AGC Interview: Vanguard’s Pres & Exec. Producer On Diplomacy

MMORPG.com talked with Jeff Butler and April Jones of Sigil, developer of the highly anticipated Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, about the in-depth diplomacy system, which is said to be what will set the game apart from the others. According to Sigil President Jeff Butler, they have already completed the said system and is now being integrated into Beta 3.

Now, if the diplomacy system turns out to be all that it’s cracked up to be, then we might just have the game that would attract both combat gamers and social ones (think The Sims plus combat action). How exactly does the diplomacy system work? Butler starts by describing the cities in Vanguard as “dimplomacy dungeons” where players will need to run errands and respond through intimidation, jokes, compliments, etc, to move up the diplomatic ranks and earn cards to further up their ranks.

For example, if you come across an irate PMS-ing guard, it would help to use the Funny Joke (or Funnier Joke for that matter) to make the guard come around. Butler also mentioned that their team had a blast coming up with corny jokes for this. However, they haven’t decided yet whether they will allow players to con their target’s emotional state. Mounted combat will also not be available at the game’s launch, but it will be in the future. So there’s something to definitely look forward to.

As for the crafting system, Butler says that it’ll be in min-game style like EverQuest 2, but more simple and fun. Both Butler and Jones were excited about the process of how one will level up crafting in Vanguard because the new system will be “harsh” — new crafters won’t be able to compete with higher leveled ones.

Crafting NPCs will also give work order quests, where majority of the materials needed will be given to you as well as a reward for completing a quest. Materials not provided by NPCs can be obtained from NPC vendors, adventuring drops, and harvesting. The latter is easy enough, you would just need an axe, mining pick, whatever’s appropriate, and then enter combat with an ore deposit, a tree, etc.

On the actual crafting process, Butler cited smithing as an example wherein players will have to participate in one smelter mini-game, then another to pound out the finished product. The quality of the product will be judged on the tools and materials used, the player’s crafting skill, and his/her success at mini-games. The new system will work to the advantage of less adventurous crafters because materials can be purchased from suppliers, but the most powerful items will be a combination of crafting and adventuring.

Where exactly does crafting and diplomacy meet? Butler says that the most successful crafters will also have to be diplomats. And that in Vanguard,  all races can obtain cultural recipes, just make sure that you establish good ties with the given culture. The Funny/Funnier Joke would probably come in handy for this, especially if the culture is one that’s all for corny jokes. However, we warn you not to take the game’s diplomacy system to real life — compliments and corny jokes won’t take you far, really.

Via MMORPG

MMORPG.com talked with Jeff Butler and April Jones of Sigil, developer of the highly anticipated Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, about the in-depth diplomacy system, which is said to be what will set the game apart from the others. According to Sigil President Jeff Butler, they have already completed the said system and is now being integrated into Beta 3.

Now, if the diplomacy system turns out to be all that it’s cracked up to be, then we might just have the game that would attract both combat gamers and social ones (think The Sims plus combat action). How exactly does the diplomacy system work? Butler starts by describing the cities in Vanguard as “dimplomacy dungeons” where players will need to run errands and respond through intimidation, jokes, compliments, etc, to move up the diplomatic ranks and earn cards to further up their ranks.

For example, if you come across an irate PMS-ing guard, it would help to use the Funny Joke (or Funnier Joke for that matter) to make the guard come around. Butler also mentioned that their team had a blast coming up with corny jokes for this. However, they haven’t decided yet whether they will allow players to con their target’s emotional state. Mounted combat will also not be available at the game’s launch, but it will be in the future. So there’s something to definitely look forward to.

As for the crafting system, Butler says that it’ll be in min-game style like EverQuest 2, but more simple and fun. Both Butler and Jones were excited about the process of how one will level up crafting in Vanguard because the new system will be “harsh” — new crafters won’t be able to compete with higher leveled ones.

Crafting NPCs will also give work order quests, where majority of the materials needed will be given to you as well as a reward for completing a quest. Materials not provided by NPCs can be obtained from NPC vendors, adventuring drops, and harvesting. The latter is easy enough, you would just need an axe, mining pick, whatever’s appropriate, and then enter combat with an ore deposit, a tree, etc.

On the actual crafting process, Butler cited smithing as an example wherein players will have to participate in one smelter mini-game, then another to pound out the finished product. The quality of the product will be judged on the tools and materials used, the player’s crafting skill, and his/her success at mini-games. The new system will work to the advantage of less adventurous crafters because materials can be purchased from suppliers, but the most powerful items will be a combination of crafting and adventuring.

Where exactly does crafting and diplomacy meet? Butler says that the most successful crafters will also have to be diplomats. And that in Vanguard,  all races can obtain cultural recipes, just make sure that you establish good ties with the given culture. The Funny/Funnier Joke would probably come in handy for this, especially if the culture is one that’s all for corny jokes. However, we warn you not to take the game’s diplomacy system to real life — compliments and corny jokes won’t take you far, really.

Via MMORPG