Lifetime Account Members Thread

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Originally Posted by Linfirandir

I am a lifetime subscriber myself, I would like to know one thing and I will be put at ease.

If I decide that I cannot play the game for a few months do I loose my VIP status?

Furthermore does even if I keep my VIP status, will I still be earning the points?

This is very important to me because I sometimes cannot log into the game for a few months at a time.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

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You keep your VIP status, and starting at launch you get your 500 points a month regardless of logging in or not.

As a lifetime subscriber I am now sold on this idea. This is going to be great, I get to play the game the same and I get 500 TP on top of it to buy some fun stuff. The best part is, I don't have to talk my friends into buying the game and paying a sub, they can join me whenever they want and buy TP as they need. On top of it all is the ability for family members that don't play games but might want to hang out in a game with me once in a while can do so for free.

Anything you've already bought, you won't lose. And I think I read that future expansions will be free for VIP (paying) customers, else your TP may very well be sufficient to buy that.

Most lifers are already at lvl 65, it's going to be awhile before you see a F2P person in MW as they still have to level. If they're kids without money, they need to grind a lot of stuff to unlock additional areas. If it's someone with lots of $ to spend on points to advance more quickly, it's just my way of thinking, but if you're going to spend money to advance quickly on a F2P model, why not get a subscription for the additional benefits? They may be good, they may not - same as paying customers now.

But I can see a lot of kins will start looking at recruits more critically.

I just don't want to see the store with things that are required to advance or to get a better chance of the best loot. Fluffy stuff, or extra storage/characters/expansions, etc. which is what has been announced. The best gear should go to those who actually earn it. I'm just apprehensive that the future store offerings will offer end game rewards.

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Originally Posted by Mines_of_Moria

As a lifer, I can see why some maybe a little put-out by the move,
but I think in the end it will do the game some good. Of course, a large part of the outcome depends on our reaction. We have an option here: we can welcome the new members to the community, teaching them to be respectful and kind, OR we can ostracize them and make them feel resented.

To quote the movies:


If we welcome them, the transition will go well. That isn't to say that there won't be troublemakers (there will), but if we do see people making it difficult for players, or being rude, or being annoying, we can influence them by kindly, if firmly, telling them to quit. If they don't, then there's always report/ignore .

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This is a nice well thought out post. This will make a difference as the community evolves.

Personally; however, I played LOTRO and found the community I liked and then shelled out for the lifetime membership. I didn't create the community and I don't spend my hard earned stress relieving entertainment time maintaining it - just enjoying the game in it. That is what bothers me.

I don't want to work during my free time to maintain what I found (and a rare find in this interwebz world) and paid to have access to.

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Originally Posted by Saesa

They brought back Lifer accts at least once after release. Pre-release, Founders and Beta-testers got them for $199. Post-release, anyone could buy one for $299. I'm about 98% certain there was a window to go Lifer around Christmas one year. I remember debating about buying a third Lifer acct for my son but opted not to. Wish I had!

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Yep, this is what I've been thinking, too. In December 2007, they had a special deal to go lifetime for $299 - Bree-horse and Glass of Aglaral (sp?), but I do not remember the cloaks or rings. I just wish there were some official account notification beyond being able to ride my Bree-horse at level 25 (now level 15). I just can't remember if that one-time-only deal automatically back-conferred Founder status. We'll see what my supoort ticket response is.

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Originally Posted by Thalifea

The present state of the community stands to do more damage to itself than any of the new players could ever hope to achieve. The problem is fingers will be pointed at the new people, not at the mirror where the rightful blame resides.

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Hopefully I understand what you are getting at and this would be what I am afraid of. My best hope is that normally the servers themselves (atleast I can't remember any time I have been on silverlode and thought it's community sucked) are not nearly as bad as the forums ever are. I logged in a few days ago after who knows how many days away and still got a hearty hello from my kin and even a few "who are you" or "haven't seen you in a while". Forums always seem to draw out the worst of the worst.

