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My Vanguard experiance
Mchart
Member Posts: 42
So I decided to give vanguard a try today. After downloading the 6GB installer, and then waiting for all 16.6GB of data to install... and then waiting for the game to scan the files - I finally got in. I was willing to deal with the massive install size since I knew it would pay off. ..
Let me start off by saying I have a top of the line system. E6600 OCed to 3.1ghz, 2GB of DDR2 800mhz running in dual-channel, nForce 680i, 2 7900GT's in SLI both overclocked an extra 100mhz on the core. Simply put, my system can easily handle anything put at it.
Vanguard looks good. However, it is still nothing compared to oblivion which my system can handle just fine. So let me just say - Vanguard needs some major performance improvements. It looks no better then oblivion yet runs worse on my high-end system - enough said. However, I could still live with the dips below 30FPS, since it was a MMORPG. However, please fix the performance issues sigil.
Now, lets take a quick step back to character creation. Character creation for this game has been dubbed 'Better then SWG', that may be true in some aspects, but overall definatly not. I was hoping for more of a selection of races then just your stereotypical elves/trolls/orks/human/wolf stuff. So I chose some sort of wolf character, and after trying very hard to make him look different from the stock generated character, he still didnt look very different.
Now time for class selection. Well - Class selection was.. Not different. Once again, your stereotypical selection of paladin/ranger/mage classes. Nothing new.
I still kept my mind open however, it was time to play the game - the real test. Well...
I login with my toon and BAM, i'm just auto-magically placed in some little town with a bunch of other noobs.
'Thats it?'
Well sadly, that was it. There was no intro movie, there was no in-game type intro, heck, there wasnt even some sort of dialog that came up to help me begin my journey. I was simply smacked right into the game-world with no introduction into the lore of the game, or even how to play it.
I still went on though, I was determined to make myself 'like' the game. Luckily, since I play many MMO's I was able to get a quick grip on the interface. The interface overall was nice, but there was one thing I couldn't help but not notice.
-It was almost exactly like the WoW interface-
Maybe thats why I thought it was easy to use.
So, not knowing really what to do, I glanced over and saw a monster. What was this monsters name? 'Insert random name here -Welp-'.
Great more welp killing. How unique. So I killed that welp, and I killed it hard. Yep, thats that. I press a button to auto attack with melee or my bow. Then spam my special attacks. Very innovative...
So combat was nothing new. Next thing I did was see if the quests were any good. Guess what? They are setup in the same manner as WoW's!!! Oh boy. Go kill 7 Welps to earn 10 bronze coins!! Joy!!
Scratch off innovation on missions/quests.
At this point I simply hit exit, and uninstalled all 17GB of data relating to vanguard. It is absolutely nothing new, and there are other games which do said things better.
Cool crafting system and player made housing? Well, SWG had a great setup for that, but unfortunatly the game was killed off. So right now vanguard is about the only game to have said stuff. But still - SWG did it better.
This game brings absolutely -nothing- to the MMO table. It is a been there done that experiance. While some people may enjoy reliving their EQ/WoW/SWG days in a slight theme change and graphics upgrade - I dont. I was expecting innovation, and thats something this game doesnt have. (Neither is it really fun to play, since I've whacked my fair share of whelps..)
Hopefully this post will inform people that were like myself so they don't have to waste time downloading and install 17GB of data. Or, in which case what I detailed sounds like fun, they will download and install 17GB.
While some people may say "You should have played past level 10!!! You don't experiance the game till then!!", I say to them - Then why should I bother dealing with levels 1-9.
Let me start off by saying I have a top of the line system. E6600 OCed to 3.1ghz, 2GB of DDR2 800mhz running in dual-channel, nForce 680i, 2 7900GT's in SLI both overclocked an extra 100mhz on the core. Simply put, my system can easily handle anything put at it.
