Question for people who have played **recently**

Rekindle

I could almost write a book with my fanboism about Vanguard when it first came out.  I know all about the drama and all that.

 

I'm asking a question about the present state of the game.  Iwas there in alpha, beta and launch, I understand those view points and there a lot of threads on that already (so please don't type if you haven't played in a while).

 

My question is this:  There is so much in Vanguard to see and do.  Is the fact that there hasn't been a major content update in quite sometime offset by the sheer content (that was available at launch)?

 

As a casual gamer who has fewer hours to game now than ever before can I find a place? Is EQ2 better suited for the casual gamer?  Note I didn't necessairly say solo.

 

Also, is there solo content in Vanguard beyond the armor quests at the low levels? Are there interesting places to see and things to accomplish without a group? 

I know ifi  play vanguard i might have my lfg tag up for a while, is there compelling pve (forget about crafting and dip for a minute) ?

ethvia

i resubbed about a month ago after hearing devs were active again. the population has risen and i'm having a good time playing. i am also a casual player and am currently lvl 36. these days i play almost exclusively solo because of life and have no trouble finding content. i just got to a nice area absolutely full of solo quests so i have plenty to look for. i think one of the big things to consider is your class. i chose a disciple knowing that it was one of the best solo classes and i havent been let down yet. i think i would have had a very different experience had i chosen a rogue or something else.

Deron_Barak

When I played my Ranger up to 23 I had to delete quests because the were getting green and had too many lol. One thing I noticed was that there where quest chains in different directions so you really could explore while questing. If you do play a strong solo class you can also take advantage of the random caves and structures where you might get more than one or two mobs.

vanderghast

There's no shortage of content in vanguard.  I've never ever run out of quests and never even seen all the areas for the level i was at.  The game is the most fun played as a duo due to being able to take some stronger mobs, but solo is fine as well as long as you play a class that's capable.

 

The feeling of exploration in vanguard is awesome, best game for that bar none.  And one of the few games where i see something cool on the horizon and actually take the time to go see what it is.

Deron_Barak

One thing to note is that not only are there many directions to go for questlines but that is for each of the three continents and then separated by starting areas branching out. With so many race/classes there is a lot of replayability (wow, that is truly a word lol)

laserit

Since you have had experiance with VG, I'll make it short and sweet

If VG released as the game it is today... it would have been a major hit

ethvia

Originally posted by laserit

Since you have had experiance with VG, I'll make it short and sweet

If VG released as the game it is today... it would have been a major hit

 

It certainly would have faired better but with the push for games that make everything so much easier I doubt it would have been a 'major hit'.

 

Personally I love the game and think it's by far the best thing out there...but I'm not in the majority.  I'll just be happy if we keep enough subscribers to warrant SOE investing time and support into the game.

 

bamdorf

I have played for about two weeks, first the trial and then resubbed.

No instances, fairly decent population that seems to be growing, intreresting combination of adventuring, crafting, and diplomacy --- all quite different from each other.   We will see how it goes, but I am giving it a try.

Needed a rest from GW I guess.

 

hockeyplayr

i just started playing with the trial and the trial area is booming.  found a group for a dungeon-type area instantly.  i plan on subbing the game is extremely fun compared to more popular mmos

laserit

Originally posted by ethvia

Originally posted by laserit

Since you have had experiance with VG, I'll make it short and sweet

If VG released as the game it is today... it would have been a major hit

 

It certainly would have faired better but with the push for games that make everything so much easier I doubt it would have been a 'major hit'.

 

Personally I love the game and think it's by far the best thing out there...but I'm not in the majority.  I'll just be happy if we keep enough subscribers to warrant SOE investing time and support into the game.

 

If it released as it is now I personally believe it would have been a major hit, a fraction of WoW number's. But lets say 500k+  sustained subscriber's. Which in my opinion would have been a major hit in jan of 2007.

Pure conjecture of course

 

 

 

nerovipus32

Make it free to play!

Aethaeryn

Originally posted by nerovipus32

Make it free to play!

Everyone says this but it would take more work to make it F2P as coding goes than to fix issues and add some content etc.  I wou'd not want a F2P hack job.

Murashu

I just played a couple of months ago and since very little has changed since then I consider my experience recent.

 

There is plenty of content to keep people happy for a while. Much more than at release. You can solo your way up or do it in a group, both are valid options. VG was built for grouping, but they have never required it.

 

The one major issue that still exists since beta and launch is the large number of bugs and the poor game performance. The people who like the game and play it now have a high tolerance for bugs and look the other way simply because they have no where else to go. If there was a higher quality version of Vanguard on the market, I have no doubt that a large portion of the current subscribers would gladly move away. Sadly they have no options left other than quit playing MMOs until some new comes along.

