5/8/07 Vanguard- I wish you well!
It's
been a month since I posted here; I was posting less and less on the VG
VN board as well. I haven't logged into the game for 2-3 weeks now.
Part of it was my duo partner has been losing interest, but also I was
losing interest in my solo character as well. I quit my volunteer
staff gig at Vanguard Vault today.
It's hard to explain.
I still like Vanguard, warts and all- it has a good core system. But
of course due to early release- the result of serious mismanagement
with a large budget, plenty of staff and years of time- the game lacked
polish, wasn't finished, had performance issues (maybe the engine just
isn;t working out performance-wise even though it looks good).
I'm not a Brad basher, I give him credit for aiming high with a very large sandbox game with lots to do. But the project was seriously bungled. It will be hard for Vanguard to overcome its poor release, particularly with the performance issues. I hope it does- the best I can see coming out of it is an EQ2-like slowly growing niche game. There aren't a lot of sanfbox games out there and I hope VG's troubles don't kill off any more of those types of games in favor of the typical 'sure-thing' WoW clones.
At the same time, maybe there's a bit of Horizons in here. Others have compared the two games, but I don't think VG is quite as bad. Yet inside I do feel like I did after a few months of Horizons- better to leave than to ride the thing down. Ultimately, I'm disappointed that Vanguard didn't turn out like it should have. I was looking forward to spending years in a sandbox world with a good community. I'd say the odds are against that at this point. I was a Vanboi, sure. I think the experience has sobered me and made me realistic and cautious from here on out.
Overall,
the things that kept Vanguard from success were 1) the
'future-proofing' of requiring high PC specs- a bad idea (see EQ2)-
limiting your market right out the gate is a poor move; 2)
mismanagement that led to an unfinished release, totally preventable;
and 3) a distant company after release. Through beta Sigil
communicated well with the fanbase, but that seemed to dry up after
release. Vanguard Players is a good site but they needed official
forums and close communication with the fanbase. The affiliate fansite
program did not work out (by most affiliate's admission), devs posted
on their own time and it wasn't enough. Fans wanted a single source of
information and effective communication- they didn't get it. SOE
official game forums for subscribers only would have been a good idea.
Sure, official forums can look like whinefests, but the affiliate sites
look worse right now due to poor communication on top of the bad
release.
I've played LOTRO for a
few days as of this writing. It is amazing how far a good solid
release with a finished polished product goes, regardless of what one
thinks of the merits of this or that game.
It's a shame, really. I wish the game well, it will be an uphill battle.
4/8/07 Vanguard The Game.
The
state of the game. The Vision. Vanbois. The haters. Smug 'I told
you so' folks. Early fans who have turned against the game, charging
betrayal. Too hardcore vs. not hardcore enough.
There has been lots of virtual ink spilled over Vanguard. Brad McQuaid, the game's head honcho, has admitted to problems. I appreciate the honesty and I like the guy, even if he bit off more than he could chew.
Vanguard has two significant issues- 1) High PC spec requirements 2) Early release with performance issues and lack of polish. One is a conceptual factor and the other is a funding/mismanagement factor.
Requiring high PC specs is designed to make a game look better as time goes on. Of course a MMORPG takes years to develop and the technology can be a tough guess as to what it will be like at release. EQ2 went that route and that helped keep it at a niche level. This might be the case for Vanguard as well.
A MMORPG's release is quite important. If things go badly, that is not good. Word gets around. It can be difficult to recover from a rocky release (although AO and EQ2 recovered modestly, arguably). WoW has set the bar higher in the sense that a solid release with polish already in place can be expected, although it is not the norm, and even WoW had birth pains, with server and population issues. People were upset with those issues, I remember well- though those issues stemmed from being much more popular than anyone thought, and the games players got beyond those issues because they liked the game.
