So today, while downloading the updates to the LOTRO client I noticed that the client was downloading several “splash screens”. For those who are unfamiliar with those screens, they are the ones that you see between loading characters or instances. Usually they are adverts for the latest updates or contests that are coming out. However, to my surprise, the ones today were store related. I guess this doesn’t come as such a big surprise; and heck they may have had some of these before and I just didn’t notice. But if I remember correctly my client downloaded 3+ of these and I’m sure there are more on the way meaning more reminders that there’s a store.
Now let me first say that I completely understand that the store is Turbine’s new primary way of making money and that I’m OK with it. They are a company who provides a product and they support many employees who put forth a great deal of effort to create this great game. Also, please understand that I think these advertisements sport some great (new) art and screenshots. But I honestly think that we’re closely nearing the line where reminders become annoying; at least in my opinion. I completely understand that there’s a store where I can purchase items. There’s a button on my character screen, there’s a button on my main action bar, there’s a button in my crafting panel, etc. I get it, already! And like I said, I understand why they’re there and I am appeased by the fact that these splash screens are very tastefully done. But there comes a point where I feel I need to say “enough” and that I’m beginning to get annoyed at all the reminders.
So please, take note. Enough is enough. Calm down with the reminders. I know there is a store and my points reflect it.
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November 29, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
Who’s letting the money-grubbing suits design these splash screens? It seems to me like our sensible, intelligent devs who actually like The Lord of the Rings and the IP would try to curtail this crap X(
November 29, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Unfortunately I don’t think many of the people we the players get to interact with get much of a say in those decisions.
November 29, 2010 at 5:22 pm
I am less and less happy with the direction LotRO is taking. I love LotRO and have multiple accounts – lifetime, sub, and freemium. I figured the f2p would breathe new life into the game and introduce new players, but I am getting so tired of the store and all the backtracking, I get nauseated thinking about it. I still remember the “we won’t put anything in the store that you can’t also get through playing the game” stuff we were shoveled initially. That’s working out well.
I noticed rep horses will be added to the store now after all the furor in beta against it. They’re going around that one by increasing the morale and toughness of in-game rep mounts. Really? That and perma-stat increases and other items that are “store-exclusives” makes DCUO and SWTOR start looking really inviting once they’re launched.
I’ll probably never leave LotRO, and they know that about players like me. The lack of interest from Turbine/WB in quality gameplay over the buy-to-win mentality just makes me sad.
/steps off soapbox
November 29, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Maybe we should start reporting Turbine for gold-selling spam.
November 29, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Ughhhhhh agree with the above poster who doesn’t like the way turbine/lotro is heading…….not good .
November 29, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Agreed. Or at least give VIP’s the ability to hide all the extra buttons as they are already getting our money.
November 29, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Right on, Merric.
November 29, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Agree with everything (but the new art on the screens. hate it with a flying purple passion!) and am feeling less inclined to play. Makes me very sad, the way I’m feeling about LotRO lately, like … and this is going to sound so stupid, but it’s like the end of a serious relationship or something. Dunno, but it’s getting harder and harder to be excited to play. When I saw the ‘rename’ button on my paper doll, I almost closed the game. Too much for sure.
November 29, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I have to respectfully disagree with Merric and most of the posters on this topic. Part of going to free to play is more marketing to the masses of free players to generate more revenue. This is vital to keeping our precious Lotro fiscally viable, without which we would see less updates, less development effort, fewer expansions, etc.
I saw this happen with Guild Wars. Once their game / expansion sales started to drop off there was a significant decline in the number of updates and content. It was a fantastic game that was poorly managed. Turbine has a proven success model with DDO going F2P and Lotro F2P is also going strong. This is truly the future of MMO-gaming, in my opinion.
Let’s accept Turbine and WB’s move to a micro-transaction model and forgive their marketing efforts to support Lotro. If this is what it takes to make it to Rohan, Gondor and eventually Mordor, I for one, embrace it.
November 29, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Thanks Korbinn; I’m always open to a respectful rebuttal and you make a good point. I’m completely OK with a micro-transaction model, but at the same time I still think they’re perilously close to becoming obnoxious with the reminders that there are items in the store to purchase. But like I said, I’m glad to hear a different view.
November 29, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Appreciate the open discussion, Merric, and willingness to have other opinions.