Vanguard looks good. However, it is still nothing compared to oblivion which my system can handle just fine. So let me just say - Vanguard needs some major performance improvements. It looks no better then oblivion yet runs worse on my high-end system - enough said. However, I could still live with the dips below 30FPS, since it was a MMORPG. However, please fix the performance issues sigil.
Now, lets take a quick step back to character creation. Character creation for this game has been dubbed 'Better then SWG', that may be true in some aspects, but overall definatly not. I was hoping for more of a selection of races then just your stereotypical elves/trolls/orks/human/wolf stuff. So I chose some sort of wolf character, and after trying very hard to make him look different from the stock generated character, he still didnt look very different.
Now time for class selection. Well - Class selection was.. Not different. Once again, your stereotypical selection of paladin/ranger/mage classes. Nothing new.
I still kept my mind open however, it was time to play the game - the real test. Well...
I login with my toon and BAM, i'm just auto-magically placed in some little town with a bunch of other noobs.
'Thats it?'
Well sadly, that was it. There was no intro movie, there was no in-game type intro, heck, there wasnt even some sort of dialog that came up to help me begin my journey. I was simply smacked right into the game-world with no introduction into the lore of the game, or even how to play it.
I still went on though, I was determined to make myself 'like' the game. Luckily, since I play many MMO's I was able to get a quick grip on the interface. The interface overall was nice, but there was one thing I couldn't help but not notice.
-It was almost exactly like the WoW interface-
Maybe thats why I thought it was easy to use.
So, not knowing really what to do, I glanced over and saw a monster. What was this monsters name? 'Insert random name here -Welp-'.
Great more welp killing. How unique. So I killed that welp, and I killed it hard. Yep, thats that. I press a button to auto attack with melee or my bow. Then spam my special attacks. Very innovative...
So combat was nothing new. Next thing I did was see if the quests were any good. Guess what? They are setup in the same manner as WoW's!!! Oh boy. Go kill 7 Welps to earn 10 bronze coins!! Joy!!
Scratch off innovation on missions/quests.
At this point I simply hit exit, and uninstalled all 17GB of data relating to vanguard. It is absolutely nothing new, and there are other games which do said things better.
Cool crafting system and player made housing? Well, SWG had a great setup for that, but unfortunatly the game was killed off. So right now vanguard is about the only game to have said stuff. But still - SWG did it better.
This game brings absolutely -nothing- to the MMO table. It is a been there done that experiance. While some people may enjoy reliving their EQ/WoW/SWG days in a slight theme change and graphics upgrade - I dont. I was expecting innovation, and thats something this game doesnt have. (Neither is it really fun to play, since I've whacked my fair share of whelps..)
Hopefully this post will inform people that were like myself so they don't have to waste time downloading and install 17GB of data. Or, in which case what I detailed sounds like fun, they will download and install 17GB.
While some people may say "You should have played past level 10!!! You don't experiance the game till then!!", I say to them - Then why should I bother dealing with levels 1-9.
Comments
The truth here is that you didn´t even give Vanguard a try if you uninstalled as quickly as you said. I´m not loving Vanguard but I have played some and if you have not even tried the crafting system and other stuff than killing a few Welps, then you are missing out on some cool stuff. No game that functions like this will never fully get away from the grind. And no I´m no WoW-hater, in fact I love WoW and cannot wait to play TBC, but the fact is you didn´t even give this a chance ;]
Cheers,
Lelle
But, since you did say: " This game brings absolutely -nothing- to the MMO table. It is a been there done that experiance"
How about these?
1) Fellowship system
2) Caravan system
3) Flying mounts w/ Combat
4) Player built and controlled ships
5) Diplomacy system
You've "been there done that" on those 5 as well? Cool, tell me where so I can check it out too.
I did give vanguard a try. That is what my post details. I felt like i've allready played the game.
