Those that are bashing Brad seem to be doing so for the wrong reasons.
He probably went MIA at about the same time he realized that by jumping in bed with SOE his vision for Vanguard was gone. He was probably not really in charge of the project from that point forward. You can see that the game is not only unfinished in code, but in concept as well.
This really is a common phenomena now days.
Entrepreneur has a great idea and puts together a company to make it happen.
Funding runs low, and is left with no choice but to sell out.
New management is so heavy handed that the original idea is shot, which defeated the whole purpose of making it in the first place.
Cut and run.
The only thing that the founders of Sigil can really be blamed for is not having a good enough initial plan that would support their intended goals. Its like "Hey lets make the most feature rich MMO out there!", and not have enough business sense to realize that is like saying "lets make the largest sky scraper in the world!" and not really know how to make it happen. It takes a lot more than just an idea, to make things a reality.
This is just what happens when you have too many idealist running around... sigh.
First I want to offer my deepest sympathies to all the employees of Sigil. No matter what your stance on the issue, I think most people would agree that this was not handled in the correct manner. Employees being fired in the parking lot, after putting much work into a game is not right period.
However I've been a long time supporter of Brad, despite things I had been hearing, I have been with Vanguard since early beta, and I've known for a while that things did not feel right, but I've stuck with it. I put a lot of time and effort into providing feedback and bug reports during beta, and after beta. I invested myself into Vanguard because to me as so many others it had become a beacon of hope, I shared brads "Vision" his original vision, the one that the game was founded on, the one that has morphed over time, and has become what it is now.
I have friends in Vanguard, I have a lot invested, but at this point, I cannot continue to play. I am not a SoE hater, and I agree that they might have a chance to save this game. Maybe one day, a long time from now I'll come back, but I doubt it, by then I will have moved on again. This game may still have a chance to be great, but I am afraid I will not be there to see it.
What it comes down to, for me is that I don't like feeling lied to and that is what has happened, anyone who was with vanguard through beta, knows what it was then, is not what it is now. I was on the fence, about the SoE takeover however, the way in which this was handled becomes the final nail in the coffin that i have been crafting since the day beta ended.
I wish the best to all of my friends who continue to play Vanguard, and the best to Sony, as they try and make this game what it should have been to begin with. I wish the best to the employees of Sigil as they search for new jobs, but most of all, I am disappointed with you Brad, I know that the fault for this cannot fall squarely on one persons shoulders, however, I'll admit it, I've been a Fanboi. I've been on the forums defending you, even when doing so, had become illogical, because you were an Icon to me, and many others. Today, I could not feel more hurt.
All the best,
Tamati Wiremu,
Baelthor Lightbeard
Former : UO, EQ, WoW, DaoC, Horizons, SWG, CoH/CoV, Vanguard SoH. Player
I'm amazed that no one took people seriously when they said "SOE will ruin it" I'm pretty damn sure they had a hand in this, I hope those folks get some decent jobs again and perhaps learn from the mistake of working with such badly reputed people.
Yeah, I'm sure the $40 million dollars and 6 years of development for this steaming pile all rests on SoE's shoulders. Even though they didn't pick it up till Turbine booted Brad for failing to meet any of his projected timeline goals, it's somehow Sony's fault. You realize, when you make such stupid and ill informed comments, that's how you come across? You look like a bitter, angry fanboi who'd rather behave like a petulant child than someone interested in the actual facts at hand. As for your "SOE will ruin it", you do realize the game wouldn't have been published if SoE hadn't gotten involved? Nah, you don't, you'd rather blame everyone but those truly responsible for Vanguard's failure, Brad and Co.
Don't you believe there is the slimmest chance that SOE could turn it around? Save the day? All that good stuff...
Me either.
Even as a SoE "hater" I don't think they should be getting the blaime for this, as Sigil were the ones that messed it up but ..... no I still don't think there is any chance SoE can save the day.
I'm amazed that no one took people seriously when they said "SOE will ruin it" I'm pretty damn sure they had a hand in this, I hope those folks get some decent jobs again and perhaps learn from the mistake of working with such badly reputed people.
