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Vanguard celebrates three years of Telon
It's been over three years since Vanguard: Saga of Heroes launched to a very rocky start. Many didn't think the game would last far beyond one, but here we are, celebrating the third anniversary of Telon! The last three years have seen many improvements to Vanguard, from new dungeons, to performance enhancements, to even letting the players choose which bugs the developers should fix. Sure, the game's future may be a little cloudy, but let's live in the here and now! Enjoy the things we have while we have them! The game has survived for a third year, which is three more years than most gamers gave it credit for. So, to celebrate the third anniversary, current players can jump into the game to visit the Historian of Telon in New Targonor, Ahgram, or Tawar Galan for a special anniversary gift package. If you're stuck at work, then swing by the Vanguard Players website and take a look at some of the fond memories of the game's player base. If you want to get a deeper perspective, however, check out Beau Turkey's look back at his time in Vanguard on Spouse Aggro.
One Shots: Amidst the trees
While we don't often hear about Vanguard, there is still a passionate community that really likes this game. With opening areas like the one seen in the above image, you can guess at least one of the reasons they're fond of their chosen MMO. This lovely image comes to us from Sergei F. who gave us his thoughts on Vanguard and this area, so we're going to turn over today's One Shots to him. Remember, if you'd like to contribute your images and thoughts, send them in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and the name of the game. On that note, we'll turn it over to Sergei: I've been playing Vanguard: Saga of Heroes previously. Explored a little bit here, a little bit there. I've seen harsh dwarven lands in Thestra continent, barren sands of Lomshir and red rocks of dark elven land in Qalia continent. But I never visited Kojan landmass, except for the small piece of it in Isle of Dawn. So I started [an] all-new Wood Elf ranger named Antalisia (Halgar server) and decided to choose her home starting place at Ca'ial Brael. (Thanks [to] the devs there are 14 completely different starting locations apart from Isle of Dawn exist in the game!)%Gallery-9798%
Avoiding a sinking game
With the holiday season usually comes a healthy dose of gift money, and what comes with extra money for many people reading the site is new games. It's not as if the past year has been exactly spare on game releases, although the success of several is a bit up in the air. But be forewarned -- if you needed the reminder, 2009 could very well be the year we learned that no title is immune to being shut down, with Tabula Rasa and The Matrix Online being among the highest-profile games to finally be shut down for good due to sales figures. Bio Break has an excellent post on what is termed "avoiding the Titanic" -- in short, making sure that you're not signing up for a game that's going to just leave you high and dry. The recent announcement from Vanguard is among the examples cited, although some fans would be quick to point out it's not a death knell for the game. But it doesn't sound like the game is going to advance far beyond its current state, and for many games, that means a slow bleeding-out. Of course, avoiding titles that are perceived as hopeless can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it's worth keeping in mind that perhaps that money might be better spent if you question a game's near future.
Vanguard paints a rocky road to come in the year ahead
While the holidays are a time full of cheer and special events, things in Telon aren't looking as bright as usual.In a recent announcement to the Vanguard community, the team has decided to be as frank as possible and outline the road map for the game in the year ahead. Due to limited resources and a new focus on bug elimination over ambitious content releases, some of the game's anticipated updates are being shelved indefinitely. Those features include the Halls of Shattered Souls, Pankhor Zhi, Nexus, and the anticipated "alternate advancement" system.
