I made a new thread because i wanted the complete list to be the first thing people saw. It took me a couple days but here it is.

Dread Knight - Xaices - Ten Ton Hammer - http://forums.tentonhammer.com/foru...isplay.php?f=38

Paladin - Oldpaly - Paladins of Telon - http://www.paladinsoftelon.com/forum.php

Warrior - Venge - Silky Venom - http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/

Bard - Cennyan - Vangurd Bard - http://vgbards.com/joomla/

Monk - Quinn the Mighty - Vanguard Monks - http://www.vanguardmonks.com/option..._smf/Itemid,27/

Ranger - Wild - http://foreststalker.com/forums/for...isplay.php?f=39

Rogue - Dikamin - Safehouse - http://www.thesafehouse.org/forums/...isplay.php?f=50

Druid - Mensis - Ten Ton Hammer - http://forums.tentonhammer.com/foru...isplay.php?f=38

Necromancer - Lifebane - VGNecro - http://www.vgnecro.com/forums/

Psionicist - Nazaryx Arcones - VGPsi - http://www.vgpsi.com/forum/

Sorcerer - Grimore Valentine - Graffe's Wizard Compilation - http://www.graffe.com/forums/forumd...splay.php?f=104

Bloodmage - Jeters - Vanguard Bloodmages - http://www.vgbloodmages.com/forums/index.php?www

Cleric - Meaglir - Silky Venom - http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/

Disciple - Penth - Vanguard Disciples - http://www.vgdisciples.com/index.ph...mp;action=forum

Shaman - Cas - Vangaurd Shaman - http://www.vanguardshaman.com/forums/

Get a Sneak Peak at Game Update #2!

Attention all players!
All characters on the Shidreth server have been copied to the Test Server to help us test and get a sneak peak of Game Update #2. The next server to participate is Florendyl. After those two servers get a few days to check out the new update we will be wiping those characters on test and copying characters from a server of YOUR choosing.

Character copies will NOT include the following:

-Guilds
-Mail
-Escrow Items
-Friends List
-Houses
-Corpses

Items on Corpses
A full list of the features available in Game Update #2 can be found here.

Players testing the new content should use the "/bug" command to report any issues they find.

To access the Test Server simply select the "Test Server" button in launchpad. The size of your patch will vary;
however, re-downloading the entire game is not necessary. If you participated in beta, the characters you had (under level 35) can also be found on the Test Server so that you can jump right in!

Please select the server of your choice that should be next for a character copy.

Pitchforks? You guys crack me up.

I need to remember that Mondays are crazy. I also missed the cutoff for community to post anything on the main page. But here's the highlights.

The server merge was supposed to be completed before game update 2. And for that matter, the server merge was supposed to have been done weeks ago. However development doesn't always go the way we want it to. Several issues had been brought to our attention both from internally and the community. We want this process to be as painless as possible and so some extra time was taken to account for some of those issues.

But the kicker was this. There were some bugs that needed to be patched to Live before we could do the server merge. Our code base was also in the middle of update 2. Had we patched the fix for those bugs, there would have been a likely chance that we would have broken something in the process. Not because of incompetence, just due to the shear size of the amount of code that has been changed for update 2. So the decision was made to let Game Update 2 go forward and do the server merge afterwards. I wasn't happy about it, but it in the end it meant that both would happen sooner.

So GU2 is on test server now. The team is busting their rears testing and fixing every bug they can find so we can get it out to Live. We should have an updated build going out to test this week. So please get on test and bang on it. Once GU2 is Live and assuming nothing crazy happens, the server merges will follow shortly after.

Not going to make any promises given the way things have been going, but if GU2 goes well, we can in theory do the server merges the very next week. We will be doing more testing on the server merges this week to cover as many bases as we can. The server merges needed to go live weeks ago, we can't afford anymore delays. So like I said, we are testing in a mad way right now.

1. Game Update #2 will go Live within the next week or week and half.

2. Server merge will happen roughly a week and half to two weeks after game update #2.

3. Raid content is *high priority*, but focus is not just raids, but they will be working on other highend zones.

4. Over 1,000 bugs fixed so far.

5. They are building better internal tools so they could churn out content quicker.

6. Trial island is for lvl 1-10, the first art pass has been done. 20-50% framerate improvement just from the new art assets implemented. In the next few weeks they'll start applying these new art assets in areas.

7. APW is the first dungeon where diplomacy is involved, and there will be npc's there that will provide buffs to your groups.

I'll make sure this gets mentioned again as we get closer to the server merge.

Our version of the "House Pack-up" system works by giving the owner of the house all the fixtures and items through escrow. What this means is that if you are "renting" someones house, you technically don't own any of the items and they will NOT be returned to you when the house pack-up is done. They will be given to the original owner of the house.

So I recommend that those players storing items in other peoples houses, to remove them before the merge. Otherwise you won't be able to retrieve those items unless the original owner returns to the game.

