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Vanguard and the price of a saga
BarelyEinstein
Member UncommonPosts: 247
So I played Vanguard after release and several times after, but it was never *playable* for several reasons. But I went back for f2p, even though I always have serious doubts about the f2p model. But I was surprised, huzzah.
First off, f2p is actually right in Vanguards case, since the main classes and basic races are unrestricted. Play them all the way to 60 without spending a cent. There are other limits like the currency cap and the gear quality limit, but you *can* play to max level, that is amazing.
Second, the sales make everything absolutely affordable. Over the weekend there was a double station cash sale, I dropped the massive sum of $5 over the weekend, and because of the sales in the item mall I unlocked the Ranger and Paladin classes, and the woodelf race, with station cash left over. The item unlocks, which make an item useable by a f2p character, are the equivalent of 50 cents each, or 25 cents if you're buying double station cash, even less if you buy triple.
Third, there aren't any extras you need to buy, like quest packs or zones or skill packs. Everything is open and explorable, all the quests are available if you're the right level.
So there it is, I think Vanguard is the most affordable MMO on the market right now, not to mention one of the best. It absolutely deserves more attention and more players.
Comments
So an item unlock is 25 cents during double station cash periods. A character has 20 adventure slots and 20 diplomacy slots not to mention harvesting slots in seperate tabs that all costs to unlock?
That's just for 1 character. If you want to max crafting and actually make something worthwhile within several crafting spheres with multiple characters, then you could argue the price suddenly would be extremely steep. Then you may as well pay the monthly subscription which frankly prior to the F2P conversion wasn't worth the price. If it was then It would have had a higher population. Even with upcoming updates I personally find both the F2P pricing and the 15 a month too much for Vanguard in particular.
I've played VG extensively in the past and I'm no stranger to plucking down cash in a F2P game but IMO I think I'll pass
i will pass too
I agree for the most part. I am playing currently... but the only thing that bothers me are the lag spikes and the bug issues. I play a wood elf ranger and he always gets stuck in stealth mode and I can't unstealth him. The game mechanic / combat system seems slow and not very responsive. My brother tried it and said it felt like gaming in the 70's, lol. He hated it. I really like the game but these issues can be a pain.....
Are the new devs gonna make any changes to the game or fix the bugs? I hope so.
Proud MMORPG.com member since March 2004! Make PvE GREAT Again!
Same thing if you want to max several chars and do endgame raiding and so on - on that level you've gotten a lot of free gameplay and I can't see what all the complaining is about.
I much prefer item restrictions to paying for content. With VG's model I can play casually and enjoy the whole game for free, and if I feel like getting more involved I'll just spend some cash on an item or class unlock, or sub for a month or two. Much better than the "supermarket" feeling of other ftp titles where you are locked out of whole areas, quests and so on just so you'll start spending money asap.
It's pretty simple really
Not everybody is like you nor do they get the same enjoyment as you do, for the same reasons etc. etc. etc.
You need to stop viewing people and the world based on how YOU feel about things. That's why you are so confused all the time. Once you learn, there are other views just as valid other than your own then you may gain some understanding
To further add to that. I would rather have content locked and item unlocks removed, I get no enjoyment out of running around in blue gear only, knowing I have to unlock 20 slots x3, to fully open my character. See how I'm different than you? That should get you started on that thinking process. I'd rather spend 7 to 10 dollars a month or two once in awhile when I get that VG urge rather than pay for a whole year and waste a lot of money that way, when my interest vanes after the two month mark. I always return but with big breaks in between so a year is just not an option just to get the price down. That would be pure stupidity.
Whether you understand people like me or not doesn't change the fact that there are people out there that just doesn't feel Vanguard is worth the current prices both for unlocks and for the month to month plans. You can come to the conclusion we are not true fans and should just move on anyway but that would be redundant since players like myself already have. You would be better off catering a bit more to people like me to fill up your game and support it financially, which = better budget
From a business point of view, it's sometimes better to lower your prices and get more customers than to keep them high and only get a few. Specially if your free portion sucks imo
Haters are going to hate...Its that simple!
