Lifetime Account Members Thread

[BaconBits]

Hard to say how many points you feel you "deserve" without seeing the actual price of items

^This.

Founder/Lifer

I'm in a sit back and wait mode, but it amuses me to see how some of you are trying to calm down the people who are upset.

"It's OK you will get free points!"

Receiving free points is nice and all but it means absolutely nothing until you see what exactly will be in the store and how many points it will cost. I highly doubt your free points will allow you to "buy" the next expansion for free. So far, all I'm seeing is that they aren't taking anything away from lifers (which is good), but I bet we will be breaking out the wallet again for the next big thing.

We shall see.

[Vaedar]

<- Lifer.

The topic that we should be discussing but aren't is just how slippery this slope is. Sure, lifetime subscribers get full access - for now - but the question is when, not if, those conditions will be changed again.

The reason no one heard about Ms Paiz (or whatever her name is) moving into the top administrative position for LoTRO is because of the avalanche of speculation about FtP changes coming to LoTRO. It was kept on the hushhush for the sole purpose of mitigating fallout from this change so players would continue to subscribe and/or purchase lifetime subscriptions when they were made available.

That type of corporate BS is exactly the kind of thing I expect from WB, but not Turbine.

We need to be asking ourselves how our lifetime subscriptions will be handled in the future. Will WB decide we've gotten our money's worth down the road and reduce or eliminate most of our benefits? I'm going to go ahead and speculate that we'll be shafted down the road, and these early concessions for lifetimers are only there to lessen the sting of the initial change.

The community speculation many of you have engaged in is a perfectly reasonable concern. This is indeed slippery slope. I guess we should just enjoy the ride before we go over the cliff.

[Halbourn]

I was reading pages and pages in this thread and this quote came to mind. Please excuse the alterations.

“Frodo: I wish free to play had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the points that are given us.”

[Ulrek]

<- Lifer.

The topic that we should be discussing but aren't is just how slippery this slope is. Sure, lifetime subscribers get full access - for now - but the question is when, not if, those conditions will be changed again.

The reason no one heard about Ms Paiz (or whatever her name is) moving into the top administrative position for LoTRO is because of the avalanche of speculation about FtP changes coming to LoTRO. It was kept on the hushhush for the sole purpose of mitigating fallout from this change so players would continue to subscribe and/or purchase lifetime subscriptions when they were made available.

That type of corporate BS is exactly the kind of thing I expect from WB, but not Turbine.

We need to be asking ourselves how our lifetime subscriptions will be handled in the future. Will WB decide we've gotten our money's worth down the road and reduce or eliminate most of our benefits? I'm going to go ahead and speculate that we'll be shafted down the road, and these early concessions for lifetimers are only there to lessen the sting of the initial change.

The community speculation many of you have engaged in is a perfectly reasonable concern. This is indeed slippery slope. I guess we should just enjoy the ride before we go over the cliff.

Your lifetime access gives you access to the game servers with no monthly fee.... It does not give you access to anything else but the base game that you bought(and free content updates)... period end of story.

You still have to pay for xpacs...

I frankly dont see turbine changing or limiting your access to the game servers....

nor will they limit your access to the content more than they do already.

[DarthMord]

I have one founders account and one lifetime account. My question, after reading the included paragraphs below, is why would my founders account that I have had since beta be charged a monthly fee? I thought Founders Accounts where those with lifetime accounts since beta.

"I have a lifetime subscription to LOTRO. What will Free-to-Play mean for me?

As a lifetime subscriber to LOTRO, you will keep all of your membership privileges and are automatically upgraded to VIP status. You will receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month like the other VIPs, but you do not have to pay a monthly fee since you are a lifetime member. All you have to do is keep playing the game and visit the LOTRO Store to spend your free Turbine Points. Lifetime members may also qualify for a special one-time Loyalty Reward of 1,000 Turbine Points. See the Loyalty Reward Special Offer Terms & Conditions for full details.

I am a LOTRO Founder. What will Free-to-Play mean for me?

As a LOTRO Founder, you automatically become a VIP and will keep all of your membership privileges as long as you pay your monthly fee. You will automatically receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month and you can spend them at your leisure in the LOTRO Store. Founding members may also qualify for a special one-time Loyalty Reward of 500 Turbine Points. See the Loyalty Reward Special Offer Terms & Conditions for full details."

Lifetimers are a subset of the Founders.

Founders got special pricing. They also had the option of a lifetime account.

Think of it like so...

Players
Founders
Lifetimers

All of us are players. Some of us are Founders. Some Founders are Lifetimers.

I'm a Founder / Lifetimer. As is my wife. We'll get all the VIP bennies, plus all the expansion stuff we've purchased since launch and STILL not have to pay anything to play.

For lifetime account holders, nothing changes for us from an account perspective. We still have everything we had yesterday.

[Ulrek]

Lifetimers are a subset of the Founders.

Founders got special pricing. They also had the option of a lifetime account.

