Originally posted by facris

I'm currently giving AoC another honest try.  If funcom is willing to step up and back their game with an expansion after it got dragged through the mud then my curiosity is piqued.  An honest effort on the owners part for the game will go a long way.  If SoE stopped ignoring VG and announced an expansion, even one far in the future, I would bet alot of money that many veterns would give VG another look.  Myself included :).

Yep, Im gonna go back to AoC for this re-evaluation trial they've got going. I figure if SOE ever takes their heads out of their butts and gets on top of VG or makes something similar in the future (EQ3 with VG-esque qualities - EQ3 in general) they'll have my sub at least for a little while. :)

I don't think it's any of those reasons many state above (Bad launch, Sony changes, etc. etc.)

It's a good game, but it's just NOT *that* great.

Graphics: Mediocre
-World Artwork: Amazing
-Character Artwork: Just not that good.
-Character Models:Not very good.
-Animations: Horrid. Horrid. Horrid.
-Spell Graphics: Downright awful.

Vanguard has great graphics... except horrid animations and lack-luster spell effects. The thing is though... animations and spell effects are KEY to good graphics. It doesn't matter how many polygons you have, who designed your maps or painted the artwork. A game that has exploding particle effect magic that gushes everywhere like a disney fairy just exploded will make even a crappy graphical game simply beauty with a "magic" feel. Unfortunately, there is no such magical animations in the characters. The environment may be amazing, but no one wants to play a game where everything EXCEPT you is full of fantasy and grace.

You just don't feel like a fighter when you swing like a retard. You don't feel like a magic when you see tiny scraps fly at the target. You don't get immersed when an amazing environment starks in such contrast with dull, ugly, stick-up-their-butt animated models.

The music is great, but the sound effects aren't too keen. Amazing music. Not so amazing sound effects.

Gameplay: Mediocre

Classes: Great. Variety. Uniqueness in classes. Poor in *feeling* your class. Unique abilities and design, but in reality some classes are just lackluster in their *feel*.

And to finish....

1) The world is too big.
2) Population too small. (Bc world is too big...)
3) No PvP (will never be top MMO without PvP)
4) Boring Crafting. It takes TOO LONG. It's not that it sucks specifically, or is too "hard" not at all. It just takes TOO LONG. Too much of a grind, and too crappy of items produced.
5) Even when populated, was a ghosttown (world too big).
6) Levels matter too much. Too much focus on making it "hard" like Everquest1 by means of level, mob hp. No actual change in mob AI intelligence, feel of fighting, etc.

7) Performance is crappy, even after most fixes. The crappy animations and lackluster graphics do NOT justify the low framerate. WoW looks better than Vanguard, even if it's graphics aren't as good (the animations, sounds, and art style destroy this game)

8) All the races look exactly alike. They used the same models for a lot of races. All humans look the same, just with different skin tones.

9) UI icons look crappy. UI is crappy. The entire game's graphics/ui/animations are crappy except for a high polygon count and gorgeous world art.

10) Ugliest Floating Name Font you could EVER have. Talk about HIDEOUS. One of the BIGGEST turnsoff of the game.

11) Way too much of a grind. Slow leveling. Biggest turnoff of the game. Period.

Just look at the BARD class, it's a prime example of why this game is good, but NOT *great*

Customizable songs- AMAZING!
Bard = Rogue + Songs - Stealth......okay cool thats unique!

Do amazing sound effects happen when a bard casts the spells? NO.
Does music start playing when a bard turns on a spell? NO
Can you customize a Bard's sound/music effects? NO.
Are there animations for the bard's song? Not really. It picks ONE of the song's power's animation, and plays that every 10 seconds, and you don't even notice it happened. A tiny red heart going "VVVVVVmmmm" for 1 second does NOT equate to a bardic feel, musical enchantment, or ANYTHING really.

It's like this with everything: Performance, Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Classes, Races, Dungeons.

Why is VG not the top MMO?

One word: Lackluster

Originally posted by Loke666

You should fear the reaper, but not enough to want to quit the game just because you died. In Wow is dying just a small moneysink that affects the gameplay very little. It is worth dying 20 times to get a nice drop there, in Lineage that would be a rather bad deal.

Why do you believe that in all of the history of videogaming now is the time for games to start punishing players and making them fear death?

Because I check both the Best-Selling Games and consider my own favorite all-time games, and none of them make death excessively painful.  How could all of these hundreds/thousands of games be fun to players without the excessive death penalty the minority clamors for?

I mean it was "worth" dying 50+ times to beat Doom on Nightmare mode.  Because what mattered was the fun gameplay and the act of accomplishing something difficult.  It's not that different in MMORPGs except you get a reward at the end.

Really WOW's primary issue is not providing challenging solo and 5-man content.  The progression for both is shallow and incredibly easy, when there should be optionally difficult content which provides superior rewards.

