Long term DDO player trying to enjoy LOTRO

[wolfy42]

Hi fellow DDO players. Recently I found a copy of Mines of Moria on sale for $10 and I said to myself.....why not try LOTRO?. I have avoided it mainly because it sounded very much like WoW which I was never that into but I figured I should give it a try while I wait for U7.

Well......I tried it. Actually the combat isn't my biggest dislike of the game....it's the searching around for NPCs and enemies without any clear idea of where to go. I know I could look online and find out where a silly goblin prowler is for instance and finish the quest quickly but that basically defeats the whole point of the game. Without doing that I ended up spending way to much time wandering around trying to figure out where to freaking go.

That is very annoying.

I have 30 free days with my purchase (took most of a day to download so now I have like 27 left) and I'm taking a small break after the whole prowler quest. Even WoW didn't feel as unstructured in direction to me when I played it (years ago before DDO came out).

So my question is......are there any DDO players who enjoy LOTRO and do you have any advice on how to enjoy the game and not become frustrated by the differences between DDO and LOTRO?.

I've tried out a hunter and Runemaker so far...but honestly the combat isn't a positive or negative for me so far. It's not the most exiting combat thats true...and I don't feel like I have had much challenge in combat yet....but at the same time it certainly hasn't been bad enough to make me stop.

Spending an hour searching for a dumb enemy to kill before I can keep playing the game and find more quests......that is a big game breaker for me at this point.

Any help or advice (even if it's just give up and come back to DDO) would be appreciated.

Thanks

Wolfy

[Doganpc]

This belongs in Off-Topic...

Learn to use the map and quest log combo. Load up a few quests so they're tracked. You'll get the tracker mark for the closest and head that way. Usually on the regional map it will put different color rings up to show you an approximate area (even color coding areas when you need to kill within an area) to go as well. When you get close is when it gets annoying as you lost the tracker and the game puts you into hide-n-seek mode. Usually what you're looking for has a ring to identify it, although I don't think it does this when you need to kill it.

-The quest descriptions do a lot to try to maintain the fantasy, read them and try to follow them (over the hill, east of this town).
-Mark/Unmark quests in the log to manage what appears in your tracker. If a quest is telling you to goto another region (shire to bree) take it off till you're ready.
-Most of what you're playing is similar to DDO wilderness zones, sometimes you have to wait for the monster(s) to reset.
-The starter steed isn't much faster then running.
-Part of the difficulty resides in finding what you seek... apparently.

Dogan
Playing since it went F2P

[Varhann]

I came from LOTRO to DDO back in Sept 09. I used to split my time between both games, but DDO has my full attention now.

LOTRO is a good game, as MMO's go, but the things you are getting frustrated with are really common in most games that give you "Kill and Return" quests. If that is bugging you now, it probably will continue to bug you as you level up. You'll be doing a lot of those type of quests and its unavoidable if you want to level. But it is also a very rich in other ways.

It has an easy to learn crafting system, that you can use to craft level appropriate gear for yourself with patience and planning.

It has a great storyline and lore and at times you really can feel that you are immersed in the LOTRO world.

It is both solo and party friendly, and it used to have one of the best and most helpful communities I have ever been a part of. Not sure how things are now though.

Since you say you have tried a hunter, I'd suggest using your tracking to help you find those hard to find critters. Also, read the quest dialogue, don't skip it. Most of the quest dialogues give you the area locations or at least clues to where you should be looking. Make sure you explore the area you are questing in too. If you get agro on anything you can't handle, you can just run it off to lose agro.

Most importantly though, make some friends. LOTRO can be an easy solo game if you want to play that way, but having some good friends to fellow with can make the difference between being bored and having a good time. It's very different from DDO, but it's not a bad game.

What server are you on? I might just dust off my old Loremaster and give you a hand getting used to the game.

[wolfy42]

Thank you both for the advice and tips.

I'm not sure what server I am on, I just went with the recommended one and I don't remember what the name is. I'm still early on in the game and the last quest was to find these silly goblin prowlers. Well.......I think a big part of the problem was that there was a ton of other people killing all the goblins and so when a prowler did pop up they probably killed it before I had a chance to even see it. It's quite likely that annoying quest isn't really that hard if there is not a ton of other people doing it (or just killing goblins) at the same time.