(BTW this reminds me of when I Bought EQ2, installed, payed to activate the account, got 2 months subscription, played for 2 hours then deactivated my account and uninstalled :[ )
Cheers,
Lelle
Adventuring (which you tried a bit of)
Diplomacy (nope)
Crafting (nope)
So, you actually tried just a bit of 1/3 of the game. It's not just "added in". It's core for a group to fully advance in this game. There are some areas that won't be accessible unless you have a high-level diplomat and/or crafter in your party. So, to say it's just "added in" is a bit off the mark.
Could it have been fun for me? Maybe. But as aforementioned there were more issues I had then that about this game.
Don't you think it would have been more beneficial to fully test more aspects of the game? And, even the area that you did "test" to give it a fair shot? Not saying your opinion of the game is not valid, but it seems to me that if you are truly trying to help other people decide if the game is worth it or not. You'd want to be able to give as accurate a post as possible.
If you're satisfied that you've given Vanguard a fair shot - then that's all any game can ask though. So, I wish you luck on finding a game thats more to your liking.
"New" isn't always good. Many of the folks who are waiting for this game are folks who wish a return to the glory days of old EQ or DAOC, but in a new world and with streamlined gameplay. Having Elves and Orcs, and Paladins and Rangers, is just fine. In fact, I'd be disappointed if they had bizarre classes like "Facedancer" or weird alien type races.
Vanguard's basic design is quite sound and is what many folks have been waiting for.
So you are writing off the entire quest system in Vanguard because of the very first kill quest? And after that you uninstalled the entire game based on one frigging quest in ONE of like 12 odd different races starting areas??
Scratch off legitimacy on this review.
Try digging a little deeper than the very surface, you might find what's inside is better than the books cover. And I'm glad you won't be playing Vanguard, truly. I would rather play with people who are slightly more patient and mature than that.
From this site: vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php
Thestra
The massive continent of Thestra has an eastern European theme. Adventurers will find mountain terrain and towering forests to explore. Thestra is home to grand cities such as the human city of New Targonor; the mountain home of the dwarves, Bordinar's Cleft; and the woodland home of the high elves, Leth Nurae.Giant
Qalia
The continent of Qalia has an Arabian Nights feel, marked by blistering sands, treacherous mountain ranges, and peaceful oases. The thriving port city of Khal is home to the resilient mordebi and Qaliathari. The dark elves gather in the cavernous city of Hathor Zhi, where they perfect their skills and plot their raids. The bustling city of Mekalia thrives under the hands of the industrious gnomes.
Kojan
The Asian themed archipelago of Kojan is made up of dense jungles, misty mountains, and seaside outposts. The Kojani humans and half elves work side-by-side in the imperial city of Tanvu. Far less glorious is the orc and goblin port city of Martok, with its sturdy battlements and crude dwellings. Cloistered away in the jungle, the wood elves and their raki allies find shelter in Ca'ial Brael, their glorious tree city.
From this site: vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.phpSo you are writing off the entire quest system in Vanguard because of the very first kill quest? And after that you uninstalled the entire game based on one frigging quest in ONE of like 12 odd different races starting areas??
Scratch off legitimacy on this review.
Try digging a little deeper than the very surface, you might find what's inside is better than the books cover. And I'm glad you won't be playing Vanguard, truly. I would rather play with people who are slightly more patient and mature than that.
I did try more then the one quest I mentioned. Time and time again the only missions/quest that I received were the stereotypical kill X amount of creatures, return and receive Y. Thats it.
As for digging a little deeper, I refuse to dig deeper if the game does not hook me in the first place.
And my review is indeed legitimate, you just don't want it to be. What I posted is my opinion on the game. It is what I felt when I played it. You can not minimize how I felt about the game. Either accept what I said or dont; DO NOT however try to minimize the situation.
As for being mature, at least I can admit to the fact that I did not try out certain features of the game, and I can understand other peoples opinions. I have yet to see you acknowledge that other people have the right to an opinion, however. As for patience, note my xfire profile, I don't really need to say much more.