Turbo I dunno if you intended this but you're making the game sound really, really bad so far! =p I'm less eager to play it now! <i></i>

You should be. <i></i>

What's the fun factor on a scale of 1-10 compared to WoW? =p <i></i>

-5 <i></i>

I told you guys months ago. This game is less fun than the initial release of Anarchy Online, or the current version of Final Fantasy XI, take your pick.<
>
<
>
They wont even make a blip on the radar and beat out stupid Korean freebase mmorpgs that nobody has heard of. <
>
<i></i>

Not that I don't believe you, but how could it possibly be this bad? After all, isn't this a third generation MMORPG?<
>
<
>
What are say, the top three reasons it's so bad? Kuwen Furyblades<
>
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn<i></i>

1....Combat. <
>
<
>
It is a recanned EverQuest II. Where you engage in a series of fast paced battles. Or in other words, you look at mobs, what they con and count the arrows going up or down over their heads like EQII uses. There is no danger, you know exactly how many mobs are coming. The playerbase is actually calling for a reversal of this, wanting an old unfamiliar feeling of EQ, and the danger aspect returned as opposed to a game of count the optiomal experience mob arrows.<
>
<
>
2....Next Gen?<
>
<
>
They
ag it is next gen and the new evolution of gaming. But parading around saying "Your computer will NOT be able to run our awesome game because it is so awesome." is not a great selling strategy. I'm all for moving into the next phase of gaming, but you need to design that shit with that technology in mind when its avalable in the hands of the majority of the populace.<
>
<
>
Double that when you consider the already saturated MMO market. People will not pay 2 grand just to play the next latest thing in MMO gaming just because it looks pretty.<
>
<
>
To add a 2.5 to the list. If you are going to claim your game is next gen and looks superfuckingtastic. Don't release screenshots that look like they are from EQ Beta from back in the day to show off your games features. Fire your promo department because they are balls.<
>
<
>
3.....Timing<
>
<
>
5 Million people are playing a game they are very happy with that is now pumping out content for everyone at a rate unheard of in MMORPG history and for once is actually getting it almost correct out of the gate.<
>
<
>
Nobody will get it perfect. And it took time but Bliz is on a roll now after AQ. The game is super fresh again for endgame people, and now with even more revamped previous content, the casuals have more on their plate than they 'll know what to do with, and the endgame raiders are living it up in two new raid zones with another only months away.<
>
<
>
People are hooked on this game like they were with EQ back in the day when it was the only kid on the block. Reguardless of your playstyle, there is more to do here already in a year than most mmos show after two years and an expansion. Honestly, there is no room in the mmo market right now for new games. Especially of the fantasy flavor. Outside of World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, and the City of * games, on my radar everything else is pretty much meh. EQ was hot shit, but its time is past. EQ II is a great game, but they should have tried a bit harder on the endgame content instead of renaming the area effect spells since they do the exact same things. All the rest are just halfass failures or has-beens of an age long gone and are clinging to life support. Its only a matter of time before they eventually get swallowed up.<
>
<
>
Why even bother with some shit EverQuest clone? You wont get an EverQuest experience. Only a Frankenstiened abomonation of the slew of MMO's out there already. You might say that World of Warcraft isn't your cup of tea, but there is a very big reason 5 million people are ordering that tea and not the Vanguard
and. <
>
<i></i>

+1<
>
<
>
6 million now Who<
>
Raid Officer<
>
<The Stormcrows><
>
-Thunderhorn<i></i>

I was just gonna say that....<
>
<
>
Its only going to keep growing too. <
>
<
>
Shit dude you know WoW has some serious market penetration when your Stoner Friends from HS who never even played PC games are fucking addicted to it. <i></i>

Quote:<
>
Not that I don't believe you, but how could it possibly be this bad?<
>
<
>
<
>
You voted for Bush, didn't you? <i></i>

Voted for Harper, sorry to disappoint. Kuwen Furyblades<
>
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn<i></i>

it was a joke. <i></i>

Yes, I realized this. Kuwen Furyblades<
>
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn<i></i>

Al Gore invented Vanguard. Who<
>
Raid Officer<
>
<The Stormcrows><
>
-Thunderhorn<i></i>

I knew I hated that bastard for a reason. <i></i>

Quote:And it took time but Bliz is on a roll now after AQ.<
>
<
>
I really enjoy AQ but patch 1.10 is an utter piece of dogshit with the exception of priest talents. I mean seriously weather effects are at the top of the page in the under development section as one of the "exciting" new features. From what I'm hearing the new casual armor content is a complete grind for gear that is easily replacable even for casuals. <i>Edited by: Venen at: 3/12/06 8:15 am<
></i>

Most of the tier .5 armor has some pretty nice 4 piece sets, unfortunatly its not even worth the effort for anybody in a MC capable guild since you can't wear MC or BWL gear with the .5 to get dual set bonus.<
>
<
>
Sure, 1.10 isn't
eaking out with more raidable content. But its not like its not on the horizon. There are already two raid zones coming that aren't a part of the expansion. <
>
<i></i>

Honestly, WoW got boring.<
>
<
>
Not because of content, but in which that content is earned and the feel of the community.<
>
<
>
Took me 3 1/2 years to make 60 in EQ (yes, I am not a power gamer and I am in the navy, I am away alot), but it took me 3 1/2 months to make 60 in WoW, I raided MC, killed onyxia a few times, got some gear, my guild leader acted like a prick and I logged off forever. The game wasn't that important to me. The game is a decent solid game, but the community is weak and full of idiots. Before I get flamed, yes WoW has no more asswipes than the next game, but 10% of 6 million people and 10% of 200k people is a huge difference on how often you run into said jackass. As far as Vanguard goes...it is not for the faint hearted, and those people you speak of that have never played an MMO before and WoW is their first...are going to HATE VG (thank God).<
>
<
>
I am loving how hard it is, and when I did my first 2 hour corpse run, I actually got excited.<
>
<
>
I guess it all comes down to what YOU want out of a game. If WoW is your game, rock on...enjoy it. Like I said I played to some end game content, and it was ok, and I played it alot longer than EQ2, but for me, personally it left alot to be desired. <
>
<
>
Want to label Vanguard an EQ clone, just another fantasy MMO, or whatever; hey, your choice, but from my experience, it does not feel that way to me.<
>
<
>
Edit: I forgot to
ing up the combat thing. <
>
<
>
Quote:1....Combat. <
>
<
>
It is a recanned EverQuest II. Where you engage in a series of fast paced battles. Or in other words, you look at mobs, what they con and count the arrows going up or down over their heads like EQII uses. There is no danger, you know exactly how many mobs are coming. The playerbase is actually calling for a reversal of this, wanting an old unfamiliar feeling of EQ, and the danger aspect returned as opposed to a game of count the optiomal experience mob arrows.<
>
<
>
Nope it is not like that at all. Mobs are unlinked, you don't know who is coming on the pull, there are wanderers for adds, and the con system is that of original EQ. Color only. Strategy for position and pulling is back, and unlike WoW there is a penalty for death. <i>Edited by: Marxxus at: 3/14/06 11:55 am<
></i>

Quote:I am loving how hard it is, and when I did my first 2 hour corpse run, I actually got excited.<
>
<
>
Dear god, tell me you are joking. Who<
>
Raid Officer<
>
<The Stormcrows><
>
-Thunderhorn<i></i>

Quote:...but 10% of 6 million people and 10% of 200k people is a huge difference on how often you run into said jackass.<
>
Going to have to disagree with that statement... Kuwen Furyblades<
>
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn<i></i>

haha 10pct is 10pct<
>
<
>
if you used solid numbers like 80,000 it would be different.<
>
<
>
where the fuck did you all learn math? rofl <i></i>

found this on the game. Its a long post. was going to copy and past here but maybe the link will do just as well.www.vanguardsoh.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43537 <i></i>

Blocked at work, so copy and paste would be nice. Kuwen Furyblades<
>
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn<i></i>