Help a troubled lowbie in Vanguard by becoming a mentor
Just like the tile says, there's a way you can help low-level players in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes -- become a mentor. With the most recent patch, Vanguard has added a mentoring system to help players of differing levels adventure and interact in a meaningful fashion.Similar to most mentoring systems, the high-level player's abilities and stats are capped at an appropriate level for the mentored player, restricting them to abilities they would have been able to use at the lower level. In all other ways, however, they'll function as a perfectly normal player, including gaining experience at the rate of a lower-level character. As a result, the tool is both an excellent way for dedicated players to introduce their friend to the game and a method for them to earn a little extra experience in the process. The mentoring system is fully usable if your friends are in the free trial area as well, which is one of the best ways to encourage a player to stick with the game over a longer period.The patch also included the usual plethora of bugfixes and minor balance tweaks that have come to be standard fare for the MMO industry. Take a look at the full patch notes for the details.[ via WarCry ]
One Shots: Not a meanie genie
We don't often get to look into the lands of Telon, so we're glad when one of the adventurers who spends time in Vanguard decides to drop us a line. Today's One Shots comes to us courtesy of one of our regular MMO world travelers, Johanis, who spent some time in Vanguard not too long ago and sent in this image of a strange meeting that took place. He writes in: Urlay, my low level Necromancer in Vanguard was wandering around the area near Khal when she came across a rather large friend...thankfully he was friendly and actually offered her a quest. That's good to know, because we don't happen to see a lamp handy to put that big fellow into. One Shots cannot live on a diet of our screenshots alone! We need reader submissions to keep the worlds we check out interesting and varied. So the next time you're out spending time in your favorite MMO, why not grab a screenshot and tell us a bit about your adventures there? It's easy and fun. All you have to do is email an image to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game it's from, and a note letting us know what's going on. (Also, please make sure your image is at least 1024px across and has as few UI elements as is possible.) We'll post it out here and let everyone share in your tale! %Gallery-9798%
Vanguard gets final 3 weapon sets: Druid, Necro, Sorcerer
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes doesn't get as much attention as other SOE games, but it clearly has a dedicated community of players. It's also a game that has seen a significant amount of change since it launched, and the developers are continually improving Vanguard through player input. The latest announcement from the Vanguard developers is about the new weapon sets they're going to introduce, specifically for the Druid, Necro, and Sorcerer classes. They write: "You might have thought that we forgot about 3 certain classes when we were featuring some of the new weaponry. Never fear, this week we were able to wrangle the final 3 weapon sets up for everyone to check out in all their glory."
One Shots: Stargazing
We've seen various pop culture references in our various different MMOs, but this is perhaps the first time we can honestly say that we've seen a star lookalike in terms of the character's face in a game. Sure enough, our keen-eyed regular contributor, Johanis, was adventuring in Vanguard, and happened to notice that this character resembled a well-known face, so he sent this screenshot to us. He writes: Here is Urlay (doing her best Vanessa Williams impression) adventuring in Vanguard. Though she is a very low level Necromancer, I feel she is destined for greatness. Wish her luck!!!Have you spotted a character that looks like, or is named for, someone from pop culture? We love those pop culture references in MMOs. If you find some, send those in to us at oneshots [AT] massively [DOT] com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post it out here and give you the nod for spotting it and sending it in.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: A rainy night in the asylum
With the blog of Brad McQuaid springing back online after a long hiatus, many folks are once again talking about Vanguard - for better or worse. Of course, while McQuaid has been offline racing dirtbikes, the folks at SOE have been hard at work improving the game leaps and bounds from those early days. Today's One Shots shows off a dreary, stormy night, and a poor, sodden wanderer - CaptainZoli - who decided it might be better outside than inside. CaptainZoli writes: The thirty day trial lured me back to Vanguard, and here is my character, Lanidia, taking part in said return, standing outside the Asylum in preparation for a dark and stormy night of adventuring.One Shots is in need of more screenshots, so if you've taken some time while out adventuring, why not gather them up for us and send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com? Add your name, the game it's from - guild, server and description welcome too - and you're set. Couldn't be easier, eh?%Gallery-9798%
Future Vanguard update to fix the players' choice of bugs
An upcoming patch to Vanguard has been designated as the "Player's Choice" update, and recently the players decided that it should be focused on bug-squashing. The next phase of this process is now underway, and players can submit their choice of which bugs to fix at this thread. There are a few guidelines for people planning to put in their two cents, the most important being that each person can only submit one bug, and they should do their best to avoid repeating previously suggested ones.The thread will be open for two weeks, and after that time, a poll will be created for forum-goers to vote on Vanguard's worst bugs so that they can be targeted with priority. When one player asked why the devs wouldn't simply work off the bugs submitted by players with the "/bug" command, Salim "Silius" Grant replied, "This way we are hoping to get the most high profile bugs that the players want fixed right away. Digging through /bug does not tell us just how important or how many people are seeing this problem." If the whole thing goes to plan, a bunch of really irritating bugs should be eradicated when the update rolls out.
