I tried it last year for those intent on defending the game.
It was better than release but nothing was that gripping.
It enjoys a niché community which some enjoy, and kudos to them; play what you enjoy!
I read enough gamer sites, enough forums and chat with enough MMO buddies to know this game is in no way a real contender for most NEW people who want to start playing.
People who rush to defend this game, seemingly to "disprove" my opinon (is that even possible) will be nostalgic hearty defenders of the game.
Fact remains it was a mess on launch, became a better game over time, was ALWAYS designed to appeal to a very select niché market of players. (Primarily EQ1 players, seeing as most of the Vanguard developers worked on EQ1)
It was never a successful game on release, I cant imagine it got better with age. I'm sure it isn't as broken as it once was but let's be honest the game ranks down there pretty low as MMOs go.
Wrong - I;ve played many MMO's and VG is one of the better ones. Crafting is complex and deep and the world is large and seamless. There's player housing and ships and so much more. You can wate your money on the new crap or try VG for free and upgrade later if you like it
If you like the idea of an old school MMORPG over the actual implementation and current quality standards ranging from engine performance over bugs, animations not hurting your eyes and connectivity to UI responsiveness you just might enjoy it.
Otherwise you won't. Just too many basic technical issues.
Originally posted by steuss What about the game makes it RPG if there is no class custimization available other than gear?
Shaman patron, Cleric affinities, Paladin's/Druid's offencive/healing stance , Necro forms , Bard songs and all the other different stances that all the classes have (Offensive tank or healer/Tanking Monk or Bloodmage/Support Psi etc.).Very good variety and depth inside the classes.I hope for an implementation of AA soon tho.
Its a good game and people giving wrong information such as 'I have the best pc possible and mobs take 5 seconds to fall over after I kill them' are just BS.someone said that in another VG post. Either he/she is lying about the 5 second delay or thier pc is shit,either way he /she was lying.
As its about opinions I think MMORPG's should NOT be 'action' combat with one hotbar,my opinion is its aimed at retarded players that want easy play,easy fix,xp for walking around,harvesting carrots and making metal underpants and 'oh look I havn't even killed a mob and i am level 47 adventure!'
These are the retards that jump from game to game and pre order every piece of shit that launches then move on to the next piece of crap and can't play games like VG that have depth and dosn't hand hold.
Its a good game and people giving wrong information such as 'I have the best pc possible and mobs take 5 seconds to fall over after I kill them' are just BS.someone said that in another VG post. Either he/she is lying about the 5 second delay or thier pc is shit,either way he /she was lying.
As its about opinions I think MMORPG's should NOT be 'action' combat with one hotbar,my opinion is its aimed at retarded players that want easy play,easy fix,xp for walking around,harvesting carrots and making metal underpants and 'oh look I havn't even killed a mob and i am level 47 adventure!'
These are the retards that jump from game to game and pre order every piece of shit that launches then move on to the next piece of crap and can't play games like VG that have depth and dosn't hand hold.
I agree with you except for your first paragraph. I think the poster exaggerated when he said 5 seconds, but it takes about one second for the mobs to 'fall dead' which is still pretty slow considering a ping of 150 ms (as an example).
This is not his computer at fault, this is an internet problem perhaps either something about Vanguard's servers or something about how his connection is being routed to the Vanguard servers. I am pretty sure I have a similar issue since my ping is high and I have noticed the same thing with delayed deaths of mobs and a sluggish UI/response time.
Outside of bad lag (internet lag here), the game runs well on my laptop in the sense that it does not hitch like ToR does. I do not get fps slow downs at all in the game on high settings, with shadows running, wind in trees, etc. I don't think you need a powerful computer to run the Vanguard engine overall, but the server stability is a very different issue.
I tried it last year for those intent on defending the game.
It was better than release but nothing was that gripping.
It enjoys a niché community which some enjoy, and kudos to them; play what you enjoy!
I read enough gamer sites, enough forums and chat with enough MMO buddies to know this game is in no way a real contender for most NEW people who want to start playing.
People who rush to defend this game, seemingly to "disprove" my opinon (is that even possible) will be nostalgic hearty defenders of the game.
