Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: New Video: Sands of Qalia

Admin · October 2006

Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games Online today released a video tour of Qalia, one of three continents in the upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Reminiscent of Arabian Nights, Qalia is a continent where players will find magic and mystery at every turn.

Moonglo · October 2006

Some nice pictures...in a way.

This video is leaving me a bit concerned about the playability of this game on most current "gaming" computers. If you watch the video closely it seems the computer SOE is using is REALLY struggling with pushing the graphics. Not so much on the flying scenes, but the scenes with walking involved over the terrain. It's expecially noticable going through the archway/doorway; at the edges of the screen the graphics get really blocky. The part just after the horse running in the sand seems VERY choppy in what looks to be a pretty wide open, basic town environment. The scene with the lanterns stretching across the darkened streets shows much the same "strain." I wonder how performance would be with say 20-30 other people moving in the scenes.

I realize they are still bug fixing, sharpening code, etc,but I assume SOE is using one of the best systems they can buy. I worry about the "above-average-core gamer's" experience. I could be totally off base but this is what I observed, and as one of those players it does leave me a bit concerned.

neuronomad · October 2006

I just wish they would come out and call it what it is, EQ3.

defafnyr · October 2006

Originally posted by neuronomad
I just wish they would come out and call it what it is, EQ3.

Oh, burn! But yea, it does look a lot like EQ2. I noticed they fixed the stiff wings on the griffon. They bend in the midddle now when they fly. Dragon still has old fashioned flap-flap without pulling in its wings on the upstroke.

Aradune · October 2006

A big thanks to MMORPG.COM for hosting that.

For more info:

A Comprehensive Guide to Vanguard Videos

THE Comprehensive Guide to all things Vanguard

An intro, answers to questions and concerns, and clarifications on this site

thanks!

Aradune · October 2006

Originally posted by defafnyr

Originally posted by neuronomad
I just wish they would come out and call it what it is, EQ3.

Oh, burn! But yea, it does look a lot like EQ2. I noticed they fixed the stiff wings on the griffon. They bend in the midddle now when they fly. Dragon still has old fashioned flap-flap without pulling in its wings on the upstroke.

We look a bit like an advanced EQ 2 because:

1. A lot of us worked on EQ 2 at one point in time, including a lot of our founding artists.

2. Having been very involved in EQ 1 and it's first three expansions, the founding members of Sigil are influenced by where we would want to see a game like EQ 1 evolve to next -- Vanguard takes it's influence from the games we've worked on before, the MUDs that influenced us before that, and then also from playing a LOT of the newer MMOGs out there.

3. Vanguard uses the latest in technology, which gives it a certain style to some degree. EQ 2 also used advanced tech for its time. This is in contrast, to, say WoW, which has a very different style and doesn't use a lot of the latest tech. This makes their game more accessible in some ways, but will also cause them problems in the future in terms of keeping current. Our use of the latest hardware tech, shaders, bump maping, specularity, evinronment mapping, etc. will make it a lot easier for us to keep oru game looking current so that we can update how our game looks over the years and also so our latest expansions, say a year or two from now, won't make the the world we launch with look archaic or too different. We spent a lot of time planning our technology, tools, and enginees and we won't have to completely re-do art assets and such as newer tech rolls out (dx 10, shader 3.0, the Vista OS, SLI/Crossfire, physics cards, etc.)

Tamalan · October 2006

Hi Brad, enjoying what im seeing at the moment from new screens and videos...

But on a sidenote, your personal website looks horrid, as a currently jobseeking designer/artist (due to redundancy), feel free to mail me and we can talk about how i can create something a little more fitting for someone of your position. Plus i could do with the cash :P

Back on track... keep up the good work

Muddah · October 2006

While I'd love to play Vanguard:SoH the system requirements have me worried. I'd hate to have to run it on something like 800x600 resolution just to be able to move. While right now I have a "decent" computer by the time this comes out I'll need a new one to play it. Honestly nothing I do will require a new computer other then Vanguard. So I think to myself is Vanguard worth $2000? I think not.....But damn how I'd love to play this game....

2.6g p4

Radeon 256 x800 XL

1g Ram

Ferrox · October 2006

I must say I'm looking forward to this, especially the ships and ship building. That ship coming into port reminded me of a documentary I saw the other day on what Carthage's advanced port design may have look like.

WoodenDummy · October 2006

While I've not been over the top on my prasie of Vanguard I did like the video, it looks like traveling from one end of a map to another won't take just 6 mins. I like this.

It comes down to these two things for me, if the the game is as big as it looks and if you support roleplayers I will play.

Really that's all that matters to me, you remember the parts of the first Conan film where they are running across the landscape while the music plays, clearly traveling for a long while untill they come across a city? That the feel I've always wanted from a MMORPG.

Coming across another roleplayer in that kind of world would be all the content I need.

neuronomad · October 2006

Originally posted by Aradune
Originally posted by defafnyr
Originally posted by neuronomad
I just wish they would come out and call it what it is, EQ3.

