Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

This is an honest question because I think many of the current VG players who have played both games would tell you that Vanguard is more enjoyable then EQ2.  The only thing that EQ2 has over Vanguard at this point is far more development cycles.  Read the VG forums and you'll find more threads calling Vanguard the best game on the market, and very few complaints about the lack of.. nothing like you'll find in most other games.

So we come to fan fair, and no address to the many fans that traveled there or signed up for the webcast.  EQ2, EQ, SWG, and Free Realms are getting love, but they can't give the VG player 5 minutes.  Many players are worried that SOE is not treating Vanguard like one of their premium games, and in reality I think they should be.  

What is the future plans that have been announced for Vanguard?  GU6, and win back players.  That's it.  With the upcoming EQ2 expansion, is SOE going to do an honest job of promoting Vanguard beyond trying to attract former players back?

At the core, Vanguard is clearly the better game in my opinion.  Do you think it worries SOE that players saying this when they have a lot more development into EQ2, and are looking for a payoff from it in the near future?

Big question is..  What would Sony do if Vanguard started out subscribing its other games?

The majority of people that would play Vanguard are already playing SOE games.  Why would Sony pour money into a game just to attract a small portion of new subscribers to it?  Nothing they have ever done shows that they are committed to making Vanguard a premium game, nothing from day 1 of their involvement. 

I agree that just about every single aspect of Vanguard outshines EQ2 and Vanguard should be the product SOE is focusing on. 

It is sad really, because Vanguard could be a great game with a sizable population. 

I think SoE is a business.  If VG subs picked up and looked like it was passing eq2 I'm sure they would be quite happy to have it grow and probably even have the marketing and dev resources grow as well.  I mean why wouldn't the?!

Originally posted by ebonfire

 

So we come to fan fair, and no address to the many fans that traveled there or signed up for the webcast.  EQ2, EQ, SWG, and Free Realms are getting love, but they can't give the VG player 5 minutes.  Many players are worried that SOE is not treating Vanguard like one of their premium games, and in reality I think they should be. 

Just want to comment on that. If you not read the off forum yet.

They didn't give The Agency 5 minutes either, and nobody interprets that as they are going to treat  The Agency with any negativity.

Hi all, I gotta say that many should realize that Vanguard IS currently gaining MANY new subs... I just started playing  it again since its beta and I really have to tell you that SO MUCH WORK has been poured into this game and many do NOT realize that it is a totally different game that is rich with lore, questing, crafting  and sooo much more...
         I was playing last nite and we asked  a question last nite as to  "Who are new to Vanguard" there were players upon players stating they were new players... You all think that because it doesnt have millions of subs that its not a success... I seriously think they need a totally new review of this game..

there are more players playing this game than people think..  We also asked "ARE YOU ENJOYING VG"? and ther response was overwhelming as to YES tehy were... and things like "Where have i been this game is great"

smack this game if you want to (why i couldnt tell you other than you are trying to get people to another game)  for this game is by far one of the best games out there...

play your AOC, play your Warhammer because its brand new.. those that go to those games will be seriously dissapointed.. they are NOT games like this one...

hopefully we will se more and more coming to Telon..  It is one of the best if not THE best MMo's ive played in along time.....       

IMO it really doesnt matter which game overtakes which...As long if they have people playing their game(s) they are still making money regardless of which game has more population.

Sony certainly won't prevent Vanguard from overtaking EQ2.  It makes no business sense to say, "we can't let this game become more popular than it already is."  More subscribers mean more profits, which benefits everyone.

That being said, Vanguard IS one of the bastard stepchildren of SoE.  It had a mention in the intro video during the keynote address.  (By the way, did anyone else notice how much better that scenery looked than for ANY of the other games shown?)  It also had a wall banner in the room where the keynote took place, and a demo computer on the game floor in a stand alone kiosk that was shared with Matrix and PotBS.  So it's not like the game was ignored.  Just neglected.  And the reason for that neglect comes down to subscriber numbers.  There's just no budget right now.

