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[Vendetta Online] The other MMORPG where you are a spaceship
Phaserlight
Boca Raton, FLRegistered User regular
Boca Raton, FLRegistered User regular
What is Vendetta Online?
So, this one has been going on for a while. Its founders trace its origins back to 1998, I've been a member of the community since June 2nd, 2003. It's a twitch-based, science fiction, massively multiplayer online role playing game where you are the spaceship. What makes this title stand out so much is the combat. It feels like practicing a martial art. When engaged with another pilot, you could be fencing as a metaphor. The duel ladder uses the same ranking system as chess tournaments.
What makes it different?
There are so many ways to get into this question, but the folks over at Space Game Junkie did a fabulous podcast interview with the lead dev John Bergman last year that covers most of the nuts and bolts:
https://www.spacegamejunkie.com/podcasts/sgj-podcast-152-vendetta-online/
If you don't have time to listen to that, suffice to say it gets a lot of things right. Death is cheap, but your actions do have meaningful economic impact. Player guilds form alliances, businesses thrive, drama ensues (have a look at the Role Playing message board). There is a dynamic market where commodities respond to player actions; say for example that I begin trading Corrosive Chemicals between stations in a given star system: after a while my actions will cause the prices of this good at certain stations to drop, compelling me to change my route. On top of this, there is a player economy built around manufacturing (Vendetta Online's version of crafting) where credits and goods are exchanged between players to serve various needs and wants.
You can be shot just about anytime, anywhere, but there are graded levels of protection.
Generally speaking, the player is given a lot of leeway and consequence in making choices. If I go poking a stick in a hornet's nest, I'll pretty much deserve what's coming. If I align myself with a given faction, I will more than likely be eliminating a different set of counter-aligned opportunities. This isn't a game where one can be all things to all people. That stated, finding a groove and interacting with the community over time can be very rewarding.
There are many different resources if you are really looking to dig into the game:
http://vo-wiki.com/wiki/Main_Page (A player-maintained wiki)
http://my.mmosite.com/2163727/blog/item/vengeance_connected_a_vendetta_online_players_retrospective_part_1.html (A retrospective I embarked on after playing for 12 years)
http://spenced.com/~spencep/vo/100/ (Random global chatter, because why not?)
https://discordapp.com/channels/466329329073389568/467033358938013706 (Recent global chatter via discord)
https://plus.google.com/communities/104708963029343012412 (Google community)
https://www.facebook.com/vendettaonline/ (Facebook)
https://twitter.com/vendettaonline?lang=en (Twitter)
Guild Software itself is a small company, so far at its largest including four people.
Is Vendetta Newtonian?
Yes, to a degree. Ships have mass, thrust, dimensions (hence moment of inertia), and carrying various equipment addons and cargo will affect mass. Mass considerations are huge when going into combat; as light fighters often don't pack a lot of thrust heavier weaponry will really degrade their performance although they are among the most maneuverable ships otherwise. Above certain speeds a frictional force kicks in, keeping things relatively within the sphere of playability. You can "turbo" much faster in straight-ish lines, but won't be able to maneuver.
What platforms does it run on?
It's not a stretch to say Vendetta was one of the first cross-platform MMORPGs; it made a splash when it was ported to Android back in 2011:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USoUGpPBk8
All users interact in the same galaxy. This means if I am playing on PC and you are playing on Android if we fly to the same location we will be able to see each other, shoot each other, make trades, etc. If I begin playing on an iPhone and later switch to a VR rig I will pick up right where I left off. I prefer to play on a flat screen desktop monitor (It supports Windows, Linux, and MacOS of course), but here are some of the other platforms it runs on:
Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guildsoftware.vendetta&hl=en
Gear VR:
https://uploadvr.com/vendetta-online-gear-vr/
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1159244034143439/
Daydream:
https://www.vrfocus.com/2017/03/go-on-a-space-adventure-with-vendetta-online-for-google-daydream/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guildsoftware.vendettahd&hl=en
iPhone and iPad:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vendetta-online/id563305375?mt=8
Word is it runs natively on Rift, but official launch hasn't happened yet. You can download it from the main website here:
https://www.vendetta-online.com/
What's on the horizon for the game?
