Have you been back lately while making such judgements?
If it is empty, I wish someone would tell the people I have to fight past to get to mobs that I want *rolls eyes*
Yes, it had an awful launch, but, as there are not a lot of decent pve games out there, people are trying it, and being blown away by the graphics and classes.
Sigh, of all the failed games only VG I really miss. The vast open world, the interesting classes... I really like that, but when nobody plays it, what good is it for.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
You feel attached to those weird looking lifeless dolls that pass for avatars in VG? A plastic manikin with an animals head stuck on the top? The avatars in VG are really ugly and stupid and have driven a lot of people away from the game. I didnt get the same feeling from EQ and DAoC. Those games were much better than VG.
No the reason people are playing other games isnt because they are faster or easier to play. Its because they are better made and far more entertaining. They offer pretty much the same thing as VG except they do it better. Yes VG has a vast open world......but its boring so hardly anyone cares. Filling that vast world with huge numbers of quests doesnt really mean anything as quality is more important than quantity. If it was more of a sandbox game where players could effect the game world and also each other then the "open world" thing would be interesting but instead its actually just another pve questing game where you have to run around lots more looking for something to do.......and what exactly ARE you gonna do in the game? Quests? Craft a few things? Grind experience points and go up levels? Yep pretty much exactly what you would do in any other mmo......except other mmos are more lively and entertaining to play. VG may have a big open world but it doest do anything with it and most people dont want to waste their time in such a bleak and lifeless place.
Well, I like it. I am playing the trial at the moment for the first time, and after I post this, I am getting back into it.
People that bash Vanguard, feel free to do so, I just hope new players will try it without reading too much biased negativity, or simply someone else's opinions.
Hopefully people will do what I did and try it. Then come and crap all over places like this.
I know this has been covered a million times already. However I had a 2 week break from VG and went back to EVE as I needed to see some other people!! Just logged on and its worse than I thought. I travelled to 3 large cities (different continents) and 1 top grinding area and the only player that came up under my area search was.......ME! This website has more people online than VG does right now. I so wanted this game to work and I really enjoyed playing it when the population was up.....well...existed. I just can't see with AoC, POTBS, Tabula Rasa and War coming out soon how VG won't be slaughtered outright. I am starting to think all the fans of this game should cart this one off to the glue factory. VG RIP....... so much promise.. *sigh*
Why or why do people continue to make these posts? Just read the other population posts.
There's no doubt the population on Seradon and Xeth is going up. Sartok is the PvP server and that has an extremely low population.
But VG is a PvE orientated game, maybe the best available. Seradon, via the count command can break 1000 players online during primetime. That's more than twice as many as 8 months ago. I use the same /who all count macros I always have but have had to break them down to smaller groups since the /who all count command maxes out at 200. I used to have a /who all count 1 49 and then a /who all count for each level 50 class. Now with all the players, I have that broken down to /who all 1 10, /who all 11 20, /who all 21 32, /who all 31 39, /who all 41-49 and then my /who alls for each class.
It's clear the population is healthy and on the rise.
I find it hilarous that someone would post VG doesn't have a good population and then even more hilarious that people that don't play the game pile on with the same view I suppose some have a warped idea that they can scare interested players aware by making false claims the population is low. /shrug
Dammit, I got suckered into a old post that was revived for trolling purposes. /sigh Next time I'll read the date before I post. Now wonder I was dumbfounded by the post.
Sigh, of all the failed games only VG I really miss. The vast open world, the interesting classes... I really like that, but when nobody plays it, what good is it for.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
Case in point...
I was on last night and was trying to do a quest that was tagged as group.
It was hard to kill these things but in the end I did it.
However, I had one more to kill, died, and was sent all the way back to my spawn point. I looked at the clock and said to myself "I only have another 30 minutes, is that really going to be enough time or should I just log?
I love the huge world. I really do.
But as I was riding my horse back to the area I had to laugh to myself because I always told myself that if I ever made a game it would have a huge world and one that you couldn't port anywhere you wanted when you wanted.
oh the irony ; )
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Sigh, of all the failed games only VG I really miss. The vast open world, the interesting classes... I really like that, but when nobody plays it, what good is it for.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
You feel attached to those weird looking lifeless dolls that pass for avatars in VG? A plastic manikin with an animals head stuck on the top? The avatars in VG are really ugly and stupid and have driven a lot of people away from the game. I didnt get the same feeling from EQ and DAoC. Those games were much better than VG.
No the reason people are playing other games isnt because they are faster or easier to play. Its because they are better made and far more entertaining. They offer pretty much the same thing as VG except they do it better. Yes VG has a vast open world......but its boring so hardly anyone cares. Filling that vast world with huge numbers of quests doesnt really mean anything as quality is more important than quantity. If it was more of a sandbox game where players could effect the game world and also each other then the "open world" thing would be interesting but instead its actually just another pve questing game where you have to run around lots more looking for something to do.......and what exactly ARE you gonna do in the game? Quests? Craft a few things? Grind experience points and go up levels? Yep pretty much exactly what you would do in any other mmo......except other mmos are more lively and entertaining to play. VG may have a big open world but it doest do anything with it and most people dont want to waste their time in such a bleak and lifeless place.