Think of it like so...

Players
Founders
Lifetimers

All of us are players. Some of us are Founders. Some Founders are Lifetimers.

I'm a Founder / Lifetimer. As is my wife. We'll get all the VIP bennies, plus all the expansion stuff we've purchased since launch and STILL not have to pay anything to play.

For lifetime account holders, nothing changes for us from an account perspective. We still have everything we had yesterday.

I could be wrong.... but I do believe it was possible to be a "lifer" without being a founder...

A founder was simply someone that preordered SOA

Lifetime accounts were offered after the launch of SoA I believe....

[Saesa]

I could be wrong.... but I do believe it was possible to be a "lifer" without being a founder...

A founder was simply someone that preordered SOA

Lifetime accounts were offered after the launch of SoA I believe....

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!

[Ulrek]

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!

Yup that is what I thought....

So.... it is possible to be a lifer without a founder....

[Lupini]

Lifetime members are not necessarily Founders, nor are Founders always Lifers.

Founders had to have purchased the game pre-launch and needed to have registered that product key by a certain date.

Lifetime was a subscription choice at launch, and was offered a few times after that.

[Drogo1]

I'm in wait and see mode - but with cautious optimism.

I'm a founder who bought the Lifer package because I'm a casual player. For some, that seems counter-intuitive. In other games, it's upsetting to think that if I don't log in for a few months that I've just wasted $15 - $20 x 3 months. Then I cancel my sub, and I'm left with a very sour taste associated with one of my favorite recreational activities. Then I have to agonize every time I htink of renewing my sub - will I play more this time, will I just be wasting my mony?, etc.

Becoming a Lifer has completely severed the connection between logging in and money. Best gaming decision I've ever made.

<snip>

As a casual player, I'm thinking "hey, maybe somethings will be easier now" since I'll be able to use points for some of the stuff I'd like (exactly what, I don't know yet).

As a parent, my feelings are mixed. My son can play for free - Yayyy. But he will be constantly asking me for money for this or that because that's what the business model is now. Boooo! (He may take over his dad's Lifer acct.)

Yes, my first thought was 'Well, so much for my 200 bucks!', but that thought was almost instantly replaced by an accounting of whether I'd gotten my money's worth to date vs. monthly subs fees (I have), then further replaced by a reckoning that Lifers will get around $15-20/month in Turbine points. Cool!

For me, though, 'easy' isn't make or break for a game. Being relatively idiot-free is. So if the game is overrun by idiots, all the points in Angmar won't amount to a hill of beans for me.

Preach it! Very close to my situation. Although as I pointed out in another thread, my first thought after I calmed down was "Hey, now I can get my best friend to try the game out. COOL!!"

I was reading pages and pages in this thread and this quote came to mind. Please excuse the alterations.

“Frodo: I wish free to play had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the points that are given us.”

Awesome!

I could be wrong.... but I do believe it was possible to be a "lifer" without being a founder...

A founder was simply someone that preordered SOA

Lifetime accounts were offered after the launch of SoA I believe....

Correct. Not all Founders are Lifers, Not all Lifers are Founders.

Founder = SOA pre-order key applied to your account

Lifetime Subs have been offered several times since the initial pre-order (unfortunately, a post from a blue name indicates Lifetime Subs will never be offered again.. Not surprising, but unfortunate)

[Saesa]

There are a few posting on the forums today who said they bought Lifetime subs THIS Feb. I can see how they'd be put out about the game going FTP now.

[AIRIAK]

I'm a Founder / Lifetimer ... And I'm pretty excited.
Heck, think about it.
With all the free points we will be getting we'll probably be able to grab the next ex-pac at a major discount, maybe even free .

[Arbalister]

There are a few posting on the forums today who said they bought Lifetime subs THIS Feb. I can see how they'd be put out about the game going FTP now.

I can't see why? They haven't lost anything. F2P only includes what came with Shadows of Angmar - for the 2 expansions content, f2p players will pay extra, etc. Feb lifers won't. And they get most of the benefits that the other lifers get. And will continue to do so as long as the game is around.

[Calrissian]

I just read the mmorpg article after reading around here today. I learned there that the free areas are the starter areas (Shire, Ered Luin, and Bree-Land) with unlockable quest givers there for some quests, and unlockable quest givers for everything after about 20-25.

I'm probably being too summary, but this in essence made me feel better about the model. It's opening up more of the earlier areas to new people, which will hopefully create a bigger pipeline of players and encourage more development, but doesn't diminish the VIP status or the value of my lifetime subscription. Hopefully, it will increase it as they have more incentive to put more content out.

Anyway, I know opinions are all over the place, but I just hadn't caught that little clarification around here until I read that. Sorry if I'm repeating info that's been said in 40 different places.

Here's the link:

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/l...Play-Interview

[Thalifea]

There are a few posting on the forums today who said they bought Lifetime subs THIS Feb. I can see how they'd be put out about the game going FTP now.

