Vault Network
Encyclopedia
The Vault Network, or VN, is a game network dedicated to role-playing video game
s (including massively multiplayer online role-playing game
s), providing gamers with information such as news, editorials, guides, hints and tips, as well as discussion. The Vault Network consists of RPG Vault, the Vault Wiki and the VN Boards, as well as several other hosted sites, called "Vaults", dedicated to specific game titles or topics. The Vaults use a single, unified discussion forum
for all their websites, resulting in a combined total of about 40,000 to 50,000 posts a day, over 400+ forums. Together, this group of message boards is known as the VN Boards.
According to Alexa
it is ranked among the top 300 most visited websites. The VNBoards are consistently ranked very high on the list of most active Internet forums.
Vault in 1995. When Everquest
and Asheron's Call
were announced to be released in 1999, Vaults were created for them as well. Around this time, the existing Vaults were merged with the Snowball Network, better known by its later moniker, IGN
.
As new online games and MMORPG
s are created or announced, respective vaults and message boards are created if the game is popular enough to warrant the resources. As of December 2007, there are over 20 Vaults and forums exist for over 70 games. Vaults include those for games such as World of Warcraft
, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
, Final Fantasy XI
, EverQuest II
, Lineage
and Lineage II
, Guild Wars
, Star Wars Galaxies
, Dark Age of Camelot
and many more. In addition to the gaming message boards, there are community and off topic forums where users can discuss issues not related to any one game in particular.
With its acquisition by IGN, the Vault Network and the VNBoards work on a similar business practice utilizing advertisements as a form of revenue. The service known as IGN insider works on both the IGN and VN boards.
The staff who oversee the message boards and enforce the rules work in a hierarchical manner. First are the Admins, then the Managers, and finally the Moderators. All of these positions are volunteer and come with the same perks as a VIP, but more responsibility.
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s (including massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s), providing gamers with information such as news, editorials, guides, hints and tips, as well as discussion. The Vault Network consists of RPG Vault, the Vault Wiki and the VN Boards, as well as several other hosted sites, called "Vaults", dedicated to specific game titles or topics. The Vaults use a single, unified discussion forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
for all their websites, resulting in a combined total of about 40,000 to 50,000 posts a day, over 400+ forums. Together, this group of message boards is known as the VN Boards.
According to Alexa
Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
it is ranked among the top 300 most visited websites. The VNBoards are consistently ranked very high on the list of most active Internet forums.
History
The Vault Network began with the creation of the Ultima OnlineUltima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
Vault in 1995. When Everquest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
and Asheron's Call
Asheron's Call
Asheron's Call is a fantasy MMORPG for Microsoft Windows-based PCs developed and published by Turbine Entertainment. It was published by Microsoft until 2004. Asheron's Call is set on the continent of Dereth and its surrounding islands on the fictional planet of Auberean...
were announced to be released in 1999, Vaults were created for them as well. Around this time, the existing Vaults were merged with the Snowball Network, better known by its later moniker, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.
As new online games and MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s are created or announced, respective vaults and message boards are created if the game is popular enough to warrant the resources. As of December 2007, there are over 20 Vaults and forums exist for over 70 games. Vaults include those for games such as World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting. It was developed by Mythic Entertainment and simultaneously released in North and South Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand on September 18, 2008...
, Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
, EverQuest II
EverQuest II
EverQuest II is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment , based on EverQuest, and shipped on 8 November 2004...
, Lineage
Lineage (computer game)
Lineage is a medieval fantasy, massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in the United States in 1998 by the South Korean computer game developer NCsoft. It is most popular in Korea and is available in Chinese, Japanese, and English language versions...
and Lineage II
Lineage II
Lineage II is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game for Microsoft Windows. It is a prequel to Lineage, and is set 150 years before the earlier game. It has become very popular since its October 1, 2003 launch in South Korea, reporting 1,000,918 unique users during the month of March 2007...
, Guild Wars
Guild Wars
Guild Wars is an episodic series of online 3D fantasy role-playing games developed by ArenaNet and published by NCsoft. Although often defined as an MMORPG the developers define it as a CORPG due to significant differences from the MMORPG genre. It provides two main modes of gameplay—a cooperative...
, Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.-History:...
, Dark Age of Camelot
Dark Age of Camelot
Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG, released on October 10 2001 in North America and in Europe shortly after through it's partner GOA. It is still running today recently celebrating its 10th anniversary....
and many more. In addition to the gaming message boards, there are community and off topic forums where users can discuss issues not related to any one game in particular.
With its acquisition by IGN, the Vault Network and the VNBoards work on a similar business practice utilizing advertisements as a form of revenue. The service known as IGN insider works on both the IGN and VN boards.
Staff
The staff who run the Vault Network are on IGN.com's payroll. Payment is based on the Editor-in-Chief's assessment of their work and its value to the network. The paid staff are a core group that oversee volunteers who fill a number of roles. Traditionally, there is a Vault Site Manager (and possible Assistant Managers) who oversee volunteers such as Quest Writers, Database Editors, and Column Writers. As some recompense for their work, these volunteers are given VIP status on the message boards. This amounts to free IGN Insider, a custom title and avatar if they wish, and the ability to change the color and style of their username when displayed on the forums.The staff who oversee the message boards and enforce the rules work in a hierarchical manner. First are the Admins, then the Managers, and finally the Moderators. All of these positions are volunteer and come with the same perks as a VIP, but more responsibility.