[VSOH] Brad McQuaid & State of the Game

[Gray]

Sigil’s Brad McQuaid talks about the state of Vanguard, as the game enters the third beta phase
By Michael Lafferty

“I think that is one of our strengths is to say this is not just a game, this is a home.”

It’s been six or so months since Sigil Games hosted a media event that allowed video-game journalists the opportunity to get a glimpse of its pending massively multiplayer game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.

The cliché would be “oh, what a difference six months makes,” but that is only half true. Vanguard was already shaping up to be a triple-A title. What Sigil, and Sony Online Entertainment showed off during the recent San Diego event only confirms that. Ok, at this juncture we can’t go into details about that game – that is still under embargo – but the game is still expanding and in the third beta phase. There will be two more beta phases prior to the game’s tentative release date in the first quarter of 2007.

GameZone was also able to sit down with Sigil’s Brad McQuaid, chairman, CEO and executive producer of the title for a chat about the game.


Question: It’s been six months since we last saw the game. What significant changes, generally speaking, have gone into the development of the game between then and now?

Brad: We’re totally 100% in the production mode; we are just cranking out content, the art team is much, much faster so we are producing more fantasy, more fantastic, more interesting new areas, and making them more quickly. The design team has gotten their tools down and are really getting a lot of new content into the game. The switch from beta two to three was huge – we’ve let a lot more people into the beta and we’ve learned a lot, so much from beta one to two and reacted to it and saw a retention, people being happy and enjoying beta three.
 

Q: Earlier today you spoke about EverQuest. Vanguard is a huge leap forward from EQ Live (which Brad also was part of), not only in technological terms but in terms of expectations. People are a little more savvy, and more knowledgeable about MMOs in general. How are you position Vanguard to meet the expectations of both the high-end or hardcore gamer as well as the more casual gamer?

Brad: Well, that’s our biggest challenge. People naturally assume the extremes – you are either a casual gamer or a hardcore gamer. In my opinion most people are in the middle, the core gamer. So we are really focusing on the message that our game is not a hardcore game. It has hardcore content, it has casual content but the majority of the content is core content where you can log on for an hour and have a good time. You can work eight hours on some rare item, but you can do it in two- or three-hour chunks. We realize that people who played EQ have grown up; we realize we want to attract a lot of people who play WoW (World of Warcraft) who have different expectations, different experiences. One of the benefits of being Sigil and having our background in EverQuest is the recognition, but it is a lot of the challenges that a lot of people assume that this game will be a lot of camping and hardcore. So that is one of our big efforts right now in messaging, marketing and PR is that, yes, we are more challenging and deeper and are about longevity. We hope that people, World of Warcraft players that have three of four characters at max level, and are looking for something more, we want to let them know about Vanguard. So one challenge is even letting them know, because maybe they are new players and weren’t around in the EQ days, or maybe they were around and they only heard ‘oh, it is a hardcore game.’ So we want to get the message out right.


Q: You are giving players a well-rounded playing experience. When someone logs in, there are four things they can do – adventuring, harvesting, crafting or diplomacy…

Brad: Yes, and those things take different amounts of time, too. One example I use is you are mostly into adventuring but you still enjoy harvesting and diplomacy and you log in one day and your buddies are not on. Normally you might log off, but with Vanguard, you might spend an hour harvesting. There are all sorts of things in there for core gamers, for people with different amounts of contiguous amounts of time they can commit to playing in a given session. That’s our biggest challenge.

With the switch from Microsoft to Sony (as publisher) we’ve lost several months of marketing. So we are playing a little catch up. It’s not the end of the world, we can it and we’re really focusing hard on getting the message out.


Q: Right now the MMO market is somewhat stagnant. There are no triple-A titles releasing in the very near future, and one gets a sense that MMOers are waiting for the next big thing …

Brad: They really are. And to my knowledge, other than maybe Lord of the Rings Online and other than World of Warcraft’s expansion, I don’t think there are any other triple-A titles for 2007 …

Well, there is Conan …

Brad: I don’t think it is going to be ’07 and if it is, it will be late ’07.

And you also have Gods and Heroes …

Brad: They are both very different kinds of experiences. I’m talking a WoW kind of MMO. The definition of an MMO is kind of blurred. For example, is D&D Online an MMO. I would say no; some people would say yes. But for that virtual world, exploration, immersion, your WoW/EQ/Vanguard-type game, we’re pretty much it for ’07 and that’s a tremendous opportunity for us. We really excited about it.


Q: Are you afraid that when you tell people that ‘our game, when you buy it, is 25 gigs of hard-drive space,’ are you afraid that will be a little daunting to some?

