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Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: All About F2P

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  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by nukems

     you think they would have learned from EQ2 

    They did.

    The model works, regardless of how much posters on MMORPG.com complain about it.

    The game right now, in the US, has 8 medium pop (400+) servers and 2 high pop (I think 1000+)

    To compare, Rift in the US, shortly after its big 1.9 conquest patch, has 5 medium pop servers (also 400+) and 1 high pop server.  This is around 10 pm eastern.  Rift still has more players overall (it has 10 low pop servers and probably a few of those medium servers like Faeblight would be EQ high pop servers), but still the active player bases are comparable.

    In addition, EQ2's community is still solid.  

    The difference between a game like EQ2 and VG vs a game like L2 or Aion, is the game is good enough to warrant a sub.  The f2p model is designed to get people to play the game without worrying about when their trial limits will cut off their gameplay, and eventually many of these people sub.  

     

     

    L2 and Aion are bigger World Wide then Everquest 2 ever was or will ever be. The Free To Play standard has been set by NC Softs and anything less is something I wont even touch. I am just waiting to hear that Blade & Soul and Wild Star will also launch with the Truly Free Model. If Everquest 2 was good enough to warrent a sub then why did even go free to play in the first place? If Vanguard was good enough to have a sub then why has the game been almost dead and  on life support for years? image

  • InktomiInktomi Member UncommonPosts: 663

    The game is not worth $14.99 per month. Wasn't worth it when it was a subscription model, why do they follow the the economic model that every MMO should be $14.99 per month.

    WoW is $14.99 per month and it is a high quality game that is actually worth it.

    TSW is $14.99 per month, brand new, high quality and somewhat worth it.

    Ryzom is $10.95 per month, $8.83 a month if you sign up for a year. Good price for that game.

    I don't know who SOE thinks they are fooling by giving people these tight limits and then the GOLD membership option. Why can't I get a silver option for $4.95 per month that will give me a little more financial breathing room? If 3 MMO's were giving that middle of the road option, then I might say, "Hey, I can play 3 games for the price of one!" I would then keep all 3 going at the same time with the option to upgrade to a gold if I get really into it.

    I would play Vanguard if I was 1) absolutely desparate to play an MMO or 2) some close friends were getting into it and that I wanted to spend time with them or 3) I had absolutely no other game to play. And all three of those will never, ever happen.  

    On a postive note: the switch to f2p will allow old members to come back and revisit the game for free and new ones to try it out risk free. Both will jumpstart the community and will help the gameworld feel less desolate. Because the last time I played VG it was pretty lonely thar.

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    L2 and Aion are bigger World Wide then Everquest 2 ever was or will ever be. 

    But this is NA/EU we are talking about, so world wide isnt in the discussion.  I saw a post here indicating the peak population of L2 for the NA/EU region was 125k.  EQ2 had more than that when it went f2p.

    L2 and Aion are not considered good games by the majority of the western market.

  • KenFisherKenFisher Member UncommonPosts: 5,035

    I was expecting a bit more than restricted trial access.  Scratch another off the "waiting for" list.


    Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security.  I don't Forum PVP.  If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident.  When I don't understand, I ask.  Such is not intended as criticism.
  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    L2 and Aion are bigger World Wide then Everquest 2 ever was or will ever be. 

    But this is NA/EU we are talking about, so world wide isnt in the discussion.  I saw a post here indicating the peak population of L2 for the NA/EU region was 125k.  EQ2 had more than that when it went f2p.

    L2 and Aion are not considered good games by the majority of the western market.

     

    I am not talking about the western market. We are talking about the quality of the games and if thats what we are doing then you measure there success World Wide.  World Of Warcraft had 15 million and still has over 10 Million. Should we not count that since most of those subs are not NA / EU?

  • FalcomithFalcomith Member UncommonPosts: 830
    By far the worst F2P matrix I have seen yet.
  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196
    Originally posted by Torvaldr
    Originally posted by Mannish
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by nukems

     you think they would have learned from EQ2 

    They did.

    The model works, regardless of how much posters on MMORPG.com complain about it.