Questions?

*NOTE* Test is currently on build 1862 but will be updated with 1864 soon.

These are also just coding notes and don't contain any content or ability changes.

General

- Multiple uncommon chunk crashes fixed.

- Players will no longer see the "Stuck!!!" text above NPC's heads.

- Fixed an issue where grouped NPC's would not properly leash because they would continuously chain agro each other.

- Additional collision issues fixed with NPC's that are scaled to different heights.

- Hit animations now have a delay before the next one is played so that other animations can be seen.

- Fix for stun particles never going away.

- Group invites from players on your ignore list will now be automatically rejected (you will not see the group invite dialog for them).

- Requests to join your group will automatically be declined if your group is full, or if you have turned off LFM, or if the player that sent the request is on your ignore list. You will not see a dialog for these cases.

- Performance should see a significant boost, especially for computers with less than 2GB of memory. The client will now use a great deal less memory from textures. This option will be enabled by default without requiring the user to wipe their vgclient.ini. It will be enabled for all configurations.

- Fix for being able to refresh critical hits on DoTs by recasting the ability. Recasting a DoT will now overwrite the previous dot even if the previous version did more damage.

- Fix to NPC's on mounts constantly replaying their death animations.

- Fixed an issue where you could recharge items by placing them in a housing chest.

- Request to join group declines now show the name of the character that declined your request, instead of your own name.

Vanguard has the ability for guilds to band together and build a Guild Hall for the entire guild to enjoy. The materials required for each of these are listed below. Plots, depending on their size, will cost anywhere from 10-30 Platinum.

In order to obtain the appropriate Sanction of Occupation, a Level 40 (or currently 400 skill) Diplomat will be needed to perform the quest series.

There is currently an open house on the Test server for many of the houses. Every couple of days another house will be added. The first house to be built for previewing is the Small Kojani Guild Hall located on the North side of Daegarmo Isle. Feel free to take the trek out there and check out the interior of the house. After the house is torn down every couple days, another will be built in its place on the appropriate continent. We will update this article with the location of the house Open House when they occur.

The "contest" is officially over when the new topic of the week is posted, but the discussion can continue. Feel free to have friendly arguments with the other posters. Discussion and debate is good and encouraged, but do not let it get out of hand. Feel free to explore the subject!

Winners have one week (7 days) from when the results are announced to claim their prizes. If prizes are unclaimed after a week, they will go to another eligible person (second place if they do not have the same reward, or someone who achieved an honorable mention.) In the case of no other placed or honorable mention winners, they will go to another contestant, judged by the same merits as that of the original contest.

Unless otherwise specified, VIP contest winners do not receive a customized icon.

Here are some basic questions to facilitate the discussion. They are here to help the discussion get started.

Aside from playing Vanguard every free second you have, what other summertime activities do you enjoy?
Compared to other times of the year, do you find that your time spent gaming increases or decreases?

If there is a noticeable difference, how much different?


If you do "take summers off" from gaming, it is voluntary or is it pretty much a force absence?

When you do return to online gaming in the fall, do you find that you enjoy it more or less when you left in the spring?

Open Discussion

Remember, you can talk about anything relating to the topic. You do not have to use the above questions at all if you do not want to.

Good luck and feel free to contribute to this discussion!

PLEASE KEEP OUR TOPICS OF THE WEEK FREE OF PERSONAL ATTACKS! Strong opinions are welcomed. Please keep criticism limited to game mechanics, situations, etc... and NOT specific people. Thank you for your cooperation!

Don't forget to check out past topics to see who won!

Sorry for the short notice but we are going to have a playtest on the Test Server at 2pm PST today.

Please come to join us if you can to test Update #2 - The more load the better for us to make sure we have proper testing on the features and bug fixes.

Shidreth Characters have been copied over to the Test Server to help get more people over to the test server.

***Please use this Forum Thread to post any issues that you encounter with Update 2 (New bugs or Feature not working properly, etc..)

To play on the test server:

Log in like normal, and when it has finished analyzing... click on the Test Server on that screen on the bottom left.

It will reboot and may take some time to download. However, we plan on being in game for a few hours to bang away on it.

Thank you!

Vanguard Team

You may have heard of Vol Tuniel, but you may not have realized that she is a goddess, not just a temple filled to the brim with the plague ridden shamans of Krigus, Lord of Flies. Yes, there are gods and goddesses who watch over the world of Telon and in this installment I'm going to introduce you to each of them.

Sartholas "The Hunter" - Sartholas is the god of hunting, vengeance, and weapon smithing. His symbol is that of a bloody arrow piercing an eye. Sartholas is renowned for his patience as well as the swiftness of retribution against those who have wronged him or his followers in some way. Sartholas is called upon by those who craft weapons for the purpose of hunting, or those seeking vengeance.