The only thing that will change this situation is more numbers.  The Vanguard team has done what they can by focusing huge effort on getting Isle of Dawn ready to go.  When that releases in a couple weeks, it'll be out of their hands.  From that point forward, it is up to US to get the word out.

Win-back promotions only go so far.  The vast majority of players who would be even remotely likely to come back have done so.  Now it's time to start wooing players who haven't ever tried VG before.  Maybe some have never heard of it.  Maybe some have simply heard from friends that it was bad, but that info came from launch.  Regardless of the situation, once the trial is available we need to start getting these people to check the game out.

Want new reviews from Ten Ton Hammer, MMORPG.com, IGN, etc.?  Write to them and tell them that you want it.  Tell them how radically the game has changed, how the subscriber base is suddenly growing fast, and how the trial is available.  Point out that MMO's change, and that it's past time for Vanguard to be given another look.

SoE is NOT going to do much advertising at this juncture.  So we have to do it ourselves.  If we can continue bringing the numbers up, then I can guarantee that SoE will take notice and start putting more dollars in the budget.  But it has to start with us.

Originally posted by aurick

Sony certainly won't prevent Vanguard from overtaking EQ2.  It makes no business sense to say, "we can't let this game become more popular than it already is."  More subscribers mean more profits, which benefits everyone.

That being said, Vanguard IS one of the bastard stepchildren of SoE.  It had a mention in the intro video during the keynote address.  (By the way, did anyone else notice how much better that scenery looked than for ANY of the other games shown?)  It also had a wall banner in the room where the keynote took place, and a demo computer on the game floor in a stand alone kiosk that was shared with Matrix and PotBS.  So it's not like the game was ignored.  Just neglected.  And the reason for that neglect comes down to subscriber numbers.  There's just no budget right now.

The only thing that will change this situation is more numbers.  The Vanguard team has done what they can by focusing huge effort on getting Isle of Dawn ready to go.  When that releases in a couple weeks, it'll be out of their hands.  From that point forward, it is up to US to get the word out.

Win-back promotions only go so far.  The vast majority of players who would be even remotely likely to come back have done so.  Now it's time to start wooing players who haven't ever tried VG before.  Maybe some have never heard of it.  Maybe some have simply heard from friends that it was bad, but that info came from launch.  Regardless of the situation, once the trial is available we need to start getting these people to check the game out.

Want new reviews from Ten Ton Hammer, MMORPG.com, IGN, etc.?  Write to them and tell them that you want it.  Tell them how radically the game has changed, how the subscriber base is suddenly growing fast, and how the trial is available.  Point out that MMO's change, and that it's past time for Vanguard to be given another look.

SoE is NOT going to do much advertising at this juncture.  So we have to do it ourselves.  If we can continue bringing the numbers up, then I can guarantee that SoE will take notice and start putting more dollars in the budget.  But it has to start with us.

I will agree to this whole heartedly.

I played VG back at launch, and quite frankly, I was not impressed.  The game was just borked beyond beleif.  I don't even think I hit the two week mark with the game.  My computer couldn't handle the game, on top of that, it was riddled with bugs, and just piss poor performance.

Recently, I've been reading about how much better the game is.  No... not just better... completely different - but not in the sense that the NGE is a different kind of SWG.  Different in the sense that it just does what it's supposed to do, and has the depth people like me are looking for in an MMO.

If I hadn't have read about it here on the forums, I never would have even given this game a second's thought.  I still haven't commited to resubscribing and giving it another go, simply because I'm a bit of a procrastinator.  But I can tell you this... I keep reading nothing but good things, and I keep getting closer and closer to that "Accept" button.

The thing is, the time right now is critical.  Bottom line is, you're going to lose players when WAR is launched.  It's going to happen, and there is nothing you can do about it.  Not because WAR is superior, but because WAR is new, and everyone likes a fresh face.  It will be up to how polished the game is that will determine how long the people who left VG will stay.  Personally, there is nothing I find very interesting about WAR, so I probably won't be getting it.

If VG is really as good as people keep saying, I will probably be playing it for quite some time, until the next game I'm looking forward to comes out.