Quote:haha 10pct is 10pct<
>
<
>
if you used solid numbers like 80,000 it would be different.<
>
<
>
where the fuck did you all learn math? rofl<
>
<
>
Wow did not realize I had to spell it out.<
>
<
>
WoW<
>
<
>
6,000,000 players on 141 servers.<
>
<
>
10% jackasses = 600,000 jackasses.<
>
<
>
600,000 jackasses divided by 141 servers = 4,256 jackasses per server.<
>
<
>
EQ2 <
>
<
>
200,000 players on 41 servers.<
>
<
>
10% jackasses = 20,000 jackasses.<
>
<
>
20,000 jackasses divided by 41 servers = 487 jackasses per server.<
>
<
>
<
>
Which do you think you have a better chance to have to listen to? 4,256 or 487 per server?<
>
<
>
Note: I never said 10% of the people I grouped with are jackasses...I just said 10% ARE jackasses. In other words if everyone was logged on the server...I would only have to block out 487 motherfuckers in /ooc rather than 4,256...get it?<
>
<
>
Someone tell me that Barrens chat is still not zone #1 for the dumbest people in the world in any MMO.<
>
<
>
<
>
Oh and on the 2 hour corpse run thing:<
>
<
>
Quote:Dear god, tell me you are joking.<
>
<
>
Yeah I am sorry to say that was true. I was really pissed about how long it took, but it put the "pucker" factor back in the MMO. No more hand held bullshit. That made me happy. <i>Edited by: Marxxus at: 3/14/06 3:40 pm<
></i>