Yeah, I'm sure the $40 (actually $30) million dollars and 6 years of development for this steaming pile all rests on SoE's shoulders. Even though they didn't pick it up till Turbine (it was Microsoft) booted Brad for failing to meet any of his projected timeline goals, it's somehow Sony's fault. You realize, when you make such stupid and ill informed (pot, kettle, black?) comments, that's how you come across? You look like a bitter, angry fanboi who'd rather behave like a petulant child than someone interested in the actual facts at hand. As for your "SOE will ruin it", you do realize the game wouldn't have been published if SoE hadn't gotten involved? Nah, you don't, you'd rather blame everyone but those truly responsible for Vanguard's failure, Brad and Co.
If your going to launch a broadside, at least make sure your cannon is pointing the right way
I think Sony is the only way that they will have a chance to recoup some of the money spent. I'm not a big fan of SoE, but I have played some of their games. I will admit that they have done pure wonders for the EQ2 development. While I'm not subscribed to any MMO currently, I think EQ2 is the best MMO on the market. I don't think this game will ever be what it could have been, but I think the best bet is to go with SoE. I'm sure it is no coincidence that this has happened in the middle of talk with Sony.
I'm amazed that no one took people seriously when they said "SOE will ruin it" I'm pretty damn sure they had a hand in this, I hope those folks get some decent jobs again and perhaps learn from the mistake of working with such badly reputed people.
Yeah, I'm sure the $40 (actually $30) million dollars and 6 years of development for this steaming pile all rests on SoE's shoulders. Even though they didn't pick it up till Turbine (it was Microsoft) booted Brad for failing to meet any of his projected timeline goals, it's somehow Sony's fault. You realize, when you make such stupid and ill informed (pot, kettle, black?) comments, that's how you come across? You look like a bitter, angry fanboi who'd rather behave like a petulant child than someone interested in the actual facts at hand. As for your "SOE will ruin it", you do realize the game wouldn't have been published if SoE hadn't gotten involved? Nah, you don't, you'd rather blame everyone but those truly responsible for Vanguard's failure, Brad and Co.
If your going to launch a broadside, at least make sure your cannon is pointing the right way
Really? I went off memory. I'm sorry, the particulars weren't correct, but let's reflect on what is correct. 1. Millions of dollars were wasted under a different developer (I was off by 10 million), 2 Microsoft ( of whom, Turbine was an entity and the only big name mmorpg developer attatched to microsoft) did in fact terminate funding because of Sigil's failure to meet any kind of deadlines. So, go ahead and attack me but totally ignore the "OMG SOE IS EVIL FOR HURTING VANGUARD" fanbase.
If SOE buys this game and fixes it up, i will sure as hell be playing it
honestly, i don't see why everyone hates SOE so much. i mean, sure, there was NGE but that was years ago, and was also partly, if not mostly because of Lucas Arts, so get over it. imo they've been doing quite well recently with eq, eq2, and planetside (the 3 main games i play). sure, everquest is outdated, but they've been doing ok with it, and planetside isn't exaclty perfect, but its pretty fun. eq2 has been releasing good content (free starting city + race soon ) and good expansions, and the next one looks even better .
bottom line, SOE is not nearly as bad as many would have you believe, maybe the SWG team was bad, maybe you don't like Smedly very much, but SOE as a whole is not nearly as bad as what some people would like you to think.
SOE had nothing to do with Vanguard sucking atm, i hate the way people kept assuring everyone that Vanguard would be great because SOE were going to do nothing except distribute it and then a few months later they start blaming all the problems with Vanguard on SOE. face it, its Sigil's fault and nobody elses, they said so themselves (not directly obviously, but they did say SOE played no part in the development of Vanguard.)
played: EQ, EQ2, PS, WoW, CoX, VSoH, GW, LotRO
ones that don't suck: PS, EQ, EQ2
main mmo: EQ2
waiting for: Darkfall(if it ever comes out), PotBS (sounds good)
All I have to say if you want to 'hear' the most disinterested 'visionary* (/puke) you'll ever hear in your life. Pop in your Vanguard pre-order DVD and watch the behind the scenes info.
Brad is about engaging and full of excitement as Ben Stein. I can't believe marketing let that video on the disc, oh wait... Brad probably did the marketing as part of his 'vision'.
