| Vendetta Online | |
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Vendetta Online box cover |
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| Developer(s) | Guild Software |
| Publisher(s) | Strategy First |
| Engine | NAOS |
| Platform(s) | Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM (1) or download |
| System requirements
Android: Android 2.2 (Froyo) or better, 1GHz ARMv7 CPU based on NVIDIA Tegra, Qualcomm Snapdragon or PowerVR SGX, 800x480 display, 512MB of RAM, 500MB of free internal flash[1] |
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Vendetta Online (VO) is a twitch-based, science fiction massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Guild Software for the operating systems Android, Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. It uses the NAOS game engine, a fully realtime flight model and combat system developed in-house that brings the intensity and immersion of FPS-style PvP and PvNPC battle action, set against the backdrop of a massively multiplayer universe. Vendetta Online shipped as a commercial MMORPG on November 1, 2004, with a subscription-based business model. It is updated regularly with new content and bugfixes.
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Vendetta Online's development team is relatively small compared to many other titles in the same genre, at its largest including four people. The four original developers are John Bergman, Ray Ratelis, Andy Sloane, and Waylon Brinck.[2] John Bergman remains the managing director and has invested much of his own personal finances into the project. The game is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been in development since 1998.[3] In May 2002 the game opened with a public Alpha test to prove the efficiency of the twitch style combat in the low bandwidth environment of that era. In 2004 the game launched as a retail product, with the Linux mascot featured as part of the game box artwork. The retail-CD included Mac, Linux, and PC native versions of the game.
Since launch, the development team has maintained Mac, Linux, and PC support for the game,[4] allowing users on all three platforms to play and interact in the same universe. In 2010 the developers announced that the game would be ported to Android devices, also allowing mobile device users to play characters they had started on laptops and desktops or to begin new characters. In general the development team has a good relationship with the Vendetta Online user-base, often stopping to play online along with subscribed users and responding to user comments, questions and suggestions.[5]
The twitch gameplay in Vendetta Online revolves around lining up a correct shot against enemy ships while avoiding incoming fire. The dynamics of this can be complex as ships are moving through 3-D space, and the weapons fire itself has a specific velocity. The ships mostly obey the laws of Newtonian Mechanics although a few artificial limits are put in place to increase the playability of the game. Ships each have detailed specifications such as mass, thrust, torque, cargo capacity, top speed, turbo energy drain, armor, and weapon ports. There are also many variants of the main ship types, some holding certain advantages over others, with some advanced variants belonging to special factions. Depending on what equipment is being used and what is carried in the cargo hold, the mass of the ship (and consequently maneuverability) will change greatly, affecting combat.
There are a wide variety of weapons in Vendetta Online, some requiring energy to fire, others relying on ammunition, proximity fuses, target tracking, or some combination thereof. As most weapons have a cone of fire assisted by autoaim, effectively deploying weaponry relies less on careful aiming than it does on managing the ship's momentum, energy, attitude and distance to target. Knowledge of combat proves an effective tool, as a veteran pilot flying mediocre equipment will often defeat a less experienced pilot using superior equipment by virtue of tactics alone. However, certain weapons do require careful aiming, such as rail guns. Weapons may cause the ship to be displaced or to spin through concussive force. Weapons may also hit a target that has not been selected, or hit an unintended target or friendly ship.
In Vendetta Online, there are three playable nations and many minor factions. The nations are the Itani Nation, the Serco Dominion, and the Union of Independent Territories (usually referred to as the UIT). The Itani are reputed for their science and maneuverable ships, the Serco for their warrior nature and armored ships, and the UIT for their trading abilities and neutrality. Choosing which nation to play affects initial faction standings, and which missions will later become available.
Vendetta Online uses a five category license system in which players earn experience toward different licenses by participating in different avenues of gameplay. To earn a better trade license for example, a player may trade commodities between stations for profit, or take missions from the local trade guild. As a player's license improves, different ships and equipment may become available to purchase, and various types of missions appear. The player's standing in the current faction that controls the space around them also has an impact on what opportunities may be afforded them. Faction standing can be gained or lost through missions, or by destroying ships of various alignment.
As the player progresses in licenses and faction, certain large-scale goals become available. The player may take part in the war against the Hive, an ever expanding race of NPC Robots, vying for control of areas of space containing asteroids rich in valuable minerals. By banding together with other players, they may take down powerful enemies such as the Hive Queen or Leviathan, having an impact on Hive activities across many systems. The player may also join the military and take part in large scale conflict between the Serco and the Itani.
Several conquerable stations are scattered across unclaimed systems on the outskirts of national territory (an area known as Greyspace). Controlling these stations allows players to manufacture unique items and weaponry. Conquering a station involves destroying all of the station's defensive turrets within a timed window of opportunity. Once all turrets have been destroyed, a 2 minute timer is triggered at the end of which the first player to dock with the station is given an access key, which may then be provided to allies. Whenever a conquerable station comes under attack, any player with a key is sent a message, allowing them to organize a defense or a counter-attack.
Vendetta Online has a long backstory, which details the fate of humanity from 2140 to 4432.[6] It was written by the lead game developer, John Bergman.
In June 2009, the game acquired the ability for several players to serve as crew together on one ship.[7] Two years later in June 2011, a guild of players finished construction of Vendetta Online's first player-owned capital ship.[8]
The PCC (Player Contribution Corps) is a hand-picked group of players that creates content for the game (mainly missions). These players use an in-house developed browser-based mission editor and submit their content to a publicly accessible test server. There the mission can be tested by anyone, and commented on. The mission can then be resubmitted, based on new suggestions. Typically, this process requires several months or more for a mission tree to be brought up to standard and implemented.[9]
The PCC is a separate group from the remainder of the player base as an additional emphasis on "Trust, Maturity, Involvement and English"[10] is expected of them. This is in part to ensure that the PCC remains a productive and collaborative environment that continues to produce high quality content. The PCC is also responsible for helping design Lua code for the game's User Interface, and testing new equipment before it becomes widely available. The PCC remains an innovative development on the MMO scene, bridging the gap between "sandbox" style player-contributed content and traditional top-down corporate game design, generated in a method reminiscent of Lucas' 'Expanded Universe'.[11]
Gamespot rated Vendetta as "good", highlighting the novel twitch-based space combat, and a successful implementation of multiplayer space trading and combat gameplay. However, it was felt that the limited content did not justifty the subscription value, and the ship designs were deemed to be uninspiring.[12] A more recent review by Kotaku stated that Vendetta was "a deep game with an intuitive interface" taking note of the port to Android mobile devices.[13] Macworld called Vendetta "a brilliant online gaming experience, clearly influenced by classic space games Elite and Frontier".[14]