You must have very poor vision if you call the more realistic looking one plastic - Just admit that when you look into the mirror you think you see a cartoon character because that is the only explanation for your apparent observation. In your eyes as long as there is no lighting or shading on a character it's more "real" to you. Hilarious!
I beyond the incredible graphics of Vanguard is the fact that the world is seamless. Everything you see in the background of these two pictures is there and not just a backdrop. That is Afrit and Rahz Inkur in the back ground and they are thousands of meters away in different chunks. But I can still see someone flying a griffon into these areas or a storm brewing 2-3 chunks away.
I beyond the incredible graphics of Vanguard is the fact that the world is seamless.
Have they gotten rid of chunking? If not, then it's hard to argue that it's really seamless - just that they've made a halfhearted effort to hide the seams and keep them from turning into loading screens. This isn't to say that I don't like the game, because there are aspects of it that I do. I just wish they had programmed it better so that it wouldn't be released as such a buggy resource hog. I haven't played it in a while, but since you refer to "chunks" in your post, it sounds like you may still be living with them. I hope I'm wrong.
I beyond the incredible graphics of Vanguard is the fact that the world is seamless.
Have they gotten rid of chunking? If not, then it's hard to argue that it's really seamless - just that they've made a halfhearted effort to hide the seams and keep them from turning into loading screens. This isn't to say that I don't like the game, because there are aspects of it that I do. I just wish they had programmed it better so that it wouldn't be released as such a buggy resource hog. I haven't played it in a while, but since you refer to "chunks" in your post, it sounds like you may still be living with them. I hope I'm wrong.
It still takes a few seconds to chunk. I think the seamless thing is marketing speak that is trying to say there are no artificially created zone play areas. Kinda hard to find a good way to say it.... In most games the world is broken into little play areas connected with corridors that lead to another play area. These corridors either zone you, ie give you a loading screen for 10-30 second or sometimes more, or they act as minizones that let the game zone you without pausing. But even in the best of cases the world is designed around these play areas.
Where in VG they didn't design any constraints on the world to break it into zones play areas. You can cross into an adjacent area from any location in any direction. The world is designed without any walls.
For me the chunking is hardly noticeable. Like a small 1 second pause.
As far as the population (re what one gentleman mentioned) I don't know what it's like in the higher level areas but it is somewhat common to be traveling for a long time without seeing too many people.
For me that's a plus.
People talk about hating games that are theme park because the way the content is revealed but nothing is more theme park than seeing scores of players running around, dancing in the squares, jumping all over the place and essentially acting like they are in disney world.
When I go out in the world I don't want to have the feeling that everyone is all going to the same place to do the same thing.
I get that in LOTRO and I hate it.
At least in Vanguard I feel like I'm in a world. A vast world. I might see people (more in towns) but I feel like i have an entire world to explore.
For the first time last night I actually contemplated playing Vanguard as my main game.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I beyond the incredible graphics of Vanguard is the fact that the world is seamless.
Have they gotten rid of chunking? If not, then it's hard to argue that it's really seamless - just that they've made a halfhearted effort to hide the seams and keep them from turning into loading screens. This isn't to say that I don't like the game, because there are aspects of it that I do. I just wish they had programmed it better so that it wouldn't be released as such a buggy resource hog. I haven't played it in a while, but since you refer to "chunks" in your post, it sounds like you may still be living with them. I hope I'm wrong.
Chunking is barely noticeable, you have to be watching for it to know it happens many times. Seamless means there are no artificial boundries that funnel you into new zones or areas. I don't have to click on a door to load a new zone, I don't have to ring a bell to get to a new area, I don't have to follow a tunnel to get through a mountain pass.
It is seamless. You can see everything in the next chunk, mobs will chase you through these areas. It's a novel approach to world design and I like it alot more than other MMOs.
Sigh, of all the failed games only VG I really miss. The vast open world, the interesting classes... I really like that, but when nobody plays it, what good is it for.
Population? There are tons of people playing now! I been re-subbed about 2 months now and have been seeing new players log in every day. Everyone I talk to are amazed at the game now. Was on Seradon several times last few weeks at like 3AM in the morning and still people were running around like ants. When I played WOW there wasn't that many people on at that hour of the morning. SOE needs to pull thier heads out of thier asses and realize this game's potential. If after experiencing the unique gameplay now that Vanguard has If it ever closes I will be done with MMO's for good! This is my last addiction. So far I am loving it above any MMO I have played. And I have played em all pretty much!
LOL and your the one who rebrought this up from 2yrs ago. must have taken you a while to troll this one out.