I feel bad for those employees, absentee management just doesn't cut it, at some point people need direction.
It's going to take some time to right all the wrongs and retune that engine so it can appeal to more folks. It might have been a good business deal, but man it's also a lot of work.
Look at it this way also. If SoE doesn't publish Vanguard, you don't get to see it, or you get to but much earlier in development.
If SoE didn't buy it, those folks have nowhere to go[, at least now some may have a shot with SoE.
Brad drove this bus into the ditch, he's the HMFIC, and he didn't cut it. That's the long and short of it.
He's not nearly charismatic enough or apparently intelligent enough to handle what he set out to do.
Watch and listen to him on that disc..... unbelievable, the minute I heard that I shook my head.
I'm amazed that no one took people seriously when they said "SOE will ruin it" I'm pretty damn sure they had a hand in this, I hope those folks get some decent jobs again and perhaps learn from the mistake of working with such badly reputed people.
Yeah, I'm sure the $40 (actually $30) (Actually, all that was ever released was that it was more than 30 million in the New York Times Interview, so it could be just over 30, or closer to 40) million dollars and 6 years of development for this steaming pile all rests on SoE's shoulders. Even though they didn't pick it up till Turbine (it was Microsoft) booted Brad for failing to meet any of his projected timeline goals, it's somehow Sony's fault. You realize, when you make such stupid and ill informed (pot, kettle, black?) comments, that's how you come across? You look like a bitter, angry fanboi who'd rather behave like a petulant child than someone interested in the actual facts at hand. As for your "SOE will ruin it", you do realize the game wouldn't have been published if SoE hadn't gotten involved? Nah, you don't, you'd rather blame everyone but those truly responsible for Vanguard's failure, Brad and Co.
If your going to launch a broadside, at least make sure your cannon is pointing the right way
Im tired of the relentless SOE hating to now, fair enough they have made big mistakes before, but they also have done some things right. Look at EQ 2 for example, it had a rocky start but now its going stronger than ever and it has another big expansion coming up. They have even kept EQ appealing and thats one of the MMO ancients.
I think SOE will most probably do what they can to turn Vanguard around.
Either way, its sad that a game with so much potential is bombing so badly and it seems the innocent are suffering for it and not the perpetrators, as always.
Garrik
________________________________
"once upon a midnight dreary, while i porn surfed, weak and weary, over many a strange and spurious site of 'hot xxx galore'. While i clicked my fav'rite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, and my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour, " 'Tis not possible!", i muttered, "give me back my free hardcore!"..... quoth the server, 404."
I honestly think SOE can do this. To be honest, I actually trust SOE in a way. I thought they did an awesome job with returning EQ2 to life, even though it was a tad bit late. Brad and Sigil was just corrupt. Brad was just an idiot that honestly didn't even care about the game...he just wanted the money. I will NEVER try a game under the name Brad McQuaid ever again. Even if it's a perfect 10/10 score. SOE can do this, I'm rooting for them here on out. Maybe they will make Vanguard the game it was suppost to be.
/played-mmorpgs
Total time played:9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds
Well I have to agree that with Brad gone the game has a chance.
The problem with Vanguard is the staff is gone and while SOE might hire some of them, you will still have a very reduced staff trying to fix a game that still needs a lot of work. That does not bode well for Vanguard.
We will just have to wait and see what SOE can do with it. Let us hope that Smedley can keep his hands off it, because everyone knows what happens when Smedley gets involved.
Personally I am just extremely glad I canceled before all this crap happened. Going to take awhile for SOE to get things sorted out, that means no fixes for awhile.
Heh, I remember back before Vanguard was released it was being labeled as "the final nail in SWG's coffin." all over these forums. Looks like SWG survives another supposed threat Infact, SWG has even started picking up Vanguard refugees!
They WERE foolish enough to buy into complete, utter crap once. Why not again?
Gogo stationpass!