Fact remains it was a mess on launch, became a better game over time, was ALWAYS designed to appeal to a very select niché market of players. (Primarily EQ1 players, seeing as most of the Vanguard developers worked on EQ1)
This post is accurate... one thing however is not... some of us that play Vanguard and are trying to quell the mountain of innaccurate information and assumptions are not claiming VG is anything but what you said..
what is VG not ?
1. not for everyone
2. not the newest shiniest
3. not an Action RPG, not even close
its a throwback game designed for old school RPG folks, eq-esque of course.. I have not read all the posts in here, but VG is just that .. a throwback game.
Some things people seem to get wrong:
1. the game is not dying
2. There IS more content in vangaurd 1-40 than pick your favorite 5 new releases and add it all up..
3. There is depth from a world and crafting POV
4. The classes ROCK
5. The dungeons, i challenge anyone to find better dungeons in any modern-ish MMO out there... from 07 till now that is. Non-linear anyone ?
6. crafting - its very very GOOD
7. it is not hard to get grps at any level range these days ( although this might change in the coming months with ESO and Neverwinter coming )
Originally posted by iamthekiller I will DL and try it tonight..can someone list the classes? Thanks!
You will see them on the character creation screen ? Just like the races.
If you just want a good race+class combo, then try Qaliathari Human with Disciple. Disciple is the ultimate solo class (great defense, great offense, amazing single target healing - really feels like godmode) and Qaliathari Human gets a great 10 second immunity to damage (great ability to have even at maxlevel).
There are other really great solist classes, but they either require some skill (Necromancer) or good equipment (Dread Knight).
Or if you just want to avoid the worst classes, avoid Warrior and Monk. Both of them cant solo much at all. Now we have some nice population nowadays thanks to free to play, but everyone likes to solo once in a while.
I was pissed when it went ftp as I was subbing for about 6months when it launched, then came back for another 6 months. I was using randolph as my flying mount and they took it away from me and I said I would never play again because that was just rediculous.
Randolph is a Christmas only mount. He can still run on the ground though!
Also, the post above about Warrior and Monk being the worst classes, I wanted to clarify that that should have read worst *solo* classes. They are excellent classes overall, I myself play a warrior and it's great fun. Also, I'd place the rogue behind monk in terms or soloing. But basically, all the classes are fantastic and well balanced, each with their strengtsh and weaknesses.
Randolph is a Christmas only mount. He can still run on the ground though!
Also, the post above about Warrior and Monk being the worst classes, I wanted to clarify that that should have read worst *solo* classes. They are excellent classes overall, I myself play a warrior and it's great fun. Also, I'd place the rogue behind monk in terms or soloing. But basically, all the classes are fantastic and well balanced, each with their strengtsh and weaknesses.
The highest level I ever got to was 35 on a Paladin, and I tried some other classes out. I did not try Warrior and Monk, but so far it seems like all of the classes are pretty well-balanced for solo play. At least, after adapting to the class, I found that they all solo equally well.
The classes are so much fun in this game. Definitely one of the strongest points !
Anyone who wants to try Vanguard... do not listen to most of the negative posts here. Most of them are referencing:
1. opinion
2. old / inaccurate infomormation
3. posted by folks that do not play..
Try the game yourself, its free now.
I want to love Vanguard, I really do. I bought a box on launch day, and gave it my best shot. I recently came back after it went free-to-play, and not much has changed. Despite enormous leaps in computer hardware, Vanguard plays about as well as it did at launch. If you can look past how terribly the game is optimized, mobs warping around, crippling lag during raids, and latency in 300-500 range for no reason at all, then there is a diamond in the rough. Frankly, I moved on a while ago, and I really don't see any reason to play this game over EQ2, or even the original EQ.
I feel the same. I keep going back to this game, wanting to love it - but I can't. For me, there is a latency or lag issue that I cannot get past. The responsiveness; the feeling of connection between your controls and the character, are severely lacking in Vanguard and is something that makes the game difficult to enjoy for me (although I give credit to those who have adjusted and can still enjoy the game - wish I could myself!). While I haven't gotten to any raid areas, I have played multiple characters to around level 10 in my trips back to this game over the years. Still, the same issues keep me from staying each time no matter how hard I try to adjust or overcome them.
