Are MMORPGs Expensive to Play?
Bree Royce, editor-in chief at Massively Overpowered, recently asked the question “what is the most expensive MMORPG right now”. My first thought was to search through my old draft blog posts and track down an MMO cost analysis I wrote circa 2019. It includes data such as subscription rates and the price of current expansions. There was also information on what were the most popular cash shop items at the time. However, I then read some of the comments that had been left on Bree’s post and I quickly realised that this wasn’t just a matter of financial expenditure. Whether or not an MMO is expensive is also determined by one’s disposable income, respective wealth and personal relationship with money. The latter is perhaps the most important, irrespective whether you consider yourself rich or poor.
Bree Royce, editor-in chief at Massively Overpowered, recently asked the question “what is the most expensive MMORPG right now”. My first thought was to search through my old draft blog posts and track down an MMO cost analysis I wrote circa 2019. It includes data such as subscription rates and the price of current expansions. There was also information on what were the most popular cash shop items at the time. However, I then read some of the comments that had been left on Bree’s post and I quickly realised that this wasn’t just a matter of financial expenditure. Whether or not an MMO is expensive is also determined by one’s disposable income, respective wealth and personal relationship with money. The latter is perhaps the most important, irrespective whether you consider yourself rich or poor.
I play several MMORPGs over the course of a year. I tend to return to a game when there’s sufficient outstanding content to keep me busy for a few months, such as a new expansion. Hence I will binge play games such as The Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls Online. While I am playing any one of these titles, I will subscribe to ensure that I am not impeded by any “free-to-play” restrictions. I will also buy some in-game currency so I can obtain any cash shop items I desire. Hence, if I play SWTOR for three months or so, I can end up spending between £60 to £75. It is therefore entirely possible that I can spend £300 a year across multiple MMOs. Broadly, this breaks down to about £6 a week. I personally do not feel that this is a lot of money.
Every hobby has some sort of cost associated with it. From golf, fishing, gardening, painting lead figures to trainspotting. Compared to others, I consider video games good value, especially the MMO genre. However, this is very subjective. Some people may consider my spending to be profligate. Others may think that I’m penny pinching. It all comes down to our own relationship with money. Something that varies between generations and other social divides. I know very wealthy people who will balk at costs that are just pocket change to them. I know others on what would be considered a relatively low income, to happily embrace in-game expenditure because it is the primary source of leisure and entertainment. Furthermore, “whales” do exist and are a big enough factor to influence a video game’s business model.
However, setting aside one’s own finances, there is another factor that counts here. One that is a matter of perspective. Most gamers understand that games cost money to develop and that there is a requirement to generate revenue to finance new content. Hence we broadly accept that there will be charges such as a subscription or the sale of cosmetic items. What matters here is setting a cost that feels appropriate. If this is done right then the player does not feel abused or exploited. A $5 or $10 cosmetic mount is therefore acceptable. Not so, $50 or more. Sadly, publishers often push egregious charges upon developers and mandate that they are included in the game. All too often a deliberate bottleneck or grind is artificially created in an MMO which can only be bypassed with a paid solution. This is the main bone of contention with many gamers.
As I’ve stated in other posts recently, what we expect from a video game is very much determined with what we have grown accustomed to and that varies depending on age. Paying once and getting everything was the norm during the eighties and nineties. But those days are gone and are not coming back. Therefore one has to adjust one’s expectations. It is also true that video game studios only pitch a business model that they can get away with. Sometimes, a live service game fails because it delivers too little and charges too much. The business models for games like LOTRO and SWTOR persist because the players ultimately tolerate it. They may complain but they continue paying. Unless you are prepared to stop paying you cannot exercise any leverage. Ultimately, the only intellectually honest answer to the question “what is the most expensive MMO right now” is the one you’ve chosen not to play.
A Year in Gaming
It is customary for me to write an end of year summary of my gaming activities but I suspect that on this occasion it will be somewhat short. For me, 2024 has really hammered home the notion of the ephemeral nature of video games as well as their commercial ubiquity. The moment a game fails to satisfy for whatever reason, rather than complain or worry about it, I just move on to something else. It’s not as if there’s a shortage of games out there. I have a substantial back catalogue of games that Epic and Amazon prime regularly giveaway. I have bought numerous discounted bundles in the past, in the pious hope that I’ll play one of the games included, at some point in the future. Games may well be enjoyable and engaging but many are also disposable. That’s not to say they’re bad. While playing them you are indeed “entertained”. However, when you’re “done”, it’s amazing how you quickly find another and forget what you were previously playing.
It is customary for me to write an end of year summary of my gaming activities but I suspect that on this occasion it will be somewhat short. For me, 2024 has really hammered home the notion of the ephemeral nature of video games as well as their commercial ubiquity. The moment a game fails to satisfy for whatever reason, rather than complain or worry about it, I just move on to something else. It’s not as if there’s a shortage of games out there. I have a substantial back catalogue of games that Epic and Amazon prime regularly giveaway. I have bought numerous discounted bundles in the past, in the pious hope that I’ll play one of the games included, at some point in the future. Games may well be enjoyable and engaging but many are also disposable. That’s not to say they’re bad. While playing them you are indeed “entertained”. However, when you’re “done”, it’s amazing how you quickly find another and forget what you were previously playing.
I started the year playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare III, the 2023 entry in the never ending franchise. These games have a 12 month lifecycle and frequently “evolve” during their quarterly updates. Hence many of the aspects of MW III that I liked when I started playing, were altered, nerfed or simply removed, six months later. The community is also vile and seems to be a magnet for the emotionally dysfunctional. This doesn’t help, especially when trying to find information on builds and tactics via the games subreddit. I found myself in a minority as I actually liked the open world approach to the Zombie play mode. The latest iteration of the game released in October has returned to the traditional round based approach, which I don’t like. So roundabout summer, I stopped playing as the game no longer yielded sufficient fun. I uninstalled it a few months later.
I fancied playing a traditional high fantasy RPG this year and found exactly that in Dragon’s Dogma 2. I quite liked the fact that the game deliberately eschews fast travel and is designed so that the player has to travel slowly around the world map, fighting as they go. I also liked the pawn system in which you could hire up to 3 NPC companions from multiple classes. These can be either prebuilt pawns provided by the game itself, or ones that other players had created. I got quite attached to some of them with their quirky names and dialogue, until I outlevelled them. The combat was more challenging than I had expected but I liked the fact that you could climb onto some of the exotic beasts you fought and attack vital areas. Some players were disappointed by the story, claiming it was somewhat generic. I felt it was adequate and often wonder if games such as these, made by international developers, lose something in translation.
I returned to several MMOs this year. Star Trek Online continues to be a mainstay, due to its continuous calendar of short term events. Such an approach is not a real substitute for longer, story based missions which are becoming more infrequent these days. But STO does afford the casual gamer a quick fix and a means to jump straight into some action if you have limited leisure time. I also resumed playing The Lord of the Rings Online having one update and an expansion to catch up with. I reached the new level cap with my primary character and weathered the ill conceived changes that were made to the Lore-master class. When will developers learn that if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it? LOTRO still benefits from well written and innovative stories to underpin all their quests. It also has a knack of creating interesting zones. Overall the game does sufficient to keep me engaged.
For reasons I can’t quite articulate, I decide to revisit Age of Conan. I found my original character from 2011 along with an MMO that is in maintenance mode. It still has players although they tend to congregate in the cities and most of the time, you’ll find yourself alone when out questing. As such, it can be played as an RPG but I decided not to pursue playing any further than satiating my thirst for nostalgia. Instead I opted to dive back into Star Wars: The Old Republic as there were three classes that I hadn’t played. To date, I have now completed the Sith Inquisitor and Jedi Consular classes and am now focusing on the Judi Knight. The great thing about SWTOR is that each class has a unique story, as does each planet in the game. Hence there is always something new to return to.
2024 was certainly not a standout year for gaming, at least from my perspective. Video games still provided an entertaining pastime but nothing really loomed large and made an impact upon me such as Red Dead Redemption 2 or Skyrim. Such games are becoming increasingly rare. MMOs once again proved to be a comfortable form of gaming and I am still enjoying my return to SWTOR. I also have the latest LOTRO expansion to play through, which I am keeping in reserve for the moment. I have my eye on the new Indiana Jones game in the New Year along with the latest instalment of Sniper Elite. However, the cost of buying new titles is becoming quite expensive. Especially if you want the most comprehensive version of a video game. However, I have a potential solution for that problem but that is a blog post for the New Year.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Dynamic Encounters
The MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic recently added Dynamic Encounters to the game in the latest patch. These are repeatable, time limited public event quests that randomly appear at present on the planets Tatooine, Hoth and Rishi. Some events are combat focused with a set amount of enemies to defeat before a boss appears. Others are more leisurely, involving herding Banthas or catching juvenile Tauntauns. Dynamic Encounters vary in difficulty, ranging from easy to hard. All players participating in Dynamic Encounters share progress with NPC kills. Thankfully, there is no sharing or competing for item looting. Dynamic Events run for between 30 and 60 minutes and repeat every 2 hours. Overall these are broadly similar to comparable events in Guild Wars 2 or The Elder Scrolls Online.
The MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic recently added Dynamic Encounters to the game in the latest patch. These are repeatable, time limited public event quests that randomly appear at present on the planets Tatooine, Hoth and Rishi. Some events are combat focused with a set amount of enemies to defeat before a boss appears. Others are more leisurely, involving herding Banthas or catching juvenile Tauntauns. Dynamic Encounters vary in difficulty, ranging from easy to hard. All players participating in Dynamic Encounters share progress with NPC kills. Thankfully, there is no sharing or competing for item looting. Dynamic Events run for between 30 and 60 minutes and repeat every 2 hours. Overall these are broadly similar to comparable events in Guild Wars 2 or The Elder Scrolls Online.
Although I was aware of the Dynamic Encounters system, I have been focused on levelling my new alts of late, so they haven’t been my primary consideration. However, while undertaking a companion quest on Tatooine over the weekend, I walked into the middle of one outside Mos Ila. Needless to say I immediately joined the event and quickly repelled the Republic incursion. I subsequently spent the next few hours travelling around the region actively pursuing the various Dynamic Events as they afford a convenient and enjoyable quick fix of action. Plus there isn’t a wealth of narrative to plow through beforehand. Furthermore, because these are a new addition to SWTOR, they are at present very well attended. If you find yourself the first player at the location of a new event, you will quickly find yourself joined by other players.
