September 28th, 2007

Weekly Hot Topics

Collected by Dalmarus

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It's that time of the week again everyone, where I bring you the Weekly Hot Topics featuring both the TTH Vanguard forums and the official Vanguard forums. With the servers and forums being down for a decent amount of time this week due to the authentication upgrades SOE was installing, it seems as though a lot of players may have been busy with other things than playing this week. While the traffic on the servers wasn't overly diminished, the activity on the forums has been this week. Consider the fact that Halo 3, the 800lbs. gorilla of the FPS world also hit shelves this week (with midnight sales), and it's understandable to see why. 

Have you come across a thread you'd like to see featured? Send it off (with a subject of "Weekly Hot Topics"). Or if you want to be featured, start an engaging thread on our forums here.

TTH Vanguard Forums

What Do You Want Most? - By Ralsu

Despite the fact that the current polls will affect some of the work I do here in the future, I wanted to be sure to put this thread in the roundup for yet another reason. Voting ends on September 30th. At that time, the cards will have been dealt, and we all find out what you really want to see the most. If you haven't taken the time to register and vote, you'd better hurry up before time runs out. No one has to vote, but if you don't, no one wants to hear anyone cry about the results either... kind of like some other upcoming elections, eh?

Official Vanguard Forums

We Demand Anti-Aliasing Support! - By Vanguards

The dynamic responses that can be generated from a single statement never cease to amaze me.

Lack of anti-alias support in Vanguard was the single reason I gave the game 4 out of 5 hammers in my review. I hate "jaggies" with a passion. I constantly run around the land seeing a multitude of various landscapes and vistas. Not only are there plenty of places to explore, but I enjoy the idea that perhaps even I won't see them all. I'm awed by the beauty of this world we call Telon. Right up until the point when I lay my eyes on a column, or building edge, etc. It drives me absolutely mad and drags me out of the game. Yes, I'm one of those people, haha.

On the other side of the coin are those who could not possibly care less about AA support. They would rather have SOE continue to work on fixing the game, adding content, and not doing anything to further upset their delicate balance of playtime vs. CTD's. While I agree that SOE has more important things to work on right now, I would like to see this happen in the future.

To be fair though, the dev team has stated in the past that due to the state the code they received was in, the chances of this ever happening are slim to none. Pop your nose in the thread and let us know what you think.

Where did my gold spammers go? - By Gavalin

Can it be? Have the gold spammers finally gone away?!

Unfortunately, the answer is no, but this thread explores the possibility that part of SOE's authentication upgrades that were made this week has had a significant impact on the amount of spam being received. Some report not having gotten a single tell or mail from them since Tuesday, while others state they are still receiving messages, but with far less frequency than they have been in the past. I haven't had a chance to hop in and test this for myself yet this week, but keep an eye out for those spammers and inform everyone what your results are!

Sartok, Creating a player ruleset. - By Gripes

Gripes has started one of the most ambitious ideas I've seen on the boards in a very long time. He's not suggesting that the server won't be a FFA, or that everyone is supposed to get in line to take turns on raid mobs. What he is suggesting though, is that the guild leaders of the server get together for a bit of honor among thieves. He wants the use of exploits and cheats/hacks to be dealt with severely. Just like every other post, right? Wrong. Rather than depending on SOE or the GM's to do anything, he wants the players to take back the server by force. Those guilds not abiding by the few rules listed would be hunted and slaughtered on site by all the guilds within the "alliance".

While the idea is sound, I'm not sure how well the execution will work out. If you're a fan of the PvP server and would like to see a small amount of order (or at least honorable play) come about, get over there and lend a hand or voice to the cause.

Linear Dungeons in Vanguard - By Nephele

This thread brought back some great memories of EQ1 for me. Rather than having only one way in and one (or the same) way out, EQ had a large number of dungeons with multiple entrances/exits. The reasoning, or the overall effect at the very least, for this, was that a single dungeon could accommodate a number of players without causing a lot of grief. Different groups could work in different areas, have fun, get loot, and avoid a lot of bickering this way.

It's important to note that it was pointed out in the thread that there are some dungeons like this in Vanguard. A post in there also provides a link to a great site listing more dungeons than I had even guessed existed in the game. I can't wait to get in there and check some of them out.

And although not mentioned in the post, other thoughts for dungeons could include a "one way in, one way out" style dungeon in the spirit of places like Kaesora in EQ. Once you passed a certain point, your only choices were either to gate out, or battle your way through to the exit. I loved that and wished some dungeons like that would make a come back.

Conclusion

The week has seen some interesting developments for Vanguard and the community that loves it. In recent weeks, it feels as though a number of new and old players alike have come to try things out. Word also finally came from the SOE camp informing the players how progress is coming along for Game Update #3 in the form of a milestone update report. While players are chomping at the bit to get a crack at conquering the Ancient Port Warehouse when it goes live, they'd rather see it complete and polished than rushed out the door. I think this is an ideal that SOE is taking to heart. Vanguard has a loyal following right now, but to survive, it's going to need fresh players. Without any polish, those players will never stay around though.