Pasted for your viewing pleasure:<
>
<
>
Oh and BTW...hey Kuwen long time no see <
>
<
>
<
>
<
>
<
>
<
>
<
>
Hey all,<
>
<
>
Here's a compilation of information on all things Vanguard. I began this with the intent to make things easier on the would-be newbies that are just now beginning their "search for every last morsel of information" phase. Figured this might ease their pains and make it a bit smoother. This also of course serves as an information pool for those who have questions on their mind and need answers for them, newbie or not. I owe a TON of thanks to my friend Ryan that goes by Akii Kuraii on these forums and some know as HiddinDragon08. He helped cut my time making this compilation down to a few days instead of several days. I fully intend to update this a few times a week as more information becomes available or more information is pointed out to me. Enjoy the read and if you have any comments or things you consider "missing" from this compilation, feel free to AIM me at Lord Vartu or E-Mail me at mailto:vartufaroth@gmail.com. Please feel free to also contact Akii Kuraii as well at AIM Hiddindragon08 or E-Mail mailto:hiddindragon08@hotmail.com. I did something exactly like this for WoW on the Fires of Heaven forums pre-release so I know things get missed and that comments from people like you can make this a much better compilation. -Vartu Faroth<
>
<
>
<
>
Note: I suggest to all new members of this community, seek out fan sites as your main source of information. All this information came from fan sites and developers. If a developer says it, a fan site records it. They are your best tool at finding answers quick and a great place to build community. Please note that around launch of the game, the Vanguard:SoH Official Forums will be closing so introducing yourself to fan site communities and becoming comfortable there is an important thing to do.<
>
<
>
Note:<
>
<
>
Cyan - Person quoted from<
>
Red - New section or important information<
>
Lime Green - Videos found outside the Video section<
>
<
>
Note: You can find official affiliated fan sites here and the Affiliate Logo here. These are your best sources of information. There are several really good non affiliate fan sites out there as well. My personal favorites are The Safehouse, Silky Venom, and Silky Venom's "The Vanguard Wiki". Explore all the Vanguard fan sites and figure out which are your favorites.<
>
<
>
<
>
EQ is like your first kiss. You'll never get that feeling back again<
>
But with Vanguard, we're not stopping at first base.<
>
Here's to hoping we all score.<
>
-Brad McQuaid, CEO Sigil Games Online<
>
<
>
<
>
1.0 - Classes & Races<
>
2.0 - Spheres<
>
3.0 - Perception<
>
4.0 - Combat & Misc.<
>
5.0 - Characters<
>
6.0 - Character Attributes (Stats)<
>
7.0 - World & Travel Info.<
>
8.0 - Player/Guild Housing<
>
9.0 - Mounts & Other Transportation<
>
10.0 - Economy<
>
11.0 - NPC's & "Mobs"<
>
12.0 - PvP<
>
13.0 - Sigil Games Online & Vanguard:SoH<
>
14.0 - Beta & Open Beta<
>
15.0 - System Requirements<
>
16.0 - Unreal Engine<
>
17.0 - Zone Wide Chat<
>
18.0 - Twinking<
>
19.0 - Solo Friendly? Group mechanics?<
>
20.0 - Ebay/IGE/etc.<
>
21.0 - Videos & My Favorite Screenshots<
>
<
>
<
>
1.0 - Classes & Races<
>
<
>
Updated 3/13/06<
>
1.1 - Classes<
>
While very little has been said about Classes, we have a complete list of all the projected classes to be in game at launch. This list of course is subject to change prior to launch of Vanguard. Within this list are all the classes and possible links to where you might find some information on them. I try my hardest to dig deep and find information not always found on main class pages but with the lack of information given on classes by Sigil, it's pretty tough! While some will not have links, which will change as we get closer to launch, I will try to add quotes that hint about information of a particular class. This complete list and a small run down of every class can also be found at Silky Venom and other various affiliated fansites. The best source of information for classes is Darrin McPherson's (a.k.a Talisker)
ain seeing as he is "The Class Man". If anyone knows where I can find a copy of his
ain, please reply with directions on how to obtain!<
>
<
>
With Sigil's permission, this march beta newsletter containing information on the Shaman, Disciple, Psionicist, & Sorcerer was posted at The Druids Grove. The official letter can be viewed here though. I am currently awaiting permission to post a link to the Fe
uary Beta Newsletter.<
>
<
>
<
>
Protective Fighters<
>
<
>
* Warrior - More info...<
>
* Paladin - More info...<
>
* Dread Knight - More info unavailable<
>
* Inquisitor - More info unavailable<
>
<
>
<
>
Offensive Fighters<
>
<
>
* Ranger - More info unavailable<
>
* Rogue - More info... Even more info...<
>
* Monk - More info unavailable<
>
* Bard - *More info unavailable<
>
* Berserker - *More info unavailable<
>
<
>
<
>
Healers<
>
<
>
* Cleric - *More info...<
>
* Shaman - More info unavailable<
>
* Blood Mage - More info unavailable<
>
* Disciple *More info unavailable<
>
<
>
<
>
Arcane Casters<
>
<
>
* Sorcerer - More info unavailable<
>
* Psionicist - *More info unavailable<
>
* Necromancer - More info...<
>
* Druid - More info...<
>
<
>
<
>
* Sometimes so little about a class has been said or revealed due to the stage of developement the game is currently in. Here are some quotes of the "No Information" classes to hint at what the class may entail. These quotes are not substantiated. A few quotes were added to shed a bit more light on classes that had links to information as well.<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by JerleManara<
>
Bards: Largely melee damage with some song damage. Instead of twisting they've built a song composer where you'll be able to assemble various effects into a single song and store it serverside. Preliminary amount of songs you'll be able to create is 40 or 50, subject to change based on data needs and such. The idea is that you mix and match all the effects you want to create a unique song structure. I asked about the possibility of “teaching� a structure to another bard, they seemed receptive but that's not planned. At the very least you'll be able to tell another bard all the components and they'll be able to duplicate it. They're looking at possibly adding some sort of vocalisation to some bardic components but that's in the idea stage at best. I couldn't get much about the class because it's still being implemented, but hopefully more information will be forthcoming in the near future.<
>
Edit: Right clicking on a bard song buff icon permits you to see what components went into it.<
>
You can find more information about this original post at the FoH Boards<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Scrapper's Den<
>
Bards: Unlike in other games, in Vanguard, bards are definitely a melee damage class. A bard will never stand back and sing songs behind the party, they will be using their weapons to do a large amount of damage to the enemies. A bard's song system is also unique. Bards are able to make their own songs by stringing effects together. For example, you could take an effect like an attack bonus, and add a fire resistance, and a frost resistance melody to it. Then you can name your song whatever you want, and you push one button and your song will play with all of the effects that you put on it. You could also make a song that has just one type of effect to make it stronger. For example if you strung together several fire resistance melodies, then you would have a very powerful fire resistance song. There is no twisting, you can switch between songs on the fly, but as soon as you change songs, the previous effects disappear. Also, you can use instruments out of battle for use in more powerful regen or run speed songs.<
>
You can find more information about this original post at the Scrapper's Den<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Scrapper's Den<
>
Monks: Monks get an unarmed damage bonus. They will be able to use weapons specifically meant for Monks and Disciples (since Disciples are like a monk/healer hy
id.) They will also be able to use regular weapons that other classes can use, like staves. However, they will only be able to use more martial weapons, so there won't be any monks with axes. Monks will also have special chains that will give their attacks bonuses. For example, a monk could do a regular attack, then a follow up attack, then a finishing move. This is pretty normal for any melee class. But then the monk could do another finishing move and the combo of the first finishing move with the second one may give a damage or effect bonus added to the attack<
>
You can find more information about this original post at the Scrapper's Den<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Darrin "Talisker" McPherson<
>
Shaman: Gains a portion of his spells from bonding with a parton Spirit. You choose, via vision quest, which of the patron spirits you will follow, and become a shaman of. Your choice will determine what you
ing to the table. Did you choose the patron spirit that will provide you with haste and accuracy, or the one that provides endurance and endurance regeneration? Shaman who follow Hayatet the Phoenix provide amazing fire resistance and fire counter sheild...facing the dragon w/o this amount of Fire resistance will certainly prove more difficult...do you know a Shaman of Hayatet? I think I might prefer to group with a Shaman of Tuurgin - The damage buff that the bear spirit provides is way nice.<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Darrin "Talisker" McPherson<
>
Cleric: Has two types of spells - Divine Favors and Divine Rights. Divine favors can be cast spontaneously. If you have it and can afford the mana cost you can cast it. Divine Rights are much more powerful, has longer reuse timers and must be prepared ahead of time. You have a limited amount of "slots" wherein you can prepare these spells. You have many useful rights - which do you use for this battle? Find you are the second healer in a powerful group...load up some damage spells and swap to your damage improving combat form.<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Silky Venom<
>
Cleric: Vanguard is not as healing-centric as other MMOs. Combat is more about tactics and judgment than about soaking up damage with the right guy and healing him as necessary. As a result, the Vanguard Cleric does not just stare at health bars - the split offensive/defensive targeting allows him to cast the occasional heal on a party member without worrying about retargeting. This makes it easier for the Cleric to balance the offensive side of his game with the traditional healer role.<
>
You can find more information about this original post at Silky Venom<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Darrin "Talisker" McPherson<
>
Disciple: Going into beta today. Been playing him for a few weeks on beta..cause I am a dirty cheater. Martial healer. I have 4 attacks that can be chained together in a variety of ways. 1 attack is a small HoT on my defensive target. When I use this attack at the end of a chain it becomes a large instant heal. This is of course supplimental to my standard heals - but the point is that I can do some 'ok' healing while kicking NPC buttocks. Then, I have Focused Bonds. They are continuous single target buffs and debuffs. I can only have one active at low levels, two and three as I level...which do I choose? Give my ranger buddy a great damage buff, or make the transfer some of my endurance to the shaman, who needs endurance to power some of his spells? Then - I have great counter attacks - only really work when I am getting attacked - Enormous debuffs, nukes and even paralysis are what awaits those who choose to attack me.<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Silky Venom<
>
Psionicist: I also saw a lot of the Psionicist class in action. The class was very cool, with two "mindsets" - basically stances - at the early levels. One mindset, "Abyssal Psyche," focused on offensive abilities, while the other focused on defense. The Psionicist's mana bar works differently than that of other casters. If a Psionicist casts a buff, it requires a portion of his overall bar to keep up. If he casts such that the bar drops below that upkeep level, the buff dies.<
>
You can find more information about this original post at Silky Venom<
>
<
>
Quote:<
>
Originally Posted by Silky Venom<
>
Warrior: I also heard quite a bit about the Warrior and his abilities. The Vanguard Warrior has more strategic combat at level 6 than a level-capped warrior in most MMOs. For example, he has multiple stances already (I believe the Warrior's stances are called "forms"). Some abilities for all classes can cross stances, while others are stance dependent. Attack chains, which do not come into play until at least level 10, may involve a player switching stances to complete.<
>
You can find more information about this original post at Silky Venom<
>
<
>
<
>
1.2 - Races<
>
While even less has been said about Races than Classes, I managed to dig up a few things you might enjoy including a video dipicting all the races. There is a myraid of races in Vanguard, the difficult part is picking which one of the 19 you want to be! Like classes, races are subject to change up to the launch of Vanguard. Some information I can share with you is that the Vulmane race has undergone many changes to make it more unique. The original Vulmane was sort of a mix between monkey (baboon?) and wolf. In it's final stages, it's looking more wolf than anything, almost werewolf entirely. The race & class combinations are courtesy of Silky Venom.<
>
<
>
Available races sorted by continent<
>
<
>
* Thestra:<
>
* Dwarf<
>
* Half-Giant<
>
* Halfling<
>
* High Elf<
>
* Thestra Human<
>
* Thestran Barbarian<
>
* Vulmane (wolf people)<
>
<
>
Qalia:<
>
* Gnome (who wants to be a gnome anyways? Don't trust 'em!)<
>
* Dark Elf<
>
* Angramun Human<
>
* Mordebi Human<
>
* Qalian Barbarian<
>
* Kurashasa (cat people)<
>
<
>
Kojan:<
>
* Goblin<
>
* Half Elf<
>
* Kojan Human<
>
* Wood Elf<
>
* Orc<
>
* Raki (fox people)<
>
<
>
<
>
(This like everything else is subject to change)<
>
<
>
1.3 - Current Race/Class Combinations<
>
<
>
(This like everything else is subject to change)<
>
Thestran Human (11) - WAR, PAL, DK, BRD, RNG, ROG, CLE, BM, SOR, NEC, DRU<
>
Varajar (5) - WAR, BER, ROG, SHA, DRU<
>
Dwarf (7) - WAR, PAL, DK, BER, ROG, CLE, SOR<
>
Halfling (5) - WAR, BRD, ROG, CLE, DRU<
>
High Elf (10) - PAL, DK, BRD, RNG, ROG, CLE, BM, SOR, NEC, DRU<
>
Vulmane (6) - WAR, DK, BER, ROG, SHA, DRU<
>
Half Giant (4) - WAR, PAL, BER, SHA<
>
<
>
Qualian Human (11) - WAR, PAL, INQ, BER, BRD, ROG, CLE, BM, DIS, SOR, PSI<
>
Mordebi Human (10) - WAR, PAL, INQ, MNK, RNG, ROG, BM, DIS, DRU, PSI<
>
Qualian Barbian (5) - WAR, BER, RNG, SHA, DRU<
>
Dark Elf (11) - DK, INQ, BER, BRD, ROG, CLE, BM, DIS, SOR, NEC, PSI<
>
Gnome ( - WAR, INQ, ROG, CLE, BM, SOR, NEC, PSI<
>
Kurashasa (9) - WAR, DK, BER, RNG, ROG, BM, SHA, SOR, NEC<
>
<
>
Kojan Human (9) - WAR, DK, MNK, RNG, ROG, BM, DIS, SOR, NEC<
>
Wood Elf (7) - INQ, BER, BRD, RNG, DIS, NEC, DRU<
>
Raki (7) - BRD, MNK, ROG, BM, DIS, DRU, PSI<
>
Goblin (6) - MNK, ROG, BM, SHA, SOR, NEC<
>
Orc (6) - WAR, DK, BER, MNK, ROG, SHA<
>
Half Elf (10) - WAR, INQ, BRD, MNK, RNG, ROG, BM, DIS, DRU, PSI<
>
<
>
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Here is a video of the races being shown off at E3. There were some issues with connectivity and simply due to being in an early stage of developement so the pictures seem a little rough and the males are not shown in armor. This is basically an unpolished view of all the races that will be available to you at launch. Again, races are subject to change up to the launch of Vanguard. Video of Races<
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2.0 - Spheres<
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Updated 3/14/06<
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2.1 - Adventuring<
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This sphere contains what will be most recognizable as a traditional set of MMORPG classes, with some notable additions. Classes will be
oken into four basic categories, protective fighter (tank), offensive fighter (melee damage dealer), healer (defensive caster), and archane caster (magic damage dealer).<
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Characters in this sphere will be encouraged to group up, and advancement will come mainly through combat. Solo and casual advancement will be possible throughout the levels, but the quickest advancement and best rewards will come from group play. Within each class will be a system of skill points that will allow a player to further customize their character and differentiate themselves even from other players of the same adventuring class. Read much more about combat at Silky Venom!<
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2.2 - Crafting (Blacksmith, Herbalist, Outfitter, Stonecrafter, Woodcrafter)<
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The second ‘sphere’ of Vanguard, crafting is like nothing you have ever seen in any MMOG to date. Gone are the carpal-tunnel inducing days of EQ style crafting where all that was required to advance was patience and a tolerance for repetitive stress injuries. Crafting recipes are each made up of a different set of actions you have to perform in a particular order. Each of these actions cost and take from a pool that is known as the action pool. The max amount of action points available vary with each recipe. While your are crafting and performing these actions you will have problems arise that can affect many aspects of the process. You can have up to three of these on you at a time and which ones will occur is based on the crafting station you are using, its quality, the recipe and the material you are using. Through experimentation, players will be able to discover new recipes and formulas.<
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As a sphere, crafting will have its own set of classes and levels. Your character will level up and advance within the crafting sphere independent of the other spheres.<
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Read much more about crafting and harvesting. A great thread started by "Silius" the crafting system designer can be found here.<
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Some of this video includes Brad McQuaid & Jeff Buttler speaking on Crafting and Intercontinental Travel and can be found at The Safehouse.<
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View Stream or Download<
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2.3 - Diplomacy (Charlatan, Demagogue, Philosophor, Thug)<
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The third “sphere� of Vanguard, diplomacy takes the concept of factions and player interaction to a whole new level. The diplomacy system in Vanguard will allow players to have a direct impact on the politics and development of their world by interacting with NPC’s . Diplomacy For example: Want to get land rights to build a new city in a resource-rich area? Use your guild diplomats to smooth things over with the local politicians and help grease the skids.<