Originally posted by Angelof2070

I don't think it's any of those reasons many state above (Bad launch, Sony changes, etc. etc.)

 

 

It's a good game, but it's just NOT *that* great.

 

Graphics: Mediocre
-World Artwork: Amazing
-Character Artwork: Just not that good.
-Character Models:Not very good.
-Animations: Horrid. Horrid. Horrid.
-Spell Graphics: Downright awful.

Vanguard has great graphics... except horrid animations and lack-luster spell effects. The thing is though... animations and spell effects are KEY to good graphics. It doesn't matter how many polygons you have, who designed your maps or painted the artwork. A game that has exploding particle effect magic that gushes everywhere like a disney fairy just exploded will make even a crappy graphical game simply beauty with a "magic" feel. Unfortunately, there is no such magical animations in the characters. The environment may be amazing, but no one wants to play a game where everything EXCEPT you is full of fantasy and grace.

You just don't feel like a fighter when you swing like a retard. You don't feel like a magic when you see tiny scraps fly at the target. You don't get immersed when an amazing environment starks in such contrast with dull, ugly, stick-up-their-butt animated models.

The music is great, but the sound effects aren't too keen. Amazing music. Not so amazing sound effects.

 

 

Gameplay: Mediocre

Classes: Great. Variety. Uniqueness in classes. Poor in *feeling* your class. Unique abilities and design, but in reality some classes are just lackluster in their *feel*.

And to finish....

 

1) The world is too big.
2) Population too small. (Bc world is too big...)
3) No PvP (will never be top MMO without PvP)
4) Boring Crafting. It takes TOO LONG. It's not that it sucks specifically, or is too "hard" not at all. It just takes TOO LONG. Too much of a grind, and too crappy of items produced.
5) Even when populated, was a ghosttown (world too big).
6) Levels matter too much. Too much focus on making it "hard" like Everquest1 by means of level, mob hp. No actual change in mob AI intelligence, feel of fighting, etc.

7) Performance is crappy, even after most fixes. The crappy animations and lackluster graphics do NOT justify the low framerate. WoW looks better than Vanguard, even if it's graphics aren't as good (the animations, sounds, and art style destroy this game)

8) All the races look exactly alike. They used the same models for a lot of races. All humans look the same, just with different skin tones.

9) UI icons look crappy. UI is crappy. The entire game's graphics/ui/animations are crappy except for a high polygon count and gorgeous world art.

10) Ugliest Floating Name Font you could EVER have. Talk about HIDEOUS. One of the BIGGEST turnsoff of the game.

11) Way too much of a grind. Slow leveling. Biggest turnoff of the game. Period.

 

 

Just look at the BARD class, it's a prime example of why this game is good, but NOT *great*

Customizable songs- AMAZING!
Bard = Rogue + Songs - Stealth......okay cool thats unique!

Do amazing sound effects happen when a bard casts the spells? NO.
Does music start playing when a bard turns on a spell? NO
Can you customize a Bard's sound/music effects? NO.
Are there animations for the bard's song? Not really. It picks ONE of the song's power's animation, and plays that every 10 seconds, and you don't even notice it happened. A tiny red heart going "VVVVVVmmmm" for 1 second does NOT equate to a bardic feel, musical enchantment, or ANYTHING really.

It's like this with everything: Performance, Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Classes, Races, Dungeons.

Why is VG not the top MMO?

One word: Lackluster

It is the classic case of the mmo that blew its launch. Sure the game has been patched and might be okay now a couple of years later, but with a low player base it just offers a niche game. More to the point with SoE developing a new EQ title you'd have to think that their fantasy mmorpgs may be coming to an end or will be marketed at the retro gaming markets.  

 no offense but the gameplay is fucking ghetto, personally thats one of the most important things in a game. Its the exact same reason i stopped playing EQ2. 

put the gameplay of EQ2 and vanguard against WoW and you'll realize how truly ghetto the gameplay is. 

Originally posted by DiSpLiFF

 no offense but the gameplay is fucking ghetto, personally thats one of the most important things in a game. Its the exact same reason i stopped playing EQ2. 

put the gameplay of EQ2 and vanguard against WoW and you'll realize how truly ghetto the gameplay is. 

What does that mean?

 really? 

have you played vanguard? and played a game like WoW or even AoC or Aion?

the gameplay in Vanguard/WAR/EQ2 are all slow//sluggish/ it just doesn't feel right. 

Originally posted by DiSpLiFF

 really? 

have you played vanguard? and played a game like WoW or even AoC or Aion?

the gameplay in Vanguard/WAR/EQ2 are all slow//sluggish/ it just doesn't feel right. 

They were "trying" to go for a swords are fucking heavy look, i think.  In WoW a midget swings an axe like hes just finished smokin crystal meth.  In VG when they swing though, it looks retarded rather than "heavy".  Then again i havent played in  months or so.. just guessing.