Anyways, i bought it, i left it, i read that there was a comeback trial for a month to see what they SoE had done to teh game (think this was 8-10mths after release), it failed. Of course i didnt play for a month, i just played for about 7hrs in total, over 2 or 3 sittings (it was at xmas) and the snow they had in game was enough to send anyone's eyes boggled. Even if you went inside a buildign you had the snow and there was no way to turn it off.
There has been 2 or 3 more free months (i believe) but again, no e-mails were sent out (well me nor any of the other 5 people got one) all from europe (UK, denmark and sweden). Only found out 1st time because someone posted about it here 1 week in. Rest were unknown, or too late to bother with. LOL and thats ment to bring old players back, what they expect, telepathy and log into accounts every 5 mins to check LOL
Game probably died anyways, dont here that much about it, probably no community left in there anyways (much like age of conan), that game has improved but is very lacking in community. Feels more like a solo player game, and instance's you can forget them, i just finished a full month and out of everyone i met at my level, they all quit or went to play their higher level char (if they had 1). Only reason i am not going back.
Trying Lotro right now on its 14 day free trial. 1 friend bought it to check and me and 1 other are checking it out on teh 14 day trial (with possibly, i am hoping 1 other friend later on), to come join us. Can buy the game+expansion for 14.99, so ye if the game is good enough i will get that. Wont be a main game, just a filler for filling in breaks between games, or taking those rest periods from others etc etc etc.
But the point is both AoC and VG failed, AoC has and is being worked on and is not as bad as people made out, but still requires some improvement and a community, wereas VG has no community and is/was bad, also has the SoE tag to it so that gives warnings left right and center anyways. Lotro seems to be the pick of the 3.
Vanguard ! Failed??? Not if I have anything to do with it! Try it and see for yourself. I have become SOE's new PR man and they don't even know it! If Vanguard is a failure it will be SOE's fault as the playerbase now are loving it. I have yet to see anyone complain in game. Everyone is in awe at how the game plays today. Some people with lowed end computers are having a few problems getting it to run in all it's splendor but the game does take a bit of "tweaking" to get it to run sometimes but those who take the time to experiment are very pleased. I run it pretty sweet on an old AMD 3800+ single core w/ geforce 9500 card and 4 gigs ram so the requirements can't be that hard. 25-30 FPS is fine by me!
1440x900 resolution on a 22" widescreen? Hell yeah!!!
I have seen and I have recognized and I will never promote another game as I have this one in all my 10+ years of MMO experience!
SOE should put me on thier payroll.
The only downfall of this game today is the fact that SOE is running the show.
Sigh, of all the failed games only VG I really miss. The vast open world, the interesting classes... I really like that, but when nobody plays it, what good is it for.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
You feel attached to those weird looking lifeless dolls that pass for avatars in VG? A plastic manikin with an animals head stuck on the top? The avatars in VG are really ugly and stupid and have driven a lot of people away from the game. I didnt get the same feeling from EQ and DAoC. Those games were much better than VG.
No the reason people are playing other games isnt because they are faster or easier to play. Its because they are better made and far more entertaining. They offer pretty much the same thing as VG except they do it better. Yes VG has a vast open world......but its boring so hardly anyone cares. Filling that vast world with huge numbers of quests doesnt really mean anything as quality is more important than quantity. If it was more of a sandbox game where players could effect the game world and also each other then the "open world" thing would be interesting but instead its actually just another pve questing game where you have to run around lots more looking for something to do.......and what exactly ARE you gonna do in the game? Quests? Craft a few things? Grind experience points and go up levels? Yep pretty much exactly what you would do in any other mmo......except other mmos are more lively and entertaining to play. VG may have a big open world but it doest do anything with it and most people dont want to waste their time in such a bleak and lifeless place.
You must have very poor vision if you call the more realistic looking one plastic - Just admit that when you look into the mirror you think you see a cartoon character because that is the only explanation for your apparent observation. In your eyes as long as there is no lighting or shading on a character it's more "real" to you. Hilarious!
Man that dude hasn't even played Vanguard since release and is just basing his opinion on what he has read on old forums. Soon as I fig out how to post a screenshot of my toon on here I'll show him some "lighting" My Warrior looks fantastic on my old amd singlecore computer and I challenge him to beat it on any other MMO.
I noticed that in all your screenshots, you're the only character. Is the population really that bad??
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for trolling.
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for viral marketing
Play VG (I mean, tried to pplay) VG on halgar since 2007. Was always ALONE. Alone in a huge and empty world. last time I played VG it was last month, saw 3 players on VE, ONE on Kojan.
There's no project for this game, no addon no relaunch nothing. the team is small, they can't work.
VG is one of the best mmos in your in our dreams but in fact this brillant beta has no future and it is unplayable
I noticed that in all your screenshots, you're the only character. Is the population really that bad??
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for trolling.