One Shots: A moment of reflection
We don't get to see Vanguard: Saga of Heroes as much as we'd like to, but we appreciate the players there sending in beautiful images of their journeys. Today's peaceful image from Vanguard was sent in to us by Paksao from the guild Aequinox on the Seradan server. He tells us about his love of his home game: This is a shot of SOE's Vanguard, one of the most underestimated games I've had the fortune of playing. Look at the depth of the view, the things in the background. That's hot. One person said this game is like a unknown gem of the MMORPG world. I agree.We know there are oodles of you out there reading, and we're betting that at least some of you are playing/have played MMOs - otherwise, why would you be here, eh? One Shots needs your screens, dear readers! So while you're out playing, or digging through your hard drive, grab some screenshots for us. Send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, server, and a brief description of what's in the screenshot. (Please, turn your UI off if possible.) In turn we'll give your screenshot and note to us a moment to shine, right here on Massively. How cool is that?%Gallery-9798%
SOE brings real money transactions to Vanguard [Updated]
Yesterday Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki announced on the official Vanguard forums that players will soon be able to use Live Gamer Exchange to sell their virtual items for money in the real world. Sony Online Entertainment, the developer behind Vanguard, already works with Live Gamer on EverQuest 2 to provide users a way to trade their in-game loot for cash in the real world. The ethics of RMT aside, the addition of Live Gamer to Vanguard gives players interested in participating in the service a sanctioned, safer means of doing virtual-to-real-world business, forcing the deals through official channels rather than leaving players at the mercy of eBay, PayPal and other third-party sites to resolve disputes. Live Gamer's pending arrival in Vanguard has been announced a little over a month after John Smedley, President of SOE, said in an interview with Virtual Goods News that the RMT service wouldn't make an appearance in the game. We reached out to SOE for clarification yesterday but as of this writing have not received a response. [Thanks, Chris!] EDIT: We were contacted by Mr. Smedley after this article went live to clarify that in the interview he gave last month he said that StationCash wouldn't make it into Vanguard, not that no RMT service would ever appear in the game.
The World outside Warcraft
Blizzard's fantasy title World of Warcraft is everywhere these days, perhaps the only title to really pierce the veil between MMOs and mainstream media. For some massively multiplayer online gamers, WoW is the end-all be-all of titles out there. Can over 11 million people be wrong? Definitely not, we'd say. World of Warcraft has very much shaped the industry and writers at Massively have racked up ludicrous amounts of time spent in the game. But there are other engaging options out there, which is the point of an article written by Earnest Cavalli for The Portland Mercury's 'Blogtown'.In "What's Your Anti-Warcraft?" Cavalli looks at the good, bad, and the ugly among the MMOs on the market. He praises the virtues of Lord of the Rings Online with its ability to pull you into the setting, the riskier style of EVE Online, and the personal legacy of achievements you can establish in Warhammer Online. Cavalli takes aim at Age of Conan though, and lambasts Vanguard: Saga of Heroes as well. If you're offended by strong language, look away, because Cavalli doesn't really pull any punches in his assessment of these titles. Check out "What's Your Anti-Warcraft?" and see if you agree with his take on the MMO world beyond WoW's ever-expanding borders. One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
Vanguard's past, present, and future with producer Thom Terrazas
It's been two years since the world of Telon opened its doors to a rocky launch and unstable future. The team of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes had much to overcome after launch with a whole plague of technical hurdles, incomplete content, and a dwindling player base.Yet, two years later, Vanguard managed to stay on its feet thanks to an aggressive development team and a steady schedule of tackling performance issues and bugs until they could open the doors for new content -- one of the few games to make it through with such a rough launch and begin to see a new growth years after opening.Massively was able to sit down with Vanguard producer Thom Terrazas and talk to him about where Vanguard's been, where it is now, and what the future looks like for the expanding fantasy title.