    The game right now, in the US, has 8 medium pop (400+) servers and 2 high pop (I think 1000+)

    To compare, Rift in the US, shortly after its big 1.9 conquest patch, has 5 medium pop servers (also 400+) and 1 high pop server.  This is around 10 pm eastern.  Rift still has more players overall (it has 10 low pop servers and probably a few of those medium servers like Faeblight would be EQ high pop servers), but still the active player bases are comparable.

    In addition, EQ2's community is still solid.  

    The difference between a game like EQ2 and VG vs a game like L2 or Aion, is the game is good enough to warrant a sub.  The f2p model is designed to get people to play the game without worrying about when their trial limits will cut off their gameplay, and eventually many of these people sub.  

    L2 and Aion are bigger World Wide then Everquest 2 ever was or will ever be. The Free To Play standard has been set by NC Softs and anything less is something I wont even touch. I am just waiting to hear that Blade & Soul and Wild Star will also launch with the Truly Free Model. If Everquest 2 was good enough to warrent a sub then why did even go free to play in the first place? If Vanguard was good enough to have a sub then why has the game been almost dead and  on life support for years? image

    This is true.  I'm so hoping B&S and Wildstar are Truly Free.  I would probably play Aion as my main game if I could play a pve server.  NCSoft has *definitely* set the F2P standard.

    Perfect World is another F2P model that is okay by me.  I can play the whole game, pay what I want and not feel compelled to subscribe.  It's still not as good as NCSoft's, but it's not bad.

    The crappiest F2P models have to be SoE, Funcom, and Turbine.

    I've tried them all and the limitations in EQ2 really take a lot of the fun out of the game for me.

    edit:  Oh, and why would I waste my time on this game when there are better F2P games out now and coming up for release?

     

     

    I totally agree that I would rather play games from companys like Perfect World and G Potata because at least they dont restrict content. I dont see how people play these games where they cant do things like use auction house, world chat, choose any race or class, go to certain zones or areas, wear certain gear or limited to carrying only a small amout of gold or items. LMAO

  • gatherisgatheris Member UncommonPosts: 1,016
    Originally posted by Xstatic912
    The whole idea is to give you a taste and hope that taste is enough to get you to pay for at least one month.. And in doing so, see the major difference between pay and free.. Lol it might work on some person

    not much of a taste

    was quite interested after reading about the FTP but after this article Vanguard is once more on ignore (former subscriber by the way)

     

    image

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by Mannish
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    L2 and Aion are bigger World Wide then Everquest 2 ever was or will ever be. 

    But this is NA/EU we are talking about, so world wide isnt in the discussion.  I saw a post here indicating the peak population of L2 for the NA/EU region was 125k.  EQ2 had more than that when it went f2p.

    L2 and Aion are not considered good games by the majority of the western market.

     

    I am not talking about the western market. We are talking about the quality of the games and if thats what we are doing then you measure there success World Wide.  World Of Warcraft had 15 million and still has over 10 Million. Should we not count that since most of those subs are not NA / EU?

    Lineage 2 and Aion are poor quality games by NA/EU standards.  World of Warcraft is not.

    You are trying to make Aion and L2 seem better because the asian market has embraced them, but that is completely irrelevant in the west.  And as far as I know, Aion and L2 did NOT go free to play in their main market, only the market where no one really played them anyway.  

    If L2 and Aion were so good, how come even when they are free to play people ignore them?

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    I totally agree that I would rather play games from companys like Perfect World and G Potata because at least they dont restrict content. I dont see how people play these games where they cant do things like use auction house, world chat, choose any race or class, go to certain zones or areas, wear certain gear or limited to carrying only a small amout of gold or items. LMAO

    Name a single piece of CONTENT that is restricted in Vanguard to free to play?

    There is a difference between features and content....

     

     

  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    L2 and Aion are bigger World Wide then Everquest 2 ever was or will ever be. 

    But this is NA/EU we are talking about, so world wide isnt in the discussion.  I saw a post here indicating the peak population of L2 for the NA/EU region was 125k.  EQ2 had more than that when it went f2p.

    L2 and Aion are not considered good games by the majority of the western market.