November 30, 2010 at 4:56 am
I agree with Korbinn, I love this game, I came in on f2p and while ive spent enough in the store to conceivably downgrade from vip to premium with no loss except pvmp, im going to continue to run vip because I want to do my part to support the game.
I really don’t see the point about complaining about the loading screens. They were stale screenshots before now. They have to show *something* during the load, why not have it be something that supports the game’s survival?
To be honest, I actually like having the few tiny store buttons added in places like the crafting panel. I hadn’t realized till today that you had the option to buy recipes/patterns in the store, for instance.
I will agree with Merric though that it was a substantial increase in ads in one patch and at first it put me off a little bit, for a moment or two. Then I shrugged and said “Mo-money for turbine makes me a happy panda” and went on playing.
November 29, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I’m not surprised by it at all. Every day, we are bombarded by advertisements of various sorts trying to sell us products that we may or may not need or even want. Commercials, radio spots, billboards, infomercials, popups… It’s overwhelming if you think about it.
At least the ads in LOTRO aren’t for a soft drink or to stop smoking or one of a million other annoying things we’re already inundated with.
November 29, 2010 at 10:58 pm
@Bryandt
My exact thoughts. At least it’s not some 3rd party random ads.
Also, I think they are geared towards new LotRO player.
November 29, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Just to be clear – you only see these screens once on loading a character right? The new screens haven’t replaced the landscape loading ads?
I agree they’re pretty garish but one ad screen at each logon isn’t exactly a reason to quit the game over…
November 29, 2010 at 11:06 pm
According to a post on the forums they have replaced loading between areas as well.
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?369703-Loading-screens-(not-splash-screen)-overrun-with-Store-ads
November 29, 2010 at 11:07 pm
I can confirm that. :/
November 30, 2010 at 12:08 am
I only played for a little bit before work this morning but my memory is that it was just the starter screen.
If it’s just the starter screen, I’m ok with it. If not, then yeah this is pretty bad.
November 30, 2010 at 3:52 am
Actually, it’s a load screen, but only when you switch characters. Still… blargh. I sometimes do a lot of switching.
November 30, 2010 at 7:30 pm
yeah, i’ve played for hours on the new patch now and it’s only the once-per-char-login loading screen.
massive storm in a teacup imo. If you really can’t stand it then replace all the “_generic_teleport_screen.jpg” in your LOTRO directory with any other picture (just keep the file names the same). problem gone.
November 29, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I concur, often subtlety is the best persuader. You all have a terrific website btw, thanks for all the effort you put into it. Recently changed my homepage over to here–now if I could just find time to get back into lotro after lots of school and work!
November 30, 2010 at 8:35 am
Thanks Morf!
November 30, 2010 at 3:56 am
If you find it annoying, try some asian mmos…
November 30, 2010 at 8:35 am
LOL, fair enough.
November 30, 2010 at 5:43 am
I think I’d prefer loading screen over some of the in game buttons and prompts… sheesh yeah I got 5 points, no I don’t wanna see the store now I’m fighting a the third boss in the forges for petes sake!
Some of the buttons annoy me, the two buttons in particular are the one on the stables saying unlock routes… I always go for that before the other one, and the one on your virtue chart that opens the store as well as your latest deed which rewards it.
I generally agree with you though Merric, its reached its level now, pushing it much further will be very irritating for a lot of players. So likewise not so much a ‘too far’ from me as a ‘no further please’
November 30, 2010 at 5:48 am
There are two main ways for Turbine to get their money from this game : Subscriptions and now The Store.
As a business model they should both operate independently :
- The subscription offers everything in the game, but rented.
- The store allows the permanent purchase of the game piecemeal, at a high total price.
To mix the two confuses the value proposition.
Requiring subscribers to spend even more on non-cosmetics through the store only weakens the value of the subscription, just as sub only items weakens the value of the store.
The sub is currently advertised, and priced, as you get everything. But you dont – which only engenders mistrust when the lie is realised. e.g 120-150 vault; HotPots; stat tomes are virtually store only with risible drop rates as a fig leaf. And this is just the start – what hope that the radiance/ LI revamps wont utilise similar ‘Solutions’.
