VG sales numbers

[Zuuljin]

Go go station pass!

[WillzZz]

LFG/LFM tool should probably be something like:


I start a group, and I'm given a listing of archetypes to select from:

Tank
DPS
Ranged DPS
Healer
(Crowd Control?)

and you should be able to combine the two on one slot.

For instance, let's say My friend and I (A psionicist and a BM) want to set up a group, I lead it and open up the LFM dialog.

I check that we need a tank class, and then check DPS,Ranged DPS, Healer in one other slot, and DPS, Ranged DPS in the remaining. The screen for an LFG player would look something like:

Existing groups:
Group X: Joe Psionicist, Bob the Blood Mage, (Tank), (DPS, Ranged DPS, Healer), (DPS, Ranged DPS), (DPS, Ranged DPS)

double clicking on one of the linked () sets should allow you to "apply" for the group, which opens a dialog on the group leader's screen, showing that "don the disciple" wishes to join your group, with options of "Accept / Decline".

Plenty of good summoning ideas already, I won't stick my nose in there. I also propose offensive casters to have it.

PS Splitting up DPS/Ranged DPS may be unnecessary. Add whatever other basic features you want (obviously going to want a comment field)

[Draegan]

Originally Posted by Kidriot69

After 2 weeks of Vanguard, i cancelled my sub.

Your cookie is in the mail. Yum Yum!

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by Bongk

you can solo in VG it is just ALOT slower than grouping, which imo it should be. In WoW it seemed all anyone wanted to do was solo unless they had a quest they wanted to complete or run an instance once. Grouping exp should always be far betetr than solo exp IMO.

I know other prefer the WoW model of doing things and that is why I am glad there are choices.

Exactly. I hated the fact that i was pretty much forced to solo to catch up to my friends. That shit was boring as all hell for me. I gave up, i said fuck this game. I am going to log back to EQ.

IMO a MMO is meant to be played with other people. i loved the force grouping with some classes bieng able to solo. If i wanted to do shit by myself, i will log into my 360 and play.

[The Hiram Key]

Originally Posted by kohl

This was such an enormous mistake, it can't be overstated. A buddy of mine who just tried the VG trial stated "I don't know what was worse; the shitty character/mob models or the FPS".

Why is this? Did the devs at Sigil actually think, deep down, that graphics should be a primary selling point for your product? These are people that lived through the era of 'Adventure' on the Atari 2600 and should know better. Am I saying I want to go back to 5 polygon models? No. I'm saying however that human beings have an imagination that can fill in some blanks. Graphics should be the icing on the cake; they should be what fills out a solid game, they should not be the foundation your game is built around.
This is why when I see Sigil devs quoting numbers of polygons being shuffled around or why its such a memory intensive game, I have to wonder if people aren't losing sight of what makes a game good.

If you didn't read the above quoted post, you should. When you are done, read it again. You could sum this up in a simple "It's the gameplay stupid" and understand the key to subscription numbers success in a nutshell.

Perhaps Wow style graphics are not for everyone (or Wow gameplay for that matter), but at least everyone can run it.

Whoever decided way back in the beginning of VG to go the "high tech 4 teh future" model for the graphics should be punched in the face, over and over and over again.

Moron.

[The Hiram Key]

Originally Posted by Nino

I'm not sure if I am at liberty to reveal sale numbers, but they are better than anyone anticipated so far. I will ask if this is something I can release.

I share people's concerns about LFG in the coming months as well as the game gets more 'polished' and optimized. I actually sat down last night and tried to devise a more intuitive LFG system in anticipation. I am curious what folks think would make a LFG system better. So far I was thinking about having an auto-grouping feature that assigns a leader and groups people according to archetype, level, quest similarities, and region. You obviously have to consent to this. Also, since our world is so damned huge, I thought about devising some way to 'summon' a group member if the group is missing a specific archetype that is needed but the player is far away. This treads on taboo territory, so the solution would need to be clever enough to avoid travel exploits. I was also considering some type of generated 'ice breaker' system that could send messages to potential group mates. The main problem that I see, is that there are generally people who want to group, but they do not take initiative to become the leader and ask; or fail to join the LFG channel at all. What else is possible?

Two points here Nino:

1. You are a part of SOE now, and they don't like releasing numbers like that. I could be wrong and your leash is longer then the rest of the horses in the stable, but I doubt it. I would probably fall out of my chair if you guys ended up getting permisson to release actual subscription numbers (for VG alone, not including Station Pass).

2. How in God's green earth do you release a game that is completely (99% or more) group centric and not provide a well built, well tested, and robust LFG tool. How does that happen ? HOW ? Especially considering the great travel distances, you would think this would have been on someone's radar.