Oh, burn! But yea, it does look a lot like EQ2. I noticed they fixed the stiff wings on the griffon. They bend in the midddle now when they fly. Dragon still has old fashioned flap-flap without pulling in its wings on the upstroke.

We look a bit like an advanced EQ 2 because:

1. A lot of us worked on EQ 2 at one point in time, including a lot of our founding artists.

2. Having been very involved in EQ 1 and it's first three expansions, the founding members of Sigil are influenced by where we would want to see a game like EQ 1 evolve to next -- Vanguard takes it's influence from the games we've worked on before, the MUDs that influenced us before that, and then also from playing a LOT of the newer MMOGs out there.

3. Vanguard uses the latest in technology, which gives it a certain style to some degree. EQ 2 also used advanced tech for its time. This is in contrast, to, say WoW, which has a very different style and doesn't use a lot of the latest tech. This makes their game more accessible in some ways, but will also cause them problems in the future in terms of keeping current. Our use of the latest hardware tech, shaders, bump maping, specularity, evinronment mapping, etc. will make it a lot easier for us to keep oru game looking current so that we can update how our game looks over the years and also so our latest expansions, say a year or two from now, won't make the the world we launch with look archaic or too different. We spent a lot of time planning our technology, tools, and enginees and we won't have to completely re-do art assets and such as newer tech rolls out (dx 10, shader 3.0, the Vista OS, SLI/Crossfire, physics cards, etc.)

Brad

Don't get me wrong I will be there at release to try it out. I appreciate your honestly about the EQ2 influences. I played EQ2 for some time and enjoy it, so in my eyes saying that it looks like a EQ3 wasn't meant as a digg as such. Hopefully Sigil will be able to lead people away from seeing it as a clone of EQ2 though. See it is a successor to EQ2 isn't bad in my book, but if people see it as a clone, that is a different story.

I do respect what Sigil is doing considering that you guys along with Mythic with Warhammer have the best chances to dethrone WoW as the top dog I am all there with you. Just promise if you guys do become the next Daddy of the MMO market you will not treat your customers just like a number such as what Blizzard likes to do these days (shhh Blizz Fanboi I hear your rumblings).

shae · October 2006

Dear God SNORE!!!

Who does the movies and music for these guys? I'm sure it's not the game, it actually looks like it has some beautiful scenery but what a horrible video, even for a 30 second job.

lI0fty · October 2006

Originally posted by WoodenDummy
While I've not been over the top on my prasie of Vanguard I did like the video, it looks like traveling from one end of a map to another won't take just 6 mins. I like this.

It comes down to these two things for me, if the the game is as big as it looks and if you support roleplayers I will play.

Really that's all that matters to me, you remember the parts of the first Conan film where they are running across the landscape while the music plays, clearly traveling for a long while untill they come across a city? That the feel I've always wanted from a MMORPG.

Coming across another roleplayer in that kind of world would be all the content I need.

"This is in contrast, to, say WoW, which has a very different style and doesn't use a lot of the latest tech."

and still looks a million times better than junky EQ2 graphics.

EQ2 graphics are horrible. The texture work is bland and washed out and the models were modeled terrible.

Gorukha · October 2006

Yeah no doubt this will require a good rig. I may bash Turbine all I like , but that's one company I trust to make a game that an average puter can play. AC 2 as bad as it was had great gfx , in my humble opinion, and it ran fine on my geforce 2 gts LOL, amd 1.2 athlon.

Vanguard on the other hand is a game made by an elitist hack who thinks people want their game to be slow, grindey and HARD. We'll see.

bornspeller · October 2006

just want to say: those embedded videos are nice. i like it directly on mmorpg.com - like this one. something about the Game? no. never mind - i just wait until spellborn is released

RemyVorender · October 2006

I like how they left combat out of this vid. Smart move.

The graphics are nice, it's your animations that suck.

Kassiah · October 2006

Why do some people complain so much about an MMO requiring a good rig, yet want a huge, realistic looking game with incredible depth, variety and content

Personally, I am glad this game is leaning toward a more high-end system than some other games, even if that means I need to upgrade. Really looking forward to this game going live!

Rattrap · October 2006

First off

The video is captured. Probably using Frapper or some similar tool. That reduces any vid to 14 frames per second.

Second , yes artwork is very reminiscent to EQ2.

Third. Am i the only person that thinks that EQ2 was not such a bad MMO? And if Vanguard is builded upon EQ series it could only be good ?

Well call me crazy

Moonglo · October 2006

Shrug. I don't know about Frappr, I've never used it. Believe me, I would like to see Vanguard succeed. I've followed it for most of a year and a half. I just have times when I am excited about its prospects and others when

To answer Kassiah's response about complaining. 1st I am not complaining. Developers simply have to balance the "awesome" graphics with playability. 2nd and more important, if it runs "glubby" on one of the best systems SOE can throw at it. What about us "core" gamers who don't make 10's of millions per year.

