Did I mention how Effin' great this game is? Did I mention that I don't care for MMO's and never will play one? (other than maybe DUST 514) The very lengthy tutorial and explanations are fantastic and quite welcomed. The combat is really fun and challenging as is the flight model. I think the controls work great and I love how well the combo of motion and touch controls are implemented. Also, the community has been great and really helpful, which combined with what I said above, has really helped with easing me into the game and not feel overwhelmed or intimidated. Sooooo, now I'm "ready" to be thrown into the grinder as fresh meat!
hahaha Yep, that's about my skill level with flying - open space, flying through rings = not so bad. Trying to dock or land anywhere precisely and that's when it all falls apart for me, lol.
...and 2 dollars just for the honor of finding out if the game is right for you (.99 app fee, .99 lite subsciption). Limited to level 3? Here's an idea...charge whatever for the full experience, drop the trial subscription (level 3???), and offer the app for free with a LEVEL ONE cap. No advancement, but at least we can see if the client is up to snuff, and the gameplay is suitable for our tastes.
Order and Chaos isn't free. Heroes of Order and Chaos is free. Two different games. Order and Chaos might have dropped the subscription though; I forgot. The app is currently 6.99 USD though.
Thanks everyone, really glad to hear people are enjoying the game . A few answers: - We don't really recommend fiddling with the graphics/video settings, but they'are available "at your own risk", so to speak. The settings we chose are pretty good, and it's unlikely you'll want to turn them farther "up". They're more available in case you wanted to turn them "down" for some reason, like maybe a particularly huge player event or something. - There are a whole lot of other options as well. Again, "at your own risk", but we had someone submit a ticket who didn't want auto-fire enabled. Well, you can disable it in there (although it definitely makes it harder to play on a touchscreen). Our outlook is generally "if someone might things differently, make it an option". - Memory is the big issue on iOS. Our game uses a lot of it (hence the long startup), and turning up the graphics any further may result in the app getting killed, or it trying to emergency-dump all its textures and re-load them to minimize memory when the OS says "low on memory!". So, be aware that trying to "improve" graphics may impact stability. - The #1 issue we've seen that impacts performance on iOS is background applications. iOS seems to be a lot less aggressive than Android (our previous experience) about killing background apps, even to where some versions will give our foreground app a low memory warning before killing other games still loaded in the background. Moral: touch the button twice and kill background apps, particularly if any of them are graphics and memory intensive games. Especially if you have a Mini or an iPad2 (less memory available), be sure to kill off any background apps. - Glad the tutorials are working well, we just re-worked them a bit for this release (that voiceover is me, heh). I know aspects of the experience and interface are far from perfect, we're definitely going to continue polishing things, and we also really appreciate specific and well-stated ideas on our Suggestions Forum.. especially stuff about usability and so on. We're all about making the game better in every successive release; but we're also four people building and maintaining an MMO across a kind of insane number of platforms, so we do a lot of priority juggling (which includes behind-the-scenes development and fixes on the server-side that is sometimes not visible to the player.. but still critically important). - Regarding Desktop vs. Tablet: within the last few months we've actually had some touch-based players, even on Android mobile phones, who have managed to kill desktop veterans in 1-on-1 PvP (without controllers or anything, just on the touch interface). This was a pretty big milestone, and I took a bunch of the suggestions of those players and back-propogated them into the defaults for the iPad. So, it is possible to get pretty damned good with just the touch interface, and actually be fairly competitive with the right ship and loadout and tactics and the like. The thing to keep in mind is that learning combat in Vendetta Online is not an overnight thing (and this is just as true on desktop).. I've always taken some pride in the fact that our combat is not to hard to learn, but takes a long time to master. - This basically also goes to the question of how "advanced" the rest of the player base will be in comparison to newbies (from any platform). It's not about the levels they may have, or the equipment they may have.. ultimately it's about the experience they have, in fingers and muscle memory. Our player veterans have a real skillset, and that's their biggest advantage. From a game design standpoint, I prefer this, because it means that anyone can come in and learn and challenge anyone else, there's little to the game's advancement constructs that give older players an artificial advantage for simply having "been there longer"; at the end of the day it all comes down to the skillset. There are some advantages to equipment, of course, and that's a factor, but my point is that it's not the biggest factor. - If Apple ever adds support for real game controllers (gamepads, bluetooth controllers, whatever), we will support them. In the meantime, if you really want an accessory solution, the keyboard controls are actually pretty good too (especially with rockets). - Remember that your current account is completely cross-platform. The $1 you paid gives you a free month, and you can connect with any combination of hardware, right now, without spending any more money. Play on your iPad sometimes, your Mac or PC other times, it doesn't matter. This is a big part of why we made the "Lite" mode a universal concept instead of forcing to to be "playing from mobile devices only" or some such; we have this platform flexibility, I would prefer that people had the option of using it. (Note: I'm just pointing out the option is available; I personally like the iPad version and haven't played on anything else in awhile now. But to those having trouble or who want to see what the game might be like with a joystick, it could be helpful).
