Warning: This is yet another first impressions post. Played the game for about half hour.

I just tried the game for the first time, played it for a few minutes. It looks intersting, but I'm not sure about calling this a MMORPG. OK, so it has a persistent universe. But one thing about MMORPGs that you come to expect is complexity, lots of it. My fist impression is that this game has an "arcade" feel to it. Classics like Wing Comander: Privateer, or Hardwar, or Terminus even, would be good inspirations.

The gameplay seems to be very combat oriented (nothing happens inside the stations, for example). The chat system also reminds me too much of an FPS. How about a comm interface? Some chat rooms in the stations? That would eliminate the annoying irc style inane teen chat on the top of the screen...

Would be also cool to have a map screen, where one can plot waypoints and the like. More ships, more equipment. Some preexisting guilds (again, Privateer?). More complexity.

As it is, it feels more like quake with space ships than like an MMORPG.

Just my humble opinion.

It all started as an engine test and as evolved to the point of space quake, which will further evolve into a MMPORG, as I understand it. The only downside is we all know how long one can spend on engines, that is, forever. It takes a bit of wisdom and desire for the devs to choose what game system to intergrate next, as well as nessescity such as bugfixes.


-HSR

it's still an engine test AFAIK

From the FAQs...

What's the difference between the Vendetta Test and the final MMORPG product?

The Vendetta Test is an evolving game-engine testbed. It gives us a platform with a live testing audience, where we can try various different ideas and get an impression of real-world performance. In essence, the Test is really just an "engine", the gameplay that exists within it has progressed (so far) from "absolutely minimal" to "pretty simplistic". There are similarities between the Test and our stated intentions for the final game, but the differences are so large as to make the similarities almost meaningless.

Over time the Vendetta Test will evolve into the final MMORPG product. However, gameplay within the Test, at any given time, shouldn't be considered "final", and may not even have any bearing on the final game at all. At various times, many different gameplay concepts have been added or remove from the Test, to temporarily make things a little more fun.

Yeah, it's basically like space Quake right now, but the RPG part is in the making...

I completely agree with you cassiel and I think that most of those features you mentioned will be implemented in the final version.

There is already a "map" of sorts in the bottom center of the HUD b.t.w. It shows the current sector you are in and surrounding sectors.

Man, I thought I did a pretty good job of explaining that on the Products page and the Vendetta Test page. I guess I should stick it in-line somewhere in the signup process, too. It really bothers me when people think the current game is even remotely "final", because, well, the current game is still pretty simple and boring. The trials and tribulations of having a public test.

Don't take it too hard. I look at it like a version of Descent....a very very cool version of Descent with some persistance to it.

"the current game is still pretty simple and boring"
Hehe... incarnate, when do we get missions, by the way? That ought to add a nice RPG element...

When the player base is large enough to facilitate player run missions through their respective guilds and what not. Persistent scripted missions will lead to logical paradoxes causing the universe of Vendetta to explode. :P

(Heh heh, I actually have no idea if this is true but /me has nightmares about 10 players running the same mission at once and 50 mission-related-NPC's appearing in the same sector).

/me is confused

Phaserlight, i expect the first missions that are implemented to be bring people here, then we might get escort person to here. Those 2 are what i'd like to see. Then bounty missions would be great, track down a certain bot and kill it.

Actually, a bounty hunting mission would be cool for multiple people... Imagine 10 bounty hunters engaged in a battle with a frigate and its escorts... *drool*

OK, first, my bad I didn't read the FAQ thoroughly enough. Yes, only the engine is being tested. That's good to know.

incarnate: you have to understand that most people (including me) will be wanting to try the game as fast as possible, most will not read much of any documentation. Reading the docs and web pages is usually for after the first try, if the game is worth it. So, yes, putting the note about this being an engine test on the login would probably a good idea. A short note, so people will actually read it.

If that's not made clear, one feels the game is, as you put it, boring. And that's bad advertising.

Sorry, should have paid more atention to the FAQ before posting.

I appreciate that most people want to get up and running in the game as quickly as possible, and don't want to wade through a FAQ. However, I assumed that most people would find the Test website via the link from our main Products page:

http://www.guildsoftware.com/test.html

Which even goes so far as to illustrate the point in red :). But, I know that many sites are linking directly to the Vendetta Test website, so I've now integrated a message into the download process:

http://vendetta.guildsoftware.com/?action=download&accept=y

Hopefully that will make it a little clearer.

That's a very nice shade of Pink in Safari. Very pretty. Can I hem my dress in that color?

Florfy. Actually, it's rather pretty...