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As a sphere, diplomacy will have its own set of classes and levels. Your character will level up and advance within the diplomacy sphere independent of the other spheres.<
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Read a great E3 report about diplomacy<
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A video of Brad McQuaid & Jeff Buttler speaking on Diplomacy can be found at The Safehouse. View Stream or Download<
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3.0 - Perception<
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The following are from write ups @ Silky Venom & The SafeHouse .<
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The Perception System:<
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Probably my favorite bit of info about Vanguard out of everything I learned. Perception is a the ability to detect and identify things in the game. It's all pervasive, being arguably the one of the most important stats no matter what sphere you are playing. Perception has ties in the intelligence stats of your character, giving Warriors and meele classes a reason to carefully consider how many points they should leave for stats other than strength. Indeed, because Perception is how you sense reactions and opportunities in Vanguard's combat system, intelligence could end up being as important to meeles as their physical stats. Early on during E3, I asked John Capozzi what the two most important rogue stats were, and he replied that it was probably dexterity and intelligence. Later I was told that it was instead dexterity and strength. 2 different takes on what is actually important to a class from 2 different devs. John said Intelligence because he probably was stressing the importance of Perception. The other was probably stressing the meele damage aspect of the class.<
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Perception Outside of Combat:<
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If Perception is so important in combat, it's still just as important outside, and has real application to it's importance. For example, a character who is riding through the forest on their horse at a gallop is obviously missing a lot of detail they wouldn't if they were walking, less than they normally would see. Including threats. If a monster is lying in wait for you, and you're riding by on a horse, you won't see them litterally until they spring their attack, meaning there is no more 20 minute runs through areas on auto-pilot. Or even dodge between mobs in an open field. If you don't take the time to slow down in a dangerous area, enemies may very well get the drop on you. Mobs have perception too, and some mobs with exceptionally higher perception will see you and be aware of you long before you know they are there.<
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Perception is also very important to harvesting classes. It directly ties into their ability to locate and identify harvestable resources. And you are similiarly less able to detect them when you are moving rapidly. Suddenly, you may want to think twice about using speed enchancements to get around, as you will be missing valuable resources. It's also tied into how well you identify resources, so higher level perception characters are finding better items.<
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But Perception does more yet. Perception is a measure of your ability to notice detail, minute or otherwise. You can use your perception to figure out details about NPCs, friendly, neutral or hostile, after you click on them. This information appears as little icons in a box above the NPCs head. People in the adventuring sphere can use it to determine what a mob is thinking, what their intentions are. What their next course of action might be. Who they are paying attention to. What buffs or debuffs are present on the NPC. If they are wounded or what part of their body is wounded. How many hit points they have. Diplomats might use it to determine their current target's state of mind, so they can plan the next possible course of action, the right way to approach them. All of this rides on how much importance you choose to put into your character's perception abilities.<
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So when you think about Perception, you have to think about it litterally. Perception determines whether or not you can see a secret door hidden behind some bushes, or your ability to detect traps, or magical incantations that work as traps. Whether or not you see that secret switch in the wall. If a mob is casting a spell in the other room, your perception determines whether or not you get a message about it. Messages are sent to your chat window that describe what action the NPC is taking, and your perception is constantly running, checking your surroundings for information to feedback to you the player, beyond what you can normally see.<
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I watched the demo PC player's perception skill go up several times in a row in just a few seconds, without him having to do anything (it was explained that because the character's had been artificially increased in level, their skill increases were over compensating). Perception, in totality, is attribute, skill and level point driven. As I understand it, Perception the attribute is a derivative of Wisdom and Intelligence (just like some 2nd. Edition D&D variants I play).<
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Perception in Combat:<
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Perception takes 2 forms in combat. Meeles use a skill called Tactical Recognition, while caster use Arcane Recognition.<
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-For meeles, Tactical Recognition determines whether or not they can detect their friend's special actions. Being successful in doing so means that you recognize that you have an opening, and then you can take an action in response, failing means you don't. Tactical Recognition also determines whether or not you can identify what your enemy is doing at any given moment. Being successful means you might have an opportunity to take a defensive or offensive reaction in response. Perception also determines if the player is able to recognize and learn some enemy attacks (will go into that later).<
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-For casters the process is much the same. Arcane Recognition determines if casters can a) detect the spell cast by their comrades, and react to them accordingly. b) determines if they can detect enemy spell casting, and c) recognize the spell and get a chance to counter spell. Because counter spelling is an unique concept all it's own, I'll go into seperately on it's own later.<
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4.0 - Combat & other Misc.<
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4.1 - Combat Overview<
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A Writeup from SilkyVenom's Fozzik @ E3:<
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Quote:<
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The adventuring sphere has been posted about at length on the official Vanguard forums, but the complexity of the system lends itself to long descriptions, and even longer discussions. I don't think we're going to come close to understanding the finer points of this game until we play it. With that in mind, here's some detail I learned from E3.<
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Combat in Vanguard may seem slow from the perspective of the uninvolved viewer, but I think the experience of it will be anything but. In fact, it looks to be almost frenetic in its pace, and the level of attention and decision making required will very much raise the bar on player skill. Being exceptional at playing your class is going to really matter, and will be obvious to your friends and group mates fairly quickly. Every member of a group will contribute in a very real and engaging sense to the overall success of the party. There are no free rides here.<
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To get an idea of how the system will develop, let's start at the beginning (never a bad place to start). Players will enter the game world with the most basic of abilities. Actually, it's what Sigil refers to as "traditional MMO combat" - type abilities. The systems of combat and adventuring will be introduced through tutorials over time. As the character gains skill and perception, the number of things to pay attention to and decide on during a single round will increase. By mid level, the three or four seconds "between swings" will be spent taking in many different cues from the user interface and game world, and making a decision from among multiple possible actions or reactions. It doesn't seem like a lot of time, and the outcome of a combat may very well ride on making good decisions each and every round.<
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It is a bit like chess. Action and reaction, moves, countermoves. These mechanics are built into every system in Vanguard, and maybe nowhere can they be better illustrated than in combat. The mid level group combat we were shown included an impressive amount of information being displayed by the UI. As your character's perception skill rises, you won't just see your current target when multiple mobs attack. You will actually have an opponent's group window, very much like your own group window, which can show you all of the mobs, their status, and even what they are casting or attacking with.<
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You'll be able to see opposing melee chains begin, or coordinated spells being started. This type of information allows you to make much more informed decisions during each combat round...instead of reacting to a single mob you can watch and counter the whole group,
eaking chain attacks as they begin. You'll be making tactical decisions about which spells to counter, or which mob to focus on, in each and every round of combat.<
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While we're on the subject of group windows, it might be important to note that your own "friendly" group window will also show spells being cast, and whether they succeed or fail. Sorry clerics...no more excuses! "But...but...I did cast the heal in time...you didn't get it?"<
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You'll now be able to see exactly what is cast, when it is cast. Besides keeping clerics honest, this aspect of the group window should also be very useful in coordinating attacks. You'll be able to easily see when your teammates start a spell, and also know if they fail, which should be a big help in your tactical decision-making process during combat.<
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Along with all the opponent's information you will see based on your perception skill, there will also be an ever-increasing number of possible skills, abilities, or spells that you will be able to choose from during each round of combat. Various conditions...moment to moment...will open up additional attacks for melee classes. Maybe even multiple possible attacks in the same round, requiring you to choose the best. Add to that the fact that defensive moves and skills will also be available... the option to choose a block or parry instead of an attack in a given round depending on circumstances.<
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Certain spells being used by an opponent will open multiple possibilities for the casters. Casting classes will have several kinds of counterspells, the more powerful of which will not only be difficult to use effectively, but will have long re-use timers and so must be used carefully...when the moment is just right.<
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Now think back to imagining combat as "slow." Everything I just described occurs within the framework of those 4-5 second rounds, and I'm only describing mid-level combat. Sigil invited us to think for a moment about what this will mean for PvP. You'll never be standing toe-to-toe trading punches or nukes until someone runs out of hit points like in older games. In Vanguard combat looks to be a carefully calculated dance of attacks, defenses, counterattacks, and decision-making.<
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The combat system is also intertwined with character advancement in multiple ways. Besides learning spells from mobs that you fight... As you level, expect to not just buy or receive your spells from a high-level master of your art. Casters may have to take part in an arcane magical duel with a master and learn their new spell through perception of the other's abilities. This will also be true of melee classes, expect to see the word "training" take on a whole new meaning in Vanguard.<
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I have no idea how to sum this up except to say... I'm excited to give it a test drive. A system like this provides for a skilled player to really shine in ways I didn't even really imagine in an MMORPG. I'm a little frightened I suppose, because I know it is going to take a long time to really master the combat system in Vanguard. Not only is the initial complexity impressive... but I see almost an unending possibility for emergent gameplay in a system like this. I can't wait.<
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~fozz<
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Vartu Faroth: As it stands now, the current group size in beta is 6 players. This is subject to change prior to release.<
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4.2 - Skills, Spells & Abilities<
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The following is from write ups @ The SafeHouse .<
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Skill and Ability Acquisition:<
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Skills and abilities fit into one of three categories. The first are your core class skills. These are skills which every class needs to effectively perform their job. Everyone will need these core skills to play their class, and they will be readily accessible to players. Either these skills and abilities are acquired automatically through the process of leveling, or they are granted from sources like guild masters.<
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The second group of skills are a little harder to find. These skills are gained through quests, or some mechanic other than simply going to your guild master for training. You may be forced to battle a true master for the right to learn what he has to teach. You may need to observe a specific NPC execute the skill or ability (and your capacity to understand and learn the skill would be based on your perception). The point to this group of skills is that they are above and beyond the core class skills. You don't need them per se to play your class effectively, but they sure help. Only those who players who actively seek out quests and opportunities will find these quests will find them and their benefits. Gone are the days where someone can raise to the highest levels of performance in their class simply by slaying mobs and grinding experience levels. To gain the premiere skills of your class, you're going to have to demonstrate you can do more, and it would be safe to assume that these skill quests will require you to demonstrate proficiency in your chosen profession.<
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The third group of skills are those that can only be learned from having them used on you by NPCs. Whether or not you can learn these skills is contingent on your perception abilities, and the applicable skill level you currently posses. Here is the example I was given. Let's say you have a skill of 250 in Shield use. Once you hit 250, when an NPC uses Shield Bash on you, your character makes a perception check. Success means you have seen the ability, understood it, and can duplicate it. Failure means your face hurts a lot and you don't know anything more than you already did. This applies to both meeles, and spell casters. So again, there is no simple process of maxing out a class quickly and advancing to the highest rungs of play and prowess. Those who want to be the best in their class, with the best abilities, will have to put out the effort. They will have to hunt down the mobs that have the knowledge they require…and they will have to risk life, limb (or face) to acquire these skills.<
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Skill Pools, Attributes, and Leveling:<
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So how will you be able to make your character unique among the hundreds of your class? By how you spec your skills. There will be various skills for classes. In fact, each sphere has its own set of skills that apply to its specific form of game play. Adventurers have sword and shield skill, tactical and arcane recognition, shield bash and the like. Crafters have their herbalism, their forging skill, ect. As you level, each of these stats receives a small boost in value to keep the skill concurrent with your playing level. In addition, you receive discretionary spending points to distribute them as you want. Skills increase with use as well. For example I watched the Perception skill of one dev in the Nusibe Necropolis constantly increase as the player detected spell casting, aggressive attitudes, the actions of other players, ect. But, Vanguard goes a step further, with re-specing.<
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Now, in some games, you can respec (redistribute) skill points on the fly, totally changing your character's load out to fit the situation or current fad of play. Vanguard takes a more limited approach, by using a limited skill pool.<
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Here's how it works:<
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Let's say you're level 10, and you've put 100 points into Two-handed Sword. But, you decide to use axe instead. You can draw 20 points (or some other arbitrary but limited value) out of Two-handed sword, and put them into Axe skill. You can't do this very often (didn't get clear confirmation on how often, whether it's once per level, once every, or what), but what it does is allow you to re-use some of those "useless" skill points to give you a head start in working into a new skill pool. Perhaps (because I don't know) you can do the same thing with the skill level in your abilities too (Abilities like Shield Bash and Sneak Attack also have associated values indicating how well you perform said action).<
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Attributes:<
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These are the "buck-toothed child" of MMOs that everyone locks up in a closet after they are dealt with. In Vanguard, one thing that the devs were constantly including in their descriptions of your chances to avoidÂ? stuff was attributes. When you are using the shield bash skill, not only is your character making a contested roll against the NPC using their skill value, and their level value, but also their attributes. I mean, shouldn't someone that is stronger than another in Shield Bash not only hit harder, but also better?<
