| Written by Mark C. Barlet, on 16-12-2006 15:26 |
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Ablegamers sits down with Todd Mesten, Associate Producer of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, to ask about the game, and what we should expect.
Q: Can you tell us what sets your game apart from a very crowded market?
A: There are many, many things that distinguish Vanguard from the other MMOGs that are coming to market; I can list a few for you.
- Massive. We are putting the M back in uh, MMOG!
Our game world is tremendously vast.
We build the game world in 2000 x 2000 kilometer blocks t
 hat we call "chunks."
We have somewhere in the realm of 200+ chunks currently in the game now, with expansion ideas for hundreds more already planned out.
Trying to see all of the sights around the world will be a full time job; let alone leveling up in the process.
- Difficulty. We're gearing Vanguard to appeal to players who are looking for content and game play that is a bit more challenging than some current titles in the game space.
We are still going to ease players into the world gently, but soon after you should expect the difficulty curve to take a turn.
We are hoping that strategy mixed with an understanding of the surroundings will separate the ‘great’ from the ‘average’ in terms of successful progression amongst players.
We want achievements to feel meaningful with rites of passage that players can be proud of accomplishing.
- Spheres. There are multiple dimensions in which players level up.
You will have your standard adventuring level, but in addition you will have crafting, harvesting and diplomacy level and ability progression as well.
Whether you are logged in for five minutes of five hours, there is always something for you to do either solo or in a group.
There are many interdependencies between the spheres as well which will motivate players to advance in as many areas as they can.
Each sphere has its own rewards and achievements as well which can help set you apart from other players in terms of appearance and prestige.
Q: Have you thought about disabled gamers before, and how they would approach your game?
A: Aside from scaling text to be more visible and control of multiple sound sliders, I must admit to not giving this aspect a great deal of thought.
I know there are several tools available in the operating systems now that deal with scaling, visibility, mouse sensitivity and such that should carry over into the application.
Q:How flexible is the control systems, like key maps and such, can actions that are common in the game be mapped to keys?
A: There is a very comprehensive macro system for creating custom hotkeys that are fully configurable.
Hotkey bars can be stacked horizontally and vertically in several locations on screen to make access even easier.
Q: I hear from the grapevine that your game will bring back the naked corpse run, is this true? (If YES) What were you thinking?
A: This is partially true. =)
 When you die in Vanguard you do appear naked at the closest altar location.
From this point there are several choices.
Retrieving your corpse by making a naked run or gearing up with back-up equipment is always going to be the most beneficial way of getting back to your corpse if for some reason you can not get a resurrection from a healer.
If time is short or the journey back just too dangerous, there is always the option of buying your items back from the Gods at the altar.
The more danger an area presents, the longer the timer will be on your ability to get your items back through the altar, so you may choose to make a few runs to retrieve your stuff in the interim.
There will also be several tools at your disposal to aid in corpse retrieval such as invisibility spells, stealth, feign death, and corpse dragging.
We are striving to provide a plethora of options to make the journey back fun and interesting.
Q: In my opinion, Drag and Drop can be very hard for someone with motor issues in the arm and hands, how much drag and drop will we see in Vanguard?
A: Drag and drop is not a mandatory action in the game.
Players will generally have the choice to double click to equip something, or drag and drop.
There is also an optional display message if you accidentally drag and drop something off the interface to be deleted that requires a "Yes" or "No" confirmation.
Q: What can we do in Vanguard, is there a hunting and crafting component? What else should we expect?
A: Vanguard is broken into three major categories: Adventuring, Crafting/Harvesting, and Diplomacy.
Adventuring is undoubtedly the lion's share of game play, but the other spheres are fully fleshed out and deep.
Crafting will lead to such high end activities as ship and house building, while Diplomacy leads to Writ and Embassy actions along with Civic Diplomacy.
Q: Before AbleGamers Reached out to you, had you thought about disabled gamers?
A: Aside from the obvious things related to sight and sound, I must admit I personally have not given this aspect much thought.
I am hoping to get some feedback from this interview though that can help me better understand what we can do.
Q: I have found that people with disabilities are very loyal to a game that they enjoy. "The game" is a great equalizer to many, because everyone is bound by the rules of the game, for example, a player can only run faster than the game allows, so why should a gamer, especially a disabled gamer choose Vanguard?
A: People who are looking for a grand immersive world will definitely want to check out Vanguard.
If you enjoy character advancement and building along with exploration and discovery, Vanguard should definitely keep you busy for years to come.
There is also a great deal of variety in the activities you can engage in which should help keep players engaged and interested.
I hear the music is pretty good too. =)
Recommend this article... Last update: 26-02-2008 19:48
| Published in : Disabled Gamers News, Game news |
| Keywords : crafting/harvesting, interdependencies, accomplishing, averageâ, comprehensive, understanding, accidentally, achievements, configurable, confirmation, |
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