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LF something like Vanguard
...but not Vanguard (that's for the random smartass in the wings waiting to say "you could always just play Vanguard.")
I've fired up $15 worth of gameplay in Vanguard to see if I could try to like it, but it's just missing stuff. Let me explain by way if listing good parts and what they lack to make the game as a whole fall short. Note that the obvious things are a given, that is, lack of dev support, uncertain future, etc. I'm not looking at any of these things as anything that will potentially be fixed by SOE. I'm sure enough that it is what it is until SOE pulls the plug, minor and negligible bugfixes here and there notwithstanding. So without further ado...
Good: Large, seamless world. There's a sense of scale here that I don't see in other games I've played. The horizon, particularly in areas like Qalia, is distant, yet you can go there. From a first person perspective, the world is simply massive.
Bad: As big as it is, it's pretty lackluster. There isn't much in the way of unique features. What lies beyond that rise up ahead? More of what you travelled through to get there.
Good: Capital cities are massive. Even cities that aren't considered capitals per se are big (Khal, for example) are pretty grand in scale.
Bad: Once again, lackluster for size. Places within the cities are bare and plain. A tavern, for example, is simply a squarish room with a couple of tables and a bar-like thing in a corner with a food and drink vendor. Sprinkle in a random NPC and that's it. There's no sense of place for any location. Nothing that distinguishes a tavern from, say, a crafting center (aside from the crafting fixtures in the latter). Compare with WoW in terms of aesthetics and there's simply no comparison. For all its faults and simplicity in gameplay, the one thing Blizzard did right with WoW is the attention to detail in locations. Taverns look like taverns, shops like shops, and so on. All those little inconsequential details from odds and ends lying on tables to tapestries, bookshelves, etc. really add to the immersion and aesthetic interest to the locations. Vanguard, by comparison is starkly bare, uninteresting, and blah.
Good: The writing in Vanguard is pretty decent, and the diplomacy sphere really adds to that.
Bad: While they're only "on-click" greetings, the small amount of voice acting is atrocious. Honestly, it sounds as if they got Bob in the mail room and Betty from Accounts Payable to phone in the greetings. What's more, the sad attempts at accents are just that, sad, and the pitch-shifting to make some voices deep and powerful comes off as laughable. EQ2. WoW, and practically every other MMO out there with spoken parts blows Vanguard out of the water in this respect.
So what am I trying to say? Well, the one thing that Vanguard presents is potential, but every one of us who has watched Vanguard's existence thus far knows that this potential will never be fully realized. So what I'm looking for is a game that includes and builds on those positive aspects, such as a large world with cities befitting the designation "city", good writing, and aesthetics that immerse and create interest in the settings.
Can anyone suggest something that would fit the bill, or am I one of the many doomed to wait for the next big thing?
"You'll never win an argument with an idiot because he is too stupid to recognize his own defeat." ~Anonymous
Comments
I think we're all doomed m8
though i like your first quote "...but not Vanguard (that's for the random smartass in the wings waiting to say "you could always just play Vanguard.") I actually chuckled at that, thankyou
To Protect The Helpless From The Heartless
Vanguard was probably the game that I was looking forward to the most out of any MMO, or any genre game ever. However it was rushed and very poorly executed. I took immediate interest in this post becuase, although I do not have the time now to play a game like that within a year or so i should and if there are any good titles coming out i would really like to start following them.
You were so right about what the game got right, what bothered me the most when the game came out was the endless amount of hacks and bots that people used and it destroyed the economy on my sever to a point of no return.
I think everquest 2 or Darkfall would suit you, possibly a bit of both?
Originally posted by Scagweed22
is it the graphics? the repetativenesses? i mean what is the point? you could be so much more productive in real life
Real life brings repetition and pointlessness too. The only thing real life offers is Great graphics. Its kinda expensive too and way to dependent on the cash shop. Totally pay to win as well. No thank you. Ill stick to my games.
I have some EQ2 time on the books and a few characters there, but ultimately, I was turned off by the lack of an open world. I absolutely despise loading screens in an overworld. I don't mind instanced dungeons, but sealing off areas of the surface world into "rooms" kills it for me.
Darkfall is also out, as I prefer PvE with limited PvP.
"You'll never win an argument with an idiot because he is too stupid to recognize his own defeat." ~Anonymous
Besides ryzom and fallen earth i really don't know what to tell you.
Actually, after reading around a bit, I'm downloading the FE trial as I type. I generally prefer swords and sorcery over modern or sci-fi settings, but this does interest me.
"You'll never win an argument with an idiot because he is too stupid to recognize his own defeat." ~Anonymous
I'll suggest Istaria, it is mostly PvE and the visuals are dated since it is an older game but it sounds similar to what your looking for.
Theres a few tweaks to get the game running properly since the defult config is for dial up to >300kbs but after that it works well. I would also say that crafting is half the game. The open world is mostly how you described Vanguards in terms of same old but it is also littered with the occasional ruined city, and resources for crafting. Definatly need to give it a try to see if you like it.
Make games you want to play.
http://www.youtube.com/user/RavikAztar
You're pretty much out of luck. It's something a lot of us want, but are not likely to see in again in our lifetime. FE might be good for you, but it had a few things (feeling bound in a sandbox by the essential quests, and the expensive, yet really empty and lonely world) that really kept it from sticking for me, but you might be able to get into it. It doesn't really have any kind of structures or ways to make a real impact as of yet, but you can make small camps now, and they want to expand on that which should be cool.
Personally, I would kill for a modern day Asherons Call /=
Bans a perma, but so are sigs in necro posts.
EAT ME MMORPG.com!
If you find it, let me know.
Amen to that. Id give my left ear to be killing some 2010 lugians right now.
It's a bit harsh to criticize Vanguard for not having enough voice acting. There is no other game out there to compare Vanguard with, if you enjoy this kind of world and gameplay. EQ2 might have similiar gameplay, but EQ2 is probably the most instanced game out there with a loading screen on every step.
Fallen Earth is probably closest to Vanguard, but again there are obvious differences. The world in Fallen Earth has lower visible distance and is much more generic. Fallen Earth has no diplomacy, and the crafting is not a minigame but a click and wait (even hours) - meanwhile you can do anything even log out. Combat is also different (to a worse in FE in my opinion).
REALITY CHECK
"You'll never win an argument with an idiot because he is too stupid to recognize his own defeat." ~Anonymous