A common cliché regarding MMOs is that they are always a work in progress. When discussing the release of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, this cliché absolutely fits the bill. Vanguard might be a great game – someday. But it’s not right now. In fact, it’s safe to say that currently players are shelling out $15 a month to be external beta testers. While you certainly should expect some rough edges with the initial release of any large scale MMO, Vanguard simply needs more time to gel before it becomes worth not only the cost, but the time investment required to play it.

First off, there are the system requirements. Regardless of how fast you’re PC is (or how fast you think it is) Vanguard will bring it to its knees. Running the game at max detail is practically impossible. This by itself isn’t a huge issue; in fact the game warns you before hand that it’s a high end piece of software in that regard. The problem is that even on a moderate system you need to turn off most of the bells and whistles in order to get an acceptable framerate. When playing the game on a 2.4 GHz machine with a gig of RAM and a GeForce 6800 Ultra video card you can expect single digit framerates when in a city or even a small town. In the wilderness areas the game runs at a much better clip but city life is agonizing unless you drastically lower the detail, but when you do that the game doesn’t look special in the slightest. It certainly doesn’t look “next-gen.” It looks drab and rather bland. Animations also take a hit. Creature animations are just plain poor and it brings back flashbacks of 1999 when you see NPC animals walking backward without moving their legs. You can see how good the game is supposed to look when you crank up the detail levels, but most people will never experience the game the way in which it was meant.

In addition to the engine issues, the game is plagued by a host of frustrating bugs. To Sigil’s credit, the team isn’t sitting back waiting to collect a paycheck – a lot of work is being put into patching the issues but the number of problems that pop up on a daily basis is staggering. In a game like this, when character building and progression really is the game – losing experience and items is borderline unforgivable when you are paying good money and not part of a testing team. Bugs come in all shapes and sizes from quests that cannot be completed for one reason or another to crafting stations not working at all. If you’re going to take the plunge into Vanguard – you need to bring a modicum of patience to the table.

The kicker to all of this is that if you can live with the game’s birth pains and don’t mind turning down the technical doo-dads in order for it to run at a decent speed, there’s a pretty cool game buried underneath it all. It’s arguably too big for its own good and it lacks personality (the Orcs talk like green humans) and even seems soulless at times, but there are a lot of nifty systems working together which help distinguish Vanguard from the rest of the MMO pack (and the fact that you can buy a basic horse at level 10…)

The buzz surrounding Vanguard is that it’s a “hardcore” MMO – created for people who are tired of the “simple” design of World of WarCraft (or perhaps it’s the player base that people are tired of) and for those who hunger for something that is a little more involved. This is partly true; Vanguard is certainly more involved and at times the added complexity is welcome, but there are also some aspects that feel more like work and your mileage may vary as to whether or not this sort of gameplay (particularly the crafting system) is actually fun.

Aside from the usual adventure aspect, which is the standard ‘go kill monsters for experience and loot’ portion of the game, your character is also tracked in his or her ability in Diplomacy, Harvesting, and Crafting and you gain experience and levels in these spheres independently. You may be a level 20 adventurer and a level 12 diplomat, for example.

Each sphere requires you to wear specific gear, which in turns boosts your abilities just like a piece of magic armor. Harvesting is the least involved – it simply requires you to carry a specific tool (a skinning knife or pick ax for example) as well as any additional clothes. Crafting is much more detailed than your usual MMO – and it’s a bit tedious at times. Blacksmithing, for example, requires you to perform a myriad of actions using several components, and hoping you don’t screw up the procedure. You could literally write an entire article just on the nuts and bolts of crafting. It’s not that it’s terribly complex but it’s very, very time consuming. You could spend an entire night’s play simply making sword hilts and metal armor ribbing. If that’s your bag, you’ll be in crafting heaven. For others, it’s a bit tedious.

By far the most enjoyable side sphere is Diplomacy. It’s basically an addictive little collectible card game that you play with NPCs in order to advance quests, gain additional information, etc. Again, it would take a lot of space to describe in detail how this works, but it’s basically a mini-side game involving various diplomacy cards. It’s fun, different, and adds a little extra spice to the design. It’s also a novelty to play an Orc with a sharp tongue who carries a magic scepter that aids in his diplomatic skill. Pretty cool.