Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: Pre-Launch Preview

With the launch of Sigil's Vanguard: Saga of Heroes now at hand, Carolyn Koh takes a peek inside the game pre-launch to give us her impressions of this new MMORPG offering.

I did not know what to expect when I logged into Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Despite a couple of previews at shows and an interview with Brad McQuaid and Paul Luna, I had a nebulous idea of a game with lots of grinding in various forms of game play.

I had deliberately not played in beta as I wanted to approach Vanguard as a new player. While the game patched, I read the manual which was surprisingly well written. Score... one point.

Read the entire article here.

«134

Comments

  • RattrapRattrap Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 1,599

    Yet another , biased semi propagandal preview.

    Let me give you the real deal

    Vanguard is released 6 months before it is ready.

    Is it a good MMO , it is.... If you liked original EQ combined with bit of WoWish flavor.

    Actually so many things of original EQ made crossover to Vanguard.

    The world is big, huge. But also not as well fleshed out like let say WoW or EQ2. You will feel very generic , randomly placed monsters

    and generally uninteresting locations.

    However Vanguard is home of potentional. And will easily become the best hack&slash fantasy mmo in years to come.

    Reviewer also forgets to mention how greatly unoptimised game engine is. And how playing the game on any but top of the line PCs equals frustration.

     

    So my advice is

    Vanguard will be great game when it is "really" ready to release , and if by then you purchase new PC - You will be in for a treat

    "Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas

  • KyoteKyote Member Posts: 7
    Got to agree.  It needed at least 6 more months to be ready.  I know McQuaid stated in not so many words that money was an issue and that if it was going to continue then it had to be released to generate revenue and it could be finished by patching it... 

    It could be a very good game in a year or so, kind of like Anarchy Online continued to improve and get better and better after its horrible release, but just like AO... you only get one chance to make an impression with most players and with so many games to choose from it would be best to make that first impression your best one. 

    It needed more time.  Definitely.
  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    It's kinda strange hearing you guys say this is going to be such a great game, just not yet. If you KNOW it will be (or at least strongly suggest it will be), then what's the problem with playing it now? What's wrong with encouraging others to play it now? If a little revenue is all it takes to get this game shining, why not sign up and be there for the shine?



    I dunno, perhaps I read your messages with the wrong tone or something. If I "knew" this was going to be the great game I was hoping for, I'd be more inclined to discuss that, give examples of why and how, then sound negative about how it came out 6 months early.



         To see if it really gives me back the challenge that EQ was without the tedium.




    This is all i'm asking for in a game. Bring back the good of EQ without the bad. Tall order to fill I know. I'll keep my hopes up and try game after game till someone does it though. Including Vanguard.



    -Naaz.
  • AmatheAmathe Member LegendaryPosts: 7,630
    Advertising on mmorpg.com = good reviews on mmorpg.com

    EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests

  • RattrapRattrap Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 1,599

    Why ,

    I dont belive in promoting this buisness model. It has allready brouth enough grief to MMO player.

    I will buy Vanguard somwhere along the line. But not yet.

     

    But if you have PC to run it. You are bored of WoW (or whatever was your crack) , and you dont mind playing "work in progress"

    Vanguard is highly recommended, because it will be a great game

    "Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas

  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    Originally posted by Amathe

    Advertising on mmorpg.com = good reviews on mmorpg.com
    ROFL!!!



    So don't read the reviews! Get them from another site, join beta, ask people in the forums now that beta's over...



    oooorrrrr.... let's just bitch about something instead. 



    BAH! I was going to try and keep a civil tongue. Dangit...



    -Naaz.
  • FireburstFireburst Member UncommonPosts: 200
    I am one of those who can see the potential but will wait a while. My reason is the game plays like a pig on my computer



    AMD X2 3800

    2GB ram

    Ati X850 256MB

    Soundblaster Fatality X-Fi

    200GB free space on a Sata 2 drive fully defragged



    The game runs like a slideshow as soon as other players are close by.



    I know some have been playing using a much poorer system than mine so I can only assume that the game doesn't like something about my setup as I have no problems running any other recently released games. I will try out the trial in a few months to see if the tweeks have helped,
  • IijsIijs Member Posts: 457
    The newb areas are well done. I would like to see the review for level 7-20. My guess is it wouldn't be quite as glowing, especially if you like to solo.
  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    Originally posted by Fireburst

    I am one of those who can see the potential but will wait a while. My reason is the game plays like a pig on my computer



    Agreed, my P4, ATi 7600 1GB system ain't cutting it so well either. I'm in the process of building a new machine though so I see a brighter future. i'll just tough it out for now I guess. 



