Here’s a few things that I came across that appeal to me since I wrote this:
1)The water in the game has currents. I found this out to my chagrin when I jumped in a fast moving mountain stream to escape a giant wasp only to be pulled down toward a huge damn. The current pulled me down into a flood gate and I ended up pressed against a grate. I barely made it out before my breath ran out.
2)Not only is the map bigger than WoW but the vertical distance in the game is substantially greater. I spent some time climbing up into a mountain range and was surprised at how tall they were and how deep the crevasses and valleys were. Picture some about 10 times as tall as the mountains that IF are in and you’ll get the picture.
3)The dwarves have underground highways. The one I was on was threatened because of a breakthrough into kobold burrows. Also a bridge spanning a dark underground chasm had been badly damaged and was impassable. A nearby dwarf told me that something from deep underground has damaged the bridge and I could smell something burning. I think the dwarves had delved too deep . . . I’m looking forward to going back and checking that one out.
4)The dwarven capital City is about 3 to 4 times larger than Ironforge. It has a large arena (about 150% large than the one in Strangethorn). You can buy a ticket to compete there in periodic gladiatorial events. I wonder if there will end up being a crowd there one day. It seemed like it might be intended for a BG like the WoW arenas only non-instanced.
5)I found that I could use my logging skill to make wood planks out of treants. (The treants look amazing, btw. Very LotRish).
6)Once your diplomacy gets to certain level you can basically use it on every single NPC. When you use it on certain craftsmen you can get new work orders.
And the thing I was most excited to discover:
7)Clerics (priests) can not only rez at level 10, but they can make a magic stone that will allow a party member to rez THEM. That’s right, the healer doesn’t get screwed out of rezzes in this game. Huzzah!
Here’s a few things that I came across that appeal to me since I wrote this:
1)The water in the game has currents. I found this out to my chagrin when I jumped in a fast moving mountain stream to escape a giant wasp only to be pulled down toward a huge damn. The current pulled me down into a flood gate and I ended up pressed against a grate. I barely made it out before my breath ran out. 2)Not only is the map bigger than WoW but the vertical distance in the game is substantially greater. I spent some time climbing up into a mountain range and was surprised at how tall they were and how deep the crevasses and valleys were. Picture some about 10 times as tall as the mountains that IF are in and you’ll get the picture. 3)The dwarves have underground highways. The one I was on was threatened because of a breakthrough into kobold burrows. Also a bridge spanning a dark underground chasm had been badly damaged and was impassable. A nearby dwarf told me that something from deep underground has damaged the bridge and I could smell something burning. I think the dwarves had delved too deep . . . I’m looking forward to going back and checking that one out. 4)The dwarven capital City is about 3 to 4 times larger than Ironforge. It has a large arena (about 150% large than the one in Strangethorn). You can buy a ticket to compete there in periodic gladiatorial events. I wonder if there will end up being a crowd there one day. It seemed like it might be intended for a BG like the WoW arenas only non-instanced. 5)I found that I could use my logging skill to make wood planks out of treants. (The treants look amazing, btw. Very LotRish). 6)Once your diplomacy gets to certain level you can basically use it on every single NPC. When you use it on certain craftsmen you can get new work orders. And the thing I was most excited to discover: 7)Clerics (priests) can not only rez at level 10, but they can make a magic stone that will allow a party member to rez THEM. That’s right, the healer doesn’t get screwed out of rezzes in this game. Huzzah!
Thanks again for taking the time to jot these down danbala. I knew a few of them but didn't know most! It still amazes me the amount of things that exist in this game. Next toon for me: Dwarf!
Thanks to the OP some great writeups, I'd really like to pick up the game come release because I just know its a game that will only get better, like many other I am a little concerned about my PC spec, but tbh I'd be happy to play with the lower settings.
Probally not the right place to ask, but will I have a chance of some decent game play with a Nvidia 6600GT, 2 GB Ram and an AMD 64 3200+ ?
Thanks to the OP some great writeups, I'd really like to pick up the game come release because I just know its a game that will only get better, like many other I am a little concerned about my PC spec, but tbh I'd be happy to play with the lower settings. Probally not the right place to ask, but will I have a chance of some decent game play with a Nvidia 6600GT, 2 GB Ram and an AMD 64 3200+ ?
That is similar to the set-up I had when I started the beta. I'd say the game ran just passably at that time. As a result of that experience, I took it as a sign that it was time to upgrade my graphics card. With the upgraded card, the game ran much better -- basically playable -- but still not perfectly (which is what I would expect from a top end system).
They have apparently made some improvements to the game play for lower end systems.