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.

[Saesa]

I'm a Founder / Lifetimer ... And I'm pretty excited.
Heck, think about it.
With all the free points we will be getting we'll probably be able to grab the next ex-pac at a major discount, maybe even free .

Yep, this is already affecting my game decisions.

Example: I am going to buy the Mirkwood expansion now, with money. It will probably cost a lot of points and I don't want to waste my founder/Lifer points on it by waiting. I am NOT going to buy more bank chests with in-game gold. I will wait and do that with points. I hope I can get a goat for Moria with points because I missed the timing for that when I bought Moria.

[CityHunter22]

Hey I'm already looking forward to getting all the unlockable emotes from all the noobs /emoting me. I can just park my toon in Bree and wait for it.

Anyway, these people won't effect us that much unless they decide to subscibe, and aren't they the ones we want anyay?

I'd just be happy with another expansion bigger than one area.

I'm a lifetimer, but I feel like I've gotten my money's worth after 3 years. If the "new" build doesn't work for me, I guess I just won't play LOTRO as much anymore. The only thing that bothers me about the whole situation is the points thing. As long as it's stuff that isn't game-changing (and I don't think it will be), I'm ok with it.

[Angulion]

Founder/Lifetime subscriber

Not bothered by this latest development. There has been a lot of tooth-gnashing and hair-tugging but while I do concede there are legitimate concerns from some people, I'm not buying the DOOM! scenarios being spun right now.

[Ryinnik]

I can't see why? They haven't lost anything. F2P only includes what came with Shadows of Angmar - for the 2 expansions content, f2p players will pay extra, etc. Feb lifers won't. And they get most of the benefits that the other lifers get. And will continue to do so as long as the game is around.

Because some people made the decision to recently get that lifetime account based on the game and community as they exist. These will undeniably shift due to F2P. Based on prior experience with F2P titles this shift will be away from the very reasons it was a good idea to buy the lifetime subscription.

[aricdolokar]

As a founder and a lifer not at all concerned with this change. This model to me is basically the new "trial" model. People can play for free with some limitations. Then they can either buy a-la cart some of the extra stuff or upgrade their account type to a full/VIP account. There are ways in the game to get points so you don't have to buy everything while playing for free spending nothing and still being able to unlock things but it isn't the easiest method.

It didn't bother me at all and I didn't thing I was going to be screwed as a lifer sub. Turbine has in the past been very gracious to Lifers. What we got the adventure pack free with order of SoM. Now we are not having anything taken away (still stay at VIP status with out paying) but are going to be given some monthly points, plus the bonus to start with.

I couldn't really care what the store offers I wouldn't spend money on goofy cosmetic items and the store isn't going to have anything that you have to buy for you to play the game. By the time the next expansion comes around I could have some/most/all of it payed for with points I haven't used.

For people that want to collect things and don't feel like spending X time for a goofy hat and want to spend points on it, well more power to them doesn't make me feel like my accomplishments are any less.

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.

[Thogul]

I'm starting this thread for any lifetime subscription members to speak.

As for me...
Forgive me but I'm not taking this well.

I've spent a fewhundred dollars on two lifetime accounts. I've been a loyal paying customer since the first day I could get my hands on a box.

I read your press releases and I can see you are going to give me store points as compensation for your change. I don't know enough right now to decide how I feel about that. Maybe it is a just compensation? I really don't know yet. I suppose it depends on what these points will do exactly.

But my first reaction is, I feel cheated. I paid a lifetime membership to join a club that you're now letting anyone into for free? I know how I would take this if my college, landlord, or healthclub suddenly went free to anyone After I had dished out money to them. I'll wait to see how this goes but really, right now my inclination is to file a fraud complaint with my state government's Consumer Commission. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, you've been good to me so far.

I understand your concern. I felt the same way when I saw the announcement, but now I'm doing a happy dance. I got my lifetime sub about a month ago, and now I'm grandfathered in to really cool stuff, plus I get free starter points. I don't have to worry about not affording an expansion, because I'll soon be able to save up points for them! As for people paying cash for in-game stuf, more power to them! That just means more players generating more revenue to make the stuff I get for free even better. Now I feel justly rewarded for shelling out the money, and now I will enjoy having lots of new buyers in the AH in a few months. I'm feeling the win-win love already.

[Thalifea]

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.

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.

[AIRIAK]

I don't have to worry about not affording an expansion, because I'll soon be able to save up points for them! As for people paying cash for in-game stuf, more power to them! That just means more players generating more revenue to make the stuff I get for free even better. Now I feel justly rewarded for shelling out the money, and now I will enjoy having lots of new buyers in the AH in a few months. I'm feeling the win-win love already.

Oh yeah!
Time to go farm up some lower level mats

[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:

The [community] stands on the edge of a knife, stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains as long as the [community] is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now, and rest, for you are weary with toil and much sorrow. Tonight you shall sleep in peace.

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 .

[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.