     

    I am not talking about the western market. We are talking about the quality of the games and if thats what we are doing then you measure there success World Wide.  World Of Warcraft had 15 million and still has over 10 Million. Should we not count that since most of those subs are not NA / EU?

    Lineage 2 and Aion are poor quality games by NA/EU standards.  World of Warcraft is not.

    You are trying to make Aion and L2 seem better because the asian market has embraced them, but that is completely irrelevant in the west.  And as far as I know, Aion and L2 did NOT go free to play in their main market, only the market where no one really played them anyway.  

    If L2 and Aion were so good, how come even when they are free to play people ignore them?

     

     

    Let me repeat this again. I am talkign about TOTAL SUBS because thats how you measure the success of a mmo. Success in the North, South, East and West. What part of that you dont understand?

  • GTwanderGTwander Member UncommonPosts: 6,035
    Originally posted by Mannish

    Let me repeat this again. I am talkign about TOTAL SUBS because thats how you measure the success of a mmo. Success in the North, South, East and West. What part of that you dont understand?

    I don't think that is fair, considering the differing methodologies behind what constitutes a 'subscription' over there (active pay-by-hour accounts), nor how widespread the genre and product loyalty is in places like S. Korea.

    It's just impossible to compare.

    Writer / Musician / Game Designer

    Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
    Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture

  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196
    Originally posted by GTwander
    Originally posted by Mannish

    Let me repeat this again. I am talkign about TOTAL SUBS because thats how you measure the success of a mmo. Success in the North, South, East and West. What part of that you dont understand?

    I don't think that is fair, considering the differing methodologies behind what constitutes a 'subscription' over there (active pay-by-hour accounts), nor how widespread the genre and product loyalty is in places like S. Korea.

    It's just impossible to compare.

     

    What I am saying is that you have to count all the places that a game is available when you are looking at the sucess of that game. It does not matter how people are playing it. I dont know and dont really care how they are playing it but I know Lineage 2 and Aion are doing way better then Everquest 2 ever did.

  • kevjardskevjards Member UncommonPosts: 1,452

    my god .trials have less restrictions than this.what are they thinking...they should make it unlimmited up to lvl 25.apart from chars.2 bag slots.my god the crafting alone will suck that space up

    the only thing this game has  going for it is the long suffering community,which i was part of.their greed has not changed.aion,lotro,ddo.take a look .

    They have not done this game any favours ,have they?

  • kulhatkulhat Member Posts: 36

    omg lool, and GW2 is out soon, how dumb are these people. 

    /cartoon questionmarks over my head

    Rip Vanguard.

  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    I totally agree that I would rather play games from companys like Perfect World and G Potata because at least they dont restrict content. I dont see how people play these games where they cant do things like use auction house, world chat, choose any race or class, go to certain zones or areas, wear certain gear or limited to carrying only a small amout of gold or items. LMAO

    Name a single piece of CONTENT that is restricted in Vanguard to free to play?

    There is a difference between features and content....

     

     

    And I see you have no idea what content is. The first things on the Vanguard Matrix are clearly labled CONTENT. Not wasting anymore time talking to you. Just give it up because as you see everybody other then you thinks this is just a total fail.

  • HeroEvermoreHeroEvermore Member Posts: 672

    This is the most underrated mmorpg out there.

    It is a more challenging mmorpg then most and has some things I wish newer games had.

    Before playing Tera online my current game. I had just started vanguard and would have remained there if not for Tera. Now that it is free-to-play I am truly excited for several reasons.

    ALl in game Vanguard mounts besides a bugged xmas mount were temporary/rentals. Now with the conversion to f2p there wil be sold mounts in the shops and to me this changes the accesability of the game to everyone. Considering how insanse getting to some places can be. As said I am glad Vanguard will get this conversion because there are a lot of station all acess users who an now play this on gold with no extra cost.

    When I first played Vanguard it was during the announcement of the game going f2p. There were literally 1000s of new players purchasing and playing the game to try it out before the conversion. Once the conversion takes place this will be a great gem for many. I would say the game to me feels most like LOTRO.