I am curious to see whether players determine a process by which to play through all the Dynamic Encounters on each planet. Will we be seeing the SWTOR equivalent of the Queensdale Champion train that existed for a while in Guild Wars 2. This was a group rotation around the spawning points of several high value bosses that players farmed. I won’t be surprised if such a thing evolves in SWTOR, as players determine what is the optimal way to complete all Dynamic Encounters and gain the best rewards. As for the value of this new game mechanic, I think they are a welcome addition to the activities available in SWTOR. Let us hope that they are regularly added too and updated, rather than just left, as so often happens to new features in the MMO genre.
MMO Tropes: Name Unavailable
If you’ve ever played an MMORPG, then you have more than likely encountered this problem. Especially if you start playing a game that has been long established. You diligently create your character and spend time and effort customising them to suit your needs. All you’ve got to do next is choose a name, so you type in a pithy and droll title only to find that it has already been taken. So you quickly come up with another and that too is rejected. Next you try the same name but with some “alternative” spelling but the game resolutely tells you that even that permutation is already in use. I have found that even with a list of names that I’ve drawn up prior to playing the game, it can still take anything from 5 to 30 minutes to find one that is available. Naturally, this process is very frustrating, which is hardly the ideal user experience for a new player.
If you’ve ever played an MMORPG, then you have more than likely encountered this problem. Especially if you start playing a game that has been long established. You diligently create your character and spend time and effort customising them to suit your needs. All you’ve got to do next is choose a name, so you type in a pithy and droll title only to find that it has already been taken. So you quickly come up with another and that too is rejected. Next you try the same name but with some “alternative” spelling but the game resolutely tells you that even that permutation is already in use. I have found that even with a list of names that I’ve drawn up prior to playing the game, it can still take anything from 5 to 30 minutes to find one that is available. Naturally, this process is very frustrating, which is hardly the ideal user experience for a new player.
This problem is common to a lot of older MMOs. The Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Age of Conan are prime examples. Newer games tend to have a more flexible naming system often using a surname that is account wide. This often negates any issues with duplicate names. New players are often aware in advance that securing their name of choice in an older game is going to be problematic. The main issue is that a lot of these games do nothing to help beyond rejecting your choice. They do not give you any clues as to what names are available or any potential spelling changes that are required to bypass the problem. They basically say “no clues” and you’re left to randomly try various permutations until one is accepted. The problem with all this, is that if you do not secure your name of choice it can diminish your gaming enjoyment.
If you’re of a sceptical disposition about the monetisation of MMOs, then you’ll see a direct correlation between this inherent naming problem and the fact that renaming tokens are readily available to purchase in the respective game store. Such items can cost anything between £5 to £10 which seems excessive when you consider that the game itself has contributed to the player ending up with a name they’re not happy with. Although it may sound trivial to some gamers, having “the right name” is an important aspect of character creation for a lot of other players. I like to have character names that don’t obviously clash with the in-game lore and I don’t really care for “humorous” monikers. As previously mentioned, a new player should not really be having these sorts of problems. Surely the best business practice is to make their introduction to a new game as frictionless as possible?
My recent return to SWTOR was prompted by a scheduled “character name purge”. Developers Broadsword sent all players an email stating that inactive accounts would lose their names if they didn’t log into the game by a specific date. That date has now been and gone and as far as I’m aware a substantial amount of names have been released so that new players can access them. When I reclaimed my Age of Conan account recently, I had to rename my old character as a similar policy had been implemented. I didn’t complain as I last logged into the game a decade ago when it went free to play. All of which goes to show that game developers are fully aware of the importance of character names. In light of such, it would be nice if the MMO genre adopted a more equitable policy regarding them.
LOTRO: Staying Busy
Exactly what do you do when you reach level cap in the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online? Raiding is the obvious answer and arguably the one the developers would suggest. But only a small percentage of players regularly raid. The last raid I participated in was early 2012 when twelve of our kinship attempted the “Tower of Orthanc”. If memory serves, we failed miserably after investing about 4 hours of our time. Many of us found that we simply didn’t have sufficient time available to pursue raiding in any meaningful way. Those members of the kinship that were focused on this aspect of gameplay ended up leaving and moving to other guilds. I have used the group finder on occasions since then but it has seldom yielded good results. Hence, for me most multiplayer content in LOTRO is “off the table”.
Exactly what do you do when you reach level cap in the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online? Raiding is the obvious answer and arguably the one the developers would suggest. But only a small percentage of players regularly raid. The last raid I participated in was early 2012 when twelve of our kinship attempted the “Tower of Orthanc”. If memory serves, we failed miserably after investing about 4 hours of our time. Many of us found that we simply didn’t have sufficient time available to pursue raiding in any meaningful way. Those members of the kinship that were focused on this aspect of gameplay ended up leaving and moving to other guilds. I have used the group finder on occasions since then but it has seldom yielded good results. Hence, for me most multiplayer content in LOTRO is “off the table”.
My experience is far from unique and it was for this reason that Standing Stone Games introduced the Mission system into LOTRO as an alternative to raiding. Missions offer instanced based activities with specific goals. They often contain a “twist” such as environmental effects or a boss with a specific debuff, to make them suitably challenging. They scale to the player’s level and can be played solo or duo. Delvings are Missions variants that allow level cap players to increase the difficulty to gain superior rewards. Missions and Delvings are repeatable, although there is a cooldown period. Tokens gained from Missions and Delvings can be bartered for gear that is comparable to that rewarded by completing raids. Overall this is a good system although the quality of the Mission is variable. Some are quite well conceived and require a tactical approach but others can be arbitrary.
Another aspect of LOTRO that is a potential source of content is crafting, although it is not for everyone. I have always enjoyed the resource gathering element of this game system, as it can be a good source of XP when levelling and the refined resources can be sold on. When I originally created my Lore-master, I chose the Forester, Prospector and Tailor professions, specifically so I could collect wood, ore and hides which were at the time very marketable commodities. Upon checking recently, I discovered that I had not kept my professions up to date so spent some time travelling around Gundabad and Umbar, gathering resources and levelling my crafting proficiency. I tend not to actually manufacture specific items as I find the costs involved are excessive. However, I do like to buy and sell via the Auction House as a mini game.
LOTRO has several other game systems that can keep you busy, although not all of them are as engaging as story content. As previously mentioned, there are multiple reputation factions throughout the various zones. All of which offer useful rewards upon completion. Besides housing items and cosmetic pets, there are “return to” swift travel skills that will teleport the player to a key location in the zone. If you have bought the “Returning Traveller” and “Expedient Traveller” modifiers from the LOTRO store, then you can reduce the cooldown on all travel skills to 5 minutes. Completing deeds is another option if you are looking for some simple gameplay. Finding locations, treasure caches or completing a specific number of quests all provide XP towards Virtue Traits. Then there are the infamous slayer deeds in which you inflict species specific genocide upon local areas of Middle-earth.
If the aforementioned activities all seem a little formal, there are plenty of informal and social alternatives. Some players upon reaching level cap become in game philanthropists. They become active within their guild organising events and activities. Others simply travel throughout Middle-earth offering assistance to others. Exploring every corner of Standing Stone Games’ world and taking screenshots is another leisurely pastime. It can also be enjoyable to spend some time experimenting with the cosmetic systems within LOTRO, as well as collecting pets and mounts. So it would appear that there is quite a lot that a player can do to keep busy in LOTRO. And then of course there is the issue of returning to the login screen and simply creating a new alt. That however, is a separate blog post altogether.
MMO Tropes: The Time Sink
It would appear that one of the reasons potential new players avoid the MMORPG genre is due to the perception that they are all time sinks. I wouldn’t argue against this assumption because the reality is that it’s true. However any game that you enjoy, irrespective of genre, can become a time sink. That being said, the main difference between other genres and MMOs is as follows. A new player can jump straight into a FPS game and within minutes enjoy some multiplayer action, whereas in an MMO, a new player has to play through a tutorial and several hours of a starter zone before they start making headway in the game. This distinction does not have to be a deal breaker. An FPS can provide a quick fix of gaming and as such fulfils a need. MMORPGs can provide long term entertainment which scratches an ongoing gaming itch. Both are valid ways to enjoy gaming.
It would appear that one of the reasons potential new players avoid the MMORPG genre is due to the perception that they are all time sinks. I wouldn’t argue against this assumption because the reality is that it’s true. However any game that you enjoy, irrespective of genre, can become a time sink. That being said, the main difference between other genres and MMOs is as follows. A new player can jump straight into a FPS game and within minutes enjoy some multiplayer action, whereas in an MMO, a new player has to play through a tutorial and several hours of a starter zone before they start making headway in the game. This distinction does not have to be a deal breaker. An FPS can provide a quick fix of gaming and as such fulfils a need. MMORPGs can provide long term entertainment which scratches an ongoing gaming itch. Both are valid ways to enjoy gaming.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I do want to talk about the time I have “invested” into two specific MMORPGs. That investment, or commitment if you prefer, is no small beer. It is a substantial period of time that I could have spent on other leisure activities. Or even non leisure activities, perish the thought. My spare time is possibly one of the most sought after commodities I possess, judging by the amount of businesses, organisations and bodies that pursue it. Hence, I don’t consider spending so much time on MMOs to be something arbitrary. It is a considered choice, one that I constantly review to ensure it is still proving to be satisfactory. The fact that I am still spending time regularly on these two games and enjoying them, validates the overall investment.
I have been playing The Lord of the Rings Online since December 2008. As of 18th November 2024, I have invested 7 months 1 week 6 days 1 hour 7 minutes 28 seconds into my primary character,a human Lore-master. That is 5426 hours. I have two other alts but they have a negligible amount of time spent on them. No more than a dozen or so hours each. Similarly, I have played Star Trek Online since its launch in 2010. However, I have created several alts and really didn’t start playing this MMO seriously until 2013 when the first major expansion was released and a lot of the game’s problems were resolved. My primary character, a Federation Tactical Officer has accrued to date, 72 days, 10 hours, 30 minutes, 33 seconds time investment. That is 1738 hours. Not as much as LOTRO but still a tidy sum.
