Keepers of Fortitude - Saryrn / Bertoxxulous

I never check this forum, ever!

I absolutely loved serverwide team PvP in WoW. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I logged on tonight in VG, and some friends sent me a quick invite ( a slot had just opened up) and I see a name that looked familiar. I say, "hey Xtens you ever play EQ 1?"

Lol, it was great seeing old friends in new toons. As I've mentioned we have a sizeable ANZAC population on our server (Targonor), and I'm sure X has found a home with folks playing in his timezone. He passed along that Karlah is expecting again, and that they have moved back to NZ.

Even better to come here after I logged out and see a post from Ronik. Glad to see things are going well for you bud. If you can handle the kids, team PvP WoW is a great game. If you're looking for more of an EQ1 feel, VG is very close, warts and all. It has many of the things you loved about EQ, and it has several of the things that you hated.

I saw a TOG character right next to me the other day crafting. How many servers is TOG on in VG?

Bottom line has to be, "Do I enjoy the game without adversely impacting my real life?" It sounds like you have a good balance Ching. I'm in the "honeymoon" period with VG, and find myself playing waaay too much.

They have a feature, no clue if it works, that I haven't seen before and looks very interesting. Aside from guilds, they have a thing called "Fellowships", where you can join up to 6 players together. All your xp is pooled and shared equally between the members. So, if someone is afk for a few days they still get their share of xp and stay in sync with their friends. It's definitely not for everyone, but it is nice for a small group that likes to play only a few hours a week. I haven't tried it, but I could see where it could appeal to some players.

Didn't know you worked for Fed EX Ching, that's a pretty good gig. I have a few buddys that fly for you guys, and an old friend that used to work in Maint (a300).

I've seen their web page, and frankly that did look appealing. I'm enjoying VG atm, just joined a guild, have a few core friends I Advent with, all in all, having a good time.

Funny thing, it appears as though there is a Down-under presence on our server, Targonor. I just seem to get lucky that way.

I read the anti-review. Basically, it reminds one that there are folks who work to hate VG as much as folks work to hate WoW (or even EQ). I don't hate any of those games. I don't need to be seen taking a stand for either side to bolster my self-worth. I like both games, I have enjoyed both games.

I do have issues with player bases though. With the number of people playing these games, I guess it can't be helped. The server I was on in WoW was PvP (which I absolutely loved) but became over run with teenage acting players. You couldn't ignore them all, and still function in the economy or BG's. There is certainly no guarantee this won't happen to VG as well.

People can write any number of things guised as opinion in an effort to support or detract from a given subject. Most of it is subjective, dressed up to be objective. VG is certainly playable. Whether one enjoys it, or even wants to enjoy it is another matter.

And how is the WoW expansion? I would imagine you have made some headway into it by now?

Not much to say, as I can't or rather won't disagree with you.

We haven't had a patch in over a week now. They game is playable, aspects are fun. I've been messing with crafting most of this week.

How's the Wow Expansion?

I just heard from my brother the other day, he's back playing Colmir and Gardann and looking forward to a new EQ1 expansion. I was amazed, first that he was back at EQ 1 and secondly that they are putting out another expansion.

Nice to hear from you Vivace. Glad things are going well for you in the Corps.

There are a few (very few) that still check these boards. Come by more often and let us know how things are in the Western Pacific. Ching is doing the WoW expansion, and I'm practicing bleeding. We're due for a Axe and/or Aire sighting soon. We've only heard from one of the Aussie's lately, they must be up to something down there. Maybe you could threaten to visit them when you get leave?

Be safe!

Zax

There has been quite a lot said about the healing classes being overpowered, especially in PvP. They just recently nerfed the Sorcerers as well. I haven't tried the Disciple class myself, I'm just not a Martial arts enthusiast. Apparently there is quite a firestorm over the changes there.

I've only played the game 2 days, so I really haven't seen some of the big issues. The game is very hardware intensive, there are bugs, basically overall it's about as I expected. It looks VERY much like a marriage of EQ1 and WoW. The game play is much like EQ, yet you have mailboxes, auctions, tombstones etc. I never bothered with EQ2, but this looks and feels like I would have expected EQ2 to be.

So far, and I admit I am willingly paying to Beta test this product, it is no where near as polished and professional product as what Blizzard puts out. The writing, the plots, the gear in WoW is just better put together. WoW is a very well made game.

WoW suffers because it is so intuitive, because it's not as hardware intensive, it draws in every middle class teenage boy in the western world. I was a miserable, smart assed, cocky punk as a teenager. For the most part, through the passage of time, and a few tough lessons, I'm better behaved now. I don't need to see a bunch of punk kids reminding me of how much of a jerk I was, or how gloriously they are carrying the banner on.

Just like people who have quit smoking, can't stand to be around smokers.

