Ok, for starts, Age of Conan is being optimized to work with Windows Vista.  That's it.  It will also work with Windows XP.  It is not being developed by Microsoft Studios.

Funcom is the company that is developing it.  They developed the games Anarchy Online and The Longest Journey.  Anarchy Online, though a very rocky start, has developed it's own very loyal following.  I will admit that I don't play Anarchy Online, and am going off of third party information, but thier player base seems quite happy with the service and support that Funcom gives them.

Add to this the fact that Funcom has been quite forthcoming in showcasing the following:

1) Age of Conan's Class system

2) Melee and Ranged combat system.  Skill vs. Auto Attack.

3) Mounted Combat

4) Siege Combat

5) Player built cities and the PvE content it spawns

6) Prestige classes

7) The fact that the game is a single player game for the first 20 levels.  There are NO monthly fees until you bring one character beyond the single player game.  Upon doing this, you have the choice of running an alternate character from the beginning or starting the MMO aspect immediately.

www.ageofconan.com

Feel free to look up what I've announced.  They seem to be more than willing to show off what their game can do, and quite frequently keep their potential player base up to date.

They make no apologies for the fact that the game will be rated M (possible Adults Only), and the community seems more than happy with the fact that the game will NOT be for everyone.

There is still some WoW hatred there (I guess that's one thing Vanguard and AoC have in common), but for the most part, the community is mature, and generally do not degenerate into a flame fest.

My point on all this?

What has Sigil shown us?

Really though, where's the videos showing the "3rd Generation" MMO in action?  So far, it looks great.....picture wise.  But! It's nothing I haven't already seen before.

Don't get me wrong, I still have fond memories of EQ1, I'm even tempted every now and then to go back (my marriage and son keep me from it), so my interest in Vanguard is definately peaked.

But to be honest, from what I've seen of responses to peoples inquiries about the game, and the lack of response from the devs as far as actual game substance, I'm not all that impressed.

Folks, there's no doubt Vanguard is going to be hard.  In fact, I'm sure that the Nerf bat will be sitting near by waiting to ensure that Vanguard is going to live up to that name.

But treating people with the disrespect I see in the forums, though it might weed out the "weak", will have an affect on subscribers.  Remember, for the small elite that are out there, it's the mass of semi-casual people that will fund your dream.  If all you had on the servers were elite people, there wouldn't be enough people to pay the bills.  Sure you'll have your "Uber hard game" but for what? 6 months? A Year?

Uberness might help your ego, but it makes it harder to pay the bills.

Thanks for the replies folks, it's all good.

As far as creative control, well, it's like any great story I guess.  It's one thing to write it, it's another to try and implement it into a game.

I am actually developing my own backstory, character development scheme (one that has practically no end....), my own lore, everything.

Why?

Because one thing I've noticed is that when you use someone elses information/lore, the games tend to not translate well from their written or video form.  We only need to look at Star Wars Galaxies to see this.  Pre-existing content seems to almost doom a game before it comes out because of the "Lore Lawyers" that flit about.

I think one of the main reasons that EQ was so successful in it's day was that it developed it's own lore.  Look at WoW.  They did use previous existing lore, but they were smart enough to put it ahead of the previously existing story to ensure that people wouldn't be able to say "This should be like this, and that should be like that", because they are able to write the story as the story unfolds.

I think that there are still plenty of untapped ideas out there, just waiting to come forward.  I am a firm believer in the fact that we have only scratched the surface of what an MMO can accomplish.  I believe that the company that is willing to think outside the box, and look elsewhere for an idea, just might be the next big thing.

What I do know is that I try and look at what games do well and what they do not so well.

As far as MMO's go, we are no where near done.

As far as creative control goes, I'm not that dim to think that I would maintain complete control.  Obviously the idea has to make money.  Even the best of ideas fail if they are not economically sound.  This has, however, been factored in and I believe that the MMO that I have in my head has the potential to be one of the most addictive games ever made, ensuring subscriptions for a long time to come.  I also believe that it will offer a lot to not just the hard core gamers, but to casual gamers and role players as well.  All games claim this, and this game is no different, but to be honest we'll never know until I can get it coded.

I'd be quite happy just to see this game exist in some form and be able to say "I helped make that".  If I could make a living help make computer games, I'd die a happy guy. ;)