I’ve been asked in comments and via email what I think specifically about where Vanguard has gone since it went to SOE.  I think, overall, very positive.  I do not agree with every decision, but nor do I disagree with everything either.  Well, except for RMT, which I hope you all know I’m against unless it’s implemented into an MMO that was designed for it.

But that decision was made above the VG team.  And, like I said, I’m not going to second guess and critique the current team.  I know most of them, and they are great guys and also people who care deeply about VG.  Silius is a personal friend of mine (we play M:TG at my house when he’s not crunching at work).  We talk sometimes about VG, but he doesn’t run decisions by me, and nor should he.  It’s his game now, not mine.  In any case, he’s someone I respect a great deal and he doesn’t deserve to be flamed on my site, or any other.

I also know that the team has limited resources and shrinks occasionally.  With that perspective I think they’ve done a tremendous job.  As I mentioned in another blog post, I’d love to see the game re-launched as it is today, with some marketing dollars and targeting people who bought it before but then quit.  Yes, the game is far from perfect.  No, it’s still not what we’d originally planned and dreamed about.  But it has come far enough that I would recommend it.  And, for my tastes, it’s still the game for me.