As I mentioned above I have played this type of game before. I maxed out 3-4 characters in WoW when it first was released (was in the Beta in fact both for WoW and DDO for that matter). The big difference is I hadn't played DDO back when I played WoW and I'm not sure if I can ever go back to the hunt around for random x monster and kill it or fetch me 10 skins etc quests after the great quests in DDO. Heck even after doing all the quests in DDO (or at least most of them) 250 times I STILL would rather do one of them then hunt down a silly monster in a general area to finish a silly quest.

I did use the map but it just shows you the general area...and I guess if there are other people killing in that area your just out of luck. I'm spoiled I guess by instances.

Since I started playing DDO all those years ago I have had a very hard time finding any other MMO that has kept my interest.....I'm looking forward to KOTOR MMO for instance and I really hope that I will not be turned off by the combat or something because it's not like DDO's

[Crystalizer]

these are two very different games, ddo is a mix between mmos and fps like heretic or thieft, with a strong character aspect that you can personnalize much more. lotro playtime is much more about exploring, travelling. ddo combat system is very dynamic, i havent found till now another mmo with such a good one, but didnt try the last mmos like aion.

[Arness]

Hi fellow DDO players. Recently I found a copy of Mines of Moria on sale for $10 and I said to myself.....why not try LOTRO?. I have avoided it mainly because it sounded very much like WoW which I was never that into but I figured I should give it a try while I wait for U7.

Well......I tried it. Actually the combat isn't my biggest dislike of the game....it's the searching around for NPCs and enemies without any clear idea of where to go. I know I could look online and find out where a silly goblin prowler is for instance and finish the quest quickly but that basically defeats the whole point of the game. Without doing that I ended up spending way to much time wandering around trying to figure out where to freaking go.

That is very annoying.

I have 30 free days with my purchase (took most of a day to download so now I have like 27 left) and I'm taking a small break after the whole prowler quest. Even WoW didn't feel as unstructured in direction to me when I played it (years ago before DDO came out).

So my question is......are there any DDO players who enjoy LOTRO and do you have any advice on how to enjoy the game and not become frustrated by the differences between DDO and LOTRO?.

I've tried out a hunter and Runemaker so far...but honestly the combat isn't a positive or negative for me so far. It's not the most exiting combat thats true...and I don't feel like I have had much challenge in combat yet....but at the same time it certainly hasn't been bad enough to make me stop.

Spending an hour searching for a dumb enemy to kill before I can keep playing the game and find more quests......that is a big game breaker for me at this point.

Any help or advice (even if it's just give up and come back to DDO) would be appreciated.

Thanks

Wolfy

LOTRO is actually my primary game, although each year I have to take some time off of it due to burnout. The combat can be a little bit annoying because it uses power for each attack, and some classes (hunters and guards) use much more power than say, champs. As far as your runekeeper, that is one of my favorite classes, because you can either DPS or heal, although at higher levels in raid content you would generally be expected to heal (but DPS is more fun. ) The thing is, you have to approach it differently. In LOTRO, you have a lot of "fed ex" quests, that just send you to talk to a person, blah blah blah, whereas DDO is much more action oriented rather than story oriented. Yes, looking for stealthed mobs is a pain in the backside, but at least they added the quest tracker. Give LOTRO a try until you get up to about level 20. Again, it's not DDO, and the combat is way different, and it is much more story driven. I adore both games.

[Arness]

Thank you both for the advice and tips.

I'm not sure what server I am on, I just went with the recommended one and I don't remember what the name is. I'm still early on in the game and the last quest was to find these silly goblin prowlers. Well.......I think a big part of the problem was that there was a ton of other people killing all the goblins and so when a prowler did pop up they probably killed it before I had a chance to even see it. It's quite likely that annoying quest isn't really that hard if there is not a ton of other people doing it (or just killing goblins) at the same time.

As I mentioned above I have played this type of game before. I maxed out 3-4 characters in WoW when it first was released (was in the Beta in fact both for WoW and DDO for that matter). The big difference is I hadn't played DDO back when I played WoW and I'm not sure if I can ever go back to the hunt around for random x monster and kill it or fetch me 10 skins etc quests after the great quests in DDO. Heck even after doing all the quests in DDO (or at least most of them) 250 times I STILL would rather do one of them then hunt down a silly monster in a general area to finish a silly quest.

I did use the map but it just shows you the general area...and I guess if there are other people killing in that area your just out of luck. I'm spoiled I guess by instances.

Since I started playing DDO all those years ago I have had a very hard time finding any other MMO that has kept my interest.....I'm looking forward to KOTOR MMO for instance and I really hope that I will not be turned off by the combat or something because it's not like DDO's

Mob competition in the early areas can be a bit fierce, especially right now as there are a lot of people newly coming to the game. Once you get passed - sounds like you are in Staddle - and into Bree, you'll have a lot more room to move, so to speak, and the competition won't be as bad.