I think that by the 4th month most people will either decide to pay to play the game as intended (not continue traipsing about at level 3) or will have quit. Do you really think many people will pay a recurring subscription fee without going all in? That just seems silly to me. The Android 8 hour trial makes more sense than this one, imo. All I know is the last MMO people got excited about here (that I can remember), some space trading style game, never became stable. If you ever offer a trial client, I'll pick it up. Before anyone gets on my damn case (yes, you who yell "entitled" and "cheapskate", you know who you are), I'm not asking for a free ANYTHING. I've never played an MMO that didn't offer a free trial. I'll give it a try; if I'm interested I don't see any use in the .99 subscription. Is there a trial/free client on the PC? i'll have to check it out. Or I'll just borrow someone's Android device and see how it plays.
Er, the $0.99 purchase includes a free month of Lite mode. So, you can argue that it's a dollar to find out if the gameplay is to your taste (which I don't think is such a terrible burden?). We could do the level 1 thing, but that would be a very stunted introduction to the game. Level 3 actually takes awhile. People need to understand that, our game was actually designed to not have levels at all, originally. Near the end of development, it was something I had to shoehorn in there for budgetary reasons; but as a result the time/effort to reach levels goes up on a very steep curve. Ie, it's easy to get level 1, but only really serious veterans might have level 8. So "level 3" is not really meaningful when blindly compared to some 60-level game where you reach it in the first five minutes. Much of the later equipment and gameplay comes as a result of mission tree completion and faction alignment (reputation) anyway, which is what I originally intended. Levels are maintained more to guide newbies and track their progress.
Our game is driven more by player-skill than by "levels", unlike 99% of the MMO world. So.. yes? Maybe? It's something I would strongly consider, if I were a user on a mobile device.. knowing what I do about the game. You get a pretty decent assortment of equipment and you can take part in a lot of the dynamic content and missions, and do trading and mining and combat and so on. I think you're concerned about the idea of limitations, without actually having experienced what those limitations are. I understand that, compared to most other games (and MMOs, particularly), but our game is a bit different. I'm not claiming that it'll be for everyone, or even that this "Lite" mode is perfect or doesn't have room for refinement (we just added it recently), but I do think it's a decent deal. Yes, there's a free trial and free download on the PC, of 8 hours. To be honest, I think the $0.99 purchase on iOS (giving access from all platforms) is a way better intro to the game. But, to each their own.
A question to the dev or anyone who knows: what exactly do you get for your $.99 a month? Will the gameplay be very limited/missing out on a lot of content? Also, can you pay using iTunes Store credit? Thanks a lot.
