The Natives Are Restless!!!

The natives are restless I tell you! It never ceases to amaze me, either in real life or the world of Vanguard, how a lack of information or content being posted by developers causes people to see pink elephants and assume the Doomsday is near. The last few weeks since Fanguard have been very quiet as the Sigil staff quietly presses on with the task at hand, beta zero. I think this is good news. And while the information stream is not totally choked off, the production of data at the rate I would like to consume it at is painstakingly slow. That being said, there still are some golden nuggets to be had.

Point 1:

Sigil hired it's first round of Game Masters (GMs). Hello! This is wonderful news. While I personally do not read this as beta one is right around the corner; you cannot have beta one without GMs. Unfortunately, from my current location I was unable to attend Fanguard Beta, but by all accounts the people who were hired for the GM positions already had some CS experience. I think this will be a very helpful commodity. The new GMs should be setting up shop in "San Dog" (San Diego) and begin Sigil's training soon.

Point 2:

My last article really had me thinking. Obviously, it made a lot of you also think about what beta is all about. Unfortunately, a few people thought I was asking Beta participants to divulge either the NDA itself or information that was covered by the NDA (I am still amazed by that personally). I am going to go out on a limb here and not only speak for Vanguard Spheres, but also every other Vanguard affiliated site: DO NOT DISCLOSE THE NDA OR INFORMATION COVERED BY THE NDA! I know I want to keep my job here and I don't want be the cause of losing what we have worked so hard for, affiliate status. I am sure the same could be said for every other affiliated site. This misinterpretation is as regrettable as it was preventable.

Point 3:

I have watched with amusement as the beta zero screen shots continue to flow from Sigil at their current level of detail. Now I know that the intent of beta zero is game play and mechanics, but have the graphics improved at all? I have seen some models that really made me go wow (no pun intended). I definitely like the realistic look of the models and I am eagerly anticipating beta one when the sliders are incorporated into the character generator. Seeing pot bellied goblins, ripped half-giants, and burly dwarves is something all of us can look forward to. I was reading a thread where they talked about all the different combinations of character races, classes, and slider inputs and the variety is truly obscene. The chance for the exact same character to exist in Telon will be very remote. Compare that to every red-headed female high elf cleric running around Norrath and this will be a welcome change in my book.

I scratch my head in amusement, befuddlement, and wonder all at the same time then when I read threads saying that the models are terrible or the graphics suck. Ever since the last batch of beta zero screenshots arrived, Brad McQuaid has stated repeatedly that the graphics still are being worked on but that graphics are not the priority in beta zero. So why still complain? Since everyone is complaining, here is my wish list for Sigil:

1) No lag please
2) Character models that do not cause lag
3) Game play that does not cause lag
4) MOB models that do not cause lag
5) Spell effects that do not cause lag

Before all of you jump down my throat and say my computer or my net connection needs an upgrade to reduce lag, I had state of the art equipment when Luclin was released. I went out and dropped some serious coin when I heard about the new models being released by SOE and STILL had lag. For me personally, lag is the killer. I can deal with almost anything but lag. So when I see these complaints I just have to chuckle. You can have the sweetest models on the block but everything else is moot if the game plays terrible. I know there are people out there saying with all the technology available, Sigil should be able to produce great models with no lag. I am not so sure about that but if you are, feel free to start your own company and get to work ASAP! I will fully support and report your efforts! For the rest of you though, I think it bears mentioning, as I did in my last article. We all have to remember this is Sigil's MMORPG, not our own. We’ll just get to play it.

Point 4:

The Vanguard forums have reached 20,000 users. This is quite an achievement! Congratulations Sigil. This just goes to show that people are really starting to take notice of the game. This also inevitably signals a change from those of us who have followed Vanguard from when it was simply a "game being developed by Sigil" to now, where a slew of new people are coming on board. We’ve all seen the countless posts in the forums, "When does beta start?" followed by the quick retort of "Read the FAQ!" and "Oh, he just lost his shot at beta." I pray every night that our beloved Vanguard forums remain civil!

The Sidebar!

Yes, another topic to broach here. Mrs. Melchizedek continues to follow Vanguard when I cannot. She has seen some new models and said they were looking sharp! For those of us who realize that our Vanguard play time is directly proportional to our spouses interest level in said game, this is always a good sign. Thank you Mr. McQuaid! One of my friends recently asked me how I got my wife interested in MMORPGs. I honestly do not know. Maybe it was that I sat down with her and explained the game? Maybe it is because I spend quality time with my wife that is just between her and I? Maybe it's the flowers for no reason? Maybe it is because I go away for long periods of time and she likes to see me walking on my treadmill while I play MMORPGs? (I plan to post a pic of this eventually) I cannot however answer the question but I do know that I am a lucky man.

At this point I am pretty sure I'll be playing Vanguard at an increased level, but I doubt I will ever achieve the elite EQ status of 9 to 10 hour raiding sessions each day (I will sorely miss this). This is not only for my wife’s benefit, but also for my kids! The Kids! I must admit however that they are following Vanguard too! Granted, my 9 year old would much rather play baseball and fish in his "big back yard" than play Vanguard. And you know what? I think he may just have something there. I am off to smell the roses. Well actually, pick the sand out from between my toes. Until next time!