Vanguard's
release was rocky. Performance issues and an unfinished game, along
with a lack of polish, disappointed some. There were and are fans who
got beyond that and have seen it through to where over two months after
release they are playing an improved game that has and is addressing
these issues. It is a better game now. But a rocky start often can
keep people away, and new games coming- the newly released LOTRO, the
open beta AoC, the in-production WH- can add to that problem. Features
not in the game yet (Fellowships and Caravans notably, but other things
as well) do not help. Of course this could not be helped, Sigil had to
release, had no choice. They were honest about that. It is not hard
to see years of development and lots of money to do it with leading to
such a state as fickle fate, plus mismanagement.
I like Vanguard. I was a Vanboi admittedly, liking the ideas that Sigil had for the game, Brad's Vision, I like the game's core components, its general philosophy of offering a very large sandbox-type world, a world where there is a lot of things to see and a lot of different things to do there, a world with housing and boats. Lots of classes and races and starting locations. Lots of variety. Was the Vision compromised? Yes, to a greater or lesser extent. Most visions are compromised. It isn't necessary to mention Horizons, Dark and Light, Mourning, Shadowbane, et al as the most extreme examples. Do a decent amount of players have performance issues? Yes, the minimum specs are optimistic, some have PCs that simply can't run the game well, some have good PCs that should run it better. I have few problems with performance- it has gotten better ever since open beta. I used to CTD, I had the appearance-changing bug, and so on. No longer. Kudos to Sigil on that progress. But performance is crucial for a game's acceptance. The engine is not optimized and is demanding, though the results are largely gorgeous landscapes, moving trees and grass, rivers with currents. There are around 80 dungeons- 80!- on 2 large continents and an archipelago that are generally seamless. The variety of geography and starting areas is fantastic, some of the cities- Leth Nurae, Khal- are unforgettable. Player characters definitely need improvement and there is more customization in the works, which is certainly needed. Crafting is engaging- this being said by one who doesn't craft a lot in MMOs- and Diplomacy is a unique and interesting subgame concept. The Perception system is cool. I recently stood upon the deck of a player's boat as it bobbed in a harbor- a customized boat with a name. Bugs are being fixed, polish is being added, classes are being tweaked. This is all good. But it looks like the word on the street is that Vanguard is not the game it could have been, that it should have been.
Some fans that have
followed the game for its long development cycle have declared that the
Vision has been compromised, dumbed down, made easy mode. Some who've
played and had performance issues or didn't care for the experience are
just as vocal. As are those who don't like Brad, EQ, Vanbois, or just
those who delight in seeing things falter. There's been discussion of
teleportation to cut down on travel time already, though others see
travel as a core game system, which in the words
of one perceptive fan is a possible loss of a limiting mechanic that
has far-reaching effects upon secondary dynamics that make the game
what it is. Speculation on server merges- this is an area where the
sheer size of the world with 16 starting areas can hurt, spreading
everyone out. Difficulty in finding groups (though more people are
looking to join a group than willing to start one, as I've seen
first-hand).
For what it's worth,
I think Vanguard will end up similar to EQ2- more of a niche game than
a mainstream one. I think it will continue to improve, and it very
well may slowly grow in popularity. But it is clear that it will not
be a big success due to the various factors mentioned. That is a
shame. I hope that this poorer-than-expected showing does not lead to
future games playing it safe by not straying from the mainstream (WoW)
model, because we will certainly have enough of those types of
casual-oriented, guided, simpler experiences. That doesn't make those
games bad at all. It just means that there will hopefully be a big
enough market to have alternatives. Games that may be more
challenging, or have aspects that aren't necessarily
lowest-common-denominator. Games that will take chances. Features
that add up to a long-term virtual world as a community. Sandboxes as
opposed to theme parks.
All of this
is of course my opinion. Other opinions are just as valid. I hope
Vanguard is around for a long time, not only because I enjoy it and see
its great potential as slowly emerging, but because there aren't many
games out there like it. We all lose if games look more and more alike.
3/31/07 Druid Doing Fine.
Just realized I haven't said much about playing a Druid as my main now. Am having lots of fun- great class! Loads of utility- which is what I like- so that apart from DDs and stacking DoTs I can heal some, do crowd control, buff, add runspeed, levitate, and shapechange, woohoo! And those cool major spells called Phenomena.
