(Disclaimer: Before I start, I must preface this editorial by saying that the
opinions expressed below are mine only, not the views of Ten Ton Hammer or its
staff.)

Being in the US Navy, I want to share a phrase we use extensively in our daily
routines on ship or on base… "Work smarter, not harder." It's
a simple concept, right?

The premise behind it is for personnel to find ways to make their tasks easier,
and therefore reduce the amount of stress each person is subjected to during
the workday.

Now, let's take this same concept and apply it to MMOs. Did it apply to the
old days of EverQuest? The answer is actually, yes and no. Let's break it down.
"Work smarter…" In the olden days of EQ, thought and time were
spent on engagements of many tough MOBs. The goal was to refine the process
to kill a MOB, therefore reducing stress on guildmates and achieving the goal
in a short-as-possible amount of time.

"Not harder"…well, we can't say that this hadn't occurred in
EQ. Before the "smarter" process took place, a lot of hard work went
into the actual tackling of a MOB. Many experience points were lost, but knowledge
was gained.

There is no doubt that the leveling curve, tough mobs and atmosphere are what
kept many players in EQ. As word spread about the game, many people would buy
and try. Some would stay; others would find it "too hard." What was
to be done about the potential player base that found things "too hard"?

The answer was World of Warcraft (which we'll refer to as the popular acronym
WoW from here on). Taking advantage of an already established RTS player base,
WoW came onto the MMO scene and scored a big hit with the casual player community.
Arguments sprung up about the game being "too easy" or "dumbed
down" by players who expected more. Some can be seen here, as an example.

About the same time that WoW was released, EverQuest 2 came along. The game
initially was reported by many to be entertaining, with robust trade skills
and quests that resulted in decent gear. It was a few months after, that I saw
the game start to change. Trade skills no longer resulted in decent profit.
Players could solo more easily. For me, I didn't like the changes. I didn't
see where being a ranger was any different from being a druid, or a fighter
in most cases. There was no challenge.

Finally, we have Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game promises to be everything
we desired from the original EverQuest. Talks of steep leveling curves, tough
raids, and fighting tactics have whetted the appetites of many an old MMO player.
Brad McQuaid even allowed Oloh, from Silky Venom.com, to disclose parts of what
he's seen in beta 0 and 1 here.

So what does this all mean? Personally, I think Vanguard will require the "Work
Smarter, Not Harder" mentality of the old EQ days. Smart players will be
drawn to this game like a moth to a flame because it won't be mindless hack
and slash, but instead it'll be a thought provoking game.

I've said my piece…tell me what you think