Okay, not trying to harp on the pricing, but I have to admit to being a little confused. It does sound funny to me to hear: $.99 for the app; includes a free month subscription; then $.99 each month thereafter for a lite subscription. Isn't that really just a better way of saying: the app is actually free and you start paying a $.99 subscription fee from the start? (Similar to how the desktop download is free, I believe?) Or I guess basically we would be paying $.99 for a demo version of a game if we don't play past the first month, which is what I think some people are opposed to.... Anyway, I still can't tell if there is a separate fee for each platform subscription after the first month, especially since I could not find anywhere on the VO website which stated any price lower than '...bringing the monthly price down to as little as $6.67 per month when purchased in advance.' So, there is a lite subscription model available for desktop platform at $.99 a month that I'm not finding on the website? Or when you say "current" account do you mean the mobile account we set up and for the first month only? $.99 each month charged from my mobile account to play across all platforms would totally work for me - as I don't see myself levelling up any time soon (I'm just realistict about my video gaming skills, heh).
That is exactly what you get. The "Lite" mode is only purchasable via mobile platforms right now, because it has been kind of a new and experimental thing and the main focus was on mobile. Sorry the FAQ data hasn't been updated, things have been pretty hectic with shipping the iPad release. I'll see about updating the FAQs as soon as I can. As mentioned earlier in the thread, the only current limitations are that Lite accounts are capped at Level 3, and that you cannot create or serve in the leadship of a guild (but you can join them).
It's only a dollar to try it out, it pays for the first month. I think that's a CRAZY good deal for this. I've paid a dollar for games a fraction of the quality of this. You may not like it, but that's the price you pay with anything. A dollar for the expansiveness of this is crazy good.
Hi, I'm a VO player, from Brasil, but not a veteran. And only PC player. As stated before, licenses for Lite is limited at 3/3/3/3/3. It restricts Lite players from some equipment, like guns and ships. But it's far from making Lite players less competitive. Most of the better guns that all vets uses have low level requirements, and also a bunch of most used ships. Lite players will need lots of play time to feel restricted by licenses. And even then, it will not be that bad. Almost no content restriction. The game is much more about the real player ability. Also, at the Corvus Stations, there are a lot of stuff available for smaller license requirements. But beware, that's where most pirates lurks. Some Guilds may help you with this, getting equipment at Corvus. And never, never expect mercy. Specially on greyspace. No matter you are a newbie or a vet, or piloting a defenseless transport ship. Pirates usually ask for credits to let you pass, but if they feel you trying something to escape, they shoot. The good part is... being killed is cheap, most of the times. Lite is only available to Android and iOS. If I want to change my full $10 sub to Lite $0,99 sub, it's only possible if I use an iPad, tablet or android phone. Just need to do it once, and then play on my PC with my lite sub. And to change from Lite to Full sub, it's also easy, at the Vendetta Online homepage. I started playing October 2012, and as I don't play very much... I'm far from mastering the game. My licenses are all above 7, but I'm almost always using low level combat equipment. I really like the game, and pay the full $10,00 sub even w/o playing that much. The community is great, mature (mostly), and the Dev team rocks! 4 guys doing everything, the engine, the game, the Forum, the marketing etc. And if you want a glance at what is it going to be in the near future... take a look at kickstarter. Search for Vendetta Online, and get even more amazed!
"Much" is kind of in the eye of the beholder. In terms of PvP combat and such, no, you aren't missing a lot (some higher-end equipment, but there are some solid configs available under the Lite Mode cap, and equipment is not the biggest limitation for newer people.. rather it's practice and experience). Mining and trading don't really have major limitations. Yes, some equipment might let you haul more, or mine more efficiently, but again.. I think what's accessible is pretty decent. In terms of missions, you have access to a lot of them, but there are some higher-level missions that require more than Combat 3 and the like. This "Lite" mode thing is a new concept for us, and we may juggle around some of the mission requirements to make more content "Lite" accessible. The biggest limitations, and the real intended difference of "Lite" mode, is the high-level "endgame" content. You cannot manufacture your own capship, for instance. But I need to explain that a little: manufacturing a capship is a huge undertaking, usually 4-6 month of work, often supported by an entire guild. The launch of a new capship is surrounded by much fanfare in the game community. This is not something I expect the average casually-interested iPad player to be targeting anytime soon.. you need quite a bit of experience to even get started down that road. Like I said: "Endgame". Most of the other upcoming content, like more missions, and more common and elaborate "named" NPCs with particular stories and goals, conquerable / join-able dangers like Pirate Clans and the like, these will all be accessible to "Lite" players. That's kind of how I see the delineation shaking out over the near term. It really depends on the goals of the player, what they want to do and how intensely they get invested in our universe. And as with anything in our game, we'll continue to tweak and adjust things as we go along, including player feedback and the like.
