I've got a few suggestions:

 Vanguard:

Crafting: the most complex crafting I've ever had the pleasure of doing. Its not just something you pick up and can max out in a day or two. It takes just as long to level in crafting as it does adventuring/diplomacy.

Community: The community is byfar the best in any mmorpg I've ever played.

Graphics: Graphics are good, but still a bit of a performance hog (although its much better than it was at launch).

PvP or PvE: I'd recommend one of the PvE servers because no one likes to get ganked while they're crafting!

Advancement: I think VG does a great job on this. Especially with ship building. If i remember correctly you can start to built your first kind of boat at the low level of 20, but it will take you until max level to build the biggest boats.  It scales as you level and you feel like you really accomplish quite a bit.

F2P or P2P: It's P2P. Just a standard 15$/mo

Darkfall:

The crafting in this game is quite fun once you get really into it. It's not as complex as Vanguard's crafting but its a huge part of the game. You can hire yourself off to a guild and just crafting for hours inside of the guild city. I just got burnt out quickly by this game, but the thrill of crafting weapons of war for a guild or just a single player knowing that your or his enemies can be sneaking up on you at any moment is quite fun. The downfalls for playing Darkfall is the community (at least when it was EU) and it gets boring fast.

Fallen Earth:

I've never personally played this but some friends of mine are really digging the crafting. I wish I could say more... The community should be pretty good considering its a niche game, but I've never played it personally but just passing along good words I've heard of this game.

I've been a Vanguard fan for as long as I can remember... This news shocked the hell out of me... At first I thought it was an April Fools joke and after I asked that my post was promtly deleted... Not only was I in shock of this LiveGamer service but the overmoderation was killing me. The volunteer moderators are a whole other problem. Vanguard has been kind to me and the community on Seradon has been second to none. I've already written my goodbye post on the Seradon Forums.

SOE took my favorite game and ruined it.

-Hydd Jenkins [Moriendum Est], 50 Bard, Seradon (Retired)

Originally posted by sepher

Originally posted by boojiboy

Originally posted by sepher

Originally posted by boojiboy

Originally posted by sepher

Nah, there will never be an expansion. I'm still waiting on 'em to fulfill the animation revamps. It's taking them years to even do that, and took them over a year to get Isle of Dawn out; imagine them ever having to add new races/classes/continent-sized landmasses (not that the current ones are fleshed out).

They don't have the resources, and never will.

 

They have more resources now than they have had in a long time.  The addition of Pantheon of the Ancients, a level cap increase and the introduction of AAs is HUGE!

And recently, they put out Shores of Darkness and Bridge of Destiny which are very large content updates.  Hell, Shores of Darkness alone is probably bigger than some MMORPG paid content expansions :)

 

"HUGE" and "BIGGER" for Vanguard, probably. But content is more than mile distances of generated terrain, and re-used models, textures and animations.

The team do what they can, but the catch-22 for Vanguard remains; not enough players to justify a team capable of producing expansions of entirely "new" content, and not enough developers to produce the kind of content that'll actually grow the player base (in terms of server count; which is a magnitude that matters much more than how many people folks think they see on the same four servers).

 

You are kidding fight?  "Mile distances of generated terrain...etc."  Everything about Pantheon of the Ancients  defies what you just said.  And level cap increases and AAs take a lot of work and resources as they have a very large impact on nearly every aspect of the game.

 

The level cap increase is just a number change; only useful if there's a proportionate amount of NEW content (again, not reused textures, reused models, reused sounds and reused animations), often in the form of entire new landmasses, which often come with new races and classes. That's an expansion.

I'm just saying, and you prove my point, Pantheon of the Ancients is probably HUGE and BIGGER in terms of the Vanguard team and what they're capable of doing. Reusing the same area for a higher level version might even be satisfactory as well if you can forgive it, but it's hardly an "expansion" in the sense of all-new content.

Firstly... I can tell you are a disgruntled ex-sub(don't worry I was, too). I know the feelings of leveling up and getting the max level and there is absolutley nothing to do. Vanguard has evolved from then, sincerely. I'd even reccomend you to give it a try, but I'm not sure anything will fufill your expectations that we all had for this game back in 07.

Also, Pantheon of the Ancients is on the test server and you can give it a go to test the new level cap/abilities. From what I've played, so far has been clean with brand new animations and amazing new landscape with a greek/roman esque feel to it(though all of what I haven't tested may be completely unfinished, reused crap).

The reason it is being called an expansion is because its further advancing our characters and the landscape in every aspect. Adventuring levels, crafting, diplomacy, levels, brand new content, new hairstyles, raid content, group content, and advanced abilities. There is some very neat stuff coming up as well with the raids. I've heard of a raid boss that requires a crafter to craft an item in the middle of the raid and if you know anything about Vanguard crafting than you can imagine what the raid boss might do if you get a terrible complication.

I'm very excited for this game, and if you aren't, the only one missing out is you.

Cheers

Edited for spelling

Originally posted by hauj0bb

Question #1:

What is a Paladin's role mid to high end game? How is soloablility?

A Paladin's role in endgame is tanking. They have the most invulns & have the best aggro against undead making them the best tank in some fights.

Question #2:

What is the most effective/sought after healer? Soloability?

Every guild has different needs for the most sought after healer. For example my guild has no shaman and another guild on my server has about 5. You're being too vague with the most effective because all four are effective in different ways. All the healers solo well.

