Managing Fan Expectations - An Interview with Vanguard Founder Brad McQuaid

[Miralyn]

People really get excited about new games because it offers the promise of "Finally! What I want in a game!". Due to the polish of existing games people want to jump right into the new game and have it run and play like their old game - people expect the Warhammers, Conans and Vanguards of the world to come out and run as smooth as Everquest and WoW and it doesn't happen that way. They also want the Everquest or WoW feel but with the new story-related textures. Granted I think developers, whether through financial issues, "higher up" concerns over development times or other factors do not help by releasing such games in "incomplete" states does not help the issue. Each game had potential to do well and be strong in their niche - however due to the release states of the games they were expected to run a 100-yard dash with their legs tied - some of it by the developers, some by the fans.

I am looking forward to SWTOR. I know a lot of people on this site are (AngryBeaver might be one of them ) but honestly I don't expect it to be perfect on day one. But if within a couple weeks or a month issues are not addressed - i.e. performance issues such as Vanguard's - then that would be a red flag. Issues like "balance" are never going to be addressed whether it is on a PVE or PVP level. There is no way to do that and every person's idea of "balance" will vary.

Again I do have high hopes for SWTOR but I am also being realistic in that it will do well but have it's naysayers and fanboys. I would honestly like to a see a game do well but be a "WoW Killer". I think the industry and fans realize now that moniker is a deathknell to the usurping game if anything. I think if SWTOR releases with say Warhammer's 300k subs and continues to build I think it will be a success - but to expect say 2 million or 5 million subs off the bat is just asking for a disaster. Bioware is a great company from all reports but that is just a ton of pressure on them and is really not necessary.

[AngryBeaver]

Originally Posted by Miralyn

I am looking forward to SWTOR. I know a lot of people on this site are (AngryBeaver might be one of them )

SWTOR? Never heard of it.

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Ya, I know it won't ever be perfect (no game is) but it should be good. Bioware doesn't seem to be falling into the hype trap too bad. A lot of us think the info is flowing too slow. That probably means it's flowing just right.

[Lizante]

Originally Posted by Shayalyn

Had Vanguard 6 more months in development I think it would've been golden. Launching early with such severe performance issues (including crippling lag and rubber banding) did the game in. Brad McQuaid said in his blog somewhere that the bulk of the people who quit the game at launch, and there were a lot of them, quit around level 3. That suggests that the problem was purely performance--can't play, can't stay.

Despite the problems Vanguard had, I'm with you, Dal. It was a solid game, with everything we old EQ players wanted. And I wish more players would give it a chance now that technology has caught up to its crazy high min spec, the performance issues have been smoothed out, and the game has had time for polish.

Bleh.

The reality (which, BTW, Brad had completely lost connection with by then) is that the game (and Sigil, for that matter) started going south when MicroSoft started asking some hard questions about where their $30 million-plus investment had gone and after actually scrutinizing the whole thing, washed their hands of Sigil. Interestingly enough, that's about the time I walked away (well actually it was when John Smedley stepped in).