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What keeps you coming back ?

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Jun 02, 2006 Shapenaji link
I shoot things... they go boom.

That pretty much sums it up for me.
Jun 02, 2006 Doukutsu link
Why did I come back after 3 years? Probably because its a lot of fun to see players' suggestions evolve from being posted to being put in game.






And large explosions.
Jun 05, 2006 Jakob LeMort link
I can tell you it sure isn't spending over an hour grinding through a mission, only to have a dev shutdown the deliverator (to fix bugs) and cheating you out of your reward.
Bitter? Who, me ?
Jun 05, 2006 Whistler link
I also keep coming back because the devs are very fair minded. For instance, if I felt I was screwed out of a reward due to the Deliverator being restarted while I was in a mission, I would simply post or email a nice note to that effect and could expect that either a guide or dev would make it right for me (instead of posting snarky messages in multiple forums, for instance).
Jun 05, 2006 LeberMac link
Heh. I keep coming back to read this board for the tough-but-fair-mindedness of FM.

Oh and like Douk said, explosions. I'm all about big explosions ingame.
Jun 05, 2006 delechrom link
I just came back from last summer, and I came back because I remembered it's just fun. It's fun to fly around and shoot things and watch them blow up. It's fun everytime you see a new update downloading and you get excited to see what's new. It's fun to look at the suggestion board and see the developers saying "oh, right, that sounds good" and knowing that the users are being listened to. And it's way fun to lean back in your chair and think "you know what would make this game even better…" and grabbing a sticky pad and start scribbling. Great game.
Jun 05, 2006 smittens link
I come back, because if I didn't, who would steal Leber's kills?
Jun 06, 2006 LeberMac link
What kills?
Jun 07, 2006 Jakob LeMort link
[pubescent rant with name-calling removed - RR]

(I'd take Whistler's advice if I were you.)
Jun 07, 2006 terribleCabbage link
Oh, be nice.
Jun 07, 2006 MysticRogue link
Thats not snarky Jakob, thats downright rude. And the reason I come back is for most of the reasons already stated, explosions,shooting things,the community (for the most part) and mostly cause the devs have a vision and I enjoy watching it unfold everyday.
Jun 07, 2006 LeberMac link
Don't forget the chocolate, Mystic!
Jun 07, 2006 MysticRogue link
Yes the chocolate fix drags me back time and time as well Leebs :-)
Jun 08, 2006 Jakob LeMort link
I was bad. I are sorry. I come back cause everybody here is so nice. Really!
Jun 30, 2006 Klabbath link
El-Rik;

Fair questions, actually. I hope the devs are reading this thread because it will provide some valuable feedback to them.

I'm a gamer from way back. I first rolled D&D dice in 1980 at the tender age of six. I've always been fascinated by games that offered reasonable mechanics for play and then GOT THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY. AD&D first and second editions are wonderful examples of this. The crap that Wizards of the Coast thrust on the world in the name of the d20 system is NOT, and that's why I don't play any more. The original Star Wars RPG was another fine example, also crapped on by WotC. (If someone firebombs their headquarters, I will read the news report with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. First they created Magic: The Gathering and started eradicating roleplay, and then they started buying RPG writing companies and REALLY started eradicating roleplay.)

I like the Vendetta Universe for six main reasons:

1) It's open-ended. Every other game I've ever seen online requires you to be a warrior to advance. Some people (not myself) would rather mine or trade. A game system that leaves this to the individual PLAYER is the Garden of Eden to me. For example, I'm anti-pirate (in this persona), so the idea of escorting player convoys and going on pirate hunts thrills me. (In another alt, however, I am considering going rogue. Beware the dread pirate Legin the Naked!) In another alt I might decide to explore trading. In yet another I might become a hard-bitten merc looking only to make a credit, honest or otherwise, AND THE DEVELOPERS HAVE LEFT THIS ENTIRELY UP TO ME!

2) It's continually evolving. Think about it: we're going to be able to watch this grow. When new wormholes and systems are discovered, we're going to be there. When the Hive develops a new weapon by scavenging super-powerful ships and starts laying waste to large sections of the galaxy, WE are going to be there, trying to fight them off. When the Serco finally put together an armada and flood Itani space, you and I might be flying as each other's wingman-- or trying to acquire a missile lock on each other. If that doesn't capture the imagination, nothing does.