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for viral marketing
Play VG (I mean, tried to pplay) VG on halgar since 2007. Was always ALONE. Alone in a huge and empty world. last time I played VG it was last month, saw 3 players on VE, ONE on Kojan.
There's no project for this game, no addon no relaunch nothing. the team is small, they can't work.
VG is one of the best mmos in your in our dreams but in fact this brillant beta has no future and it is unplayable
shame on sigil shame on soe
So you think it's fine for random trolls to hijack threads with complete BS, but if someone that actually PLAYS the game posts anything positive they are labeled a viral marketer. Brilliant perspective there.
I've never played on Halgar and never spoke to it other than during Euro primetime the server says Medium Pop. I do know first hand how well Seradon is doing with its increasing population. Easily verified by anyone who actually PLAYS the game with the /who all count command. 1000 players online primetime vs. 400ish 8-10 months ago. That increase in players is absolutely noticeable. We used to have an APW shard to ourselves everytime we raided there, now we almost always share it with 1 to 3 other guilds.
Small team? Sure, relatively speaking. But they continue to push out fixes and content. The most significant of which will be Pantheon of the Ancients, which will include the level cap increase. That is a major 'project' no matter how you look at it.
Why do you constantly call me names Boojiboy? We don't agree, but your hate posts must stop. It's uncalled for and you're starting to become a stalker. So knock it off.
As everyone knows - VG has a declining population. It's common to enter chunk upon chunk and have it be empty. On top of that - Vanguard has now lost its Producer, Thom Terrazas, he is taking over for Everquest. But guess what - there is no replacement producer for vanguard. In fact, Thom didn't even post to tell the subscribers of his game he was leaving. He just left!!! He bailed on you and your giantly successful game!! What the heck, holy smokes!
Some people lie and say that the population has doubled. But the fact is that it is a dead zone; and, a game without a producer is a pretty big sign, don't ya think?
Originally posted by Trueth Why do you constantly call me names Boojiboy? We don't agree, but your hate posts must stop. It's uncalled for and you're starting to become a stalker. So knock it off. As everyone knows - VG has a declining population. It's common to enter chunk upon chunk and have it be empty. On top of that - Vanguard has now lost its Producer, Thom Terrazas, he is taking over for Everquest. But guess what - there is no replacement producer for vanguard. In fact, Thom didn't even post to tell the subscribers of his game he was leaving. He just left!!! He bailed on you and your giantly successful game!! What the heck, holy smokes! Some people lie and say that the population has doubled. But the fact is that it is a dead zone; and, a game without a producer is a pretty big sign, don't ya think?
Whilst I agree the newbie areas (1-10) are dead, much like EQ1/WoW whatever, IoD has more than 40 players (except for off peaks).
As population goes, there is a guy on the forums logging the levels on servers. Halgar is down slightly than previous months but nothing to worry about.
Its all speculative without proper figures anyway, even then difficult to quantify in basic terms for an argument.
I suggest for anyone worried about population levels, play the game yourself and see if there is enough people to enjoy the game with. Its free to start with, costs you nothing to try.
Now playing: VG (after a long break from MMORPGS) Played for more than a month: Darkfall online, Vanguard SOH, Everquest, Horizons, WoW, SWG, Everquest II, Eve
Why do you constantly call me names Boojiboy? We don't agree, but your hate posts must stop. It's uncalled for and you're starting to become a stalker. So knock it off. As everyone knows - VG has a declining population. It's common to enter chunk upon chunk and have it be empty. On top of that - Vanguard has now lost its Producer, Thom Terrazas, he is taking over for Everquest. But guess what - there is no replacement producer for vanguard. In fact, Thom didn't even post to tell the subscribers of his game he was leaving. He just left!!! He bailed on you and your giantly successful game!! What the heck, holy smokes! Some people lie and say that the population has doubled. But the fact is that it is a dead zone; and, a game without a producer is a pretty big sign, don't ya think?
Who's stalking whom? There is almost no post that you don't troll. Somebody has to set you right.
Simply put, if you actually played VG, maybe someone would take your posts seriously. As for Thom? He did nothing for VG or the other games he 'produced'. Nothing. So reading the link above is a positive for anyone considering joining VG or returning.
Originally posted by boojiboy I do know first hand how well Seradon is doing with its increasing population. Easily verified by anyone who actually PLAYS the game with the /who all count command. 1000 players online primetime vs. 400ish 8-10 months ago. That increase in players is absolutely noticeable. We used to have an APW shard to ourselves everytime we raided there, now we almost always share it with 1 to 3 other guilds.
I think anyone can verify that there are 1000 players currently playing, but it seems you are the only one claiming the game only had 400 players 8-10 months ago. Not to mention your numbers keep changing those numbers from post to post so it is hard to find your claims credible.
In fact here is a quote from YOU 8 months ago saying "Seradon is crowded. I've heard Xeth server folks saying the same."
So which is it? Today you say seradon was empty 8 months ago and vanguard is increasing in population, but 8 months ago you were saying the server was crowded and I doubt you thought 400 people was crowded?
