Lord of the Rings Online, Going Free to Play

Sweet, I have a lifetime and I'm a founder, but I have friends who wanted to get back into it with me who let their subscription laps. This will be perfect for them.
 
Wow, enticing, might actually try an MMO (since years and years ago). Definitely an awesome IP.

RangerXML said:
Sweet, I have a lifetime and I'm a founder, but I have friends who wanted to get back into it with me who let their subscription laps. This will be perfect for them.
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Say what? Founder?
 
Parmenides said:
Wow, enticing, might actually try an MMO (since years and years ago). Definitely an awesome IP.



Say what? Founder?
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IIRC lotr online had a special limited edition lifetime package you could purchase for some obscene price. I think this made you a founder and gave you unlimited gameplay.
 
MrGuvernment said:
lol

Feel sorry for those who bought it, hahaha
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Not really, they still get all sorts of other benefits, and don't have to dink and dunk to get the content.

for DOO online it brought a nearly dead game back to relevance when they moved to this system, so it might bring a more robust game like LOTRO to new heights, and player base. Getting and keeping new players is often a case of is the game newbie and common areas dead, because if they area's are dead, people have learned to not stick to a game like that, so you get little actual subscriber growth, just turnover.
 
Founder and Life time are two different things. Founder is if you've been around since the beginning, you got certain special times (that were worthless withing the first few levels) and a special title. Lifetime just means you paid a special amount and never have to pay again, there was a special Lifetime offer right at the star of the game for founders, but I didn't sign up for life time till a few months later (went up like a hundo from the founder lifetime offer).

EDIT: Bree town might spring back to its insane good old life that it was before Mines and Mirkwoods came out. Back to its good old over populated self!
 
Month one was a lot of fun - but they didn't get my credit card number. To date, no company has. I'm hoping though that Bioware will succeed in that.

The problem I have with MMOs is that for me they lack soul. I guess maybe I'm just a single player guy.
 
WabeWalker said:
Month one was a lot of fun - but they didn't get my credit card number. To date, no company has. I'm hoping though that Bioware will succeed in that.

The problem I have with MMOs is that for me they lack soul. I guess maybe I'm just a single player guy.
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I'm with you. You almost have to force everyone to roleplay in order to have soul... but if you force anything, then that's not fun. But yeah, StarWars TOR seems to have potential to break the MMO stereotype by making the story character driven while being in an MMO environment. Would be awesome to have an "offline mode." ;) We'll see... though I'd rather see KOTOR3.

Sounds like LotRO has the most mature MMO player base?
 
I played LOTRO pretty heavily for about a year straight but I got to the level cap and decided I didn't want to do the raid grind in this game (after coming off a few years of EQ2) so I quit and didn't look back even when mirkwood came out. That was about a year ago but I have a feeling it will be hard to stay away if they make it free.
 
GregP24 said:
I'm at work and can't open the links. Why is it going F2P?
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BURBANK, CA – June 4, 2010 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today that Turbine, Inc. will unveil a major update this fall, making The Lord of the Rings Online™ (LOTRO) free-to-play for everyone. Extending its award-winning story, LOTRO delivers the ultimate adventure featuring a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based online games.

Launching this fall across North America and Europe, with Codemasters operating the game free-to-play in Europe, LOTRO will introduce Turbine’s innovative new pricing model that allows players to download the game and play for free, purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new LOTRO Store, or join the VIP program to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content for one low price. Players interested in getting a sneak peek of the new LOTRO can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program which begins June 16, 2010 at http://www.lotro.com.

“Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is bringing quality games based on The Lord of the Rings to multiple platforms, and the franchise’s expansive adventure story lends itself perfectly for LOTRO free-to-play, giving a wide range of players the opportunity to experience the game,” said Jeff Junge, Senior Vice President Online Games and Digital Games Platforms, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are focused on expanding our game franchises onto new digital platforms to maximize quality experiences for gamers worldwide and LOTRO’s new model is a great leading example of this.”

“Turbine’s Dungeons and Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ was the world’s first truly premium free-to-play online game that ushered in a new era of choice for online gamers seeking quality entertainment,” said Jim Crowley, President and CEO of Turbine. “The popularity of DDO validated the extraordinary demand by gamers for quality entertainment they can experience at their own pace and within their budget. Extending free-to-play to LOTRO will offer another premium game to a broad spectrum of fans.”

“Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”

LOTRO will offer players unlimited choice!

* Free means Free! – Players will download LOTRO by visiting www.lotro.com and join with millions of other adventurers as they explore the most complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth ever created and participate in LOTRO’s award-winning epic story up to level 50 for free.


* Visit the new LOTRO Store! -- The LOTRO Store is loaded with thousands of convenience items as well as expansion packs, premium content, additional character slots, potions, character customization and more! The LOTRO Store is seamlessly integrated into the game and lets the player identify new and exciting ways to enhance and customize their experience using points which can be purchased in the store or earned through gameplay.


* Be a LOTRO VIP! – Players who elect to become a LOTRO VIP will have unlimited access to all premium content, receive priority server access, 5 character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of points to spend in the new LOTRO Store.


The Lord of the Rings Online is the ultimate adventure. This award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most famous fantasy of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players will soon experience the world of Middle-earth for free! For more information, visit www.lotro.com.

About Turbine
Turbine, Inc. is a premier creator and operator of massive, persistent online worlds that foster powerful social gaming communities. Turbine is wholly owned by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and has created some of the world’s most popular and award-winning online games, including The Lord of the Rings Online™, Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™, and Asheron's Call®. For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com.

About Middle-earth Enterprises
The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises f/k/a Tolkien Enterprises (SZC), is the holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other rights in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. SZC has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on the Tolkien works for more than 30 years. Its headquarters are located in Berkeley, California and its Middle-earth Enterprises website may be found at www.middleearth.com.

About Codemasters
Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling interactive entertainment products for a global audience across multiple gaming platforms and channels. Established in 1986, the company’s dominant brands include Colin McRae DiRT, Race Driver GRID, Overlord and Operation Flashpoint; the company recently secured the exclusive worldwide video game rights to FORMULA 1. Codemasters is headquartered in Warwickshire UK, with North American operations based in Universal City, California. The company also maintains operations in Germany, France, Spain, Benelux and Malaysia. Codemasters receives over two million visitors to its web site every month, discover why at www.codemasters.com.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
 
I tried DDO when it became free, so I will probably give this one a try.
 
hmm, I bought LoRTO when it was $1.50 months and months ago, I have the full game, but never activated it. I wonder where I stand in all of this?

Either way, looks like I have all the more reason to install and play. :)
 
ill probably give this a try for fun. My buds like to goof around in it
 
I beta tested this. Didn't really grab my interest though. Felt too tedious and uninteresting. I never got into WoW either though, so maybe it's the genre. I did like Oblivion however, but that's RPG rather than MMORPG.

I'm sure a lot of people like it though, so good news for them.
 
For people who bought lifetime subs back when the game launched (Or at any point about a year and a half prior to the date this goes free), they still got a better deal than people who paid the monthly charge for the same time. As well, I'm sure there will be remaining perks for people who have it.

I'm somewhat happy about this as I liked the game, but couldnt quite justify paying a monthly fee because of how little I would do in it at times. One month I would play like theres no tomorrow, next one I might be on a total of 10 minutes. Not sure why.
 
lotro is the only mmo i play. This worries me a little as this will give free reign to farmers and kiddies. my ignore list is going to get very full
 
DDO has limitations for free users such as chat limitations and total amount of currency that can be stored. This will prevent "farmers and kiddies" from having an effect on you.
 
Parmenides said:
I'm with you. You almost have to force everyone to roleplay in order to have soul... but if you force anything, then that's not fun. But yeah, StarWars TOR seems to have potential to break the MMO stereotype by making the story character driven while being in an MMO environment. Would be awesome to have an "offline mode." ;) We'll see... though I'd rather see KOTOR3.

Sounds like LotRO has the most mature MMO player base?
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I have a hard time believing any mmo will be as story driven as Lotro. Lotro is entirely story driven from the quests to the books and chapter stories. With the new inspiration buff that let's you do the story raids solo or the option to do many group quests solo the game is about at solo friendly as you can make an mmo
 
I'm a 2 lifer subscriber who stopped playing after mines came out. My guild members all quit as well. I think this is a great idea to bring in new/old players. I never bought the newest expansion and now I get to try it out for free. Looking back paying the life time one time fee was worth it. With the time I spent, I paid less had I just paid monthly. Running 2 accounts at the same time was fun.
 
Climber said:
I have a hard time believing any mmo will be as story driven as Lotro. Lotro is entirely story driven from the quests to the books and chapter stories. With the new inspiration buff that let's you do the story raids solo or the option to do many group quests solo the game is about at solo friendly as you can make an mmo
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Figured I'd never do an MMO again, but shoot.... I might give this a serious try.
 
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