If they dont think the current sub price is enough, so they are forced to cut what the sub offers, then they should just increase the sub price instead
November 30, 2010 at 6:29 am
no, that is not the way the F2P business model works, as a commodity distribution model (ie, you ave a thing, which you can rent or buy in pieces or all at once – lifetimes – as you choose).
the F2P busniess model works by monetising customers (ie, extracting the mostamount of revenue possibe out of every customer).
in order to do this, it has to work both ‘above’ and ‘below’ the subscriptionprice-point. ‘below’ is the easy bit: provide means for ppl who don’t wish to pay the subscription amount to give some portion of revenue to the operator. i don’t think anyone thinks this is a bad idea.
‘above’ the subscription price point is the trickier one, and the one the ppl have problems with – and yet the one that the operator is absolutely aiming for when they embrace F2P. it means, give those ppl who are willing to pay *more* than the subscription amount for a subscription the ability to do so.
this market is crucial to the F2P business model, and always has been. we fans who are already subscribers might like to pretend that F2P isnt aimed at making *us* spend more money, but it is – and all those things you mention are perfect examples of things that a fan of the game is willing to pay for, given the opportunity.
F2P has *always* been about tapping both ends of the market: thos who arent willing to pay a full subscription and those who are willing to pay more than a subscription to play.
i’ll direct you to slide 12 of Turbine’s DDO presentation (http://www.slideshare.net/vgsummit/turbine-ddo-virtual-goods-summit-presentation) for supporting evidence. although i could just as easily say that in a previous F2P MMO i used to play, i frequently spent more than £100/month in the store – one of the great things about LOTRO was that my game spending went *down*
in summary, it’s not about whether the ‘sub’ is enough or not, as the F2P model explicitly refuses 1 price point. it’s about monetising *every* player as far as he or she is willing to be monetised. and always has been. repeatedly advertising the store to players reminds those who are willing to spend more money that they *can*.
November 30, 2010 at 7:28 am
However, I believe that loyal customers who have played the game for 3.5 years do have the right to be annoyed. No amount of talk about justification, and business models, can take that feeling away, not for a while. Some grow to grudgingly accept it all, some don’t. But the feeling is real and should not be downplayed – the game has clearly changed.
With that said, I’m personally ok with most of it so far. But as said above, some ads and store items do annoy me as well (stat tomes and rep horses, for example).
November 30, 2010 at 10:15 am
You know, I have a Founder’s subscription so I’ve been with LOTRO from the beginning. I love this game. Then and now. Sure it’s changed, some of it for better, some of it for worse, but, I’m happy the game looks like it will continue. My main hope is that since WB owns the rights to the Hobbit and Turbine has the game rights that maybe we’ll get to see the Lonely Mountain, Dale and Lake Town someday as well.
The few things that annoy me are very easy to just ignore and spend my time on the aspects of the game that I love.
November 30, 2010 at 10:38 am
Agreed. I love the game too and I want them to make money. I’ve been behind the store since the beginning and I still am.
However, an excess of anything puts a strain on any relationship; personal or business-wise. I for one feel like I’m reaching my limit with the store reminders and that it’s getting to the point where I can no longer ignore it. I envy those who do have the ability to do so.
I always think it’s best to voice your concerns rather than hold it back.
November 30, 2010 at 10:25 am
Yes I’m a founder, and a lifetimer too. And I still love the game, but some things, or the direction of things, do worry me. I just hope the game retains its heart and soul and doesn’t lose itself in the quest for more easy money.
November 30, 2010 at 10:30 am
I’ve got a naive question.
I’m a VIP/subscriber/lifer. I’m not an F2P’er that needs to be monetized. Why am I still getting loading screen ads?
Many of the websites I frequent offer to reduce or turn-off ads if you subscribe to them. Couldn’t we do something similar with the loading screen ads?
November 30, 2010 at 10:33 am
From my understanding the button that takes you to the item in the store to refresh your Tasks Daily Limit is hidden until you reach the limit. Why this isn’t implemented across the board is a mystery to me.
November 30, 2010 at 11:24 am
Even though we’re lifer/subscribers, we still have money that Turbine/WB wants to tap into. Nothing is stopping you from reaching into your wallet and buying a whole bunch’o TP’s to blow on cosmetics.