I think I just verified that you are wrong with your own words.
Well, now that you mention it, I have been using the 8-10 month timeframe now as a reference for too long. It's hard to believe I've been playing Vanguard for over 2 years.
The 400 count was sometime after the server merge. I found the post that led me to do my first /who all count. Someone posted that a /who all count showed 200 people on Xeth... which would be depressing if true. Seradon seemed busier that 200 people, so that Friday night, I did my all /who all count and got just over 400 people on Seradon. I remember it vididly, because it was kind of distressing.
So yes, my timeframe was out of whack. But the point I've been making has been steadily increasing populations, which is indisputable. Instead of the 400 to 1000 improvement happening over 8-10 months it has actually been closer to 18 months, but the point holds. I think the release of Pantheon of the Ancients will continue this trend.
Comments
Have you been back lately while making such judgements?
If it is empty, I wish someone would tell the people I have to fight past to get to mobs that I want *rolls eyes*
Yes, it had an awful launch, but, as there are not a lot of decent pve games out there, people are trying it, and being blown away by the graphics and classes.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
You feel attached to those weird looking lifeless dolls that pass for avatars in VG? A plastic manikin with an animals head stuck on the top? The avatars in VG are really ugly and stupid and have driven a lot of people away from the game. I didnt get the same feeling from EQ and DAoC. Those games were much better than VG.
No the reason people are playing other games isnt because they are faster or easier to play. Its because they are better made and far more entertaining. They offer pretty much the same thing as VG except they do it better. Yes VG has a vast open world......but its boring so hardly anyone cares. Filling that vast world with huge numbers of quests doesnt really mean anything as quality is more important than quantity. If it was more of a sandbox game where players could effect the game world and also each other then the "open world" thing would be interesting but instead its actually just another pve questing game where you have to run around lots more looking for something to do.......and what exactly ARE you gonna do in the game? Quests? Craft a few things? Grind experience points and go up levels? Yep pretty much exactly what you would do in any other mmo......except other mmos are more lively and entertaining to play. VG may have a big open world but it doest do anything with it and most people dont want to waste their time in such a bleak and lifeless place.
Well, I like it. I am playing the trial at the moment for the first time, and after I post this, I am getting back into it.
People that bash Vanguard, feel free to do so, I just hope new players will try it without reading too much biased negativity, or simply someone else's opinions.
Hopefully people will do what I did and try it. Then come and crap all over places like this.
Or not. And just have fun
Peace
Then again, I could be wrong:)
Why or why do people continue to make these posts? Just read the other population posts.
There's no doubt the population on Seradon and Xeth is going up. Sartok is the PvP server and that has an extremely low population.
But VG is a PvE orientated game, maybe the best available. Seradon, via the count command can break 1000 players online during primetime. That's more than twice as many as 8 months ago. I use the same /who all count macros I always have but have had to break them down to smaller groups since the /who all count command maxes out at 200. I used to have a /who all count 1 49 and then a /who all count for each level 50 class. Now with all the players, I have that broken down to /who all 1 10, /who all 11 20, /who all 21 32, /who all 31 39, /who all 41-49 and then my /who alls for each class.
It's clear the population is healthy and on the rise.
I find it hilarous that someone would post VG doesn't have a good population and then even more hilarious that people that don't play the game pile on with the same view
I suppose some have a warped idea that they can scare interested players aware by making false claims the population is low. /shrug
Dammit, I got suckered into a old post that was revived for trolling purposes. /sigh Next time I'll read the date before I post. Now wonder I was dumbfounded by the post.
Sartok Low population
Halgar Low population
No addon no boxes on shops, if you like EQ like you have 1 choice: Everquest II.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
Case in point...
I was on last night and was trying to do a quest that was tagged as group.
It was hard to kill these things but in the end I did it.
However, I had one more to kill, died, and was sent all the way back to my spawn point. I looked at the clock and said to myself "I only have another 30 minutes, is that really going to be enough time or should I just log?
I love the huge world. I really do.
But as I was riding my horse back to the area I had to laugh to myself because I always told myself that if I ever made a game it would have a huge world and one that you couldn't port anywhere you wanted when you wanted.
oh the irony ; )
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
You feel attached to those weird looking lifeless dolls that pass for avatars in VG? A plastic manikin with an animals head stuck on the top? The avatars in VG are really ugly and stupid and have driven a lot of people away from the game. I didnt get the same feeling from EQ and DAoC. Those games were much better than VG.