    Hero Evermore
    Guild Master of Dragonspine since 1982.
    Playing Path of Exile and deeply in love with it.

  • HeroEvermoreHeroEvermore Member Posts: 672

    ALso to note. Vanguard had one of the greatest communitys I have met. They were people who despite the lack of content added had put years into this adventure. They made me feel at home immediatly.!

    Hero Evermore
    Guild Master of Dragonspine since 1982.
    Playing Path of Exile and deeply in love with it.

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by Mannish
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    I totally agree that I would rather play games from companys like Perfect World and G Potata because at least they dont restrict content. I dont see how people play these games where they cant do things like use auction house, world chat, choose any race or class, go to certain zones or areas, wear certain gear or limited to carrying only a small amout of gold or items. LMAO

    Name a single piece of CONTENT that is restricted in Vanguard to free to play?

    There is a difference between features and content....

     

     

    And I see you have no idea what content is. The first things on the Vanguard Matrix are clearly labled CONTENT. Not wasting anymore time talking to you. Just give it up because as you see everybody other then you thinks this is just a total fail.

    I would never consider things like number of races, number of bags and amount of gold you can carry as 'content'.  These are features, regardless of how they are labeled.  Content is actual questing, mob killing, dungeons...what you actually spend your time doing.  Vanguard model does *not* restrict any of that.  Yeah, at 55 with the high end raiding, good luck finding someone willing to take you along, but if you find someone willing you can go.  But then, if you are doing end game content you should be subbing anyway.  And these restrictions will only come into play for raiding, youll be able to group for dungeons and do everything else from 1-55.

    FACT: you can enjoy the game perfectly fine and see an insane amount of content as a free to play player in Vanguard.  There is more content a f2p person will be able to enjoy than there is in Aion.

    EQ2 is proof enough that the model works.

  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,739

         This sounds like another SOE fail......I dont mind if you limit it to certain classes and races, but when you restrict almost every single area of gameplay it is not going to work for the majority of us......SOEs f2p games are about as restricted as they come..... I guess SOE is just trying to get as much out of this as they can before it ends up shut down.

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by GTwander
    Originally posted by Mannish

    Let me repeat this again. I am talkign about TOTAL SUBS because thats how you measure the success of a mmo. Success in the North, South, East and West. What part of that you dont understand?

    I don't think that is fair, considering the differing methodologies behind what constitutes a 'subscription' over there (active pay-by-hour accounts), nor how widespread the genre and product loyalty is in places like S. Korea.

    It's just impossible to compare.

    Here is what that guy doesnt understand:

    The reason NCSoft is able to do the f2p model for Aion and L2 is because the games were so bad *to the NA/EU audience* that no one really played them anyway.  Yes, the asians like them.  So the asian market can support the NA/EU F2P gamble, and it is a gamble to see if they make more money off f2p + item shop.  Most games could not afford that type of gamble because they arent supported by an asian player base.

     

    Simply put, Aion/L2 model wouldnt work for any game but Aion and L2 (maybe FFXI).  Youll notice that City of Heroes (also NCSoft) uses a f2p system thats based off of the SoE model. 

  • sapheroithsapheroith Member Posts: 116
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by Mannish

     

     

    I totally agree that I would rather play games from companys like Perfect World and G Potata because at least they dont restrict content. I dont see how people play these games where they cant do things like use auction house, world chat, choose any race or class, go to certain zones or areas, wear certain gear or limited to carrying only a small amout of gold or items. LMAO

    Name a single piece of CONTENT that is restricted in Vanguard to free to play?

    There is a difference between features and content....

     

     

    And I see you have no idea what content is. The first things on the Vanguard Matrix are clearly labled CONTENT. Not wasting anymore time talking to you. Just give it up because as you see everybody other then you thinks this is just a total fail.

    I would never consider things like number of races, number of bags and amount of gold you can carry as 'content'.  These are features, regardless of how they are labeled.  Content is actual questing, mob killing, dungeons...what you actually spend your time doing.  Vanguard model does *not* restrict any of that.  Yeah, at 55 with the high end raiding, good luck finding someone willing to take you along, but if you find someone willing you can go.  But then, if you are doing end game content you should be subbing anyway.  And these restrictions will only come into play for raiding, youll be able to group for dungeons and do everything else from 1-55.