Vanguard's past, present, and future with producer Thom Terrazas pt. 2
You mentioned Pantheon of the Ancients, and that's another one of my questions. What will Pantheon of the Ancients be bringing to the game? What can the players expect from the new dungeon and raid? "Pantheon will not look the same as the rest of the game. We have all new textures and brand new monsters, really cool ones that were created just for this zone." Thom: Our first launch for Pantheon is going to be including new 6 man raid content. There will be a little more content past that, but you're looking at mostly a 6 man group. Pantheon will not look the same as the rest of the game. We have all new textures and brand new monsters, really cool ones that were created just for this zone. It's pretty exciting. I've got a walkthrough this week from the designers, and it is really looking awesome. Along the lines of that, in our attempts to get content out, we're incorporating new quest lines, new loot, new rare drops. We're incorporating the three spheres of diplomacy, crafting, and adventuring into this release. There's alot of work that's been done, and the unfortunate and fortunate part of this is that this is just the first part of Pantheon. The higher end raiding portion of Pantheon will be coming out as we're working on the customer request list, but we will be doing all of that work simultaneously. That's just a process of balancing, mostly. Different areas to play in and not to have raids and groups playing on top of one another. It's just quite a bit of work to juggle. This is a simple question, but there seems to be something more to it. I noticed that you were increasing the level cap from 50 to 55, which is something usually reserved for an expansion. I'm interested in your thought process behind raising the level cap. Thom: Well, we have quite a few players, a large percentage, that is already at the cap of level 50. This is the kind of value that we keep adding to Vanguard. Something that you've already paid for, we just keep adding more and more value for your money. You don't need to go out and spend 20, 30, or 40 on a new expansion. We've chosen to do content and level expansions, giving you new race/class combinations, all with existing content and your existing purchase of Vanguard. We felt that this is something that the players would appreciate more rather than going out and purchasing a new box. Speaking of leveling, there's a little note here on your Producer's Letter about alternate advancement. Can you shed some more light on that? Thom: We're building a way for you to advance your character, well, I guess, alternatively. *laughs* Thom: But the idea is you can build your character out so it's a bit more specialized in things like damage, or mitigation, or spell damage. So you can specialize any way you want. We're working on that now, and it's something we're looking to launch in the raiding portion of Pantheon. So if you really love your character and want to specialize in something more, be a little different then the rest of your class, then AAs will be coming with the second part of Pantheon so you can customize your character further in the higher level. So, then, let's pretend for a moment that I've heard about Vanguard, but I don't own it and this Collector's Edition box isn't sitting next to my desk. In fact, let me hide this box for a moment. Thom: *laughs* So I've only heard about Vanguard. I heard about the rocky launch, it's been two years into the game and many people are at level 50. Why should a new player pick up Vanguard today? "So I'd say come on back and we'd love to have you. I'd like to prove that we've been able to take a rocky launch and make it into a better game." Thom: I think that if you're interested in playing a game that is a little bit different than the hack and slash games, Vanguard gives one of the best vistas and looks of any game I've played or been associated with. It is incredible to just hop on a flying mount and just see the vast areas that have been created for Vanguard and explore this artwork that is inspired by Keith Parkinson and continues on with our current art team. This is something you don't see in every game. I'm not saying we're doing something that nobody else has done. But I'm saying the views, the artwork, the level in detail in Vanguard can measure up to some of the highest games you can think of. If you're looking for visual, but also exciting playstyles, you have three spheres of progression you can choose to be an expert in. So, I guess the experience in Vanguard is just limitless. Well thank you for your time today, Thom. This has been very insightful. Any last words you have for everyone? Anything we should know about? Thom: Thank you! Let's see! Well, check out my producer's letter on the forums and you can see what the team has put together. The game is certainly getting out to new audiences. If you've tried us in the past or haven't tried us, then come on back, we have free trials on the website. You can also find it now on Steam as well as FilePlanet, so this is a great time for Vanguard and our team right now. So I'd say come on back and we'd love to have you. I'd like to prove that we've been able to take a rocky launch and make it into a better game.