Nothing against a Warrior, but I didn't realize how much I missed buffing people. I won't make that mistake again. I like doing lots of things on a character, even if I am not the best at doing any one thing. And Vanguard Druids actually do good damage, too.
I'm a Varanjar, a non-traditional race for my class. I don't mind being different. Never liked playing the absolute maximum numbers game anyway. Was more of an RP decision.
Fun is the bottom line. I remember running into an Avalonian Cleric on Albion Percival DAoC. Now THAT was unique. The guy was a roleplayer and had fun with it. He stands out in my mind while the more optimal combinations do not. Though I did play a Highland Cleric there and was one of the herd I guess :-) He topped out at 49.6 and is eternally frozen there.
Of course a
Druid/Sorceress combo means I use CC a lot and still end up being a
'tank' (which I'm not :p). Not an optimal pair necessarily, but this
was one game where I didn't want to play the standard Paladin/Warden
etc. utility melee class. Druid is working out.
3/25/07 User Interface.
Definitely borrows from WoW, with more customization options a la Horizons. Maybe my UI is a little crowded? Heh, I've always liked plenty of information available right on the screen. No scrolling through hotbars for me, way too confusing, particularly in fights. The F10 key is my friend, turning off the UI for screenshots. Couldn't get by without it.
3/24/07 A Good Guild Hunt.
Khegor's End- good times with good folk.
3/13/07 Exploration.
Still traveling around Thestra and there's plenty left to see. This world was made for those who love exploration.
3/5/07 Artistic Landscapes.
There's something about the landscapes in Vanguard that resonate. The world definitely has presence. Call it art direction or good thematics, they have an eye for the catchy visual. I can't stop taking images!
3/2/07 First Player Ship Sighted.
At Three Rivers, a ship sailed by moonlight across gleaming waters.
Its helmsman stood at the wheel, sailing confidently downstream.
Those ashore watched wistfully, thinking of a time when they too would
ride the waters to wherever adventure took them.
2/25/07 Guild Chatter.
A lot of the fun of being in a guild comes from the idle banter.
2/19/07 The 5 Visual Settings of Vanguard .
Decided to take shots of each of the 5 video settings- here they are:
Highest Quality
High Quality
Balanced
High Performance
Highest Performance
What a difference in quality. I've decided to sacrifice- more lag in crowded areas for quality!
2/18/07 Call Of The Highest Setting.
I built my PC last October to run Vanguard- it's a great last-hurrah 32-bit DX9 machine. It runs Vanguard better on the Balanced setting as far as playability goes, but I've turned it up to Highest setting. I feel it in crowded areas, but the screenshots are worth it. Worth every bit.
I rolled up a character in Qalia just to take images of Khal.
2/12/07 My First In-Game Letter.
My Druid got a letter yesterday while diplomacy questing in Halgarad- he searched for the mailbox quite a while (it's in the bank cave) and eagerly opened it up to see-
goldseller mail spam. I was not happy, let's leave it at that.
1/23/07 Guild Website on Station Players.
Found that as a guild Leader (GM) I could host a guild site this way- spent hours Sunday on it. SOme good features, including a customizable forum. Comes with its own easy-to-remember domain. Nice work SOE!
http://travelers.vanguard-guilds.com/
2/10/07 Fun with /blog.
Vanguard Players is a nifty site. I've created a /blog macro that, when clicked, takes an image (sans UI) and automatically displays it on my character page, showing when it was taken, where it was taken, and who was in the group at the time. Create your own historical photo-record of your character!
2/10/07 Guild Formed.
Formed
in Tursh on Feb. 8th, The Travelers League- the name comes from my old
little RP guild on WoW. Comprised so far mainly of Roisin Dubh (DAoC)
and Crai Aisling/Travelers League (HZ/WoW) folks. Light RP and fun
chatting, even some grouping (though don't ask how our first dungeon
crawl in Riftseekers Torrent went >.< ). Kul wasn't there!
That's why, I'm sure!
2/5/07 Corpse Runs.
"They have CORPSE RUNS!" said a friend, with obvious distaste. Some can't stand them. Can be frustrating, especially when the mob that killed you camps your tombstone. But they add spice to the game.