 

So in short, plenty of things to do if you have a high tolerance for the lack of polish in a nearly five year old game.

dazedconfuse

I don't really see that many bugs to be honest. Some, sure, but not near what some posters seem to experience.

Quicksand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdExavvZgzI&feature=related

 

Anyone know if the dragon mount (a permanent version) shown in this video ever made it into the game? and is it obtainable?

Loke666

Originally posted by dazedconfuse

I don't really see that many bugs to be honest. Some, sure, but not near what some posters seem to experience.

Nah, it ain't so bad anymore. The graphics engine could use a little more optimizing still, but otherwise it doesn't have more bugs than EQ2 (which of course is a lot more bugs than Wow & Rift).

As for it going F2P I actually hope so because I have feeling that otherwise will Smed close it down before EQ Next releases. Sure, it will cost SOE money but nothing they shouldn't get back rather quick. If AoC can double it's income starting the first month so should Vanguard.

kraash.1

Originally posted by Rekindle

I could almost write a book with my fanboism about Vanguard when it first came out.  I know all about the drama and all that.

 

I'm asking a question about the present state of the game.  Iwas there in alpha, beta and launch, I understand those view points and there a lot of threads on that already (so please don't type if you haven't played in a while).

 

My question is this:  There is so much in Vanguard to see and do.  Is the fact that there hasn't been a major content update in quite sometime offset by the sheer content (that was available at launch)?

 

As a casual gamer who has fewer hours to game now than ever before can I find a place? Is EQ2 better suited for the casual gamer?  Note I didn't necessairly say solo.

 

Also, is there solo content in Vanguard beyond the armor quests at the low levels? Are there interesting places to see and things to accomplish without a group? 

I know ifi  play vanguard i might have my lfg tag up for a while, is there compelling pve (forget about crafting and dip for a minute) ?

I think eq2 or even aoc would be a better bet for you.

kraash.1

Originally posted by nerovipus32

Make it free to play!

second

Adamantine

I havent joined Vanguard until 3 weeks after its launch.

I have played until about summer 2009 when my guild left. Took me several months but there was just nothing to do any more, so I stopped.

I have restarted playing two months or so ago and now used up my 45 days and continued playing by normal payment.

 

There is absolutely no shortage in content. I havent seen it all yet, either.

There are two content upgrades announced. Some small patches have already been done, and when you play, you see them working on stuff (little bugs appear and are suddenly gone again etc).

Had no trouble so far to find parties and I'm quite casual too.

Yes class makes a huge difference. Disciple is the king of soloing, for all I can tell. Of course as long as you can kite, there are better classes (Ranger, any Mage), but once thats out of the question, Disciple rock with their amazing survivability.

 

 

Edit: Typo fix

Sinaku

I just subbed for the first time today, I have to say I am completely surprised! The community is one of the best I have seen in some time (since original Knight Online). The game is very polished from what I have seen and there seems to be a ton of quests and people partying up to do almost anything. I think you should try it if anything, just to see for yourself.

allegria

Originally posted by deathlylink

I just subbed for the first time today, I have to say I am completely surprised! The community is one of the best I have seen in some time (since original Knight Online). The game is very polished from what I have seen and there seems to be a ton of quests and people partying up to do almost anything. I think you should try it if anything, just to see for yourself.

Not sure if you have a guild but lookup Twilight Song, we are always looking for new folks. 40+ people on every night and 20+ 24x7 lots of grouping going on at all levels !!

 

Adamantine

Originally posted by Quicksand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdExavvZgzI&feature=related

 

Anyone know if the dragon mount (a permanent version) shown in this video ever made it into the game? and is it obtainable?

Well ... cant watch videos at work, but Vanguard has several flying mounts now:

- The xmas reindeer Randalf - very slow, but still faster than most ground mounts. Unlocked during xmas, but is flying all year.

- Pegasus. Available through city faction (18k faction and you need a ***load of plats, i.e. several hundreds). Also quite slow.

- Wyven. Requires killing Kotasoth (final dragon boss mob in Ancient Port Warehouse) and requires getting an egg from Dresla (an overland raid boss of compareable difficulty to Kotasoth). Very rarely an improved version drops from Dresla, the invisible Wyven, which is the fastest flying mount I know about.

- Griffon. Requires a long questchain. The Young Griffon is the fourth fastest and as fast as temporary flying mounts; and the Venerable Griffon, available through a hard raid encounter, is the second fastest, i.e faster as a Wyven but not as fast as an invisible Wyven.

- An unknown number of flying mounts from SoD and maybe other places of which I do not know any details. They come with flames or rainbows.