Posted by
Hemos
on from the There-is-always-smoke-rising-from-Isengard-these-days. dept.
JC writes "It looks like Tolkien fans will get one of their biggest dreams with Turbine's Middle-Earth Online. Originally expected about November, we're now looking at a Northern Hemisphere Autumn release date. The New Zealand Herald has a good article."
Another MMORPG??
by
Savet+Hegar
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
These games are fun, but they are addicting time wasters. To enjoy these games, you literally have to devote huge blocks of time to completing quests, leveling up, and running around a digital world.
While I love the Lord of the Rings saga, I don't see much need for yet another MMORPG. Are there not enough time wasters already?
-- Mod points are pointless when you browse at -1.
Re:Another MMORPG??
by
the+unbeliever
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· Score: 4, Insightful
City of Heroes does not require a huge timesink in order to have fun. Things scale very well, and almost every class can solo when they're well played. (although some are easier than others)
You can log on to COH for twenty minutes and feel like you've accomplished something.
Re:Another MMORPG??
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
Do not listen to this crackpot. CoH is the most basic, boring, pointless MMOG ever made. You do the same 4 missions over and over and over, as numbers get bigger and bigger. There is NOTHING else to do to make you think you aren't wasting your time.
And no, almost every class cannot solo (have fun soloing your fire controller until you get imps). Every class is boring as hell when you solo anyhow, since you have to go so slowly a simple mission takes 40- minutes. The character creation is more fun than the actual "game".
Re:Another MMORPG??
by
the+unbeliever
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· Score: 1, Insightful
You've obviously not paid attention to the plotline, something sorely missing in every other RPG. *Shrug*
I like the plot more than anything, and i can get into "roleplaying" a superhero, which is what it's all about.
(granted, I do have Busty McJuggs, my slutty looking female katana/regen scrapper... for days when I'm feeling a big wierd)
books or movies
by
dueydotnet
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Anybody know if this game has the license from the books or movies? Hmmm. Probably doesn't really matter, though, but I would think the book license would have more content and more original visuals while the movie license would probably have to include the main characters some how.
Too bad this has been pushed off, but since Turbine is already a veteran at this, I'm sure they'll be able to release a good, polished game. I'm just glad VI (eVIl) isn't doing it.
Thats what the article says - 2005!
by
reality-bytes
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· Score: 3, Insightful
Its going to confuse everyone that the parent post was modded 'funny' but the New Zealand Herald article *does* actually say its been moved to Autumn 2005!
The Slashdot story makes little sense as they forgot to mention 2005.
-- Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
Re:ME better for MMORPG than SW?
by
Gudlyf
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· Score: 5, Insightful
" When Start Wars Galaxies came out, many people worried that everyone would want to be a Jedi, because, by far, they are the coolest, most powerful individuals in that universe."
And in Middle Earth, perhaps the most powerful and coolest individuals are wizards, of which I believe there are supposed to only be a handful of (if that) in the Tolkien "universe". Good luck to enforcing that rule.
Personally I think calling this a Tolkien fan's "dream" is a joke. More like nightmare. It will without a doubt throw the whole Middle Earth lore right down the shitter, as we all know enforcing roleplay is impossible in these games. Try forcing a Hobbit player-character to want to stay close to home, sit around his hole and eat all day -- in Tolkien's world, Bilbo and Frodo are rare in their desire for adventure. Most hobbits want to sit at home. Or how about being an elf who fights only when absolutely necessary, or a dwarf who looks out for himself and wouldn't be caught dead grouping with an elf. And female dwarves -- I think they're unheard of in any Middle Earth lore.
Enforcing those things is impossible, and is a true Tolkien fan's nightmare, IMHO.
Re:I want to be a Men class.
by
tarunthegreat2
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Well I think the actual work for this book began before WWII, and he continued to work on it throughout the war (The Foreword to LOTR mentions how he sent parts of the book to his son Christopher in a serialized form). But that is neither here nor there. I think the truth is Tolkien was all English and longing for the good 'ol days - he was a bit of a luddite. So I think it's only natural that he thought according to his era, when political correctness wasn't as rampant...(i.e. that a "good" story requires a strong female lead, and black people cannot be the enemy). Everytime somebody mentions that there are no strong women roles or that Tolkien was a racist, it makes my skin crawl. It ruins what is a brilliantly told story. (I'm a "coloured-person" by the way)
Re:I want to be a Men class.