November 30, 2010 at 11:19 am
I have to side with Turbine on this one. I think the buttons are artistically done and the new loading screens are actually a welcome break. (If I never see the Midgewater Fort another time as a Bree loading screen I’ll be fine with that.) They’re almost guaranteed to continuously make more of those screens also because there’s always something to buy in the store (so you won’t see the same one all the time).
As for being a subscriber and having the buttons I would much rather have the dev team working on new content or skill fixes than removing buttons. Heck, since F2P there are few buttons that I haven’t actually used! Just yesterday I picked up my rename token for my captain so I could switch the name around. I may never do it again, but I much prefer a single button click to trying to navigate their horrible store UI.
Anyway, love the show and I’ll be around!
Thradin Stoneshield
65 Guardian of Baruk Khazad
Landroval
November 30, 2010 at 11:48 am
I’m concerned with the annoying ‘hunter’ skills in the store. There are maps to hunter port spots (even some to places I can’t reach, which makes me jealous), tracking devices, and now burg hatchets have a 40m range, a distance previously preserved for hunters. Not so much about the problem with my role in the game, but more how it might expand to ‘captain buffs’ and ‘burg conjuction openings’ etc.
November 30, 2010 at 1:04 pm
As a hunter-main leveling a captain-alt, I gotta say — I friggin’ love the store option to buy the “return to…” skills. They’re on the long racial cool down and don’t work for a fellowship, so they’re not nearly as handy as a hunter taxi, but for my poor scholar who needs to go to Rivendell all the time it’s a lifesaver.
I don’t really mind the adds. I’m a lifer. They’ve sucked more money out of me in 3 months than they’ve gotten in the last 3 years.
But oh well, I’m enjoying the heck out of the game again and just made Supreme tailor by using the +%50 craft skill scroll I bought. I have money. What I don’t have is a lot of time. I’m perfectly willing to swap money to save some time, and I reckon there’re others with similar situations out there.
November 30, 2010 at 6:06 pm
that’s not true re 40m being reserved for hunters, LMs can pull from 40m with SOB:W and can even do so on the run (it’s a sign).
November 30, 2010 at 1:19 pm
I don’t have a problem with the loading screens, or any of the buttons for the most part. I don’t like th store pop-up when I earn 5 points but whatever… not a big deal.
However, I am pretty concerned about the stat tomes, and buying virts. As those items are pay to win. Don’t have enough time to run SG, for the glass flask, well u can just buy +50 fate. Don’t want to farm Sarnur of Angmar for deeds? Just buy em!
I used to think having rank 10 virtues said something about a character, and the commitement and ability to play your class. Now it means much less.
The pay to win route is what scares me the most about the store. Everything else I can live with. Turbine needs to be extra careful when they let people buy items to increase their ingame prowess. Sure they will make money, but it will kill the game.
November 30, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I’m not really sure what in the store counts as “Pay to Win”. At that, pay to win what? The game? LOTRO is a series of small victories in a larger battle. I could see Creep players being upset over things like the Stat Tomes, but hopefully they’ll balance that out. Oh, and I’m sure they’ll have store items for Creep side before 2011 is over. Hide and watch.
As for Virtues, they haven’t meant as much as they used to for a while now. It’s easy, though still time consuming, to get rank 10 in any given virtue solo. And rank 10 isn’t even needed to be effective in most group content these days. At most, rank 7 or 8 is enough to make you effective. Anything after that is fluff and ego. That being said, I do try to max out my virtues on all my characters.
If people really want to buy stats, fine. It’s going to cost them more than money. It’s going to cost them the experience that comes with grinding deeds and working on your class. Some of my favorite moments in the game come from deed grinding with my friends.
Lastly, as the saying goes, a fool and his money are soon parted.
November 30, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Pay to win in my opinion is the ability to purchase anything that enables a toon to be more effective in battles in middle earth. (virtues and stats) A shiny cosmetic cloak I have no problem with. A new emote, or housing item, no worries. Right a fool an their money applies here perfectly.
I just don’t like the path where one can just buy themselves better. FOR ME, I won’t speak to others motivations but the joy I get in the game is primarily from accomplishment and challenges being able to purchase my way past a grind or a challenge, weakens the experience for me, even if I don’t do it. I am a little bit competitive and want to have the most powerful character I can. I have been grind and deeding and doing runs for years to get my characters to where they are, yes I enjoy the ride to me the journey is more important than the destination. However if someone can bypass the journey and go straight to level 10 virtues using their CC it detracts from my hard work getting to the same place. If that becomes just about who has the most money to spend it will detract from MY experience, even if it has not theoretically altered my experience.