Question #3:

How do Shaman forms work, and how effective are these forms?

There are 3 patrons/forms. Wolf, bear, and bird. All three are equally effective but most everyone prefer the bear shamans for most fights.

Question #4:

What is currently the highest dps melee class? Caster class?

This will be endlessly debated... Every guild has different group setups and different people behind the classes. It may be easier for a rogue or a ranger to parse the highest for melee but with the right bard or monk in a group setup they will do as high or higher. Casters seem to be sorcs being the highest. Also, a thing to tell you... By the time you reach 50(or 55 depending if they finish their patch in time) all of what I said will be void, and such is the case in any mmorpg.

Thanks! 

Your welcome! :D

RUNESCAPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Originally posted by Kurush

 

Brad McQuaid's problem was that he was too hands off, if anything.

Read some of the postmortems for Sigil that were written by former staff.  Brad didn't ruin Vanguard.  He wasn't even there for most of its development.  He was too busy hyping it up and trying to run the business side of things.  If anything, it would have benefited if he had actually helped to make the game, since Sigil's main problem was its moronic upper-middle management, from what I saw.

Instead, Brad got too caught up with his vision.  He didn't even realize the game wasn't going to deliver nearly what he wanted, that it was actually going to be crap.  Brad is kinda close to Garriot, in that regard.  Both men were former legends who took a largely hands off role in developing games that ultimately wouldn't live up to their hype.  I don't think they're really bad for it.  They're just people who performed better in a design role than a production role.

If you want to look at somebody who made actual strategic decisions which lead to a game's outright collapse, look at Bill Roper.  He's still a good guy, though.  With the exception of one or two people, everybody at Flagship had good things to say about him when they left.  Shit, he liquidated his pension to help pay his employees one more month.  Can you imagine giving up all of your retirement funds just to give your employees one more month of safety, especially in this kind of economic environment?

There aren't really that many villains in the games industry.  It's mostly people who make serious mistakes with the best of intentions.

Mark Jacobs does have a problem.  He really does need to shut his mouth a bit about other studios.  I'd say the same thing about Blizzard.  Ok, your games are pretty solid.  Even with WAR's serious problems, and it does have many, it's the third-smoothest AAA launch we've seen in recent memory (LotRO was probably the smoothest, followed by WoW).  Who gives a shit?

Nobody is perfect.  Even Wrath is going to launch with bugs.  There are about a half-dozen major bugs in my class alone which you have to use weird workarounds to even have them playable.

 

I agree 100%

Your the one that said it I was just letting other people decide...

Edit: Blade of Darkness used DX8. Infact DX3 was used in Windows NT and 95... You'll prolly say it was an exaggeration but I just want to make sure you know

Originally posted by Lobotomist

I wanted to post how Darkfall graphic remind me of "Severance Blade of Darkness" , game that was awerage looking even in year 2000 when it was released.

But i watched video of the same game and realized i would be lying.

Blade of darkness , released year 2000 looks much better than current footage of Darkfall !

 

Actually Darkfall graphic could only be compared to maybe EQ1 or Asheron's Call  with added DX9 shaders.

 

But... alas

Graphic does not make a game. Gameplay does.

There is 100000000000:1 chance that miniature team of unexperienced coders from Greece , could start coding a game in time when Windows 95 was this a hot operating system and finish it 10 years later , using budget other companies use to buy coffee machine for its workers, could actually pull of a miracle and make a game that is more or less equivalent to Shadowbane.

So there is a chance.

 

Just a small tip for you.

When a game is good. Developers usually manage to find a game publisher. And do not have to be published by company that actually does what ? Prints music CDs for Greek music shops ?

 

 

 

Blade of Darkness:

Darkfall:

You decide...

I'd be up for a time travelling mmo. Like you start off in the future and theres a hub with a portal allowing you to go to other time periods... I think it sounds cool...

All 3 of the games you mentioned are focused in PvE unlike Warhammer. I'd suggest trying another game if you want a great PvE experience. But if you just want something to fill your time the PQs will do just that.

Check out this thread in the offical vanguard forums. forums.station.sony.com/vg/posts/list.m

Cheers

Originally posted by tryklon

if someone has a buddy key I would be much appreciated, had been asking for a long time and no one sent me one, so, if anyone has one....    bmltavares@gmail.com

Buddy key has been sent.

Originally posted by raamoz

wow a thread with buddy keys? if theres one available for me id be jumping!

possible i can get one too? (i havent downloaded the game for nothing lol)

Buddy key has been sent.

Originally posted by RaidTheSpade

I know this isn't really the right thread to post this in, but if anyone has an extra buddy key, please message me it or email it.

raidthespade@yahoo.com

Thanks

Buddy key as been sent to you.

You should have a private message with a buddy key.

1. Vanguard Saga of Heroes

2. EQ

3. World of Warcraft

4. DAoC

5. Guild Wars

Rogues at least on Seradon are one of the least played classes at 50. I almostnever see them.

Go Beau!

I'd go with a paladin. Paladin's and bards can do some mean things to creatues.  But if I were you I'd play a class I'd be interested in. I vanguard almost any two classes work fine together. Do what you want :)

Wait!!! Before you buy anything give this a try. forums.station.sony.com/vg/posts/list.m