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
there are no strong women roles
I can't agree with that. There are very few women in the story at all, but almost every one was strong. Galadriel was one of the strongest characters in the story, and Eowyn was just awesome. Shelob was also female.
Errr...yes
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Insightful
I can log into EQ and fight a few mobs as soon as I start playing too. And just like with CoH it will accomplish nothing and I will log off the same way I logged in. In order to accomplish something you need to fight harder mobs than what you can fight solo, which means getting together a team, finding out half of them are retarded and like to get themselves killed, then yell at the "healer" for not saving them when they only have O2 boost to heal with and all 3 retarded blasters are getting killed at the same time.
Or did you mean you can "do something" as long as you are level 6? Did you get up to the 30's or 40's to realize you do have to spend hours trying to gain any exp at all?
Also, to set up the scene...
by
devphil
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
...in which Dernhelm yanks off his helmet to revreal that "he" is actually Eowyn, who then delivers her not-a-man line and ruins the Witch-King's whole day with a sharp pointy thing.
The setup is even more prominent in the books. The race is referred to as "Men" (capital M) as an all-inclusive term. When the Witch-King laid the smack down on Arnor and rode off, an Elf prophesied that "far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man shall he fall."
I believe it's even printed with a small 'm'. Could be wrong.
In any case, everyone standing by heard it to mean that it would be an Elf or Dwarf or Other[tm] who would eventually kill him, when it actually turned out to be a very brave woman and a Hobbit.
(The Hobbit kinda cheated by using a dagger which had been specifically enchanted against the Witch-King, but the movie skips that.)
-- You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Re:Not to be technical
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Insightful
This post fits with the sig.
I'm a Tolkien fan
by
ikekrull
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· Score: 3, Insightful
But this is no dream of mine.
I'm not going to get excited about another rubbish game made to cash-in on the success of the LOTR movies.
There have been at least 4 already, whats so special about number 5?
-- I gots ta ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
What's Middle Earth with no Ring Saga?
by
popo
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Here's the problem with MMORPG's based on fiction properties (Galaxies, MEOL, etc.)
Since MMORPG's must be socialist in their play-balancing, and must be open ended (for revenue reasons) there can be no over-arching saga, no heroes, no theatrical climax and no resolution.
Would LOTR have been at all interesting if Frodo had been one of 1000 ring bearers? And what if they had all just wandered Middle-Earth endlessly, never reaching the end of their quest (but instead, constantly increasing in ability)?
MMORPG's can only ever be generic universes because all they offer is generic experiences. There is a necessary "sameness" to the characters for reasons of playability and that "sameness" destroys any possibility of compelling story-telling.
Middle Earth online will be, at best, Dark Age of Camelot with different 3D models, and a more familiar (albeit less extesible) map.
Yawn. Seen it.
________________________________ Judge a man by his wallet.
-- ------
The best brain training is now totally free : )
Slashdot Mirror
These games are fun, but they are addicting time wasters. To enjoy these games, you literally have to devote huge blocks of time to completing quests, leveling up, and running around a digital world. While I love the Lord of the Rings saga, I don't see much need for yet another MMORPG. Are there not enough time wasters already?
Mod points are pointless when you browse at -1.
Anybody know if this game has the license from the books or movies? Hmmm. Probably doesn't really matter, though, but I would think the book license would have more content and more original visuals while the movie license would probably have to include the main characters some how. Too bad this has been pushed off, but since Turbine is already a veteran at this, I'm sure they'll be able to release a good, polished game. I'm just glad VI (eVIl) isn't doing it.
Its going to confuse everyone that the parent post was modded 'funny' but the New Zealand Herald article *does* actually say its been moved to Autumn 2005!
The Slashdot story makes little sense as they forgot to mention 2005.
Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
And in Middle Earth, perhaps the most powerful and coolest individuals are wizards, of which I believe there are supposed to only be a handful of (if that) in the Tolkien "universe". Good luck to enforcing that rule.
Personally I think calling this a Tolkien fan's "dream" is a joke. More like nightmare. It will without a doubt throw the whole Middle Earth lore right down the shitter, as we all know enforcing roleplay is impossible in these games. Try forcing a Hobbit player-character to want to stay close to home, sit around his hole and eat all day -- in Tolkien's world, Bilbo and Frodo are rare in their desire for adventure. Most hobbits want to sit at home. Or how about being an elf who fights only when absolutely necessary, or a dwarf who looks out for himself and wouldn't be caught dead grouping with an elf. And female dwarves -- I think they're unheard of in any Middle Earth lore.
Enforcing those things is impossible, and is a true Tolkien fan's nightmare, IMHO.
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
Well I think the actual work for this book began before WWII, and he continued to work on it throughout the war (The Foreword to LOTR mentions how he sent parts of the book to his son Christopher in a serialized form). But that is neither here nor there. I think the truth is Tolkien was all English and longing for the good 'ol days - he was a bit of a luddite. So I think it's only natural that he thought according to his era, when political correctness wasn't as rampant...(i.e. that a "good" story requires a strong female lead, and black people cannot be the enemy). Everytime somebody mentions that there are no strong women roles or that Tolkien was a racist, it makes my skin crawl. It ruins what is a brilliantly told story. (I'm a "coloured-person" by the way)
My Favourite Meme
there are no strong women roles
I can't agree with that. There are very few women in the story at all, but almost every one was strong. Galadriel was one of the strongest characters in the story, and Eowyn was just awesome. Shelob was also female.
I can log into EQ and fight a few mobs as soon as I start playing too. And just like with CoH it will accomplish nothing and I will log off the same way I logged in. In order to accomplish something you need to fight harder mobs than what you can fight solo, which means getting together a team, finding out half of them are retarded and like to get themselves killed, then yell at the "healer" for not saving them when they only have O2 boost to heal with and all 3 retarded blasters are getting killed at the same time.
Or did you mean you can "do something" as long as you are level 6? Did you get up to the 30's or 40's to realize you do have to spend hours trying to gain any exp at all?
...in which Dernhelm yanks off his helmet to revreal that "he" is actually Eowyn, who then delivers her not-a-man line and ruins the Witch-King's whole day with a sharp pointy thing.
The setup is even more prominent in the books. The race is referred to as "Men" (capital M) as an all-inclusive term. When the Witch-King laid the smack down on Arnor and rode off, an Elf prophesied that "far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man shall he fall."
I believe it's even printed with a small 'm'. Could be wrong.
In any case, everyone standing by heard it to mean that it would be an Elf or Dwarf or Other[tm] who would eventually kill him, when it actually turned out to be a very brave woman and a Hobbit.
(The Hobbit kinda cheated by using a dagger which had been specifically enchanted against the Witch-King, but the movie skips that.)
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
This post fits with the sig.
But this is no dream of mine.
I'm not going to get excited about another rubbish game made to cash-in on the success of the LOTR movies.
There have been at least 4 already, whats so special about number 5?
I gots ta ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
Here's the problem with MMORPG's based on fiction properties (Galaxies, MEOL, etc.)
Since MMORPG's must be socialist in their play-balancing, and must be open ended (for revenue reasons) there can be no over-arching saga, no heroes, no theatrical climax and no resolution.
Would LOTR have been at all interesting if Frodo had been one of 1000 ring bearers? And what if they had all just wandered Middle-Earth endlessly, never reaching the end of their quest (but instead, constantly increasing in ability)?
MMORPG's can only ever be generic universes because all they offer is generic experiences. There is a necessary "sameness" to the characters for reasons of playability and that "sameness" destroys any possibility of compelling story-telling.
Middle Earth online will be, at best, Dark Age of Camelot with different 3D models, and a more familiar (albeit less extesible) map.
Yawn. Seen it.
________________________________
Judge a man by his wallet.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )