I'm just finishing an install of the beta client and look forward to playing a little over the weekend.  I've heard a lot of mixed feedback on the game so far, but the biggest criticism I've heard is that the game is too much like WOW (which is a good thing in my view).

Anyone been betaing this?  What do ya think?

I got an invite to help in the Stress Test weekend a couple of months back but couldn't get the files to install. I'm very interested in LotROL however, so if you manage to get in and play around, I'd like a full report. I'm particularly interested in the crafting system. I LOVED SWG back when it first came out and then Sony (spit!) kept "fixing" it. They fixed me right out of the game.

I also was invited to the stress test. I had a hell of a time installing the damn thing, then wasn't impressed with play. I quickly uninstalled it.

Seanchai

Well, my download and installation of the client was totally smooth - no problems at all.  Here's hoping everything else goes well (though word from friends is that the client is running very, very well for an MMO at this stage).

Yreah, I had no download issues either.

Just waiting now for it to let me actually play, and then to find out if my computer can even handle it.

I'm holding out hope for this one - I'm about burned out on WoW so I need a new drug.

*chants* Craaaafting... CRAAAAfting... CRAAAFTING....

Oh please let it be deep and ingredient-quality-based and stuff.

Quote from: WerekoalaI'm holding out hope for this one - I'm about burned out on WoW so I need a new drug.

*chants* Craaaafting... CRAAAAfting... CRAAAFTING....

Oh please let it be deep and ingredient-quality-based and stuff.

If LOTR doesn't fill your need for that, you might seriously consider checking out Ryzom.  

There's some deep crafting there if ever I've seen it.  Too deep for me really, I don't even like dealing with crafting in WoW.

Sweet, thanks for the tip!

I really enjoyed SWG before they made it about being a Jedi with l33t pow3rz, back when you could be a guy making his way in the Galaxy and getting involved in the war and whatnot. Wasn't "Star Wars-y" enough I guess. They shoulda just made "Battlefield: Endor" and been done with it.

I hate Sony. As much as Nox hates SJG, I hate Sony. But at least I have a reason.

I played a Hobbit Guardian (tank/fighter) up to 8th, a Human Champion (fighter/party support - similar to the DAOC Champion) to 6th, and an Elf Loremaster to 6th.  I liked the Guardian the most because she had the easiest time in combat and her abilities were on the fastest recycle time, though from my briefly play of a 4th Dwarf Minstrel (healing/buffing) I think that would be a really fun class too.  I like that all the classes can melee well at least through the low levels, even the Lorekeeper gets nifty staff attacks and debuffs.

The game certainly evokes a strong LOTR feel, and it does a wonderful job of maintaining the feeling of wonder that setting evokes.  When I encountered Nazgul in the opening segments they really felt scary and impossibly powerful.  The game reinforced this by giving me heavy penalties just for being near the things.

While the game is an MMO, it takes pains to maintain a magic light "realistic" feel at every turn.  "A Map Home" is the game's version of WOW's Hearthstone, allowing the character to teleport home by reading the map and "traveling" there.  Health is instead Morale and "death" represents retreating to a home point where the character suffers a brief morale penalty due to their recent defeat.  I like it, it builds on the excellent interface found in WOW and maintains an excellent mood.

All that said, I wont be buying this game.  Combat was repetitive, after the first five levels it became difficult to know where to go and what to do, and the crafting system is awful.  Instead of being able to make something right off the bat, most crafting skills require extensive trade with other players or farming to accomplish anything.  The mundane goods are far too expensive to make for their utility, and if I were playing normally I would do nothing but gather materials.  I don't trust Turbine fully either, ever since the betrayal they pulled on AC2 fans (closing the game right after releasing a big new expansion).  Finally, the game lacks polish in some graphical areas.  No underwater environments combined with very flat or shape-like terrain at times shocks the reader out of their immersion and says "Hey, you're in an MMO."

Still, the beta was fun and I recommend at least taking a look.  All the special abilities the races get are just downright cool (Men regain morale more quickly because they're easy to inspire, but suffer penalties to corruption because they're easy to corrupt) and the intro areas are just fun to run through.  Just be sure to turn off displayed names or you'll have a hell of a time finding NPCs or even loading the screen.