Free to Play
Free to Play Launches September 10th!
Aug 18th
Today Turbine announced that the Free-to-Play transition will occur on September 10th. This is much sooner than most of us expected (me included!) and I’m quite excited to see this major change to the game take place. I think that my biggest excitment is for the fact that we will not have to wait long to see how the game that we all play and love will be changed by this new business model. We’ve all heard the “the sky is falling” comments about the influx of new players, and also the “nothing is going to change” comments that seem to ignore that the game is evolving at all. My thought, as I’ve stated before, is that yes, things are going to change. How? Most likely for the better or very little. The only thing that is certain is that the game will be different…..somehow.
I’m also excited because this means that all of the game mechanics (Instance Join, Class Change, Plugins, etc) and the new content (Enedwaith) will be in game in just a few weeks!
I’m very impressed with the efficiency with which Turbine has gone through this Beta. Remember, the Beta only launched in June, and we’re already going live in September! That’s wonderfull when you compare it to the much longer drought that DDO had during their transition to Free to Play.
To quote Kate Paiz, Executive Producer of LOTRO, in Turbine’s Official Announcement:
“Our LOTRO beta program has been a huge success and we want to thank all of our players who worked with us to get the game ready for launch. Our unique pricing model has revolutionized the industry and starting in September, players will be able to choose how they pay for and play one of the world’s best online games and we can’t wait to welcome millions of new players to Middle-earth!”
View the official Press Release here.
For those of you who have not been following the news about LOTRO’s Free-To-Play transition, take a look at the Free-To-Play category for more columns on this topic. What do you think about this date? Have you been in the beta and feel that the game is ready? Almost ready? Not even close? Comment and let us know!
Instance Marks v Boss Drops
Aug 11th
After playing around on beta and thinking about the new design of instances, I have decided that I do not like the way rewards are set up, at least as we currently know them. Dev Diary 2 on Instances explains it well. Basically, we will be able to run instances through the Skirmish interface (now called Instance Join) and we will acquire a similar kind of Mark from each instance. Unique drops will be available from a vendor instead of from bosses, and only a “Legendary Item jackpot” will exist on the end boss, aside from the Marks, of course.
It sounds simple and lovely in concept, but I am really going to miss the pursuit of pieces from a specific boss. Although the gear available from places like Annuminas and Helegrod is beautiful, it is all available through the Classic skirmish vendor. No longer will I be trying again and again for a specific piece and awarded eventually with not only the armor itself, but also a host of memories associated with its acquisition. Instead, I will run whatever instance I run over and over, all of them coalescing into a single grind in my mind, and the gear I acquire at the end of it will be devoid of a connection to individual experiences.
Please click here to read the entire article including my full defense of the boss loot table.
LOTRO Free-to-Play Beta starts today!
Jun 17th
The Lord of the Rings Online Free-to-Play Beta begins today! Invites have been sent out to those who have been invited to this phase of the testing and more should be coming out soon.
The beta will be a great chance for players to try out the new system, and to see what the game will be like after the Free-to-Play transition goes live.
There are a few things to remember if you are invited:
- Do NOT tell anyone that you are in the beta. You are under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and part of that is that you don’t talk about the beta to anyone who is not from Turbine or in the Beta with you. First rule of Beta: Don’t talk about Beta.
- You are there to Test things. See how the system will work. Do so. Try out the different content. Try some of the things that you always do to ensure that they work with the new code.
- I strongly suggest having a piece of paper and a pencil nearby when you play. In my previous experience participating in Betas, I would write things down (questions, bugs, comments) or else I would forget them. The developers really want to hear your feedback, but even more so, they want details!
- Enjoy being where every other LOTRO player wishes they where. Even the people who are crying out against this chance are dying to see what things will be like in the Free-to-Play system.
See you in-game!
