Nenjin
05-27-05, 08:19 PM
It wouldn’t be a Safehouse Report if we didn’t talk about Rogues, now would it?
The Rogue Angle-
Sadly, class information was not on the menu for most of the E3 demo, least of all the Rogue class, which Sigil was specifically keeping quiet. But I managed to pry a few essentials out of Salim Grant, and Darrin Mcpherson. The main thing I think you need to know about Rogues at this point in time is that they are being primarily designed around combat. Because Vanguard uses archetypes to define class roles, each class needs to fulfill some specific purpose in the group setting. And so the main focus of the Rogue class as of now is making sure they have a wanted and useful place in the group. Now, this is not to say they don’t have secondary skills that define them as a unique class, they certainly do. But the main focus of the class is combat, and how they approach combat.
So how do they do it from behind? Rogues bring the stealth angle to group combat, and achieve their high melee damage through stealth attacks and abilities. One example I was given was that, when combat starts, rather than springing immediately from the shadows, a rogue waits in stealth. The longer they stay in that certain stealth mode, the higher their backstab multiplier becomes. In addition to providing another branch of reactions for players to work with, Rogues will excel at spotting the weaknesses of an enemy, which would explain why one developer thought intelligence was a big stat for rogues while the other commented strength. I wish I had gotten more on this from the devs, as I want to know how it differs from warriors doing the same thing with their perception.
Stealth for rogues will be a single ability, rather than a sneak/hide combination (although it started that way). One thing I found very interesting was, all classes have some minimal amount of stealth. It may not be an ability that they click on and off, but all characters can do stuff like hide in dark corners to avoid detection. But Rogues will trump everyone in that department because, not only can they toggle their stealth capacity, it covers more aspects of stealth, like noise for example. Additionally, stealth will be accessible to rogues even in the heat of combat. Being engaged with a group of mobs does not revoke the ability to go into hide, meaning as a rogue you will be popping in and out of stealth during combat a lot. I am going to assume that you still have to pass a stealth check to not be detected however, and that going into stealth in a solo fight would be very hard, if not impossible. But I cannot say this for sure.
Well what about the other rogue abilities. Lock Picking, detecting and disarming traps are working and in game. But, as of now, Pick pocketing and thievery in general is NOT in game. Right now the focus of the Sigil team is making sure the Rogue works in group combat, and that the other essential rogue abilities are getting their fair play. While they have solid, workable ideas on paper for pick pocketing, no code has been written and issues are still being debated about how to approach the situation. It is unlikely that you will find opportunities to rob houses in the cities, or steal things ala Morrowind. Although with these guys, you never know. They have said they want pick pocketing, at the very least, to be in game, but they are not committing to it for release.
That’s really all I have for Rogues ( I wanted more too). But more information on the Rogue, and classes in general, is just around the corner, so keep your eyes peeled.
Horses and Mounted Combat
Horses were also not displayed in any part of the demo. While they are integral to game play, they have not been finalized, and are not currently in game, although it is on the list of things to have ready for beta. Whether it’s mechanics, or animations, or textures, I didn’t learn. Sad too, I really wanted to see them in action.
So similarly, mounted combat is not in game. Like parts of the Rogue class, mounted combat is something that they have down on paper that looks good, but no work towards coding it has been made, nor are there any promises that it will be in at release (although this might differ depending on who you ask). However they are very interested in it, and want to see it in game working.
A little about horses. Recently Brad Mcquaid referred to horses as “characters owned by your character”. They carry gear, can be equipped, has stats, can be named (by you!), and can die and leave corpses. Horses will serve as mobile banks for players, allowing them to carry extra sets of gear so they can switch classes without returning to a city, (and give them lots of room for phat |_3\/\/+z).
Climbing
I had to bring you guys some bad news to balance out all the wonderful-tude of Vanguard, so here’s the last bit. Climbing is not in game right now. Like other certain parts of Vanguard, it’s something they want in the game, and they’ve got ideas down on paper that work, but the code is not in or finished, and it’s turning out to be a little tricky to pull off. So, sadly, no commitments to climbing being in by release, although they are going to try.