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To this end, after stat tweaking at creation, attributes increase in value as you level gradually, keeping pace with your increasing difficulty of game play. Your stat values and the choices you made in assigning them continue to make a difference and distinguish you from others through out the game.<
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Sorcerer Memorization and Spell System:<
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A little generic tidbit. Sorcerers are elemental spell casters and have no need of puny, small mind tricks to help the mind call up magic! They command the very elements!!!-or something. Anyways, sorcerer's magic is divided up into elemental groups (if you don't know the 4 basic ones you have no right to call yourself a gamer). Each elemental group has a general theme, i.e. offensive or defensive. So while the Fire group might contain Fireball and Greater Fireball (most groups I saw had 3 spells or so), the Earth group might have (and these names are not actual game ones) Stone skin or Earth Wall. Then you have the quasi elemental groups, which occupy spaces between the core elements. Fire + Water = Smoke. Water + Earth = Mud. Earth + Air = Dust? I don't know about the rest, but you get the picture. Each of those elemental groups have their own spell lines, which means lots of room for growth within each element.<
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So what's the catch? Switching between elemental aspects costs you, the Sorcerer personal energy. Master of 1000 spells you are, but not all at the same time. While switching between two potent spells in two different elemental groups might have devastating power, you could short change yourself later on..<
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Counter Spelling:<
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By now you're probably all aware of counter spelling, but I wouldn't be thorough if I didn't talk about it. Spell casters use their perception skills to detect enemy magic being cast, and depending on the success of their detection, they have one of three options. A simple success means a chance to counter-spell and negate the effect (provided you click on the reaction). A good success means you can turn the spell back on it's caster. It's worth noting this isn't always a good idea. A great success means that the entire nature of the spell can be altered against it's will. The common example given was the fireball being turned into a heal. Casters can expect to have magical duels either in routine combat, or as part of special circumstances (like a quest).<
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Nullify. This is the lowest-level and least powerful. It allows a caster to simply "turn off" the effect of an opponent's spell.<
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Natural Divergence. This type allows a caster to change an opponent's spell into something else. It may change into a small heal or a small debuff, or perhaps a shower of daisies. It will depend on the spell being cast by the opponent.<
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Reflection. This allows, as its name implies, a caster to redirect an opponent's spell. Turning it around on the caster.<
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Forced Divergence. Much like natural divergence, this ability allows you to change an incoming spell into something else, but in this case you will have control over what it becomes, instead of it being based on the original spell.<
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Taunt:<
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Originally Posted by Peralay<
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I think the "rescue" comes from a discussion concerning the tanks defensive target. I.E. Tank selects healer as defensive target and if cleric is attacked - the option to rescue cleric icon will appear as an action he could take. Depending on the situation, it may or may not be the best action to take.<
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As for taunt, I do not think it will be the same as have been seen before, but believe there will be actions available to accomplish to a certain degree, just not to the degree of it being a guarantee to top of the hate list. The AI is suppose to be a little more robust.<
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Bingo!<
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That is, in a nutshell, what we are planning. You will have a lot of ways to gain agro, from attacks that build agro (but may not be as damaging) to abilities that will garner you some additional agro on a successful hit, etc. you will not have the "Place myself at the top of the hate list" button though.<
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We will also give you abilities that you can use when you do lose agro, because it will happen. Rescues are a type of ability that protective fighters get to help them defend their allies. These allow you to take the place of the target, either blocking the damage or, at the least, taking the damage themselves. There are a variety of different rescues, some easier to perform than others, some that even return some damage.<
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Intercepts are given to the offensive fighters, because it may fall to them to play the protector role as well. These allow them to ward off attacks using attacks. This is not easy to do and if the offensive fighter fails, the intended target still takes the damage.<
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Ultimately, combat in Vanguard is different than you are used to. Rest assured, we understand the tanking, agro, dps dynamic - there are many former clerics, warriors, rogues, enchanters and bards here...we get it. We also have some former rangers, so we understand the need for raise dead type spells <- for you Brad <
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See you in Beta!<
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__________________<
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Darrin Mcpherson<
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Senior Game Designer<
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Sigil Online Games<
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Quote:<
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Originally Posted by Sailormoontw:<
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I hope the the combat system won't be as simple as rock, scissor, paper......and not too easy....at least I don't want there will be bot program that will do the combat things for you.<
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Originally Posted by Darrin "Talisker" McPherson:<
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Combat in Vanguard:<
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- IS NOT rock, paper, scissors<
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- Is dynamic and unpredictable<
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- Will need to learned and then mastered, by both the character and the player.<
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Originally Posted by Tagad<
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I told you I would get an answer today about our current plans. Also note that plans do change, and we reserve the right to change this decision at any point in time if we deem it necessary.<
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Combat movement speed will not be reduced when auto attacking.<
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Combat movement speed will be slowed to a walk when executing special abilities with a timer.<
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What does this mean? This means that if you want to cast a spell, you go down to walk movement speed. Yes, in Vanguard you can move (very slowly) and cast spells and use certain melee special abilities that have timers.<
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Short and sweet, now I need to get back to work.<
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~Tagad<
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4.3 - User Interface<
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User Interface – Tom King and his cohorts are having a field day with the completely XML-based interface...it will be totally user customizable and will provide great information for the player without seriously interfering with your visual of the action. The one thing to be aware of here is that you won't be able to receive more information than the interface gives by default. In other words, you won't be able to "cheat" the game through mods to the interface.<
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Windows – Player windows and group windows will have real-time rendered character faces displayed. In other words, your actual face that you created in your character creation will be shown in the appropriate windows. No more guessing if XRBSUT is male of female…you'll see his or her portrait in your display windows.<
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SV1<
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Originally Posted by Havelock<
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The UI will allow for multiple hotkey bars, essential given the wide range of abilities in the game. At level 6 my cleric's hotkey bar was already full, with some abilities not even on it. One nice thing about Vanguard is that you can queue up a move - just one - so you don't need to worry about split-second timing to maximize your efficiency, so long as you're willing to potentially forego a reaction in order to set up a combo or otherwise use two moves in a row.<
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The current UI, like the game in general, is quite complex (I should caution that the UI is still in its rough shape and so what I say here may be completely irrelevant). There are multiple methods of accessing information. The basic way seems to be through a start menu similar to the Windows start menu and, like that menu, located by default in the lower left corner of the screen. If I recall correctly, the menu was in places hierarchical, with some options
anching to other options. And most of the windows you opened had submenus - for example, the character sheet had an adventure screen, a harvesting screen, and a bunch more - I think there must have been at least a dozen options just from the character sheet window. It also appeared that you could make shortcuts to certain UI windows and set them up in bars along the bottom of the screen, or at least some such shortcuts were preset. So you could open your inventory from a button on your screen, or of course by pressing "I" in accordance with longstanding RPG tradition, without having to navigate through the menu. The travel journal, which I discussed in part I of this series of reports, is one of the options from the start menu.<
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I also noticed the game running in windowed mode for a short time on one of the demo machines; the graphics looked fine and the game ran smoothly.<
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4.4 - Mounted Combat?<
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Originally Posted by Aradune Mithara<
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Only until when we get true mounted combat (whether on the ground or, later, in the air) implemented, which as noted by other posters per previous posts by me, may or may not be implemented fully by launch. But it's definitely of matter of 'when' and not 'if'.<
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Quote:<
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Originally Posted by Aradune Mithara<
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Btw, (and if this is wrong in the FAQ, please let me know):<
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We are NOT promising MOUNTED combat on release.<
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You may have to get off your horse to fight effectively, and then your horse would be a pet and fight with you, etc. (and, remember, you can equip your horse with armor and such to make it more formidable).<
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I'm all for mounted combat, but man, it's tough stuff.<
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Just trying to manage expectations<
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Vartu Faroth: Mounted combat is not a question of if, but when. They are working hard to make sure this system mechanic is unique and takes it to a new level, far better than you've seen in previous games i.e. EQII - Here is a video of Brad McQuaid and Jeff buttler speaking on mounted combat...<
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Mounted Combat w/ Brad McQuaid and Jeff Buttler found at TheSafehouse.org<
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Stream Download<
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4.5 - Multi-Boxing<
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Originally Posted by Eldiroth<
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Hmm.. where to start..Coming from a guild where we had a lot of people multi-boxing characters on raids (sometimes as many as 4 boxing.. no joke!) I understand why it happened. I heard many reasons from lack of numbers, to outright boredom. I was told several times from these people that they felt they were just as competent or sometimes better players when multi-boxing. I don't buy it.. but that's not relevant.<
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In Vanguard, I SERIOUSLY cannot see anyone multi-boxing and playing their class well. Furthermore, I'm convinced that people will find the combat so engaging that they won't WANT to multi-box. I know I do.. There's just too many things you'll want to be doing to worry about another computer. Put simply, the days of watching TV during combat are over.<
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As a warrior for example, I have to keep watch for defensive reactions like my party members needing rescue (don't they always? ), reacting to my attack chains, using tactical maneuvers, taking advantages of NPC weakness or states that open up, and much more. Sometimes you get multiple options and have to then decide which is more important. The decision you make could mean the difference between winning the fight or running back to your corpse instead of the fight taking 2 minutes or 3 minutes.<
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I really can't wait until people get to see this combat system Darrin and Salim and others have dreamed up. This WILL redefine MMO combat in my opinion.<
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5.0 - Characters<
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Updated 3/14/06<
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5.1 - Character Customization & Uniqueness<
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Vartu Faroth: As it stands now, the max level in Vanguard is 50. This is subject to change prior to game launch.<
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<
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Jeff Buttler: "Some of the notable things about facial customization, is our ability to move around the individual facial elements and scale them apart from one another. So stuff that you haven't seen in other games....this guy standing next to a person who chose the Kojan male, no matter what changes they made to this face, they look like
others. Not only is the texture map on the face the same between the two characters...the facial features are equi-distant from each other. And that's what makes YOU look like your
other....the fact that your facial features, where they fall on your face, are very to similar to how they would on your
other's face. And so what makes people dramatically different is the distance their eyes are apart, their nose, their lips so on and so forth. We can independently move those objects around on the face, including move the head up higher on the neck, change the size the face, like hands,
oaden shoulders, deepen the chest, give ya a big fat gut, you name it."<
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<
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Fan "Akii Kuraii": Character creation has the highest level of customization that I've heard about in a game so far. Players will have the ability to make a character unlike any on their server. Basically take the character customization of SWG and multiply it by a thousand. This level of customization offered to you also costs you zero performance wise in the game, which is a huge plus in my book. There will be racial limitations, but this shouldn't inhibit you from creating a truly unique character.<
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<
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At Vanguard Spheres you will be able to find some nice customization screenshots.<
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<
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Properties (Body, Height, Limbs, Shoulders, etc.)<
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Nose & Ears<
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Hair & Face<
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<
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5.2 - First & Last Names Discussed by Brad "Aradune" McQuaid<
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The long and very informative post can be found this link.<
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<
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A small quote from the post...<
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<
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Quote:<
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Originally Posted by Aradune Mithara<
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We set up a name pre-registration service. When you register for Vanguard (or for any of our future games) you can reserve a name. We offer this as a service. If you apply for this service, you may register a name, although it must be a first and last name, and it cannot already be registered by somebody else. Once you do so, and as long as you are a subscriber to one or more of our games, you and only you are entitled to use the first/last name you’ve registered.<
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<
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6.0 Character Attributes (Stats)<
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<
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<
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Darrin McPherson: The adventure sphere has six attributes: strength, dexterity, constitution, agility, wisdom, and intelligence. Each of these attributes will have some effect on each class, so you may see unusual attribute allocation, like warriors focusing on intelligence to enhance their perception. Other spheres have their own attributes - charisma, for example, is one of the attributes in the diplomacy sphere. The non-adventuring spheres each have 4 to 6 attributes apiece. Read more at SilkyVenom<
