Happy Being A Part Of It

Some people like to avoid crowds, but not me. I love them. Maybe it’s a preference I developed from living in big cities practically all my life. From Bangkok to Hong Kong, Toronto to Shanghai, these places were always crawling with humanity no matter the time of day, and I find myself feeling a little awkward and out-of-place now in the tranquil quiet of suburbia. Not surprisingly, I am the same way with my games. There’s only one thing worse for me than having to live with the belligerent riffraff of a bad community, and that is having no community to live with at all. The thought of going out into an MMO world encountering next to nobody is a depressing thought, and I’ve stopped playing games before on the sole basis of having no one to play with.

So while some were staying away from Lord of the Rings Online hoping to wait out the flow of F2P players, I braved the server queues (which thankfully weren’t all that bad even at peak times) and couldn’t wait to jump right in to try and take advantage of the population increase.

I’ve only experienced benefits, much to my pleasant surprise. In the last week, I’ve had no problems finding groups, and not a single encounter that made me cringe. People are still spontaneously role-playing and making music and all that good stuff for no reward but the experiences’ sake. In all areas and especially the early zones, I see helpful answers in the Advice chat. In other words, nothing’s really changed. If anything, more people on the Landroval server have meant good things for my little Hobbit Minstrel, who has gained so much experience from all the group quests.

I’ve always thought of an online gaming community as a fragile thing, difficult to cultivate but extremely easy to destroy, not something you can fine-tune. Perhaps that’s why most MMO communities today are utter crap. But LOTRO has surprised me with the way its adapted to the influx of people so swimmingly. When it comes down to it, I truly believe the players shoulder the bigger responsibility. Developers can only do so much to provide the tools to encourage a good community, and maybe intervene occasionally to weed out the unwanted behaviors. The problem is, there are tons of ways to punish the bad but not enough ways to reward the good, especially when it’s those good behaviors that are the grassroots of a great community.

That’s where I think the players come in. Apathy is what erodes away a community’s foundation, people pointing fingers or counting on someone else to take care of the problem. Too many are also quick to call someone an asshole or do unsavory things, and then turn right around and wonder why the community is so piss-poor when someone else decides to call them names or act like a jackass. On the other hand, you can definitely see a difference when enough people  take the time to care. One of the reasons the community on Landroval is such a good one is because its members take such great pride in it. You can read it in the forums and you can feel it in the game. There’s a sense of personal responsibility and self-discipline without being overly prudish or stuffy, and I think it’s an awareness that spreads to everyone who comes on board.

In the end, what we have around us is what we make of it. I’m looking forward to spending more time in-game and in my new kinship, going forward with F2P LOTRO.

LOTRO: Forth We Go

I haven’t been following up with news about Lord of the Rings Online for a while so I’ve been pretty clueless, taking for granted that free-to-play was going to come one day and subsequently, swept all thoughts about the game onto the back burner. I didn’t realize that day was coming up so soon, this Friday the 10th to be exact, but even sooner for current subscribers and F2P beta players. It took me a second to even remember that I am on a multi-month plan, so even though I haven’t played for a couple weeks, I still currently have an active subscription.

I also realized I shouldn’t be surprised if the next time I log in to find my Hobbit homeless. I’ve been so neglectful of paying upkeep on my player house.

Anyway, I suppose I qualify for the headstart, which some part of my muddled brain just remembered last minute that it was today, hence the reason for dragging myself up at this late hour to start the launcher and get the update started (crappy internet being slow and all, even then it probably wouldn’t be done until early afternoon). I am suddenly contemplating my original idea of downgrading my account to premium immediately or soon after F2P. This probably isn’t the best thing to do at 2am in the morning, because trying to figure this out is hard enough as it is. I won’t have to worry about a thing if I maintain my VIP status which I actually would prefer if it’ll make my life easier as I continue to play. But since I have a) bought the main game and the expansions, b) have already bought my riding skill, and c) will be logging in mostly to play only my one character, will maintaining a sub will even be all that different from premium? I am thoroughly confused, and not just because I need the sleep.

I’m looking forward to rejoining the Landroval community; despite reservations in the past, I’m actually feeling quite optimistic now that F2P will bring good changes. Perhaps it’s also time to find a new kinship because I was only stagnating in my quiet old one, when a little inspiration and a fresh perspective is probably a little more apropos for entering a new era of LOTRO.