There's
always the option to summon your gear and take a durability hit if it's
really a bad spot. Experience loss in such cases isn't insurmountable.
2/5/07 Take Enough Images and You'll Get some Good Ones.
My
Druid sent a giant spider literally flying with this killing blow.
Pretty neat. I'm always fiddling with the angles, turning the UI and
names off but that can be dangerous- auto-attack doesn't do an
impressive amount of damage here.
2/5/07 Warrior's Kick attack.
Now
THIS is fun. The kick graphic is great- disdainfully giving the boot
to a mob, with a good chance of interrupting whatever it was doing (if
I got kicked solidly like that, chances are I'd be distracted myself).
Musketeer-era escapades!
2/4/07 Stuck Aggro Mobs in Tursh that Weren't Stuck.
My level 6 or so Druid just HAD to investigate this. I mean, it clearly said STUCK! over their heads!
Doh. Dirtnap. Luckily no death penalty until next level.
Pretty clever mobs if you ask me. I think nobody saw me :-p
2/3/07 Non-RP Names on the RP Server.
Why do they do it? Because they can. ;-) Sigil said they'd be going over the names; who will make the cut!
Vanguard's Naming Policy, Which As Usual In MMORPGs Is Ignored
Tupper Waire
Samuel Gompers
Geezus (who shouted that he wasn't to be mistaken for the real Jesus, glad he straightened us out)
Fiche Enchips (a nice polite little Halfling who was out picking jute one day)
Homicidal
Rebelle Yelle
Gluwen
Stufftogedda (A crafter)
Gluwin Stufftogedda (oh well)
2/3/07 The Vanguard Vault and World-Weariness.
Volunteering at the Vault. Fun. Except for the posters :-P
Posters please select your topic!
1) Anything that belongs on the Tech Board
2) Vanguard vs. WoW - heavy mod presence!
3) Why Vanguard is Horrid and Frightens Old Ladies, and Woohoo I'm Level 25 By The Way
4) Who Gets the Nerfage Next?
5) PvP Old Salt Disses Carebears Scornfully
6) Token Fanboys Strike Back; Please Drive Slowly, Here Be Trolls
7) Bitter Euro Post Goes Over the Top
Thank you for posting! 
Of course not long after posting this, somebody posted a 'good job staff' thread. Was nice t o see, felt sorta bad then!
2/3/07 What a Vanguard Nerd I am.
I bought the leatherbound journal and pen bundle. It's sorta neat! A place to keep my V:SoH notes, if I didn't type them into my PC.
First the Collector's Edition, now this. I've got it bad.
2/2/07 Alts, alts alts.
A blessing and a curse, particularly in a game like Vanguard, where there is lots to do and see but it all takes a while ;-)
Morreion Endara- Thestran Warrior, budding Mineralogist, Quarrier and Diplomat (with Collector's Edition cloak, no less! :-D ). I broke the mold in this game with him. I usually play melee/utility/hybrid types such as Paladins or Wardens. I went with a straight Warrior this time (for variety). Zoriyx says, "Why boring old Tursh?" Well, I figured on starting in familiar surroundings and getting to the exotic lands later!
Morreion parrying a half-pint lowbie caster mob's melee attack, muhahahahaha!
However.
Vanguard is a grouping game, by and large. Am thinking ahead (now :-P ). Sooo....enter Aluric Hadaul, Varanjar Druid. Druids are utility casters and can heal in a pinch as well as provide runspeed later as well as buffs and DD and CC. Groups may very well need utility. I worry like that, want to have options.
Of course now Lirienne has somewhat of a thorny RP issue to deal with when Morreion is not there but a gruff Barbarian Druid is. *winces* We will see how this works out...
I always go back to utility, huh.
Aluric Hadaul, barbarian Druid with his bugged staff that is sheathed like a sword >.<
"Hey, did you know that-" "Yeah yeah, I know."
1/30/07 A Server First.
On Varking (the team PvP server) right after release I got this message while looting:
Now that's a cool idea :-)
1/29/07 Funny VG Images from Elsewhere. None are mine.
