Dissapointed in SSG i.e. 10 year giftbox

[CroKat]

There are several attempts from some forum users to convert devs into puppets, literally telling them what they have to do with certain classes (guard, beorning, etc.).

Lol what? In every single game players complain about the classes and give suggestions, only smart devs know when to appreciate such feedback because dedicated players know more about the game synergy than certain developers. Sometimes developers even explain why they did what they did and ask the community for the opinions (like blessed Means in my old AO).
And Turbine devs screwed some things up badly, only somebody who is totally clueless about the game cant see that.

[riedlj]

This thread is going all over the place and in disparate directions.

The fact is you have some folks saying that a join date makes them more worthy of x,y,z... (look half a dozen posts up or so)

But how can you measure worthiness?

Is my friend more worthy than me because he is a founder but hasn't played in 5 years?

Is a lifer who has played for 8 years more worthy than some one who has paid a VIP sub for 8 years?

Is a F2p player who has played for 5 years more worthy than a player who has payed a sub for 2 years?

The anniversary gifts have always been a nice gesture and if you view them in that sense then anything is good.
If you view it from entitlement or your apparent view thereof, then you get what we have in most of these posts.

Frankly this is BS. Seniority is real. People get rewarded more richly in RL for having more experience, more time investment and loyalty to an employer, business, institution etc. I get rewarded from my credit card company for just having been a long standing customer, I get rewarded by my employer in the way of gifts and compensation for having seniority. This has nothing to do with entitlement. Entitlement is when you feel you inherently deserve certain privileges. 10 year players aren't disappointed because of a sense of entitlement. They have a reasonable expectation of certain privileges, just as their experience in RL has proven to them.

[kickman77]

Well we shall see tomorrow because I have a feeling these quest may be a little fun but that they will be a grind that will of course have the Mithril coin reset available which if thats the case will be even more insult to injury.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it

[JeepMaster]

What a bunch of self-entitled whiners...

The yearly anniversary event isn't about thanking or rewarding (& certainly not about celebrating) the players - that's something that is courteously done as an (apparently thank-less) aside. This event is about celebrating THE GAME:

10 years of Lord of the Ring Online.

There are short-term players here that have spent literally thousands of dollars playing the game either through multiple account purchasings, or even just on singular accounts - players that -even multi-boxing aside - have spent far more hours actually playing this game than many First-years, & who which have received no titles, or frames, or any special cosmetics to indicate to other players their significant level of game-support or dedication, and yet even before this event has started, a bunch of Self-entitled First-Year purchasers have to come in here thinking that they're not being appreciated enough?.. that somehow their simple purchase from ten years ago (& yes - even a $200 purchase from ten years ago was a simple one for many back then) & for which they have already been repeatedly rewarded - should somehow entitle them to be allowed to FOREVER MORE lord that fact over the rest of the player base in evermore increasing ways each year... What a bunch of rubbish.

Rewards &/or incentives should be based on something far more meaningful than a simple purchasing date...

[siipperi]

I don't normally weigh in on fluff. For me the people that like it good for them. The people like me that don't (I can't recall ever firing a firework in lotro), whatevs. But this is a 10 year anniversary and the 10 year players deserved way more than this (and a VERY lackluster portrait frame) for 10 years of loyalty in an industry that doesn't foster it, with a game and company that objectively, probably didn't deserve it for a good chunk of it's middle years. At minimum, there should be a hefty deposit of mithril coins for our loyalty. And you guys really need to take a class or seminar or something on customer appreciation and service.

Meh, who cares about gear, currency or such. All I want is something memorable for everyone who will reach 10 year milestone. Similar what we get on some epic books like Ranger painting, that was sweet.

You spelled "Snowflake" incorrectly in your forum profile.

[Bel-Astarte]

Your pointing fingers at players because SSG is ####ing failing to appreciate their players is hillarious. And you also failed to point the finger at a right person, since this year I will get my 6 year portrait. This doesn't prevent me to say that SSG has shown in the last month what the value of players is - 0. The lag, the tailor and cook crafting, the rep drop, bad copy/paste, no communication etc... So I'm not surprised by the anniversary at all, which doesn't say I still can't advocate for something better.

You are correct that I am not psychic.

But you didn't answer my question, either.