The obvious question arising from this information is what else could I have done with that collective amount of time (over 7000 hours)? Well, the logical answer is lots of things. I could have learned another language during that time or taken a degree. Yet such introspection is misplaced because I don’t regret my choice. I really don’t. Some people go fishing, bake, play sport, paint lead figures, ring bells, collect stamps, plot world domination or spot trains. I play games. The time I’ve spent has always been “leisure time” and I have never played at the expense of other work or family obligations. If you crunch the numbers, out of the 15 years that have elapsed I have spent about 5% of that time playing MMOs. A similar amount of time could easily be spent watching football as millions of other people do.
Time sink is a loaded and somewhat hyperbolic term. It not only describes the chronological investment but it also infers that it is by its very nature a negative choice. Despite videos becoming a mainstream pastime, there still persists an attitude in certain quarters that they are a childish waste of time and that you’d be better served doing something “productive”. In fact I’ll go so far as to say I know people who still struggle to see the benefits of leisure time per se. They tend to be very two dimensional thinkers. I certainly do not consider investing time in a hobby, working towards goals and the associated positive social interactions as bad things. Quite the opposite. They are very good for one’s overall well being, as are the tangential activities that can arise from gaming, such as this blog. Perhaps we should retire the term time sink and replace it with something more benign like time investment or time intensive.
Revisiting Star Wars: The Old Republic Part 3
A recent email prompted me to return to the MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Developers Broadsword are “encouraging” former players to log back into the game to prevent the potential “release” of character names from “inactive” accounts. This has happened in the past, so I decided it would be a good time to return to the game. I last played in early 2022 when I created Trooper, Sith Warrior and Imperial Agent alts. The great thing about SWTOR is that all classes have unique stories so alts are never dull. This time I intend to complete the Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight and Sith Inquisitor classes. So I reinstalled the game, subscribed to enjoy full access to all content and also purchased a few Cartel Coins in case anything in the game store took my fancy. Hence the latest instalment of this recurring post, after a sizable break.
A recent email prompted me to return to the MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Developers Broadsword are “encouraging” former players to log back into the game to prevent the potential “release” of character names from “inactive” accounts. This has happened in the past, so I decided it would be a good time to return to the game. I last played in early 2022 when I created Trooper, Sith Warrior and Imperial Agent alts. The great thing about SWTOR is that all classes have unique stories so alts are never dull. This time I intend to complete the Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight and Sith Inquisitor classes. So I reinstalled the game, subscribed to enjoy full access to all content and also purchased a few Cartel Coins in case anything in the game store took my fancy. Hence the latest instalment of this recurring post, after a sizable break.
When I last played SWTOR, I “acquired” a substantial quantity of in-game currency which I shared among alts for miscellaneous spending. I placed the remainder in Legacy Storage, which is an account-wide vault. The Legacy system itself offers some useful account wide unlocks which are very beneficial for alts. Both the money and early access to a companion, has made levelling a new Jedi Consular character relatively hassle free. I am currently playing through the class story at a leisurely pace and have also decided on a whim, to try and unlock the HK-51 Assassin Droid companion. The game certainly doesn’t lack content for a new or returning player. As well as each class having a unique story, so does each planet. There have also been various expansions released over the years. Plus there’s all the group instances that you can quickly jump into and endless amounts of cosmetics to mess about with.
As I said in the previous instalments of this post, SWTOR exudes Star Wars ambience through its design and style. The game is 14 years old but the stylised, cartoonesque graphics still hold up well and were definitely the right choice. I feel that Bioware/Broadsword have done a much better job of creating original content than Disney. The stories and their approach to the source material is far more creative and adult than a lot of the TV shows and films. There is a genuine appreciation of the source material and an intelligent extrapolation and exploration of its core themes. SWTOR has an exceptional score, especially the material for the original base game. Many MMOs have strong musical accompaniment but SWTOR seems to go that extra mile and has numerous robust cues that all seem to be in exactly the right Star Wars idiom. It all makes for a very immersive experience.
Naturally, there are some aspects of SWTOR that do betray its age. These are often design choices that were commonplace among the previous generation of MMOs. The ever increasing time penalty between being defeated and revived is one example. It is archaic by modern standards and singularly annoying. Impeding a player from playing your own game is staggeringly crass. Combat is somewhat slow, especially when your level is lowered for the zone that you’re in. Your DPS is weak but you’re sufficiently robust to not be in any tangible danger. Hence it feels like you’re whittling away at a big stick with a very small penknife. The game also does a very poor job of explaining itself. I’m sure that I’m not getting as much as I can out of the Galactic Season and I seem to have accrued a lot of the game’s currencies, yet am at a loss as to whether I can spend them on something useful.
I don’t have any particular thoughts on the state of SWTOR’s endgame at present because I have no experience of it. I know new content has been delayed and that longterm players have concerns about the immediate future. However, for new or returning players SWTOR has a lot to offer, as long as you are cognisant of its terms. As for myself, I have goals to achieve and some minor problems to resolve. I need to recruit a few more players to my existing guild, mainly so they can then invite my new alts. I would also like to complete all story content on my oldest character, a Smuggler, that I’ve taken the furthest into the game. I also think it’s time I explored more group content. I suspect that’s where the good gear is all stashed. With the Christmas holiday season imminent, now is the perfect time to re-engage with this MMO.
Thinking Out Loud
I appreciate that talking about illness can often make people uncomfortable. It’s not exactly my favourite thing. However, I do not subscribe to the school of thought of avoiding such matters. We all get ill from time to time to varying degrees and we’re all going to die one day. You can’t just wish problems away. My significant other, Mrs P, has a history of heart disease and her overall health has declined this year. To cut a long story short, she is having surgery on 28th November to effectively repurpose a previously bypassed artery. Throughout this month we have been going to outpatient clinics as well as meetings with consultants. We have also been busy putting practical measures in place for her recovery. As you can imagine, it is a worrying time. Hence, I have not written much in recent weeks as her well being is my current focus.
Here we are again with another post consisting of some random thoughts and ideas that I’ve been recently contemplating. Some could be a bog post in themselves but that isn’t really the point of this recurring post. It’s more a case of just throwing some ideas out there. Please note that the first point of discussion is an explanation as to why things have been quiet of late, here at Contains Moderate Peril. As always, please feel free to leave a comment.
Illness
I appreciate that talking about illness can often make people uncomfortable. It’s not exactly my favourite thing. However, I do not subscribe to the school of thought of avoiding such matters. We all get ill from time to time to varying degrees and we’re all going to die one day. You can’t just wish problems away. My significant other, Mrs P, has a history of heart disease and her overall health has declined this year. To cut a long story short, she is having surgery on 28th November to effectively repurpose a previously bypassed artery. Throughout this month we have been going to outpatient clinics as well as meetings with consultants. We have also been busy putting practical measures in place for her recovery. As you can imagine, it is a worrying time. Hence, I have not written much in recent weeks as her well being is my current focus.
Blogging and more
With regard to my current blogging activities, I will post occasionally between now and the end of December but it will be very much on a “as and when” basis. At present, it is my intention to resume a more structured writing schedule in the New Year. I am also considering some additional projects. Let’s see how the year pans out and I’ll review the situation in January.
MMORPGs
I have a cyclical relationship with the MMORPG genre of games. Certain MMOs such as The Lord of the Rings Online get and Star Trek Online get played at regular intervals. They are a gaming mainstay throughout the year. Others such as Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic get played every 18 months, or so. Often an event, expansion or even a YouTube video can prompt a return to a particular game. Recently I received an email from Broadsword, the developers of SWTOR, that they may reuse names from dormant accounts, so I reinstalled the game. As each class has a unique story associated with them, the game has a great deal of replayability. I have yet to play the Sith Inquisitor, Jedi Knight or Jedi Consular class, so I think I’ll resubscribe and play a new character over December.
This nostalgic reverie for MMOs got me thinking about Age of Conan, which I have not played since 2011. Although effectively in maintenance mode by developers Funcom, I was able to log into my old account and reinstalled the game client. My original character was still where I left them but I had to rename them due to 13 years of account inactivity. I spent a few hours trying to figure the control out and actually managed to complete a few basic quests. Although the game has aged somewhat, it runs well and has a great deal of content to play through. I am tempted to create a new character and play through the game’s main storyline. However, it should be noted that this MMOs population is low. I only saw about five other players while on the Crom server, so if I do replay Age of Conan then I shall treat the game as an RPG.
Presents
Christmas is fast approaching, which raises the spectre of presents. Mrs P and I do not buy presents for each other, mainly because we don’t need anything. We don’t see the point in “novelty” gifts or anything that is just arbitrary. Plus I have a birthday that is a week before Christmas which further compounds the complexity of the issue. Hence presents are bought mainly for the grandchildren, our son and daughter-in-law. Let it suffice to say that through no fault of their own, the grandchildren are thoroughly spoilt with respect to presents. I actually witnessed them getting bored with opening Christmas presents, a few years ago. So we have tried to show some moderation this year but it remains to be seen whether any other family members will follow suit.
There is often a complex social dynamic to both giving and receiving gifts. People feel obliged by tradition to give presents and often are confused by comments like “ I don’t need anything, thanks”. Hence, I often find myself the recipient of novelty socks, aftershave and gin. I see these sorts of presents as the lesser of two evils. IE something you don’t need but don’t mind, as opposed to something that just isn’t needed and ends up going to a charity shop or being re-gifted. In a perfect world, it would be nice if someone actually considered what my hobbies and interests are and used those as a guide. A £20 Steam or Audible voucher would be most welcome but alas, is never considered. It was all much easier when I was a child in the seventies. My present aspirations seldom went beyond Lego and if I was lucky enough to get any, it was considered the proverbial “top brick of the chimney”.
LOTRO: Voice Acting
One of the most noticeable things that ages the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, is the lack of comprehensive voice acting throughout the game. If a player interacts with an NPC, they will provide generic greetings or ambient dialogue. Phrases such as “hello there” of “our mission is dire” occur regularly. However, the majority of quest text is not spoken, unless it is part of the Epic Story line. If it is, the first sentence is usually voice acted but no more than that. Cutscenes within instances have dialogue, as are those that occur at key parts of the Epic Story. Overall, LOTRO does not have the extensive voice acting that a similar MMO such as Star Trek Online has. This is a shame, considering how much time and effort has been taken with other aspects of the game.