-- xpaladin
[MMOz] AC1/2, AO, DAoC, EQ1/2, SoR, SWG, UO, WAR, WoW
Today I would like to formally announce that SOE has acquired the assets of Sigil Games Online, including Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. As a part of this acquisition, we are bringing on approx 50 people from Sigil in order to insure that Vanguard continues to grow. SOE is dedicated to making sure that Vanguard is well taken care of and that we provide the same level of service we do for our other titles. In the near future we will come out with a publishing plan that will largely be driven by the strong player community that Vanguard has already built up. We plan on supporting Vanguard for many years to come, and you can expect many content updates as part of your subscription. Down the line we will of course be coming out with new expansion packs, but right now the focus is on making sure Vanguard is running the way it should be.
We are also officially opening up forums. In the past, our deal with Sigil didn't allow for this, but as with our other games we fill this is an important part of communicating with the playerbase. You can expect a strong presence from our community team as well as the development team members. While we realize that Sigil had said they wouldn't open up general forums, at SOE we fill this hampers our efforts to communicate effectively with the players. We will continue to support the fansites in a big way, and will be contacting many of them directly to discuss what this change means. By no means do we want to lose the strong fansite support by making this change, but we do think it's important to have a forum for players to communicate directly with SOE.
A few other items I wanted to mention
1. Brad McQuaid will be consultant to SOE as a creative advisor for Vanguard. Dave Gilbertson will be the person directly responsible for the day-to-day management of both the Sigil Carlsbad office as well as Vanguard.
2. We do not plan on making any major changes to Vanguard. Any changes are going to come from the team itself. We aren't mandating any big changes to the game. We've learned a thing or two with our experiences with the NGE and don't plan on repeating mistakes from the past and not listening to the players.
3. We do plan on spending a lot of time cleaning up legacy issues with Vanguard and making sure the game's performance improves.
By way of comparison, this team is approx. the same size as the EQ2 team and I feel like that team has done an amazing job improving EQ2 since it's launch. We intend to do the same thing for Vanguard and it is our hope that the players feel like we're doing right by them.
Im tired of the relentless SOE hating to now, fair enough they have made big mistakes before, but they also have done some things right. Look at EQ 2 for example, it had a rocky start but now its going stronger than ever and it has another big expansion coming up. They have even kept EQ appealing and thats one of the MMO ancients. I think SOE will most probably do what they can to turn Vanguard around.
Okay -- there's too much SOE cheering in this thread. Time for a reality check.
Have they done anything right? Sure, a few things. They manage to keep a subscriber base occupied well enough, and they're great at churning out expansions. They've also screwed up quite often. Many, many times in many, many different ways.
The core of the problem is that their vision is limited, as they still obey the EQ philosophy for games. But that's to be expected considering they invented that standard. Unfortunately this unwillingness to change formulas has also resulted in the destruction of a lot of cool, innovative features. For example, SOE seriously nerfed the atmosphere of the game after they took over Matrix Online and thus far the major contribution has been a combat system revamp. The same problem happened with Star Wars Galaxies, a combat revamp removed most of the sandbox elements of the game.
If anything, Vanguard tried to be a step above other MMOGs with its combat system and other features. A SOE takeover means that the game will stagnate for a while whilst SOE tries to figure out what to do with it, and it will almost certainly wind up having its combat "revamped." They would want to bring Vanguard into the fold of their EQ-think philosophy because it facilitates transfer between games using station pass.
Folks, face it -- SOE produces half assed, bugged, and broken games well enough on their own. Anyone that's worked with code knows that if you inherit half assed, bugged, and broken code the time investment required to make it work is actually more work than it is to simply replace the basic functionality. Expecting them to have a complete shift of their modus operandi entirely because of one game is just wholly unrealistic. Even if they did create a team with this intention in mind, it would take them quite a while to learn the code base well enough to declare competence with it.
You guys are giving SOE way more credit than they deserve.
-- xpaladin
[MMOz] AC1/2, AO, DAoC, EQ1/2, SoR, SWG, UO, WAR, WoW
SOE didn't just ruin SWG- some of us hate them passionately because of what they did to PlanetSide. They literally funneled our subscription money into other projects. SOE doesn't give a fuck about gamers. They are an awful company. Bottom line.
I also find it funny that the brainchild of EverQuest; a carebear fantasy world- and now Vanguard- is a little douche bag with no sense of responsibility; and no spine. Surprise, surprise.
SOE is simply a business outfit. They exist to make money not make your lives happier or try to save the world by stopping poverty or make the world a better place to live in. Of course they don't care about what players think, they are there to rake in the cash and watch the bottom line. If you don't like SOE then don't ever play any games that are published by them.