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Originally Posted by Namesse

Most lifers are already at lvl 65, it's going to be awhile before you see a F2P person in MW as they still have to level.

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As a founder and a lifer is it sad that this warden is my highest level char? ;)

A. I wish I had more time to play this game
B. Would be nice if some of my RL friends also played

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Originally Posted by aricdolokar

Hopefully I understand what you are getting at and this would be what I am afraid of. My best hope is that normally the servers themselves (atleast I can't remember any time I have been on silverlode and thought it's community sucked) are not nearly as bad as the forums ever are. I logged in a few days ago after who knows how many days away and still got a hearty hello from my kin and even a few "who are you" or "haven't seen you in a while". Forums always seem to draw out the worst of the worst.

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Mostly what I am trying to say is that if the wrecking ball were to come through this community it wouldn't be swung by the new players. I'm hoping people wise up and realize how foolish they are being, sadly my expectations are not as high. Real life tends to sway in the way of people being intolerant, as sad as it may be.

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Originally Posted by Thalifea

The present state of the community stands to do more damage to itself than any of the new players could ever hope to achieve. The problem is fingers will be pointed at the new people, not at the mirror where the rightful blame resides.

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^^^^ This

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Originally Posted by aricdolokar

As a founder and a lifer is it sad that this warden is my highest level char? ;)

A. I wish I had more time to play this game
B. Would be nice if some of my RL friends also played

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Founder/Lifetime here - my highest character is in my sig. Between RL and Alts I probably won't see 65 until the cap is 100 :/.

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Originally Posted by 0rdinary0wl

***! I just went lifetime around last Feb. :( I am not happy about this at all.

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Ditto on two accounts!

Summer

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Originally Posted by aricdolokar

As a founder and a lifer is it sad that this warden is my highest level char? ;)

A. I wish I had more time to play this game
B. Would be nice if some of my RL friends also played

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I've got you beat. :D As a Founder and a Lifer, my main is the Hunter below.

I like this, but I'm a little worried about the having to play a certain amount to get the bonus points things. The big reason I bought a lifetime sub is so I could afford not to play this game.

That is, games with a monthly fee always compelled me to play a lot, so as to get my money's worth. But with a lifetime sub, that wasn't the case. I could play as much or as little as I liked and I didn't have to worry about whether I was playing enough to be worth the money.

I haven't logged into this game for months (I guess since SoM). Will I still get bonus points when it goes F2P?

And personally, never having been welcomed by the supposedly awesome community here (my posts on the forums to find a kinship always went unanswered, just like my search for one in game, where no one ever talks) I welcome the new blood.

I might actually start playing again. I just don't want to jump through hoops to get bonus points.

(Actually, looking at my character in my sig, I've apparently been "archived". I don't like the sound of that...)

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Originally Posted by Thalifea

Why? They retain what they have and get 500 free point a month for just logging in. Oh wait now they have to unlock content in the future, but isn't that like buying an x-pac? It's only a waste of money if they see it that way. Fact is they don't have to spend anymore to play the game. They won't have to spend $15 to get 500 points a month. It's all there, they don't lose what they bought. As long as they keep playing they still come out on top. Plus if they take a break, all the have to do is log in once a month, say "Hi" and log out. Bam, 500 free points for saying hi.

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Actually, once F2P launches, they don't even have to log in each month to get their 500 points - that's only for the pre-launch bonus 500's

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Originally Posted by aricdolokar

The only thing I am concerned with is the current community putting up a wall against the new players. Someone that is trying a game on a free basis and is met with hatred isn't likely to continue playing or upgrade their account and I would really like to see more people enjoying this gem of a game.

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Originally Posted by LoupGarou216

This is a travesty. Turbine, by making LOTRO F2P, you just ruined its legendary community. I still managed to get a year or so of free play out of my lifetime membership, but I won't be playing once one of the best premium MMORPG's out there goes F2P. Well, at least I got to see Moria. My Dwarf is now retired as of today. Turbine will not be getting another cent out of me for any game, ever.