[Ashurr]

Play LotRO to roleplay and enjoy the setting, play DDO for an MMO experience.

[Tom318]

Hi fellow DDO players. Recently I found a copy of Mines of Moria on sale for $10 and I said to myself.....why not try LOTRO?. I have avoided it mainly because it sounded very much like WoW which I was never that into but I figured I should give it a try while I wait for U7.

Well......I tried it. Actually the combat isn't my biggest dislike of the game....it's the searching around for NPCs and enemies without any clear idea of where to go. I know I could look online and find out where a silly goblin prowler is for instance and finish the quest quickly but that basically defeats the whole point of the game. Without doing that I ended up spending way to much time wandering around trying to figure out where to freaking go.

That is very annoying.

I have 30 free days with my purchase (took most of a day to download so now I have like 27 left) and I'm taking a small break after the whole prowler quest. Even WoW didn't feel as unstructured in direction to me when I played it (years ago before DDO came out).

So my question is......are there any DDO players who enjoy LOTRO and do you have any advice on how to enjoy the game and not become frustrated by the differences between DDO and LOTRO?.

I've tried out a hunter and Runemaker so far...but honestly the combat isn't a positive or negative for me so far. It's not the most exiting combat thats true...and I don't feel like I have had much challenge in combat yet....but at the same time it certainly hasn't been bad enough to make me stop.

Spending an hour searching for a dumb enemy to kill before I can keep playing the game and find more quests......that is a big game breaker for me at this point.

Any help or advice (even if it's just give up and come back to DDO) would be appreciated.

Thanks

Wolfy

Yea this belongs in off-topic, but seriously, LOTRO is like a Tolkien-based clickfest game. If I wanted to play guitar hero with buttons I'd play any of the other free games around. You have no freedom to customize your character at all. It looks like any one of the dozens of free MMOs around. Mostly I miss running around, climbing stuff, hanging on ledges, I miss the glory and spectacle of it.

I mean, you play DDO, and end up with something like Tempest Spine or whatever, and the guy is THAT big. Even though they nerfed a lot of the special effects, it still feels big and spectacular. The first time you see a dragon it's like..

All you can do in LOTRO (other than the music system) is melee and craft. In the end, interaction is limited to you interacting with the mob (most likely hitting it one way or another.) Compare this to DDO in which the environment itself can kill you if you're not careful. Fall from a large height and you die. Stay underwater for too long and you drown. Die too much and you even suffer from shock. What happens if you fall from a large height in LOTRO? you "hurt yourself" and limp for a while. That's it. I don't even know if you can dive in LOTRO, much less drown yourself.

When you start playing LOTRO you get the sense that you've already played this game before, even if it's called by another name. DDO is unique, I don't think there will ever be a game that looks this good and plays this well.

And so in summary :

DDO : water that reflects the environment, and actually looks and feels like water. You really want to run in and mess it up just to see what it does. Fire and ice and poison and acid, oh my. When people play DDO, they yell and scream and laugh and cry (lol.) Really dedicated voice actors who are pretty good at their job (ie. to be entertaining.)

Remember the DM that said "a hoarse voice says 'This place belongs to the Quickfeet'" and his voice actually turned hoarse? and the cool accent on Heyton? are they good at ambience or what?

Let's not even talk about the way the fire from spells reflects off the damp walls of the dungeon, or the random bug that crawls across the floor.

LOTRO : It's very Tolkien. There's no action, all the quests look like excuses to advance a story, it's like someone wrote a book, but thought "maybe if I get a simple game engine and put the book in it, it will sell better" or something. And I hate fed-ex quests, just as I hate "protect this NPC" quests, and in the short time I tried it, I already came across quite a few of both :P

In short, if you liked LOTR, you might enjoy the game. I couldn't get past the first few pages without falling asleep, so I guess I wouldn't enjoy the game as well.

[wolfy42]

Wow, again thanks for all the responses.

I keep planning to go back and play some more but then go do something else instead......wish one of those things hadn't been seeing Wall Street Money Never Sleeps with my wife.....the money might not have slept but by the end of that movie my wife was sleeping and I was wishing I could (I can't sleep when movies/tv are on).

I am going to force myself to play some more tomorrow....and see if I can find some enjoyment in there somehow. Honestly though I'd probably enjoy playing WoW again over Lotro from what I have seen and I havn't been tempted to play WoW again at all.

