20 replies to this topic

[The MMO Troll]

I have been getting requests from several viewers that I start covering LOTRO again for my video podcast. Now normally I would not even consider such a thing, since I don't feel Turbine deserves what little publicity my show would garner them, and that is one massive game to download and re-install (w/ updates). On the other hand, LOTRO works really well for recording segments for my show (good emotes, private locations for recording such as housing instances, etc), and I don't like disappointing what few fans I do have.

So, what do y'all think? Should I bother with re-installing LOTRO for the show, or continue to shun it?

[Laurinaohtar]

Its your free time, personally I wouldn't spend mine on something I no longer enjoy doing.

[Doro]

Unless you're going to do a 'Yahtzee' on it, I'd leave it.

[LordVorontur]

I don't think you owe it to anyone to start covering LOTRO again in the podcast. If you're not enjoying playing, and know you're not going to, I don't personally see the sense in wasting HD space on it!

[Darmokk]

The MMO Troll, on 03 April 2012 - 11:57, said:

I have been getting requests from several viewers that I start covering LOTRO again for my video podcast. Now normally I would not even consider such a thing, since I don't feel Turbine deserves what little publicity my show would garner them, and that is one massive game to download and re-install (w/ updates). On the other hand, LOTRO works really well for recording segments for my show (good emotes, private locations for recording such as housing instances, etc), and I don't like disappointing what few fans I do have.

So, what do y'all think? Should I bother with re-installing LOTRO for the show, or continue to shun it?

Showcasing what is good about LOTRO will help strengthening it over what is bad about LOTRO('s business practices).

[Iorionael]

Darmokk, on 03 April 2012 - 14:27, said:

Showcasing what is good about LOTRO will help strengthening it over what is bad about LOTRO('s business practices).

A fine point, but will it be easy to show the good with out showing the bad too, with the bad (in Trolls view - hence him not playing*), outweighing the good by far..?

*not judging, my views on the game range from the wow factor to what the hell?

(I vote no as I assume you meant 'them' as in Turbine...)

[Dalthalion]

No, stick to your guns.  Don't re-install it, but appease the requestors by making mention of all of LOTRO's pimples from Rift, STO, wherever.

[AgamemnonV1]

I thought the thread title was, "A quarian". Heh. Too much Mass Effect.

By the way, Mass Effect 3 makes me want to club baby seals. With baby seals.

Oh, uh, relevance to the topic. Right.

Fnord.

[minimorgoth]

I have nfc what Fnord means but it sounds funny so I voted that.

[Toe]

I say cover LOTRO, but cover it honestly.  Say they do a great job of world building, but the quests are generic, the raids are broken, the lag is horrible, customer support is insulting & Turbine is gradually but surely destroying the game.

[EMBX]

Difficult one MMO Troll.

You have to deal with your own disgust of the product/Turbine and try to keep your fans happy.

Not sure, I never did anything like this for any game, but it seems if you want to talk about the game you need to play the game, at least look and play the new zones a bit.
So everything comes down to, will you be able to play the game again, even when it is not as much as it was before?

Look at the podcast stuff as your job and realize that even in a job some days suck
With that last line said, I think I would give it a shot again but would be upfront with your fans that it is all you promise, just another shot at it to see how things turn out.

That way you have an exit strategie without pissing of your fans.

Good luck with it and I always liked your podcast's BTW.

[The MMO Troll]

Thanks all for the comments and votes. A couple of things:

1) Fnord doesn't mean anything. I add it to polls I make as a default "Whatever" option, unless you believe in Discordianism, in which case you are all now Popes. Fnord.

2) I believe I always covered LOTRO fairly and honestly, starting back when I ran the "Full of Fail" video podcast (which was rather favorable coverage of LOTRO and Turbine, even fanboyish at times), to the less-than-favorable coverage they have gotten in "The MMO Troll". Basically, I call it as I see it, regardless of the game and publisher.

3) I don't dislike LOTRO so much as I really dislike Turbine, and am saddened to see them follow the road they are on.

4) A big point is that I am playing Rift with my wife 99% of my free gaming time, so that leaves little time for any other game. Soon I'll be playing GW2 as well (for my old WoW guildies), meaning I will have zero time to play LOTRO at all. If I were to re-install it, the game would be used just like I use WoW now... as a platform for recording segments for my show, and that's all.

So, with all that in mind, I think I am better off not re-installing LOTRO. While some viewers may be disappointed by this, I wouldn't be able to honestly cover the game as they like anyway, since I will be unable to really delve into the new content, and won't be buying the new expansion later this year, leaving me well behind everyone else very soon.

Thanks everyone for chiming in.

[EMBX]

The MMO Troll, on 04 April 2012 - 03:56, said:

Thanks all for the comments and votes. A couple of things:

1) Fnord doesn't mean anything. I add it to polls I make as a default "Whatever" option, unless you believe in Discordianism, in which case you are all now Popes. Fnord.

2) I believe I always covered LOTRO fairly and honestly, starting back when I ran the "Full of Fail" video podcast (which was rather favorable coverage of LOTRO and Turbine, even fanboyish at times), to the less-than-favorable coverage they have gotten in "The MMO Troll". Basically, I call it as I see it, regardless of the game and publisher.

