Ridiculous Costs

[pinkfae]

I'm old fashion as well. I still by CDs, DVDs and books that I can hold on to. I do buy digital stuff from time to time as well. I'm a LOTRO fan and will shovel out the money for the digital version, but if given a choice I'd pay for a box set.

[Wanderv]

What for is 6th bag?? I forgot last time i have full bags.
'Exclusive content' is session questline. However i don't know what exclusive skill is but i'm sure it will be a fluff or minor skill.
Other things are fluff.

Also you do not have to buy RoR now. You can wait until release and buy it partially by TP's

[YellsieUK]

I agree with most people in this post.

I for one will not be buy this new expansion, I simply cant justify spending the money at present, especially for what you get in return....

Shame as I have been playing since the very beginning, all sad...

[Isharra]

Why?

Personally I LOVE buying digital. There is less garbage being manufactured this way. Why do you need a plastic disk that can't be properly recycled, that you're only going to use once, maybe twice ever, for the purpose of putting digital info on your computer? And why do you need a box that you're barely ever going to touch or look at once the contents are on your computer?

I am really glad Turbine doesn't bother with hard copy. I feel it is a very environmentally responsible choice for doing business.

[Kheld_GB]

I love a nice physical disc to admire (esp with my rubbish ADSL connection, 1MB on a good day).

[Ryzes]

Me too. Give me a nice artistic map. A tiny action statue. Something to hold. Now that's worth my hard cash.

[JustAmy]

This is the Digital Age my friends. Everything is now downloadable. Turbine isnt the only company doing this. Actually, I am glad. As another said, think of the resources were saving.

[Gaz_UK]

..... especially if RoR will be bigger than MoM

It had better be seeing as you'll be on horseback.

Just 'cos it's a large area, doesn't mean it's going to be filled with lots of content as we've not details that it will be.
But if they didn't make Rohan bigger than Moria then we'd ride through it in 5mins.

Personally even the base price is too expensive & I think WB are wanting some nice figures to show their share holders tbh.

5 year Lifetimer x 2 is considering not getting Rohan and moving on, if anything, they prices should have been the same as RoI or less IMHO which is what everyone has.

[BFM]

Perhaps they can't be bothered to continue to create content all the way up to Mordor and thought they would just keep releasing more and more expensive expansions until we all went away :O

[silverblade5445]

This year we aren't as financially able as we were last year. We'd decided that we'd go ahead and forgo the cosmetics, but we'd still go ahead and buy the $30 version, so that we'd only be paying $60.

Unfortunately, there is no $30 version, and only the $70 version includes all the in-game content (ie quests and skills, not even counting inventory or LI buffs). We can't afford $140, which is $80 more than was required last year for the two of us to get all of the in-game content.

The 40 dollar base version contains ALL the in-game content.....everything from all quests in the new zone, mounted combat system, etc etc.....there is nothing in the 70 dollar or even the 50 dollar edition that is "necessary"....

You can go for two 40 dollar versions for just 80 dollars (just 20 dollars more than last year)and have everything needed in game to enjoy the expansion....

[Raon]

The 40 dollar base version contains ALL the in-game content.....everything from all quests in the new zone, mounted combat system, etc etc.....there is nothing in the 70 dollar or even the 50 dollar edition that is "necessary"....

False, you will miss one quest line in the new area and one skill for the mount that are only in the $70 "version".

necesary?, i usually consider all the skills my character could use as "necesary" but if i only pay $40 and not 70 i couldn't finish some quest in Roham in spite of being lifer and also have the expansion and will allways miss one skill for my mount.

Are quest and skills "in-game content"?

[SalionOfBrothers]

Yeah, right people. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!!!

Oh wait...

In cases such as this I always use:

"There is insufficient data to give a meaningful answer"

[Mithlang]

First of all, I am not a forum regular. But I had to, at least, put it out of my chest.

Turbine has been extremely inconsiderate with its customers.

I am the leader of a kinship with a major focus on crafting. Have they considered the amount of time and in-game resources required to get end-gamers properly geared and equipped? We are just a small and puny kinship, but from our current 8 active players, 7 of us are VIP subscribers. I actually pay for 2 subscriptions: mine and my wife's.