Skill/spell hot keys feel non responsive compared to what I am used to in similar games, monsters with low hp may actually be already dead but appear to be standing still, and sometimes I get spikes of lag where the game will freeze for a second or two. All this can lead to a frustrating gaming experience and unexpected deaths. If you can get past these issues, there is a real nice game here that I think has a lot to offer (tons of races, classes, explorable content). Unfortunately for me, I just can't.
Anyone who wants to try Vanguard... do not listen to most of the negative posts here. Most of them are referencing:
1. opinion
2. old / inaccurate infomormation
3. posted by folks that do not play..
Try the game yourself, its free now.
I want to love Vanguard, I really do. I bought a box on launch day, and gave it my best shot. I recently came back after it went free-to-play, and not much has changed. Despite enormous leaps in computer hardware, Vanguard plays about as well as it did at launch. If you can look past how terribly the game is optimized, mobs warping around, crippling lag during raids, and latency in 300-500 range for no reason at all, then there is a diamond in the rough. Frankly, I moved on a while ago, and I really don't see any reason to play this game over EQ2, or even the original EQ.
I feel the same. I keep going back to this game, wanting to love it - but I can't. For me, there is a latency or lag issue that I cannot get past. The responsiveness; the feeling of connection between your controls and the character, are severely lacking in Vanguard and is something that makes the game difficult to enjoy for me (although I give credit to those who have adjusted and can still enjoy the game - wish I could myself!). While I haven't gotten to any raid areas, I have played multiple characters to around level 10 in my trips back to this game over the years. Still, the same issues keep me from staying each time no matter how hard I try to adjust or overcome them.
Skill/spell hot keys feel non responsive compared to what I am used to in similar games, monsters with low hp may actually be already dead but appear to be standing still, and sometimes I get spikes of lag where the game will freeze for a second or two. All this can lead to a frustrating gaming experience and unexpected deaths. If you can get past these issues, there is a real nice game here that I think has a lot to offer (tons of races, classes, explorable content). Unfortunately for me, I just can't.
It's unfortunate that this is the case, but I can understand where you're coming from here. You should give it another try after they've pushed out the new re-written network layer. They basically trashed the old one and are completely rebuilding it in order to get rid of all the network lag, which is what you are describing. I'm not sure when it's going to be done, but once it's out you should give it a try again.
Thanks for the info. I addmittedly haven't kept up with the developer's planned fixes but if they can address the issues I am dealing with I'd certainly be back!
Vanguard is a great game. I play it almost every night. I can play over and over and see something new each time that what i love about it. It has the old mmorpg feel. It is not a click to win game. Ill see you in game
Skill/spell hot keys feel non responsive compared to what I am used to in similar games, monsters with low hp may actually be already dead but appear to be standing still, and sometimes I get spikes of lag where the game will freeze for a second or two. All this can lead to a frustrating gaming experience and unexpected deaths. If you can get past these issues, there is a real nice game here that I think has a lot to offer (tons of races, classes, explorable content). Unfortunately for me, I just can't.
I uninstalled the game because of similar issues. I was having issues with intermittent motion freezes during combat. Also, when I activated a spell, the hotbar countdown sometimes wouldn’t activate. There would be a quick moment of doubt if my spell had activated. These things happened often enough to make combat frustrating. Yes, I sometimes got the mob that would actually die 1 – 3 seconds after you killed him..lol..but that was just a minor issue to me. I don’t know if this is helpful but I believe my problems were somehow related to the use of the games macro system.
I was upset about uninstalling because the game really appealed to me. Even though I didn’t get far into the game, I was enjoying the lore and questing through a seamless landscape. The difficulty of the game was refreshing also. The graphics didn’t really bother me as such things are always secondary to the game play (to me).
I was having so much fun playing the Druid but sadly, I had to park him for a while. It’s good to know that the network layer is being updated. I will most certainly reinstall and give Vanguard another try if the developer can work through the games issues.