3) I don't dislike LOTRO so much as I really dislike Turbine, and am saddened to see them follow the road they are on.

4) A big point is that I am playing Rift with my wife 99% of my free gaming time, so that leaves little time for any other game. Soon I'll be playing GW2 as well (for my old WoW guildies), meaning I will have zero time to play LOTRO at all. If I were to re-install it, the game would be used just like I use WoW now... as a platform for recording segments for my show, and that's all.

So, with all that in mind, I think I am better off not re-installing LOTRO. While some viewers may be disappointed by this, I wouldn't be able to honestly cover the game as they like anyway, since I will be unable to really delve into the new content, and won't be buying the new expansion later this year, leaving me well behind everyone else very soon.

Thanks everyone for chiming in.

Very good points MMO Troll.
If 2 games (Rift and later GW2) allready take 99% of your time it is indeed not practical to install and play LOTRO again.
Just explain your fans and they should understand your reasons.

I will miss your podcast about LOTRO though but also understand it had come to an end.

I blame ofcourse Turbine for THIS.... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... LOL

[The MMO Troll]

EMBX, on 04 April 2012 - 04:18, said:

Very good points MMO Troll.
If 2 games (Rift and later GW2) allready take 99% of your time it is indeed not practical to install and play LOTRO again.
Just explain your fans and they should understand your reasons.

I will miss your podcast about LOTRO though but also understand it had come to an end.

I blame ofcourse Turbine for THIS.... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... LOL

Thanks. My show continues on, though... just not about LOTRO.

[Doro]

I may make a show about LotRO. Well more of an anti-show...

[The MMO Troll]

Nothing wrong with that. Go for it!

[Moderate Peril]

Covering LOTRO is a tricky thing.

I've been blogging about it since 2009 and I think we are now seeing a major decline in the wider community.  If you look at the LOTRO Combo Blog, most of the listed contributors are no longer active.

Apart from a few stalwart sites most of the new postings are mainly from RP fans who just post screen-shots of cosmetic items and talk about their in-game characters back story. If you are a new player coming to the game now you may get the impression that the game is simply a virtual dolls house.

The sites dealing with guides, information, advice and such like have mostly gone. The rot set in when MMORSEL stopped playing. As I said there are some still out there but they are no longer so common place. Plus you'll notice that a lot of these sites now cover other games, showing that LOTRO is no longer the apple of their eye.

I get traffic spikes whenever I write about the game. But usually that's when I blog about new and upcoming stuff and I post screen-shots from Bullroarer. It also happens when Turbine screw up and and there a controversy to discuss.

Thing is, there seldom seems to be anything overtly positive to say about the game. I've looked back through my recent postings and the most I usually can muster is "adequate" or "okay". Turbine simply no longer have a top end product and there certainly isn't any thing in the pipeline that gonna knock peoples socks off.

The game is on the downward slope now and to be honest posting material that is always negative, even if it is totally justified, eventually leads to boring articles or can be counter productive for your blogging rep.

There are plenty of new MMOs to cover and to be honest, when you are excited about a new product or playing through something for the first time, then you're likely to produce blog posts and podcast that are more enjoyable to the public. From a purely mercenary point of view, you'll probably get more traffic by following the "crowd".

LOTRO is like a ageing rock star that blew their chance for fame and is now desperately trying to make out that it's not the case. They talk like they making a comeback, but the public see them for the delusional alcoholic that they are, as they slowly kill themselves with more and more ill conceived career decisions.

You can be a serious blogger and podcaster and leave them to this sad fate, returning to write a genuine eulogy when they finally expire. Or you can be a tabloid hack and follow them around like a reality show as they drive further nails into their own coffin.

The latter is vaguely parasitical and not to my liking, although I'm sure it could get a crap ton of website traffic.

[Spidey]

You could just add a new voice over to old segments.

[Jackalope]

Your show is advertising, even if they don't pay for it. As such, you should not do so if you disagree with their activities, and I'm pretty sure you don't. Stick to your guns.

You could bring it up to announce something if you think it merits such, but I wouldn't grant them any visual presence at all. And letting people know what is happening, even if negative, is worth a talking point. After all, your whole show isn't about bashing Turbine. You do talk about other games, and frankly, comparisons is something that must be done. How can you say something is GREAT! if there's nothing to compare it too. At this point, you have been doing a good job of pointing out how some companies seem to care about customers, and others seem to treat them like factory pigs.

Don't let anyone tell you not to bring up their shit when it stinks. That only works to their advantage. Even if you don't categorize yourself as a journalist, journalistic integrity means telling the whole story, not leaving out the messy bits. I don't think you've stooped to tabloid journalism at all.

I should think I'd always like to hear the Independent Thought Alarm going off in the background of your webcasts. Moving with the crowd is for lemmings, and they always end up at the bottom of a cliff.

[Hajile]

Perhaps one final episode; made, as Spidey suggested from old footage so you don't have to re-download; detailing precisely why you won't be covering LOTRO any more. That story reasonably told will simultaneously address those who are requesting more coverage, and give anyone sitting on the fence a clear picture.

If people see that those that do podcasts are deliberately avoiding LOTRO, and they are doing so due to the practices of its developer, Any potential new players looking in your direction will be spared the inevitable disappointment.

Just consider it a public service.