One of the most noticeable things that ages the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, is the lack of comprehensive voice acting throughout the game. If a player interacts with an NPC, they will provide generic greetings or ambient dialogue. Phrases such as “hello there” of “our mission is dire” occur regularly. However, the majority of quest text is not spoken, unless it is part of the Epic Story line. If it is, the first sentence is usually voice acted but no more than that. Cutscenes within instances have dialogue, as are those that occur at key parts of the Epic Story. Overall, LOTRO does not have the extensive voice acting that a similar MMO such as Star Trek Online has. This is a shame, considering how much time and effort has been taken with other aspects of the game.
LOTRO was conceived and developed over the course of 2005 and 2006 and although the technology available at the time could accommodate comprehensive voice acting, its inclusion would have certainly had logistical and financial consequences upon the game’s production. Additional audio would have increased the size of the game installation and constantly maintaining and adding dialogue would have increased production costs. Due to the nature of the game, a great deal of time and effort would also have been required ensuring that all dialogue was correctly pronounced and grammatically correct. Tolkien fans are very particular about this. So it can be argued that Turbine/Standing Stone Games have dodged a bullet by deciding to limit the amount of voice acting in the game to date.
Some players will argue that the lack of comprehensive voice acting is a benefit, allowing them to focus on the text, rather than the actor’s performance. Other LOTRO players already have little or no interest in the finer points of the narrative and are focused far more on “getting the job done”. Such players would therefore be indifferent to further voice acting. However, I am in the opposite camp and enjoy LOTRO mainly due to the stories underpinning both the major and minor quests. For me, good voice acting greatly enhances a story and I often struggle to read the wall of text presented by the NPC. This problem gets worse when playing the game on a 4K monitor due to the game’s non-scaling UI. Therefore, the addition of voice acting would greatly help in keeping me apprised of the plot.
After my recent experimentation with LUA Plugins, I wondered if anyone had ever tried to develop some sort of text-to speech facility that could be added to the game. It turns out that it has already been done to some degrees of success. I found the following post on the Official LOTRO Forums by The Almighty Tater, which references a Python programme they have developed called LOTRO to Speech. For those interested in trying this service you can access all the required files and details of how to install and configure them here. Example videos can be found over at the LOTRO subreddit. Another LOTRO player, Luthryth, has indicated that they are developing a text-to-speech app. They have posted videos of their progress on YouTube, an example of which is posted below . Again, this seems to work quite well.
Obviously, with both of these programs being third party services and a workaround rather than a solution, there are inevitably some issues to consider. Relying on optical character recognition to parse the quest text can be problematic and there is scope for dialogue to be misread. Using cloud based, AI voice services to provide in-game narration introduces the possibility of lag. Also not all voices will be character appropriate, especially if you use the free text-to-speech services. Then there is the issue of pronunciation which may well bother some Tolkien fans. However, all of these negatives are outweighed by the potential benefits that text-to speech can bring to the game. Such a service makes LOTRO far more accessible. Furthermore, as technology progresses, there is scope for programs such as LOTRO to Speech to improve.
Although I wholeheartedly approve of player created apps such as these, if given a choice I’d much prefer voice acting to be officially part of the game. Sadly, although I do not consider it impossible to retrospectively add this to LOTRO, it is highly unlikely that it ever will be due to the cost involved and the law of diminishing returns as the game enters the next phase of its lifecycle (I’ll leave it to you to figure out what that may be). In the meantime LOTRO to Speech is a suitable compromise that can fill the gap. As to the future, if there is ever to be a new Middle-earth themed MMORPG, or if Daybreak Games ever intend to bankroll the creation of a LOTRO 2.0, I would expect it to be fully voiced by default. I don’t think the design choice made back in 2005 would be acceptable to modern gamers.
LOTRO: Beneath the Surface
Last week I finally completed the Epic Story content for Corsairs of Umbar, the 2023 expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. Although I am still undecided about Umbar as a zone, I found the main story engaging and as ever, well conceived within Middle-earth lore. The writers at Standing Stone Games have been very creative with their Fourth Age content and never make the mistake of over blowing it or trying to up the stakes as high as the threat of Sauron. So far, it feels like the free people are credibly mopping up residual forces of evil, as one would after a major regime collapse. Therefore, I was broadly satisfied with the Corsairs of Umbar expansion and was ready to move onto the next major story content update which was released in May this year.
Last week I finally completed the Epic Story content for Corsairs of Umbar, the 2023 expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. Although I am still undecided about Umbar as a zone, I found the main story engaging and as ever, well conceived within Middle-earth lore. The writers at Standing Stone Games have been very creative with their Fourth Age content and never make the mistake of over blowing it or trying to up the stakes as high as the threat of Sauron. So far, it feels like the free people are credibly mopping up residual forces of evil, as one would after a major regime collapse. Therefore, I was broadly satisfied with the Corsairs of Umbar expansion and was ready to move onto the next major story content update which was released in May this year.
Update 40: Beneath the Surface, continues the latest instalment of the Epic Story; The Song of waves and Wind. According to the official press release from SSG, “It is a new dawn for Umbar. At the request of Hármelak, the Golden Queen, the Kindred of the Coins has reopened the great meeting-hall of Dâr Laja so they can better hear the voices of their people. And yet, beneath the city in Umbar-môkh, there are some who feel threatened by this new order, working in the darkness until their plans bear fruit”. It all sounds very thrilling until I realised that the entire new zone, Umbar-môkh, in which the story takes place is a series of catacombs and labyrinths under Umbar Baharbêl. Out of all the environments present in LOTRO, I enjoy those set underground the least.
Most LOTRO players have distinct opinions regarding Moria, the first significant underground area they encounter when playing the game. Although I have no great love for subterranean zones, Moria is different. It is an integral and iconic part of Tolkien’s source text and therefore a necessary evil in gaming terms. Furthermore, the zone is divided into several lore relevant, themed zones. Hence you have locations such as the Chamber of Mazarbul, the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, the Twenty-first Hall and the body of the Balrog below Zirakzigil. All of which make Moria, more than just a frustrating maze. Sadly, that was not the case with the Gundabad expansion as it lacked the detail of established, in-depth, canonical lore. Effectively it was maze without the benefit of having a complex literary backstory to support it. I enjoyed Moria in spite of its frustrations. I struggled to tolerate Gundabad because of them.
Having now ventured into Umbar-môkh, I can say it does not quite have the same claustrophobic air that Moria and Gundabad have. The aesthetic is that of Umbar and the catacombs are well lit. Plus there are multiple entrances. However, it should be noted that some areas are intended for duos or small fellowships. If you don’t read the various quest texts, you could find yourself surrounded by signature mobs and out of your depth. So caution is advised. In the meantime, I shall follow the main story and see how I get on with the episodic storyline Tales of the Kindred. If things prove to be problematic or not to my liking, I can simply move on to the new content from the next expansion, Legacy of Morgoth, which is released on Wednesday 6th of November.
LOTRO: Lore-master Class Traits
If you play the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, then you’ll probably be aware of the significant changes that were made to the Lore-master class in Update 41. Two and half months later I think I have come to terms and successfully adjusted to the “realignment” of the trait tree and the core skills. Setting aside the argument over the rectitude of these changes, I would like to share my thoughts on the respective performance of the three trait configurations. This is not from the perspective of a min-max player or someone who focuses on the “numbers”. These are just casual observations from an equally casual player. Furthermore, my opinion is based upon PVE gameplay and not group content or full blown raids.
Lore-master Pre Update 41
If you play the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, then you’ll probably be aware of the significant changes that were made to the Lore-master class in Update 41. Two and half months later I think I have come to terms and successfully adjusted to the “realignment” of the trait tree and the core skills. Setting aside the argument over the rectitude of these changes, I would like to share my thoughts on the respective performance of the three trait configurations. This is not from the perspective of a min-max player or someone who focuses on the “numbers”. These are just casual observations from an equally casual player. Furthermore, my opinion is based upon PVE gameplay and not group content or full blown raids.
Master of Nature's Fury:
The “red line” trait configuration has a major impact upon the way combat pets are used. You no longer summon one and it continuously follows you. Nor does it independently aid you in combat. A pet, when summoned, will persist for 15 seconds approximately and attempt to flank your current target. During this short window, you can activate a minor or major pet skill. Both of which do varying degrees of Beleriand Damage. Each pet also does a unique type of damage during its 15 second duration. IE a Lynx does both melee damage and damage over time. At present, on default game difficulty, a skills rotation of Burning Embers, Wizards Fire and Lightning-Charged Staff Strike will quickly kill a single mob.
Keeper of Animals:
The “blue line” trait configuration has also been significantly altered. Pets can be permanently summoned but you must use your own skills in order to trigger a pet to use one of its combat skills. The three main skills are Minor Pet Command, Major Pet Command, and Sign of the Wild: Rage. All of these skills will tell your pet to execute an ability. Minor and Major pet commands transfer your threat status to your pet, so they can tank for you. Pets still intercede in combat due to mob proximity. Minor and Major pet commands used in combination with Wizards Fire, Wizards Spark, Burning Embers and Staff-Strikes are an efficient skill rotation on the default difficulty when using this trait configuration.
The Ancient Master:
The “yellow line” trait configuration is in many ways the nearest to how the Lore-master class was prior to the changes in Update 41. It allows the player to summon a pet permanently and plays very similarly in terms of crowd control, the skills that are accessible and overall pet damage. Minor and Major pet commands activate reciprocal skills. IE if you have summoned a Bog Lurker you can activate the ranged debuff Choking Vines or the stun inducing Bursting Root, which can trigger a Fellowship Manoeuvre. Once again on default difficulty, Minor and Major pet commands along with Burning Embers, Staff-Strikes and Wizards Fire or Wizards Spark deals sufficient damage to an average mob.