I would not blame anyone. Even if a game doesn't succeed that doesn't mean all people don't like it. It just means that a lot of people don't like it. Personally I like Vanguard more then any other SOE game then EQ and believe it has more potential then any of their games right now so that would be reason enough to try and keep it afloat. If they make it more casual freindly and finish the product people will play it I'm sure. I think these guys wanted to make a game that they just didn't have enough money to complete. They wanted to do a lot of things that people have asked for, but it was too much and the game ended up half finished on release as well as only appealing to the people who can spend a lot of time playing the game to advance. SOE would be smart to keep this game going, complete it, and make it a little less time consuming. Then it will draw a lot of people I believe. To bad for the people who lost their jobs, but at least they made some money for a little while.
Comments
He probably went MIA at about the same time he realized that by jumping in bed with SOE his vision for Vanguard was gone. He was probably not really in charge of the project from that point forward. You can see that the game is not only unfinished in code, but in concept as well.
This really is a common phenomena now days.
Entrepreneur has a great idea and puts together a company to make it happen.
Funding runs low, and is left with no choice but to sell out.
New management is so heavy handed that the original idea is shot, which defeated the whole purpose of making it in the first place.
Cut and run.
The only thing that the founders of Sigil can really be blamed for is not having a good enough initial plan that would support their intended goals. Its like "Hey lets make the most feature rich MMO out there!", and not have enough business sense to realize that is like saying "lets make the largest sky scraper in the world!" and not really know how to make it happen. It takes a lot more than just an idea, to make things a reality.
This is just what happens when you have too many idealist running around... sigh.
However I've been a long time supporter of Brad, despite things I had been hearing, I have been with Vanguard since early beta, and I've known for a while that things did not feel right, but I've stuck with it. I put a lot of time and effort into providing feedback and bug reports during beta, and after beta. I invested myself into Vanguard because to me as so many others it had become a beacon of hope, I shared brads "Vision" his original vision, the one that the game was founded on, the one that has morphed over time, and has become what it is now.
I have friends in Vanguard, I have a lot invested, but at this point, I cannot continue to play. I am not a SoE hater, and I agree that they might have a chance to save this game. Maybe one day, a long time from now I'll come back, but I doubt it, by then I will have moved on again. This game may still have a chance to be great, but I am afraid I will not be there to see it.
What it comes down to, for me is that I don't like feeling lied to and that is what has happened, anyone who was with vanguard through beta, knows what it was then, is not what it is now. I was on the fence, about the SoE takeover however, the way in which this was handled becomes the final nail in the coffin that i have been crafting since the day beta ended.
I wish the best to all of my friends who continue to play Vanguard, and the best to Sony, as they try and make this game what it should have been to begin with. I wish the best to the employees of Sigil as they search for new jobs, but most of all, I am disappointed with you Brad, I know that the fault for this cannot fall squarely on one persons shoulders, however, I'll admit it, I've been a Fanboi. I've been on the forums defending you, even when doing so, had become illogical, because you were an Icon to me, and many others. Today, I could not feel more hurt.
All the best,
Tamati Wiremu,
Baelthor Lightbeard
Former : UO, EQ, WoW, DaoC, Horizons, SWG, CoH/CoV, Vanguard SoH. Player
Currently: Looking
TwitchTV Partnered Streamer
MMORPG.com Spotlight Blog Writer
Co-Leader of Inquisition
Youtube Channel
If your going to launch a broadside, at least make sure your cannon is pointing the right way
Really? I went off memory. I'm sorry, the particulars weren't correct, but let's reflect on what is correct. 1. Millions of dollars were wasted under a different developer (I was off by 10 million), 2 Microsoft ( of whom, Turbine was an entity and the only big name mmorpg developer attatched to microsoft) did in fact terminate funding because of Sigil's failure to meet any kind of deadlines. So, go ahead and attack me but totally ignore the "OMG SOE IS EVIL FOR HURTING VANGUARD" fanbase.