Item Centricity
To really get what they mean by Vanguard being item centric, there are few things you need to remember. 1) Attributes (stats) matter. They are part of the equation you use to figure out success. 2) Every sphere of game play has separate attributes. 3) Every class (within the spheres) has it’s own gear.
In Vanguard, gear modifies not only your ability to deal or take damage, it impacts your attributes, much like in EQ. But beyond that, gear also increases your skills too. So not only are fighters going to want special swords, harvesters will want special foresting axes. Diplomats will want special styluses, or robes. The equipment of each class will help them perform their core roles and goals more effectively. And gear for each class is going to be situational, so within the harvesting classes there will equipment you are going to want for different situations, that may give you more stamina to complete your task, or more skill so you can get a better yield. In conjunction with gaining levels and raising stat caps, and working on your skills to make them advance, equipment is going to be a major avenue for character growth in a lot of areas.
Layering Equipment
The layering system in action is drool worthy. Each layer of armor or clothing is fully functional, meaning it’s contributing to your skills and attributes just in the same way main pieces of armor do. And it looks sooo good. When you buy say, a plate breastplate, it comes with a chain mail hauberk that you can choose to wear, or not. If you want to put that breastplate on top of your naked skin, feel free. The game accurately displays the armor setting on top of each layer, meaning it’s never going to over write the layer beneath. If you put on a leather jerkin, and then chain mail, you’ll always still see the leather jerkin.
Oh, and earrings? Belts? Rings? You see them on your character. Not a bit of detail has been missed. The final result is avatar customization from face to feet, boots to hat, on a scale never before achieved by anyone in the industry.
Editing Note- The following section of the report deals with ideas, dreams, and the personal aspirations for Vanguard that the devs have. None of these features are promised for release, and none of them are probably in development at this time. It’s what they(Sigil and Microsoft) are thinking about for the future of Vanguard, and what they would like to do after release (and if the game is successful).
Vanguard Lifestyle
Credit for this section and the catch phrase has to go to Jon Grande, Lead Product Planner for Microsoft Game Studios. You might know him by the emerald green name of Taranis on the Vanguard forums. During the Vanguard Affiliate dinner, he excitedly described to me what he called the “Vanguard Lifestyle”. I’ll try to do his enthusiasm justice.
Imagine a game that you don’t stop playing and living, even when you log off. Imagine a game that keeps you connected to what’s going on with your virtual avatar, your guild, your virtual city, even when you are away from your home PC.
Imagine being able to cast a spell in game (like EQ's Eye of Zomm) in front of your player built-house. This spell then transmits a real time image that appears as part of your desktop background, so you can watch what's happening in front of your house while you are offline. Imagine talking to friends and guild mates via text messages on your cell phone. Imagine software that alerts and updates you to happenings on your server, like your player city being attacked by NPCs. Imagine tracking your NPC vendor’s sales off line in real time. Imagine reviewing your avatar's stats and information from your cell phone while you sit bored out of your mind in a lecture (or is that just me?) Imagine mini games on your cell phone, that while you play them you are advancing your player’s skill in the game world, while you are offline. Imagine a simple lock picking game that, after you play it 30 times, gives you one point of lock picking skill to one of your characters. Imagine being able to follow the game from anywhere, doing anything, and being able to play, chat in, live and breathe Vanguard.
It’s the Vanguard Lifestyle baby. Are you ready?
Final Thoughts, Comments
I consider myself a pretty jaded gamer. From consoles to MMOs, I've played games and RPGS for over half my life, and I’ve watched my favorite past time drying up in a big way. Games in general are getting shallower, more expensive, and more focused on eye candy than interesting ideas, more hype than substance. Development times and priorities are shrinking. The money involved is getting more ridiculous, and the fun just isn’t what it used to be. So it’s pretty hard for me to get really excited about games these days anymore. I’d began to assume that even good game designers were caving into the pressure to make what the market says it should, how the market says it should be made.