    FACT: you can enjoy the game perfectly fine and see an insane amount of content as a free to play player in Vanguard.  There is more content a f2p person will be able to enjoy than there is in Aion.

    EQ2 is proof enough that the model works.

    No, I cant enjoy the game perfectly fine when i have to trash the quest gear because i cant wear them.

    No, its not really free to play compare to Aion.

    And no, EQ2 model failed hard thats why many complained it.

    WOW: The Most Well Known Non-Free Non-Browser Client-Based 3D Fantasy MMORPG In Some Parts of the World.

  • rakasanrakasan Member Posts: 2
    Originally posted by teakbois
    Originally posted by nukems

     you think they would have learned from EQ2 

    They did.

    The model works, regardless of how much posters on MMORPG.com complain about it.

    The game right now, in the US, has 8 medium pop (400+) servers and 2 high pop (I think 1000+)

    To compare, Rift in the US, shortly after its big 1.9 conquest patch, has 5 medium pop servers (also 400+) and 1 high pop server.  This is around 10 pm eastern.  Rift still has more players overall (it has 10 low pop servers and probably a few of those medium servers like Faeblight would be EQ high pop servers), but still the active player bases are comparable.

    In addition, EQ2's community is still solid.  

     

    The big difference is EQ2 never stopped introducing new content and expanding the game.  Vanguard has been dead for years, with not even bug fixes let alone content.

    Without serious work Vanguard cannot support a full priced subscription model of any kind.  All this "fake" F2P shuffle and jive will do is to expose a dated and flawed game to tens of thousands of new gamers, thereby tarnishing it's reputation even more.

    It's too bad - I was really looking forward to an LOTRO type model and coming back to VG.  But pay full price fort he same game everyone left years ago?  SoE really does hold theri customer base in low esteem.

     

     

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by sapheroith

    No, I cant enjoy the game perfectly fine when i have to trash the quest gear because i cant wear them.

    Psychological issue, not a gameplay issue

    No, its not really free to play compare to Aion

    There is more content available for free in Vanguard than there is an Aion.  This isnt really debateable, go check out the number of dungeons VG has.  

    And no, EQ2 model failed hard thats why many complained it.

    EQ2s activity before f2p and after f2p speaks for itself.  Its getting activity comparable to Rift, as posted earlier.  Just because people complain, doesnt mean it failed.   The vast majority of complainers are people that want to play the game for free as if they had a sub, but thats just not going to happen because there has to be an incentive to sub

     

  • teakboisteakbois Member Posts: 2,154
    Originally posted by rakasan

    The big difference is EQ2 never stopped introducing new content and expanding the game.  Vanguard has been dead for years, with not even bug fixes let alone content.

    Without serious work Vanguard cannot support a full priced subscription model of any kind.  All this "fake" F2P shuffle and jive will do is to expose a dated and flawed game to tens of thousands of new gamers, thereby tarnishing it's reputation even more.

    It's too bad - I was really looking forward to an LOTRO type model and coming back to VG.  But pay full price fort he same game everyone left years ago?  SoE really does hold theri customer base in low esteem.

     

     

    This is a legit point, although VG is in much better state than it was at launch (when most people left).  When SoE took over and started fixing up VG, it was under 30k already.  When they finally gave up it was much less.  However, most people acknowledge the game is in pretty good shape and light years ahead of the release product.  And SoE expanded the staff (well,   added a staff would be more accurate) for the conversion.  Anyone who didnt play at launch wont run out of content for a very long time, and the plan is to add content if the conversion is successful.  I dont blame people for being skeptical about that.

     

    The game is more dated than flawed at ths point, with some of the most atrocious looking characters ever put onto an MMORPG landscape.  It will be interesting to see how it works out.  If VG can somehow get over 50k subs I could see SoE supporting it more. We will see, its pretty awful timing with one very good (but niche) game released this month already and GW2 on the horizon.

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