Vanguard: Saga of Heroes E3 Preview
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The game has already been in development for some 18 months, and a playable alpha was recently delivered to Microsoft. So far, Sigil has developed one of the gameworld's continents, Thestra, which reportedly spans more than 100 square miles of varied terrain. Little if any actual gameplay was shown during the half-hour session, but various in-engine scenes were presented, such as a scripted combat sequence involving a dwarf and some goblins. The dungeon where this took place had a very nice look with very effective usage of lighting to enhance the subterranean feeling. Another bit showed an example of how players can affect the environment; a dwarf with mining skills was busy clearing out a rockslide so his party could proceed down a blocked passage.
Brad talked a little bit about Sigil's philosophy regarding the gameplay in Vanguard, which he calls a 'third-generation MMO'. A primary objective is to bring back the feeling of challenge like that could be felt in the early EverQuest expansions. The game will also recapture the sense of a large and mystical world. It will take a significant amount of time to travel long distances. However you won't simply sit on a boat doing nothing; there will be things happening to keep you active and involved.
