Under the Banner

After reading endless banter in OOC chat or seeing it on the main boards about how LotRO stole this or that from WoW or some such what not I decided to compile a list of “Game Mechanics” that IMHO are better than WoW’s current implementation. Well, that and I could not sleep and the idea for this column came to me while tossing in bed.

There is no secret that the interface and feel of a lot of systems in Lord of the Rinds Online feel much like World of Warcraft. However, one cannot say that Turbine stole the interface from Blizzard in that the interface and basic game play of MMO’s is similar across the board. WoW did not invent the wheel; they just made the wheel stay up longer.

There are some very nice features in LotRO that for many are a joy to work with and something that has been needed for some time. So, lets get started.

Travel System
Just last night my wife and I were helping kinmates go through the Great Barrow in the Chapter 11 instance. We had been hunting birds out in Erin Lun and the cool down on our Map had not expired. So, we jumped on a horse and headed to Bree. That is when it hit me.

“Man, I am so glad we don’t have to sit on a bird for 20 minutes.” I told her.

Swift travel is a wonderful time saving feature for the casual as well as the hard core gamer. Im to lazy right now to do some research but I bet someone has studied the amount of time a typical level 70 in WoW has spent sitting on the back of a griffin. It would probably shock and amaze most of us.

The ability to head across the map instantly is a much-welcomed feature. It will prove to be a major timesaver when other zones of the world are opened up as well. It already takes a considerable amount of time to run from Bree to Rivendell.

Here is another wonderful feature of the LotRO travel system. How many times has this happen to you in WoW. You are heading out to run an instance with your group. You get everything you need in Ironforge and you take off only to get over the Wetlands to realize you forgot the main item needed for your quest. You wish you could jump off, or turn around, or something, but you are seat belted in very securely. You’re not going anyway bud.

On non-swift travel runs in LotRO you have the option to dismount the horse. This is very useful, if you have the money, to use the horse for destinations in between others. You can jump on a horse to Buckland and jump off at Adso’s Camp for example. A great time saver.

Quest Log and Tracking
What a pleasure to have a tracking system that automatically places a list on your screen. But my far the best feature that I personally have wanted for years is being able to view quests that I have completed all the way back to the start of my character. This feature makes it much easier for older guys like me to help out someone when they ask in /advice or /kinship about an early quest that I know I have done but I am fuzzy on the details.

Along with the log and intuitive log tracking you have the option of flagging yourself for looking for fellowship and then seeking others that are on the same quest using the social panel.

Moveable UI
Right out the gate LotRO has the ability to relocate everything with the exception of the bottom bar. Simply press ctrl-\ and you can customize the UI to your hearts content. No need to download a resource hogging mod.

Floating Combat Text
Ok, I know, floating combat text is nothing new . . . but, being able to see your fellows damage floating over the mob is a plus. In the UI settings you are able to turn on this feature and keep a close eye on the effectiveness of your fellowship. Great for the control freaks out there.

There is more I could go on about. The crafting system and graphics alone deserve their own article. Suffice it to be said that LotRO is not WoW, even though people want to make comparisons. There are some great things that Turbine has done to simple game play, and I for one applaud them.