This could turn it around for Vanguard

[Dagga]

(edit - even more big news here)

From April 16th test server patch notes.

CODING NOTES
- Some significant enhancements to graphics performance on the High and Highest Performance settings should be seen.

~The Vanguard Team

The mechanics and philosophy of the game will always be subjective. You like the ideas Vanguard proposes, or you don't. These have been debated endlessly, and people won't come off their position.

What has never been subjective is the piss poor performance even on the highest end systems. Most people, even on lower end systems, can participate in a full group without many problems. The problem comes when anything more then that is on the screen. No excuses, completely unacceptable. Everyone likes to talk about the potential of Vanguard, but its hard to realize when a large part of your playerbase can't enjoy it.

This could change that. Quite frankly, the game still looks great (a subjective point) at "high performance" - if they found a way to optimize it without sacraficing too much more in the area of visuals, this is HUGE. But only if the word gets out.

Alot of people want to see VG sink. I'm not one of them. As a level 50 (since the beginning of March), I suffered through the worst of the bugs.

Running a higher end system, I was ctd'ing twice an hour. That's fixed. I CTD once every few days - probably because I alt tab to read these boards too much. Most of the group bugs are fixed, or are certainly less severe then they were. It was easy to overlook these fixes as they happened, but in retrospect, they've made great progress on the game breakers.

They've finally phased in some level 45-50 content, and its not too bad. No raid content yet, but if this performance patch delivers, I can't help but think its right around the corner. I've heard some really encouraging things from reliable sources on this front. Seeing that a lot of the dev/designer staff on Vanguard are EQ vets, many from FoH itself, I have faith in their ability to deliver fun, challenging raid content.

Vanguard has caught alot of shit on these boards, and most of it was deserved. People have a right to expect a good product when they pay good money.

From a formerly pissed off player thats getting a little less jaded towards B-rad and his crew, the game has improved leaps and bounds. And if these graphics improvement deliver, than I can honestly say that overall they've done right by me.

It ain't all bad, despite what the VGhaters may say.


Dagga Nabbit
50 Rogue - Shidreth
Blades of Wrath
Vanguard Blades of Wrath

Dagga
60 Rogue - Icecrown - WoW
Blades of Wrath
retired

Dagga Nabbit
65 Rogue - Torv - EQ
Blades of Wrath
retired

[Seths]

Log onto the Test server and check? I would do it but I'm at work at the moment.

[Vatoreus]

Unless this means that they've completely revamped character models to not look ugly as sin, the graphics are still going to suck.

[Vatoreus]

Originally Posted by Seths

Log onto the Test server and check? I would do it but I'm at work at the moment.

doing so as we speak

[woqqqa]

Originally Posted by Vatoreus

Unless this means that they've completely revamped character models to not look ugly as sin, the graphics are still going to suck.

Exactly...their graphics problem is twofold: bad performance and unattractive design.

[Digits]

Vanguard is perpetually about to turn the corner like the Iraq war is perpetually about to turn the corner. Sorry, but I got tired of hearing about awesome performance enhancing about a month before retail.

[Seths]

Looks are subjective. Performance shouldn't be. If they fix the performance problems the game will take a very about face turn towards the positive.

[Braen]

I hate to say this... but if you think the only thing holding Vanguard down was poor high end graphic performance... wow

[Vatoreus]

Ya, so I went to do the test server and it had it a 300+ hour download, so fuck that.

[Kazgrim]

The problem is the lack of a middle ground. I mean with the playerbase. Let me rephrase. The VG population by and large at this point are the diehard vanboi loyalists who eat shit and like it, everyone else is gone. So what you describe as VGhaters are in reality, everyone else. Yes a minute fraction of them want to see VG fall and are deserving of the term VGHater or whatever, but the other 99% of them are average joe gamers who tried it, saw it with their own eyes, and either didn't like what they saw or said "eh, its got potential, i'll give it another go in 6 months." The fact that you label them all VGHaters speaks volumes here.

The few remaining VG players are its biggest drawback currently, they're basically crazy and just regurtitate sigil mantras and brad doublespeak, they're caught in this negative reinforcing spiral and distance themselves further and further from reality. They just sit around and agree with themselves about how great VG is, and they've lost the ability to remain objective about anything much less vanguard. I had an argument the other day where one of these VG players tried to argue that VG was more polished than WoW was at launch, talk about delusional. I don't expect you to understand and I do expect the fanboy's to come out of the woodwork to flame me for this, but you guys are nuts and we can't believe a word you say. Especially when you go out of your way to label us all as VGhaters. Give it the 6 months, no offense but we're not going to listen to anything you say, wouldn't trust you as far as we could throw you. We'll check back then and see with our own eyes how much progress has been made and whether its worth the 15/month or not.

[Seths]

Originally Posted by Kazgrim

The problem is the lack of a middle ground. I mean with the playerbase. Let me rephrase. The VG population by and large at this point are the diehard vanboi loyalists who eat shit and like it, everyone else is gone. So what you describe as VGhaters are in reality, everyone else. Yes a minute fraction of them want to see VG fall and are deserving of the term VGHater or whatever, but the other 99% of them are average joe gamers who tried it, saw it with their own eyes, and either didn't like what they saw or said "eh, its got potential, i'll give it another go in 6 months." The fact that you label them all VGHaters speaks volumes here.

The few remaining VG players are its biggest drawback currently, they're basically crazy and just regurtitate sigil mantras and brad doublespeak, they're caught in this negative reinforcing spiral and distance themselves further and further from reality. They just sit around and agree with themselves about how great VG is, and they've lost the ability to remain objective about anything much less vanguard. I had an argument the other day where one of these VG players tried to argue that VG was more polished than WoW was at launch, talk about delusional. I don't expect you to understand and I do expect the fanboy's to come out of the woodwork to flame me for this, but you guys are nuts and we can't believe a word you say. Especially when you go out of your way to label us all as VGhaters. Give it the 6 months, no offense but we're not going to listen to anything you say, wouldn't trust you as far as we could throw you. We'll check back then and see with our own eyes how much progress has been made and whether its worth the 15/month or not.

I disagree. I would bet the vast majority of people playing Vanguard have never made a single post on any of the major message boards.

Just like people who don't play the game shouldn't be lumped into a "VGHaters" category, neither should those who play VG be lumped into "Vanboi loyalists who eat shit and like it" category.

I am all for people who don't play the game coming back at the end of the summer and trying it for themselves. I have always believed that if they can continue the progress they've been making since release that when those players do come back the word of mouth will spread about the changes and the game will do fine. If they don't then the game is dead.

[Kreugen]

EDIT: DURRRR reading comprehension nevermind

[Soygen]

The patch notes indicate improvements at high performance and highest performance(which are the low end graphics settings, right?).

[Xusilak]

Originally Posted by Soygen

The patch notes indicate improvements at high performance and highest performance(which are the low end graphics settings, right?).

correctomundo

[tad10]

Originally Posted by Soygen

The patch notes indicate improvements at high performance and highest performance(which are the low end graphics settings, right?).

Yep. Highest Performance = Lowest Graphics Quality.