WB can sit in their coffins and rot.

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Originally Posted by Thalifea

The present state of the community stands to do more damage to itself than any of the new players could ever hope to achieve. The problem is fingers will be pointed at the new people, not at the mirror where the rightful blame resides.

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*ouch* Within 3 posts, we have a perfect example of the community dividing up, tearing itself apart, and generally doing it's level best to fulfill it's own prophecies of doom and gloom.

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Originally Posted by trancejeremy

I like this, but I'm a little worried about the having to play a certain amount to get the bonus points things.

I haven't logged into this game for months (I guess since SoM). Will I still get bonus points when it goes F2P?

And personally, never having been welcomed by the supposedly awesome community here (my posts on the forums to find a kinship always went unanswered, just like my search for one in game) I welcome the new blood.

I might actually start playing again. I just don't want to jump through hoops to get bonus points.

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For lifers, you only have to log in once a month between now and the launch of the F2P, after that you get them automagically once a month.

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Originally Posted by Drogo1

Actually, once F2P launches, they don't even have to log in each month to get their 500 points - that's only for the pre-launch bonus 500's








*ouch* Within 3 posts, we have a perfect example of the community dividing up, tearing itself apart, and generally doing it's level best to fulfill it's own prophecies of doom and gloom.

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Ummm, actually I was just stating how I saw things, I'm all for this change. I'll call out intolerance when I see it, and I'm seeing a whole lot today. I don't wish for a community divided but I will call it as I see it. That said I'll be right there to answer questions that new people have. They are people who want to play a game, just the same as me.

I had paid for a lifetime sub with certain expectations from this game, and up until now I have not been disappointed. There are many reasons why this game is so highly rated on sites such as MMORPG.com, but for me the primary one is the community/player base. I fear that a F2P structure will put an end to that and transform this game into something altogether different.

The "VIP" status thing and their monthly thirty pieces of silver to spend in their marketplace won't be enough to keep me playing if the game takes the turn I think it will. I would have rather seen some sort of refund option for those that paid for a lifetime subscription to a game that is now going to be considerably different than the one that was marketed to us in the first place.

I would never have spent that kind of money on a lifetime sub to a F2P MMO. It's nothing like the betrayal I felt with the NGE, but it's still putting a very bad taste in my mouth all the same.

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Originally Posted by Thalifea

And I'll be right there to answer questions that new people have. They are people who want to play a game, just the same as me.

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That's what I plan to do.
Answer a question or two a few times a week ... maybe help a few new players through some quests / instances. If they have a warm reception it'll be a little easier to assimilate them :D.

Well, let's see. Where to start.

I need to see a listing of what will be in the store. To whit, how much will Mirkwood access cost, can points be used to get it, etc. Since you will be purchasing points with cashy money, it stands to reason that the expac which only costs 10$US should not cost more than that in store coin, or equivalent in cash/coin transfers.

How secure is the store going to be? With regard to security, the more walls you put up, the more places someone can knock holes.

How many more gold farmers is this going to bring in? Do I really want to be spammed constantly by idiot power-leveling companies and their ilk? NO.

I want at least a week for a sale on the AH. This 2 day BS is for kindergartners. Haven't seen a game YET that gives that small a time. And charges so much based on asking price. The AH should not be a money sink. It should be an opportunity for players, not the devs to take more coin out of the system.

And why can't each character have their own home? If it's so easy for you to keep a server running that you are going to drown us all in players, start using that storage for those of us who PAID for it.

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Originally Posted by Reonath

I can't speak for every lifetime member but my reaction was the same as the OP...but only briefly. After a bit of consideration I am mostly now very curious to see what the items are that are available through use of the points. I did read the FAQ and all of the currently available free-to-play threads and found actually very little to be concerned about. The way that I am seeing the future outcome is that hopefully we will end up with a much larger player base and a lot more content a lot more often. That being said if the store EVER changes to including game breaking items such as legendary items or radiance armour or anything that you would normally have to work for I would be pretty disappointed. I imagine that it will be something equivalent to the gear purchasable with skirmish marks which, while better than most quest drops, is considerably poorer than any of the crafted or bartered items and thus not really all that great.

