[Sigurd]

Excellant thoughts Ysharros, I cannot say I 100% agree with them all because I have not spent enough time crafting (a few <12s and one 16 AC)

I too an am altaholic, I have 2 accounts just so I can play enough combos. I still love the game in theory (havent XPed in over a month, only a couple days of crafting - but that is cos my son was born a month back) but am dismayed about alot of the talk about the changes occuring.

I won't pretend to know the answer, but I will say that the LONG ROAD is the better road. To me and others I am sure - but not for everyone. The thing is, do they want to have another WoW-like (and EQII-like I think... left that after a 12 days) game of instant-gratification (F the carrots idea of the early design?) and assured "endgame" (I HATE that word - I LOVE the trip and the play, there is no 'endgame' for me - I rather level more alts and play the toplevel chars when appropriate) participation. It leads to a very non-filling game that bored ppl early.

EQI held me from release to DAoC release. Then again post my playing DAoC for another 2 years then one last time for a couple months after I got bored in WoW after 9 months (I ended up joining an FPS 'war sim' tournament for nearly 2 years waiting on Vanguard to release.

Nothing recreates the 'magic' of your first MMO, but I wanted the playstyle and LONGTERM view/vision of the early EQ game to be reborn. I don't need or want a clone of EQ but I did was something that played to the same scale and long term community feel. I am not sure VG has lost that - I honestly have not been in enough due to RL, but if this was EQ1, missing 6-9 months would mean nothing - your friends and the community will still be there. In a game like WoW or other 'fast track' games, it may not and CERTAINLY the chars you played with are no longer possible to play with regardless of your later powering to catch up cos there is no point but leveling and it is made easy for you with very casual and soloable content - so you just gotta hope you find out what alt they are on now ;P IF they didn't feel releveling pointless.

Look at EQ. Look at what made ppl play and try to reinforce that in VG NOW... before it is too late. The launched game has gotten poor reviews, I myself, dispute those reviews and wonder what axe they are grinding - but due to this and the loss (potential or actual) of players like Shinto and Ys, you may end up fulfilling the doomsayers' predictions.

Do not do that. I want VG to be here for me when I can return.

Your crafting is great by comparison to any others I had tried - see if you can fix the balance and issues that the dedicated crafters have without making it "an_easy_game _22" again. Hold some roundtables if need be (by invite - don't publish it for the whiners!) do something - the game is great and like EQ1, will be MUCH greater before the first year ends - DO NOT ABORT the game you planned before it truly has a chance to shine.