A Glimpse into the LOTRO Store
Jun 17th
PC Gamer posted some quick shots snapped a E3 of Turbine’s in game LOTRO Store. Only three items show here, but it’s our first look at possible costs and some of the types of items that might be available.
Take a look after the break for Screenshots.
Something wonderful will happen!
Jun 11th
A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a rather nasty car accident. A truck hit me from behind, and I ended up with a serious concussion. You might wonder what this has to do with LOTRO, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
I found out about LOTRO going Free to Play on Twitter a few days after my accident. As a journalist, I reacted in a dignified and objective manner, as expected from someone in my profession.
“LOTRO F2P? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Okay, I admit it. My first gut reaction was “There goes the neighborhood”. My scrambled brain conjured horrifying visions of The Great Unwashed storming the Shire, while screaming “WOW IS BETTER! WOW IS BETTER!” over general chat. I felt an urge to hide in the Prancing Pony with my fellow LOTRO players, barring the doors and hope they’ll go away or set the inn on fire. Either way, ending the suffering.
“My God,” I thought. “There will be tons of people entering this game. They will be all new players, who have no idea of what they are entering. They will be running all over the Shire and Breeland and the Lonelands. They’ll be everywh…”
This was the moment my concussed brain started making this squeeling little noise. Almost like it was trying to point something out to me.
LOTRO Free-to-Play: My Thoughts
Jun 7th
I was quite shocked on Friday morning as I got prepared for work, turned on my computer, checked my Twitter feed, and low and behold, there where several tweets about LOTRO going Free-to-Play. Now, having just read an article over at Mordor or Bust (see the article here), where the prediction was made that LOTRO would go Free-to-Play in 2010, I thought that these tweets where in reference to that. Little did the author know at the time how true this prediction would be!
LOTRO Free-to-Play: Post of Posts
Jun 6th
I’ve written a few posts about the recent announcement from Turbine that LOTRO would be moving to a Free-to-Play model. Please comment on the individual posts, and I will edit as any new information comes in.
I’ve also made this post sticky for the next little while, to help you find all of the Free-to-Play information as it come out. For our regular content, just look below this post.
Adarel’s Thoughts on LOTRO and Free to Play
A Compilation Post on the Forums with answers to your questions.
LOTRO Free-to-Play: Loyalty Rewards Special Offer
Jun 6th
One of the aspects of the Free-to-Play (F2P) conversion that Turbine has rolled out is the Loyalty Rewards Special Offer.
Eligible players (meaning active account, either current Month-to-Month or Lifetime) will be credited 500 points per month, starting June 1st and continuing until the F2P system goes live.
Founders will receive an additional 500 Turbine Points when F2P goes live, and Lifetime Subscribers will gain an additional 1,000 points.
Also, eligible players will receive another 500 points for EACH anniversary (April 24th) that has passed since they signed up for LOTRO.
So, all in all, players are looking to get quite a few Turbine Points through these Loyalty Rewards. What does this mean? Only Turbine knows at this point, as we don’t know how much it will cost to purchase the points, nor do we know how many points it will cost to purchase items in the LOTRO Store.
Another item for which we must just wait and see.
See you in-game!
LOTRO Free-to-Play: Interpreting the FAQ
Jun 6th
A Free-to-Play (F2P) FAQ was posted to the lotro.com when the announcement was made that LOTRO was going F2P. This FAQ attempts to answer most of the questions that players will have regarding the switch to the F2P model.
You can find the FAQ here.
Some of the juicy bits include explaining the difference between the different Tiers of player, which I explain in this post.
It also discusses what will occur with the Founders and Lifetime subscribers. Founders, from what I can see, will get nothing different than anyone else who has the same subscription as they do, except for what they gain in the Loyalty Rewards Special Offer, which I explain here.
Another few noteworthy points:
- Previous subscribers, or those who bought the game, played, but never subscribed, will automatically gain Premium Player status.
- You can earn Turbine Points in game, although the mechanics for this are not explained.