But honestly, if you were to ask me my opinion, I would say "wait" if you want to be sure it will work. I expect that they will need to work on these issues just as diligently after launch as before. And the truth is that the game will probably not be sufficiently optimized for middle of the road machines until a least a few weeks after release (if not a few months).
Hmm reading this makes me really want to play the game , ive been looking for a mmorpg with a good crafting system (loved the one in UO). and this seems to have it
Thanks for writing the review; unbiased, personal reviews like this definitely help me and probably some other people pick a game to play for 2007/2008 . The only concern I have is the general glitchiness everyone seems to comment about and the high-end PC required to play this game... I don't think I'll be buying it right away, perhaps 2-3 months after it comes out, or whenever BC gets boring, lol. Honestly, while following the forums, I wish they'd just push release back a few months and come out with a finished project. Bugs literally kill the game for me.
I think that is probably good advice. If performance and general glitchiness are a significant concern then its probably best to avoid this one on release. But I would guess this would be a good game to check into once Burning Crusade wears out its welcome. The timing should be just about right for this game to be genuinely polished by then.
And as a jaded WoW player I can say that there is enough here to keep jaded WoWers happy for a few months at least.
Actually, a better comparison for Vanguard would be to EQ1/EQ2. Some of the game mechanics you describe - like crafting being a mini-game, quests and quest XP being emphasised, - are very similar to EQ2, which makes sense given Brad McQuaid's involvement with SOE.
Of course, he split off and formed his own company so the Vanguard isn't going to be identical to EQ2, hopefully it will be an improvement.
As far as raiding without instances goes - Ha! You obviously never played EverQuest 1. There was zero instancing in it for years and it was basically an all-out brawl between guilds every time a raid target spawned. Guilds would race each other to mobilize to the target and then engage it, and there was complex rules of raid engagement and raid diplomancy that the guilds sort of invented for themselves on the fly, with SOE GMs occasionally involving themselves to settle disputes. It caused endless bad blood and feuds between guilds, but that was actually kind of fun in a twisted way =-).
So, basically I just wanted to point out that Vanguard sounds like it is a lot more similar to EverQuest than to WOW and some of the things that seem strange in it to a WOW player will be old hat for an EQ'er.
Hmm reading this makes me really want to play the game , ive been looking for a mmorpg with a good crafting system (loved the one in UO). and this seems to have it
I can honestly say that the crafting system has enough going on that its genuinely not boring. (I know that might sound like damning with faint praise, but really, how exciting can virtual woodworking really be?) Anyway, they give it good shot here. You need to develop strategies if you want to be a successful craftsman and you need to be adaptive which are two good reasons actually pay attention while you are doing it.
I would say that if it has a fault is that it feels maybe a little too complicated and the preliminary instructions are not all that clearly stated. I am also not sufficiently advanced to determine whether your products have genuinely adventuring use. Even if they don't, the work order system is a way to ensure that crafting is a money maker.
Actually, a better comparison for Vanguard would be to EQ1/EQ2. Some of the game mechanics you describe - like crafting being a mini-game, quests and quest XP being emphasised, - are very similar to EQ2, which makes sense given Brad McQuaid's involvement with SOE. Of course, he split off and formed his own company so the Vanguard isn't going to be identical to EQ2, hopefully it will be an improvement. As far as raiding without instances goes - Ha! You obviously never played EverQuest 1. There was zero instancing in it for years and it was basically an all-out brawl between guilds every time a raid target spawned. Guilds would race each other to mobilize to the target and then engage it, and there was complex rules of raid engagement and raid diplomancy that the guilds sort of invented for themselves on the fly, with SOE GMs occasionally involving themselves to settle disputes. It caused endless bad blood and feuds between guilds, but that was actually kind of fun in a twisted way =-). So, basically I just wanted to point out that Vanguard sounds like it is a lot more similar to EverQuest than to WOW and some of the things that seem strange in it to a WOW player will be old hat for an EQ'er. --- Baudolino
You might be right. I've never played EQ 1 or 2. So I have no basis for comparison.
I can tell thought that the Vanguard UI is a direct descendent of WoW (which is a nice way of saying "completely borrowed"). I don't know if WoW borrowed heavily from EQ for the UI. Maybe they are only using their past work?
As far as the instancing goes, that sounds fun to a point. In practice, I guess it could be fun or frustrating depending on which side of the stick you were on. I'll be interested to see it play out.
Thanks for writing the review; unbiased, personal reviews like this definitely help me and probably some other people pick a game to play for 2007/2008 . The only concern I have is the general glitchiness everyone seems to comment about and the high-end PC required to play this game... I don't think I'll be buying it right away, perhaps 2-3 months after it comes out, or whenever BC gets boring, lol. Honestly, while following the forums, I wish they'd just push release back a few months and come out with a finished project. Bugs literally kill the game for me.