[Montezuma's]

frankly, so many silly and even dumb opinions on a simple matter:
10 years means huge loyalty. Loyalty must be always rewarded. For SSG rewarding players means giving them free few textures on a frame. Like a bunch of coding lines. Literally. It costs NOTHING to SSG, but so much meaning to a loyal player.
That's all.

p.s. personally I will have 7-years frame, if you are curious.

[Arachnella]

I'll chime in with my own personal view, to add to a variety of opinions here.
I play since the EU open beta and a founder / lifetimer.

Do I feel entitled to something special and extraordinary, like a heap of mithril coins, as someone suggested here? Not in the least.
Do I think that every year the gifts should be more lavish and extravagant? Certainly not!
Am I disappointed with the 10th year's gift? A bit.
Ten years is a huge milestone, and I'd like the memento of this year be memorable, most and above all. The fireworks don't fall into this category for me, sorry. I'd rather prefer a unique cloak.
Would I throw a tantrum over it? Of course not.
Of course I would be glad to have the Dragon fireworks but it's not really an item one would use all the time. Just my 2 cents.

[Arnenna]

People who played for 10 years are more faithful than people who played lessthan that. How complicated this is for you? Looking at your posts, it seems to me that you are here for less than 10 years and i have a feeling that this is the only reason why you try so hard to make everyine think that those who played for 10 years are not morefaithful. Yes they are. Nobody stopped anyone from starting the game back in April 2007.

I myself started playing April 2007 and i consider myself more faithful than you, especially with all the #### changes that started with Enedwaith update. That takes lots of faith.

And when it comes to OP: yes, the 10 years rewards box, if nothing changes is a slap in the face to those most faitfhul 10 years players.

Nope, you are not more faithful. You've been faithful, for longer is all.

I began playing after Enedwaith hit, so my whole time here - by your standard has been wading through rubbish?

You can of course consider yourself more faithful if you wish, but it won't change anything. There are players that have only been around for a year, and they are the same as me, and guess what - they are the same as you too.

[TheREALify]

Count me among those that are disappointed with the content of the announced 10th Anniversary Gift Box. Yet another portrait that everyone knew was coming and fireworks? Really? I thought the idea here was to thank your players for paying your salary. This is how you say "Thank you"? How many Mithril Coins does it cost to super-size the lame Gift Box we get for logging in?

When developing for our 10th anniversary, we made a decision to focus on both items and content. What this means is that the 10th anniversary has far more playable content associated with it than any other anniversary we've had. We also have more than thirty items available in the scavenger hunt. We appreciate the feedback on the gift boxes themselves, though. I would caution that I'd wait until you see the fireworks before passing judgement, though, as they are pretty sweet.

Super. More than 30 items available huh? And what fraction of those 30 will I be able to reasonably obtain? How many of them cancel out another (IE, pick one reward but not both)? 30 is a nice number to throw around but it's meaningless if we're unable to collect all 30 at the same time. My fear here is that you've created an enormous, stinking grind that will be impossible to get through with all of my playing characters in the time allotted.

I'm actually dreading this scavenger hunt you mentioned. I'm afraid you've created yet another PVP event where one player's success represents the failure of multiple others. It's why I don't bother with a great deal of your so-called "festival content". Festivals should be a fun diversion, not something that encourages players to "screw the other guy before he screws you" so that you can win.

And we'll be doing all this wonderful new content in areas crowded with other festival goers in an already badly lagged game. I'm not looking forward to this at all. Stuttering, rubber-banding, slide-show fps, crippling lag and random disconnects will be the order of the day. But hey, 30 items.

I think you've lost touch with the concept of "fun", not to mention "gratitude". I was genuinely looking forward to your biggest anniversary celebration yet till I started reading about it.

[Arnenna]

I understand all what you are saying.

But for me it is very simple in the end. People have played since the start and for me they are more faithful. If those super faithfull players that have played for 3 years but spent some money on the game, could have showed their faith by starting to playing from the start. It is simple really.

And also for some of you, the amount of money that one spends o the game shows their faith (the more the more faithful). For me it just shows that they can afford to play the game the way they want.

I have a different perspective on this.

Btw i did have breaks but always come back in the end, even if there is 0 signs that the game will get treated more seriosuly by the devs. Now that is what i call faith.

There you go, you took breaks when the game wasn't going your way.

