http://www.vanguardsoh.com/forums/showt ... ost1073246
Wow -- nice to see this and other videos popping up, plus more write-ups. This is all SO exciting.
My prediction is we will see a LOT more of both in the next week as people get back, prepare what video they took, put their notes together, etc.
I know there was some initial fear that a lot wasn't shown or captured at this E3, but I can assure you there was -- just give people some timeThis E3 was huge for Vanguard – I was there, I was watching, and I saw a LOT of people at the various booths, interested, asking questions, taking videos, and sticking around.
I can most certainly say that I'm excited to see it all and read it all, but also not at all worried that there will be a ton of coverage, nor that any not so positive reviews (which have seemed very shallow and rushed thus far) will have any real negative effect – they’ll be out there, as they are with any game, but they will be few and far between.
Am I too confident and bullish? Perhaps -- I certainly don't want to come across as arrogant. And I acknowledge that this sort of post by me isn’t my usual style. But the circumstances as they are, IMHO, justify it. Quite simply I just know that:
1. A LOT of people saw the game
2. A LOT of people took video
3. A LOT of people stuck around the booths for quite a while, soaking it all in, and asking a lot of questions.
4. The game itself, especially this 'E3' build we just patched to beta, is solid stuff, of which I am very proud (and damn proud of the team that did whatever it took, whatever was needed, to pull it all together and in time).
But 'nuff said. You guys make up your own conclusions -- there will be plenty enough for everyone to look at closely, learn a lot about the game (a picture is worth a thousand words and all of that), and such a magnitude more of footage and write-ups than EVER before because of where the game is at, what we were able to show, and the venue in which we were able to show it – this is truly a big turning point for the game and one of the most important pre-release milestones to have achieved.
Yes, E3 was *that* good this for us this year -- thanks again to the Sigil team for working so hard to get this E3 build to beta, and also for making this patch to beta not only what we needed to demo the game and spread the word, but that there was no hacks, no 'demo-itus' involved -- the game is far enough a long that it speaks for itself and doesn’t require nifty pre-rendered videos or hacked together code to make an earlier along in development game look good (as is to often the case at E3). We were able to show off the real thing, and we were ready to show it off too.
Yes, we did change some priorities in terms of what we would have patched or focused on were this not the E3 build but rather just another beta patch, but really not that much, all things considered. Honestly, the game is very much ready to be shown, filmed, scrutinized, etc. So many of you in the community and active on the boards have been here a long time, shown us a lot of faith, being patient, becoming interested in the game due to the FAQ, earlier previews, developer posts and interaction with the community, etc. Thank you SO much for that.
Finally now, however, a LOT less faith is needed. With this E3, the last before launch, we were ready to let the game speak for itself. We showed a lot, and while we talked a lot too, it was mostly about what people were seeing, offering clarification, etc. Less so was it promises and plans for what the game would be in the future. Especially at the booths where the game was shown and available for anyone to see. Jeff and I were in the back, in private rooms, giving demos to VIPs (large sites, pubs, a special demo for the affiliates) and there we did not only show the game but also talk about the future, what more we had to accomplish, and what more would be in the game by launch and then also some real hints about our extensive post-launch plans. But that was really limited to the 'Brad & Jeff' demos -- everything else, like I said, was demoing the game as it is today and answering questions about what people saw.
Sure, there will be some negative reviews, and there have been a couple already -- but check them out -- they are pretty shallow and/or pretty obviously done by people who had already made up their mind about Vanguard, that they were not going to like it... by people for whom, most likely, Vanguard simply isn't the game for them. Or they are upset about our co-publishing with SOE, or they don't like Sigil because to them, our pedigree in terms of EQ 1 etc. is a negative and not a positive (e.g. they didn't like our previous work either).
Same with some of these NDA breakers -- clearly they didn't like what they experienced, either because the game isn't for them, or they were expecting the game to be farther along, or they had issues with things we've readily admitted (that we need work on the newbie experience, that we lack critical mass in the game and had to open up so much of Thestra for technical reasons such that it's hard to find a group and have a good time, etc). Or, quite frankly, because so many betas nowadays are really free previews of a game almost ready to launch such that their expectations were to play more than to help us test and provide the feedback we need to make such an ambitious game fun (even though I've always been up front that this was going to be a long beta, that we believe in long betas, etc.). That people would panic that in beta 2 because we are tweaking systems, overhauling a few (mostly the newer more ground breaking aspects of Vanguard, like diplomacy), etc. is really an indication that what people think a beta is nowadays is not what betas were 5 or 10 years ago. And I really can't blame them for that either; rather, I can blame the industry (the games industry in general and the MMOG industry in particular both) -- developers and publishers have been making betas shorter and closer to launch and using them more as advertisement/PR tools rather than real testing tools that are needed to make games truly great (especially games as complex as MMOGs).
And that's fine -- I've been saying for years this game isn't and can't be for everyone, that it's not a ‘mainstream’ game (though that doesn't mean it's a ‘niche’ game either). We have our target audience, the core gamer, about whom I've posted and talked about extensively. For those people, I really think Vanguard is going to be their next big MMOG -- not just a game, but a home for many years. But again, as the gamespace both grows and matures, there are already a lot more choices out there, and in the future there will be even more choices.
