Vanguard - Saga Of Heroes

Vanguard's purpose is to become the premier third generation, massively multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing game (RPG). Given the significant success of games such as EverQuest, Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and Asheron’s Call, it is clear that a strong demand for fantasy based MMORPGs exists. To meet the growing demand for a game that advances the multiplayer fantasy genre, Sigil is using the combined experience and creativity of its team to bring players a new and challenging feature set with deep, involving game content.

Vanguard is a High Fantasy themed Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) with a heavy focus on character development, an immersive world, and player interdependence. Vanguard strives to meet the following goals:

• To lead the next generation of massively multiplayer RPGs by using Sigil’s unparalleled expertise and experience in the field. Our team consists of original EverQuest team members, EverQuest expansion team members, as well as team members from EverQuest 2 and EverQuest Online Adventures (PS/2), and other MMOGs.

• To lead the next generation of massively multiplayer RPGs by implementing unparalleled static and dynamic content using advanced approaches including, but not limited to: advanced encounter systems; meaningful travel; a detailed and interesting seamless world; advanced immersive gameplay and graphics, and pre-planned expansions for both the short and long term health of the game. We also have quite a few ideas and preliminary plans that we consider revolutionary. These innovations, although they will be under wraps for some time to come, should take the genre to the next generation and beyond.

• To bring back to the genre a challenging and rewarding environment — removing tedium and frustration (which we certainly aim to do) does not mean a game necessarily has to be easy.

Planned Classes

Protective Fighters
Dread Knight
Inquisitor
Paladin
Warrior

Offensive Fighters
Bard
Berserker
Monk
Ranger
Rogue

Healers
Blood Mage
Cleric
Disciple
Shaman

Arcane Casters
Druid
Necromancer
Psionicist
Sorcerer

Official Site:
http://vanguardsoh.com/



This game has been in development for a long time and the hype keeps building. For a lot of older players, it is felt that this game will recreate the feeling of playing the original Everquest. A lot about the game is moving in the opposite direction of recent MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft which target casual gamers.

A few weeks ago Beta 1 began which is basically the first Closed Beta of the game that the public can participate in. Long time members of the forums got initial applications but there will likely be later betas that are more open to involvement from interested people.

Anyone else really excited about finally getting to play this game? It is nice to finally see a MMORPG which encourages creativity instead of playing the game in only one manner that the devs intended. There are so many ideas already put out that are encouraging and with several big names working on this game it is going to be hard for it to disappoint.

12/9/2005 12:13:21 AM

I mention this in every MMO thread but people aren't biting yet. Its going to be fantastic but most of the WoW crowd will not enjoy it because it won't cater to the instant gratification feeling that WoW has.

12/9/2005 12:50:02 PM

As long as it doesnt require the insane amount of playtime that FFXI did, i have no problem with grind work.

12/9/2005 1:18:58 PM

looks interesting

12/9/2005 4:49:12 PM

Its either this or Dark and Light thats going to relieve me of WoW

12/9/2005 4:53:07 PM

Quote :

"As long as it doesnt require the insane amount of playtime that FFXI did, i have no problem with grind work."

Not your game then, vanguard is not aimed at casual gamers. I'm hoping and praying it takes at least a year for the hardest core players to max out levels.

12/9/2005 4:57:02 PM

Once you play a MMO for the first time, and loose the awe you get from being first introduced to the concept, the amount of energy needed to play one isnt worth it, that is unless all your friends are online and you dont have many to speak of in reality.

12/9/2005 5:31:34 PM

^^I dont want instant gratification. but i also dont believe a game should require more time than a full time job to get anywhere

12/9/2005 5:37:32 PM

As of 12/15, Vanguard has entered Beta 2 which means more beta invites.

12/18/2005 11:28:17 AM

Keeping the thread alive.

Playable races video:
http://media.silkyvenom.com/video/e3_races.wmv

2/6/2006 1:14:41 AM

Brad McQuaid is one of the leaders in this project. He was pretty much the creator of Everquest with Bill and Scott through Kunark and Velious, which was simply my favorite most detailed mmorpg ever. I believe that if anyone, he can create that magic again, and from reading all his developer logs he may have. Hope to get into one of these upcoming betas.

2/6/2006 2:20:51 AM

Hey Zel... we are playing this.

2/6/2006 2:21:13 AM

oh boy you can be a walking wolf thing...

looks like the sort of game that would draw the LARPing crowd.

let the yiffing commence.












[no]

2/6/2006 7:40:20 AM

2/6/2006 8:34:49 AM

i only played eq through velious. quit right before luclin...it was probably the most intense and fun mmo i have played (eq, shadowbane, daoc, wow). the others might have been more fun at times, but they didnt last.

