wasn't a fan of the movies and the lore of Middle-Earth
just something to think about

I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you being subjective in thinking that something might happen to LOTRO? For the most part, if you've thoroughly read the Tolkien lore, you'll be surprised that WoW draws things directly from Tolkien lore which are eligible to be used in LOTRO. Flying mounts, such as eagles are prominent, and why can't they be implemented on LOTRO? You know, I have no idea what you're talking about in the last paragraph, and I hope you respond to this post because I think your points are not even developed to the hintest degree of comprehension, thereof!

This thread was raised from the dead, why exactly? It's a dumb topic to begin with and was kinda finished anyways...

Originally Posted by LeonardoB

For the most part I've seen that WoW beets LOTRO in a landslide of population.
LOTRO has better graphics
LOTRO has a story; WoW does not
LOTRO has one of the best crafting systems out there
LOTRO is a book-based MMORPG naturally appealing to LOTR fans; WoW has no basis.
LOTRO gameplay (in my opinion) is better that WoW's
SO WHY DO MORE PEOPLE PLAY WoW?????!!!

WoW is popular not because it's good or fantastical, WoW is popular for the same reason the iPhone is. While there are many things that are SOOOO much better built and useful, WoW was the first to do it successfully. They took a successful chain and turned it into an MMO at basically the dawn of high-speed internet. Yes, there were other MMOs out first, but WoW was a continuation of a story from a very successful product.

It was about timing mostly, and WoW will remain the top-dog in the field as long as Blizzard keeps it running, just because it was the first real success, and the name that people associate with MMOs in general. You can not have a WoW killer, just as you can not have an iPhone killer, until it's already dead, people are too much like sheep and will just pile into whatever is most popular.

Originally Posted by Rainothon

Bottomlines IMHO:
- WoW was there first and seized the market-leadership;
- WoW was more casual at start than LOTRO at start, easier questing;
- WoW has world-PvP as a core-feature;
- WoW as a game has stronger marketing than LOTRO;
- Blizzard as a developer has a dedicated fanbase spanning a multitude of games;
- WoW has a more international focus than LOTRO (Asia, Oceania);

And still, I'll never go back to WoW

Agreed.

People can list reasons all day on why people like WoW better and my opinion is still the same. I hate that (a couple of bad words go here) game.

Originally Posted by Kril

WoW is popular not because it's good or fantastical, WoW is popular for the same reason the iPhone is. ...

You are dreaming, man. WoW is in fact a very good game. Just look at the movement and combat.

WoW is successful because it is a good game, and then with all the money they made on it, they could afford to keep improving (in a way Turbine never has with Lotro).

Both games have plusses and minuses. For some, Lotro will be better (for example, because of the lore and graphics). For me, WoW is a much better package and game experience.than Lotro. But I love them both.

Lotro needs better movement, faster combat, less bag space limitations, low level PvP and a working DF so I can take a break from doing quests. Then they would be about even, or maybe Lotro would be a better game - for me as a casual player who doesn't care about lore much.

Oh, and that iphone thing ... it is very well designed. I would have to say using iOS is better than using Android in many ways. Apple created a great product.

Cause they have PANDAS now!

gawd - how the mighty have fallen.

Originally Posted by paperslug

We can't simply add what we want to the game because it sounds cool though, the books are used as a strict guideline.

This is not true, though. Right, they can't rewrite what is already written, but LotRO has the significant advantage in the breadth and depth of existing lore. There is so much already in place - which means half the work is already done with regard to creating "extraneous" story lines around it. See: Mordirith, et al.

The problem is that Turbine just doesn't take advantage of it. The quality of the storylines in this game have gone seriously downhill pretty much since Volume 1 ended. My opinion, of course, but definitely not mine alone. The emphasis shifted to eye candy over substance right around the time of Moria (again, IMO).

The tangent they chose to take with Dunlendings is really unfortunate. Dunlendings have now occupied around 2 years worth of the story - and IMO their story just isn't that interesting. At all.

Originally Posted by Kril

people are too much like sheep and will just pile into whatever is most popular.

Which is the typical sort of disparaging comment one sees round here when referring to players who have the temerity to say they play WOW and enjoy it.

It's a common feature of forums such as LOTRO's, Rift's GW's etc. that people post snide comments about WOW players in an attempt to appear intellectually superior.

Originally Posted by Jeffredo

Cause they have PANDAS now!

gawd - how the mighty have fallen.

Honestly, I hate almost all of the models in WoW, but still is more fun for me to play than a lot of other games. Why do GW2 and WoW both insist on having cuddly, cute teddy-bear characters (in skirts). It just turns me off. I am so surprised I never see people complain about the anime/doggy looking toons in GW2. Do the characters have to look like something my 8 year old would like?

To be fair, maybe some of the GW2 characters are not animals or big eyed aliens, but I am still not into the anime style.

Originally Posted by Cindir

Honestly, I hate almost all of the models in WoW, but still is more fun for me to play than a lot of other games. Why do GW2 and WoW both insist on having cuddly, cute teddy-bear characters (in skirts). It just turns me off. I am so surprised I never see people complain about the anime/doggy looking toons in GW2. Do the characters have to look like something my 8 year old would like?

To be fair, maybe some of the GW2 characters are not animals or big eyed aliens, but I am still not into the anime style.

I like the characters and images in GW2...not sure about wow. Although I might not be as hard as some of you gangstas.

Originally Posted by Jeffredo

Cause they have PANDAS now!

gawd - how the mighty have fallen.

And by 'fallen', you mean generally positive reviews, player-thoughts, and general fun-factor, right?

Originally Posted by DarkCntry

And by 'fallen', you mean generally positive reviews, player-thoughts, and general fun-factor, right?

You mean one "professional" review that's positive plus hundreds of unwashed masses saying it sucks. Yeah, that "fallen".

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/wo...ts-of-pandaria

Originally Posted by Jeffredo

You mean one "professional" review that's positive plus hundreds of unwashed masses saying it sucks. Yeah, that "fallen".

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/wo...ts-of-pandaria

I couldn't care less what Metacritic has listed, I mean, Diablo III has an 88 in MetaScore and 3.8 in User score...seems like a perfectly legitimate aggregate.