No the reason people are playing other games isnt because they are faster or easier to play. Its because they are better made and far more entertaining. They offer pretty much the same thing as VG except they do it better. Yes VG has a vast open world......but its boring so hardly anyone cares. Filling that vast world with huge numbers of quests doesnt really mean anything as quality is more important than quantity. If it was more of a sandbox game where players could effect the game world and also each other then the "open world" thing would be interesting but instead its actually just another pve questing game where you have to run around lots more looking for something to do.......and what exactly ARE you gonna do in the game? Quests? Craft a few things? Grind experience points and go up levels? Yep pretty much exactly what you would do in any other mmo......except other mmos are more lively and entertaining to play. VG may have a big open world but it doest do anything with it and most people dont want to waste their time in such a bleak and lifeless place.
http://www.rob-llewellyn.co.uk/eqphoto/pages/t_ruddie_jpg.htm
VS
http://www.firingsquad.com/media/galleries/vanguard_sept27/03.jpg
You must have very poor vision if you call the more realistic looking one plastic - Just admit that when you look into the mirror you think you see a cartoon character because that is the only explanation for your apparent observation. In your eyes as long as there is no lighting or shading on a character it's more "real" to you. Hilarious!
I beyond the incredible graphics of Vanguard is the fact that the world is seamless. Everything you see in the background of these two pictures is there and not just a backdrop. That is Afrit and Rahz Inkur in the back ground and they are thousands of meters away in different chunks. But I can still see someone flying a griffon into these areas or a storm brewing 2-3 chunks away.
Took one more screen after the sun began to set.
I noticed that in all your screenshots, you're the only character. Is the population really that bad??
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for trolling.
Have they gotten rid of chunking? If not, then it's hard to argue that it's really seamless - just that they've made a halfhearted effort to hide the seams and keep them from turning into loading screens. This isn't to say that I don't like the game, because there are aspects of it that I do. I just wish they had programmed it better so that it wouldn't be released as such a buggy resource hog. I haven't played it in a while, but since you refer to "chunks" in your post, it sounds like you may still be living with them. I hope I'm wrong.
Have they gotten rid of chunking? If not, then it's hard to argue that it's really seamless - just that they've made a halfhearted effort to hide the seams and keep them from turning into loading screens. This isn't to say that I don't like the game, because there are aspects of it that I do. I just wish they had programmed it better so that it wouldn't be released as such a buggy resource hog. I haven't played it in a while, but since you refer to "chunks" in your post, it sounds like you may still be living with them. I hope I'm wrong.
It still takes a few seconds to chunk. I think the seamless thing is marketing speak that is trying to say there are no artificially created zone play areas. Kinda hard to find a good way to say it.... In most games the world is broken into little play areas connected with corridors that lead to another play area. These corridors either zone you, ie give you a loading screen for 10-30 second or sometimes more, or they act as minizones that let the game zone you without pausing. But even in the best of cases the world is designed around these play areas.
Where in VG they didn't design any constraints on the world to break it into zones play areas. You can cross into an adjacent area from any location in any direction. The world is designed without any walls.
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Ethion
For me the chunking is hardly noticeable. Like a small 1 second pause.
As far as the population (re what one gentleman mentioned) I don't know what it's like in the higher level areas but it is somewhat common to be traveling for a long time without seeing too many people.
For me that's a plus.
People talk about hating games that are theme park because the way the content is revealed but nothing is more theme park than seeing scores of players running around, dancing in the squares, jumping all over the place and essentially acting like they are in disney world.
When I go out in the world I don't want to have the feeling that everyone is all going to the same place to do the same thing.
I get that in LOTRO and I hate it.
At least in Vanguard I feel like I'm in a world. A vast world. I might see people (more in towns) but I feel like i have an entire world to explore.
For the first time last night I actually contemplated playing Vanguard as my main game.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Have they gotten rid of chunking? If not, then it's hard to argue that it's really seamless - just that they've made a halfhearted effort to hide the seams and keep them from turning into loading screens. This isn't to say that I don't like the game, because there are aspects of it that I do. I just wish they had programmed it better so that it wouldn't be released as such a buggy resource hog. I haven't played it in a while, but since you refer to "chunks" in your post, it sounds like you may still be living with them. I hope I'm wrong.
Chunking is barely noticeable, you have to be watching for it to know it happens many times. Seamless means there are no artificial boundries that funnel you into new zones or areas. I don't have to click on a door to load a new zone, I don't have to ring a bell to get to a new area, I don't have to follow a tunnel to get through a mountain pass.
It is seamless. You can see everything in the next chunk, mobs will chase you through these areas. It's a novel approach to world design and I like it alot more than other MMOs.
Population? There are tons of people playing now! I been re-subbed about 2 months now and have been seeing new players log in every day. Everyone I talk to are amazed at the game now. Was on Seradon several times last few weeks at like 3AM in the morning and still people were running around like ants. When I played WOW there wasn't that many people on at that hour of the morning. SOE needs to pull thier heads out of thier asses and realize this game's potential. If after experiencing the unique gameplay now that Vanguard has If it ever closes I will be done with MMO's for good! This is my last addiction. So far I am loving it above any MMO I have played. And I have played em all pretty much!
LOL and your the one who rebrought this up from 2yrs ago. must have taken you a while to troll this one out.