Vanguard IMHO is a great game. However its one of those games that anytime someone says something good about it on these forums. Trolls will come pouncing. I spent 2 years playing Vanguard. I went thru some good times and bad times with it. However overall its one of the best games going in all honesty. People who come on this site claiming the game doesnt run well are probably running on computers built to run WOW. If thats the case then this game isnt for them. However. I play on a laptop and the game runs amazing. Also my desktop at home has no issue running it either and its 6 years old. Granted when i built it. I went all out. I think the last update I put into it was GeFORCE 9800 GTX... It runs the game without a hick up. My laptop as a Geforce 560M in it.
i get great fps its all the damn hiccups and stuttering that bothers me. I have no plans to move to SSD just for vanguard either especially when every other game plays just fine.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Lao-Tze
It really is one of the best FTP systems out there.
I'm really glad Vanguard is getting love again, it deserves it. It has the best dungeons in the history of the MMo genre.
The computer I use to play is really underpowered, and I do have problems with Vanguard, but nothing I can't deal with. So if I can run it on this electronic tombstone and you can't run it on anything less than 5 years old, then you're failing nerd.
Having said that, Vanguard isn't for everyone. It is an old school MMORPG that isn't gonna hold your dick while you piss like most games out there now.....can I say that? Oh well, I did. There is no thrill of overcoming a challenge when there IS NO CHALLENGE. Vanguard is challenging, thank the gods, but if challenging isn't for you, google ProgressQuest and please move along.
Excuse me, but what are you talking about? Do I know you? Take your armchair psychology somewhere else, please.
As for the rest of your post: never did I state that my personal views are some universal truth that everyone has to agree with. Of course my opinions are my own and not yours, but since this is a forum I thought it would be ok to post them here anyway. Sorry if that offends you. Perhaps if you got that sand out of your private parts, you would gain some understanding.
And FYI I hardly play VG that much, I just pop in once in a while.
It was never playable, but after the F2P transition, it's suddenly "one of the best"?
Afaik, they've hardly added anything in years.
Sorry, but I can't take your seriously.
I'm just going by what you said. "That you can't see what the complaining is about". That's lack of understanding and has nothing to do with psychology. That's a mere fact. If you fail to see peoples points then that's a lack of understanding is it not?
Now that we have established you don't understand something, then what's your reference point of not understanding something? Your own view on things? That's my point right there. Maybe you should try and look past your own point of view. With it often comes a greater understanding.
Now if you would have said "I disagree with the complaints" then that's another matter. You can understand another persons view without agreeing.
I don't really have to know you, to read what you wrote. But don't worry forums are filled with ignoramouses like yourself. The mindset "well if I like something then I don't understand why you don't. Everybody should obviously think like me or like what I like". Using yourself as a reference point is never a good way to look at things.
If you are still confused then let me quote you
"and I can't see what all the complaining is about. I much prefer item restrictions to paying for content. With VG's model I can play casually and enjoy the whole game for free"
TLDR: What you like and how you think is irrelevant when it comes to peoples complaints. It's not about you
Reading comprehension fail.
He said the times he came back it wasn't playable. Not that the game has never been playable in its entire run. But clearly it works for him now, else he wouldn't have played it, understand?
Aha, so one remark of mine about what I consider excessive complaints means I'm an "ignoramouse" who is "confused all the time", totally lack understanding and think it's all about me.
You sureley are a nitpicky one, aren't you? You must have a hard time browsing the internet when you read so much into one paragraph. Lighten up ffs.
Its tough to spend this on anything, though, since most stuff is free for subscribers anyway.
After 3 months, I bought a flying mount, but thats all I could find that made any real difference.