And along came Vanguard. I held out for a long time in believing it could really be as cool as the FAQ (which has been my bible for the last 2 years) said it was. I went to E3 ready to be disappointed because of that 2 years of pure anticipation, and speculation. I came home floating, on the proverbial nerd cloud nine. From the first demo I watched, jet lagged and still reeling from my first exposure to E3, I was impressed. Vanguard is going to be a home I know can enjoy for years to come, that is going to be there for me whether I only have 20 minutes to do some harvesting, or 24 hours to raid until I puke. It’s going to re-raise the bar on everything. Depth, replay value, player knowledge, player skill, inter-dependency, options, variety, flexibility, and hopefully, community. Is it going to smash open the MMO market like EQ did back in 1999? I can’t say for sure. Being among the Vanguard Community members, you find yourself among kindred spirits who are all searching for the same enriching game play experience, so maybe my opinion on the matter has become biased. Maybe we really are a subset of the gaming population, and this is a game that isn’t going to draw in the larger crowd because they enjoy a different kind of game.
But I don’t really think so. I don’t see how you could play MMO games today, and not want to cancel your current sub right now and go Vanguard. Even if it isn’t the break out title that reminds the industry that game play still matters, or that being the first out the door isn’t always the best idea, I don’t care. Vanguard is going to be a place I can adventure and explore for years to come, and that’s good enough for me. Popular game play and opinion be damned, this is what an MMO should be.
I want to thank all the Sigil employees for the time and effort they’ve taken to make a game that isn’t just going to make a buck, but will fulfill us as gamers too. I want to thank them for their open and honest dialogue with the community, and for putting us at the forefront of their thoughts, instead of at the back. I want to thank them for tolerating this pushy little Rogue and his incessant probing. But most of all, I want to thank them for finally letting us know what all their joy and passion is about. I don’t know if it’s possible to love another MMO like you loved your first one, but after this E3, I’m willing to believe it might be.
Now let the games begin.
Justin “Nenjin” Wheeler
Safehouse Staff Writer
(Stick a fork in me, I'm done).
You can read the consolidate French Version HERE (http://www.thesafehouse.org/kb.php?mode=article&k=63)
The Rogue Angle-
Sadly, class information was not on the menu for most of the E3 demo, least of all the Rogue class, which Sigil was specifically keeping quiet. But I managed to pry a few essentials out of Salim Grant, and Darrin Mcpherson. The main thing I think you need to know about Rogues at this point in time is that they are being primarily designed around combat. Because Vanguard uses archetypes to define class roles, each class needs to fulfill some specific purpose in the group setting. And so the main focus of the Rogue class as of now is making sure they have a wanted and useful place in the group. Now, this is not to say they don’t have secondary skills that define them as a unique class, they certainly do. But the main focus of the class is combat, and how they approach combat.
So how do they do it from behind? Rogues bring the stealth angle to group combat, and achieve their high melee damage through stealth attacks and abilities. One example I was given was that, when combat starts, rather than springing immediately from the shadows, a rogue waits in stealth. The longer they stay in that certain stealth mode, the higher their backstab multiplier becomes. In addition to providing another branch of reactions for players to work with, Rogues will excel at spotting the weaknesses of an enemy, which would explain why one developer thought intelligence was a big stat for rogues while the other commented strength. I wish I had gotten more on this from the devs, as I want to know how it differs from warriors doing the same thing with their perception.
Stealth for rogues will be a single ability, rather than a sneak/hide combination (although it started that way). One thing I found very interesting was, all classes have some minimal amount of stealth. It may not be an ability that they click on and off, but all characters can do stuff like hide in dark corners to avoid detection. But Rogues will trump everyone in that department because, not only can they toggle their stealth capacity, it covers more aspects of stealth, like noise for example. Additionally, stealth will be accessible to rogues even in the heat of combat. Being engaged with a group of mobs does not revoke the ability to go into hide, meaning as a rogue you will be popping in and out of stealth during combat a lot. I am going to assume that you still have to pass a stealth check to not be detected however, and that going into stealth in a solo fight would be very hard, if not impossible. But I cannot say this for sure.