I think that is probably good advice. If performance and general glitchiness are a significant concern then its probably best to avoid this one on release. But I would guess this would be a good game to check into once Burning Crusade wears out its welcome. The timing should be just about right for this game to be genuinely polished by then.
And as a jaded WoW player I can say that there is enough here to keep jaded WoWers happy for a few months at least.
Even with that advice I expect there will be more people than people think who will jump in from the start, I havent been playing mmorpgs for about a year now, we'll if you call Minions of Mirth and a few F2P games, I played the wow but it couldnt hold my attention, this game is going to appeal to the gamer who wants a little more depth and challenge, and Im sure the initial player base will be pretty mature, Im 34 three days after release
Community wise I'm hoping it will be great, the best community I experience was in AC2 ... ooo I loved that game.
If people can see potential in the game and see a little beyond the end of their noses, and who are happy to watch it grow and develop I expect there's going to be alot of fun to be had.
Hmm reading this makes me really want to play the game , ive been looking for a mmorpg with a good crafting system (loved the one in UO). and this seems to have it
I can honestly say that the crafting system has enough going on that its genuinely not boring. (I know that might sound like damning with faint praise, but really, how exciting can virtual woodworking really be?) Anyway, they give it good shot here. You need to develop strategies if you want to be a successful craftsman and you need to be adaptive which are two good reasons actually pay attention while you are doing it.
I would say that if it has a fault is that it feels maybe a little too complicated and the preliminary instructions are not all that clearly stated. I am also not sufficiently advanced to determine whether your products have genuinely adventuring use. Even if they don't, the work order system is a way to ensure that crafting is a money maker.
Do you know if its like WoW later, you know where you can only craft high level items if you go on dungeon runs to get the items needed? or if you can advance as a crafter just by "solo" play?
I know mmorpg's are "masive multiplayer" but we are a group of friends who enjoys crafting and trading heh. not spending time in instances.
Hmm reading this makes me really want to play the game , ive been looking for a mmorpg with a good crafting system (loved the one in UO). and this seems to have it
I can honestly say that the crafting system has enough going on that its genuinely not boring. (I know that might sound like damning with faint praise, but really, how exciting can virtual woodworking really be?) Anyway, they give it good shot here. You need to develop strategies if you want to be a successful craftsman and you need to be adaptive which are two good reasons actually pay attention while you are doing it.
I would say that if it has a fault is that it feels maybe a little too complicated and the preliminary instructions are not all that clearly stated. I am also not sufficiently advanced to determine whether your products have genuinely adventuring use. Even if they don't, the work order system is a way to ensure that crafting is a money maker.
Do you know if its like WoW later, you know where you can only craft high level items if you go on dungeon runs to get the items needed? or if you can advance as a crafter just by "solo" play?
I know mmorpg's are "masive multiplayer" but we are a group of friends who enjoys crafting and trading heh. not spending time in instances.
I don't have any first hand knowledge on this. The deisgners promise what they all promise: that the game will be fun for soloers. But my understanding is that these guys were basically then inventors of the raid game. So I would assume that the fruit would not fall far fromthe tree. . .
Comments
Thanks again for taking the time to jot these down danbala. I knew a few of them but didn't know most! It still amazes me the amount of things that exist in this game. Next toon for me: Dwarf!
Thanks to the OP some great writeups, I'd really like to pick up the game come release because I just know its a game that will only get better, like many other I am a little concerned about my PC spec, but tbh I'd be happy to play with the lower settings.
Probally not the right place to ask, but will I have a chance of some decent game play with a Nvidia 6600GT, 2 GB Ram and an AMD 64 3200+ ?
That is similar to the set-up I had when I started the beta. I'd say the game ran just passably at that time. As a result of that experience, I took it as a sign that it was time to upgrade my graphics card. With the upgraded card, the game ran much better -- basically playable -- but still not perfectly (which is what I would expect from a top end system).
They have apparently made some improvements to the game play for lower end systems.
But honestly, if you were to ask me my opinion, I would say "wait" if you want to be sure it will work. I expect that they will need to work on these issues just as diligently after launch as before. And the truth is that the game will probably not be sufficiently optimized for middle of the road machines until a least a few weeks after release (if not a few months).
I think that is probably good advice. If performance and general glitchiness are a significant concern then its probably best to avoid this one on release. But I would guess this would be a good game to check into once Burning Crusade wears out its welcome. The timing should be just about right for this game to be genuinely polished by then.
And as a jaded WoW player I can say that there is enough here to keep jaded WoWers happy for a few months at least.
