Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Previews

Several new hands-on previews of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes have hit the web, now that Sigil Games has lifted the NDA on their upcoming MMORPG. The first is at GameSpy:

Most MMOs have fairly sporadic musical fanfares scattered through the game, but Vanguard manages to have a near-constant ambient soundtrack playing all the time. Each area has its own musical feel, shifting as circumstances change. For instance, the background music of Ca’ial Brael (starting area for the Raki) is generally soft and lilting… until I get into a fight. Once battle begins, the music increases tempo in order to build tension. It’s little touches like adaptive sound tracks that really suck you into a game, and if there is one thing that an MMORPG needs to be above all else, it’s immersive.

The second is at Eurogamer:

That ambition is clear in a great many aspects of the game, not just in the sheer number of races and classes which it hosts. It’s clear in the enormous scope of the world itself, which the gorgeous graphics engine (still somewhat glitch and pop-up prone sadly, but improving with each code update, thankfully – whether that’s fast enough improvement to make the game fully polished in time for release is another question) renders as one huge environment. “If you can see it, you can go there,” is the team’s proud catchphrase for the engine – no load delays, no zoning, just vast horizons that you can happily march towards all day. In fact, the world is so vast that the team has had to introduce the first horses to players at level 10, much earlier than most games – your mounts (there are dozens of animals that can be used as mounts in the game, another ambitious move on the part of the developers, and mounted combat is on the roadmap post-release, we’re assured) gradually get faster as you approach level 40, and then you can get one of several types of flying mount. Unlike World of Warcraft’s flying mounts, which only work in the new Outland zones of The Burning Crusade expansion pack, Vanguard’s flying mounts can bring you anywhere.

The third is at GameDaily:

The surprising gameplay aspect comes from a lack of adventure zones, so players will be forced to sit and camp, sometimes for hours, waiting for rare creatures to spawn and hoping to be the first to jump on it. Sigil believes that having nothing to do while camping, not the monster spawning, is the most troubling. In response, Vanguard will be implementing a three-tier system that creates different venues for gaining experience. Instead of the run-of-mill “kill everything in sight” grind, players will gain experience through Diplomacy, which will work much like a mini-game card game. There will be cards for aggressive tactics, smooth talking and bits of wisdom that all influence the way conversations work and generates dynamic dialogue with NPC’s (non-player characters). At launch, Sigil hopes to have about 300 Diplomatic cards available.

The fourth is at GamersInfo.net:

The crafting system is one of the more complex systems I’ve seen in a game in a while. My first note is to say that as you’re going to through the tutorial, read everything. I’ve kicked myself many times while crafting because I missed something that is seemingly obvious. For example, when doing work orders you’re asked for multiple items. You COULD craft just one and turn it in, but you don’t get as much of a reward because you didn’t complete the order. But I somehow didn’t notice the first few times that the guy was requesting multiple items, so I wasted a lot of time (and money) only turning in half orders.

And the fifth is at GameZone:

Imagine sailing the waterways, coming under attack, or riding a mount through the skies; or mages who get stronger in certain environments; or intelligent monsters that will work around your flank in a cave to attack you when you don’t really expect it and you may begin to understand the scope of this world. Sigil didn’t just set out to design a casual world that can be jumped into, played for a few minutes and then forgotten. It is apparent that what Sigil is out to create is a memorable gaming experience, one that beckons time and again.