Well what about the other rogue abilities. Lock Picking, detecting and disarming traps are working and in game. But, as of now, Pick pocketing and thievery in general is NOT in game. Right now the focus of the Sigil team is making sure the Rogue works in group combat, and that the other essential rogue abilities are getting their fair play. While they have solid, workable ideas on paper for pick pocketing, no code has been written and issues are still being debated about how to approach the situation. It is unlikely that you will find opportunities to rob houses in the cities, or steal things ala Morrowind. Although with these guys, you never know. They have said they want pick pocketing, at the very least, to be in game, but they are not committing to it for release.
That’s really all I have for Rogues ( I wanted more too). But more information on the Rogue, and classes in general, is just around the corner, so keep your eyes peeled.
Horses and Mounted Combat
Horses were also not displayed in any part of the demo. While they are integral to game play, they have not been finalized, and are not currently in game, although it is on the list of things to have ready for beta. Whether it’s mechanics, or animations, or textures, I didn’t learn. Sad too, I really wanted to see them in action.
So similarly, mounted combat is not in game. Like parts of the Rogue class, mounted combat is something that they have down on paper that looks good, but no work towards coding it has been made, nor are there any promises that it will be in at release (although this might differ depending on who you ask). However they are very interested in it, and want to see it in game working.
A little about horses. Recently Brad Mcquaid referred to horses as “characters owned by your character”. They carry gear, can be equipped, has stats, can be named (by you!), and can die and leave corpses. Horses will serve as mobile banks for players, allowing them to carry extra sets of gear so they can switch classes without returning to a city, (and give them lots of room for phat |_3\/\/+z).
Climbing
I had to bring you guys some bad news to balance out all the wonderful-tude of Vanguard, so here’s the last bit. Climbing is not in game right now. Like other certain parts of Vanguard, it’s something they want in the game, and they’ve got ideas down on paper that work, but the code is not in or finished, and it’s turning out to be a little tricky to pull off. So, sadly, no commitments to climbing being in by release, although they are going to try.
Item Centricity
To really get what they mean by Vanguard being item centric, there are few things you need to remember. 1) Attributes (stats) matter. They are part of the equation you use to figure out success. 2) Every sphere of game play has separate attributes. 3) Every class (within the spheres) has it’s own gear.
In Vanguard, gear modifies not only your ability to deal or take damage, it impacts your attributes, much like in EQ. But beyond that, gear also increases your skills too. So not only are fighters going to want special swords, harvesters will want special foresting axes. Diplomats will want special styluses, or robes. The equipment of each class will help them perform their core roles and goals more effectively. And gear for each class is going to be situational, so within the harvesting classes there will equipment you are going to want for different situations, that may give you more stamina to complete your task, or more skill so you can get a better yield. In conjunction with gaining levels and raising stat caps, and working on your skills to make them advance, equipment is going to be a major avenue for character growth in a lot of areas.
Layering Equipment
The layering system in action is drool worthy. Each layer of armor or clothing is fully functional, meaning it’s contributing to your skills and attributes just in the same way main pieces of armor do. And it looks sooo good. When you buy say, a plate breastplate, it comes with a chain mail hauberk that you can choose to wear, or not. If you want to put that breastplate on top of your naked skin, feel free. The game accurately displays the armor setting on top of each layer, meaning it’s never going to over write the layer beneath. If you put on a leather jerkin, and then chain mail, you’ll always still see the leather jerkin.
Oh, and earrings? Belts? Rings? You see them on your character. Not a bit of detail has been missed. The final result is avatar customization from face to feet, boots to hat, on a scale never before achieved by anyone in the industry.
Editing Note- The following section of the report deals with ideas, dreams, and the personal aspirations for Vanguard that the devs have. None of these features are promised for release, and none of them are probably in development at this time. It’s what they(Sigil and Microsoft) are thinking about for the future of Vanguard, and what they would like to do after release (and if the game is successful).