Of course, he split off and formed his own company so the Vanguard isn't going to be identical to EQ2, hopefully it will be an improvement.
As far as raiding without instances goes - Ha! You obviously never played EverQuest 1. There was zero instancing in it for years and it was basically an all-out brawl between guilds every time a raid target spawned. Guilds would race each other to mobilize to the target and then engage it, and there was complex rules of raid engagement and raid diplomancy that the guilds sort of invented for themselves on the fly, with SOE GMs occasionally involving themselves to settle disputes. It caused endless bad blood and feuds between guilds, but that was actually kind of fun in a twisted way =-).
So, basically I just wanted to point out that Vanguard sounds like it is a lot more similar to EverQuest than to WOW and some of the things that seem strange in it to a WOW player will be old hat for an EQ'er.
--- Baudolino
I can honestly say that the crafting system has enough going on that its genuinely not boring. (I know that might sound like damning with faint praise, but really, how exciting can virtual woodworking really be?) Anyway, they give it good shot here. You need to develop strategies if you want to be a successful craftsman and you need to be adaptive which are two good reasons actually pay attention while you are doing it.
I would say that if it has a fault is that it feels maybe a little too complicated and the preliminary instructions are not all that clearly stated. I am also not sufficiently advanced to determine whether your products have genuinely adventuring use. Even if they don't, the work order system is a way to ensure that crafting is a money maker.
You might be right. I've never played EQ 1 or 2. So I have no basis for comparison.
I can tell thought that the Vanguard UI is a direct descendent of WoW (which is a nice way of saying "completely borrowed"). I don't know if WoW borrowed heavily from EQ for the UI. Maybe they are only using their past work?
As far as the instancing goes, that sounds fun to a point. In practice, I guess it could be fun or frustrating depending on which side of the stick you were on. I'll be interested to see it play out.
I think that is probably good advice. If performance and general glitchiness are a significant concern then its probably best to avoid this one on release. But I would guess this would be a good game to check into once Burning Crusade wears out its welcome. The timing should be just about right for this game to be genuinely polished by then.
And as a jaded WoW player I can say that there is enough here to keep jaded WoWers happy for a few months at least.
Even with that advice I expect there will be more people than people think who will jump in from the start, I havent been playing mmorpgs for about a year now, we'll if you call Minions of Mirth and a few F2P games, I played the wow but it couldnt hold my attention, this game is going to appeal to the gamer who wants a little more depth and challenge, and Im sure the initial player base will be pretty mature, Im 34 three days after release
Community wise I'm hoping it will be great, the best community I experience was in AC2 ... ooo I loved that game.
If people can see potential in the game and see a little beyond the end of their noses, and who are happy to watch it grow and develop I expect there's going to be alot of fun to be had.
I can honestly say that the crafting system has enough going on that its genuinely not boring. (I know that might sound like damning with faint praise, but really, how exciting can virtual woodworking really be?) Anyway, they give it good shot here. You need to develop strategies if you want to be a successful craftsman and you need to be adaptive which are two good reasons actually pay attention while you are doing it.
I would say that if it has a fault is that it feels maybe a little too complicated and the preliminary instructions are not all that clearly stated. I am also not sufficiently advanced to determine whether your products have genuinely adventuring use. Even if they don't, the work order system is a way to ensure that crafting is a money maker.
Do you know if its like WoW later, you know where you can only craft high level items if you go on dungeon runs to get the items needed? or if you can advance as a crafter just by "solo" play?I know mmorpg's are "masive multiplayer" but we are a group of friends who enjoys crafting and trading heh. not spending time in instances.
I can honestly say that the crafting system has enough going on that its genuinely not boring. (I know that might sound like damning with faint praise, but really, how exciting can virtual woodworking really be?) Anyway, they give it good shot here. You need to develop strategies if you want to be a successful craftsman and you need to be adaptive which are two good reasons actually pay attention while you are doing it.
I would say that if it has a fault is that it feels maybe a little too complicated and the preliminary instructions are not all that clearly stated. I am also not sufficiently advanced to determine whether your products have genuinely adventuring use. Even if they don't, the work order system is a way to ensure that crafting is a money maker.
Do you know if its like WoW later, you know where you can only craft high level items if you go on dungeon runs to get the items needed? or if you can advance as a crafter just by "solo" play?I know mmorpg's are "masive multiplayer" but we are a group of friends who enjoys crafting and trading heh. not spending time in instances.
I don't have any first hand knowledge on this. The deisgners promise what they all promise: that the game will be fun for soloers. But my understanding is that these guys were basically then inventors of the raid game. So I would assume that the fruit would not fall far fromthe tree. . .
I think i might have a go at this one , cant hurt to try right?!