Can you elaborate what you mean by Tencent world?
Why LOTRO? Why should one take the journey in Middle Earth?
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Pontin_Finnberry
Your Friendly Neighborhood Hobbit
Never played an MMO before LOTRO, its really Middle-earth that has me here more then anything, but i have tried out a few other MMOs and they just don't grab me like this one does. I had just finished reading The Hobbit book and later saw an advertisement for LOTRO. I like the story, quest, instances, and able to do whatever.
Well since your not a fan you would misread story as store.
Arandour
Well-known member
Servers Performance and Customers support are the biggest.
Back in the days you made a ticket while in game and a GM responded to you in less than an hour.Now you have to make the ticket at the official support page and you must wait days or even weeks for a response.
You can have a PC cost more than 3k euros ,fast internet connection and for have a kinda decent performance in a raid you should put your graphics to lowest remove all your cosmetic armor and even that sometimes is not enough.
Servers need except the weekly maintenance also at least one restart per week.
Other minor problems are balance of the classes and sometimes instances mechanics.
Anyway, like i said before we are grateful that at least they keep the game alive.
Hushpuppy
Well-known member
The first video game I ever played was WoW because my S.O. played it constantly. I logged in the first time & the sound of my backpack opening & closing, and being in Teldrassil got me hooked. I was most of the way to 50 years old then. Wow was magical to me until it became all about chores, systems, grinds, more of the same & a story that made me cringe in embarrassment for the writers. The magic had disappeared. I played Classic, BC Classic, & Wrath Classic, but it was just not the same. And now I am here.
Lotro is not WoW, and to me it does not feel like WoW either. For that I am happy. I realize that the "first time" in a game (heck, in life events in general) is something you only get once, but the feeling of being in Middle Earth IS as posters above have explained better than I can. You do not need to rush to level cap. There is joy in exploring, in taking the time to read the story text, in sitting on a hill enjoying a spectacular sunrise or sunset. There is also challenge, group play, gear to obtain, cosmetics to chase, a home to choose & decorate. I don't think there is a wrong way to play this game
I have played EQ2, GW2, Rift, and a few others. I also played Lotro for a couple of years before 2010, but at that time there were no Beornings which are my absolute favorite class, followed by Brawler, Hunter, & red LM. This feels like home to me now and I am enjoying my time here immensely. Only you can decide which game to play. Hopefully, you will find what feels like the best fit and enjoy whatever you have chosen. My suggestion would also be to make a character on a few different servers here and see what you think. The right server & the right class can make all the difference!
Lotro is not WoW, and to me it does not feel like WoW either. For that I am happy. I realize that the "first time" in a game (heck, in life events in general) is something you only get once, but the feeling of being in Middle Earth IS as posters above have explained better than I can. You do not need to rush to level cap. There is joy in exploring, in taking the time to read the story text, in sitting on a hill enjoying a spectacular sunrise or sunset. There is also challenge, group play, gear to obtain, cosmetics to chase, a home to choose & decorate. I don't think there is a wrong way to play this game
I have played EQ2, GW2, Rift, and a few others. I also played Lotro for a couple of years before 2010, but at that time there were no Beornings which are my absolute favorite class, followed by Brawler, Hunter, & red LM. This feels like home to me now and I am enjoying my time here immensely. Only you can decide which game to play. Hopefully, you will find what feels like the best fit and enjoy whatever you have chosen. My suggestion would also be to make a character on a few different servers here and see what you think. The right server & the right class can make all the difference!
Polymachos
Believes he is a Wiki
Long ago, I played east Asian MMORGGs like Cabal and Rappelz (of which the American version got hacked into oblivion), and later on Runes of Magic. In between other games which didn't last for a year.
The common denominator of these was: Be in a guild or get lost (in the best case) or pay pay pay to proceed. Sometimes even: For the high level players, you are fair game if you have something they want. For years I accepted that games were like this.
Then Lotro became free to play, I tried it out, and found out that you can have fun without having to do with PvP. A casual kinship offered me a place; I could go at my own speed and try everything out without being coerced into a time plan or behavior I would not like. The whole server (Maiar) was like a family.
Meanwhile I have entered my 14th year of playing Lotro. There have been changes over the course of time, some of the initially complicated mechanics became streamlined (like crafting and filling Task Bulletin Boards in), and servers would change. There have been rough times, too, especially when Warner decided that the franchise wasn't worth it any longer, and neglected the game until it was nearly on the chopping block. The developers literally left Warner and founded SSG so that the game (and Dungeons and Dragons Online) could survive.
If you want to know whether the game is something for you, go to The Shire, and do the quests there. These Hobbits can be obnoxious (mostly Lobelia) and wise at the same time, and brave when you least expect it, while still living in a small world. Going through this area, will tell you if you want to stay. I call it the Great Hobbit Filter; and it is the reason for the helpful population on our servers. After helping these Hobbits, helping others, be it NPCs or other players, has become a habit for us.