Lore-master Post Update 41
For a long time, I have played LOTRO with my Lore-master configured to the “red line” trait configuration. I enjoyed having my favourite pet, the Bog Lurker, available continuously. I liked the fact that you could name them. Suddenly finding from August onwards that they had been relegated to a short term skill was annoying as it fundamentally altered the nature of the class. Furthermore, many skills that were known and loved were now locked to specific trait configurations. You now have to spend across all three trees to get a full range of pets and you may have to make some hard choices about what skills you may have to give up. Sadly, what’s done is done and one has to move forward. I have adjusted to the new changes and still find “red line” trait configuration very effective. For those players who are still finding their feet with the Lore-master class, post Update 41, I hope you find the right build for you.
The Future of Star Trek Online
Cryptic Studios appear to have started a new round of layoffs, following those made last November. Although the developers of Star Trek Online and Neverwinter have not formally commented on the situation, it is more than likely that this is a continuation of their owners, the Embracer Group, ongoing restructuring program. So far, the Swedish company has laid off over 1,500 employees since June 2023, in an attempt to address its ill considered over expansion in recent years. At present development of Star Trek Online and other titles are being transitioned from Cryptic to DECA. The German developers are mainly known for mobile games and have recently positioned themselves as “breathing life into old games”. Their intent is to keep developing content for STO and to maintain a working relationship with the owners of the intellectual property.
Cryptic Studios appear to have started a new round of layoffs, following those made last November. Although the developers of Star Trek Online and Neverwinter have not formally commented on the situation, it is more than likely that this is a continuation of their owners, the Embracer Group, ongoing restructuring program. So far, the Swedish company has laid off over 1,500 employees since June 2023, in an attempt to address its ill considered over expansion in recent years. At present development of Star Trek Online and other titles are being transitioned from Cryptic to DECA. The German developers are mainly known for mobile games and have recently positioned themselves as “breathing life into old games”. Their intent is to keep developing content for STO and to maintain a working relationship with the owners of the intellectual property.
Taken at face value, I’m sure there will be some players of STO who will argue that “the game is still being supported so everything is okay”. To which the counter argument would be “apart from the original developers being kicked out of their own party and laid off”. However, this is the video game industry, so it is unwise to take things at face value. One has to apply critical thinking and consider what has happened in similar scenarios. What are the most likely outcomes based upon previous corporate behaviour, rather than one’s own aspirations. Hence I suspect that STO and other titles have been identified as having stable player bases that return an equally stable amount of revenue each year. As a result, it will continue to be developed. However, the budget for the development will be less (hence the replacement of Cryptic by DECA) and there will likely be financial goals set. Thus there may well be a focus on “monetisation” over more traditional content.
A change in developers raises many questions and the transition from one to another does not end at training your replacement and handing over documentation. Often there is a wealth of unique knowledge that isn’t so readily quantifiable, that is hard to learn through any other method other than experience. Let us not forget that one of the reasons why Cryptic abandoned the Foundry system was due to insufficient knowledge to adequately maintain it, after key staff left the company. Are DECA going to face similar issues? Then there are the business relationships that Cryptic currently enjoys with Star Trek licence holders and the actors who have provided voiceovers for the game. These are not so easily “transferable” and may be hindered by such things as smaller operational budgets and the fact that DECA is based in the EU. If you’ve ever worked for a company and experienced a change in service provider then I’m sure you realise the scope of change that STO faces.
I preordered STO and began playing when it launched in 2010. Due to the problems that were inherent with the game, I drifted away and made several attempts to return over the next few years. It was not until 2015 that I started regularly playing this MMORPG, mainly because by then the game was finally reaching its potential. So I bought a lifetime subscription for $200, which has proven a sound investment. Despite being a F2P game since 2012, STO maintained the option for players to subscribe each month and received a stipend of the in-game currency Zen. Subscriptions ceased in May 2018 in favour of the game selling starter packs but players with existing subscriptions could continue if they wanted to. As of October 10th 2024, STO has ceased supporting these residual subscriptions. Players who have had an active subscription since 1st January this year are being moved over to a complimentary lifetime subscription.
It can be argued that players that have subscribed optionally for 6 years have more than paid for the complimentary lifetime subscription, as they have spent far more than $200 in that time. But I am curious about the optics of this decision. Does this indicate that the perceived worth of a lifetime subscription has diminished now that the game has been transferred to DECA? Is it an indication that future content is envisaged to be of little real monetary value, so they can afford to be generous? Does it imply that the majority of new game development will be focused upon increased monetisation? It is entirely possible that this is simply an act of good faith and there’s nothing beyond that. However, again this is the video games industry and there is little or no sentiment in business. Will DECA continue to offer the lifetime subscription?
As ever with video games, I return to the matter of fans who fail to think in terms of customers and vendors within the context of a transactional industry that exists primarily to make money. Too often player communities focus upon developer’s artistic aspirations, over the business realities of the publishers. I enjoy STO, quirks and all. However, having been laid off in my working life, I have a great deal of sympathy for the folks at Cryptic who have had their jobs taken from them ignominiously, through no fault of their own. I sincerely hope they can find alternative work promptly. As for the future of STO, I am not holding my breath. I suspect that there is content in the pipeline for the remainder of 2024 but who knows what 2025 will bring. They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Therefore, when you’re taken over by a company that makes mobile games, expect your product to follow the business practices of that market.
LOTRO: Bullroarer Update 42 - Legacy of Morgoth Beta #1
Over the last 24 hours, I’ve spent some time taking part in the first beta test for Legacy of Morgoth on this Bullroarer test server. This will be the 12th expansion for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, when it is released on November 6th. According to the developers, Standing Stone Games, “Legacy of Morgoth is homed in the Valley of Ikorbân, located east of Umbar Baharbel. This is a challenge level 150 region, with 4 new zones packed with new quests, Deeds, Missions and Delvings for you to explore”. The Valley of Ikorbân is located to the east of Umbar Barharbel and is part of Near Harad. The aesthetics of the region are a continuation of those featured in the previous expansion, Corsairs of Umbar. Something, I personally still have mixed feelings about, as I find it somewhat incongruous to be questing in a tropical zone, after years of playing in a world that is predominantly based upon a European, temperate climate.
Over the last 24 hours, I’ve spent some time taking part in the first beta test for Legacy of Morgoth on this Bullroarer test server. This will be the 12th expansion for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, when it is released on November 6th. According to the developers, Standing Stone Games, “Legacy of Morgoth is homed in the Valley of Ikorbân, located east of Umbar Baharbel. This is a challenge level 150 region, with 4 new zones packed with new quests, Deeds, Missions and Delvings for you to explore”. The Valley of Ikorbân is located to the east of Umbar Barharbel and is part of Near Harad. The aesthetics of the region are a continuation of those featured in the previous expansion, Corsairs of Umbar. Something, I personally still have mixed feelings about, as I find it somewhat incongruous to be questing in a tropical zone, after years of playing in a world that is predominantly based upon a European, temperate climate.
The Valley of Ikorbân is split into four maps, filled with new quests, Deeds, Missions and Delvings for players to explore. The expansion is a challenge level 150 region. The first beta test is unusual compared to those for previous expansions, as developers SSG have not made the entire expansion available as they usually do. Hence I have only been able to explore Ambarûl and Khûd Zagin so far. Both Imhûlar and Urash Dâr will be available for future tests. The downside to this approach is that players will encounter specific invisible walls, the most noticeable is across the Bridge of Danagir. Limiting access to the full expansion has also broken the travel mounts from the stables in the area. Regular travel mounts will ride through a zone until they encounter an invisible wall but swift travel mounts fail to follow the designated route and run into any obstruction.
SSG have not explained why they have made this decision and it has been assumed by many LOTRO players that the quests in the two withheld zones are incomplete. Setting this aside for a moment, an expansion comprising of just four maps, is cause for concern in its own right. LOTRO players have already pointed out that the 3 different versions of the Legacy of Morgoth that were initially announced (standard, collector’s and ultimate fan edition), were lacking in content and the SSG has already decided to add cosmetic items to address such concerns. However, I still do not feel that 4 new maps merits being called an expansion. It is not as if we’re getting a new class, like we did with Corsairs of Umbar. I am curious to see if this becomes a talking point on the official forums and whether SSG will make any further concessions.
With regard to the two zones that I did have access to, neither reinvent the wheel. Ambarûl continues the tropical aesthetic of the previous expansion and adds some areas similar to a mangrove swamp. The zone is somewhat open and gently slopes up towards the mountains. There is a closed gate to the North East that leads to Harondor, the overland route to Southern Gondor. Khûd Zagin is a more interesting zone, due to its arid, rocky desert. Vegetation becomes more sparse and the landscape is filled with snakes, scorpions and caracal cats. There are dust devils and other embellishments that convey the character of the environment. Furthermore it looks quite sinister at night. As ever with LOTRO, the ambient music by Bill Champagne is outstanding and contributes so much to the game’s atmosphere.
Beta tests are subject to change and are not representative of the final product. Hence, there is scope for things to change in the weeks to come with the next test of Legacy of Morgoth. That being said, I still have my concerns regarding this expansion. In the past, beta tests have presented a virtually finished version of the expansion with all its respective content available for consideration. I find this limited access to only two maps perplexing. Is the new material still being actively created? Have there been issues making the new content? Is this expansion being quickly put together and pushed out the doors at the behest of the bean counters at Daybreak Game Company? It is the latter that worries me the most. It’s not so much a question of quality but one of quantity. Are we being given what is effectively just a content update but being charged for it? It wouldn’t be the first time such a thing has happened. Watch this space.
So Many MMORPGs, So Little Choice
I recently considered whether or not I should find a new MMORPG to play. A cursory Google search showed that there were plenty of titles that I have not tried. Unfortunately, they are predominantly fantasy based games drawing upon the established tropes and themes of the dungeons and dragons genre and the wider sword and sorcery literature. This begs the question “why aren’t there more science fiction or non-fantasy based MMOs?” apart from the handful that currently exist? After a little research and a degree of thinking it becomes very apparent that the answer to this question is mainly a business decision made by publishers. Furthermore, that business decision is based upon several specific factors. All of which cumulatively tip the scales towards fantasy, rather than science fiction or some other complex but non fantasy based franchise.