/facepalm
Failed attempt to take focus away from my point, which still stands.
I dont do the freemium thing, I just sub generally. But I have tried both EQ2 and LOTRO as f2p just for kicks, and I think the eq2 system (which is the vanguard system) is far superior, because the amount of content you can do for free is staggering.
People get too hung up on the gear thing, its such a non issue in terms of being able to do content.
And once you get to max level, you can wait for sales and stoock up (one toon will actually be cheaper than a sub in the long run) or just sub, which is what the system intends you to do. Ive heard people say SoE tries to nickel and dime you, which is the farthest thing from the truth. They want you to sub, not live off unlockers and such.
Also OP, not all races/class combos are unlocked all the way to 60. Some can't go past 20 (says in the character creation options). However Vanguard does a good job with a couple of the non standard classes (disciple in particular) as free option. Both VG and EQ2 have such well done classes you shouldnt have an issue finding one you want to play anyway. EQ2 offers more f2p classes than LOTRO does.
I agree. Having the whole game right there for free wihout having to unlock content is great. I have taken advantage of the double and triple cash days using the SOE station cash card from Walmart. The Walmart card gives you 1500 SC for $15, plus a bonus of 500. The bonus amount doubles and triples. You will get 6000 SC during a triple weekend, not too bad. I have spent $30 dollars on station cash in the couple of years, giving me about 10,000 SC total(1- 2x and 1 -3x). I have unlocked classes, bought bags, mounts, and I still have a ton of cash left over for Planetside 2
. The only thing I wish that was different about Vanguard would be the ability to pay to unlock bag slots. You can buy the huge bag in the cash shop and this does help, but I can only imagine they would make a good amount of money if you could unlock the other 2 bag slots. Many people would buy 3 SC bags if that was the case.
I thought the All-Access Pass was a decent deal at the old price for dabbling in 3 games. These days, it's only 1/3 more than a single-game sub for access to all of SOE's MMO games. And it finally has the 3-month, 6-month, yearly discounts that single-game subs have had all along. (Not that I use that option: I still don't trust SOE that much.)
It's the mentality which is too prevailant on these parts. You're just a small part of it
Vanguard has its warts. But if you have not played or really spent any time with it and are a general MMOer you will have missed:
1. some of the best dungeons in any MMO ever
2. Some of the best class designs in any MMO ever
3. some of the best crafting in any MMO ever ( swg better imo )
4. Probably one of the best world designs, ever.
I have gone back many times, that said If i were to speak to a friend I would say:
Do it once, hit the main dungeons and always do things grouped.
Wont help anyway. There is just something in that engine that stutters. I've played VG since EARLY beta on several different computers. I have installed the game on Flash drives, Ram drives and SSDs. Never had an impact on the stuttering. I've spent countless hours trying to get to the bottom of it.
I've never seen it in any other game where you get a solid 120+fps but with 0.5fps spikes. After playing for a while you become used to it and its less of a distraction. But I'd get hung up on it every so often and spend hours and hours tweaking things trying to get to the bottom of it. Its too bad, its a decent game. But the graphics arent good enough to justify the stuttering and it drives me NUTS!
I visited after it went F2P and the stuttering was still there.
Most recent rig I tried it on is:
i5 [email protected]
16gb ram
GTX 570
Win7 64 on 60gb SSD
Game on 120gb SSD
Just for nostolgias sake....heres some of my shots from beta. Its the same character but showing some changes they made to the models during beta. Both hairstyles were removed before launch along with pretty much...ALL of them.
[IMG]http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp183/Wizardcomputers/ScreenShot_00005-1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp183/Wizardcomputers/ScreenShot_00050.jpg[/IMG]
SSDs make a huge difference in running Vanguard if hitching is your problem. That is, the game freezes momentarily when you chunk, or load up a new area ( textures getting loaded into memory ). One thing Vanguard suffers from is FPS drops when people are around, the network code seems very very bad.