It is not just about spending so much time crafting, and running quests, acquiring reputation with many factions that become completely irrelevant every 6 months. It's about respect. It's about knowing that the efforts you're taking right now will have an effect later. It's about building a character that will be sustained in the long term.

As of today, playing LOTRO after reaching the end-game feels like a rat race: you're always chasing something that will either provide a false reward or a temporary divertion. Reading the prices and options for the Riders of Rohan expansion just makes me want to go to the market and buy more cheese.

The prices and the outrage they caused are the icing on the cake, and it doesn't taste good. Will I actually enjoy playing the next expansion, or just feel "obliged" to endure flawed content, like with Rise of Isengard, in order to reach the new cap level? I know many players will agree with me when I say that the gaming experience should be enjoyable above all, but we're just kept in the dark by Turbine regarding the new content.

I understand that Turbine is a company and businesses run on cash flow and profits. I understand that Turbine would like to end Q2 2012 with good numbers and figures, and that the revenue from pre-sale will support new developments and gaming support.

But if there is anyone at Turbine currently working at customer services & support, and reading this thread, please be aware: I have other 5 characters to level up. If conditions for the pre-sale do not improve over the next couple of weeks, I will not be ashamed to abandon all end-game content for the next year and advise my kinsmen to do the same. That's 7 pre-sales you're going to be short, but at least I'll feel good about it and maybe, just maybe, try to enjoy the game again with my lowly toons.

Edit: P.S.: I can afford to buy the expansion, anytime I want it. It's not about the money, I'm talking about principles here.

[Lenton]

Feels a little too expensive to me too. Not getting turbine points from the higher tiers really hurts the cost/value.

The armor looks kind of meh. I don't really care about a Crystal of Remembrance. I do want the 6th inventory bag. The exclusive content...feels, kind of shady honestly.

I wonder how much of that stuff will be available from the LOTRO store. I'd hope it would be the extra bag, and that exclusive content.

But...for the moment, I'm going to wait on buying Riders of Rohan.

[Nickysmom]

I like digital downloads because I am happy not to have more junk lying around this teeny tiny house.

[Elvenbeast]

I too am a little disappointed with the pre-order options. I can see why the prices have to be higher compared to RoI pre-order options but I don't see why the bonus features of the higher-priced editions include exta content and skills. I don't care about fluff rewards such as cosmetics and mounts, and I have no problem with the 6th bag and a crystal being given to people who are willing and able to pay 70 dollars for them but "extra content" and a skill being made exclusive to the legendary option feels extremely wrong.

With RoI, even the expensive options seemed like good deals (the TP rewards were very pleasing) and people unable to acquire these versions weren't pushed aside as if they were paying in dirt instead of money.

I love horses, but I simply won't be paying an extra 30 dollars to get to know the great-great-great granddaddy of my war horse.

[sapperscout]

Give me something to hold on to. This younger generation has lost all sight of reality.

Besides, it makes no sense as a consumer to pay the same price for a digital item as we would pay for something tangible. These game companies still charge us packaging and marketing prices when there is no packaging or marketing involved.

My primary argument for a dvd/cd is ease of install. If you ever need to reinstall then it's easier to have the game in hand instead of spending hours downloading.

[W_T_D]

D3 has already takes away play time on LOTRO.
And talk about load time differences, seconds compared to minutes.

I'll wait for the 50% price drop to consider it.
I guess you may still be able to level your L75 guys without the expansion, in the Great River for a while and skirms / raids.
In the mean time it will be D3 and leveling the lower level guys I have / TP grinding to get enough for the expansion.

Possibly D3 will just tear me away from LOTRO.

[silverblade5445]

False, you will miss one quest line in the new area and one skill for the mount that are only in the $70 "version".

necesary?, i usually consider all the skills my character could use as "necesary" but if i only pay $40 and not 70 i couldn't finish some quest in Roham in spite of being lifer and also have the expansion and will allways miss one skill for my mount.

Are quest and skills "in-game content"?