Fucking pathetic. FUCKING PATHETIC.

Edit: As a pro-Wow player, I readily admit the LFG tool is a flaming piece of shit in Wow. The original tool they had back in the day was fantastic, there is some face punching to be done over at Blizzard over this as well. Thankfully, I can solo just about anything I want to, and not be dependant from square one on grouping to advance. This is not the case in Vanguard.

[Gaereth]

I know Hartsman said its the one change he would have changed if he could. The spec requirements for EQ2 I mean..:P

[The Hiram Key]

Yes I am tripple posting, sue me. I was grinding out some faction in EPL last night and my friend kept logging on and off so I caught him on the next log in and I said :

Me: Hey whats up, connection problems ?
Him: No I am trying to update my video drivers.
Me: Ahh, what was wrong with the old ones ??
Him: I am trying to get this new game to work.

~

Me: Please tell me you didnt buy Vanguard.
Him: Ayup.
Me: Why do you need to upgrade your video drivers?
Him: I am getting a error when I try to install it.
Me: What error ?
Him: It says my pixel shader is not 2.0 and I am trying to upgrade it.

Brilliant move to make this game state of the art. When I logged off last night, my friend was trying to figure out a way to reseal the box so he could return it.

[Kiroy]

Originally Posted by The Hiram Key

Yes I am tripple posting, sue me. I was grinding out some faction in EPL last night and my friend kept logging on and off so I caught him on the next log in and I said :

Me: Hey whats up, connection problems ?
Him: No I am trying to update my video drivers.
Me: Ahh, what was wrong with the old ones ??
Him: I am trying to get this new game to work.

~

Me: Please tell me you didnt buy Vanguard.
Him: Ayup.
Me: Why do you need to upgrade your video drivers?
Him: I am getting a error when I try to install it.
Me: What error ?
Him: It says my pixel shader is not 2.0 and I am trying to upgrade it.

Brilliant move to make this game state of the art. When I logged off last night, my friend was trying to figure out a way to reseal the box so he could return it.

I don't want to get in the way of your shitting all over this game, but I upgrade drivers all the time. If he hasn't upgraded in a while, why is this surprising?

[Draegan]

Hiram please continue posting in every VG thread. You're purposeful trolling and bashing the game just to get responses leaves for very entertaining reading on a slow day in the office. And I'm not being sarcastic.

[Eomer]

I don't want to get in the way of your shitting all over this game, but I upgrade drivers all the time. If he hasn't upgraded in a while, why is this surprising?

The point he's making is that upgrading drivers wouldn't fix his friend's problem, because PS2.0 is a hardware feature. His friend is either running a Geforce 4 or a Radeon 8500 or something along those lines.

I disagree with his point however (and please forgive me for mentioning this for the millionth tim), because the same could have been said about EQ and it being one of the first PC games to require a 3D accelerator.

I think that the problem he highlights definitely is a problem, but it's not the fault of game makers. It's the unfortunate reality of a platform that has no overarching, guiding hand to set standards on compatibility and all that jazz, which results in a public that really has no idea what's inside their box and what they might need to run a new game.

[Man0warr]

Upgrading to Pixel Shaders 2.0 is not something a driver can do. It is something your video card has or doesn't have.

edit beaten x2

[xelnix]

Originally Posted by Kiroy

I don't want to get in the way of your shitting all over this game, but I upgrade drivers all the time. If he hasn't upgraded in a while, why is this surprising?

Can you please stop quoting that retard? I have him on ignore for a reason.

JFC, if you don't like the game GTFO of these Vanguard threads. You make this board more like WoW general every time you post, Hiram.

[Angry Amadeus]

Originally Posted by The Hiram Key

If you didn't read the above quoted post, you should. When you are done, read it again. You could sum this up in a simple "It's the gameplay stupid" and understand the key to subscription numbers success in a nutshell.

Perhaps Wow style graphics are not for everyone (or Wow gameplay for that matter), but at least everyone can run it.

Whoever decided way back in the beginning of VG to go the "high tech 4 teh future" model for the graphics should be punched in the face, over and over and over again.

Moron.

Really? I enjoy the flowing cloaks, the armor which actually looks like armor, and the other elements which draw you into the game.

If anything, the unrealistic approach to armor/graphics in WoW was a turnoff for me.

Different strokes, I guess! *chuckle*

[Taranatar]

Originally Posted by The Hiram Key

When I logged off last night, my friend was trying to figure out a way to reseal the box so he could return it.

You have some douchebag friends.