If SOE buys this game and fixes it up, i will sure as hell be playing it
honestly, i don't see why everyone hates SOE so much. i mean, sure, there was NGE but that was years ago, and was also partly, if not mostly because of Lucas Arts, so get over it. imo they've been doing quite well recently with eq, eq2, and planetside (the 3 main games i play). sure, everquest is outdated, but they've been doing ok with it, and planetside isn't exaclty perfect, but its pretty fun. eq2 has been releasing good content (free starting city + race soon
) and good expansions, and the next one looks even better 
.
bottom line, SOE is not nearly as bad as many would have you believe, maybe the SWG team was bad, maybe you don't like Smedly very much, but SOE as a whole is not nearly as bad as what some people would like you to think.
SOE had nothing to do with Vanguard sucking atm, i hate the way people kept assuring everyone that Vanguard would be great because SOE were going to do nothing except distribute it and then a few months later they start blaming all the problems with Vanguard on SOE. face it, its Sigil's fault and nobody elses, they said so themselves (not directly obviously, but they did say SOE played no part in the development of Vanguard.)
played: EQ, EQ2, PS, WoW, CoX, VSoH, GW, LotRO
ones that don't suck: PS, EQ, EQ2
main mmo: EQ2
waiting for: Darkfall(if it ever comes out), PotBS (sounds good)
Brad is about engaging and full of excitement as Ben Stein. I can't believe marketing let that video on the disc, oh wait... Brad probably did the marketing as part of his 'vision'.
I feel bad for those employees, absentee management just doesn't cut it, at some point people need direction.
It's going to take some time to right all the wrongs and retune that engine so it can appeal to more folks. It might have been a good business deal, but man it's also a lot of work.
Look at it this way also. If SoE doesn't publish Vanguard, you don't get to see it, or you get to but much earlier in development.
If SoE didn't buy it, those folks have nowhere to go[, at least now some may have a shot with SoE.
Brad drove this bus into the ditch, he's the HMFIC, and he didn't cut it. That's the long and short of it.
He's not nearly charismatic enough or apparently intelligent enough to handle what he set out to do.
Watch and listen to him on that disc..... unbelievable, the minute I heard that I shook my head.
Visionary my ass.
If your going to launch a broadside, at least make sure your cannon is pointing the right way
Im tired of the relentless SOE hating to now, fair enough they have made big mistakes before, but they also have done some things right. Look at EQ 2 for example, it had a rocky start but now its going stronger than ever and it has another big expansion coming up. They have even kept EQ appealing and thats one of the MMO ancients.
I think SOE will most probably do what they can to turn Vanguard around.
Either way, its sad that a game with so much potential is bombing so badly and it seems the innocent are suffering for it and not the perpetrators, as always.
Garrik
________________________________
"once upon a midnight dreary, while i porn surfed, weak and weary, over many a strange and spurious site of 'hot xxx galore'. While i clicked my fav'rite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, and my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour, " 'Tis not possible!", i muttered, "give me back my free hardcore!"..... quoth the server, 404."
Total time played: 9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds
Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds
Well I have to agree that with Brad gone the game has a chance.
The problem with Vanguard is the staff is gone and while SOE might hire some of them, you will still have a very reduced staff trying to fix a game that still needs a lot of work. That does not bode well for Vanguard.
We will just have to wait and see what SOE can do with it. Let us hope that Smedley can keep his hands off it, because everyone knows what happens when Smedley gets involved.
Personally I am just extremely glad I canceled before all this crap happened. Going to take awhile for SOE to get things sorted out, that means no fixes for awhile.
Whats so hard to understand?
The management gets paid more because they got more on their shoulders and the service department got laid in the parking lot.
Simple!
Korvass = sausagebottom, hahahahahaha
Gogo stationpass!
-- xpaladin
[MMOz]
AC1/2, AO, DAoC, EQ1/2, SoR, SWG, UO, WAR, WoW
Whats so hard to understand?
The management gets paid more because they got more on their shoulders and the service department got laid in the parking lot.
Simple!
