Speaking of MMO's, Colette, have I got a story for you! If I may speak bluntly, and I shall, it seems as no surprise that SOE's Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is not doing well. Or in their words: "...right now Vanguard is doing decently but not as well as we hoped." Don't you just love it when they pour sugar on cankers?
Let's reminisce back to when I sat down with the (SUPER NICE) Sigil folks back at CES. Before we even got started, I put my tactful foot in my mouth: "That looks like the old Everquest 2!" As expected, I got uber grilled for saying that and glaring looks from across the sofa. They were quick to point out the moving shrubbery, etc etc etc. Fine, so it was prettier. I shrugged apologetically and performed the upwards eyebrow shitface grin of honesty, letting them defend it without going for the jugular. Nobody wants to walk out of a nice PR meeting with a battle axe through their heads. I was civil to Sigil.
Vanguard was also by far more ambitious than EQ2 with its real estate and fellowship concepts. But it was still very EQ2ish; clearly. Did it appear to me like a game that filled a gaping void in the current MMO space? I just couldn't see it. Life is short, so I figured I'd shut my trap and watched how the Warcraftites would judge it when it hit in the market. Obviously, most didn't care for it. A breaking official statement from SOE now echoes my gut reaction...
"SOE is in discussions with Sigil regarding the future of Vanguard and Sigil Games in Carlsbad. Talks are going well and first and foremost, our primary concern right now is what's best for Vanguard and its community. We want to ensure that this game and its community have a healthy future. The specifics that we work out over the coming days will all be with that single goal in mind."
What does that mean? It means that right now Vanguard is doing decently but not as well as we hoped. If you haven't read my last long post that outlined some of the things that went wrong during development, etc., please do. So the bottom line is that SOE is going to be getting more involved with Sigil and Vanguard - our relationship is going to become even tighter - much tighter. At this point I can't say much more than that.
Does this mean an acquisition? I can't say at this point.
Does this mean more or less people at Sigil? I can't say at this point.
Does this mean management changes at Sigil? I can't say at this point.
Is Vanguard dead? Nah. But it's obviously bleeding. I hope that whatever comes out of this implied acquisition or restructuring does more than keep it afloat. In fact, maybe they'll be smart enough to stop positioning it as a premium MMO and get this out to the bargain aftermarket asap before mass hysteria breaks out. Can't blame them for the vague update, though. It's typical -- even if the plane is going down in burning flames, flight instructors are trained to keep passengers calm and high on oxygen.
Take in the full sedative in at VGneGro.com
[Artwork by Atheistium]
Contest:
12:34 AM on 05.01.2007
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They effed it up hard.
Even on my computer, less than a year old, top of the line, it glitched all over the place. Bad frame rates. Performance sucks.
fellowships? Caravans? BAH! that's content that isn't even in the goddamn game yet. Get used to the vast, openness of the game, half of it isn't even filled.
Lvl 50s are quitting in droves, because they grind up to max (mostly on mobs made for lvl 40s) and Raid content and lvl 50 content really isn't even there.
Same goes for Diplomacy and tradeskilling high end content is n't even there, and low end content really doesn't work.
So they try to jenk you into paying for another month, by offering "Double XP weekends" the weekend after billing.
Basically, you're paying to play a beta.
Not happening.
The classes are great, unique, some of the most fun I've had in an MMO. Expirience grinding is something I've grown to love, I miss hard MMOs.
But seriously. When the biggest fear in the game is not "Hmm are there mobs that will kill me between here and there?" but is instead "hmm, I wonder if my quest/mob/items/party is broken" or even worse, "I wonder if I'll fall through the earth between here and there!" Major issues.
Hell, I knew it was over for me when I died from diplomacy.
That's right. I got killed with patient words during a parley.
Link below to it, quite funny.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/r4diopir4te/Parleydtodeath.jpg
Niero, I'd use that as the picture for anything vanguard. it doesn't get any better than that.
But really. I've got hopes still for the game. I'll be back in 6mo to see how it's doing. It can only go up, and really, the game has ALOT of potential. Alot.
Try this.
Loose cannon! I know what you mean, though. I have three good friends that want to love it but still play Warcraft as their main game.
And yeah, I'm playing WoW.
Anyone got a 7 day trial into LotrO I can steal? :D
/Niero looks at Sigil hands...
"Does it hurt Sigil?"... "no"
/Niero poors lemon, salt, gasoline and lights it up.
"Does it hurt now?" "um.... uh... im burning im burning!!"
/Niero: "Rub it all on my hair" :)
I'm Jonathan, a.k.a. Jonaphin, cofounder of VGNecro.com. We probably run the best fan site for Vanguard SOE, me and Lifebane.
First and foremost, we won't rename the website (LMAO !) for security purposes and political reasons...
Secondly, I would like to add my opinion on the Vanguard community. Unlike 99.9% of all other MMOs Vanguard's average player age is about 30. The playing crowd is largely coming from EQ and EQ2. What does this mean in terms of community?
- Responsible plyers: I yet have to remove a post on the forums of VGnecro)
- Demanding players: Go try to sell these guys World of Warcraft and you'll see them protest all the way to the white house! The Vanguard community is a tough crowd, I tell ya!
- Patient players: At least in our community, most everyone knows there are bugs in the game (as in any other games) and take proactive steps to help the devs (we quit whining a long time ago)... For example, we have made the formidable Bug-O-Matic http://vgnecro.com/bugs and are working hand in hand with the Vanguard developers and class leaders to make the game experience always more enjoyable.
As Loque put it, this game is full of potential, and probably not recommended to casual or WoW players in general (I'll get flamed for that, though my point is not to disgrace the WoW players in any fashion)
Whatever happens next may be a pact with Satan or not, but for the players it will certainly be for the best.
oh yes Mr Niero sir, you stated "Vanguard was also by far more ambitious than EQ2 with its real estate and fellowship concepts" The fellowship concept was in during beta then pulled out for "modifications". It has yet to be reimplemented.
laterz!
Lifebane
vgnecro.com
The fact of the matter is, there are probably MMOs out there that when compared to Vanguard can bring up many of the same points when comparing the two as you just did for Vanguard vs. WoW. It's all relative to the viewpoint of the fanbase (ESPECIALLY the fanbase with a vested interest in a fan site).
The gaming industry needs LESS games like Vanguard that try to be something they're not while baiting and switching their playerbase who typically can not be bothered with demanding a meaningful and worthwhile (in terms of money invested) product.
And before you jump to conclusions, no I do no play either Vanguard or WoW or any other MMO currently...though I have experience playing them since The Realm many years ago so I do have some sort of idea about the subject.
I played WoW for about a year though, and while WoW is great fun (A good chunk of its 8.5 million players will gladly support this assumption) its purpose and intent are to please the masses, and it does so greatly! Now, like with Milhouse and plenty others, the video game industry is faced with an aging (not so old but getting there undeniably :p) population of gamers, aka veteran gamers. Vanguard, in its own fashion, is definitely aimed at vets, and more precisely, those coming from EQ and EQ2.
like DBZ looks like ripped from other MMO's to be put together, but the name will make it a success... same with Lotro.
but that doesnt mean Vanguard hasnt met to the expectations, just means they need some... Life... Bane... lol.
considering new MMO's that are going to go beyond is Aion, and im waiting for may 12 to see what SE has to announce...
You guys are paying to play a beta. That's not how it's supposed to work.