Brad: I don’t think the hard-drive requirements are going to be a problem. Nothing has gotten cheaper than hard drives, you can get a hard-drive for nothing. I am concerned about the perception that you will need a very expensive PC, in terms of graphics cards and CPU to run the game, and the game does take advantage of Shader 2 technology, and it’s meant for longevity, it’s meant to look good years and years from now, but we are spending a lot of time optimizing and getting it to run on lower-end machines. It will never run as well as like WoW but WoW is also going to have a problem in four years still looking good.

My two biggest concerns is that people think the game is hardcore and they think they will need some $3,000 machine to run it. That’s not going to be the case. It’s a core-gamer game, it’s challenging but not tedious, and an average gamer’s machine should be able to run it.

We want to reward the guy with the uber machine (with enhanced graphics) but we don’t want to say you can’t play it if you don’t have that type of machine. The thing is you can grow into it. If you can upgrade your machine in six months, you will be rewarded for it in game.


Q: Your world is huge, but you’ve left a lot of space for expansions. Earlier today you talked about how you have left yourself space for expansions …

Brad: Years of expansions …

With all that in mind, what do you do to draw the line for the release, for the expansion …

Brad: I think as long as you have enough content, and functionality at release, to keep the average gamer happy, until you launch your first expansion, and you have a decent live team, you are ready to launch. To me, launching an MMO , is an arbitrary date – when we start charging for it, because an MMO is never done, that’s the beauty of it. But it’s not right to charge for it until you can entertain the average guy, and if you are going to launch an expansion every nine months, you had better have enough content for the average guy to last nine months. And you should have a live team, too, that keeps it tuned and tweaked and adding some new content. And that’s our commitment, and that’s what we are going to do. We are also hinting and talking about the Vanguard of 2008 is going to be so much more than the Vanguard of 2007 because longevity is what Vanguard is all about. I want this game going for years.

And with all due respect to World of Warcraft, that doesn’t seem to be their focus. I think that is one of our strengths is to say this is not just a game, this is a home. Come home and play this game and it will look good and play well, and entertain you and give you new challenges and new features for the next five or 10 years.

http://pc.gamezone.com/news/10_12_06_01_03PM.htm


der gute alte brad. will einen besseren wow clone baun, spricht davon das DDO kein mmo ist wegen der instanzen (obwohl sich in wow auf 60 auch nur alles in instanzen abspielt, sollte man wissen wenn man nen klon baut), und dass vanguard in 10 jahren noch so gut aussehen soll wie jetzt - wo man darüber streiten kann ob es überhaupt "gut" aussieht.

lassen wir uns einfach mal überraschen

[Shadow]

Wen es interessiert, hier gibt es ein neues Gameplay & Landscape Video, hat aber eine Dateigröße von 400MB+

[Neranja]

People naturally assume the extremes – you are either a casual gamer or a hardcore gamer. In my opinion most people are in the middle, the core gamer.

Wie hieß denn noch dieser anal fixierte Volldepp, der ja ach so viel Freizeit hatte die er nicht sinnvoll gestalten konnte und der sich immer als "Core Gamer" bezeichnet hat, weil das ja von "Hardcore" kam? Ich komm grad nicht auf den Namen...

[Skeltem]

Wie hieß denn noch dieser anal fixierte Volldepp, der ja ach so viel Freizeit hatte die er nicht sinnvoll gestalten konnte und der sich immer als "Core Gamer" bezeichnet hat, weil das ja von "Hardcore" kam? Ich komm grad nicht auf den Namen...

 Nenne Seinen Namen nicht, wenn du nicht das Böse heraufbeschwören willst! (Alternativ einen dieser völlig überflüssigen und kindischen Flamewars)
 

[MrPhoenix]

also da bin ich jetzt gespannt, wer das gewesen sein soll. *stirnrunzel*

[Sky]

Sagt nich Baumstumpf das manchmal? *g*

[Baumstumpf]

ne, coregamer sag ich nicht. nur gelegentlich hardcore gamer, games addict, nerd, pg, r0xx0r und - jetzt kommt mein liebling - lifestyle gamer.

[Accipiter]

Ich find "Überzeugungstäter" immer noch am schuckeligsten.

[Baumstumpf]

das klingt so nach killerspiel täter^^

[Accipiter]

Ich hab ein schwarzes T-Shirt wo das in weiß aufgedruckt ist. Passt halt zur jeder Gelegenheit (Saufen, Balzen, Baustellen umgestalten)

[Baumstumpf]

zum balzen? erzählst du den mädels wirklich, das du in deiner freizeit gerne damit verbringst games zu zocken? wenn du es danach noch bei denen schaffst, dann hut ab!^^

[Accipiter]

Nein, aber wenn Du in der Disse an nem Mädel knusperst bzw. an dir knuspern lässt hat das T-Shirt halt wieder ne andere Bedeutung (für den neutralen Betrachter). Ist natürlich auch lustig (IMO), wenn auf der Party irgendwann die Polizei wegen (angeblicher) Ruhestörung kommt und als erstes sehen sie den "Überzeugungstäter". Mag solche Shirts. Letzten hab ich beim Zappen bei so ner Kochsendung einen der Jungs mit dem T-Shirt gesehen: Oben stand "Delphine sind" dann ein Bild von ein paar von Viechern im Wasser und darunter dann "schwule Haie". Muss ich irgendwann auch mal haben, grad hier in Köln.

