...and I quote from the VO-website:
There will be benefits for players who have maintained accounts for longer (special equipment and options for "veteran players" each time new content is added).
...from http://www.vendetta-online.com/manual.html

Is there something to this statement? I can't remember ever having special equipment and/or options. Course I only played for 6 months.

What?? The alpha and beta badges weren't enough??! How dare you!

But seriously, seeing the game actually make it past the test stage through rough times was a reward in and of itself. I don't think any of us could've asked for more. Unless of course you're a greedy bastard...

/me does the shifty eyes thing

Being in the presence of me longer isn't enough? You must be telling false truths!

Aye Arolte, being part of the Test was rewarding, itself, seeing it go past the test was even better

To directly answer your question, no, not at the moment. Not beyond badges.

I can't think of a vet that's still around that would want anything, though, so it's sort of a moot point.

This is a statement that I intend to back up. But I have not as of yet.

Oh and I was only sticking around cus I liked the game. Never knew I would get cool toys...

/me looks at all the people that left for "better games" and laughs.

So will this only apply to Alpha-beta's? Having a badge the rest of us can' t get isn't enough!?

/me eagerly awaits his "alpha blasters"
That'll learn you noobs to get better than me while I'm not looking!

Just my personal opinion, but I'd rather not have any special equippment for the alpha or beta badges. Or at least, no weapons or anything that would affect balance; some fun toys, that don't do anything that really impacts the gameplay, might be cool, like say the beta badge gives you access to a S port weapon that just does like a laser show, drawing the greek letter Β. Or better yet, spells out "Beta Tester" in Waylonics.

But I would be OK with having veteran badges, that anyone can get just by having been subscribed for 3, 6, or 12 months, and those badges could give access to ships and equipment that does effect the actual gameplay. Anyone who wants to could get these badges, they would just have to stay subscribed long enough to get the badge.

A 0 Velocity gun with 100second life time =D Yay, blaster art! (Its about the only thing i'd really want) oh, or 1 nuke each =D

yeah i don't need anything more like arolte said it was reward enough to get 2 years of free play and a badge,and if somthing is given i don't think we should get anything uber just fancy or impressive i like yoda's idea.

(allthough having somthing that let me pretend i could keep up with the newbies anymore is tempting :)

/me applauds incarnate.

Lt. M. Duncan

The idea is not to introduce gameplay imbalances, but rather:

A) give old-school users some means of differentiating themselves (like the badges.. maybe a ship variant with special textures, but not special abilities).

B) make new features favor those who maintain accounts. Ie, user-purchasable capital ships including a slightly "cooler" variant only available to people who have had accounts for more than 3 months, or some such. (this is pretty common practice in a lot of MMOs, some of them unlock entire new character types only after several months of active account status, regardless of individual character advancement. It's a way of thanking/rewarding the more supportive people. I know a lot of you don't need/want additional thanks, but it's something I'd like to do, regardless :).

I also have a couple of other things in mind. These have all been rattling around in my head for some time, but haven't shown up in-game as of yet. Regardless, I wouldn't make any "special benefit" so advantageous that it imbalances the game or really penalizes new users or some such. The point is to offer a reward to people who have been with us. Alternatives and options that are more "visible" than "advantageous".

Make an ion blaster variant that looks just like blue ions. Icon and all.
>.o

Hah.

Give the Serco vets what belongs to them ... black ships with red stripes ... ;)

Hmmm special decals on ships would be nice.

/me gets out the v.large Omega stencil and black spray paint

a large port to make infinite psuedomines for mineshows (lower/no shockwave, no significant damage.)? (for some strange reason I associate mineshows with alpha/beta testing... maybe because I don't see any mineshows anymore)

Mineshows ruled... but theres nothing to stop you from making a mineshow in the new universe... we didn't have infinite mines in alpha either.

How about letting alpha testers fly the bunchie UFO? :D