Originally posted by Squal'Zell

to the highlighted in red

i don't really think that's a good thing, and if it was intended to be that way... its not a great feature in my opinion...

im all for vast worlds without instant travel, lots of exploration but if ITS MADE TO FEEL LONELY... i dont see the appeal

the right balance would be to have POPULATED cities and HUBS to make the game feel crowded and populated and then  vast empty GIANT  forests or DESERTS or SWAPS to explore  filled with wild life, and dangerous NPC forts/dungeons/camps etc... 

but to feel lonely and say working as intended? something is off

It wasn't supposed to be that way and is just the result of a tiny and dwindling population. Back in beta and right at launch there were plenty of people around that it didnt feel like an empty world. Yes the world is quite large and open, but if the game had a decent population it wouldn't feel so lonely.

Originally posted by talcott

I so often returned to VG because its so different although its a quest game. its not like bubble gum (like modern games), its like a decent cooked meal compared to the recently released games.

a non-existing development is poison to game motivation cause you got the feeling youre playing a game without future. and damn VG deserves that future amidst all these shallow new hype games!

I think that is what it was for me. I really like the game, but I just can't bring myself to play it long term.

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Originally posted by Squal'Zell

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Originally posted by Deron_Barak
You're right Talcott, Vanguard's blessing and curse is that the world is so vast and open that even if there was 5-6k on you wouldn't know It. I think it was supposed to feel that way and is one of the things that makes VG great.

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to the highlighted in red
i don't really think that's a good thing, and if it was intended to be that way... its not a great feature in my opinion...
im all for vast worlds without instant travel, lots of exploration but if ITS MADE TO FEEL LONELY... i dont see the appeal
the right balance would be to have POPULATED cities and HUBS to make the game feel crowded and populated and then  vast empty GIANT  forests or DESERTS or SWAPS to explore  filled with wild life, and dangerous NPC forts/dungeons/camps etc... 
but to feel lonely and say working as intended? something is off

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What I don't like about most of the games out there is how crammed they are, thousands of people in a tiny area.. how silly. I want to wander around in the vast wilderness, far from anyone. And if I happen to wander into someone else, it's a special occasion, and social interaction occurs.

Whereas in the jammed games, people are just furniture, who cares about them, they are a dime a dozen.

It's ahh.. like the difference of going on an epic adventure, alone or with a few buddies, through the great unknown, as opposed to just getting in line at the local fair and being a sheeple clone

That's what's missing from today's mmo's for me, the epic adventure feeling

I wonder what the pop of VG would be if everybody who lamented the 'low pop' status actually resubbed at the same time...

Originally posted by MMOtoGO

I wonder what the pop of VG would be if everybody who lamented the 'low pop' status actually resubbed at the same time...

hehe, catch 22. I wonder myself.

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Originally posted by MMOtoGO
I wonder what the pop of VG would be if everybody who lamented the 'low pop' status actually resubbed at the same time...

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I was going to install and give 'er another try, but it seems I have to pay em cash for that, so I'll just have to wait til the next "hey here's some free time to try it out again" deal (dont want to make more than one soe account, for reasons that should be obvious heh)

Originally posted by randomt

 

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Originally posted by MMOtoGO
I wonder what the pop of VG would be if everybody who lamented the 'low pop' status actually resubbed at the same time...

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I was going to install and give 'er another try, but it seems I have to pay em cash for that, so I'll just have to wait til the next "hey here's some free time to try it out again" deal (dont want to make more than one soe account, for reasons that should be obvious heh)

 

start a new account and get the trial. unless you want to see the other areas.

Originally posted by Deron_Barak

I have quit and come back to VG at least six times.  Every time I came back I would leave because the world just seemed... bleh.  Did I get into a guild or even be remotely social to the players around me? Nope.  As soon as the next shiny thing came along promising "the greatest MMO experience your senses can handle!" I left for what I thought was greener pastures from a game with an epic idea that fell far too short to accept.

In my case I was wrong.  Vanguard has been everything I hoped for in '07 for at least a year.

Each of the games I chased was good for a while but the themepark linear system bored me by it's lack of real freedom.  I complained to others that I was tired of the same format and wished there was a game with a least a little wiggle room.  I'm tired of being driven through the whole story.

I've heard comments and whole posts about how MMOs are too easy or they hold your hand or are all like WoW.

Are they talking about Vanguard?

 

this is exactly my experience. and i beileve you have hit the nail on the head. there are only about 3 games currently that i think fill the pve old schooler's cry and they are, in order, Vanguard, Ryzom, and Istaria.

Vanguard was a very good game,the timing was just bad as the big named games all had their player base entrenched.

However RMT totally ruined the market in FFXI so i quit and went to try VG,I was happy it was a very nice game.It was however tough to move from a game i liked a lot in ffxi,i tohught it's design was the best out there,so all the little things in VG would sort of irk me even tohugh they wern't that bad.

The chat was something i never witnessed playing FFXI,it was never helpful it was always tons of spam WTS or WTB that is the only thing it was used for.I often found that i was the ONLY one trying to answer noob questions and when i needed help then i was out of luck.

The crafting was great but what really pissed me off was when certain players would buy RMT so they could buy all the rares to be first selling the best items.First means best profit,by time the legit players got to compete the market was flooded.

VG made a huge mistake in giving quest mobs good drops,so the first players to hit higher levels would sit there and camp your quest mob so you couldn't finish the quest.I am pretty sure it was RMT selling the drops.Now all the games are going F2p can you imagine what is going to happen to gaming ,just aweful once RMT ruins it.

IMO and i am only speaking for myself,VG is a REALLY good game,but to satisfy me i need a game that offers a mix of FFXI and EQ2/VG.After experiencing a sub class system,i find it  tough to accept any other design.

My opinion is... Since Sony didnt touch Vanguard they havent dumbed it down, therefore it stays pure and challenging.

Its a blessing and a curse.