Although it was hard as @#$%, I have not liked any MMO as much as I liked EQ. Consequently, I have been very curious about Vanguard, the "spiritual successor" to EQ, created by two of EQ's founders: Brad McQuaid and Jeff Butler.
For years I have been curious :) The game has been in development for 4 years and it is now months away from release.
I have heard various rumblings about the game, most of which have been less than enthusiastic, so I was very curious to hear this interview with Jeff Butler. While the interview does not cover nearly as much as I would like to know, it is still very interesting.
The Vanguard team has definitely been thinking about a lot of the MMO issues both as a game and a business. Jeff's comments lead me to believe that they have made intelligent choices to address them and most importantly, have built an engine with a long-range plan for adding future cool stuff. As always, the proof will be in the actual game, not the interviews of previews, but I am hopeful.
The discussion covers topics like:
- The importance of creating a sense of fear and loss, and how to do so without a real death penalty.
- Thinking of MMO's as a service not a product or work of art.
- The ease of play and game features in an era of free information on the internet.
- What constitutes a players "investment" or "achievement".
- How to cater to several types of gamers when they have totally different game experience goals.
- What a complex business MMO's really are and how that differs from traditional games/software.
I have been on an MMO hiatus for a while now, but I am looking forward to trying the game at launch. If you are an MMO fan, break out iTunes and give this GFW interview a listen.
GFW Radio - Podcast - 11/10/2006
Extra special bonus podcast! Jeff vs. Jeff! GFW editor-in-chief Jeff Green sits down with Jeff Butler, CEO of Sigil Studios and co-creator of the original EverQuest and the upcoming Vanguard to talk about MMOs, the challenge of competing with WoW, and life as we know it now that Britney Spears is single again.
