At EVE FanFest, we were introduced to the Vanguard mission, which CCP boldly demonstrated live. In it, a trio of players explore the wreckage of the massive Bowhead ship in search of a nexus chip. The visual style combines realism and science fiction. Vanguard’s art director emphasized that they avoided standard effects such as lens flare to create the feeling of being seen through the character’s eyes rather than through a camera.
Approaching the ship and destroying NPCs, it becomes clear that the shooting feel here is an order of magnitude better than in Dust 514. Aiming focuses attention on enemies, and shots sound powerful. Enemies fall quickly, especially with concentrated fire.
Players find pirates who have the required chip and turn on the flashlight, which allows them to evaluate the quality of the graphics. One player uses the shipwreck to get past the pirates, but the other team of players has already taken the objective.
This is where the real action begins as the teams face each other. The team with the chip tries to leave, but they are quickly eliminated. After capturing the target, the team decides to evacuate using the beacon, which is visible throughout the map. However, they made the mistake of installing a beacon in low terrain. Soon the other team starts shooting at them. The heroes returned fire, but were destroyed. The demo lasted 7-8 minutes with no downtime.
Dying in Vanguard has consequences: players can purchase the perfect clone to revive, or they can be revived by teammates. But there is a risk of losing something forever. Given that this is an EVE game, it can be assumed that players can buy implants that improve skills, but which can be lost and captured by other players.
Vanguard will be a “marathon, not a sprint.” The game will be available in December with one map, a set of core features and a basic crafting system. The goal is to launch and develop the game over time.