[Schreckonym]

Noch ganz warm vom Beta-Board (NDA interessiert mich nicht, ich spiele eh nicht mehr...)

State of the Game



- Ready for testing:
The low and mid levels on Qalia are the best places to test the game right now as they are the closest to being considered complete. You can now level up to 40 in new areas like the River Valley and Jharru regions.
Diplomacy newbie content is ready in about half of all starting areas, and we’ve recently ramped up production to get all starting areas up and running as soon as possible. It is available in: Mekalia, Hathor Zhi, and Khal. Coming soon for Lomshir, Qur’xa, and the rest of Khal.
The sorcerer is the first class to receive a full iterative pass and is now live and ready for testing. The druid will follow, and the Necromancer is in the works now. Yes, we know the necromancer is ridiculously overpowered.
Crafting is functional in all starting areas on the game and we are adding new recipes and items every patch.

- Feedback we are looking for:

We are primarily concerned with newbie and mid level encounters on Qalia.
We need feedback on all game play spheres. Are the mechanics solid? Are the systems intuitive and easy to use? Is there enough variety and depth?
What encounters do you like or dislike and why? Is a certain camp too difficult for the level range? Should specific areas require more or less people to successfully complete? Is there enough solo and group content to keep you busy?
What quests are really good, and which are really bad? Surely the ‘kill X beavers and bring me 10 beaver tails’ aren’t your favorite, but are there enough other quests to keep you busy? Do any quests in particular really stand out and why?
Does the content flow naturally and intuitively? For instance, does the flow in Lomshir to Serpent of Sihari, to Sea Hag Grotto, to Temple of Dailuk, to the Mage Cultists and onward feel well paced? Is it clear how to move from location to location? Are there enough outposts, merchants, trainers, etc available along the way?
Are the proper tools in place for fostering community? Is the LFG functionality adequate or lacking? Is it difficult to find a group? Are encounters; and therefore people, spread too far out?
We realize that performance is not great right now, but are there areas where it is just unacceptably poor or strangely great?
Do any NPCs act strangely? Are creatures disappearing through walls or terrain?
Are the main threats for each starting area or race clearly defined? Do you feel connected to your village or outpost? If not why? This is important!

- Feedback we are NOT looking for:
‘Stuck’ mobs do not need to be reported.
Broad generalizations are not helpful, try and be specific. Telling us the bard is horrible, when the real issue is the bard’s choice of weapons at low levels isn’t implemented properly or there is incredibly more helpful.
Mid and high level areas are basically not ready for serious testing right now. An exception might be Trengal Keep which is somewhat ready. Please adventure in these areas at your own risk with the understanding that they are likely not balanced properly.
Comparing the game to other games is fine, but we need to know how Vanguard stands on its own.
If you include any of the following words in a post you are likely to be ignored: hardcore, carebear, wowified, vanboi, failure, casual, core, retarded, lame, nerfed.

- Issues we are aware of:
Performance is bad, we know this. It needs far more attention and is being worked on constantly.
Diplomacy is not in all starting cities yet.
Reactions, Counters, and Rescues are not working yet which makes combat times and encounters skewed.
The death penalty feels ‘light’ and is being addressed. Players need to avoid dying and fear it. Trust me, you will when you see the new penalties. We will of course continue to tweak and tune this as beta unfolds.
Combat times are being tuned and will change many more times.
The difficulty of encounters is constantly being tuned and will change throughout beta.
Itemization needs to be more cohesive with less ‘magical’ items at the lower levels and better scaling across the board. We’ve had several discussions and we are moving forward with several changes coming soon.
Quest experience rewards are out of whack and this is being addressed.
People fear TLC and BOE. We realize these ‘solutions’ solve many problems, but cause concern for many players. We are brainstorming ways to solve the problems of farming, mudflation, camping, bottom feeding, and general jackassery that an open, non-instanced world provides to the player base.
We are constantly working on ‘The Hook’. While this is something difficult to clearly define, players know when it is missing. So do we. If you are interested, here is my personal take on what ‘the hook’ in the beginning is:
Sense of purpose globally and locally.
Sense of political hierarchy and religious beliefs.
Sense of community – local and regional.
Established threats – both direct and perceived.
Feeling that player can make a change in the situation.
Player is free to alter his position politically and religiously with the ability to reestablish himself in a new community – with documented benefits/consequences.
Feeling of growth and achievement as character advances.
Sense of accomplishment is earned from reaching goals and attaining rights of passage.