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<
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Here are two quotes from Jeven who is Paul Greshko, Associate Game Designer & Vincent Napoli, Associate Game Designer...<
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Quote:<
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While you may favor some stats slighty more than others, you definitely wont want to neglect any. They will all matter, to everyone.<
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<
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-Jeven (Paul.<
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<
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Quote:<
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<
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Quote:<
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Originally posted by Behemoth<
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Will you follow the typical item standard where every slot can have any stat and its an e-peen fest to get the most stamina or most agility etc?<
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<
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It is old and boring to have one stat be the main focus for a class such as Stamina for Warlocks, or Agility for Rogues or Int for Mages? Item bonuses also always seem to be completely out of whack in any game favoring either casters or melee. What ideas do you have to make caster and melee items exciting? How will you ensure items advance everyone at a similar pace?<
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<
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------------------------------------<
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Quote:<
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Originally posted by Teclisen (Game Designer)<
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<
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I can't really comment on the other stuff, but itemization I can a bit.<
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<
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Stats are more of your traditional, DnD/EQ type stuff. Stamina, Dexterity, Strength, etc. etc. But it isn't typical in the sense that each stat has several uses, none of which are trivial or novel. I can't give specific examples, but stats WILL be useful for all classes.<
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<
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Of course there will always be a small handful of stats that each class will want to strive for primarly - a warrior is not going to want all intelligence gear as his primary gear. But, there will be circumstances where the difficulty of a fight will heavily weigh on a combination of stats that may involve intelligence for a warrior.<
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<
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In terms of caster gear, a lot of planning is going into how items will progress with mob difficulty - except not just how stats will curve, but actually how items will get more and more interesting as you delve deeper into the content. There is of course, a scale crafted with careful precision in order to balance how gear is developed, but there is also a ton of variance in terms of what items can be created - it's important for us to be selective in the item implementation process and make sure that the "coolness" of items ramps hand in hand with the stat increase.<
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<
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I wish I could go into more detail on how items will work - but a lot of that stuff is still getting finalized. One example I can give, is that an item we had in the dungeon crawl for E3, was a staff with regular "caster" type stats - but the effect was an actual chained ability that a specific class could equip and use in combination with one of their most powerful spells.<
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Casters certainly won't be neglected when it comes to cool items, as they unfortunately have been in the past.<
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<
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7.0 - World & Travel Info<
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<
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7.1 - World Information<
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<
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Brad McQuaid: I have a feeling the world of Telon will still be the largest or at least one of largest worlds to-date. We have placed a big emphasis on travel and making it fun. Characters will be owning mounts and ships fairly early and their use will be integral to traversing the world's large land masses and oceans.<
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<
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Vanguard:SoH FAQ: Telon is a large world with a myriad of larger landmasses, smaller island-continents, and archipelagos strewn about its oceans and seas. Pretty much every conceivable environment exists, including plains and fields, mountains, swamps, deserts, and much more.<
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<
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The world is inhabited by all sorts of creatures, some sentient, some merely beasts, and some in-between. The intelligent creatures differ greatly in culture and religion. They worship strange gods and goddesses whose very existence is a matter of some debate.<
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<
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The presence and power of magic, once only described in legend, has of late become a very real force and something most every Telonite will have to deal with at some point.<
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The world of Telon will not be zone-based in the traditional sense. Every square kilometer of the world we define will be there, all interconnected in a virtual grid. In other words, if you can see it, you can probably go there.<
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<
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Seamless worlds offer a lot of cool things... a more immersive world, more room for a dynamic world, etc.<
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<
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Vartu Faroth: Currently there are 4 continents, some of which aren't really continents but islands or a string of islands. Thestra, Qalia, Kojan, and Lothenland are the main ones you will come to know. Thestra and Qalia being two largest land masses and starting points. Kojan is the third large land mass and starting point, though not as large as Thestra and Qalia. Lochenland is rumoed to be a high level island. Brad McQuaid gives us something to chew on the matter in this post.<
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<
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Quote:<
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Originally Posted by Brad McQuaid<
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There are a bunch of ways to look at this, and you're right, the world has been described in several different ways in the past. The way we are looking at things right now is as follows:<
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<
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We will launch with 3 major areas, 2 of which are huge and typical continents (Thestra and Qalia) and one of which is a large archipelago of islands that range from small islands to rather large ones (the Kojanese Archipelago). In addition to these three major areas are various other islands, large and small and in-between, that are not part of the Kojanese Archipelago (Lothenland being one of these -- an island surrounded by magically summoned persistent cold weather and housing a high level dungeon called Deriken's Tower). Other islands containing high level dungeons will also be present at launch (I'd rather not list them, to keep the mystery present and to stress the importance of exploration, including exploration by ship or boat -- I mention Lothenland/Derikens only because we already have talked about that area in the past).<
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<
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Then there are many smaller islands with mini-dungeons, overland content, cool points-of-interest, etc. Lastly, there will be relatively large islands that are mostly unpopulated at first and meant to be used by players to build houses and small villages on (in addition to rentables in the larger villages and capitol cities, as well as a myriad of plots available for housing in various other locations in Thestra and Qalia).<
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<
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7.2 - Travel Information<
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<
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Vartu Faroth: While I could go on to tell you more, I am not Vanguard official. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. Traveling will be tough, long, but not tedious. Travel in Vanguard will be meaningful and an adventure in it's self. A lot of hard work has gone into making travel fun and something more than a 3 minute AFK ride like it is in other MMO's you may have played. In travel, there will be danger and purpose. Some don't like the idea and think it's a time sink, of course these critics have yet to even step foot into this massive world and experience it first hand. I venture to say that the saying "people fear what they don't know" applies even to MMORPG fanatics. You will have access to various types of transportation such as horses, ferries, small ships for shore travel, large ships for ocean travel, and even player controlled flying mounts. You heard me right! Now flying mounts may or may not be in at game launch but rumor speculates that they are intended for high levels and should be ready by the time you reach those levels. The world of Vanguard is designed so that travel is an experience, not just in what you see but what you can do. The mentality "if you can see it, you should be able to go there" goes a long way with the
ains over at Sigil. Seemless, immersive, revolutionary. Mounts & Travel is turning out to be something that will have all players in a sense of awe.<
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<
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Here's a quote from one of Brad McQuaid's posts...<
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<
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Brad McQuaid: "It means that we need to (and are) building the world such that allowing players to eventually fly around with very few restrictions that they cannot therefore also avoid content we want them to experience, nor bypass content to head directly to the boss mob. Outside this is a bit challenging, but doable. Inside (say, a dungeon), where you can't mount a horse, much less a flying creature, it isn't really a problem at all."<
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<
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7.3 - Weather<
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<
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Vartu Faroth: While not a whole lot can be said about weather now, you can expect this section to fill up later as we get closer to launch. Expect for weather to play a more defining role in the world around you, more so than any other game you've ever played. Weather in Vanguard will have an effect on spells, combat, travel (ship sails lacking wind?), etc. The weather engine in Vanguard will have some nice mechanics put in at launch but most likely not everything that is intended for this area of game mechanics will be fully fuctional at launch.<
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Here is a video of Brad McQuaid & Jeff Buttler speaking on the Vulmane, Weather system & Underwater mechanics.<
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Stream Download<
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<
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Some of this video includes Brad McQuaid & Jeff Buttler speaking on Crafting and Intercontinental Travel and can be found at The Safehouse<
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Stream Download<
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<
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<
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8.0 - Player/Guild Housing<
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<
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Brad McQuaid: First, they will be places where you can store goods (keep in mind that Vanguard is very item acquisition centric and that inventory management will be an important aspect of gameplay). There will also be places where you can set up vendors to sell your wares, both online and offline. Finally, guilds and other groups of people will actually be able to participate in a larger city building aspect of the game, but we're not ready to release a lot of information about this aspect of gameplay quite yet.<
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<
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Stratics: “Player housing in the world of Vanguard is going to again be something that you can truly make your own. The interior of your home can pretty much what you want it to be. Walls can be placed where you like, decorations, furniture, etc. are placed by you, not pre-determined. The one thing that will not be customizable is the exterior. The outside of your house will follow the theme of whatever continent you are on. Players can also have villages. Creating and running a village is a group effort and everyone plays a part. Diplomats secure the rights to land where the village is to be placed. Harvesters go out and gather supplies and clear the land. Then the crafters come in and construct the buildings. In order to keep the village running while others go on about their daily lives, Diplomats ensure that the town guards are performing their duties, discuss with the blacksmith about increasing the size of the town forge, and other civic duties.�<
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<
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Vartu Faroth: One thing you'll want to note is that houses can be damaged, like most buildings in Vanguard. How this is executed in the game and handled, I don't know. Jeff Buttler speaks on it a little bit in the videos below. I personally think this is a unique and fun mechanic in the game.<
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<
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<
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Here are two videos of Brad McQuaid and Jeff Buttler about On player houses / towns & On "Standing guard" & Housing Permissions. In the first video, Zack Karlsson (Director of Business Development) also speaks on Developer Communications with the customer fan base.<
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Video 1<
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<
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View Stream or Download<
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Video 2 View Stream or Download<
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<
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9.0 - Mounts & Other Transporation<
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<
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9.1 - My person take on Mounts & Other Transportation<
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<
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Vartu Faroth: Again, as I said, I am not Vanguard official so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Not much can be said other than there will be mounts and you can bet your last dollar that the freedom and fun you have with these mounts will be unlike anything you've ever experienced, primarily in the flying department (hint hint). You will have access to various types of transportation such as horses, ferries, small ships for shore travel, large ships for ocean travel, and even player controlled flying mounts. You heard me right! Now flying mounts may or may not be in at game launch but rumor speculates that they are intended for high levels and should be ready by the time you reach those levels. The world of Vanguard is designed so that travel is an experience, not just in what you see but what you can do. The mentality "if you can see it, you should be able to go there" goes a long way with the
ains over at Sigil. Seemless, emmersive, revolutionary. Mounts & Travel is turning out to be something that will have all players in a sense of awe.<
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<
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You can read up about mounted combat underneath the 4.0 - Combat & Misc's section of this compilation. Included there is also a video with Brad McQuaid & Jeff Buttler speaking about mounted combat.<
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<
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10.0 - Economy<
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<
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10.1 - Originally Posted by Aradune Mithara -<
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<
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If when designing a MUD or MMO you want a player driven economy, which is often desirable and can be a key part of community building (and therefore retention), you have to do several things that also lead to some unfortunate problems.<
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<
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1. You have to let more items enter the world than leave it. If you try to close the economy and balance this, not only do the systems generally just
eak, items lose value and aren't part of character development and achievement.<
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<
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2. You have to let quite a few if not most of your items be tradable. Setting an item as no-trade is a quick way of making sure it's still valued by others, but it's also removing it from the economy. It's a necessary evil and should only be used sparingly.<
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<
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The primary problem is simply this: items are constantly entering the world, and at a much higher rate than they are leaving it. This creates MUDflation, where the older the server gets, the more items exist, and even if they were once very rare, the eventually become

