Microsoft Announces Vanguard MMORPG

Thanks to GameSpot for its news story covering the announcement of Microsoft's new massively multiplayer PC game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, in development by "renowned designer and cocreator of EverQuest Brad McQuaid" and his company Sigil. The official Vanguard site is now publicly viewable, stating Vanguard's aim to "become the premier third generation massively multiplayer RPG", and an interview with Brad McQuaid over at GameSpot goes into more detail, noting the game's style is "generally what someone would label as high fantasy", although not discussing whether Vanguard's development is one of the reasons for Microsoft's cancelling of their internally-developed MMO Mythica.

Comments

Wow Just what we need!

[ru-486]

Man, the market was just begging for another fantasy mmorpg! *sarcasm*

Hidden code?

[nacturation]

Check out the teaser pages. There's a sequence of numbers presented throughout the 15 or so pages. Any meaning to them?

Re:Hidden code?

[Morgon]

Continue through the teaser story - it's revealed what they are -- might wanna stick around one of the flash pages.

So....

[bluemeep]

What'll the newbie fodder be? Giant rats, giant bats or giant beetles?

Re:Third Generation?

[lambent]

Ahh ... answered my own question. FAQ 1.4.1 http://www.vanguardsoh.com/faq.php

On a side note, check out the bestiary. Six whole monsters! I guess three generations were worth the wait.

Re:Third Generation?

[Cosmik]

The Second Generation is already here, but with MMORPGs coming out every year, rather than a few at a time followed by a longer period of waiting, the lines between the generations will probably blur now. Star Wars: Galaxies, Horizons, Final Fantasy XI, Dark Age of Camelot, Asheron's Call 2, Anarchy Online are all Second Generation. There are only 3 main players in the First Generation: Ultima Online, EverQuest, and Asheron's Call. How this MMORPG will be different from all of these past MMORPGs to warrant the cry of "Third Generation" will be interesting to see, but graphics are usually a main contribution to defining a Generation. I do wish (and hope) gameplay becomes more of a factor to base Generations on.

I'm surprised and impressed...

[EarwigTC]

I'm surprised and impressed to see all kinds of interaction between Brad McQuaid, the Microsoft Lead Business Manager Jon Grande, and the community on the message boards. They are answering questions in a very straightforward manner.

I'm not highly involved in any other MMOs but I believe this is an unprecedented level of interaction between the higher-ups, coders, and people who will eventually play the game. The complaint I always hear about these games is that the company isn't listening or isn't responding. Very nice to see something different.

Re:I'm surprised and impressed...

[Cosmik]

Well, best to hold onto your horses for a little while yet. Quite alot of MMORPGs these days (and for the past 3 years or so) have a really great level of communication with the community in the developmental stages of the game. It's utopian stage of the MMORPG, where the each member of the community respects one another and the designers can do no wrong.

The real test of communication will come within the 3 months before release when the designers and coders are all working 18 hour days, and how the communication is maintained post-release when people are complaining about server crashes, login problems, and game imbalances, when all the designers and coders want to do is run away and sleep.

But I'm looking at the current mold of MMORPGs. I really do hope these guys can break that mold.

MMO Combat

[MMaestro]

Combat is a key component of the game, so there will certainly be hack-and-slash gameplay. But that doesn't mean combat needs to be mindless--it can be very exciting, involved, and visceral.

"Can be" meaning "it's fun for the first 5 times you unlock and use a new attack."

When oh when will we see some NEW ideas for MMO-type combat? Planetside did a fairly good job at trying something new, but the types/size of battles just don't fit correctly.

Lol..is it just me..

[Voltiare]

They claim to want to cater to the hardcore gamers... the first line of their faq reads "what is a faq?" ...

Look interesting, but...

[CycoChuck]

Is MS going to charge for the game and to play the game? Most MMORPG look interesting to me and I would like to try some, but I don't like the idea of paying for the game in the store then paying more to play. If the game is a pay-to-play one, then I should be able to download it online for free.

What a blowhard site...

[Big Sean O]

My favorite quote from the site (referring to their concept art) is:

"Every masterpiece begins with a thought, idea, or concept."

I mean really, folks, it's just a game. It's not the Mona Lisa. Nobody's played it yet, you _may_ not want to oversell it.

that name sounds famaliar

[j-turkey]

When I saw the name Vanguard, it sounded really famaliar. When I googled for it, I realized that it was my all-time favorite arcade scroller. No wonder I was excited at first.

Re:Third Generation?

[llefler]

Actually, all of those are second or third generation MMORPGs. Depending on what you consider your first generation. I personally look at MUDs as first generation, and those games defining the second generation. It takes more than a new GUI and a number after the name to make it a new generation. For example, I don't think anyone is going to say AC2 is an improvement on AC. We aren't going see a new generation for a while. We'll need to break away from the cookie cutter fantasy and licensed games first.

For a more detailed look at online gaming history:

Biting the Hand

BTW, something that makes it difficult quantify what belongs in a given generation is the fact that these are living games. The game I am most familiar with, Asheron's Call, would hardly be reconizable by someone who played it when it was first released.