Originally Posted by Nairbog
How about we start comparing things like the amount of unique dungeons/cities/environments in each? Classes? How about comparing the size and scale of each game? As far as I know, none of LoTRO"s cities come close to comparing to New Targonor/Pankhor Zhi/Aghram/Caial Brael/Mekalia etc. I would also be surprised if LoTRO"s dungeons were more impressive than Vanguard"s in terms of scope/mob variety/nameds etc. Since I"m not one to obsess over the artwork like many of you do, I value variety and "epicness" more.
They really cannot be compared. And even if they could, Vanguard would be at a serious disadvantage. Mainly because LoTRo is based on a high profile, extremely well known IP, and set in a familiar world of characters and locations true to Tolkiens works. Vanguard can make no such claim.
They can easily be compared.
Classes to classes, Vanguard has far more with more tactics available to them in the first 10 levels than you?d see anywhere else. LOTRO doesn?t even have any arcane type casters?! Come on, how many LOTRO fans are going to be pissed that they can?t play a Wizard? It?s one of the staple classes of fantasy because of LOTR and yet Turbine leaves it out?
Races to races, Vanguard has everything they have and more. Once again Turbine is limiting what you can play as (AC1 3 races, AC2, 3 races, DDO had 5 (?) on release) ? Humans, Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves? If you were a fan of LOTR you might have picked up Middle Earth Role-playing Game (loosely based on Rolemaster). In that system there were humans, about 15 different varieties from Rohirrim to Dunadain to Corsair. There were about 4 different flavors of Elf (they also had wizards).
For enemies the game had mainly varieties of evil humans, orcs, trolls, wraits, wights, werewolves, crebain, stats for nazghul and maybe a dragon. Not much really. How many enemies were present in LOTR? Not nearly as many as in, say, D&D?s IP.
How?d Turbine do with that (DDO)? Crappy. They implemented 5 races for release out of how many? How many classes did they release out of how many? How is the replayability in DDO?
Expect the same for LOTRO. From what I?m hearing and seeing, you?re lead by the nose through the whole game and it?s even more simple that WoW (WoW struck a decent balance between easy, but not trivial? those that think WoW is trivial, wait until you try LOTRO).
It?s going to be a poor making of a MMO based on some really good IP. Most LOTR fans will probably avoid it, those that do won?t likely last long.
Remember all those fortellings of WoW doing well because of its huge following of Warcraft players? Expect something along the same lines to happen here. Now, i"m making no claims that LoTRo will experience WoW type sub numbers, but you can"t compare quantity to quality. Given the fact that LoTR is an extremely well known IP, it certainly has the potential to garner WoW type success. LoTRo will most likely be played by LoTR enthusiasts. And I can promise you this much:
That following dwarfs Vanguards by leaps and bounds.
And remember who holds the rights to IP, Turbine. They?re the only MMO developer I know that has had to cancel a MMO (AC2). UO? Still going. EQ1? Still going. Heck, even AO which had a shitty start is still going.
So STFU about LOTRO, shill. This is a VG thread.
