The Lord of the Rings Online: The L.A. Launch Event

by

Pig

Let?s get a few facts out of the way first. Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar has the most jaw-cracking acronym of any massive-multiplayer online (MMO) title I?ve ever played. LOTROSOA? Is that even pronounceable? Perhaps, if I were a native speaker of a Pacific island language, I could pronounce that effortlessly, but I?m not. Whatever happened to calling the game Middle Earth Online? That?s a simple MEO, and is much easier on the tongue. Well, no matter, I?ll simply do what everyone else is doing, and call it LOTRO. That?s much better.

Anyway, LOTRO officially launched yesterday, April 24, 2007. The game has been in development for four years, and is being produced by Turbine, a veteran producer of online MMOs. In celebration of the launch of their newest MMO, Turbine combined with GameStop/EB Games to throw a few midnight launch events around the country. We took the opportunity to attend the extravaganza that took place at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles, California.

The LOTRO launch event sign at Universal City Walk

Elvrya and I got there at about 10:20 PM, knowing that the events were scheduled to officially kick off at 11:00. (That?s 2300 hours for you military types – hooooah!). Shortly afterward we met up with Two Hammers of Gamebunny.com. (Note: Two Hammers is a heck of a nice guy and does not, in fact, carry even one hammer! Amazing!) The three of us spent the rest of the night hanging out and enjoying the launch-event festivities.

These are the people we met when we first got to the LOTRO launch event. The, um, “crowd” was very friendly and enthusiastic.

At first we were a wee little bit worried: there were about a dozen adults and two children in line. And that was it. No line around the building, no dance contests, no geeks in costumes, nothing. Oh, wait, there was one punk girl named Katia. That was the closest thing we had to a costume. The whole thing was looking like it might be a bust.

Katia the punk, showing off her schwag.

Undaunted, we got right to work. We interviewed the first two people in line. Enigmatically identifying themselves using only their in-game names, both Mirathel and Naladu (They?re secretly engaged!) told us they?d gotten to the event at about 8 PM. Mirathel really wanted to get his hands on the game and win some LOTR shwag, so a deal was struck: he promised the ambivalent Naladu he?d buy her dinner if she agreed to go with him. When they arrived and realized that no one was else was on the line yet, they immediately went to the Hardrock caf? and grabbed some chow. Our investigation revealed that the meal was, in fact, quite tasty.

Mirathel loved LOTRO, and has been playing since the beta. The key features he found most attractive include the visuals, which are more realistic than some other MMOs. He also liked the questing engine in LOTRO, as it tends to avoid the whole “go kill ten orcs” kind of thing. The quests, he told us, are more involved and story-like than in other online RPGs. The environments, too, made him feel as if he were actually in Middle Earth. During our conversation with him, a recurring theme began to emerge: the entire game made him feel immersed in Middle Earth, a world he loves. We would hear that again and again during the launch event.

Mirathel, Naladu (the future Mrs. Mirathel), Will Godoy, and Andrew Mylar

In fact, nearly everyone we spoke to during the course of the event echoed many of these same themes over and over again: realistic visuals, immersive/interesting/involving quests, the sense of actually being in Middle Earth, and boredom or disappointment with other MMOs. Virtually everyone had played the beta, and had played it extensively. The beta had really sold them on LOTRO as a game. We would hear these sentiments again and again.

Or course, there was controversy, and WanderingGoblin.com has never been too shy to share lurid, drama-ridden details with our readers (even if we have to exaggerate them to make them lurid or dramatic). It seems that while Mirathel was bored with World of Warcraft – a fact that drove him into the waiting arms of LOTRO — Naladu wasn?t. While both cancelled their WoW accounts to focus on LOTRO, Naladu sheepishly told us that she did it under duress. Shocking! Controversial!

While at Universal, we had opportunity to talk with the head Turbine guy at the event, John Golden, as well as Johner Riehl from Midway. Both were, of course, excited for the launch. John told us (in a whispering, I-know-something-you-don?t-know kind of voice) that the numbers were looking very good for LOTRO. Based on the pre-orders for the game, he expected subscriptions for the game to be impressive. He attributed this to several factors. Both John and Johner strongly indicated that Turbine was making a very concerted effort to put the gaming community first. A number of decisions had been made recently – including allowing American expatriates to play while oversees – that were designed to build community and make the game more accessible and more friendly. Further, new content as already being introduced, even prior to launch. John also hinted that an expansion to the game was, just maybe, already in the works. Turbine, John said, was very much focusing on keeping LOTRO players happy.

Some identified fat guy makes a W, while John Golden of Turbine makes a G. How these guys new the secret Wandering Goblin hand signals is a mystery.

We also had opportunity to speak of the intellectual property itself, the world invented by Tolkien. John and I talked about Gandalf?s being dragged into the abyss by the balrog, of Boromir?s inner struggle, and of Sam?s stalwart loyalty. We hugged. We cried. We even sang the Tom Bombadil song. Much to my surprise, John knew all the words! Good times?.

John stated that the LOTRO design team had been extremely careful with the IP, and that they?d made every attempt to make sure they treated it with the respect it deserved. His passion was obvious; when he described Tolkien?s works as the best IP in existence, you knew he meant it. Turbine?s goal with LOTRO was to bring Middle Earth to life, to have the characters from the books act appropriately, and to have the visuals look as much as possible like the books describe them. This was a tall order, but one that John felt the LOTRO development team had accomplished very well.