VO is not yet out for Steam, but it will be eventually. It was Greenlighted during a time when the program existed, and there is a Steam group dedicated to the game. I don't really hunt for MMOs on Steam, but I'll be sure to play it there when it launches just to interact with Steam's community. Otherwise, there are several new capital ships planned in addition to the ones that can currently be built by players. The dynamic economy is shifting toward a supply-limited model, but the devs are collecting extensive data in order to help with balance. Denser environments are in the works, including hulks of wrecked capital ships and persistent debris. An exploration expansion has been hinted at for a while. There are a lot of irons in the fire.
Overall it is a really fun experience. Like tennis or golf, it's a good mental workout and worth improving for its own sake. Be sure to say hi to me if you see me online. I am in the market for Synthetic Silksteel, and on the lookout for pirates.
So, this one has been going on for a while. Its founders trace its origins back to 1998, I've been a member of the community since June 2nd, 2003. It's a twitch-based, science fiction, massively multiplayer online role playing game where you are the spaceship. What makes this title stand out so much is the combat. It feels like practicing a martial art. When engaged with another pilot, you could be fencing as a metaphor. The duel ladder uses the same ranking system as chess tournaments.
What makes it different?
There are so many ways to get into this question, but the folks over at Space Game Junkie did a fabulous podcast interview with the lead dev John Bergman last year that covers most of the nuts and bolts:
https://www.spacegamejunkie.com/podcasts/sgj-podcast-152-vendetta-online/
If you don't have time to listen to that, suffice to say it gets a lot of things right. Death is cheap, but your actions do have meaningful economic impact. Player guilds form alliances, businesses thrive, drama ensues (have a look at the Role Playing message board). There is a dynamic market where commodities respond to player actions; say for example that I begin trading Corrosive Chemicals between stations in a given star system: after a while my actions will cause the prices of this good at certain stations to drop, compelling me to change my route. On top of this, there is a player economy built around manufacturing (Vendetta Online's version of crafting) where credits and goods are exchanged between players to serve various needs and wants.
You can be shot just about anytime, anywhere, but there are graded levels of protection.
Generally speaking, the player is given a lot of leeway and consequence in making choices. If I go poking a stick in a hornet's nest, I'll pretty much deserve what's coming. If I align myself with a given faction, I will more than likely be eliminating a different set of counter-aligned opportunities. This isn't a game where one can be all things to all people. That stated, finding a groove and interacting with the community over time can be very rewarding.
There are many different resources if you are really looking to dig into the game:
http://vo-wiki.com/wiki/Main_Page (A player-maintained wiki)
http://my.mmosite.com/2163727/blog/item/vengeance_connected_a_vendetta_online_players_retrospective_part_1.html (A retrospective I embarked on after playing for 12 years)
http://spenced.com/~spencep/vo/100/ (Random global chatter, because why not?)
https://discordapp.com/channels/466329329073389568/467033358938013706 (Recent global chatter via discord)
https://plus.google.com/communities/104708963029343012412 (Google community)
https://www.facebook.com/vendettaonline/ (Facebook)
https://twitter.com/vendettaonline?lang=en (Twitter)
Guild Software itself is a small company, so far at its largest including four people.
Is Vendetta Newtonian?
Yes, to a degree. Ships have mass, thrust, dimensions (hence moment of inertia), and carrying various equipment addons and cargo will affect mass. Mass considerations are huge when going into combat; as light fighters often don't pack a lot of thrust heavier weaponry will really degrade their performance although they are among the most maneuverable ships otherwise. Above certain speeds a frictional force kicks in, keeping things relatively within the sphere of playability. You can "turbo" much faster in straight-ish lines, but won't be able to maneuver.