Going With The Flow In The LOTRO Community

I logged in to Lord of the Rings Online yesterday, the first time I’ve done so since the news on Friday that the game was going free-to-play this fall. I was curious to see if the announcement and all the buzz would have brought some renewed interest to the game, and well, it could have been my imagination but the Landroval server did seem a little busier than normal last night. Still, discussion on the matter was sparse, and for the most part it was business as usual.

As always, I had quite a relaxing play session. Like I’d mentioned before, LOTRO is my virtual spa where I can de-stress and do things at my own pace, and I think this no-pressure feeling has a lot to do with the community. At least on Landroval, I get the general sense that the playerbase is serious and dedicated to the game, but not obsessive.

It’s hard to explain, but I contrast it to logging into World of Warcraft, a game where I feel like I’m hit in the face with a sense of urgency right from the get-go. The atmosphere is charged with it, because most of the people in WoW storm through the game world with only one thing on their minds: to get to end-game. I think about the implications of that. For instance, it’s quite possible that a person may be affected by the overall mood of a community, be swept up and carried along with its undercurrents. I know for a fact that when I log in to WoW on my main, I am immediately fighting with a sense of being left behind if I don’t get right back on that treadmill. Sometimes, when I find myself in a competitive mood, I actually like that…but WoW is certainly not the game I’d go to for a relaxing escape.

On the other hand, I get none of that urgency in LOTRO. In fact, most people on Landroval don’t seem in a hurry to get anywhere at all. I know this might have something to do with a significant role-playing population, but in general, the feeling I get from this community is that it’s okay to have goals, but it’s also totally cool to take a break every once in a while and smell the roses. Sometimes, I too get pulled into this lull without even realizing it, but when it happens I’m always glad for it.

I think about the many times I’ve charged into an inn armed with a determination to level and half a dozen quests to turn in, only to be distracted by someone playing a gorgeous little tune in the corner by the fireplace. Aaarrgh, player music gets me every time! And I’m sure I’m not the only one — invariably, a small gathering always forms around the musician, other people who have decided to take a few minutes out of their schedules to show their appreciation.

I’ve come to love that about LOTRO, the fact that people will spontaneously engage in social activities that offer no tangible reward or in-game achievements, or that they do things just for the experience’s sake and nothing else. And this is the aspect of the community that I really hope will remain intact once the game goes F2P. Most opinions I’ve read are generally optimistic, and I’d say I’m in that boat as well, despite my concerns. A game’s playerbase has a way of adapting and coping to big changes, and I have no doubt LOTRO’s will survive. Playing last night, however, made me ponder the fragile nature of a community, and how its quality goes beyond just player manners or content in zone chat.

Anyway, inspired to take a little break from the leveling grind myself, I took a good chunk of time off from questing last night to decorate my house. As you can see, it’s no longer just a bed in an empty room. I had enough money to afford all kinds of furniture for Kiskadee’s sleeping chambers, though the main room and the front yard is still quite bare. I think it’s time to start thinking about other ways to acquire furnishings for my little hobbit.

Green is my hobbit's color.

LOTRO Going Free-To-Play…Thanks, I Guess

I don’t usually fly into a fury to post about the latest news, preferring to let other bloggers more passionate about the topic write about it instead, then say my piece in the comments. But the news of Lord of the Rings Online going free-to-play (amusing how big news is always dumped on us on Fridays) stirred in me more thoughts than usual. I went back and forth with myself until I finally decided that yes, I’m going to go ahead and write them out too, just to make it easier for me to wrap my head around this.

My first thought was admittedly very self-serving, and that was “Boy oh boy, by Frodo’s hairy left foot, this is going to solve my too-many-subscriptions problem!” accompanied by a a sigh of relief for my savings account. As it happens, I’m still running on free time in LOTRO until the end of summer, and depending on when these changes will go into effect “this fall” I may never have to pay for a LOTRO subscription again.

The game going F2P will also mesh well with my pattern of playing — LOTRO is my casual game, the “MMO spa” I go to for a nice breather and a thorough de-stressing. But it’s also the first subscription to go if something new and shiny comes along to grab my interest, and only after the new-game-smell of whatever I was obsessed with has worn off do I think about picking up LOTRO again. (And now, I feel a little guilty…if this was a relationship I’d be the cheating scumbag and LOTRO would be the patient, loyal partner that always welcomes me back with open arms when I come crawling back begging for forgiveness.) LOTRO going F2P will undoubtedly allow me more freedom with accessing its content; I’ll be able to play it whenever I want without having to worry about a subscription ever again, regardless of whether or not I’m between games.