Vanguard announces contest for 2nd anniversary
It's been two years since the world of Telon was released and travelers filled its many paths and dungeons. To celebrate that launch, the Vanguard team has launched their "It Takes Two" contest.Vanguard: Saga of Heroes players are being asked to develop their own original portrait of two Vanguard players or NPCs in a heroic setting in Telon. Aspiring arists may use real life photography, in-game screenshots, modified screenshots, and original artistry in order to produce their creations.The first place winner of the contest will receive a portrait named after their submitted artwork in Vanguard, a unique in-game title, and a 90 day game card for SOE games.The full details of the contest are on the Vanguard Players website, so journey on over and check out what you can win![Via MMORPG.com]
Vanguard to get expansion-sized serving of free content in coming months
We're not going to call it an actual expansion until they do, but it sounds like there's a serious amount of new content in the works for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game's lead designer Salim "Silius" Grant was recently interviewed at Allakhazam, and he spilled the beans about what to expect in the way of patches over the next few months. We're talking two new dungeons with both group and raid components (which were previewed at SOE's Fan Faire '08), an Alternate Advancement system that might sound familiar to fans of EQ1/2, item enhancement, and an increase to the level cap.Whether or not SOE decides to tie all of this new stuff together as an expansion of sorts is of little consequence, because -- and here's the best part -- it is all intended to be free. For a few specifics: currently, the level cap will raise to 55, and this does mean that classes will be getting a mix of both new abilities, and upgrades to older ones. The AA system will be modeled after the one found in the original EverQuest, and there will be passive bonuses like stat and run-speed increases, as well as class-specific bonuses. As for the dungeons, one will help players to get from level 50 to 55, and the other will be for 55's and will feature some AAs. To get the full scoop on these things and more, make sure to check out the rest of the interview with Silius.
Vanguard welcomes back former subscribers with free game time
Vanguard wants you to come home for the holidays and spend an evening next to your fireplace in Telon. In conjunction with their holiday events, former subscribers that were inactive for longer than 45 days have had their accounts reactivated until January 31st, 2009. You don't have to do anything to pick up the free game time, all you need to do is run Vanguard and play. Even if you don't have your disks, you can still download the trial client and it will patch you up to the full client when you run it.The free game time will let you check out the new features to the game, like the addition of fishing, a new ship, a new raid, new enhancement slots, the Festival of Gloriann and all the decorations that come with it. So fly back to Telon with Randolph the Flying Reindeer and fight off some evil snowmen. It's free!
Massively giveaway: Vanguard Saga of Heroes prize pack
Ahh, Vanguard. A great game bogged down with so many problems is still undeniably a great game. SOE has given us the chance to introduce this game to a new player in a big, big way. Today we're giving away the Collector's Edition of Vanguard, plus a 90 day game card to extend your time in-world for a third of a year. Four months of game time if you include the free month that comes with the account! We've got a ton more swag for you on top of that greatness; we'll throw in an SOE podcast t-shirt, SOE-branded binocs, and a DC Universe Online pen/flashlight that shines the Bat Symbol! Estimated total retail value of the pack is $100.All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite under-appreciated MMO is. Are you fan of Planetside, or perhaps Dungeons and Dragons Online? Let us know! To get the Vanguard pack you'll need to comment before 7:00 AM EST Friday, November 7th. You can only enter once per person, and after the contest closes we'll ship out this fantastic prize to one randomly-selected winner. Give us at least a week to ship out this massive pile of swag, though. To win you must be age 18 or up and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). For full eligibility details, we suggest you read our official rules. Good luck!
One Shots: Onward into the Isle
Today we're checking in again with Luni, who recently sent in a One Shots from Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. With the recent opening of the Isle of Dawn as a trial area, we've heard from other players who are giving this game a try. Luni wrote in to let us know that the area is proving to be a very immersive experience and fun to play, and so far we've been enjoying the trial overall too. (Look for our First Impressions on it coming up soon!)If you're playing a game we don't often see, why not drop us a screenshot and tell us about why it's your favorite game? We're always glad to see games that may not get as much coverage elsewhere - and learn about ones we may not have heard of. Just bundle up your screenshot along with your character name, server and a quick blurb about the image, then send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Yours could be the next one featured!%Gallery-9798%