    -Naaz.
  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    Originally posted by Iijs

    The newb areas are well done. I would like to see the review for level 7-20. My guess is it wouldn't be quite as glowing, especially if you like to solo.
    Well, I have a buddy that hit 11 over the weekend with his Dread Knight. I'll grab him later this morning and have him post something for you if it'll help. Highest I ever got in Beta was 8 with a Bard and a Ranger so that won't help ya much. From what I gather, soloing to 10 is rather easy but it slows WAY down after that. Even grouped the experience started to slow after lvl 11 or 12, but I don't have much more info there.



    -Naaz.
  • HapacheHapache Member Posts: 74

    Made it to 17 in beta and 15 in prelaunch. From seeing other MMOs on launch day this game is more than ready for launch.. WoWs launch was a nightmare.

    As far as soloing, I could easily solo still at 17 and dont think ill have too many problems later. For all those saying blah blah this games not ready.. buy it and shelf it for 6 months to make yourself happy...

  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    Originally posted by Hapache
    As far as soloing, I could easily solo still at 17 and dont think ill have too many problems later.


    What race/class were you?  I'm hoping to be able to do a lotta soloing too as time in game will be limited for me for a while.



    -Naaz.
  • KnivesOnlyKnivesOnly Member Posts: 401

    Don't trust anything this site says, if you want proper reviews then look at gamespot or something.

    image

  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    Originally posted by KnivesOnly


    Don't trust anything this site says, if you want proper reviews then look at gamespot or something.


    ROFL!



    Well, beta's over so just ask the thousands of us that played it. You don't HAVE to be so harsh and jaded when it comes to people's opinions ya know.
  • HapacheHapache Member Posts: 74
    Vulmane ranger
  • jeff1032jeff1032 Member Posts: 24
    This review was actually extremely accurate. I have played at least half the races at starter and 90& of them have some of the best starter experiences I've seen. Other races...not so much. Some of them may have changed since beta but I've been too busy leveling my Bard ever since pre-launch!
  • NaazirNaazir Member Posts: 90
    Originally posted by Hapache

    Vulmane ranger


    Cool, I messed with a Half Elf Ranger the last night of Beta and liked it. Thought it might last me a while.



    Oh, and as far as this review is concerned... do you REALLY think everything everyone says about every game listed here is biased? Do you really think EVERYone is making things sound better than they truly are so long as the game is paying for advertising? That is SO jaded man. Maybe you watch too much Sopranos?  



    -Naaz.
  • KniknaxKniknax Member UncommonPosts: 576

    You must all be talking about beta, the reviewer is talking about preorder.

    My Latency in beta was 500, my FPS on low settings were 15.

    In preorder my latency is now 80, my FPS at HIGH settings are 25-30 consistantly.

    Beta was a mess, and I hated the game. But, a friend got me the preorder box, so I tried it, and wow, it was so much better. Graphics looked nicer, gameplay was smoother, tons of bug fixes had gone in and the whole thing seemed more polished. And most of the forums reflect this. I agree its not 100% there yet, but its getting better and better all the time.

    I've gone from logging in once a week to check changes to logging in every night for 6 hours a night for all the 3 days of preorder, and havent been bored or fustrated yet (except with diplomacy, which past a certain level becomes a real challenge!!)

    "When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright

  • DarkGodamDarkGodam Member Posts: 6

       I think the reviewer did a fine job. Pretty much explains my opinion of the game.  This game is vast and diverse .  I 've played a crap load of mmos and this one combines just about everything I like in one.  Yes theres room for improvement but it is just launch and im sure they have plenty other stuff already in the works to add to the game soon.  Not to mention all games struggle on release, and Vanguards developers seem to be doing a fine job.

       Been on the early access and made it to level 10.5, all solo as well.  Not really planned, just kinda happened that way which is fine while I'm still learning the game.  Though after level 10 mobs get a lot harder to solo.  Grouping seems the right way to go ,but its never a must.  Missions were kinda bland in the begining but did the job of getting you familar with the game and the leveling process.  Now at my current level missions are getting more interesting and theres more objectives to complete in the missions. There so mcuh to do in this game, so many things to aquire .  And the challenge.  God this game looks like it's gonna have me throwing shit, and I have a glass desk. One more thing . Dragons, lots of dragons. Own a dragon, fly a dragon, kill a dragon.  To bad I can't play a dragon character, that would be dragontastic. 

