Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Interview With Vanguard  Producer, Thom Terrazas

by Dalmarus
January 9th, 2008

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Interviews

• Part 1: The Riftway System
• Part 2: Flying Mounts
• Part 3: Necromancers
• Part 4: The Ancient Port Warehouse Riftway System

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Part 2: Flying Mounts

Dalmarus: The upcoming permanent flying mount in the form of a griffon is a hotly anticipated addition to the game and speculation as to how to acquire such a beast is already running rampant. Will it be through an epic quest, large amount of cash, or a combination of the two?
 
Thom:  The griffon mount will be the reward of a challenging quest. You can call it epic if you’d like, but that’s not the phrase we’re using. As it is a high level mount most of the content you’ll need to get through will be high level as well. If you’re not part of a raiding guild or have raiding resources though don’t fret, as you won’t be left hanging. And yes, there will be some monetary costs as well but there will be ways to lessen them.
 
 
Dalmarus: There is already a lot of speculation as to the cost of the griffon, including any saddle, barding, shoes, etc. that the beast may equip. Rumors are flying that each piece will cost a large number of platinum pieces. Is there any truth to the rumor and if so, can you tell us why that amount is so disproportionate to the 10 gold cost of the Shadowhound/Unicorn saddles?
 
Thom: That is a great question. Unfortunately, the final cost of the griffon has not yet been determined.
 
 
Dalmarus: There is currently a system in place that dismounts players when entering a town or city on their land mount of choice. Will flying mounts be able to fly overhead of cities and towns without the worry of being dismounted? If they will be dismounted in mid-flight, is it safe to assume that the current parachute system for rentable flying mounts will be used to avoid the deadly landings of the player community?
 
Thom: We will need to evaluate these areas more thoroughly to avoid giving confusion to the “pilot”. We’ll be narrowing down the flight paths and no fly zones in the very near future. It only makes sense to give some sort of warning ahead of time before they get dropped on their heads.
 
Dalmarus: Early in Vanguard's history, there was talk of different tiers of flying mounts, meaning that to fly to the top of the highest mountain, you would need to eventually obtain the "best" flying mount. Are any of these plans still in the works, or will the griffon be able to fly to the tallest peaks within the game?
 
Thom: All flying mounts can fly to the same heights. However, they will each have varying air and land speeds, but that is about the only difference.
 
Dalmarus: I have to ask the next question simply out of personal curiosity; can we expect to see any other permanent flying mounts in the game any time soon, such as the currently rentable Wyvern or Pegasus?
 
Thom: Yes. *grin*