Anyways, i bought it, i left it, i read that there was a comeback trial for a month to see what they SoE had done to teh game (think this was 8-10mths after release), it failed. Of course i didnt play for a month, i just played for about 7hrs in total, over 2 or 3 sittings (it was at xmas) and the snow they had in game was enough to send anyone's eyes boggled. Even if you went inside a buildign you had the snow and there was no way to turn it off.
There has been 2 or 3 more free months (i believe) but again, no e-mails were sent out (well me nor any of the other 5 people got one) all from europe (UK, denmark and sweden). Only found out 1st time because someone posted about it here 1 week in. Rest were unknown, or too late to bother with. LOL and thats ment to bring old players back, what they expect, telepathy and log into accounts every 5 mins to check LOL
Game probably died anyways, dont here that much about it, probably no community left in there anyways (much like age of conan), that game has improved but is very lacking in community. Feels more like a solo player game, and instance's you can forget them, i just finished a full month and out of everyone i met at my level, they all quit or went to play their higher level char (if they had 1). Only reason i am not going back.
Trying Lotro right now on its 14 day free trial. 1 friend bought it to check and me and 1 other are checking it out on teh 14 day trial (with possibly, i am hoping 1 other friend later on), to come join us. Can buy the game+expansion for 14.99, so ye if the game is good enough i will get that. Wont be a main game, just a filler for filling in breaks between games, or taking those rest periods from others etc etc etc.
But the point is both AoC and VG failed, AoC has and is being worked on and is not as bad as people made out, but still requires some improvement and a community, wereas VG has no community and is/was bad, also has the SoE tag to it so that gives warnings left right and center anyways. Lotro seems to be the pick of the 3.
Vanguard ! Failed??? Not if I have anything to do with it! Try it and see for yourself. I have become SOE's new PR man and they don't even know it! If Vanguard is a failure it will be SOE's fault as the playerbase now are loving it. I have yet to see anyone complain in game. Everyone is in awe at how the game plays today. Some people with lowed end computers are having a few problems getting it to run in all it's splendor but the game does take a bit of "tweaking" to get it to run sometimes but those who take the time to experiment are very pleased. I run it pretty sweet on an old AMD 3800+ single core w/ geforce 9500 card and 4 gigs ram so the requirements can't be that hard. 25-30 FPS is fine by me!
1440x900 resolution on a 22" widescreen? Hell yeah!!!
I have seen and I have recognized and I will never promote another game as I have this one in all my 10+ years of MMO experience!
SOE should put me on thier payroll.
The only downfall of this game today is the fact that SOE is running the show.
I don't think people want that anymore. Now they want quick to figure out classes, fast thoughtless quests, and a world that just has a lot of bright colors.
At times I can't blame them. I mean, when I get home from work I only have 2 hours to play or so. But then, there are times like on the weekends and holidays that I want to sit down and really try to achieve something.
I guess once people got a taste of streamlined gameplay it just sort of stuck. The thing I've noticed though is that I have no personal connection to my characters in games like WoW. They're just this character I have that runs around so I can collect pelts and do a few quick quests. But in games like Vanguard I get the feeling that I know the character. Like he's more real.
I got that same feeling in games like EQ and DAoC. Oh well.
You feel attached to those weird looking lifeless dolls that pass for avatars in VG? A plastic manikin with an animals head stuck on the top? The avatars in VG are really ugly and stupid and have driven a lot of people away from the game. I didnt get the same feeling from EQ and DAoC. Those games were much better than VG.
No the reason people are playing other games isnt because they are faster or easier to play. Its because they are better made and far more entertaining. They offer pretty much the same thing as VG except they do it better. Yes VG has a vast open world......but its boring so hardly anyone cares. Filling that vast world with huge numbers of quests doesnt really mean anything as quality is more important than quantity. If it was more of a sandbox game where players could effect the game world and also each other then the "open world" thing would be interesting but instead its actually just another pve questing game where you have to run around lots more looking for something to do.......and what exactly ARE you gonna do in the game? Quests? Craft a few things? Grind experience points and go up levels? Yep pretty much exactly what you would do in any other mmo......except other mmos are more lively and entertaining to play. VG may have a big open world but it doest do anything with it and most people dont want to waste their time in such a bleak and lifeless place.
http://www.rob-llewellyn.co.uk/eqphoto/pages/t_ruddie_jpg.htm
VS
http://www.firingsquad.com/media/galleries/vanguard_sept27/03.jpg
You must have very poor vision if you call the more realistic looking one plastic - Just admit that when you look into the mirror you think you see a cartoon character because that is the only explanation for your apparent observation. In your eyes as long as there is no lighting or shading on a character it's more "real" to you. Hilarious!
Man that dude hasn't even played Vanguard since release and is just basing his opinion on what he has read on old forums. Soon as I fig out how to post a screenshot of my toon on here I'll show him some "lighting" My Warrior looks fantastic on my old amd singlecore computer and I challenge him to beat it on any other MMO.