        My socket A system seems to run this quite well. Click my Xfire sig below to see my full system specs.  Running at high quality with volumetric clouds off with maybe a couple other fine tweaks in graphic settings.  Balanced runs super smooth, but the detail just is not there. I've had some lag but nothing thats not too bareable in an mmo, and I'm sure they will address any issues with lag as top priority.  I must also mention I've been downloading my favorite tv seris through bittorrent every time I've played this game.  So shutting that down should make a differance as well.

       All in all im pretty pleased with the game . Its got a bright future, I'll probably be on this for the next 3 or more years.  That 's as long as they dont try some swg crap. 

  • SpeedMannSpeedMann Member UncommonPosts: 333
    Well it sure is good to know this game is good until level 2.

    ==================================================
    Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

  • ChaoticaChaotica Member UncommonPosts: 93
    I'm going to be honest here. I have beta'd a lot of games and i have pre-ordered a few as well. I am actually afraid to try and play Vanguard right now. I got burned very badly by SWG when they changed every single aspect of the game I loved, got rid of the classes I enjoyed playing and basically rewrote the entire game... all while I was paying the piper.



    MMO's need to start going live when they are ready to go live. Not before. I put money down on the pre-order to help with that money they say they need, but I am not willing to buy and pay monthly for a game that could be entirely rewritten.



     I just can't go through all that again. It was so demoralizing and I admit to getting pretty jaded in the process. I wanted to buy and play right away and I'm irritated that I can't. I can't, because I refuse to get burned again. When I start hearing good reviews about the game and how it plays on people's computers, then I'll consider buying and starting to play again.



    I have very high hopes for this game. They have everything I've been looking for in a game. I guess if I could get some reassurance from Sigil that they will not rewrite the entire game so that it isn't recognizable, then I might go ahead and finish paying for my preorder/game.



    Meanwhile, I'm trying to keep an eye on Lord of the Rings Online. The buzz is pretty good about it and hopefully, hopefully, they will wait until they feel it is ready before they publish it fully.

    A Voice From Within

  • starman999starman999 Member Posts: 1,232

    I liked the review.....

    It was the honest experience of someone just starting out in the geme. There was no hype or bias she wasnt saying you MUST buy this game its the greatest thing since sliced bread etc etc... She even mentioned some of the bugs that still haunt VG. I would have to say it was a fair assessment of the beginners experience. I would like to see a more in depth review in 6 to 8 months when they have reached the high level content and seen how the game plays long term.

    Oh on a side note people who have crappy computers shouldnt beat this game down just because their system is junk. Dont assume this game is going to run well on your computer just because WOW did. Unless you have a P4 3.0 ghz processor, at least 2GB of RAM and an ati x1600 or higher or nvidia 7900 or better your system is dated and you need to upgrade

    VG is just the beginning. Games like AOC will require just as tough a machine if not more so to run. I suggest you start saving your pennies and shopping around if you are planning to enjoy this generations pc games.

    Critical thinking is a desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order; and hatred for every kind of imposture.

  • ginfress01ginfress01 Member Posts: 203
    Originally posted by Amathe

    Advertising on mmorpg.com = good reviews on mmorpg.com
    Not quite true, thrones of chaos was advertising too and see where it went 8)
  • PB&JPB&J Member Posts: 255
    This review is spot on. The game is fun and engaging. I'm glad the reviewer is enjoying it. Goblins > All!!
  • anarchyartanarchyart Member Posts: 5,378
    Originally posted by Rattrap


    Yet another , biased semi propagandal preview.
    Let me give you the real deal
    Vanguard is released 6 months before it is ready.
    Is it a good MMO , it is.... If you liked original EQ combined with bit of WoWish flavor.

    Actually so many things of original EQ made crossover to Vanguard.
    The world is big, huge. But also not as well fleshed out like let say WoW or EQ2. You will feel very generic , randomly placed monsters

    and generally uninteresting locations.
    However Vanguard is home of potentional. And will easily become the best hack&slash fantasy mmo in years to come.
    Reviewer also forgets to mention how greatly unoptimised game engine is. And how playing the game on any but top of the line PCs equals frustration.
     
    So my advice is
    Vanguard will be great game when it is "really" ready to release , and if by then you purchase new PC - You will be in for a treat

    Rattrap you haven't seen the game since the release patch which took out all the debugging code; Vanguard plays perfectly now. No more memory hitching and instead of laggin when there are 3 people around I don't even lag when there are like 15 people around now. It is ready to release. There are still bugs but its playing like a dream.

    Just because your experience doesn't mirror hers doesn't mean she is wrong and in fact it was a very objective review of someone simply reporting her experience.  Get over it.

    image
Sign In or Register to comment.