Anyway, I waited to post this until more coverage, especially video coverage game out -- and now it's starting to really pop up, and like I said, I expect a lot more to appear over the next couple of days or a week. I'm very bullish about what we had to show, the depth, the variety, how far along the game is, etc. But I'll shut up now and let these reviews, write-ups, and videos speak for themselves. Make your own determinations by what you see and read -- like I said, faith in our philosophy and what we've posted about and promised is a lot less necessary now -- this E3 was truly a big turning point in that regard.
Lastly, I know to some that this still won't be enough. Many people, the more skeptical type (and again, no slam on the skeptical here -- I can certainly understand why many people are skeptical of MMOGs, given all of the hype that is generated about these games relative to how many of them truly deliver and are fun -- especially fun and compelling long term). People have been burnt - -- we get it. For those of you in this category, please do enjoy but also dissect what you see, ask tough questions, and we will be here, answering clarifying, and addressing everything we can. That said, I think for many people, like I posted in another thread today, until they are in beta, or until the NDA is removed, or until they actually buy the game or get some time playing it at a friend's house, aren't going to yet become believers in the game. They need even more, and, again, that's fine -- we can wait
On the flipside there have been so many of you who have followed the game based on what you have read and because you appreciate our pedigree and experience and enjoyed what we made before. For you, our already existing Vanguard community members, I hope what you see is both enjoyable and validating. I realize a lot of the information will not be new to you, but hopefully enough of it will be, and that you understand that our E3 mission was not to preach to the choir this year, but rather to reach out and attract new people to the game.
And then for all of you in the middle, those of you neither the hard core skeptic nor the hard core ‘fanboy’ (as that group is often labeled), this E3 is very much for you and an opportunity to finally see the game in beta and far enough along to validate what we have been talking about for the last couple of years. This E3 is definitely for you, and then also for one final group: those of you who didn’t know much about Vanguard if anything, who were not following the game – this E3 along with our rapidly growing PR blitz will hopefully show and reveal enough of a real game with huge potential to get your attention now such that you want to start following the game and learning more and more about it.
Anyway, I'm (obviously) very excited about what I've seen and read already, be it from the editor-in-chief of CGW magazine down to the random person who was lucky enough to attend E3 this year and get a good look at the game. So also is it awesome to see Vanguard fluctuate between number one and five or so on gamespot as one of the most exciting and impressive games people saw at E3 this year. And I'm that much more excited by what I know will appear over the next days or week as, again, people get home and have time to put their notes together, edit their videos, and get all of that which they were able to capture and absorb onto a web page somewhere.
I'll close by saying thanks to everyone who has posted, to those who took the time to take video, and also thanks in advance to those who are still getting things ready to put up on the web.
Also big thanks to the Sigil team for working their asses off on the game in general and then especially in preparing this E3 build. And then sincere very real thanks to Microsoft for funding this game up to this point, for advancing us the money we needed to assemble an all-star team and to make a AAA MMOG that can and will compete will with the other big games that are out there -- even though we weren't able to finish up the game with you guys and needed to make this change in publishers in order to finish up the game and get it the final amount of time, marketing, and infrastructure necessary to insure its success. Nonetheless, we still owe you guys so much for getting us this far, for all of your support and help, etc. Thank you.
And then, last but by no means least, a huge thanks to SOE, especially Smed and his upper management team for being there at the right time and making this transition happen, and happen very quickly. And major kudos and eternal appreciation to their marketing/E3 folks who so rapidly put together such an awesome setup, so many booths, posters of the game box, etc. that enabled us and provided us what we needed and Vanguard deserved this final E3 before release -- they moved so quickly and did such an incredible job at supporting us and providing us with a venue to show off Vanguard in a context and setting that people expect to see a AAA MMOG in. We *really* needed it this year, that vehicle by which we could easily and effectively showcase Vanguard, to show it off to a LOT of people and in very classy way. What a fantastic way to start off our relationship and what an encouraging show of support -- what we were provided with, again in such a short amount of time, showed a great deal of respect, appreciation, and faith in both Sigil as a company and Vanguard as a product and game. What all of that did not only to allow us to showcase the game and expose it to so many people who knew little to nothing about Vanguard previously, but also to boost the morale of our team, giving them a venue that they could be proud of and talk about and show the game with confidence, was and is priceless -- we look forward eagerly to this new relationship and to be able to partner and co-publish Vanguard with SOE -- thank you all SO much
There’s still a lot to do, a lot to improve, a lot to polish, but like I said this E3 turned out to be a crucial turning point and milestone for the game. It has set us up for the final segment of what has been a long and hard marathon. We are now armed with what we need to both finish up this incredible game as well as get the word out about it, to build upon this grass roots community of 70k or so and attract the hundreds of thousands more that I am so very confident have been waiting for a game like Vanguard to both play and call home.
SWEET!
edit: yes, I will post this in announcements and elsewhere once more coverage appears (read: soon). Also wanted to add list of Vanguard info, put together by a member of the community, that includes E3 2006 links, but like I said, once there is more to add in that section, that's when I'll refine, make sticky, and post this to the announcements section, other sites, etc.
goto link for many more links