Tom, I may be sadly in the same position as you...unable to enjoy other MMO's anymore after playing DDO. I truely love this game, but have played it to death and back again. I really wouldn't mind finding another fun game to play to alternate...but at this point I think it's going to have to be something very different.

Thanks again everyone for all the responses. If I somehow find a way to enjoy myself and get over the searching and competing with others for quest monsters etc....I'll let you all know. Not sure why they couldn't have instances for mandatory quests at least so you don't get stuck for hours due to other people killing stuff.

[serow081]

That's sad to hear.

I played DDO for about a month before I tried the LOTRO 2-week trial. Since then, I'm playing LOTRO almost every night and DDO once every 2 months. DDO feels like a spam-left-click-fest... and I guess part of it is the loneliness of DDO. Everything (other than the main "town") is instanced... It doesn't feel like a living world, more like a bunch of missions.

[winsom]

LOTRO is a great game for different reasons compared to DDO. LOTRO is very good with visuals, music, cut-scenes, exploration, story, and boss encounter-battles. It is possible to power-game play, but there isn't a good reason to. You can and should enjoy the boss fights and raids but the rewards and repeat-play are not as necessary as they can be in other MMOs. LOTRO items rewards are not exceptionally better than non-raid items. You can craft useful items. Legendary items (you level up with experience) offer an exceptional alternative to repetitive raiding for items..

DDO is very good with character development, the rapid movement & melee attack system, and the D&D spell system. DDO has some great hand-crafted adventure feaures that LOTRO does not have. In general the DDO raids are not as well done as they are in LOTRO. I think LOTRO raids and boss encounters are more fun and better designed overall, although there are some that are too linear that require unfun DDO-like antics to solve. (i.e. if you hate DDO's ToD raid part 2, there are much fewer cases of this in LOTRO) Boss fights and raids are essential to the DDO experience as the rewards are leaps and bounds better than non-raid items. DDO is great for powergaming.

These reasons and differences make it fun to play both games.

[EustaceTrevelyan]

I came from LOTRO to DDO back in Sept 09. I used to split my time between both games, but DDO has my full attention now.

LOTRO is a good game, as MMO's go, but the things you are getting frustrated with are really common in most games that give you "Kill and Return" quests. If that is bugging you now, it probably will continue to bug you as you level up. You'll be doing a lot of those type of quests and its unavoidable if you want to level. But it is also a very rich in other ways.

It has an easy to learn crafting system, that you can use to craft level appropriate gear for yourself with patience and planning.

It has a great storyline and lore and at times you really can feel that you are immersed in the LOTRO world.

It is both solo and party friendly, and it used to have one of the best and most helpful communities I have ever been a part of. Not sure how things are now though.

Since you say you have tried a hunter, I'd suggest using your tracking to help you find those hard to find critters. Also, read the quest dialogue, don't skip it. Most of the quest dialogues give you the area locations or at least clues to where you should be looking. Make sure you explore the area you are questing in too. If you get agro on anything you can't handle, you can just run it off to lose agro.

Most importantly though, make some friends. LOTRO can be an easy solo game if you want to play that way, but having some good friends to fellow with can make the difference between being bored and having a good time. It's very different from DDO, but it's not a bad game.

What server are you on? I might just dust off my old Loremaster and give you a hand getting used to the game.

I was going to write my own response, but (other than substituting "Hunter" for "Loremaster" (tho of course i have a baby LM)), it would've been very close to this, so +1, copypaste, and done, lol

+I will add that if you enjoy the challenge of finding stuff, then by all means do, but it sounds like you don't so much. I'm not sure that it totally defeats the purpose of the game by having a better map than they give you, since even with the starter mounts they give you, it's pretty huge, and the directions can be a bit vague. YMMV, and have fun

I'm on Landroval, and with two lifetimes i'll be back at some time. Look up Corrock and the Neekerbreeker Friendship Seekers.

[TiranBlade]

Actually I just started playing LotRO, delayed it after the Trial Imprssion I had before it went F2P.

Some aspects of the game improved it seems to me, and after a while, it became addictive. (I used to play EQ, and I'm used to the monster grind a bit).

I am actually going to be taking a break from DDO for a while, except for keeping an eye on when Half Elves will go on sale (They marked the race up 300 more TP than I have and they current apperance settings are still a bit disappointing to me).