Skill/spell hot keys feel non responsive compared to what I am used to in similar games, monsters with low hp may actually be already dead but appear to be standing still, and sometimes I get spikes of lag where the game will freeze for a second or two. All this can lead to a frustrating gaming experience and unexpected deaths. If you can get past these issues, there is a real nice game here that I think has a lot to offer (tons of races, classes, explorable content). Unfortunately for me, I just can't.
I uninstalled the game because of similar issues. I was having issues with intermittent motion freezes during combat. Also, when I activated a spell, the hotbar countdown sometimes wouldn’t activate. There would be a quick moment of doubt if my spell had activated. These things happened often enough to make combat frustrating. Yes, I sometimes got the mob that would actually die 1 – 3 seconds after you killed him..lol..but that was just a minor issue to me. I don’t know if this is helpful but I believe my problems were somehow related to the use of the games macro system.
I was upset about uninstalling because the game really appealed to me. Even though I didn’t get far into the game, I was enjoying the lore and questing through a seamless landscape. The difficulty of the game was refreshing also. The graphics didn’t really bother me as such things are always secondary to the game play (to me).
I was having so much fun playing the Druid but sadly, I had to park him for a while. It’s good to know that the network layer is being updated. I will most certainly reinstall and give Vanguard another try if the developer can work through the games issues.
Aside from the already stated network lag issues, which are hopefully getting fixed soon, I just wanted to clarify the macro and ability system a little.
You mention when you used an ability the hotbar countdown, known in game as global cooldown timer (default 2 seconds), wouldn't go off. Even with lag you would get a GCD, but there are quite a few abilities in game, often each class has a couple (Druids have quite a few), that do not trigger GCD and can be chained back to back or all used in . You might have been using one of these and not realizing what was happening. Also, if you are using a custom macro, the button for macros can't show cooldown timer effects on them because of the potential many abilitiies contained within.
This may of course be not at all what you were experiencing and it was actual lag, but I figured I'd throw it out there.
Aside from the already stated network lag issues, which are hopefully getting fixed soon, I just wanted to clarify the macro and ability system a little.
You mention when you used an ability the hotbar countdown, known in game as global cooldown timer (default 2 seconds), wouldn't go off. Even with lag you would get a GCD, but there are quite a few abilities in game, often each class has a couple (Druids have quite a few), that do not trigger GCD and can be chained back to back or all used in . You might have been using one of these and not realizing what was happening. Also, if you are using a custom macro, the button for macros can't show cooldown timer effects on them because of the potential many abilitiies contained within.
This may of course be not at all what you were experiencing and it was actual lag, but I figured I'd throw it out there.
Thanks for the information Dirkin. I think I will make some macro adjustments and give the game another try.
My problem with Vanguard at the moment is that, while I'd love to play it again (I played for a short while in the past) I don't really want to reward SoE for "doing us a favor" by making this game F2P to milk some more money out of it after they systematically drove it into the ground so it wouldn't compete with EQ2.
That aside, I don't think I could start off again here with a bunch of new sandbox titles on the horizon that I can get in on the ground floor of. I'm absolutely happy the game is around, but Vangaurd deserved better than the fate it recieved /=
This game is beyond awesome. I bet most people bashing it have never even played it or just couldn't deal with an mmo that is a little harder than the typical formula. There is so much to do its crazy
Comments
i tryed it coudnt get into it...felt to generic. But im also bored of the MMORPG games....that is what 6 years of WoW will do...
now the only game i play cuz its the only fun game is DOTA2
I tried it last year for those intent on defending the game.
It was better than release but nothing was that gripping.
It enjoys a niché community which some enjoy, and kudos to them; play what you enjoy!
I read enough gamer sites, enough forums and chat with enough MMO buddies to know this game is in no way a real contender for most NEW people who want to start playing.
People who rush to defend this game, seemingly to "disprove" my opinon (is that even possible) will be nostalgic hearty defenders of the game.