Now that is just my opinnion, and it does not seem to be yours, which is fine, as variety truly is the spice of life. But I reckon I am not alone in my opinnion.
November 30, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I understand where you’re coming from, but here’s the thing. People can only effect you if you let them. If someone else buying virtues or stats ruins your game, it’s because you let that happen. Not them. It’s their prerogative on how they approach the game. Honestly, if all they are worried about is getting to level cap and are willing to buy their way there, well, that person isn’t likely to stick around long. So long, and thanks for the fish.
But they can’t take away from what you’ve done. Not unless you let that happen. They aren’t doing that to you. *You are.* Stop worrying about what the Joneses is doing and enjoy the game your way.
November 30, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Ha! gotta give you props on the Doug Adams reference!
I understand what you’re saying and I am not as worked up over the store stat tomes and virts as my posts may imply. I am just concerned about the precedent those items set. That is what concerns me most.
Your right about people only affecting me if I let them. Thing is I am competitive, this is a game, when I see another LM running around with over 6K morale, I wonder how they got there, what their equipment looks like, what they are sacrificing for such high morale etc. Its my competitive nature I want to know and see if there is some item i can go in search of to help me improve my toon. If it turns out that you just have to buy stuff from the store it would kinda ruin it for me. To me I enjoy trying to keep up with the Jones’, but if that turns into who can spend more on their credit card the completive enjoyment will vanish.
I don’t think your understanding my point. My enjoyment comes from working on my toons making them better. I enjoy knowing that my LM is above average. It was not until recently that I finally bought a house or started crafting (primarily for the crafted relic). It is in making my character better that I find the most satisfaction. I am always looking for gear or strategies to improve my character. If turbine lets people just buy their way there it reduces the value of my work. Anytime a scarce commodity becomes plentiful its value depreciates. It returns again to my competitive nature. I do care about how my toons compare to others, I find it enjoyable knowing I have accomplished things in game others have not. If those items/deeds can be purchased they lose value to me.
Male peacocks don’t have those pretty feathers for their intrinsic value. I enjoy earning my feathers. Once folks can buy those feathers they will lose value to ME. And that is what matters as far as my game experience is concerned. You may have different motivations for playing find enjoyment through other aspects of the game. Good for you.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
November 30, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I don’t think many people are _that_ much worried about what’s in the store now. Some of it is great, some indifferent, and some a bit questionable. But it’s more about what this all points towards to already. We are still in the infancy of the Store and F2P after all.
It’s like with the festival/rep mounts. First they are in there, then there’s an uproar, and they are taken away. But they will come back with yet another compromise. Because they are potentially just so darn good money that Turbine wants them there no matter how the community feels about them. I don’t see any other reason for it.
November 30, 2010 at 4:14 pm
@Dreadhed Ok, I think I understand you a little better now. My main thing is that people who buy their way to end game readiness probably aren’t. Not really. Fine, an LM has 6k Morale due to stuff he’s bought. But does he have the experience to be reliable in a group? How’s his raid gear? Does he know how to debuff, share power, and have his bear tank within the space of a few seconds? If he’s done no virtue work, probably not. As for buying stat tomes, it’s not that big of a buff to stats, and the hard cap is still 650. Another 50 in any given stat isn’t going to give you that much of a buff.
Mr. Jones might have a whole lot of stuff, but he probably doesn’t know how to use it. In my groups, we have a thing we call Brute Competence. If you don’t have it, you will get it or you will get out.
November 30, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Agreed. It won’t make them a better player and that is part of my problem. Usually those with the top gear are also by necessity some of the more competent players.
I am not too worried about the stat tomes, or the virts. Just worried where that type of item, which grants ingame advantages may lead us.
December 1, 2010 at 12:01 am
That is a valid concern. I just don’t think that players who don’t put time into their characters will stick around. Frustration will set in because, as they join groups, they wont know how to do things they should know. They’ll find that they’re not quite as Elite as they believe themselves to be and in the end they’ll go back to playing Black Ops or some other game that allows them to swing their ePeen. LotRO isn’t that game. Never has been. Those who do stick around are the players who will take the time to enjoy the game and actually try to experience things, not just race to cap so they can whine about having nothing to do.