3) The Developers actually LISTEN. Take a glance at the suggestions forum and read back six or eight months. I was startled at the number of user suggestions that were added to the game. WE are writing this game. THEY are simply programming it. (And we love them for it.)

4) The people. Oh My Freaking GAWD, the people. I've been involved in online chat rooms and message boards since 1991 when FidoNet was active. I currently moderate a message board devoted to coaching football, and I damn well HATE it. I have to kick about one user a month out of my forum, and that's composed mostly of professional coaches, educators, and adults. (Hell, I'm involved in a lawsuit right now against one jackass that committed trademark infringement, slander and online harassment against me.)

In my albeit brief time in VO I have run into precisely ONE jerk online. The developers have instituted a system where treating others kindly and practicing good sportsmanship is REWARDED. Mentoring other players can actually improve YOUR character. I don't know if this is unique to VO, but it's a damn fine idea, and it was new to me. (As a football coach in my other life I am obsessed with sportsmanship. Seeing players typing "GF" after a dogfight warms my heart. It beats hell out of seeing Randy Moss pretend to moon a crowd.)

I like logging in and seeing a number of people greet one another. I like hailing someone as I pass through a sector they happen to be in and getting a response. I like seeing long-time gamers that have heard the same stupid-assed questions a thousand times patiently responding when I ask them. This isn't just a game. It's an online community.

5) The challenge. Cary Elwys said it best in the Princess Bride: "Life is pain. Anyone that says differently is selling something." Real life is full of challenges, and the VO universe is also full of challenges. It's preposterous how slowly licenses advance. I HATE it, and it's what keeps me coming back for more. I love it. I hate it. I'm pushing myself to take on new missions, explore new parts of the universe just to get that goddamn Combat 6 rating... just like life. (Anyone working on a bachelor's degree knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about here.)

6) Lack of bugs. I am not kidding about this. I tried three other MMORPGs in the same evening as I downloaded the VO client. One of them required me to use the terminal in my Mac to recompile the software. I don't know or care to know how to do that, especially not for a GAME. Another crashed twice on initial load and update, so that was gone. The third loaded and ran fine, was even free, but lagged so bad that I couldn't play. (I should experience very little lag on a cable connection, IMHO. It's why I PAY FOR the cable connection.) VO has worked flawlessly since the first install.

Does the game have its flaws and unfinished portions? Definitely. However, just reading the backstory is enough to hook any Sci-Fi gaming fan. I'm finding myself thinking up new ideas for suggestions every day and also trying to think of ways that I might help the developers: writing backstory for the individual stations, creating NPC histories, etc.

My only regret is that, once I go back to coaching football, I won't have the time to help this game expand as much as I'd like. Hopefully the devs will relax the restrictions on advertising soon, and I can repay their hard work with a flood of new converts.

Oh yeah, I forgot the number seven reason I love this game: I can play without pants.

~D.
"Nigel the Indecently Dressed"
"Legin the Naked"
Jun 30, 2006 slime73 link
AHA! So you DONT have pants on! :p
Jun 30, 2006 Klabbath link
Heh heh heh. It SEEMS that way, doesn't it?

~D.
Jun 30, 2006 LeberMac link
I agree with everything Nigel just said, except the parts about the pants.

For God's sake man, at least put on a jock!
Jun 30, 2006 thurisaz link
very nice points, Nigel, especially about the community... brainstorming here; maybe the best way to grow this lovely gathering is in small batches- it seems lots of new players pick up our vibes here pretty quickly, keeping the idiocy down to a certain manageable level

...maybe it's the "I've entered a place where people care about each other" culture shock that keeps people from degenerating into the mindless 1337 90W3R-64M3RZ that flood so many other MMOGs... if so, though, there only needs to be a critical mass of new players before it all goes south.. do you think I'm being too pessimistic?? I hope I am....
Jul 01, 2006 Whistler link
I think you're being realistic based on how things have gone elsewhere. The existing playerbase is more than able to muster up some '1337ness as a defensive strategy against a certain brand of annoying upstart newcomers, but there is an underlying respect for each other and for the average n00b.

I've been around consistently for quite some time, and through several changes in my relationship to the community, but ultimately this is home to people I respect for one reason or another. I like the well thought-out disagreements, the weird ideas that might just be something, the distinct personalities, the baiting of old rivals in ways almost imperceptible to others, the gleaming truths... This is a great community.