So, I guess I can’t really hate the idea. Mind you, I’m not loving it either. My only concern with F2P is the quality of the community. It would be a shame to see LOTRO chat devolve into the kind of riff-raff I experienced in Allods Online, my only experience with F2P. But then, I’ve also heard great things about DDO’s community, so hopefully going F2P doesn’t automatically mean doom.

A Step in the Right Direction…

Allods Online has lowered their prices at their cash shop. The change was met with much joy as the community that stuck around congratulated themselves for standing up and making their voices heard. We weathered the storm, and now everyone can enjoy the new prices.

This is great news. Many who have left Allods Online because of the mess with the cash shop are back, along with new players who’ve seen this and are now finally deciding to give it a try. I wish them all the best, because I think I’m actually going to take a break from this game. Weird, right? I’ve stuck around and have been playing all this time and I feel like I should be rejoicing with everyone else now that price reductions have been announced. But I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a HUGE step in the right direction, but all this has also made me realize that the battle is far from over. I have a feeling they’re not completely done with fiddling with the payment model, and feelings are still mixed regarding patches that are on the way. Well, this is what you get with beta.

I also thought long and hard about the new prices:

Vial of Perfume reduced from 75gP to 25gP
Large Perfume Kit reduced from 1350gP to 300gP
Holy Rune reduced from 1500gP to 1000gP
Rough Dragon Hide Backpack reduced from 2000gP to 600gP
Small Deposit Box reduced from 1500gP to 1000gP
Small Bag of Crystal Chips reduced from 250gP to 100gP
Medium Bag of Crystal Chips reduced from 1200gP to 350gP
Potions reduced from 250gP to 200gP

In some cases, the prices have been reduced to around 70%-75% after taking player feedback into account. Those are huge differences. I think we can all agree that the prices were unreasonable before the change, so the question is, did they think they could get away with gouging the players, or does it simply point to a large disconnect between a company and its consumers? It’s a little scary to consider the former scenario, but the latter really isn’t that much better. I think it’s safe to say that consumers are more likely to be satisfied with companies who “get” us, and are generally happier when service providers can offer us decent prices without having to be told what’s reasonable or not. I think it’s wonderful that the people bringing us Allods Online are actually listening to player feedback, but the cash shop fiasco may be an indication that they still need help when it comes to knowing their market.

Oh well, we’ll see what happens. I’ll definitely be back in the world of Allods, just not right away. Things need time to settle, and perhaps that will come when the game officially releases. I just don’t need another drama-filled MMO right now, I’m already playing Star Trek Online.

Allods Online Cash Shop Prices…Seriously?

The cash shop in Allods Online went live after the update last night. And at the time of this writing, an overwhelming 95% of people in this poll on the game’s forums think that the prices are unreasonable. I’m inclined to agrree with the majority on this one. Here’s a list of items and their prices, which the original poster converted to US dollars.

Perfume x 1 = 75c
Perfume x 20 = $13.50
24 Slot Bag x 1 = $20.00
Holy Relic x 1 = $15.00
Myrh x 1000 = $1.00
Steel Chest x 1 = $1.00
Key x 1 = 10c
Crystal Chips x 10 = $2.50
Crystal Chips x 50 = $12.00
36 Slot Bank Bag x 1 = $15.00

One of the first things I had wanted to get in this game was a new bag. But $20 for a bag upgrade? That’s like 6 extra slots. $20? Seriously? That’s more than the average MMORPG monthly subscription.

I’m really hoping this is a mistake.

Allods Online has an Open Beta Date!

February 16th, mark your calendars!

Guess what I’m thinking now? Yay, more juggling! The nice thing is, this one’s free-to-play so I don’t have to worry about subs.

I don’t think I’ve ever talked about its trailer here, but it’s pretty fun to watch. I laughed my ass off in that one scene where that big orc picked up the cute little gibberling and threw the poor thing away like some flimsy rag doll. Does that make me a bad person?

Anyway, here it is (spot the 300 homage).