November 30, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Merric,
To hear you finally critical of Turbine lends more weight to the problem, as it seem that ususally you and Goldenstar are the great defenders of all things LOTRO. It seems that the November update brought TONS of new buttons to the Store and maybe that was the real purpose.
I agree with one of the earlier posters that subscribers should have the option of getting rid of the majority of the store buttons since we are giving them our money anyways. Certainly subscribers from before F2P should be given some consideration for being supporters of the game from before F2P.
It does seem that the Turbine/WB powers that be are more concerned with wringing as much money out of this game than in making it a game that long time players, and fans of the LOTR story will enjoy.
November 30, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Let me also add that I think this site is hands down the best LOTRO site around and would like to commend Merric and Goldenstar for all the effort they have put into it. While I may not always agree with their opinions, they have created the site that is my go-to for LOTRO information.
November 30, 2010 at 8:10 pm
*2
November 30, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Thanks all for the compliments and please understand, I love Turbine. They have a ton of good people that work there. Heck, sometimes I wish *I* worked there (but then I couldn’t do this show). And I agree, that they’ve implemented stuff that is very tasteful and that they have to put in reminders or otherwise they will be ignored, they will fall in revenue, and the game folds. I do not want that.
But I also feel that at some point that it needs to stop. For me, we’re rapidly approaching that line.
December 1, 2010 at 2:33 am
I too am a founder and have been playing since the beta, but unlike many, was never affluent enough to scrape up the funds to buy a lifetime membership. (I know, I’ve bought the equivalent of two lifetime memberships by now, alas.) So I feel I’ve really invested in this game. In spite of all that loyalty, I don’t have any more permanent benefits than someone who’s bumped their account up to VIP for a month.
I’ve been feeling pretty betrayed lately, and the Steed of Night with its stats that match the rep horses just pushed me off the deep end. Good thing I got a free Ambassador horse when I logged in, or I might have done something violent like steal a pie from an innocent hobbit.
December 2, 2010 at 12:31 pm
“And who shall be Master of the Fates of Arda?” they asked the seer.
“Morgoth?”
He claimed that title; but he was defeated and cast into the outer darkness a long age ago.
“Sauron?”
Soon to be undone by the deeds of a halfling, a hobbit of the fellowship we seek to aid.
“The Lord of the Nazgul?”
He will be killed by a woman, it is said. He will not rise to take the place of Sauron, as Sauron followed Morgoth.
“Mithrandir?”
He is just a steward. Did you not know? He will leave Middle Earth soon, when his work here is done.
“Elessar?”
A king of Gondor and Arnor alone, not of all Middle Earth A mighty man, and a high king and a healer he will be; but no more than a man.
“So then; who?” they asked again.
But you know the answer: it is already in plain view. Even as your fellowships journeyed across the land, a new power entered Middle Earth.
Mammon. Mammon the Great. Mammon the Mightiest.
Greater than Sauron; greater than Morgoth; greater yet than Manwe and Varda and all the Valar.
His sign and praises are seen on the login page, and loading $creens.
At the $table mounts, and on the crafting panel.
On the deed screen$ and on the UI and on the character $creen.
All must praise him. He has come to Middle Earth, and His will will not be gainsaid. And His Store will be seen everywhere, calling you to worship.
Go ye now, click the store button,and sacrifice your points to him. For HE is master in Arda now, as elsewhere. And he will, I deem, one day sell you rep horses, and PVP gear, and eagle mounts. And, yes, you will be able to buy your own stairway to heaven.
(With apologies to JRRT)
December 2, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Nicely done! Can definately tell you put some thought into that post.
December 5, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Here’s a zany idea: what if there were a way for the client to detect if you were a free player or subscriber (VIP) so that VIP’s don’t have to see those ruddy store ads?
January 17, 2011 at 11:05 am
There’s this zip pack I downloaded that changes the LOTRO loading screens except the first one you see every time you log-on. Actually, you can change that one too. Try googleing it.
January 17, 2011 at 11:06 am
Oh and btw, the new loading screens are different landscapes in Tolkien’s world. =)