- Place Holders:
There are placeholder NPCs all over, especially in the higher level areas of the River Valley/Palace and Jharru region. Many creatures on Qalia are in the pipeline but not quite ready yet.
We’ve fallen behind on much of the voice recording so A LOT of it is still temporary. I know this sucks, I hate it as well.
Many icons, including the ones on the diplomacy cards are temporary and will change as the art assets get added to the game.

- Coming down the pipe soon:
We should be opening Martok early next week. It is currently undergoing internal testing before we open it up. This will hopefully help alleviate some of the newbie congestion on Qalia right now with Thestra still closed. You will be able to level up to 15-20 before having to leave for Qalia or Thestra.
The revamp for Bordinar’s Cleft, Leth Nurae, Tursh, and Rindol Field is almost complete. Basically every newbie area on Thestra received a facelift, in some cases major, and tons of new content. The flow of these areas is now completely different and tuned. We are targeting mid November as the date to reopen these areas.
With the revamp of the low content on Thestra comes many new and revisited adventure areas. The Brownie Storehouse is now much bigger with a wider array of inhabitants.
There is a new menace in Tursh. You’ll see it when you log in so I won’t spoil it here.
We’ve added a new premiere dungeon to the southern highlands; the Vault of Heroes. This is a new dungeon outside Lake Carlsson that should help unite Barbarians, Lesser Giants and Vulmane against a common threat.
The Arcanium is a new premiere area that helps tie the Kaon threat from the Fallen Lyceum all the way to Leth Nurae.
Dungeons from Spiders Bluff have been moved and repopulated outside a newly created Veskal’s Exchange in the Eastern Elven Forest. This creates a great new locale for teen level players to adventure before heading into the Fallen Lyceum and really helps cement the story arc here.
New NPCs that are now available: Anda’khar creatures have replaced the gargoyle in Kurashasa areas. Dune Crawlers, Behemoths, Jharru Casters, Jharru Warriors, along with FOUR delicious types of brownies are now in! Metal Golems, Elite Metal Golems, Winged Eyes, Venomous Frogs, Flesh Golems, Lampreys, Dire Crabs, Coral Walkers, and Wyverns should be appearing soon.
Kojan is coming along slower than expected. We put parts of it on hold when we decided to tackle Thestra revamps first. While Martok and the surrounding areas will open next week, Tanvu and Youngtree Forest are still several weeks out. The good news is that they are next on the schedule as soon as we wrap on Leth Nurae, Veskal’s Exchange, and Vault of Heroes.
Quests for ship building should be in.
NPC driven ships are coming along and should be in very soon. This means inter and intercontinental ferries will be appearing at major ports.
The diplomacy team has been tweaking with decks and formulas making parley actions less predictable and more interesting.

- Coming down the pipe longer term:
Unique racial animations for walking, running, and idling have started. I witnessed a few new running animations last night for larger and smaller races.
The min/max proportions keep getting bumped so keep making your ugly characters for now.
We are expecting roughly 4 – 6 new hairstyles for each race and gender. These are trickling in, and will continue to do so until they are complete.
All mounts should be done and in. The quests and means to acquire them are being worked on; especially the higher level flying ones.
Optimizations are ongoing, but a pass to get indoor world lighting, rendering, and asset loading are high on the list. The coders are working on lessening the hitching when you look through or open a door. I can’t wait for this!
Retooling the particle engine to offer artists a more robust system for generating spell effects and environmental effects is on the schedule and coming. We now have the ability to reverse projectiles, scale emitters, create beams and ‘God’ rays, and a bunch of new flashy stuff. You will see these as we unveil the new class revamps.
Housing variety and guild halls for each continent are being worked on along with a myriad of furnishings and housing features. The furniture is basically done and being implemented. The variety is insane.
PvP is still being worked on, it hasn’t been forgotten about.
__________________
Nick Parkinson
Community Manager
Sigil Games Online

[retuar]

NDA interessiert mich nicht, ich spiele eh nicht mehr...

Damit wären wir schon 2.
Das Game wird bestimmt der Bringer 

[Kars-T]

Ich habe mir das neue Combat Video bei GameTrailers angesehen.
http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1001

Es sieht aus wie EQ2 und ruckelt.
Ich wünsche mir allerdings nichts mehr als ein EQ2 ohne Zonen oder wenigstens ganzen Inseln.
Wird denn Vanguard sowas?
Das ganze Bla Bla was man so lesen kann sagt eigentlich, wie immer, garnichts aus. Wir sind super, wir sind toll, das Spiel wird das beste. Bevor es nicht im Release ist und gut funktioniert, galube ich den garnichts.
Als Release steht bei Gametrailers der 1.1.2007?