Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

The problems of VG are rooted in the early design itself, as far as I can see. I say problems, not necessary mistakes, because they are by and large a matter of view. But problems nonetheless, since it will make it difficult to be accessible for a lot of players.

One the the issues is  doubtless the size itself. Like with an uber big airplane, there comes a point when size growth does no longer pay the effort needed to keep it in the air. The current version is a considerably shrinked version. The devs said repeatedly they have great masses for many addons already in rough shape, which tells big stories about to what the 5 years and 40 million dollars went into: unused material. They put far too much effort into making a world of a scope never been seen, and in that they really made some impression that will last. I have never seen a computer game in 20+ years with so wide lands, where you could see real mountains in a really big distance, and they were not fake, they were real. That will surely spoil me forever in what I expect of a world design.

However it came at a high price.

First, we see that it was impossible to really fill the world with enough quests, lively places, social hubs, lore and everything a world needs to be more than just a geographic place. They just lacked the time, money and manpower to fill that enormous world equally as other worlds we know. So however vast it is, it quickly starts to feel empty.

Second, the size and the decision of no load-zones made it a performance beast. Sure, other MMOs were very demanding at their launch time too, but not in that scopes. A dev once posted, they had programmed routines for animated cities and villages where NPCs are not  standing around like grilled chicken, but the performance just doesnt allow it.

Another of the design issues lies in the decision to make so many different starter areas, 15 I think. The problems which arose from this single decision are IMO a long series of fatal flaws VG has. And since that is deeply interwoven in the game, it can hardly ever be remedied unless with REALLY big work.

First, since players in MMOs value their freedom of choice, you had right from start players in one guild whose members were spread all over the giant world

Second, with so many starter location they had to build an unimaginable lot of low level mobs and quests. Usually, in other MMOs, you start with a narrow low level area and the higher your level is the more areas you have to chose from. In VG, as a result of 15 starter areas, players experience the opposite: the higher you get beyond mid levels, the less you have. The world is littered with endless mobs and quests for ppl below level 15, FAR too much. Usually, people want to ascend fast in the first 10-20 levels, and THEN slowed down. In that way they experience a kind of heroic start. VG, due to the big number of low level mobs and quests HAS to keep the low levels slow or the majority of that content will go wasted, which it is already, so much as the game has.

In other MMOs, you start with few places in the first levels and then slowly and gradually the world opens up. In that way you proceed to one or two areas of your current level range and STAY there for a while. In that time you make quests in only those one or two zones, you learn to know the NPCs, the quests, the mobs, the dungeons and build what I call an "inner map", some imaginary picture of a zone, be it Thundering Steppes, Goldshire or whatever. Then, when you have more or less thoroughly explore that one region you move on. In that focussed and guided pathing you build an image of the world woven of stories, quests, experieces and sights. You connect small eras of your game history to those zones. You talk to your friends "you recall those days when we roamed through Antonica/Goldshire/whatever?" You gradually built attachment with personal memories because you expand slowly.

In VG people wander back and forth quite soon. They make one or two quests at Three Rivers, then at Qa Riverbank, then at Tawar Galan. They roam back and forth, always catching up new groups at every corner of the world. In that way, quests and stories, personal experiences and visual sights never weave a coherent inner image to most players. And Vice Versa, since the game is made thus with starter areas and low level mobs Sigil can never make a guiding story arc, which you can gradually follow. It can not be implemented into a world that is designed that "chaotic" as Telon, unless with really big effort. I think that is the origin for the main reason ppl complain VG has no "soul". And I think that is what gives soul and heart to a game world for many players, a leading hand, a guiding story. As you dont read a book by skipping on the pages and forth but follow the chapter's order, so you cant tell any story in an incoherent world design as it is. Call it not-centered, but the effect remains. Without a coherent inner image, quests, experiences, grand visuals or personal memories will never weave into a story, an image that gives the parts meaning.

IMO almost all problems players experience have their reasons in the design issues, rooted deeply in the past of VGs making, which were not corrected, because in the early beta phase Sigil had decided to refuse to listen to the warning voices, silenced them and instead listen to those who blindly praised everything. That time of ignorance now has its bitter revenge. If you run 5 years into the wrong direction you cant walk all back in half a year. Coherence was replaced by size, moments that last with the impression of visual grandeur and everything was sacrificed on that altar. That is why I fear VG will always be more or less as it is now, I dont see how the deeply rooted design errors can be compensated.

I think you can sum up the post as: "Brad bit off more than he could chew".

Yeah too many starting areas and too many side tasks leads to a diluted development process. You end up with lots of different ideas incomplete. EQ became great over time and different things were added along the way. VG tried to have everything out at once while dealing with a short development cycle and ended up in tradgedy.

All the issues were amplified by their lack of listening to early input as you mentioned. Deflating Brad's ego would have eliminated both those issues however. Hopefully VG accomplished at least that.

Excelent post, you bring up alot of good points I hadnt' even considered. Bravo!

Originally posted by Kyleran
Good post, only thing I disagree with is I think Sigil intentionally went with a more sandbox type feel...the didn't want to guide you through the game much past the starter levels, they expected the players to make their own story line up it seems.

There are players who favor this approach, so its not necessarily wrong..but might not be all that popular....

I thought about that sandbox thing long and wide... I enjoyed SWG in its early era, when it was THE sandbox game of its time. I enjoyed it, and we needed no quests and things to guide us. But for one, my taste has changed as that of many, and second IMO VG is currently a very bad sandbox. There isnt really you can make yourself right now in any way you could in SWG. And I have doubts sandboxes, even if made well, would be selling good. Many expect, as you imply, something different today. I know I do. Thats just how it is.