Vanguard Lifestyle
Credit for this section and the catch phrase has to go to Jon Grande, Lead Product Planner for Microsoft Game Studios. You might know him by the emerald green name of Taranis on the Vanguard forums. During the Vanguard Affiliate dinner, he excitedly described to me what he called the “Vanguard Lifestyle”. I’ll try to do his enthusiasm justice.
Imagine a game that you don’t stop playing and living, even when you log off. Imagine a game that keeps you connected to what’s going on with your virtual avatar, your guild, your virtual city, even when you are away from your home PC.
Imagine being able to cast a spell in game (like EQ's Eye of Zomm) in front of your player built-house. This spell then transmits a real time image that appears as part of your desktop background, so you can watch what's happening in front of your house while you are offline. Imagine talking to friends and guild mates via text messages on your cell phone. Imagine software that alerts and updates you to happenings on your server, like your player city being attacked by NPCs. Imagine tracking your NPC vendor’s sales off line in real time. Imagine reviewing your avatar's stats and information from your cell phone while you sit bored out of your mind in a lecture (or is that just me?) Imagine mini games on your cell phone, that while you play them you are advancing your player’s skill in the game world, while you are offline. Imagine a simple lock picking game that, after you play it 30 times, gives you one point of lock picking skill to one of your characters. Imagine being able to follow the game from anywhere, doing anything, and being able to play, chat in, live and breathe Vanguard.
It’s the Vanguard Lifestyle baby. Are you ready?
Final Thoughts, Comments
I consider myself a pretty jaded gamer. From consoles to MMOs, I've played games and RPGS for over half my life, and I’ve watched my favorite past time drying up in a big way. Games in general are getting shallower, more expensive, and more focused on eye candy than interesting ideas, more hype than substance. Development times and priorities are shrinking. The money involved is getting more ridiculous, and the fun just isn’t what it used to be. So it’s pretty hard for me to get really excited about games these days anymore. I’d began to assume that even good game designers were caving into the pressure to make what the market says it should, how the market says it should be made.
And along came Vanguard. I held out for a long time in believing it could really be as cool as the FAQ (which has been my bible for the last 2 years) said it was. I went to E3 ready to be disappointed because of that 2 years of pure anticipation, and speculation. I came home floating, on the proverbial nerd cloud nine. From the first demo I watched, jet lagged and still reeling from my first exposure to E3, I was impressed. Vanguard is going to be a home I know can enjoy for years to come, that is going to be there for me whether I only have 20 minutes to do some harvesting, or 24 hours to raid until I puke. It’s going to re-raise the bar on everything. Depth, replay value, player knowledge, player skill, inter-dependency, options, variety, flexibility, and hopefully, community. Is it going to smash open the MMO market like EQ did back in 1999? I can’t say for sure. Being among the Vanguard Community members, you find yourself among kindred spirits who are all searching for the same enriching game play experience, so maybe my opinion on the matter has become biased. Maybe we really are a subset of the gaming population, and this is a game that isn’t going to draw in the larger crowd because they enjoy a different kind of game.
But I don’t really think so. I don’t see how you could play MMO games today, and not want to cancel your current sub right now and go Vanguard. Even if it isn’t the break out title that reminds the industry that game play still matters, or that being the first out the door isn’t always the best idea, I don’t care. Vanguard is going to be a place I can adventure and explore for years to come, and that’s good enough for me. Popular game play and opinion be damned, this is what an MMO should be.
I want to thank all the Sigil employees for the time and effort they’ve taken to make a game that isn’t just going to make a buck, but will fulfill us as gamers too. I want to thank them for their open and honest dialogue with the community, and for putting us at the forefront of their thoughts, instead of at the back. I want to thank them for tolerating this pushy little Rogue and his incessant probing. But most of all, I want to thank them for finally letting us know what all their joy and passion is about. I don’t know if it’s possible to love another MMO like you loved your first one, but after this E3, I’m willing to believe it might be.
Now let the games begin.
Justin “Nenjin” Wheeler
Safehouse Staff Writer
(Stick a fork in me, I'm done).
You can read the consolidate French Version HERE (http://www.thesafehouse.org/kb.php?mode=article&k=63)