Vanguard dated

By Robert Purchese Published 12 January, 2007

Due end of the month.

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that Vanguard: Saga of Heroes will launch across the US and Europe on 30th January.

"We are excited about delivering an MMO with immersive gameplay features that bring new depth and fun to the genre," said Brad McQuaid, CEO of developer Sigil Games Online.

"Vanguard gives players the chance to live in a breathtaking world and try new things such as our diplomacy system and our unique approach to crafting. We're proud to be delivering this level of great gameplay for years to come."

The game is currently in testing, and you may have noticed us handing out beta keys for this earlier in the week, though unfortunately all of those have now gone.

Still, Koch Media's pre-order campaign, exclusive to GAME stores in the UK, starts today, and will give you access to the title a full three days earlier than everybody else.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is an MMO that hopes to offer players something different to rival online adventures, you can catch up with our recent impressions here.

But initial reactions to the game are mixed, with a sizeable percentage of you suggesting that the game is in quite a buggy state, and is being rushed to release. Look for our review soon.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dyason #1 5 years ago

    Have to agree with it being rushed. I like it, a lot. You just need a heck of a PC to run it decently, and it still feels somewhat empty in areas. Given time it could be great.

    And this is my first ever first!

  • ZuluHero #2 5 years ago

    Agreed. As I’ve said before, give it 6 months it could be great, and I will definitely check it out. But this news has only confirmed my fears of an early release. I just hope that this isn't damaging to the population in the meantime, as I’ve seen many an mmo fail, due to being released too early... And in this case that would be a shame, as i quite like what I’ve played so far...
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/07 @ 14:52

  • Dizzy #3 5 years ago

    End of the month? It has written Trainwreck all over it. Common census of beta testers is 3-6 more months to get it done. Sadly they ran out of money.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/07 @ 14:59

  • yazooo #4 5 years ago

    what's the point in have beta testers if you dont listen to them? so many ppl will be put off the game permanently if its released in a buggy state, even if they sort it out at a later date.

  • JediMasterMalik #5 5 years ago

    They're introducing new patches with alot of improvements every day, at this rate, it could probably be pretty decent for launch, I would wait wnother month at the least though, just to be sure.

  • Dizzy #6 5 years ago

    "at this rate, it could probably be pretty decent for launch"

    The amount of coding people can do in one day is finite. The amount of new bugs introduced in the system is directly related to the number of fixes they do. You are very optimistic.

    "Releasing a new MMO within two weeks of Blizzard releasing TBC? "

    True.. might as well throw themselves on a samurai sword. Why not wait 6 months and release a good game?
    Edited by 2 at 12/01/07 @ 15:15

  • Setaro #7 5 years ago

    The game does indeed need at least 3 months more work. I managed to get myself to level 3 on the beta, and that duration of play was a horrible, bug-ridden mess. The mount of graphical (animation, quality etc, not just performance) problems was huge.

  • ave #8 5 years ago

    "This will sort out the real mmo players from the children when blizzard release wow bc i wont be getting it thats for sure, but il be getting vanguard!"
    I have no idea what you're trying to say.

    Liking a horrible mess like Vanguard makes you a real mmo player somehow?

  • MaxiSleep #9 5 years ago

    ""This will sort out the real mmo players from the children when blizzard release wow bc i wont be getting it thats for sure, but il be getting vanguard!"
    I have no idea what you're trying to say.

    Liking a horrible mess like Vanguard makes you a real mmo player somehow?"

    It is an odd but well known pattern that groups of people having a terrible time will convince themselves that they are somehow better then the happy people around them, and that suffering is noble

  • Dizzy #10 5 years ago

    Suffering in a buggy MMORPG == TEH L33T HaRdC0R3!

  • Whizzo #11 5 years ago

    Self flagellation does seem to be something some MMO players are prepared to go through to show their faith in a new game.

    First law of MMOs : never get one on launch.

  • yazooo #12 5 years ago

    "Self flagellation does seem to be something some MMO players are prepared to go through to show their faith in a new game.

    First law of MMOs : never get one on launch."

    Yup, I made that mistake with Galaxies...Am only really interested now in LOTRO, but its one of those where it'll be too good to be true for it actually to be a good game, but you never know!

  • [DVDF]Gooner #13 5 years ago

    Got to say this does indeed have the words 'impending catastrofuck' written all over it. Actually you have to look for it, but its on the last page of the eula.

