In days of old when knights were bold, elves with pointy sticks would totally beat up on a bunch of skeletons. You may have seen online games that take place in high-fantasy worlds, but recently, these games have become much more lenient on players, so that exploring, fighting, and even falling in battle has relatively minor consequences. Not since EverQuest of 1999 (a game that was infamously punishing back then and was clearly one of the main reasons why newer games got easier) has a new massively multiplayer game tried to offer a well-thought-out, but purposely steep, challenge. Not until recently, anyway, since some of the original designers of that game have set up shop at Sigil Games in sunny Carlsbad, California, to develop what former EverQuest designer and current Sigil CEO Brad McQuaid describes as "the spiritual successor to EverQuest." We recently had a chance to see more of the game in action, as well as to try it out for ourselves.

Vanguard will attempt to be the successor to EverQuest and to the stiff challenge that game posed.

We began our hands-off tour of the game by visiting several areas on the continent of Thestra--one of the game's three landmasses, and the home of the game's most recognizable species of high fantasy--the medieval, European kind, with elves, dwarves, halflings, and the aforementioned knights that ride mighty steeds and charge into battle against kobolds, evil wizards, and, of course, the skeletons.

Yes, even the slightest halfling adventurer will ride tall in the saddle, since Vanguard will offer many different "vehicles" to navigate the game's sprawling world. McQuaid estimates that most adventurers will be able to afford their first horse at the tender experience level of 10 (like in any role-playing game, you'll gain experience points, and eventually levels, from fighting monsters and completing quests). Considering that the game will launch with an EverQuest-like maximum level cap of 50, most players will have access to speedy transport for the majority of their careers. This includes, but isn't limited to, animal mounts (such as several species of horses including old, gray mares and warhorses in full-metal barding, as well as more fantastical flying creatures), which are already in the game and work as fully controllable, speed-enhancing rides. The game will also let you travel the seas (such as the wide, wide oceans that separate the game's three landmasses) by either huge charter boats that regularly set sail or in your own crafted boat, which can be built by carpenters and smiths.

From what we understand, Vanguard will have a complex and deep item crafting system that will let you not only forge simple weapons and armor, but also build and furnish a house for your character. Coexecutive producer Jeff Butler points out that unlike in other games, housing "won't be a matter of entitlement but, instead, something obtained at great cost." Butler walked us through the high elves' starting village, whose simple wooden houses resembled the sort that players will build--from cramped hovels to duplex shops with hired merchants selling goods on the ground floor to full-on player-owned inns. Enterprising groups of experienced players (who will have the option to form a player "guild," which persists even after everyone has stopped playing for the night) will be able to build their very own villages by situating their own shops and inns next to each other.

Butler was quick to point out, however, that the game will have many checks and balances to ensure that the game doesn't turn into an unfair land rush where wealthy players control the most real estate. For example, all housing will require maintenance fees--the bigger the dwelling (and the higher the owner is in level), the more it'll cost. More importantly, players will probably be able to own only one property at a time. McQuaid suggests that once they've explored much of what a continent has to offer, veteran players will probably want to pick up stakes and relocate to a new base of operations in another part of the world.

You'll be able to build your own house, but you may eventually want to move on to a new area.

Both executive producers are adamant about exploration in the game. Vanguard will offer a truly massive and virtually seamless world to explore (rather than broken up into discrete "zones," which would require the game to load each time you travel), where dragons flying off in the distance can make their way directly to you. And although McQuaid suggests that there may be a few instances in which the game will let players travel instantly by way of "teleport," such as for when players seek to quickly rendezvous with their friends, by and large, there is otherwise no instantaneous travel planned for the game at this time--no "gate" spells to return you home and no magical spires scattered throughout the world. According to McQuaid, the idea is to "encourage meaningful travel and adventure along the way."