I've never taken a break, nor do I play any other game. I didn't play any game before I joined this one, in November 2012. That still doesn't make me anymore faithful than any other player in the game. I've spent a small fortune - that doesn't make me more faithful either.

We are all equal when it comes to our value and worth. Some have been around longer than others - but that's it.

[Sheaezra]

You hit the nail on the head here.

All I have read is self centered childish posts about me me me.

They gave us a mount not more than a couple of months ago!!

That was to try getting people to re-subscribe... instead of fixing those things that caused them to un-subscribe.

YOU SHOULD BE GIVING GIFTS TO THE DEVELOPERS for keeping this game going for 10 years and fleshing out this literary world.

Something like; Ask not what SSG can do for you, ask what you can do for SSG?

I suppose I owe Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and my ISP gifts too.

[bawbagashy]

For those of you , that for some unknown reason ( you were dropped as a baby maybe)

why do you keep moaning, at us moaners ,

Give us a break , some of us spend a small fortune on this game . ( aye me the lazy player )

So if SSG can't knock up a bit of code , to keep us in a happy place , they will only suffer as there is so much competition out there .

Its free so do not complain , sounds very communisty too me .

I am only 3 years in , but i stand with my brothers and sisters of the lotro army

SSG get a grip , figure something out , Loyalty breeds loyalty .

Love from Scotland .

PS as a 3 year member i will be happy if you fix the F'in Lag. and client fails. oh yeah and if you could inject a bit of humanity into your GM's (most do have a soul) that would be a great help too.

[Dotlbeme]

Wow..9 pages...(no I did not read it all) Not complaining, I'll take whatever I can get...but weekly/daily Hobbit prizes are less underwhelming...(more whelming?)

I can think of several things they could have given. I got a gift box once where you get to pick a mount out of a list. They could have done a cosmetic thing or two, house item. People love choices, so some kind of pick-em box would have been nice.

It's not so much that 10-year people DESERVE anything extra, but SSG really lost an opportunity for a neat marketing tool: Give a decent prize to 10-yearers, and maybe people will stay in the game to get it? Frames are cool though...(yeah I'm a 10-yearer...)

-tp

[Bohdb]

What a sad, sad post. Zero marks for the ad hominem and attempts to troll. If you read my post, you'll see that I couldn't care less about the 10th anniversary contents because there are far more significant and pressing matters affecting the game. My curiosity was somewhat peaked by SSG's inconsistency of their track record. Do try a bit harder next time.

I was going to give you a witty reply and it dawned on me it is not worth the effort. You came for the pity party and I already know the way you post so I am positive you would not even try and make an effort to see what the other side has to say. So please go back to your being sad but curious and make a righteous indignation post after I am sure it will make you feel better. It is what you do.

[Sheaezra]

It's not so much that 10-year people DESERVE anything extra, but SSG really lost an opportunity for a neat marketing tool: Give a decent prize to 10-yearers, and maybe people will stay in the game to get it? Frames are cool though...(yeah I'm a 10-yearer...)

That's exactly it. Marketing. Inspiring customer loyalty/perseverance in a very competitive industry.

The reason why I get annoyed over stuff like this is, I'm concerned lotro is going to be driven into the ground way before I ever get to my 10th anniversary or even my 5th.

It's like, SSG why you do this? *faceplam*

[Bel-Astarte]

Wow..9 pages...(no I did not read it all) Not complaining, I'll take whatever I can get...but weekly/daily Hobbit prizes are less underwhelming...(more whelming?)

I can think of several things they could have given. I got a gift box once where you get to pick a mount out of a list. They could have done a cosmetic thing or two, house item. People love choices, so some kind of pick-em box would have been nice.

It's not so much that 10-year people DESERVE anything extra, but SSG really lost an opportunity for a neat marketing tool: Give a decent prize to 10-yearers, and maybe people will stay in the game to get it? Frames are cool though...(yeah I'm a 10-yearer...)

-tp

this seems a reasonable argument to make. I hope that the anniversary festival, once we can finally all experience it, will allow folks to feel more positively about the game as we march into Mordor.

[Arnenna]

@ SSG. As it maybe too late now to change what's inside the box, maybe you could consider a deed for it.

Use dragon fireworks X amount of times, then get choice of title - Dragon Chaser or the Big 10.

Then a choice of . . .

Cute baby dragon pet, or a dragon styled caparison, or a guard dragon housing item.