They give you an entire EPIC QUESTLINE......the MAIN story of the game....TOTALLY FREE.....from beginning till end.....you have access to the biggest mechanic in the game (Legendary Items).....you have uninterrupted access to explore ALL zones of Middle Earth......totally free.....all of this without spending a single cent.....and yet if people wanna be sticklers for one quest in the entire expansion, given to people who paid 30 dollars more, just for the sake of having something to complain, I'm sorry to say, imo, its not Turbine who's being greedy or inconsiderate.....

Do please check out how much other free 2 play mmos with stores give preference to paying customers and how much better Turbine is in that respect before whining about missing out on ONE quest.....

[UKNightWatch]

Give me something to hold on to. This younger generation has lost all sight of reality.

Besides, it makes no sense as a consumer to pay the same price for a digital item as we would pay for something tangible. These game companies still charge us packaging and marketing prices when there is no packaging or marketing involved.

My primary argument for a dvd/cd is ease of install. If you ever need to reinstall then it's easier to have the game in hand instead of spending hours downloading.

I would agree with ya entirely - especially because of the other reasons; my not so brilliantly speedy ADSL connection and my download 'allowance'.

That said, BLANK DVD media is kinda cheap just now as are dvd writers! External HDDs for backups are not as cheap but you can find 'affordable' ones.

I sometimes back up my entire LOTRO folder and sometimes include 'my documents ... LOTRO' (sorry cannot remember exact location and cannot be on with looking for it just now). For backup, I use a portable SSD. Would probably need a few dvds to store a hard copy on though - or a Bluray (use writer) - which I have! (LOTRO as is works out a bit under 16GB).

How about using a USB stick for the back up? That way you could take the USB stick with you and plug it in almost any powerful enough PC and play from that USB stick - I used to do that.

I would prefer a disc / cover / maybe a little figurine or such. This, as has been said is the digital age though.

(Video killed the radio star - Downloads killed the DVD store)

[PoeticNightmare]

No way. As much I love collecting boxes and such, this would give them an excuse to increase the already ridiculous price of the heroic and legendary expansions.

[Maximilan]

Im happy to shell out monopoly money for digital this and that, but if you want my cold hard cash, I want something to put my fingers on... a new install disk with a box for my bookcase.

You are correct and the issue really boils down to trust. When you realize you are dependent on the company you are paying to provide you with information to back up your claim, then you'll realize your mistake. I'm not saying Turbine will defraud you, I'm saying that if you have problems, physical evidence will always trump digital evidence. There is no question that you have more control of your data when you have a CD versus a digital download. Also there is no question which is cheaper to distribute.

To those who prefer a digital verision that's your choice, please don't try to rationalize your decision based on the environment. If you want to help the environment, plant trees and don't procreate.

[Khorrax]

They give you an entire EPIC QUESTLINE......the MAIN story of the game....TOTALLY FREE.....from beginning till end.....you have access to the biggest mechanic in the game (Legendary Items).....you have uninterrupted access to explore ALL zones of Middle Earth......totally free.....all of this without spending a single cent.....and yet if people wanna be sticklers for one quest in the entire expansion, given to people who paid 30 dollars more, just for the sake of having something to complain, I'm sorry to say, imo, its not Turbine who's being greedy or inconsiderate.....

Do please check out how much other free 2 play mmos with stores give preference to paying customers and how much better Turbine is in that respect before whining about missing out on ONE quest.....

So after you basically admit that the expansion is pretty much a quest pack (since everything else can be accessed for free), you call people greedy for complaining that we have to pay 40 dollars for a quest pack?

I know you're one of those who, for some reason, defend questionable business practices (judging from your posts today), but come on! Do you honestly like to be ripped off? Stop trying to spin and turn this so it appears in a good light, there are plenty of posts on this forum that show exactly why these prices are ripping customers off. And because sooner or later, there will be a "Don't like it, don't buy it" person, I'll let you know that I won't be buying the expansion at the current price. :P

[Wanderv]

Just a question, what pay to win things will Guild Wars 2 have?

Legal goldselling

[Fionnuala]

Not me. I'd MUCH rather have in game perks than something totally useless.

Long Live the Digital Age!