I am very hopeful that the marketing push for this is MASSIVE in order to get a tremendous interest in the game and a whole rush of new players. I also am hoping that the account tier structure is effective in motivating people to upgrade their subs once they realize the restrictions placed on them due to their type of account impede their ability to advance and play the game.

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As a Founder/Lifer, this is my stance on the whole situation as well.

I'm completely sick of all the players that do nothing but complain every time a major change happens in this game. Why can't people learn to roll with the punches and adapt? As in life, you can't expect everything to remain static.

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Originally Posted by Feanor23x

As a Founder/Lifer, this is my stance on the whole situation as well.

I'm completely sick of all the players that do nothing but complain every time a major change happens in this game. Why can't people learn to roll with the punches and adapt? As in life, you can't expect everything to remain static.

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It's too hard.....


At least that's what I've been hearing. :D

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Originally Posted by Sapience

The FAQ can put things a bit bluntly and maybe doesn't get to the meat of things, so let me try and explain a bit better.

As a lifetimer, you entered into an agreement that you would never pay another subscription fee with us again. You still won't. For you, nothing has changed. You will not be billed a subscription, your status and access to the game will not change. You will be getting an additional benefit, however, in the form of Turbine points.

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If I don't log in once in 30 days do I lose my lifetime VIP ? What about Military or long stays in the hoospital ?

Forcing me to log in once a month, when I am a founder, I have problem with this, I don't mind the fact that your going free to play, in fact I welcome it if give me more content and game play options,, but we have to be clear about my lifetime VIP status, sounds to me like my deal is changing..

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Originally Posted by wgc01

If I don't log in once in 30 days do I lose my lifetime VIP ? What about Military or long stays in the hoospital ?

Forcing me to log in once a month, when I am a founder, I have problem with this, I don't mind the fact that your going free to play, in fact I welcome it if give me more content and game play options,, but we have to be clear about my lifetime VIP status, sounds to me like my deal is changing..

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From now until launch, if you log in once a month you get a BONUS 500 turbine points per month you log in. That's it. You don't have to log in to keep your VIP status.

Ya know, I think Turbine has done an excellent job re: gold farmers and power-level pimps. I haven't seen a single one in a good 4 months. Before that, I was gone from the game and there used to be goldfarmers standing by the mailbox in Bree on a daily basis. You also used to get goldfarm spam in your mailbox.

And - if gold is part of what people can buy with points, gold-farming will cease to exist. (Not sure if I think buying gold at the store is good, tho.)

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Originally Posted by wgc01

If I don't log in once in 30 days do I lose my lifetime VIP ? What about Military or long stays in the hoospital ?

Forcing me to log in once a month, when I am a founder, I have problem with this, I don't mind the fact that your going free to play, in fact I welcome it if give me more content and game play options,, but we have to be clear about my lifetime VIP status, sounds to me like my deal is changing..

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As has been said many many many times today:

The logging in once a month thing only applies to the "bonus" point awards for the months between now and F2P release. When F2P is released VIP members will get their "free" points every month as long as their account is in good standing (i.e. monthly/multiple month plan payments are ongoing/they are LT members|and no bans)

I'm a lifetime suscriber from Argentina, when i got the lifetime sub it was $300 but with our ****ty coin currency it was to me what to you would be $1000, so imagine how i feel. Even though we still have to see how this will all work out i wouldn't get my expectations that high since i've been let down by turbine over and over again since moria launch.
I really hope those vip turbine points are enough to get future expansions. Lifetime suscriber having to pay for another expansion would go beyond shameful.
My biggest worry however is community, i don't want lotro full of wowish style stupid kids insulting everyone and speaking nonsense through chat channels.