I recently considered whether or not I should find a new MMORPG to play. A cursory Google search showed that there were plenty of titles that I have not tried. Unfortunately, they are predominantly fantasy based games drawing upon the established tropes and themes of the dungeons and dragons genre and the wider sword and sorcery literature. This begs the question “why aren’t there more science fiction or non-fantasy based MMOs?” apart from the handful that currently exist? After a little research and a degree of thinking it becomes very apparent that the answer to this question is mainly a business decision made by publishers. Furthermore, that business decision is based upon several specific factors. All of which cumulatively tip the scales towards fantasy, rather than science fiction or some other complex but non fantasy based franchise.
First off, let’s address the biggest factor. Fantasy is a much bigger and more popular genre, compared to science fiction. This is mainly due to the barriers to entry being relatively low. Its tropes are straightforward and recognisable. Hence, it is theoretically easier to create a fantasy themed MMORPG than a science fiction one. By this I mean, the world, the game mechanics, the assets and the underpinning narrative. Fantasy does not have to try as hard as science fiction to justify itself. Exotic skills and powers can simply be labelled “magic” and players won’t necessarily kick up a stink about their provenance or credibility. An original fantasy themed intellectual property doesn’t have to work within so many rules as an existing science fiction property that has an excess of lore. Fantasy is a self plagiarising genre by default and players are relatively comfortable with this concept. It’s essentially priced in.
From a writing perspective, a science fiction MMORPG is a potentially more complex proposition. Storylines need to be driven by a suitably plausible McGuffin or underpinned by complex lore. This impacts on game design making the final product more complex. A science fiction based game may not be limited to a single environment or world. There may be the need for multiple types of travel mechanics and therefore multiple types of combat. This complexity both in design and narrative may create a higher barrier to player entry. All of which makes such a game a far more niche market proposition. Which is why you’re more likely to find a fantasy MMORPG with science fiction elements blended into it. Consider the Asura in Guild Wars 2. Also, is Star Wars a pure science fiction franchise? No. This is by far the most common compromise that will happen.
However, possibly the biggest issue that prevents the development of a major science fiction themed MMORPG is copyright. If you wish to draw upon or specifically base your game upon an existing intellectual property, then there will be licensing costs. Often these can be complex and expensive. Furthermore, rights can change hands overtime and a game that has existed for a while and made a profit can subsequently find itself cut off at the knees, purely due to the withdrawal of a licence. This raises the question of why bother taking a risk with such material when you can create your own franchise based on an original IP. However, fans can be funny about such workarounds and particularly unforgiving when a game proves to be a pallid imitation of something they hold dear.
Despite these considerations, the video games industry is not totally averse to science fiction based MMORPGs. Star Trek Online has endured with a degree of success for 14 years, although its future is not looking especially good at present. I think the unique nature of the IP and the loyalty of its fanbase is the main reason that it was originally created and has survived so long. EVE Online is another perfect storm of a game. One whose success cannot easily be duplicated. As for Star Citizen, the jury is still out until we get something approaching a fully fleshed out game. Simply put, the video game industry is just like any other leisure business. Trends are followed, risk is eschewed and decisions are often dictated by the bottom line. Although I would love to see a radical, hard science fiction game based on the works of Arthur C Clarke or Isaac Asimov, it is highly unlikely that any major triple A studio would undertake such a project. They’d be too worried about sufficient return on investment. Cue “and this is why we can’t have nice things”.
Is It Time to Rebrand the MMORPG Genre?
According to Wikipedia, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. 15 years ago, the MMORPG was an established and popular video game genre. It seemed that every developer wanted a title like World of Warcraft in their portfolio and were happy to sink millions of dollars into making one. WoW at the height of its popularity had over 10 million subscribers and annual turnover of over a billion dollars in the US alone. Sadly, no one ever came close to creating a WoW killer, a game that had found success through a perfect storm of events. Today the MMO genre has become synonymous with being a time sink and a grind. The universal adoption of the free-to-play business model further compounds the negative connotations associated with these types of games. Simply put MMOs are no longer seen as a licence to print money.
According to Wikipedia, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. 15 years ago, the MMORPG was an established and popular video game genre. It seemed that every developer wanted a title like World of Warcraft in their portfolio and were happy to sink millions of dollars into making one. WoW at the height of its popularity had over 10 million subscribers and annual turnover of over a billion dollars in the US alone. Sadly, no one ever came close to creating a WoW killer, a game that had found success through a perfect storm of events. Today the MMO genre has become synonymous with being a time sink and a grind. The universal adoption of the free-to-play business model further compounds the negative connotations associated with these types of games. Simply put MMOs are no longer seen as a licence to print money.
Hence we now find ourselves in a world where games that are definitely MMORPGs are rebranding and attempting to present themselves as something else. Guild Wars 2 is currently marketed on Steam as a “online RPG”. New World is to be launched on consoles on 15th October under the revised name of New World: Aeturnum. The marketing for the game now refers to it as a “action RPG” and the online aspect is presented as “co-op play”. Similarly, ArcheAge2 which has been rebranded as ArcheAge Chronicles, goes out of its way to avoid using the term MMORPG in its promotional material. It will be interesting to see exactly what genre it ultimately claims to be when it is released in 2025. Even the doyen of the genre, Raph Koster, who worked on Ultima Online and Star Wars: Galaxies has dodged calling his latest game an MMO. Stars Reach is described as a “massively multiplayer sandbox RPG” on its official website. So near but not quite an MMO, then.
Some gamers may argue that this doesn’t matter. It’s just marketing speak and there is a degree of truth in such a position. It has also been pointed out by many gamers and journalists over the years, that the term massively multiplayer online role-playing game is both cumbersome and inaccurate. I have written blog posts in the past about how we need to update and revise the existing gaming lexicon, as game genres and mechanics are constantly changing. Language doesn’t stay still in other areas of life. Why should it do so in the gaming community? However, setting linguistics aside, I think there are two very clear reasons why the MMO genre is perceived as being after its “best before date”. One is a matter of context within internet history. The other is a matter of perception. The former is a question of fact. The latter is more complex as perceptions are not always correct. However, mud sticks.
In the late nineties, the internet was still novel. The idea that you could communicate in real time with people all over the world was genuinely exciting. Hence the idea of playing a game in a shared environment, where the other avatars were actually real people, was revolutionary. My first exposure to this unique gaming experience was playing Air Warrior. This positive perception of the internet persisted possibly for a decade. By 2010 the MMO market was becoming saturated and the internet had gone from being a quaint, niche market talking point, to an utterly ubiquitous medium that was slowly becoming dominated by corporate interests. As a genre, the MMO had changed from being a player dependent platform for emergent gameplay, to a interactive but firmly on rails, gaming experience. As more and more players eschewed playing collaboratively many games effectively evolved into online RPGs with optional co-op play.
As to why the player base shifted away from group content, there isn’t a single smoking gun that explains it all. However, raid culture often leads to elitism, which then fuels toxicity in gaming communities. Gaming has also become a far more widespread pastime over the decades, so MMO content had to become more accessible and less gated behind group play, for straightforward business reasons. As mentioned previously, we are now at a point where certain gaming terms, rightly or wrongly, come with a lot of baggage. If you speak to a gamer who primarily plays Call of Duty or a sporting franchise such as FIFA, they will often see the MMORPG genre as something “old fashioned”. Games that are graphically dated, filled with convoluted systems that require years to master. There is also a great deal of association with “pay to win” mechanics and egregious in-game stores which “nickel-and-dime” players. There is also a perception that the communities associated with MMOs are “weird”.
When you step back and consider these things, regardless of whether they’re true or not, you can see why both players, developers and publishers may not want to be associated with the acronym MMORPG. Therefore, we again return to the subject of rebranding the genre and coming to terms that some words, phrases and indeed concepts become obsolete overtime. Exactly what the new description for an MMO should be, I’m not entirely sure. A game such as The Lord of the Rings Online, can be defined as an online action role playing game with optional cooperative play. Dedicated raiders may argue otherwise but their gaming experience is not that same as other players and they are far from the majority. Ultimately, as long as the terminology used to describe a game is accurate then I’m not resistant to change. If we have to say goodbye to the acronym MMORPG, so be it. It’s not as if we’re saying goodbye to the games themselves.
LOTRO: The Benefits of Plugins
After my recent experiment involving tweaking the graphics settings in the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, I decided to see if I could improve my gaming experience with the use of mods. These are known within the LOTRO community as “Plugins”. They are created using the Lua programming language and are managed via an option on the character selection screen, after logging into the game. They are mainly used to augment the existing GUI, often presenting existing game data in a more convenient manner. Plugins can also be used to track information such as deed progress and to mark where specific items, resources and locations are on the in-game map. They cannot be used to issue commands or create macros. The most reliable source for Lua Plugins for LOTRO is via the website LOTRO Interface which maintains a comprehensive repository along with guides and FAQs.
After my recent experiment involving tweaking the graphics settings in the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, I decided to see if I could improve my gaming experience with the use of mods. These are known within the LOTRO community as “Plugins”. They are created using the Lua programming language and are managed via an option on the character selection screen, after logging into the game. They are mainly used to augment the existing GUI, often presenting existing game data in a more convenient manner. Plugins can also be used to track information such as deed progress and to mark where specific items, resources and locations are on the in-game map. They cannot be used to issue commands or create macros. The most reliable source for Lua Plugins for LOTRO is via the website LOTRO Interface which maintains a comprehensive repository along with guides and FAQs.
As with other MMOs, the main issue with using any sort of mod or addon is cleanly installing all the appropriate files to the correct locations. While players can do this manually if so desired, the easiest way is to use a third party installation tool. LOTRO Plugin Compendium (LPC) is a windows based plugin management tool. There is also a Java version for Mac and Linux users. It can be used to search for existing Lua Plugins for LOTRO, as well as install, update and uninstall them as needed. It is broadly similar to Minion, for those familiar with the World of Warcraft mod manager. Once installed you can immediately start perusing the wealth of plugins that are available for LOTRO. Upon selection LPC will install all the necessary data to the appropriate game directories. Upon logging into LOTRO, the player has to click on the “Manage Plugins” button on the right of the character select screen to load those they wish to use.