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for trolling.
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for viral marketing
Play VG (I mean, tried to pplay) VG on halgar since 2007. Was always ALONE. Alone in a huge and empty world. last time I played VG it was last month, saw 3 players on VE, ONE on Kojan.
There's no project for this game, no addon no relaunch nothing. the team is small, they can't work.
VG is one of the best mmos in your in our dreams but in fact this brillant beta has no future and it is unplayable
shame on sigil shame on soe
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for trolling.
Hard to believe you still haven't been banned for viral marketing
Play VG (I mean, tried to pplay) VG on halgar since 2007. Was always ALONE. Alone in a huge and empty world. last time I played VG it was last month, saw 3 players on VE, ONE on Kojan.
There's no project for this game, no addon no relaunch nothing. the team is small, they can't work.
VG is one of the best mmos in your in our dreams but in fact this brillant beta has no future and it is unplayable
shame on sigil shame on soe
So you think it's fine for random trolls to hijack threads with complete BS, but if someone that actually PLAYS the game posts anything positive they are labeled a viral marketer. Brilliant perspective there.
I've never played on Halgar and never spoke to it other than during Euro primetime the server says Medium Pop. I do know first hand how well Seradon is doing with its increasing population. Easily verified by anyone who actually PLAYS the game with the /who all count command. 1000 players online primetime vs. 400ish 8-10 months ago. That increase in players is absolutely noticeable. We used to have an APW shard to ourselves everytime we raided there, now we almost always share it with 1 to 3 other guilds.
Small team? Sure, relatively speaking. But they continue to push out fixes and content. The most significant of which will be Pantheon of the Ancients, which will include the level cap increase. That is a major 'project' no matter how you look at it.
Why do you constantly call me names Boojiboy? We don't agree, but your hate posts must stop. It's uncalled for and you're starting to become a stalker. So knock it off.
As everyone knows - VG has a declining population. It's common to enter chunk upon chunk and have it be empty. On top of that - Vanguard has now lost its Producer, Thom Terrazas, he is taking over for Everquest. But guess what - there is no replacement producer for vanguard. In fact, Thom didn't even post to tell the subscribers of his game he was leaving. He just left!!! He bailed on you and your giantly successful game!! What the heck, holy smokes!
Some people lie and say that the population has doubled. But the fact is that it is a dead zone; and, a game without a producer is a pretty big sign, don't ya think?
eqdev.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/hello-fellow-inhabitants-of-norrath/
forums.station.sony.com/vg/posts/list.m
Whilst I agree the newbie areas (1-10) are dead, much like EQ1/WoW whatever, IoD has more than 40 players (except for off peaks).
As population goes, there is a guy on the forums logging the levels on servers. Halgar is down slightly than previous months but nothing to worry about.
Its all speculative without proper figures anyway, even then difficult to quantify in basic terms for an argument.
I suggest for anyone worried about population levels, play the game yourself and see if there is enough people to enjoy the game with. Its free to start with, costs you nothing to try.
Now playing: VG (after a long break from MMORPGS)
Played for more than a month: Darkfall online, Vanguard SOH, Everquest, Horizons, WoW, SWG, Everquest II, Eve
Who's stalking whom? There is almost no post that you don't troll. Somebody has to set you right.
Simply put, if you actually played VG, maybe someone would take your posts seriously. As for Thom? He did nothing for VG or the other games he 'produced'. Nothing. So reading the link above is a positive for anyone considering joining VG or returning.
I think anyone can verify that there are 1000 players currently playing, but it seems you are the only one claiming the game only had 400 players 8-10 months ago. Not to mention your numbers keep changing those numbers from post to post so it is hard to find your claims credible.
In fact here is a quote from YOU 8 months ago saying "Seradon is crowded. I've heard Xeth server folks saying the same."
www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/2340417
So which is it? Today you say seradon was empty 8 months ago and vanguard is increasing in population, but 8 months ago you were saying the server was crowded and I doubt you thought 400 people was crowded?
I think I just verified that you are wrong with your own words.
Well, now that you mention it, I have been using the 8-10 month timeframe now as a reference for too long. It's hard to believe I've been playing Vanguard for over 2 years.
The 400 count was sometime after the server merge. I found the post that led me to do my first /who all count. Someone posted that a /who all count showed 200 people on Xeth... which would be depressing if true. Seradon seemed busier that 200 people, so that Friday night, I did my all /who all count and got just over 400 people on Seradon. I remember it vididly, because it was kind of distressing.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/146060/page/1
My first 1000 count was March 2009 I believe. And here is a January post where the count was closing in on 900.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/219554/page/1
So yes, my timeframe was out of whack. But the point I've been making has been steadily increasing populations, which is indisputable. Instead of the 400 to 1000 improvement happening over 8-10 months it has actually been closer to 18 months, but the point holds. I think the release of Pantheon of the Ancients will continue this trend.