You gotta know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run.
You never count your money
when you’re sitting at the table
There’ll be time enough to count it
When the dealing’s done
I am a huge fan of SOE and their games. But even I could see what was coming when SOE agreed to publish Vanguard. There was no way ever that they weren’t already thinking how they would position it when it became their own.
All Brad and Jeff’s talk about Vanguard as a “3rd Generation Game” that went well beyond the mere “2nd gen” games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest 2 only distracted from their main message — this was a game for GAMERS. It wouldn’t coddle you. It would be hard. When you gained a level, the heavens opened and angels sang because you had just accomplished something. You wouldn’t have to powerlevel to see the fun stuff, because it was all around you and all you had to have was a knack for adventure and a yen to explore.
That was the promise that energized me and thousands of other gamers. What we got was somewhat less. And then Brad started backpedaling from their promise… Vanguard was going to be as easy as World of Warcraft — they’d run tests! It was almost as easy to level in Vanguard as WoW! Travel time? We’re going to patch travel time out! Anything hard? It’s going away, we’re going to get rid of the hard things, it will be as easy as WoW (and if you play WoW, give Vanguard a try! It’s just as easy! We heart casual players so much!)
Enter Lord of the Rings Online, which was far more a spiritual successor to World of Warcraft in almost every way, and what is left for Vanguard?
Not much. SOE is left with a game very similar to EverQuest 2 both graphically and in game play. The only possible reason SOE could take it on is if they move it back to the original promise of a hardcore game for dedicated players who want a game they can spend five years exploring. Otherwise, EQ2 or Vanguard — there’s just no comparison. As things currently stand, EQ2 is vastly superior both in content and gameplay with extremely exciting things in the very near future, while Vanguard is just 16 gigabytes of potential.
So… expect Vanguard to be driven back to its original promise. And that will be a good thing. The industry needs a challenging MMO. Sure, EverQuest 1 is still around, but it’s on life support, and who would really recommend it to a new player? There’s tons of things to do at all levels, far more than any other game I can think of, but nobody to do it with except twinks. And they’re not going to group with new players.
With Vanguard being repositioned for hardcore players (that dreaded word), SOE must be setting its sights on its next conquest, Perpetual Entertainment. Its upcoming “Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising”, with its innovative squad-based gameplay set in the world of Roman mythology, and the under-development “Star Trek Online”, could fill some gaps SOE’s portfolio. The potentially hot Star Trek IP could be a real feather in their cap. I would not be surprised if this time next year, a lot of current Perpetual devs were wearing SOE badges.
If “Gods and Heroes” really takes off, I doubt SOE will be content just getting a publisher’s cut of the action. They’re gonna want the whole cookie.
3 thoughts on “SOE’s “The Gambler”, Vanguard-style”
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This is an intriguing idea… I’ll have to keep my eye on what they do. LoTRO is fun, but some meatier fare would be nice to switch to once in a while.
Mmm… Gods & Heroes. I’ve got a busy summer and fall ahead of me. I’ve got to find time for G&H, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Conan. Plus I want to check out EQ2 again, and still forge onward in LotRO.
I feel the same way. I’m taking Conan off my list, unless I get into the beta and it rocks. Pirates is a step away from the same old-same old, so I really have to give it a try. Unless LotRO can pull some new tricks out of its worn old hat, I’m not sure how much more time I can give it. I have a few more LotRO articles to write, and then I hope to be covering the new EQ2 live update with Neriak and the Arslai. And all other games go back in the drawer when Kunark comes out for EQ2.
I feel an excitement about EQ2 I haven’t felt since EQ1 was in its prime and I knew each new expansion would blow my mind (and each one did, up until and including Planes of Power). I don’t get the sense that people really felt that way about the Burning Crusade; certainly I did not; and I feel nothing about the upcoming LotRO content update because I know it’s just going to be more bear, boar, pig and spider killing. I am SO over that.