I have seen alot of other "showoff" clips from them and many other games. The quality of this one as compared to the other major games out there right now is very lacking. So maybe this clip isn't a game issue but rather an unskilled video producer at SOE or Sigil.

Bottom line is the video left me with concerns. I will be watching for the next one hoping it will alleviate them.

defafnyr · October 2006

Even though it's not the game for me, I'd like it to succeed too. I have a gaming family, three of my adult children and their significant others all game in EQ2 so they'll likely really enjoy Vanguard. My husband will try it too though he expects that he won't enjoy the grindier having-to-earn-gratification ideal. I'm just not into the corpse run and having to do things the hard way because I'm a casual gamer and my gaming time is restricted by other RL responsibilities.

I really get sick of people saying a game is a "bad game" just because it's not a fit for their particular gaming style. Vanguard is a bad game for me, but it's going to be a great game for half of my family of gamers.

Anofalye · October 2006

Originally posted by Muddah

While right now I have a "decent" computer by the time this comes out I'll need a new one to play it. Honestly nothing I do will require a new computer other then Vanguard. So I think to myself is Vanguard worth $2000? I think not.....But damn how I'd love to play this game....

Personnally I plan to buy a new computer somewhere in 2007. I will wait for a game I plan to play to actually buy the computer a little in advance. No game is worth 2k, but waiting longer = stronger computer for whatever awesome games I will be playing.

If Vanguard would interest me, I would get my new computer for these dates. But, unless they announce a non-raiding server, it isn't happening. My current computer could run Vanguard, but it wouldn't be an enjoyable gaming session. Anyway, holding onto for now. Purchase imminent, just need to find the right game to justify this purchase.

NWN2 would prolly play sweetly on this old computer, Great Invasion as well and Gothic 3 to. Medieval 2:total War, I play the way their designers would cry...I don't do the tactical battle, thereby I could prolly play it on an old 386!

So checking for which game I should plan my purchase, dunno if HJ would require a better computer, would have to check that, but the release is still away, so not sure yet.

Akunai · October 2006

Originally posted by Aradune

3. Vanguard uses the latest in technology, which gives it a certain style to some degree. EQ 2 also used advanced tech for its time. This is in contrast, to, say WoW, which has a very different style and doesn't use a lot of the latest tech. This makes their game more accessible in some ways, but will also cause them problems in the future in terms of keeping current. Our use of the latest hardware tech, shaders, bump maping, specularity, evinronment mapping, etc. will make it a lot easier for us to keep oru game looking current so that we can update how our game looks over the years and also so our latest expansions, say a year or two from now, won't make the the world we launch with look archaic or too different. We spent a lot of time planning our technology, tools, and enginees and we won't have to completely re-do art assets and such as newer tech rolls out (dx 10, shader 3.0, the Vista OS, SLI/Crossfire, physics cards, etc.)

For those talking about having to buy a new machine for VSoH; what this quote essentially says is that when Vanguard is released it will have a highest setting that most comps won't be able to handle. They are planning for the future and don't expect people to run it on the highest setting til much later. Just like EQ2 did when it first came out. I played EQ2 and I don't remember anyone, or know anyone currently, who plays it on it's highest setting. Playing EQ2 on the default average setting still had good graphics and ran very smoothly.

Oddly enough I also remember people saying they would need a new comp for EQ2 before it was released because of their screenshots. Just something to consider...

velebnicek · October 2006

This video really fails to impress. Very choppy and laggy. (And I downloaded the higher quality wmv version to be sure it's not a google video problem) Kinda boring too - nothing that would make it stand out. I have seen better area design in low budget korean MMOs.

I downloaded horse riding video too. And the animation was really bad. If you have ever seen a horse running you can only wonder why the Vanguard horse runs in such an unnatural way.

defafnyr · October 2006

I'm not a fanboi by any means and I am not likely going to play this game (though several of my extended family will try it). That being said, I have to stand up for the animations....animations as well as skins on characters and mobs can be changed, altered, fixed and enhanced in patches. Those things won't make or break a game for me; it's the gameplay that will. Gameplay, class and skill trees, modes of transportation, if there is or isn't solo /duo content, and if a game is grinding and if it is or isn't quest driven.

The videos are great teasers, but they're just teasers and the superficial visual can and quite often does change over time in a game.

anarchyart · October 2006

I think the overall look of the world in that video is just phenomenal. It makes me want to explore it and take my sweet time doing so.

Some people seem to think that everything has to be a war between whatever game they play and Vanguard. Hating on Vanguard just because they are either jealous or afraid. I understand real criticisms, but when words like fanboy, vanboi and other derogatory terms come out, it's just a red flag that someone has either some growing up to do or they have an axe to grind. It's a shame.

shmeagle · October 2006

Originally posted by Rattrap

The video is captured. Probably using Frapper or some similar tool. That reduces any vid to 14 frames per second.

you really dont have any kind of clue what your talking about do you?

you can set framrate to anything you want after you capture a video

Howdy, Stranger!

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: New Video: Sands of Qalia

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: New Video: Sands of Qalia

Comments