General Discussion

hi everyone.. im in need of help between choosing between games, i was beta phase 2 tester till release for vanguard and also beta tester for lotro.. there both awesome games but vanguard pretty much sucked becuase of all the bugs and crap.. lotro was fun but i like vanguard becuase of its reality. like my favorite mmo of all time was star wars galaxies, that was awesome.. im looking for something to fufill my craving.. guys got any suggestions for me?

Originally posted by xfalseimage

hi everyone.. im in need of help between choosing between games, i was beta phase 2 tester till release for vanguard and also beta tester for lotro.. there both awesome games but vanguard pretty much sucked becuase of all the bugs and crap.. lotro was fun but i like vanguard becuase of its reality. like my favorite mmo of all time was star wars galaxies, that was awesome.. im looking for something to fufill my craving.. guys got any suggestions for me?

If yoiur 5yrs old or have a crap computer Lotr otherwise Vanguard the game.

Originally posted by zazz

Originally posted by xfalseimage

hi everyone.. im in need of help between choosing between games, i was beta phase 2 tester till release for vanguard and also beta tester for lotro.. there both awesome games but vanguard pretty much sucked becuase of all the bugs and crap.. lotro was fun but i like vanguard becuase of its reality. like my favorite mmo of all time was star wars galaxies, that was awesome.. im looking for something to fufill my craving.. guys got any suggestions for me?

If yoiur 5yrs old or have a crap computer Lotr otherwise Vanguard the game.

Ignore this zazz buffoon.

Vanguard has been fixed up quite a bit and LOTRO has had plenty added to the already fun game..

Run a trial on LOTRO and ask for a buddy key for VSoH and give them both a try, only you will know what's best for you.

i would totally go with VG right away,

but im just so so worried about the bugs,

im so worried im going to end up wasting my money AGAIN.

and i dont know how to get a buddy code thing.

how about neither

Originally posted by xfalseimage

i would totally go with VG right away,

but im just so so worried about the bugs,

im so worried im going to end up wasting my money AGAIN.

and i dont know how to get a buddy code thing.

I just started VG n find it to be not too bad. I had heard about the various bugs but decided that ppl here just love to hate certain games. So far I am not finding it too bad. I am subscribed to both VG n LotR. I found LotR to be very slow paced and characters kinda ugly. But the rest of the world was nice. VG I think has a bit more roaming freedom to lvl up how you want. Be it quests or just out hunting. Tho I will admit I am just in VG till AoC comes out...

I am no longer playing either, I am not a fanboy of either.

Both VG and LOTRo offers very high resolution clients.  If your rig is up to it, both games offer very impressive graphics.  I somehow feel that the environment in VG is clean but kinda cool, the visual images of LOTRo is much warmer, notably in the Hobbit starting world (a very lovely zone).  The music in LOTRo is most cozy too.

VG got far more races and classes.  This is the weakness of LOTRo so far.  Lore limits the races available.  On the other hand, the LOTRo lore provides a very rich story content, if you are into such matters.  The epic stories are great, so following the storyline all the way to max cap will give you a relatively story driven tour.

VG is more grindy.  Takes a lot more to get to cap.  LOTRo is far more casual, almost soloable to 50, and if you really insist you can.  I soloed my last 2 alts to 50, joining a PUG only for the last chapter of a few epic storyboards, those you cannot solo.  If you want a longer tour to level cap, go for VG.

Crafting is decent in either game, I got to max crafting in LOTRo in all trades, and during my days, the output of a grandmaster is always selling (competition from other GMs given).  They are as good or even better than the best drop from the big monsters.

RPing, well, no one is roleplaying in games now.  So I do not expect much from either.

Community, LOTRo community is very mature and helpful.  VG varies somewhat but there are very dedicated individuals in VG who would offer you guild membership right from the start.  These people are very helpful, sometimes pushy.  They will make sure you stay subscribed.  Trash talking occasionally pop up in the chat windows in either games, but not the kind of frustration you find in WoW or the F2P korean games.  Gold spammers are inevitable, and I feel them more annoying in LOTRo, simply b/c they are more active in LOTRo.

Server population?  I feel that VG is very deserted, maybe that is partially b/c the world map is much larger and there are too many starter zones.  The lacking in population and the cooler feeling from the graphics is somewhat discouraging for casual players who want more social interaction.

Diplomacy is a hit or miss minigame.  If you like that kind of sidegames (and it is not totally removed from the other aspects of the game) VG is your only choice.

PVP, LOTRo has a very unique setup for PVP, since I do not play either game for PVP, I do not have much to add.  There are no PVP servers in LOTRo, if I remember correctly.

Having played both, I would give the slight nod to Vanguard which is making a comeback right now..

I have played both, and I recently chose Vanguard.

The hitching that gave me headaches is mostly removed.  I still hitch, but it is not as much as before.

Vanguard, however, still requires a lot of work:

1. Performance remains a challenge
2. Character customization is missing
3. The end-game is raiding (a lot of people quit because of this)

The good news is

1. The small SOE team for Vanguard is dedicated
2. Group gameplay, imho, is excellent
3. The world is huge (somewhat cookie-cutter in many areas, empty in others.  When I explore, however, I constantly run into small camps and things that many never seen.)

Both look to be good games, but I would easily give the nod to LOTRO over Vanguard.

I personally wouldn't invest time in the game until it was clear that expansions are a certain future for the game.  I wouldn't invest my own time in a game where it looks like the credits