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The Next EverQuest?

Closing

“A couple of these mobs were just added in,” says Williams, who’s
grouped with a bunch of folks from Sigil who are back at the home office. “We’re
trying to figure out how to handle them. We’ve never tried this combination
of classes before, and it really seems to be working out. What we’ve
lost in sympathetics, we’ve gained in the ability to handle aggro.”

At one point Williams commented, “Uh oh, [that mob’s] running
around over there gathering friends.” He said that the mob AI was coming
along at this point, but that the team runs into adventures in AI experimentation
as they test the game. “One time we were testing some new AI, and the
mob ran back and brought along 10 or more friends, which wasn’t really
supposed to happen. We ran.”

I asked Williams about soloing. The official stance from Sigil has always
been that the game will have both solo and small group content. “Right
now,” Williams said, “We’re focusing on getting good at what
we’re doing right here [in the demo], which is group combat.”

It was clear that Williams was having fun playing the game. He admitted that
he was “cheating a bit” by playing with GM tools enabled, but that
he thought some of his cronies back at Sigil probably weren’t. “They
might die,” he laughed (although nobody did.)

Naturally, I asked about Sigil’s decision to buy back the rights to
Vanguard from Microsoft and co-publish with Sony Online Entertainment. “I’m
really excited about it,” said Williams, “I’m excited about
us being able to take the game in the direction we want it to go.” As
to the rationale behind the move to SOE, he said, “This is why we send
associate game designers [to E3]. Not only can I not really comment on it;
I don’t really know much about [the details].”

Vanguard Banner...
notice the SOE on it

Overall, the game looks rich and lush. And although I didn’t get a
chance to try hands on combat, it clearly flowed smoothly. The teammates seemed
to be working together, demonstrating just what a skilled group could do. And
to add to the glory of the game, combat looked to be challenging, and, as I
said enthusiastically to Williams, “Hella fun!”

Having seen Vanguard first-hand, I can say that my lust for the game hasn’t
changed. I’ll have to wait until Winter of 2006 to play Vanguard, but
there’s no doubt I’ll be first in line to get the game and login
to Telon as a wood elf druid (which, by the way, Williams described with glee
as, “So powerful! Summoning storms and lightning…they can really…the
druid is cool.”

Vanguard looks to be what EverQuest II arguably could have (and maybe should
have) been. If you’ve been searching in vain for a game that’s
deep, compelling, and addictively fun to play, Vanguard may well be it. Yep,
count me in. Way in.

Editor's Note: Would you like to know more? Check out Nicole "Awenyddion" Hamlett's thoughts on Vanguard in "I Want My Secret Sauce!"