[Dotlbeme]

@ SSG. As it maybe too late now to change what's inside the box, maybe you could consider a deed for it.

Use dragon fireworks X amount of times, then get choice of title - Dragon Chaser or the Big 10.

Then a choice of . . .

Cute baby dragon pet, or a dragon styled caparison, or a guard dragon housing item.

I love this!
I would not balk at having to fire the thing 500 time IF you got:

Ok here it is...a drake (like the Moria ones) you can have guard your house. It shoots a (non-harmful) blast at whomever comes to call. You could [pick-em box] an ice-drake, fire-drake or a water drake. That would be awesome...

[Joedangod]

I always hold the mindset that when it comes to anniversary rewards the smaller the reward is, the better. The date you created your account is in no way an accurate measure for how well you have supported the game so far, it simply shows when you first took an interest. Anniversary rewards based on such dates should never be inherent advantages and they should never be the coolest of items simply because they have no requirement for you to invest in the game in order to receive them. Anything dragon related is kinda awkward being put into such gifts as people really like dragons. I mean, they really like dragons.

Try imagine a 2 year old account player right now. This player might have paid far more than any lifetimer or 10 year player and invested far more time actually playing the game and interacting with the community yet they might never receive this 10 year item, after all, 8 years is a long time. The game will come to an end one day, the day may not be near but it might certainly prevent current players from ever getting such rewards.


TL;DR:
...Dragon fireworks sound pretty darn cool.

[BangoTwinkletoes]

I was going to give you a witty reply and it dawned on me it is not worth the effort. You came for the pity party and I already know the way you post so I am positive you would not even try and make an effort to see what the other side has to say. So please go back to your being sad but curious and make a righteous indignation post after I am sure it will make you feel better. It is what you do.

What on earth are you going on about. I make a comment that Turbine (historically) have been inconsistent with their anniversary gifts and you insist on going on and on that I am "whining" and "sad" etc etc. Seriously, either try harder with your rubbish baiting (because you obviously have an issue with me - didn't know I was living rent free in your grey matter) or do us all a favour and give it a rest? Ta.

Edit - you've even ignored my post where I state that those of us who have been around for 10 years are not the most deserving. Perhaps that's where your argument fell down and as such you ignored it... Back to the thread..

[Arnenna]

I always hold the mindset that when it comes to anniversary rewards the smaller the reward is, the better. The date you created your account is in no way an accurate measure for how well you have supported the game so far, it simply shows when you first took an interest. Anniversary rewards based on such dates should never be inherent advantages and they should never be the coolest of items simply because they have no requirement for you to invest in the game in order to receive them. Anything dragon related is kinda awkward being put into such gifts as people really like dragons. I mean, they really like dragons.

Try imagine a 2 year old account player right now. This player might have paid far more than any lifetimer or 10 year player and invested far more time actually playing the game and interacting with the community yet they might never receive this 10 year item, after all, 8 years is a long time. The game will come to an end one day, the day may not be near but it might certainly prevent current players from ever getting such rewards.


TL;DR:
...Dragon fireworks sound pretty darn cool.

I used dragon in my example, just following the dragon theme of the fireworks. A different style would work too. I'm of a similar mindset as you on this. Worth cannot be measured by start date, and now the game may have more years behind it than in front of it, and it could be pretty daunting to a newcomer (or even a player that's been here 6 years), knowing they may not have another 10 (or 4) years left to reach the goals being set by these gifts. Maybe it's time after this year to switch from token gestures to something valuable from a monetary view - like LP or MC.

I agree, the dragon fireworks sound very cool to me. I hope the game has 5.5 years left, so I may get them too.

[abrahamL]

So many people feel cheated here and are quick to offer up why they feel this way, but not many have offered up how they think it would be better. Bring out your suggestions.

[Dotlbeme]

So many people feel cheated here and are quick to offer up why they feel this way, but not many have offered up how they think it would be better. Bring out your suggestions.

Oh I know all you 10-yearsers are thinking it...A FLYING MOUNT!!!!....sowwy, could not resist...

[BangoTwinkletoes]

So many people feel cheated here and are quick to offer up why they feel this way, but not many have offered up how they think it would be better. Bring out your suggestions.

Though I'm not that fussed about the issue, a catchy title and perhaps a steed would have gone down well. Nothing that they've not done in the past at this time of year.