Fact remains it was a mess on launch, became a better game over time, was ALWAYS designed to appeal to a very select niché market of players. (Primarily EQ1 players, seeing as most of the Vanguard developers worked on EQ1)
Playing this with my buddy and I have to say we are both loving it.
Just can`t get enough, it's been awhile were i had to force myself to stay awake so i could just play that little bit longer.
/Agree
If you like the idea of an old school MMORPG over the actual implementation and current quality standards ranging from engine performance over bugs, animations not hurting your eyes and connectivity to UI responsiveness you just might enjoy it.
Otherwise you won't. Just too many basic technical issues.
One of the best Old school mmo's out there and looks like it will continue grow. The best kept secrete out there.
MAGA
Shaman patron, Cleric affinities, Paladin's/Druid's offencive/healing stance , Necro forms , Bard songs and all the other different stances that all the classes have (Offensive tank or healer/Tanking Monk or Bloodmage/Support Psi etc.).Very good variety and depth inside the classes.I hope for an implementation of AA soon tho.
Its a good game and people giving wrong information such as 'I have the best pc possible and mobs take 5 seconds to fall over after I kill them' are just BS.someone said that in another VG post. Either he/she is lying about the 5 second delay or thier pc is shit,either way he /she was lying.
As its about opinions I think MMORPG's should NOT be 'action' combat with one hotbar,my opinion is its aimed at retarded players that want easy play,easy fix,xp for walking around,harvesting carrots and making metal underpants and 'oh look I havn't even killed a mob and i am level 47 adventure!'
These are the retards that jump from game to game and pre order every piece of shit that launches then move on to the next piece of crap and can't play games like VG that have depth and dosn't hand hold.
I agree with you except for your first paragraph. I think the poster exaggerated when he said 5 seconds, but it takes about one second for the mobs to 'fall dead' which is still pretty slow considering a ping of 150 ms (as an example).
This is not his computer at fault, this is an internet problem perhaps either something about Vanguard's servers or something about how his connection is being routed to the Vanguard servers. I am pretty sure I have a similar issue since my ping is high and I have noticed the same thing with delayed deaths of mobs and a sluggish UI/response time.
Outside of bad lag (internet lag here), the game runs well on my laptop in the sense that it does not hitch like ToR does. I do not get fps slow downs at all in the game on high settings, with shadows running, wind in trees, etc. I don't think you need a powerful computer to run the Vanguard engine overall, but the server stability is a very different issue.
Playing MUDs and MMOs since 1994.
You know for a bunch of people who have "moved on" you sure seem to care about vanguard for some reason...
Or maybe some like to troll.
This post is accurate... one thing however is not... some of us that play Vanguard and are trying to quell the mountain of innaccurate information and assumptions are not claiming VG is anything but what you said..
what is VG not ?
1. not for everyone
2. not the newest shiniest
3. not an Action RPG, not even close
its a throwback game designed for old school RPG folks, eq-esque of course.. I have not read all the posts in here, but VG is just that .. a throwback game.
Some things people seem to get wrong:
1. the game is not dying
2. There IS more content in vangaurd 1-40 than pick your favorite 5 new releases and add it all up..
3. There is depth from a world and crafting POV
4. The classes ROCK
5. The dungeons, i challenge anyone to find better dungeons in any modern-ish MMO out there... from 07 till now that is. Non-linear anyone ?
6. crafting - its very very GOOD
7. it is not hard to get grps at any level range these days ( although this might change in the coming months with ESO and Neverwinter coming )
Who are you referring to ? I hope not my post about internet lag and Vanguard !
Playing MUDs and MMOs since 1994.
You will see them on the character creation screen ? Just like the races.
If you just want a good race+class combo, then try Qaliathari Human with Disciple. Disciple is the ultimate solo class (great defense, great offense, amazing single target healing - really feels like godmode) and Qaliathari Human gets a great 10 second immunity to damage (great ability to have even at maxlevel).
There are other really great solist classes, but they either require some skill (Necromancer) or good equipment (Dread Knight).
Or if you just want to avoid the worst classes, avoid Warrior and Monk. Both of them cant solo much at all. Now we have some nice population nowadays thanks to free to play, but everyone likes to solo once in a while.