Gloriann "The Peacebearer" - Gloriann is the matron deity of peace, fertility and protection. Her symbol is that of a pure white round shield with cupped hands emblazoned upon it. Gloriann has three distinct aspects; the shield maiden, the harvest mother, and the peacebearer. Gloriann adopted the portfolio of peace from Moraj, the Peacebringer, when he was destroyed in the cataclysm at the end of the god wars. Gloriann is called upon by many people of different origins for different reasons. From humble farmers asking her to aid their crops, to elven sword maidens to protect them in battle.

Theindal "The Prince" - Theindal is the god of art, beauty, and vanity. His symbol is that of a perfect blood red rose studded with thorns. Theindal is a fickle god, prone to fits of rage, jealousy, and dangerous boredom. It is said he was responsible for cursing the Ksaravi with the forms of rats due to a momentary need for amusement. Theindal rewards those who are beautiful, but curses those who dare to believe themselves on par with himself. To call upon Theindal is a careful matter, much like handling a rose.

Vothdar "The Valorous" - Vothdar is the god of strength, valor, and ancestry. His symbol is a mountain peak with an eye at the top looking down. Vothdar has been called upon by warriors in almost every battle to ever occur. To die in his name performing deeds of great heroism promises an afterlife in the Halls of Kortella, the warrior's rest. Here they will drink, fight, and have their tales of heroism recounted for all time. Calling upon Vothdar is not to be done lightly, however, for once you have called his attention, you every action will be judged. Should Vothdar be called upon to witness unworthy acts, then he will turn his back upon the coward who called him. Vothdar is opposed directly against Ghalnn, the god of slaughter.

Three Days Until Fan Faire

Update: New Product Announcement!

This just in, a never before seen SOE game will be announced Friday evening at 5:30 by John Smedley! Information about where to go to hear the announcement will be shared at Fan Faire! Don't miss out!

Fan Faire 2007 is just three short days away! Soon gamers from all over will descend upon Las Vegas to join SOE employees in days of massive online gaming fun. No matter which SOE game you play, there will be something for everyone who attends. Pre-registration has closed, but walk-up registrants will be able to share in all the fun and events planned. There are a ton of activities planned for players of Vanguard, let's take a last look at the master schedule.

The following members of the Vanguard team are scheduled to be at Fan Faire.

Ryan "Gebron" Elam
Dave "Hasium" Gilbertson
Bill "Tagad" Fisher
Lisa "Faratha" Boleyn
Steve "Aruspex" Williams
Darrin "Talisker" McPherson
Silas "Cylus" Morse
Michelle "Elionia" Butler

Seems SOE is planning a relaunch prior to the end of the year, the next two live updates should have the game completely (or as close as possible) to where it was meant to be at release.

An item preview system is currently coded and awaiting a code review, as well as testing. Those speed-bumps aside, we just wanted to let folks know that it was on the plate, mostly eaten and will be finished asap, unless it gives me indigestion.

Currently, it works as such:

1) When you mouse-over an item, the tooltip w/ the item's stats pops up. If you have auto-compare on (under the Interface tab in Settings), the appearance of the item will automatically replace the appearance of the same slot that you currently have equipped. The compare window will, of course, also spawn.

2) If you don't have auto-compare on, you can mouse-over the item and trigger the preview by pressing and/or holding SHIFT; in some cases, this way makes it easier to preview the item on your character because the extra compare tooltip doesn't eat up screen real estate and get in the way.

3) Both of the previous mechanisms work even if you don't have an item equipped in the previewed items slot.

4) The preview of that item's appearance will remain on your character until you are no longer examining the item, at which point it is replaced by what you have equipped.

So, I am, officially now, the lore guy here on Vanguard. One of the tasks on my plate is exactly what the previous post by Meszler described.

Believe it or not, there is an overarching storyline for the game, some of it is more hidden than others, but over all, unfortunately, the ends don't quite meet together to solidify the bigger picture.

There are a few reasons for this. I'll touch on the big one which we are all working to change here on the project, and that is that originally we were supposed to slowly reveal the big bad story over the course of the expansions. That, unfortunately, manifested as not telling any of the story in the mad rush to finish the game up. This was because nobody could use the lore that existed, and we didn't have the time to tie it all in together.

Now that we do, it will all change in the very near future. We will introduce to you the key events in the past of Telon that have left ripples throughout history, some of which are still affecting the people of Thestra, Qalia and Kojan. Or, perhaps those ripples are just now showing up, slow and massive.

To drop a few examples, you will hear about how Vol Tuniel was smote by Kheolim during the God Wars and how that affects the high elves to this day. Why Vol Anari's purity and righteousness has slowly twisted into burning fanaticism as a result of his fallen sibling. The repercussions of the death of Moraj, the peace bringer, at the hands of Kheolim. How the pantheon of evil came under the sway of Kaerellun after Haelufir divided his power amongst his children, and more importantly, why.