[Edited on February 6, 2006 at 10:11 AM. Reason : in short, if i had time to waste, id play this]

2/6/2006 10:11:19 AM

wow, this sounds pretty interesting

2/6/2006 10:12:12 AM

yeah

i'll play this

if not just for a month

2/6/2006 10:14:14 AM

i didnt really like the graphics/the way the races looked in that video. might check it out regardless

2/6/2006 10:20:41 AM

That wasn't even beta, they will look MUCH better.

2/6/2006 11:31:32 AM

bttt

3/3/2006 9:52:47 PM

bttt

want to keep it fresh

4/28/2006 2:00:10 PM

I played EQ for 4 years and did it all. Wow is fun but it's a fucking JOKE next to EQ. You don't need 1/10th the coordination you do for EQ's standard events unless you are doing the serious end game.

Wow's fights last what... 5-10 minutes once started? Hell there are events in EQ that take hours once started. That was way back before Planes of Power and the other expansions that came out.

Vanguard to me looks like a REAL gamers paradise in the meaning that it restores the elite status in the game. In EQ when you say a glowing object on someone... it meant that person was someone. In WoW every other item has glow effects or some shit.

In EQ when you saw awesome looking armor that person had to work his ass off for it. I sure did. This game will restore that... and while it will obviously not cater to the casual gamer you will have a shit ton less "griefers" on here.

In Wow... any child who can click can get to lvl 60. In EQ... once you passed level 40 the scale of "noobs" or "kids who can't play for shit" went south FAST. At level 60... you saw people who could really play and 65 was either long time casual players who could play or hard core gamers who think like you and work well in teams. I left during Planes of Power but I was one of those Enchanters with 455 AA's at lvl 65 (max level at the time).

This will bring that aura of accomplisment back and not the instant gratification that is WOW.

4/28/2006 2:22:22 PM

Agreed.

4/28/2006 2:37:47 PM

seriously, i liked not being able to get to the endgame cuz it gave you some insight as to what it meant to be 60 (highest when i played). i capped out and quit at 53 (i played a lot when the max was 50 then started a new char when server splits were major). was hard enough to get there and that didnt include the dreaded 54,56, and 59 (if i remember correctly).

i mean shit, 40+ was pretty hardcore back then even (with a max of 50). new zones and equipment helped a lot.

[Edited on April 28, 2006 at 4:14 PM. Reason : .]

4/28/2006 4:14:25 PM

Yeah, I took both a mage and a monk to level 56 and quit for good... around the time that PoP was getting ready to come out. Had quit a few times prior but this one stuck. The last thing I wanted to accomplish was the monk epic and after doing that I sorta lost interest.

4/28/2006 4:19:38 PM

I completely agree with Raige's post. In other news:

How to guarantee your access into the beta.
http://www.cad-media.com/mediaitem.php?mid=30&c=pc
http://cgonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=523&Itemid=1

Basically ComputerGames magazine is going to have "beta codes" in the june issue. It is a beta slot but only for the very last phase which is usually referred to as the "stress test" phase. What this means is typically stress tests are open betas anyways since they want to cram as many people on the server as they can. So even if you don't buy the magazine you will most like get a slot but it is something to keep an eye on.

4/28/2006 6:48:12 PM

interesting

5/1/2006 12:58:50 PM

Wow, Sigil sold out and let Sony buy the game. My interest in Vanguard has now changed to almost zero. This is the worst move they could have ever done. What a fucking disaster.

http://www.sigilgames.com/sonypressrelease.html
VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROES FINDS A NEW HOME
- Sigil Games Online and Sony Online Entertainment In Talks To Co-Publish Sigil’s Ground-Breaking New Game -

5/7/2006 4:18:37 PM

oh good, now it's going to be just like their other games

5/7/2006 4:28:13 PM

i want to point out that for SOE to come crawling back, it has to take the bitch role to the creator

and honestly, do you really believe that MICROSOFT is a better company to back this game than SONY

let's be critical here and not just jump to the fact that SOE is sucking kind of hard right now

this is probably the best thing that could of happened to this game

5/10/2006 9:30:57 AM

there are milions more people playing everquest than wow

5/10/2006 9:37:39 AM

Because we all know that pure sales/membership numbers directly correlate to worth, like in the music industry.

5/10/2006 10:22:43 AM

5/10/2006 10:23:35 AM

Sigil actually is joint Publisher with SOE. THe contract for the publishing was written so that basically SOE can't do a damn thing to the development process, simply provide the Station frontend and such. Brad built SOE and with SOE needing a kick in the butt I don't see them stepping on his toes too much because he did say they would leave at the drop of a hat (they are apparently almost to the point where they can publish themselves).

^ Yeah, that was a good one. What I think is interesting is that SOE already has the DC Comics MMO title under development and Sigil already has the Marvel MMO under development... interesting to see how that shakes out.

[Edited on May 10, 2006 at 10:36 AM. Reason : .]

5/10/2006 10:35:45 AM