People
were commenting on how certain, um, attributes were somewhat...extreme
on default settings. Somebody proved the point. In an exaggerated
fashion. For fun.
Guess who this was supposed to look like!
This
is what beta placeholder mobs looked like- someone killed what was
apparently the last of its kind recently! Fig leaf was a nice touch,
Sigil.
1/21/07 Posted this on a few Florendyl RP-preferred server boards. TTH stickied it! Thanks guys!
What is 'roleplay'?
Roleplaying is not about speaking in Olde English- very simply, roleplaying is acting like you are your character. That's it. Picture yourself as an actor in a movie. Pick an appropriate name (depends on the lore and conventions of where you start), decide what kind of personality you will have, perhaps have a background outlined for your character, and you're ready.
Say you are RPing a Dwarf who is crabby and gruff. He doesn't like Elves one bit, but he LOVES drinking. A lot. Go with it. Sometimes snap at other Elves, be drunk occasionally. Speak in short pithy phrases. There you go!
Keep OOC (out of character) talk on appropriate channels (/tells, approved /group or /guild chat etc.). All public chat (/say, /yell etc.) should be in-character. This is common courtesy to other roleplayers to preserve immersion (the feeling that they are in Telon and not 21st-century Earth).
Somepeople feel intimidated about trying an RP server. Don't be. You do not have to be a great actor or actress. Just keep in-character in public. Most RPers will be happy you are there and making an effort and will encourage you. Watch others and how they RP- you can learn a lot.
'RP-preferred'
Remember that Florendyl is an RP-preferred server- there is no actual alternate ruleset yet (hopefully it will be put in eventually...) What this means is that most likely there will be more non-RP-types and chat than usual. What can be done will be done in games, so don't be disappointed if people do whatever they want because there is no rule against that.
Typical RP servers
On typical RP servers, there is not much enforcement of the ruleset. This happens again and again because behavioral enforcement (outside of really outlandish/offensive names) is labor-intensive to deal with. Game companies don't want to spend lots of money and hire lots of people to basically be hall monitors. The most you can hope for on an RP server with an RP ruleset is some name enforcement and some of the most egregious behavioral/chat incidents to be dealt with. But in the typical game, there is little intervention. Don't say I didn't warn you.
The population
There will be a lot of people playing on Florendyl. The majority of them most likely will not be roleplayers, but people looking to avoid other players with names like KewL BeenZ and those who dislike Chuck Norris joke spam. Roleplayers will of course be here, ranging from light RPers to hardcore types. There will be some who show up just to bait RPers and be irritating because, well, they can. And a few people will play here because they think roleplayers don't really know how to play well and therefore they will dominate the server.
Names
There will be big debates about names. There always are. There is the obligatory names thread on the boards where people debate what is an appropriate name (or not) for an RP server. Views run the gamut of players who are sick to death of seeing names like Darth Cheney in a fantasy setting who will /report people who stray to those who think the former are Name Nazis. There are always those who push the envelope and spark this kind of debate. Nothing ever gets solved but lots of virtual board space is used
Roleplayer types
There are different types of roleplayers:
Light RPers
These folk don't RP a lot and tend to be easygoing and get along with non-RPers as well as RPers. Often but not always they RP humorous characters. They will sometimes RP when other roleplayers are doing their thing nearby. They are respectful of the RP ruleset but the majority of the time they aren't RPing.
Extreme RPers
A smaller subset of RPers, they often RP in outrageous and sometimes even shocking fashion which can ruffle the feathers of more traditional RPers. You don't always know if they are mocking RP or engaging in it
Hardcore RPers
Players who take RP very seriously. They are mostly in-character and have a tendency to be intense or serious (though not always). Some are very vocal about what they consider RP or non-RP behavior. Can be sort of clannish and hang with the same crowd and form like-minded guilds, presenting elaborate roleplay sessions in public or in private. Many of them are very good at roleplay. Worth watching to pick up some pointers.
So there you have it, how one roleplayer sees it anyway. Good RPing!