- Trial account holders will NOT be given Premium Players status, but will instead be considered Free Players.
- If you become a VIP, some of the benefits that you gain, such as increased Gold Cap and Inventory Cap, become permanent on your account. If you downgrade to Premium from VIP, can can keep the VIP benefits for gold and inventory, character slots, and some others.
- No PvMP for free or premium players. Further discussion on Twitter and in the forums has confirmed that this is mostly for population control, to keep tons of new free players from invading the Moors.
Anything that you think is noteworthy? Leave a comment, let me know!
See you in-game!
LOTRO Free-to-Play: Tier Structure
Jun 6th
One of the most confusing things about this change from a subscription model to a Free-to-Play model is what each of the different tiers will offer you. Turbine has created this great chart that show you what each of the three tiers gets you.
Free Players are those players who download the game and play without buying a subscription or buiyng any Turbine Points from the LOTRO Store.
Premium Players are players who have paid money to purchase Turbine Points from the Turbine Store at some point. Players who earn points and game to use will NOT be upgrade to Premium.
VIP Players are those who have a Lifetime Account or who pay for a month-to-month or multi-month subscription to the game. This is the only Tier that receive an “allowance” of points each month.
| PLAYER TIER | VIP | PREMIUM PLAYER | FREE PLAYER | ||
| TURBINE POINTS | 500/month Free (can purchase more) or earn thru gameplay |
Purchasable or earn thru gameplay |
Purchasable or earn thru gameplay |
||
| CONTENT | |||||
| World Access* | Free | Free | Free | ||
| Epic Story* | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Races | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Classes | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Premium Classes* | Purchasable | Purchasable | Purchasable | ||
| Level Cap* | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||
| Character Slots*/** | 5/server (can purchase more) |
3/server (can purchase more) |
1/server (can purchase more) |
||
| Quest Packs* | Eriador | Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land (can purchase more) |
Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land (can purchase more) |
||
| KEY FEATURES | |||||
| Inventory | 5 bags | 3 bags (can purchase more) |
3 bags (can purchase more) |
||
| Gold Limit | Unlimited | 5 Gold (can purchase cap removal) |
2 Gold (can purchase cap removal) |
||
| Priority Login | Priority | High | Standard | ||
| Chat | Unlimited | Limited | Limited | ||
| Auction | Unlimited | Limited | Limited | ||
| Unlimited | Limited | Limited | |||
| Rest XP | Automatic | Not available | Not Available | ||
| Shared Bank** | Purchasable | Purchasable | Purchasable | ||
| Skirmishes* | 9 (More in Mirkwood Expansion) |
4 (can purchase more) |
4 (can purchase more) |
||
| Legendary Items* | Requires Moria Expansion | Requires Moria Expansion | Requires Moria Expansion | ||
| Traits | All | 1 or 2 slots per trait type (can purchase more) |
1 or 2 slots per trait type (can purchase more) |
||
| Crafting* | Tier 1-5 available | Tier 1-5 available | Tier 1-5 available | ||
| Crafting Guilds | Unlimited | Limited (can purchase more) |
Limited (can purchase more) |
||
| Housing | Available | Available | Available | ||
| Music | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Hobbies | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Cosmetic System | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Wardrobe | 20 slots (can purchase more) |
Purchasable | Purchasable | ||
| Destiny points | Can earn and spend | Can earn but cannot spend | Can earn but cannot spend | ||
| Monster play | Unlimited | Not available | Not available | ||
| Community Features | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited | ||
| Customer Service | Full access | Full access for 30 days following the purchase of Turbine points | Self-service online | ||
One quick note:
- If you bought Mines of Moria, Siege of Mirkwood or The Adventurer’s Pack, you get you can expand on some of the features without purchasing Turbine Points. One example would be the character slots. If you Purchased the Adventurer’s Pack, you can have all of the character slots that you have earned.
A fairly detailed list explaining the different tiers.
See you in-game!