After I installed LPC, I spent a lot of time trawling through the plugin search facility to try and find ones I thought would be beneficial to my play style. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos and read through various subreddits and forums. What I found was that there are a lot of plugins designed around combat and analysing your performance. These are very useful for min-maxing and monitoring data such as DPS, aggro and buffs, when raiding. However, for a player such as I who mainly does PVE content on its default level of difficulty, few of these plugins are relevant. Fortunately, there are plenty of “quality of life” plugins to be found. Addons that present in-game information in a more accessible fashion, so you don’t have to go and search for it at an inopportune moment. Hence I installed the following:
Titan Bar: A transparent toolbar that is located at the top of your screen, which can have a wealth of customisable information displayed on it. I use it to track in-game currency expenditure, damage to gear and reputation progress. I also have an in-game clock that tells you what phase of the day the game is currently in and how long it is until the next one.
Travel Window II: Adds a new window to your screen which lists all your quick travel skills. These can be presented in various different ways and you can minimise the window when not using it. I freed up two complete in-game quickslot bars by switching to this plugin.
Alt Inventory: Does exactly what the name says. Adds a drop down window where you can search your various alt’s inventories. Both bags and vault respectively. This plugin is invaluable if you are an MMO “pack rat”.
So far, I am not aware of the plugins causing any performance issues in LOTRO. However, I am only using three at present. Those installed do not clutter my screen in any way. All can be minimised when not actively used. In fact the Titan Toolbar vanishes during combat which is very convenient. They all provide exactly the functionality I require. I suspect that the key to effectively and efficiently using Lua Plugins for LOTRO, is the same as it is for using addons in any other MMO. Only install and use what you need and don’t get carried away. It is also worth remembering two important things about plugins. They are fan developed and maintained and game updates often break them. Hence, support for them is not indefinite or immediate. It is therefore possible that one day, a plugin you rely on may stop working. With all this in mind, a sensible selection of Lua Plugins for LOTRO can potentially enhance the game and improve your player experience.
LOTRO: Virtue Traits
I returned to the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, in April this year and caught up with 18 months worth of content. Upon reaching the latest level cap of 150, I built two entirely new Legendary Items and acquired new gear via the game’s lootbox system. As I am not the sort of player who is especially knowledgeable about the “stats” associated with my class and the overall theorycraft of the game, I did some research and found several guides to follow. As I play primarily solo PVE content, I favour a DPS build for my main character in LOTRO, which is a Lore-master. So I copied a specific build and considered my work done. However, along came Update 41 on the 1st of August, which made serious changes to this class. As a result I recently decided to look at every option for the Lore-master and see what I could do to find a new optimal build. The two areas that offer the most scope for improvement are Class Traits and Virtue Traits. This post deals with the latter.
I returned to the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, in April this year and caught up with 18 months worth of content. Upon reaching the latest level cap of 150, I built two entirely new Legendary Items and acquired new gear via the game’s lootbox system. As I am not the sort of player who is especially knowledgeable about the “stats” associated with my class and the overall theorycraft of the game, I did some research and found several guides to follow. As I play primarily solo PVE content, I favour a DPS build for my main character in LOTRO, which is a Lore-master. So I copied a specific build and considered my work done. However, along came Update 41 on the 1st of August, which made serious changes to this class. As a result I recently decided to look at every option for the Lore-master and see what I could do to find a new optimal build. The two areas that offer the most scope for improvement are Class Traits and Virtue Traits. This post deals with the latter.
Virtues are a type of trait that each character can obtain in LOTRO. Virtues grant bonuses to specific statistics. Each trait grants bonuses to 3 different stats. The first statistic listed grants the largest bonus, the next grants an intermediate bonus and the last stat listed grants the smallest bonus. In order to gain the benefits of a specific Virtue it must be slotted into the top bar in the Virtue page of the Trait Tree Panel. There are 21 Virtues in total, all of which grant a small passive stat bonus (either to Maximum Morale or Physical and Tactical Mastery) even if they are not slotted. A character can have 5 Virtue traits slotted at a time. Virtues are levelled as you progress through game content, with quests rewards often including Virtue XP. Completing deeds is another means of levelling Virtues. The current cap for Virtue Traits is 92.
The key to using Virtue Traits effectively is to slot those with statistics that are beneficial to your specific class. Naturally, you will find hardcore LOTRO players who favour bespoke selections for specific tasks. They may even swap between selections on the fly. For the average player, it is simply a question of finding those traits with stats which benefits your class and favoured play style. Post Update 41, I perused various discussions about the Lore-master class on Reddit and opted for the following Virtue Traits for my “red line” Lore-master. Honesty, Wisdom, Valour, Wit and Confidence. I then proceeded to return to older regions in the game and clear outstanding deeds to earn appropriate XP. Some of the traits I slotted I’d used before, so they were close to the level cap. Others that I had not used previously were only halfway. The benefit of having 5 maxed out Virtue Traits is that it boosts your overall stats and thus your in-game performance.
To cut a long story short, I went through Cardolan, Swanfleet, the Wastes and Elderslade completing various slayer deeds and earning virtue XP. It got somewhat tedious after a while and then I remembered that I have an abandoned Guardian alt, that I previously “boosted” to level to 120. As I hadn’t used all the resources that came with the “boost”, I transferred them to my Lore-master and subsequently maxed out their respective Virtue Traits. This combined with my rebuilt Legendary Items, along with “Teal” gear and jewellery, means that my character stats are now very robust. I always pursue a policy of being overpowered for PVE content, when playing MMORPGs. Hence this has made playing through the Corsairs of Umbar content, a lot easier and faster. I remain undecided about the merits of the last expansion but I am now happy that my primary alt is now what I consider to be optimal.
The Virtue Traits system often gets neglected in LOTRO, due to the more pressing needs such as upgrading your gear and weapon as you level, as well as selecting the right Class Traits to unlock the skills you desire. Hence, levelling your slotted traits is often something we relegate to the time between expansions or content updates, when we’ve done all the major quests and are simply looking for something to do while we kill time. However, it is something that can significantly improve your stats and is therefore well worth pursuing. If done in conjunction with completing deeds, not only will you benefit from the trait XP but you’ll also be rewarded with traceries for your LI and even the occasional additional skills point or mount. There is the possibility that the Virtue Trait cap may be increased in the future, so that is another reason to stay on top of them now.
LOTRO: Fine Tuning Your Graphics
One of the things that I find fascinating about the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, are other peoples screenshots. Being a 17 year old game, the required hardware specifications are not especially high. Hence it will effectively run on a “potato”; IE an older PC. This is often reflected in the variety of screen captures you will find for the game. No two images ever look quite alike, due to the variety of PCs and laptops that people use to play the game. Hence you’ll sometimes come across screenshots with lower resolutions, or less graphical detail. I have screenshots from when I started playing LOTRO in 2008 and they look demonstrably different to those I’ve taken more recently. The game itself has changed a lot over the last 17 years and this has included graphical updates. Hence, unlike a lot of modern games, LOTRO screenshots do not have such a homogenous look.
One of the things that I find fascinating about the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, are other peoples screenshots. Being a 17 year old game, the required hardware specifications are not especially high. Hence it will effectively run on a “potato”; IE an older PC. This is often reflected in the variety of screen captures you will find for the game. No two images ever look quite alike, due to the variety of PCs and laptops that people use to play the game. Hence you’ll sometimes come across screenshots with lower resolutions, or less graphical detail. I have screenshots from when I started playing LOTRO in 2008 and they look demonstrably different to those I’ve taken more recently. The game itself has changed a lot over the last 17 years and this has included graphical updates. Hence, unlike a lot of modern games, LOTRO screenshots do not have such a homogenous look.
I bought a new graphics card in July. Specifically a Powercolor AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT Fighter 8GB GDDR6. It is neither the best or worse GPU on the market but essentially the best I could get on my budget. It is certainly adequate for the two monitors I use. An ageing Dell U2412M (1920x1200) and a more recent Dell S2421H (1920x1080). Having recently resubscribed to LOTRO, I decided to fine tune the in-game graphic settings and see if I could get the game to look as good as it could on my PC. I also wondered if it were possible to use some third party software to enhance the ageing games visuals. After some research, I spent a day tinkering with both LOTRO and my PC to try and implement the results. I’ve added a link to a gallery of screen captures at the end of this post, for your edification. The images are at the full resolution that they were taken.
Unlike modern games, LOTRO has no facility to choose which monitor you wish to use if you have more than one. It defaults to your primary monitor. As far as I am aware, there is no easy way around this beyond changing which monitor is designated as primary within Windows but that is far from a convenient solution. I have always played LOTRO via my main monitor which has a resolution of 1920x1200, therefore an aspect ratio of 16:10. It is worth noting that LOTRO does support 2K and 4K screen resolutions but the UI suffers as a result, becoming very small and for many unreadable. Standing Stone Games are allegedly looking into this issue but recent community updates have indicated that this project is “still on the whiteboard”. However, this can be addressed by third party software. More on this later.
Upon launching LOTRO, I maxed out all the settings in “Graphics” and “Advanced Graphics”. The only one I adjusted to a personal preference was “Texture Filtering” which I set to “Very Sharp”. This produces on my PC a clearer image than the “Anisotropic” option, which appears to make the visual detail softer. I set the display “Refresh Rate” to 60Hz, which is the same as the monitor’s. I also checked the box to sync these settings. Once you have maxed out the graphic settings there is nothing else you can do within LOTRO itself to improve the visuals. It is at this point that you have to look to third party software, if you want to make further changes. However, it should be noted that external software can only enhance the existing graphic settings by presenting that visual information in an alternative way. Poor textures, bad animations and elderly character models remain as they are.
The most well known third party software that can be used with LOTRO is ReShade. ReShade is a generic post-processing injector for games and video software developed by crosire. It provides an automated means to access both frame colour and depth information. Players can then add advanced depth-edge-detection-driven SMAA antialiasing, screen space ambient occlusion, depth of field effects, chromatic aberration and other advanced options. ReShade adds an extra folder to your existing LOTRO install. If you are technically proficient you can manually set up the visual changes you desire. Alternatively, ReShade has a library of saved settings made by other LOTRO players. You simply download a single file to the appropriate ReShade folder. You then launch LOTRO and press the “Home” key when at the character selection screen. There you choose the preset and apply it. You can swap between the new ReShade settings and the default LOTRO settings on the fly if you desire.
