SW: Old Republic Preview

Playing Lotro was the single most immersive experience I've had in any recent game… and then they released the first expansion and the magic got stripped away. Even if Bioware/EA manage to awe us all with the initial release, I'm somewhat pessimistic on how they'll keep it all flowing through later expansions and not succumb to formulaic gameplay.

The more I think about it, the more I become uninterested in this game or any new MMO, regardless of who else is playing.

In what way was the magic stripped away? I'm not arguing, just asking out of curiosity.

I'm still having a very good time with LOTRO, and I think that for instance the new classes that were introduced (the warden and the rune keeper) added a lot to gameplay.
 
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I never pre-order anything. In a world of marketing hype, I think any such pre-order is simply foolish.

Now, if Obsidian were to make a Steampunk open-world RPG blending elements of Fallout and Arcanum, I'd go against that mantra.

I suppose that you won't be interested in pre-ordering Miner Wars 2081, then. Even if you get it at 70% discount, and access to a pre-alpha version of the game right now.

says pibbur who wonders when we'll be able to pre-order games in pre-pre-production. Or at the somewhat-great-idea-in-my-mind stage.
 
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But I'm not pre-ordering before the NDA is lifted or I hear what I need to hear from someone I trust.

Yeah, I can definitely understand that but I think I am taking that caution even further personally and waiting to hear user reviews post-release. I know from experience there's a whole host of issues that don't necessarily get noticed in the beta but suddenly become a problem once the floodgates open and the masses pour in.
 
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Yeah, I can definitely understand that but I think I am taking that caution even further personally and waiting to hear user reviews post-release. I know from experience there's a whole host of issues that don't necessarily get noticed in the beta but suddenly become a problem once the floodgates open and the masses pour in.

I'm not saying I don't understand your point of view :)

It makes perfect sense.

The reason I'm willing to take the chance probably has something to do with how little I care about the 60$ investment.

I'm not a rich man by any measure - but I don't fret about the money I have left over. They're going to be spent one way or the other :)

Also, as long as the client is stable and polished - I don't care that much about issues and bugs. They get resolved eventually - and I've never played an MMO that I considered balanced and fully functional. It's just not part of the genre to my mind.
 
I suppose that you won't be interested in pre-ordering Miner Wars 2081, then. Even if you get it at 70% discount, and access to a pre-alpha version of the game right now.

Lol, what in the world is that, Pibbur? First I've heard of it - some sort of Descent MMO? I still remember my time playing Descent… and having to lay down for an hour afterward to prevent vomiting!

Pibbur0x2a said:
In what way was the magic stripped away [from Lotro]? I'm not arguing, just asking out of curiosity.
1) It was the introduction of grind into the game (via Legendary items and radiance gear being required for raids). Later, they would continue this trend with the implementation of skirmishes.

2) The raids themselves simply weren't fun; Watcher & BG were just so inferior to all-out fun you could have with friends while in the Rift & Helegrod.

3) Implementation of aliens in Moria. Granted, I'm no specialist on the lore beyond The Hobbit & LotR, but the shadow mobs felt so out of place… surely, there must have been some way to keep things fresh without turning to the drawings of H.R. Giger.

That's the main gist of it for me. Having said all that, I sometimes get the urge to log into my lifetime account… but I've already played the only three classes that interest me (guardian, burglar, & loremaster), and I don't foresee them releasing any new classes any time soon given lore constraints.

…oh, and I also don't like how they've put up virtual advertisements for the "Lotro Store" in many of the interfaces. The last thing I want to be reminded of in a Tolkien-inspired game is corporate America.
 
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Ahh, that explains it (the LOTRO thingie). I don't raid and I don't do skirmishes, so those things don't affect me.

I share your sentiments regarding the ads, but I'm pretty good at overlooking things (wife's not completely happy about that), so that doesn't affect me much either.

BTW: Did you try the Warden or the Rune Keeper?
 
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I went back to the game briefly about a year back and tried to get interested in the warden... I think I quit again around level 20 or so. Never tried the RK though.
 
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