[Morthoron]

Hmmm...where do I start about LotRO?

I was once closely related to the game and the developers, but having gone through the alpha and beta stages of the game, it was evident to me that the vision of the game had digressed from 'living in Middle-earth' to amassing piles of swag, endlessly killing mobs and basically emulating World of Warcraft. In fact, the head dev admitted his desire to compete with WoW, rather than deliver a gaming experience solidly entrenched in the lore and ethics of Middle-earth.

Interesting to so see LotRO has declined to the point where it requires free-to-play status. Perhaps if they catered to the very folks who believed in the original game design (MEO or Middle-earth Online) and were avid fans of Tolkien's Middle-earth, then they may have maintained a loyal customer base without the need to use such desperate tactics to remain viable.