Points of Interest

[kingandy]

I think it's important to note that this doesn't look even remotely like this.

Comments

[mrssshhh.livejournal.com]

LOTRO is so derivative of WoW that it's not even funny. They barely even try to hide that, either; heck some of the skills that are identical in effect are even named in such a way that you can only imagine the developers sitting there going;

"Do you think they'll notice what we've done there? Naaaah..."

WoW - Mocking Blow:A mocking attack that causes 22 damage, a moderate amount of threat and forces the target to focus attacks on you for 6 sec.

LOTRO - Vexing Blow: The Guardian is capable of drawing an enemy's attention to himself with this attack.

[arwel.livejournal.com]

Why should MMORPGS be any differnt to other computer games? Computer gaming isn't an entertainment form that often rewards inovation, you just need to look at the endless stream of near identical FPS or real time resource collection games. Anything that's succesful gets aped by countless imitators because it's a safe way of making money.

FPS games have common mechanics, and so do most MMOs, aggro/threat/hate being one of the key ones. I seem to recall CoH having an almost identical Taunt skill to WoW. It seems a bit pointless to criticse LotR for it.

[kingandy]

I like the big Nazgul on the right, holding his big-ass sword in front of him with both hands, point down. Isn't it awesome? Yes it is.

Now look at the bottom of the left hand column on the WoW site.

The in-game graphics may be more distinct - WoW does pride itself on its more stylized imagery, while LOTTO will likely be trying to evoke the look and feel films - but damn, they really liked the WoW website.

And typefaces.

Edit

[kingandy]

I like the big Nazgul on the rightleft,...

[mrssshhh.livejournal.com]

It was the fact that it's "Mocking Blow" and "Vexing Blow"...

Previously MMOs were quite good for innovation and differences. You can see elements of DAoC in WoW, but they're hugely different games.

[jacob-xiii.livejournal.com]

Meh. The Warcraft setting's derivative anyway. The homeland invading Elric of Melnibone Arthas Menethil with the corrupting, soul-eating sword Stormbringer Frostmourne....

[kingandy]

I was more thinking about the website. I think you'd have a hard time accusing LOTR itself of stealing somebody else's setting.

It's only generic and derivative because it is the source material from which the genre was derived...

[jacob-xiii.livejournal.com]

LOTRO sounds like a National Lottery game. Do you recall pen and paper RPG's with abbrevaition names?

MERP
WFRP
GURPS
TWERPS