You will often find someone with enough time to explain things which are a bit complicated, and sometimes players even travel to the place where a dangerous mob is blocking the way and remove it, or give away items that they don't need but might be useful to others. It is like in a neighborhood in a small town, where each one brings a self baked cake to the annual street festival.
tl;dr I came here because I was fed up with being attacked by other gamers while just minding my own business, and the game pulled me in and never let me go.
Greetings, Polymachos
The common denominator of these was: Be in a guild or get lost (in the best case) or pay pay pay to proceed. Sometimes even: For the high level players, you are fair game if you have something they want. For years I accepted that games were like this.
Then Lotro became free to play, I tried it out, and found out that you can have fun without having to do with PvP. A casual kinship offered me a place; I could go at my own speed and try everything out without being coerced into a time plan or behavior I would not like. The whole server (Maiar) was like a family.
Meanwhile I have entered my 14th year of playing Lotro. There have been changes over the course of time, some of the initially complicated mechanics became streamlined (like crafting and filling Task Bulletin Boards in), and servers would change. There have been rough times, too, especially when Warner decided that the franchise wasn't worth it any longer, and neglected the game until it was nearly on the chopping block. The developers literally left Warner and founded SSG so that the game (and Dungeons and Dragons Online) could survive.
If you want to know whether the game is something for you, go to The Shire, and do the quests there. These Hobbits can be obnoxious (mostly Lobelia) and wise at the same time, and brave when you least expect it, while still living in a small world. Going through this area, will tell you if you want to stay. I call it the Great Hobbit Filter; and it is the reason for the helpful population on our servers. After helping these Hobbits, helping others, be it NPCs or other players, has become a habit for us.
You will often find someone with enough time to explain things which are a bit complicated, and sometimes players even travel to the place where a dangerous mob is blocking the way and remove it, or give away items that they don't need but might be useful to others. It is like in a neighborhood in a small town, where each one brings a self baked cake to the annual street festival.
tl;dr I came here because I was fed up with being attacked by other gamers while just minding my own business, and the game pulled me in and never let me go.
Greetings, Polymachos
Bone
Well-known member
That hobbit in Frogmorton naming his pet frog "Lobelia" makes me laugh to this day.
Simple answer - It's the only largely-fleshed out map of Middle Earth, which is also quite grounded in keeping with the lore. I also enjoy farming the thousands of quests and deeds, however, I wish the game was a bit friendlier towards the completionist mindset, with a proper checklist of things, and no missable quests.
Thovald Banehammer
Mordor EU
New World, Lost Ark, Throne and Liberty - I would challenge anyone to look at screenshots of these three examples and tell me which game was which. Tencent are a company known for churning out microtransaction-fuelled games that all look the same (or, often, very similar to existing MMOs). There's a big emphasis on epilepsy-inducing spell effects, massive monsters, and almost nothing else. Multiplayer arcade games, essentially. (This is just my opinion and no offence intended to people who enjoy those games, they have millions of players for a reason)
Ena
Keeper of the Forgotten Treasury
LOTRO was my very first mmorpg. I am professor of literature by education (fan of Tolkien since childhood) and was big time into tabletop games (and still playing them once per week with friends). One day my husband came and said: There is game based on Tolkien, I think you would enjoy it. And I think he regret it ever since 
We did play it for a while together. He left during Rohan to play other games, while I stayed in LOTRO. I did try two other games but they just didn't hold me. So answer for me would be because it's Middle-earth, but also because I like aestetics of the game and the community. My in game friends are now my real life friends and we are visiting each others fairly often.
I do understand lack of time, having same issue (work, family, friends) but you can balance it, and it will also depend on what you want from the game. If you just quest and enjoy the story, can do it at your own pace. If you want to jump into group content, that would require more time and effort.
We did play it for a while together. He left during Rohan to play other games, while I stayed in LOTRO. I did try two other games but they just didn't hold me. So answer for me would be because it's Middle-earth, but also because I like aestetics of the game and the community. My in game friends are now my real life friends and we are visiting each others fairly often.I do understand lack of time, having same issue (work, family, friends) but you can balance it, and it will also depend on what you want from the game. If you just quest and enjoy the story, can do it at your own pace. If you want to jump into group content, that would require more time and effort.
Except that New World was not developed by Tencent.
Gryffs
The Rounder Bounder of Little Delving
Why LotRO?
The biggest reason for most players is they love Middle Earth / LotR. It's probably not the best choice if a person doesn't enjoy or care about this particular story and its world.
Best things about this game:
Enormous, beautiful world- astonishingly close to how the books describe it, even in tiny details.