    'You can have it soon or you can have it right'

    Will nobody free us from the tyranny of Wow?

  • kallenai #14 5 years ago

    The term 'commerical suicide' comes to mind, being one of the lucky few who got a key from Eurogamer I've experienced the current state of Vanguard and to think this is being released to the public in 2 weeks is beyond stupid. At a similar stage bug wise when I beta tested WoW the game still had another 3 months left prior to release

    The list of bugs and problems is truely epic, I've played 3 different races, one from each continent and leveled each to level 10. The lag is horrendous at times, quests are bugged or simply don't work, the map is as about as useful as being stranded on a desert island with a crate of food and no can opener. The classes appear to be being altered and changed on a patch basis, the times that skill icons don't work or get stuck is common. I could go on but I think you get the idea and yes I'm aware its a beta, but having beta tested other games at a similar stage of development Vanguard really is a shambolic mess.

    Its a great pity, you get the feeling there a great game trying to emerge and theres some novel ideas and at times the game can be fun for short periods but then the problems slap you in the face. As many have stated the game needs another 4-6 months testing and fine tuning, am I surprised as to why its being rushed out now, nope not at all.

    The whole affair is starting to remind me of the demise of SWG and the way SOE handled that disaster. Real pity.

  • JediMasterMalik #15 5 years ago

    The game has loads of potential, and I do hope they delay, can;t see it happeneing though. It'sa shame, because in a years time this could be one of the best MMO's out, but in 2 weeks it's not happeeing. Releasing this early will also earn them bad reviews, putting people off permanently from the game. Wasted potential at this stage. Needs more time.

  • Tio #16 5 years ago

    I to am lucky enough to be in Beta, and its my first ever beta so i cannot compare to another but i would say this game is far from 18 days away from being ready.

    I want it to suceed but i fear it won't, if it is still about in 6-12 months i will give it another look.

  • Kami #17 5 years ago

    But apparantly SoE have pulled the plug on their funding, so three months is all well and good but where is the money going to come from?

    It's another great example of why so many of us just don't understand SoE... it's not the fault of the developers, they're rushing because Sony have MADE them rush it, threatening them with the wrath of doom (loosely translated, wrath of doom = no more money).

    It has promise, and yes. The MAJORITY us testers have been telling them all this (I still don't understand how some people could put up with all the bugs and telling the rest of us to stop complaining. Umm... you what?) - but our pleas are falling on deaf ears, mainly because they have no other option. SoE must be aware this is commercial suicide - but then again, they've tried commiting it twice already, haven't they? Perhaps third time lucky here?

    It wouldn't have been so bad in an MMO lull... but already there is The Burning Crusade, and due this year we have Lord of the Rings and Warhammer... whichever way you slice it, Vanguard isn't ready to compete and I fear greatly that no matter what we say, no matter how much we want to tell the devs to delay and fix the problems, in the end it comes down to them needing the funds... and with SoE pulling their support, they have to inevitably release and hope that the hardened MMO fans can see through all the problems, and help support the first few months as they keep working on it...

    Not a great strategy... but they've not really been left with a lot of choice I hear...

  • hjarg #18 5 years ago

    Rather then bashing Sony, think of it that way: You're a bigwig of SOE. Developer comes to you, saying he's got a great idea for a game that sells millions just like WoW, and he only needs 5 bucketloads of cash and 3 years to make it done. Well, since you're in a good mood, you give him the money.
    But! After 3 years, developer comes to you again, saying that there have been some unforseen thingies, and that he needs 2 more bucketloads of cash and 1 more year. Well, since you'r already put in 5 bucketloads and want that back, you decide to give more.
    The next year, developer comes again to you, asking for 1 more year and 3 bucketloads of cash, since the staff has grown and he has trouble paying lease for his Ferrari. Again, you agree, since the game looks promising and you really-really want your cash back and a nice profit. So, it's 1 more year.
    But, the next year, developer comes again, not bringing the gold version of the game with him. Instead, he wants 1 more year and a whole 5 bucketloads of cash. Then you really start having suspicions that instead of profithole, you have discovered a black hole that will eat all your money and give nothing in return. You demand to see the game, see that it's in sorry, but nevertheless playable state and give an order: release now, or no more buckets. After all, by now, you have invested 10 bucketloads of money and would really-really like to have something back.