Just out of curiosity, how much are player manufactured capships costing , I remember from EVE insane prices.I presume they are limited to only some zones ? Is there a hierarchy for fleet, like squads, wings , command etc ? How big are pvp fleet battles usually and are they like arena, warp in to sector and kill everyone ? Are there tackle ships that can stop enemies from running, slow them down or is it just all mad max style- shoot everything around you without thinking and hope to survive ? I'm sorry for ton of question , I played EVE before and was always pumped for huge null sec campaigns and 3+ hours battles until I realized that I can't keep up with all of that every day , no wonder people say "EVE is real" as you have to dedicate almost whole your time and life to it.I see Vendetta at this point as a more casual game I can hop in and out any time and have fun , that's why I give it a chance.
Heh, I don't remember offhand what the cost converts to.. they're manufactured from a big mix of NPC item drops, minerals and ores, and trade goods (with a big tree of items that have to be made here and there and then transported and escorted across dangerous grayspace and so on). But umm.. "very expensive". They are not limited by zones at this time, we go pretty far out of our way to not have too many "game-esque" rules that segment the universe. We're hoping to add a hierarchical command structure later this year. With groups, wings, command, and so on. I made a video related to a Kickstarter we ran earlier this year that goes into more depth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UWdM8mbCOk There are a lot of different strategies used by players to take on different sized targets. In the Deneb warfare battles, for instance, capships have shields that need to be dropped by single high-impact strikes using Avalon Torpedoes or various combination-hit weapons. This usually requires people to apply some strategy to their assaults. This is also true of taking on big PvE targets like the Hive Strongholds and the Leviathans (which are usually pursued by groups with specific tactics). At the same time, in the bigger battles (which may have ~10 capships and 50 or so fighters? roughly?) there may still be fighters flying around and trying to kill you at any given moment. So I guess in answer to the "strategy vs mad-max insanity" I would say "both". But with good skills and situational awareness, an experienced pilot will not usually just.. get murdered on joining the battle. Once you learn how to avoid being shot, it becomes second nature and then there's time to take stock of the situation and what targets are of greater value. I do want to emphasize that our game is "twitch" model, so battles with 2000 ships in a sector does not make for great gameplay. It works ok in EVE because they're basically turn-based and can pre-define commands and let everyone chug through them for hours, but it's kind of awful for a game intended to really be real-time. That's a big part of the goal. When we were developing the game in the 90s I had friends playing EverQuest, and I could never play with them because they were always 10 levels ahead of me or something (I didn't have the time to sink into it.. I was making Vendetta Online). I didn't want that for our game. So yes, although the learning curve is steep, once you're past that it's totally possible to jump in and have fun for like 20 minutes and then leave.
So my biggest draw back so far with the game is at hitting the level cap. I'm a long way off, of coarse, and pilot really poorly but the more I uncover of the universe the more I don't like the idea of being told that I'm a more casual player than those with PCs and therefore cannot move past a certain point. To get to 3/3/3/3/3 you have to learn the world and its discourse. Talk to other players and spend a stack of time in the game. The games structure itself is not for casual gamers. The $10 option should be available down the track for ios users. I've heard other players in my guild talking about capships and knowing that I can't be part of that process (hard as it sounds) because I'm a ipad player really limits the immersion in the world. I'm going to get my licenses maxed for now but really hope this is reflected on down the track. Even if mobile players have an advantage of some sort over PC players. Not sure what but it needs some tweaking at its current stage.