Woah! The service department got laid in the parking lot? I thought they got fired! What's so bad about that then?(I know what you really meant)
Hello Everyone,
Today I would like to formally announce that SOE has acquired the assets of Sigil Games Online, including Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. As a part of this acquisition, we are bringing on approx 50 people from Sigil in order to insure that Vanguard continues to grow. SOE is dedicated to making sure that Vanguard is well taken care of and that we provide the same level of service we do for our other titles. In the near future we will come out with a publishing plan that will largely be driven by the strong player community that Vanguard has already built up. We plan on supporting Vanguard for many years to come, and you can expect many content updates as part of your subscription. Down the line we will of course be coming out with new expansion packs, but right now the focus is on making sure Vanguard is running the way it should be.
We are also officially opening up forums. In the past, our deal with Sigil didn't allow for this, but as with our other games we fill this is an important part of communicating with the playerbase. You can expect a strong presence from our community team as well as the development team members. While we realize that Sigil had said they wouldn't open up general forums, at SOE we fill this hampers our efforts to communicate effectively with the players. We will continue to support the fansites in a big way, and will be contacting many of them directly to discuss what this change means. By no means do we want to lose the strong fansite support by making this change, but we do think it's important to have a forum for players to communicate directly with SOE.
A few other items I wanted to mention
1. Brad McQuaid will be consultant to SOE as a creative advisor for Vanguard. Dave Gilbertson will be the person directly responsible for the day-to-day management of both the Sigil Carlsbad office as well as Vanguard.
2. We do not plan on making any major changes to Vanguard. Any changes are going to come from the team itself. We aren't mandating any big changes to the game. We've learned a thing or two with our experiences with the NGE and don't plan on repeating mistakes from the past and not listening to the players.
3. We do plan on spending a lot of time cleaning up legacy issues with Vanguard and making sure the game's performance improves.
By way of comparison, this team is approx. the same size as the EQ2 team and I feel like that team has done an amazing job improving EQ2 since it's launch. We intend to do the same thing for Vanguard and it is our hope that the players feel like we're doing right by them.
Smed
Have they done anything right? Sure, a few things. They manage to keep a subscriber base occupied well enough, and they're great at churning out expansions. They've also screwed up quite often. Many, many times in many, many different ways.
The core of the problem is that their vision is limited, as they still obey the EQ philosophy for games. But that's to be expected considering they invented that standard. Unfortunately this unwillingness to change formulas has also resulted in the destruction of a lot of cool, innovative features. For example, SOE seriously nerfed the atmosphere of the game after they took over Matrix Online and thus far the major contribution has been a combat system revamp. The same problem happened with Star Wars Galaxies, a combat revamp removed most of the sandbox elements of the game.
If anything, Vanguard tried to be a step above other MMOGs with its combat system and other features. A SOE takeover means that the game will stagnate for a while whilst SOE tries to figure out what to do with it, and it will almost certainly wind up having its combat "revamped." They would want to bring Vanguard into the fold of their EQ-think philosophy because it facilitates transfer between games using station pass.
Folks, face it -- SOE produces half assed, bugged, and broken games well enough on their own. Anyone that's worked with code knows that if you inherit half assed, bugged, and broken code the time investment required to make it work is actually more work than it is to simply replace the basic functionality. Expecting them to have a complete shift of their modus operandi entirely because of one game is just wholly unrealistic. Even if they did create a team with this intention in mind, it would take them quite a while to learn the code base well enough to declare competence with it.
You guys are giving SOE way more credit than they deserve.
-- xpaladin
[MMOz]
AC1/2, AO, DAoC, EQ1/2, SoR, SWG, UO, WAR, WoW
SOE didn't just ruin SWG- some of us hate them passionately because of what they did to PlanetSide. They literally funneled our subscription money into other projects. SOE doesn't give a fuck about gamers. They are an awful company. Bottom line.
I also find it funny that the brainchild of EverQuest; a carebear fantasy world- and now Vanguard- is a little douche bag with no sense of responsibility; and no spine. Surprise, surprise.
Coming from someone who played EverQuest, Star Wars Galaxies, PlanetSide and EverQuest2.
Sony Online Entertainment is such an incredibly lame company that they will do anything to line their pockets with money.
They even fuck over their dedicated gamers who have been subscribing since 2001.
That's 6 years of monthly payments.
I have paid them over $1080 in subscription fees and who knows how much more in retail purchases and expansion packs.
I will NEVER, EVER buy another product that has anything to do with Sony Online Entertainment again.