lol<
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<
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Quote:WoW<
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<
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6,000,000 players on 141 servers.<
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<
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10% jackasses = 600,000 jackasses.<
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600,000 jackasses divided by 141 servers = 4,256 jackasses per server.<
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<
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EQ2 <
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<
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200,000 players on 41 servers.<
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<
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10% jackasses = 20,000 jackasses.<
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<
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20,000 jackasses divided by 41 servers = 487 jackasses per server.<
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<
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So...<
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WoW<
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<
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6,000,000 players on 141 servers.<
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<
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10% jackasses = 600,000 jackasses.<
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<
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6,000,000 players by 141 servers = 42553 players per server<
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<
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600,000 jackasses divided by 141 servers = 4,256 jackasses per server.<
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<
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So 42553~ players divided by 4256 jackasses = 10pct per server<
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<
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EQ2 <
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<
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200,000 players on 41 servers.<
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<
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10% jackasses = 20,000 jackasses.<
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<
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200,000 players by 41 servers = 4878 players per server<
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<
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20,000 jackasses divided by 41 servers = 487 jackasses per server.<
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<
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Therefor 4878~ players divided by 487 jackasses = 10pct per server<
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<
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<
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In conclusion. You have a "10% chance on how often you run into said jackass"... Regardless of how many you have to filter, you still have by your standards, the exact same chance of running into a jackass.<
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Oh and thanks for the long post, super pimp! <i></i>

