Tom Luongo

Lotr:O at $9.99 for 3 months is a great deal. I have 2 accts. at that price for me and my wife. It allows us to play and bank our allotment of Turbine Points for when the day comes that we no longer want to or can afford to pay.

She was really reluctant to sub until Turbine offered up the $9.99/month rate for her. Any fears that she wouldn't get her money's worth went away at that price.

Ta,

@Jeromai My point was (and I played GW for a while, so I get it) is that ultimately this is a moot discussion b/c the underlying issue is that of advancement. All of these systems are just versions of raising the level cap. In WoW you get access (or used to) more talent points to augment your existing skill set, while gaining access to a handful of new skills/spells. In GW, you complete certain tasks and you get another skill point to use to distribute amongst the skills in your current build as well as completing other tasks that open up the opportunity to buy more skills to choose from

It's the same system, just differently organized. This is a semantic discussion about the primacy of a number... your 'level'.

The issue should be, "does the advancement system of the game match the story and style of the game." For some games a level cap increase is proper, for others a skill advancement style thing works.

Ta,



At the core of the

@Jeromai You are correct that in LotrO increasing the level cap makes sense. So, the issue is story. If the story supports it then the cap should increase. The first rule of screenwriting is 'raise the stakes," which means that each obstacle the protagonist encounters should be more difficult than the last until the story is finished. If a screenplay doesn't do this we as an audience lose interest until the story gets back on track. That's no guarantee of success of a story, but it's definitely the foundation upon a good one can be written.

So, the proxy for that in games like LotrO and, to a lesser extent, WoW is to increase the level cap and expand the characters access to power to meet and overcome these greater challenges. WoW's story is a jumble with only the vaguest sense of motion. LotrO's is well known and well-crafted, so all Turbine has to do is not screw it up too much and it'll feel justified.

I don't see how a game like Guild Wars can keep a sense of advancement post lvl 20 while at the same time increasing the character's power to overcome greater obstacles without some form of progression, be it gear, powers, skills, etc.

Ta,

Yes and No.

I sub to Lotr:O, 2 accts. at $9.99/month and am a very active player. I loved the DCUO beta but refuse to take on another sub. That said, given my time constraints I can't commit to two games at the same time. So, while I love what DCUO has to offer, I'll have to wait until my current fascination with Lotr:O is over, or at least on hiatus.

My kinmates/friends in Lotr:O feel similarly. That makes the decision an easy one.

Ta,

I would remake the character I made in beta. She was fantastic. Super-Speed, sorcery and hand blasts. A homegrown look so cool all I wanted to do was write stories about her.

Ta,

@Tempes Magus : The greatest mistake any human can make wrt another is ignoring them. This extends to conversation where one person never acknowledges the other person's perspective (even if you vehemently disagree with it). So, yes, acknowledging the child's request for your attention is important. The speed with which you physically respond to it is a matter of context.

Ta,

@eiberri And do you know why that is? Because whether you like it or not as a parent you are programming your child with every action you take, every word you say, ie. 'what's important to you, is important to them.' So, naturally, if I love to play video games, my daughter is going to be inclined to like them as well.

It is the parents' job to understand this and set a good example of the types of behaviour you want your children to deem important. So, if you want the child to value reading, read in front of them.. the same goes with music or art or math.

With recreation like games, therefore, it's important to realize the boundary between it and your responsibilities and be careful what kind of example you're setting.

Ta,

@The Minn : Wow, that's a pretty poor read of what was written and willfully unfair.

Something else left out of the article is the idea that if a child makes a demand on the parent that the parent must respond to it or else they are being neglectful.

One of the most important lessons children, and especially young children, must learn is that of patience and respecting other people's time. What about the parent who is reading a book or working in their garden? Are they not allowed to put their child's demand off for a few moments until they are finished with what they are doing?

Just b/c the parent is available (and my wife is a stay-at-home mom who runs a small farm) does not mean that they exist completely to serve every whim of their child every moment the child is awake.

Again, the context of the situation is important, along with the temperament of the child, parenting style/philosophy, etc.

The 'dick-move' is you getting holier-than-thou with someone you don't know over an issue you have, obviously, zero experience with.

Ta,

One aspect you are leaving out is that the child may be fascinated by what you are doing. Most gaming happens after my daughter's asleep, and that's certainly true for anything that requires a headset. My daughter, for example, loves my "shouty little hobbit" (warden) and asks for me to go and beat up on orcs or whatever. The adventures of my MMORPG toons becomes a jumping off point for her own play, making up stories using stuff from the game. Her attention usually lasts about 15-20 minutes and then she moves on to other things.

For many of us, MMO's have replaced traditional board games as the basis for our social get-togethers, and more's the pity. But, it is possible to have your kids still get a sense of being involved in your activities. I had a friend who's son would help out while doing 5-mans when we played WoW, casting spells that his dad told him to cast.

It's a complex issue and context is everything.

Ta,

@Sean D You are not having to pay any money for those bank slots, you are choosing to buy them. The costs you quote are only relevant at the smallest point bundle you can buy. Spend more money, get more points/$... all the way down to 1TP=$0.01 dollars. So, 1500 TP's would be equal to $15 total. Buy the TP's when they are on sale and that cost is even lower. Moreover, it's easy to get on a $10 per month plan, and therefore, relatively speaking your stipend is worth even more to you. Then you conveniently forget about the daily sales in the store where stuff like that is regularly 20% off.

Remember also, that previous to F2P you could only have 7 extra slots, or 8 total. Now you can have 10 but you have to pay TP's for them, which you earn through both play and as a stipend for your subscription. I don't see the issue. Functionality has increased. Period.

Turbine chooses to offer new stuff you didn't have before F2P and you complain that you can't have them without spending money or spending time.

You farm TP's on a per acct. not per toon basis, so I really don't see the problem. It's irrelevant what I value a dollar at. All you are saying is that you want to have more functionality in-game without having to pay for it. In other words, you are miffed that you value your dollars more than 30 extra bank slots and are blaming Turbine for your behaviour. I also value the dollars more than the 30 bank slots, the difference is I'm not whining in public about it.

Did you complain when they added Enedwaith for 0TPs to VIP's? I didn't think so.

Ta,