Although both Elvyra and I have been doing these kinds of interviews for a long time, we had a unique experience when we interviewed John. See, game developers and spokesmen say one thing, and then players generally say something else. Marketing talk is one thing; player chatter is another. Generally these are not on the same page. Not in this case. Much to our surprise, the LOTRO fans all echoed almost exactly the same things John had told us. This was strong evidence that Turbine had accomplished their mission: bringing Middle Earth to life.

While we?d been talking to people, the Tolkien geeks continued to trickle in. The line got longer. The crowd became a bit larger.

We took a moment to speak with Will Godoy and Andrew Mylar, who?ve been buddies for years. They got onto the line for the launch events shortly after Morathel and Naladu did. Will and Andrew have also been playing MMOs together for years, starting with Everquest. Why were they interested in LOTRO? The realistic visuals, the immersive quests, and the feeling of actually being in Middle Earth. Like a number of others we spoke with, they?d played the beta. They both cancelled their WoW accounts in favor of LOTRO.

Dean and Debbra Ryerson attended the launch with their daughters, Jessie, who?s 8 ?, and Gina, who?s 5. Dean shared his many positive experiences in the LOTRO beta. He?d joined a huge guild, The Old Timers Guild, on the Gladden server, and he enjoyed that immensely. Gina didn?t exactly share Dean?s enthusiasm. Her problems didn?t stem from the game, exactly, but more from the fact that she?d sat right next to Dean when they played. Dean was constantly “helping” Debbra, advising her on topics ranging from character control to quest completion. She shared with us how she really appreciated all the “advice” he offered her. Now that she?s moved her desk to the next room, she enjoys the game a lot more. She also shared her suspicion that her daughter Jessie, who really likes the game, might end up hijacking Debbra?s account (or at least sharing it).

While Dean, Debbra and Jessica had a good time at the LOTRO launch event, little Gina kept giving us hard looks. At one point she even threatened us, saying “I’ll take you down, hobbit style!”

As midnight approached, the crowd continued to grow. LOTRO fanboys continued to arrive from the four corners of the Earth. Actually, “fanboys” isn?t an appropriate term for this crowd. We noticed that the crowd contained at least as many women as men. Not that a married guy like me would ever notice this kind of thing – certainly not! – but these weren?t your typical gamer chicks either. They were, shall we say, height/weight appropriate. None had a haircut from 1979. None had a mustache, or tape on their glasses. Quite the opposite. These gamer-girls were funny. They were cute. Could this be a trend for LOTRO? Is LOTRO the MMO that really appeals to women gamers?

Tom, Amanda, Kathleen, and Mickey were happy to pose for this pic. Their friend, who positively ran out of the frame the moment we asked about a photo, isn’t pictured.

While there we met a number of other interesting people. Some obviously drunken imbecile was present; he kept getting into the line, then getting out, then entering the store, then leaving, all while practically falling over about 10 times. He also shouted advice to passersby. A news crew from a gaming news site actually interviewed this toad on camera. On a much more positive front, the Munson sisters showed up in costume. Jessica dressed as everyone?s favorite swordmaiden, Eowyn, while Rachel dressed as the dark Galadriel (remember the scene in which she?s tempted by the Ring?). Rachel ultimately won a lifetime subscription to LOTRO for her costume.

Jessica (as Eowyn) and Rachel (as an evil Galadriel) weren’t the only hotties at the event, but they were the only costumed hotties. Rachel won a lifetime subscription to the game for her costume.

Another thing we noticed when talking to the various Tolkien geeks waiting for the game: they all came from far away. Most drove several hours to be at the event. When asked why, they all echoed their excitement for the game and their enthusiasm for the Lord of the Rings books and movies.

GameStop/EB gave out bags of LOTRO schwag. The bags contained a couple of nice t-shirts, some posters, and a couple stickers. Most folks got one. The store also had a raffle, giving away signed box covers for the game, signed game posters, and other whatnot. In fact, Two Hammers won one of the signed box covers. Not bad.

One of the things we noticed as it got closer to the actual midnight launch was the size of the crowd – it had grown rather substantially. By the time midnight actually arrived, the store was actually pretty full. Our fears, earlier in the night, that the event was headed downhill were unfounded. It turned out to be a good time.

The crowd inside EB Games. Rumors that the LOTRO geeks rioted and looted the store were never confirmed.

In conclusion, we can honestly say that we were struck by the enthusiastic bunch that attended the event. They displayed a universal enthusiasm for LOTRO, especially after playing the game in beta. The depth of the gameplay, as well as the game?s immersive feel, is clearly appealing to those who?ve played it. At the conclusion of events, something Turbine?s John Golden had said seemed to resound with us: he?d stated that he expects LOTRO to grow due to its reputation. He anticipated a grass-roots, word-of-mouth, growth for the game.

Is that possible? Certainly word-of-mouth growth is a factor with any successful MMO. And there are dangers to be avoided. Judging from the enthusiasm of those attending the launch event, Turbine has mastered the early levels of the LOTRO. But what about the levels beyond the beta level-cap of 15? Levels 16-50 will have to be equally interesting, and no one has experienced that yet. More importantly, the endgame – lots of content at level 50 – is a huge factor in retaining players. If LOTRO is equally good during the mid-game levels, and if Turbine can keep dumping new content into the endgame, LOTRO might avoid the pitfalls that have devastated prior promising MMO games.

From talking to the people attending the launch-night event, we couldn?t deny their enthusiasm for this title. We also couldn?t escape the idea that John might be onto something, and that LOTRO might just turn out to be the next big thing in MMOs.