If there was an adult only private server, I would reconsider WoW. Yeah, that's something I would have loved in EQ as well. Of course, it would probably turn into the Porn server and would suck just as much.

OK, how about a Rated "R" server, no kids, no hard core porn. Hell, make it the Over 30 server, that might work.

I haven't seen a bunch of kids on Vanguard yet. I haven't ventured far from the newbie area yet, really haven't seen all that many folks at all. I'm hoping the hardware limitations will keep some of the kids out, we'll see.

On the plus side, they are patching just about every other day. They are quashing bugs at a furious pace. When I look at the patch notes, I'm amazed at how much they fix at every patch. That was one of the things that sorta got me to try the game. Reading through the patch notes, seeing how much and how often they were working on the game impressed me.

In raising kids, and in many aspects of life in general, I try not to focus on what's wrong right this very second, but rather what direction it's heading. Are we trending positive? Are things improving? At this point, it appears like Vanguard is moving in the right direction.

I'm hoping that the pressure of having paying customers is going to keep them motivated. (trying to make lemonade here)

I know this isn't a big surprise to the few that still come by here, nor to my wife, but I'm coming to the realization that something is wrong with me.

I've had a few days off. I've been reading different forums in regards to Vanguard, gathering the information (thanks Ching to the link in the previous post). Hell, I'm reading patch notes, and class guides to a game I don't even play.

I've read Ching's post twice ( I hope your friend/family or whomever you had to visit is doing well), and recognize he is much more deeply involved in MMORPG's that I am, and has better insights into the what makes for a good game than I do.

I know I don't like the whole Beta experience. I've done it before, and I don't like dealing with buggy software, even if I get compensated for it. Vanguard is basically in what should be described as a Pay to Beta phase.

I don't like SoE's customer service.

I do like Team PvP, yet that appears to be broken in Vanguard atm.

Yet, I still went out and bought Vanguard. I haven't installed it yet, it's sitting in a bag next to my desk. Why am I looking at that bag, and even considering installing it????

It's like a train wreck in slow motion. I can see it coming, I know it's going to be ugly, but I can't seem to take my eyes off of it.

They say the first step is recognizing you have a problem. If it took me this long to recognize it, how long is it going to take me to get to the next step?

UGH!

I know it felt like a long post, and frankly in all the time I've known you, That is the longest post I can recall. It's still good info, and it's nice to see.

I'm moving over to the other, and more importantly, correct topic.

Wow, yeah I know, bad pun, but even still.

I respect your opinion quite a bit Ching, and that's a pretty damning indictment of Vanguard. I've dug around some more on the Ten Ton Hammer website, and it seemed like they had made significant progress in making Vanguard playable. That and you get non stop bashing of WoW there as well (on the Vanguard forums). I really enjoyed playing WoW, I just got to the point that I couldn't stand the dominance of a bunch of prepubescent teens.

Well, I'm going to keep an eye on Vanguard, although it will be an even more cynical eye than usual.

Let us ( all 4 of us) know how the WoW expansion goes.

Zax

Ok, I'm slow. The board went plain graphics again, and no promo trailer. Actually it's been like that the last few times I checked by, and I just now figured it out.

So now Vanguard has been out a few days. I read quite a bit on some of the various forums, but I haven't read any of them since launch. How did it go?

I upgraded my video card and RAM, so in theory, I should be able to run it now, just waiting to see if I should bother.

Nice to hear from you Aire. Even better to hear things are going well. Did you try PvP in WoW? I took the plunge and went to a PvP server when I started WoW, and surprisingly loved it. Aside from the battlefields, always having to watch for the enemy, or setting up ambushes for them was a new source of giggles on my end.

Well with any luck, we'll find a game we can enjoy as much as early EQ.

Zax

After my last post, I went and did some digging myself through the forums. It seems to be exactly as you say. I'm looking at $300 of upgrades, so I can pay x-amount/month. If I knew ahead of time that there would be the same or better community as EQ1 I'd really have to think about it.

I really enjoyed WoW, mainly as a solo break away from EQ (not that I didn't do my share of soloing there as well). But the overwhelming majority of immature players, whether just plain kids, or adults reliving their childhood, drove me away. Wow is fun from the point of view, that it's not as much as a challenge as EQ was. Kinda like the easy reading you take to the beach or pool. It was fun, but it didn't last a year.

There are a lot of aspects of EQ1 that I miss, and it would be nice if Vanguard could replace that.

FWIW the Open Beta did start, and most folks can get their prepaid copy at Best Buy or EB games. After reading the forums, I'm going to wait at least a week, maybe 2 to see how aggressively they attack the bugs. If SoE is running it, then I'd rather wait on the sideline to see if they fall on their face. If Sigil is truly calling the shots, maybe it will work out.

I'd love to see ya in game Ching (and any of Keepers) if it does work out.