As stated previously, ReShade and other such software can only do so much. Yet you can still make some further graphical improvements to LOTRO via your graphics card software. For many players this will be either AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Both have option for upscaling, a technique used in gaming to render games at a lower resolution and then scale them up to a higher resolution without sacrificing performance. This can also be used to resize the GUI at higher resolutions, addressing the problem referred to earlier. GPU software can also improve image sharpness and antialiasing. Having an AMD graphics card I used the respective software for “Image Sharpening”, which I set to 80%, as recommended by the software guide. There are also optional video profiles such as “Cinema Classic”, “Enhanced” and “Vivid” but I’ve chosen not to use these.
Finally, many players have stated they have issues switching between alts in LOTRO as well as exiting the game. This usually manifests as a rather long wait, staring at a black screen. Although not a graphical alteration, I would like to reference the following “workaround” simply as a quality of life improvement. Find the following files in your LOTRO installation folder: lotroclient.exe, lotroclient_awesomium.exe, LotroLauncher.exe, lotroclient64.exe and right click on each one and select “Properties”. Select the tab marked “Compatibility” in the window that subsequently opens and check the box marked “Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 8”. It does appear to reduce the waiting time when “alting” or exiting the game. Please note this “workaround” is for Windows 10. It would appear that LOTRO performs better when running on Windows 11.
Beyond what I have mentioned, I am not aware of any other straightforward ways to tweak and fine tune the graphics for LOTRO. Ultimately the game is a product of the era in which it was created. Furthermore being a multiplayer game it does not lend itself by design to the “modding” culture of single player games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I suspect that due to where LOTRO is in its life cycle and how its owners view its future earning potential, that there will not be any major investment in upgrading the game’s graphics in any meaningful way. It has already been stated that the money would be better spent on a new game altogether. Therefore, looking at the bigger picture, beyond the tinkering that I’ve referenced there’s not much more you can do to improve the graphics for LOTRO. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear as the expression goes. That said, I am somewhat pleased with the results my changes have yielded.
Here is the link to a gallery of screenshots of LOTRO, taken with all the above graphical changes made. The images, via Google Photos, are available at the original screen resolution of 1920 x 1200.
Has LOTRO Lost its Way?
After the initial shock of Update 41 and the radical revisions it made to the Lore-master class, I recently returned to The Lord of the Rings Online to experiment with new Master of Nature’s Fury (red line) and Keeper of Animals (blue line) builds. It is odd to find that skills I’ve been using for years are now gated behind specific trait lines. Furthermore, the consolidation of skills has left the entire class somewhat overpowered. Some players may argue that this is a good thing. However, for me it has rendered what was a subtle class requiring skill and intelligence to use effectively, into what is just a blunt instrument. Since playing tactically is now redundant, instances and skirmishes no longer poses any significant challenge. PVE content has been easy in LOTRO for a long time. Post update 41 it is now trivial and nothing more than a minor diversion.
After the initial shock of Update 41 and the radical revisions it made to the Lore-master class, I recently returned to The Lord of the Rings Online to experiment with new Master of Nature’s Fury (red line) and Keeper of Animals (blue line) builds. It is odd to find that skills I’ve been using for years are now gated behind specific trait lines. Furthermore, the consolidation of skills has left the entire class somewhat overpowered. Some players may argue that this is a good thing. However, for me it has rendered what was a subtle class requiring skill and intelligence to use effectively, into what is just a blunt instrument. Since playing tactically is now redundant, instances and skirmishes no longer poses any significant challenge. PVE content has been easy in LOTRO for a long time. Post update 41 it is now trivial and nothing more than a minor diversion.
For all the good aspects of LOTRO, of which there are many, developer’s Standing Stone Games have a habit of making wrong calls when it comes to adding new systems to the game. Consider mounted combat, fellowship manoeuvres, destiny points and pipe weed. Some of these are interesting ideas that were just poorly implemented. Others are things no one ever asked for. All of which took time and resources to develop. The latest addition to this list is the woefully implemented “Birding” hobby which arrived with Update 41. This bird spotting activity seems somewhat ill conceived and is certainly underwhelming. The fact you don’t actually see any birds during the process is odd, to say the least. Again I return to this notion that those making decisions at SSG seem very removed from what players want.
LOTRO is a 17 year old game. The MMORPG genre and gaming per se have changed a lot during that time. LOTRO looks “old”. Some may argue that is part of the game’s inherent charm and in some respects I would agree. However, the ageing technology that LOTRO runs on is a reality. Although the game has an impressive scope of vision when it comes to its world design, the implementation is looking dated. The low resolution textures, the incessant pop-in and the constant recycling of assets is very noticeable. If you take time to set up a screenshot in LOTRO, especially one that involves an interesting vista, you’ll often find that the game struggles to load appropriately scaled trees, shrubs and buildings. The game engine also cannot cope with the waves and breakers along the coast of Umbar. The game’s UI is also from a different era and struggles to be readable at modern resolutions. Yet plans to address these issues appear to have been abandoned.
LOTRO players will often focus on the game’s strongest asset; the lore and the way that SSG draws upon it so effectively. This is not something I would dispute. If you are a Tolkien fan, you’ll find SSG’s vision of Middle-earth to be very authentic. If you’re a new player starting LOTRO today, you’ll find a wealth of content to get lost in. However, at level cap it is a different issue. You can either embark upon group play and tackle all the respective raids that are available. Or you can simply play new story content and slowly upgrade your gear. I have stated in the past that LOTRO has reached a point in its lifespan where “what you see is what you get”. However, I now feel that the game has begun to run out of steam. Narratively, the game has entered Umbar, which is an interesting region from a lore perspective. But aesthetically it is a visually uninspired zone and it sits uncomfortably with the rest of SSG’s vision of Middle-earth.
Looking at the bigger picture, in recent years there have been a lot of changes with regard to who owns SSG. Initially EG7 appeared to be keen in investing and invigorating the game. However, changes to the internal company hierarchy appear to have reversed this policy. I get the impression that the bean counters are at present happy for LOTRO to continue in the same vein as it always has. It generates revenue consistently and has a robust core playerbase. But I think no one wants to invest any further resources into the game, beyond those allocated. This issue, when combined with SSG’s “mother knows best” outlook, says to me that the game is just marking time. Rather than operating within modest parameters it now feels like lacklustre meandering. Has LOTRO lost its way? Can it be saved and given a new lease of life. Or is it simply entering the final stage of its life cycles.
Star Trek Online: Events and New Content
If you are a new player, then Star Trek Online has 14 years of content to play through. It is all story driven and is frequently couched in existing lore from the various Star Trek TV shows. It also benefits from many of the original actors reprising their respective roles within the game. This provides an additional air of authenticity to the proceedings as well as being a spectacular fan service. Furthermore, much of that content is faction specific, hence there is a great deal of replay value to be had from this MMO. Apart from The Lord of the Rings Online, I cannot think of another game that manages to successfully tap into the style and idiom of its source intellectual property. Simply put, Star Trek Online looks and feels “very “Star Trek”. Which is why it has a robust and loyal player base and still proves to be a viable financial asset to its owners, DECA Games.
If you are a new player, then Star Trek Online has 14 years of content to play through. It is all story driven and is frequently couched in existing lore from the various Star Trek TV shows. It also benefits from many of the original actors reprising their respective roles within the game. This provides an additional air of authenticity to the proceedings as well as being a spectacular fan service. Furthermore, much of that content is faction specific, hence there is a great deal of replay value to be had from this MMO. Apart from The Lord of the Rings Online, I cannot think of another game that manages to successfully tap into the style and idiom of its source intellectual property. Simply put, Star Trek Online looks and feels “very “Star Trek”. Which is why it has a robust and loyal player base and still proves to be a viable financial asset to its owners, DECA Games.
Where STO differs from many other MMOs is that there is no raid culture at endgame. There are some Task Force Operations (group content) that can be done on a harder setting but these do not count as traditional raids. Once a player has completed all story content and levelled their character, the focus of the game tends to be on min-maxing one’s ship and seeking to fine tune its DPS output. However, that is not to every player’s liking, which then presents an issue. Because the addition of new content has definitely slowed over the last six years. Although new missions are released episodically over the course of a year or two, Cryptic no longer releases traditional expansions as other MMOs do. Instead new content is bolstered by the regular addition of short term, themed events that often provide a reward if specific criteria are met.
So far in 2024, STO has had a First Contact Day event, various Red Alerts and the annual Summer Festival as well as others. All of which yield a reward such as gear, a ship or upgrade materials. Many of the events contribute to a wider yearly event campaign, which if completed will allow the player to choose a premium ship from the C-Store. The obvious benefit for such an approach is that there’s always something to do in-game. It provides players with a short amount of play time to log into the game and work towards a goal. However, in the long term it becomes somewhat tedious and unengaging. Due to FOMO some players feel they are stuck on a treadmill. What this endless litany of events isn’t is complex, lore driven story content. When we do get a new story arc, it is doled out over a longer time period and frankly, due to changes in writing staff, is not as good as it used to be.
Victory is Life, the last proper expansion for STO, was released in June 2018. It was a well written, engaging story arc which featured a reunion with many of the most beloved characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It provided a hefty chunk of story to work through, as well as access to the Gamma Quadrant, an increase to level cap and a new reputation faction. Since then, no further expansions have been released. New story arcs are launched episodically and lack the impact and bonus content of expansions. Perhaps the problem is that Cryptic has always chosen to make previous expansions free of charge. Was this an unsustainable business model? Did it not occur to anyone that players would be happy to pay because that’s how expansions usually work. And let us not forget the content that was taken from the game to be remastered. This remains outstanding and in all honesty seems unlikely to return.
Star Trek Online remains a good MMO which uses the intellectual property upon which it is based, well. But it most definitely has a content problem at present. There is too much focus upon creating sellable digital items rather than creating new missions. What new missions we do get are somewhat generic. The most recent arcs, The Terran Gambit and Kings and Queens have certainly been weak, compared to older content. Quark’s Lucky Seven remains a highwater mark in game content coming close to the feel on a TV episode. It remains to be seen as to whether Cryptic are going to raise their game and provide anything on a par with expansions such as The Legacy of Romulus. If they don’t then then the game is effectively slipping into a lower gear. There may well be players who are happy to tinker with their builds indefinitely but I suspect that most want the same sort of story driven content that underpins all the television shows. Its sustained absence from the game is to its detriment.