What platforms does it run on?
It's not a stretch to say Vendetta was one of the first cross-platform MMORPGs; it made a splash when it was ported to Android back in 2011:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USoUGpPBk8All users interact in the same galaxy. This means if I am playing on PC and you are playing on Android if we fly to the same location we will be able to see each other, shoot each other, make trades, etc. If I begin playing on an iPhone and later switch to a VR rig I will pick up right where I left off. I prefer to play on a flat screen desktop monitor (It supports Windows, Linux, and MacOS of course), but here are some of the other platforms it runs on:
Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guildsoftware.vendetta&hl=en
Gear VR:
https://uploadvr.com/vendetta-online-gear-vr/
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1159244034143439/
Daydream:
https://www.vrfocus.com/2017/03/go-on-a-space-adventure-with-vendetta-online-for-google-daydream/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guildsoftware.vendettahd&hl=en
iPhone and iPad:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vendetta-online/id563305375?mt=8
Word is it runs natively on Rift, but official launch hasn't happened yet. You can download it from the main website here:
https://www.vendetta-online.com/
What's on the horizon for the game?
VO is not yet out for Steam, but it will be eventually. It was Greenlighted during a time when the program existed, and there is a Steam group dedicated to the game. I don't really hunt for MMOs on Steam, but I'll be sure to play it there when it launches just to interact with Steam's community. Otherwise, there are several new capital ships planned in addition to the ones that can currently be built by players. The dynamic economy is shifting toward a supply-limited model, but the devs are collecting extensive data in order to help with balance. Denser environments are in the works, including hulks of wrecked capital ships and persistent debris. An exploration expansion has been hinted at for a while. There are a lot of irons in the fire.
Overall it is a really fun experience. Like tennis or golf, it's a good mental workout and worth improving for its own sake. Be sure to say hi to me if you see me online. I am in the market for Synthetic Silksteel, and on the lookout for pirates.
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online
Phaserlight on
+2
Posts
Inevitably I leave the game because ship customization isn't very deep. The game is in desperate need of more ship mods and/or equipment to give me some agency with the ship.
The second they add some more ship options, like electronic warfare, engineering equipment, ECM, drones/fighter bays, etc. I'll be back in a flash.
They sort of do have this:
Certain ships have built in scanners, like the Greyhound with its cargo scanner or the Raptor UDV with its addon scanner. These can also be purchased separately and fitted into ports. There are other addons like Storm Radar Extenders (which also come equipped on the UDV "all weather fighter") as well as ECMish things like "scanner spoofers" that are dropped from the Hive.
It does change gameplay quite a bit: giving up a small port in favor of an addon scanner might be a net positive exchange if I'm leaning toward "flight" on the "fight or flight" spectrum when considering a loadout. Having a Storm Radar Extender is a big benefit during combat in an ion storm.
Missiles aren't particularly powerful versus other fighters in the game (with the exception of swarms); they are more often used as bombing tools to take down capships' shields. I like that dodging missiles in a fighter is more about piloting than ECM.
https://www.vendetta-online.com/newsletter/08.2018/newsletter.08.2018.html
There is an event tonight at 9 PM CST: the Corporate Sector Run. What makes it unusual is that the coordinator, Luxen, has offered in addition to the credit prizes a 1 month premium subscription key worth $10 to the winner.
In addition to gameplay tweaks there are some VR improvements; notably, the Oculus Go now has mission text to voice which I've found all but indispensable in Gear VR. The word is from the user base that the Go voice is even better than on Android. Combined with a setup such as a HOTAS, Vendetta Online may truly make the Oculus Go shine.
There is now a Discord channel which includes a global chat relay from channel 100 (also added the link in the OP):
https://discordapp.com/channels/466329329073389568/466342200209309726
https://www.vendetta-online.com/newsletter/04.2020/newsletter.04.2020.html