<
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<
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There's also many, many more than 141 WoW servers. There are 141 servers in the US.<
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<i></i>

Quote:In conclusion. You have a "10% chance on how often you run into said jackass"... Regardless of how many you have to filter, you still have by your standards, the exact same chance of running into a jackass.<
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Ummm...no. I said 10% of the total population per server is a jackass.<
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Take Disneyland as our server. <
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One day 20,000 people go one day, and 10% of them are jackassess. 2,000 Jackasses right?<
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<
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Next day 10 people go. 10% again...so there is 1 jackass. <
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You are going to tell me my chances are 10% either way that I run into a jackass on either day? <
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I would say my odds are much much higher to not even see that one guy on the second day. <
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If I was saying everyone I meet I have a 10% chance to meet a jackass, you would be correct...10% is 10%.<
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Last time I checked I would rather have 10% of $1000 than 10% of $100. Or are you going to tell me 10% is 10% again? <i>Edited by: Marxxus at: 3/15/06 9:50 am<
></i>

learn2math <i></i>

I know I have not posted very much on these boards, but I have been around for a little while now. I really don't want a flame war about any game being better than any other game, I simply trying to point out that I feel the maturity level of certain games is an annoyance at best, and I would like to keep that factor to a minimum for my gaming experience.<
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I know that this community is very harsh towards new games and you all demand alot out of your gaming experience.<
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Personally I would wait to see the full effect of Vanguard when it is released, I think you may be surprised at what you find. I know I will never have another EQ, and I am good with that, but I think Vanguard is taking things to a whole new level when it comes to MMO's. Yes I suppose many things will always be the constant in a fantasy based MMO, but they are thinking of things that noone has ever thought of.<
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Will it succeed? I guess we will have to wait and find out. <i></i>

Using your math, one could argue that having 6 million players is better. Because 90pct of 6 million players be 'cool' is way better than 90pct of cool 200k players.<
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End result is, if you run into 10 or 1 bajillion people, you are still going to run into 10pct jackasses, and 90pct cool people.<
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I give up though. lol<
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<
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And wow, you are the definition of lurker. Never seen you post here. <i></i>

Fuzzy math aside, Marxxus makes a good point.<
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If you don't dig the WoW maturity level, and you didn't like EQ2 for whatever reason, and you're hesitant to play DDO for any number of valid reasons, then Vanguard will probably be your game. Until something more interesting/original is released, anyway.<
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<
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Different strokes for different folks. Vanguard will obviously not be the WoW killer, but it should be able to carve out a decent niche in the expanding MMORPG market. I wonder how much EQ2's market share will suffer due to Vanguard - it seems like Vanguard's target market is identical to EQ2's, namely ex-EQ players who aren't into WoW. <i></i>

Nah, it's basically geared for EQ2 players, but they're already playing EQ2. Some will prolly check it out for novelty alone, but then return to their high level characters.<
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<
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But Vanguard will stick around a while, they only expect a 250k-500k subscription base anyway <i></i>

I will be shocked if it comes anywhere close to 500k players. What did EQ2 peak at? A few hundred thousand? Kuwen Furyblades<
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Hunter of Memento Reejeryn<i></i>

I believe EQ2s prime was 500k. Pretty sure I remember them posting that. Its dropped off by a ton now tho. <
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<i></i>

I plan on playing it when it comes out. Im totaly bored with WoW, only log in to raid and EQ2 is fun, but its no EQ1 <
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<i></i>

I often wonder if MMO boredom comes out of having so many choices.<
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Imagine if you only had vanilla or chocolate and not the 31 baskin robins selection?<
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I remember EQ holding my attention easily for 2-3 yrs.<
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Was it because it was the only gig in town?<
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WoW bored me after 3 months.<
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City of Heroes/Villains after 2 months.<
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My friends tell me that I'm just outgrowing them.<
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<i></i>

Nooooo....I'm not getting old! I feal the same way though. The other day I was actually thinking about enrolling in an online college...wtf was I thinking? Masjaun<i></i>

Quote:but they are thinking of things that noone has ever thought of.<
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Like what? <i></i>