    The morale of this little story is: don't always blame the publisher, quite often it's the developers fault who can't live up to their end of the bargain and then publisher tries to salvage as much as possible.

  • MaxiSleep #19 5 years ago

    It is certainly not fair to blame it all on SOE. Frankly most of it is the developers fault, its not as if they could not have been aware of the issues.

    My guess is that they had to keep retrenching from the original "Hard Core" vision, and as a result could not actually work on doing the needed content.

    IF the sytems were in place there is no doubt that there is a real pleasure in exploring a more realistic landscape, and there are periods when the game feels attractive. I am a WoW player, but am open to a different approach.

    If I had advice to the developers it is to concentrate on fixing the performance stutters, the textures popping in and out and the horrible pop up in the starting areas. This might string people along enough to keep them past the first month.

    The world always needs competion. Lets hope they can get it together

  • Kami #20 5 years ago

    SoE could have this salvaged in a few months... but not by releasing it so prematurely. It's going to be like putting a tadpole in a pool of pirahnas... the competition this year from names arguably much more mammoth than its own is the greatest hurdle, and an unfinished game isn't going to draw in the punters, so its a double edged sword... no-one (least of all me) is going to pay for a game that isn't finished, optimised or even stable enough to support a few thousand players.

    SoE might not be the ones fully to blame, but they must be out of their little minds to force the release now. It's just complete lunacy... it's a shame as well, because it could kill a very promising game dead...

    Simply put, I think SoE are idiots to force a release now. Devs may be behind schedule, but the publisher should at least make sure before forcing the game to market, that there isn't anything that could squash it like a bug... oh, splat. They didn't notice The Burning Crusade...

  • Feet #21 5 years ago

    I've noticed massive improvements in performance over the weekend. I actually get a decent framerate after the patch from the 13th... And while that's not the only problem, it was the single most important one that they fix before launch IMO. I might even buy it now.

  • [DVDF]Gooner #22 5 years ago

    Spent a lot of time in the beta over the weekend, and whilst it does indeed have more bugs than Rentokill, and demand a gaming rig designed by Deep Thought to get even meh frame rates, it does have it's charms. Not too many as yet but enough to make you see the potential.

    My question is, given the amount of ideas ripped from WoW (even some of the interface graphics) and mainly broken features that Vanguard tells us are Unique Selling Points (diplomacy section is like watching a car crash in slow motion with an introduction that only a German could appreciate, rules only a civil servant can understand and a pay off only a 3 year old would enjoy)..........What does this bring to the table?

    It seems to have taken the graphics from Guild Wars (a good thing) the UI and some of the more basic ideas from Wow (again good) and put them together in a jumbled fashion hoping to gain ground in the middle. As it stands IMHO, it does not take the genre any further forward nor does it offer a different enough take to get a niche. It is a nice effort but the world has passed it by and the headlights that it is staring into like a scared rabbit are blizzards. A shame as there may be something in their that offers a new approach but i don't see enough to make it viable.

  • sweeny #23 5 years ago

    the're fixing bugs in vanguard faster than a spray of insecticide ATM and the game is getting better and better as the days go on.

    many issues involve balancing, mob spawning and fixing broken quests. They are collecting vast amounts of data for balancing issues BTW, i bet that has a slight impact on server preformance.

    if your in the beta and find a bug or a game issue report it using the ingame bug report tool and dont shout about it in /global ;)

  • [DVDF]Gooner #24 5 years ago

    I think, after many more hours of immersion, i have found the secret ingredient. That vital element which makes me go 'shame'. They have managed to think deep dark thoughts about what goes into make a MMO and come up with some great ideas to make the game world as 'realistic' as possible. The downside is that real life is complicated, the crafting side for instance is designed to require real process and quality control, more attention to the skills involved. The interaction through diplomacy more closely follows a real world situation where you have to persuade a total stranger to discuss things with you, all highly laudable ideas.

    The shame parts comes with these concepts. It is a game. Games are meant to be fun. If possible, more fun than real life, thats why people play them. I can't help feeling that the pursuit of complex models for fairly secondary activities (to a game anyway) have managed to suck the fun factor out infavour of interaction that seems to me anyway to be over complicated and at times too bloddy clever by half. The wow craft system although relatively simplistic does work and supports a massive online economy. I am sure given enough time and hard work (spot the keyword there?) Vanguards will as well, but i am not sure that it is actually fun.