I won't be gone forever, but the game has my interest much more now, and I am a big Tolkein fan and the setting's story is derived more truthfully and faithfully from the books than any other game I have seen, at least at the point I'm at.

I have actually come to like LotRO very much, and I hope DDO continues to become a good game so I will have something to look forward to coming back to.

But I have become a bit burned out of DDO, I have gotten to involved with things and spent more money than I intended on it just to be able to continue playing. As for LotRO, aside from a few VIP only apsects, the game is much easier to earn TP with to unlock stuff, also having access to all areas, though quests in those areas aside from Shadows of Angmar Epic being locked is alright, the game allows for leveling without having to have all the content. It makes the F2P experience though more restiricted at first, not bad to play through.

It is also one of those games where you are heavily rewarded for being VIP over F2P or Premium. I like the balance. If I ever decided to start spending money on LotRO, I will be a subscriber rather than try and be a Premium Player. The benefits to me, though Premium Benefits are nice, seem much more extreme than what DDO has on the VIP/Prem line.

I very much like the game due to it's in depth crafting system, it's roleplay aspects, it's persitant open world. Once you get past a certin point in the game though game play and actually get hooked, it's like there is no coming back from playing LotRO.

At least this has been my experience.

And for those of you who know me and play with me on Cannith, I'm sorry to say I am taking a DDO break so I can play more LotRO. I shouldn't be gone forever, but I am not sure if and when I will be coming back.

Thanks for all the good times everyone, and I hope to see you again soon.

Thanks for listening, and have fun!
TiranBlade

[IronClan]

Kinda off topic but I'll never get why people who play MMO's hate having to explore or find stuff so much. To the point where DDO literally feels like a Six Flags amusement park, with quest givers right next to quests like ride attendants or ticket takers.

[Coldin]

I'm enjoying my time in LOTRO so far, though I'm not really stressing on leveling up and such. If a quest is really out of my way to run, I'll ignore it. I actually find it a bit neat that I can pick up a bunch of quests, and they're all in the same area. So while I'm trying to complete that one epic quest line, I just happen to complete all these other quests too.

The combat system is...well, it's a bit boring. I find myself looking down at cooldowns than actually watching the battle take place. I do like chaining together attacks though like you can on a burglar. It's very active if you look at it that way.

Really, the only thing I don't quite like right now is how they implemented the F2P system over there. You have to buy to unlock the various virtues and traits. Certain travel options can only be unlocked on a temporary basis. Skirmishes aren't included in quest packs and are pretty expensive since they're basically just one quest.

Regardless, I like it as free to play. I wouldn't pay a subscription to play it. But I will pay a little every now and then when I feel like getting some new content.

[SINIBYTE]

Am I missing something or did you pay $10 to get a 30 day pass for a game that's f2p?

[Coldin]

Am I missing something or did you pay $10 to get a 30 day pass for a game that's f2p?

$10 gets him the Mines of Moria expansion which includes Moria and two classes...and some other things I think. Those always have to be purchased. Plus he gets 30 days to be a VIP, similar to being a VIP here.

[GunboatDiplomat]

Any help or advice (even if it's just give up and come back to DDO) would be appreciated.

Perhaps you should take up drinking and smoking while playing.

Pros:
1. Prettier scenery
2. More exciting combat
3. time travelling just flies in.
4. Better hand/eye co-ordination

Cons:
1. Expensive if you play a lot.
2. Sclerosis of the liver
3. Cancer
4. Inability to recognise deterioration in hand/eye co-ordination. (Also known as Anosognosia)

All in all my LOTRO experience was enhanced but I still got bored of it in three months...

[Fomori]

Kinda off topic but I'll never get why people who play MMO's hate having to explore or find stuff so much.

Even in the days when I used to MUD, the "kill x blah" or "gather x blah and bring back to me" was used sparingly if at all. That is what people who play the EQ/WoW/LoTRO type games detest, including myself. The quests in the MUDs were more interactive and the exploring was finding out what commands and objects in the room were usable. Its nice to have the pretty scenery but it makes the game play less about thinking to solve the room and more about grindy gathers and kills.

One of the points that does annoy me about the MMO's I play, DDO included, is that I would prefer the loot to be 'keep what you kill'. If I am looking for a Vorpal Sword of DoOOOOom the mob I get it from should be using it against me, not rotting in a chest. Granted that may make sense, ie. dragon hordes, but for the most part I find it funny that I kill a fighter mob with weapons and armor but I cannot loot them... however I got a magic club, thieves tools, 2 scrolls, and some coin.