Iokthemonkey

Jack, you're talking out of your arse. Never once have I experienced a 10 minute load-time in LOTRO. Perhaps you just need to buy a half-decent PC.

''A'' jaded-former customer?

Oh, trust me, there are a lot more than that! :D

Sounds like the devs have finally realised the game is a steaming pile and so have come up with a way for players not to have to play it.

Of course, the smart ones among us figured this out ages ago - just cancel your account. It'll save you money and you can then dedicate your time to playing something good instead.

I've seen (and spoken to) a lot of new players on Eldar (Europe) too - I think LOTRO is picking-up some pace. It's just too bad CodeMasters don't offer this same deal, as it would be a superb way to further build upon this success.

Drop 'em an email and see if it'll work in Europe. It's a download so it's not like they have to mail it to you or anything.

I used to play DDO on the US servers from Europe and I now play LOTRO from the US on the European servers.

Turbine. LOTRO is the best MMO out there right now and there's a reason for it. Not just because of the great community or lore, but because Turbine actually CARE about what they're doing and aren't just in it to make a quick buck off the licence. It's a genuine work of love, that game is.

''This way to the Egress.''

I'm surprised Mr. Smart still finds employment in the gaming industry, given his past.

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I used to work in game development and it's staggering/disheartening/unbelievable how many people manage to royally screw-up everything they put their hands on yet STILL manage to keep their jobs.

I've seen projects run into the ground and ''saved'' by the very person responsible for the game's destruction, who is then promoted or given a bonus.

I've seen the most creative of people have every spark of genius hammered out of them by uncreative, unimaginative spreadsheet-wranglers, the same managers who then wonder why their game - upon release - receives terrible reviews and is slated as being unoriginal.

I've seen managers who lack the imagination to be able to envisage how a concept sketch for something as simple as a Health Meter will translate into the game and so require each concept to be completed to in-game standard before slating each and demanding something else, with the helpful feedback of ''do something that's not crap.''

I've seen cash wasted on the most trivial of things while the employees are informed that their pay checks have been delayed and they'll be paid ''when there's money to do it.''

I've seen favored employees given pay checks when there's no money, pay rises when others have gone without and promotions when their contribution to a project has consisted of doing nothing but massaging egos.

It's an utterly shit industry to work in.

I'm actually enjoying the Skirmishes. Running one makes for a nice break if you feel you're quested-out or you just have a short time to play and want to fill that time with something instant and accessible. I just wish the rewards were a little better, TBH. It takes a lot of effort to get even something as simple as a Tier 5 Rune or Gem. I've started simply running them out of habit rather than with any specific goal in mind, then cashing in my 'winnings' later on.

I stopped using Avast over a year ago, as I'd noticed longer load-times on my old system. I don't think it's a LOTRO-specific issue you're experiencing.