Vendetta Online

Vendetta Online offers a refreshing alternative to the roleplaying mechanics and high fantasy settings that so heavily dominate the massively multiplayer online gaming space. Instead of pulling from these standard motifs, Vendetta Online gets its inspiration from a mix of hard sci-fi and space opera to create a simulation of life out among the stars. While Vendetta Online does use roleplaying progression systems for much of its long-term gameplay, it differentiates itself in the moment for its twitch based gameplay. MMOs are often less arcade affairs and more exercises in patience and positioning, with the ability to manage cooldown timers far more important than accuracy or aiming. Vendetta instead draws from more traditional starship battles to define its combat system. The gameplay can be jarring at first, as it requires players to always be aware of their situation in not just horizontal but vertical space, but the finesse of combat can quickly become an addicting affair. Strafing and backflips become a critical aspect of gameplay, and the relative weakness of lock-on missiles means that players require a higher degree of accuracy in their gameplay than is required in even more traditional offline flight simulators. MMOs traditionally live and die on their progression systems. The best way to build long-term investment in a perpetually online game is to create a feedback loop that makes sure statistically and creatively interesting options are always just beyond the player's reach. Vendetta Online follows a similar model, but the lack of traditional races and classes provides players with even more control of their load outs. While ships fall into a variety of different models, most of these allow an exceedingly deep amount of arrangements based on the weaponry and equipment you decide to outfit your ship with. Combat considerations like maneuverability and firepower need to be balanced against practical needs like cargo space and flight speed. In doing so, the game perpetuates a risk vs. reward system where the value of your haul needs to be counterbalanced against your defense. Replacing the traditional leveling you might find in games like World of Warcraft is a license system. Five licenses are tied to primary skill components in the game (combat, light weaponry, heavy weaponry, mining, and trading) and grow individually as you engage in those tasks. That means that access to new and interesting tasks and missions are keyed directly to your personal interests. Growth down the path of these specific licenses unlocks more equipment in the shops as well. An alliance component is also a core aspect of the game, tying in to both player vs. event and player vs. player content. Three major factions and a large variety of smaller factions are available, and these determine where you start your game and what missions you have access to. How you conduct yourself in game can negatively or positively effect your standing in the game and make you a target or ally to other players in the world.