I am so good, I backstabbed your face!
Randolph is a Christmas only mount. He can still run on the ground though!
Also, the post above about Warrior and Monk being the worst classes, I wanted to clarify that that should have read worst *solo* classes. They are excellent classes overall, I myself play a warrior and it's great fun. Also, I'd place the rogue behind monk in terms or soloing. But basically, all the classes are fantastic and well balanced, each with their strengtsh and weaknesses.
The highest level I ever got to was 35 on a Paladin, and I tried some other classes out. I did not try Warrior and Monk, but so far it seems like all of the classes are pretty well-balanced for solo play. At least, after adapting to the class, I found that they all solo equally well.
The classes are so much fun in this game. Definitely one of the strongest points !
Playing MUDs and MMOs since 1994.
I feel the same. I keep going back to this game, wanting to love it - but I can't. For me, there is a latency or lag issue that I cannot get past. The responsiveness; the feeling of connection between your controls and the character, are severely lacking in Vanguard and is something that makes the game difficult to enjoy for me (although I give credit to those who have adjusted and can still enjoy the game - wish I could myself!). While I haven't gotten to any raid areas, I have played multiple characters to around level 10 in my trips back to this game over the years. Still, the same issues keep me from staying each time no matter how hard I try to adjust or overcome them.
Skill/spell hot keys feel non responsive compared to what I am used to in similar games, monsters with low hp may actually be already dead but appear to be standing still, and sometimes I get spikes of lag where the game will freeze for a second or two. All this can lead to a frustrating gaming experience and unexpected deaths. If you can get past these issues, there is a real nice game here that I think has a lot to offer (tons of races, classes, explorable content). Unfortunately for me, I just can't.
It's unfortunate that this is the case, but I can understand where you're coming from here. You should give it another try after they've pushed out the new re-written network layer. They basically trashed the old one and are completely rebuilding it in order to get rid of all the network lag, which is what you are describing. I'm not sure when it's going to be done, but once it's out you should give it a try again.
I uninstalled the game because of similar issues. I was having issues with intermittent motion freezes during combat. Also, when I activated a spell, the hotbar countdown sometimes wouldn’t activate. There would be a quick moment of doubt if my spell had activated. These things happened often enough to make combat frustrating. Yes, I sometimes got the mob that would actually die 1 – 3 seconds after you killed him..lol..but that was just a minor issue to me. I don’t know if this is helpful but I believe my problems were somehow related to the use of the games macro system.
I was upset about uninstalling because the game really appealed to me. Even though I didn’t get far into the game, I was enjoying the lore and questing through a seamless landscape. The difficulty of the game was refreshing also. The graphics didn’t really bother me as such things are always secondary to the game play (to me).
I was having so much fun playing the Druid but sadly, I had to park him for a while. It’s good to know that the network layer is being updated. I will most certainly reinstall and give Vanguard another try if the developer can work through the games issues.
Aside from the already stated network lag issues, which are hopefully getting fixed soon, I just wanted to clarify the macro and ability system a little.
You mention when you used an ability the hotbar countdown, known in game as global cooldown timer (default 2 seconds), wouldn't go off. Even with lag you would get a GCD, but there are quite a few abilities in game, often each class has a couple (Druids have quite a few), that do not trigger GCD and can be chained back to back or all used in . You might have been using one of these and not realizing what was happening. Also, if you are using a custom macro, the button for macros can't show cooldown timer effects on them because of the potential many abilitiies contained within.
This may of course be not at all what you were experiencing and it was actual lag, but I figured I'd throw it out there.
Thanks for the information Dirkin. I think I will make some macro adjustments and give the game another try.
My problem with Vanguard at the moment is that, while I'd love to play it again (I played for a short while in the past) I don't really want to reward SoE for "doing us a favor" by making this game F2P to milk some more money out of it after they systematically drove it into the ground so it wouldn't compete with EQ2.
That aside, I don't think I could start off again here with a bunch of new sandbox titles on the horizon that I can get in on the ground floor of. I'm absolutely happy the game is around, but Vangaurd deserved better than the fate it recieved /=