The writing is amazing. Very faithful to the lore, but often tells its own stories in harmony with Tolkien's tale. Even side quests have good stories.
One of the most friendly and helpful communities in any MMO.
Players are very creative, composing and arranging in-game player-generated music, creating theatre productions, telling stories, and roleplaying interesting characters.
Possibly a few unique game mechanics- as far as I know Warden is a class not replicated in other games (though it is difficult especially when there's lag).
The biggest reason for most players is they love Middle Earth / LotR. It's probably not the best choice if a person doesn't enjoy or care about this particular story and its world.
Best things about this game:
Enormous, beautiful world- astonishingly close to how the books describe it, even in tiny details.
The writing is amazing. Very faithful to the lore, but often tells its own stories in harmony with Tolkien's tale. Even side quests have good stories.
One of the most friendly and helpful communities in any MMO.
Players are very creative, composing and arranging in-game player-generated music, creating theatre productions, telling stories, and roleplaying interesting characters.
Possibly a few unique game mechanics- as far as I know Warden is a class not replicated in other games (though it is difficult especially when there's lag).
Tencent doesn't develop the games as far as I'm aware, they're just a holding company, not to say they don't have influence.
I played New World at release, while I did enjoy the game it had a lot of issue, I dropped it and never touched it again and now it's in the state that it's in... eventually shutting now. I was hyped for Lost Ark, I don't know why I just was, it was the first game with that style of play that I touched, I liked what I saw in the Korean version so I waited, plus it came around at a time where I was very disapointed at Blizzard BUT when I got to the point where I could start to craft my gear and weapon and realized how much of a RNG game it was I was very sad.
Those people came up with a crafting system that would let you upgrade gear and weapons BUT you could also miss the upgrade, and they would sell you crafting mats on the store so that you wouldn't have to waste time to farm them... and I was like "did gaming come to this?".
In any case, my heart is now undecided between LOTRO and GW 1, both of these seem to be worthy experiences to enjoy... I even thought about trying Final Fantasy XI.
Isn't it curious? We seem to be in a time in gaming where some of us enjoy to play old school mmorpg's...
HappyBudgy
When in doubt... Run! Better: Fly, you fools!
Why not play both or all three? That's what many of us do.
Next month will be 20 years of Runescape for me.
Lotro 15+ now.
I am here for the landscape, the books, the night skies, the light, the vistas, the journey, roaming, gathering, housing. I am still amazed that a 2D screen produces a mental 3D world. Have made my peace with some of the monetization. I've tried other games but they don't do for me what Lotro does.
Thovald Banehammer
Mordor EU
Yeah, generally, the 'best' MMOs out there are argued to be Runescape, LOTRO, GW1, FFXIV, and WoW (don't shoot the messenger). Basically, all older MMOs with longstanding communities. The games themselves vary in quality depending on their age but I think what keeps this top 5 strong is the community elements.
Tencent has never been involved in New World. Neither as a developer, publisher or other. Perhaps you're confusing New World with Amazon's involvement with Tencent over the now-cancelled LOTR MMO.
Polymachos
Believes he is a Wiki
Or generally games with more than just a shiny surface. There is a reason why 'Indie' games have become popular in the last years, games which were sometimes developed by a single person, games which can look very rough on the outside, but offer a lot of content we didn't even know that we were missing, until they came out.
Lotro has nearly too much content, long and captivating stories, breathtaking landscapes, housing and cosmetics; sometimes I really wish I had more time to da all the things I have planned,
Greetings, Polymachos
Thovald Banehammer
Mordor EU
Apologies - I didn't mean to suggest these were all Tencent games, my point was that there's a template of modern MMOs which all look the same, play the same, and are riddled with microtransactions from the start.
That's fair enough. I know that New World has had its problems but it's one of the few examples of modern MMOs that doesn't have aggressive monetisation rammed down the throat of the player. Pity it's going to close.
I started playing LOTRO after seeing a You Tube video series on the "worst MMOs".
This particular one was about LOTRO, and it look spectacular - not bad at all to me (and the video agreed in the end).
I cut my teeth on Everquest, and went on to play Shadowbane, WoW, EvE Online, FF11, GW2, EQ2, and FF14.
I've also tried many other MMO's, though I've passed on many of the newer titles lately.
My preference is for an older more open feel, that has enough content to keep me interested for years.
LOTRO hit that spot.
This particular one was about LOTRO, and it look spectacular - not bad at all to me (and the video agreed in the end).
I cut my teeth on Everquest, and went on to play Shadowbane, WoW, EvE Online, FF11, GW2, EQ2, and FF14.
I've also tried many other MMO's, though I've passed on many of the newer titles lately.
My preference is for an older more open feel, that has enough content to keep me interested for years.
LOTRO hit that spot.
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