Vanguard

"Join the Vanguard and lead the last hope for humanity in a battle for survival! These resilient soldiers have harnessed futuristic technology to rebuild their civilization after surviving an Infernal Host invasion - a devastating near-extinction event."

- Faction description^(src)

Vanguard
Information
Type	Resistance group
Established	Early 22nd century
Status	Active
Headquarters	Farway Station
Leader(s)	Vanguard High Command (de facto)
Related	Warhawks

The Vanguard (a.k.a. the Human Resistance) is a human resistance group, and one of the three main factions of Stormgate.

Overview

"Be resolute--no matter what we face, we must not falter. The Infernal invaders will never take our world! Long live the resistance! Long live humanity!"

- Deputy Director T^(src)

Vanguard forces

The Vanguard has managed to preserve knowledge concerning advanced robotics and other scientific know-how. Their structures are built using advanced 3D printing. Much of their technology is repurposed from the time before the Infernals' invasion of Earth.

Elite Vanguard units are split into "Dagger teams" composed of its most veteran units. These soldiers tend to use colorful callsigns on the battlefield for ease of communications.

History

The Vanguard was formed after the Second Invasion. They formed from those who fled Earth into the outer reaches of the Sol system. Much time was spent rediscovering human technology from before the coming of the Infernals.

The Vanguard deploy on Earth

The Vanguard returned to Earth fifteen years after the start of the invasion. The starship SDF Vanguard was launched from Farway Station to bring the Vanguard to Earth and reclaim the planet.

Things were complicated by the coming of the Celestial Armada, as while the Celestials were enemies of the Infernals, humanity was caught in the crossfire.

Stub

This article or section is a stub. You can help Stormgate Wiki by expanding it.

Gameplay

Vanguard units and structures

The Vanguard is designed to be the most approachable faction in Stormgate. Compared to the game's other factions, the Vanguard is the most 'standard' group in the game, with multiple similarities to past RTS titles. The Vanguard is themed around the use of technology, and has access to a variety of mechanical units. This includes mechs, tanks, artillery, and track/wheel vehicles. Many Vanguard mechanical units are able to convert into an alternate mode.

Per their nature as a resistance force, the Vanguard excels in defensive gameplay. Compared to the Infernals, the Vanguard field fewer, tougher, and larger units. The Vanguard has a lot of healing and support units which are designed to operate in tandem with one another.

Unique to the Vanguard faction is a veterancy system. Keeping Vanguard units alive will give them an opportunity to earn experience and level up, gaining increased health. Each Vanguard unit starts at level 1, and can reach level 3 through gaining XP. With each level gained, the unit's health and damage increases. XP is shared between units—80% goes to the unit who took the kill, and the remaining 20% is shared with adjacent Vanguard units. In the event of a solo kill, 100% of the XP goes to the unit in question.

Overall, the Vanguard are all about survivability and keeping units alive long enough to upgrade them through veteran level-ups, growing stronger with each successful engagement. The Vanguard is suited to players who value survivability in an RTS.

Structures

• Ambush Post
• Barracks
• Biokinetics Lab
• Buzzsaw Cannon
• Central Command
• Command Post
• Flak Cannon
• Gantry
• Habitat
• Hangar Bay
• High Command
• Machine Lab
• Mech Bay
• Med Station
• Rampart
• Repair-O-Matic
• Scrapyard
• Sentry Array
• Sentry Post
• Solar Habitat
• Therium Refinery

Units

• Aerial bomber
• Atlas
• B.O.B.
• Bomber
• Combat Medic
• Crusader
• Evac
• Exo
• Giga-mech
• Graven
• Guardsman
• Hedgehog
• Helicarrier
• Hoplite
• Hornet
• Immolator
• Lancer
• MedTech
• Multi-fighter mech
• S.C.O.U.T.
• Sentinel
• Skymine
• V5 Rocket Launcher
• Vulcan

Known Branches

• Vanguard High Command
• Warhawks

Known Members

A Vanguard commander

• Deputy Director T

Civilian

• Chief Engineer Suyin
• Doctor Tara Fletcher (xenoarcheologist)

Military

• Captain Carl Barclay
• Captain Nero
• Lieutenant Amara Nassar
• T.R.I.P.P.

Notes

Vanguard insignia

• The core identity of the Vanguard is "plucky human resistance," with a focus on adaptability.

• The Vanguard's formation will be depicted over the course of the game's storyline.

Development

• The Vanguard was the first faction developed for Stormgate. It was designed to feel familiar to players.

• Vanguard technology is defined by bulky suits of armor, pouches, and useful-yet-imperfect holograms. Their weapons shoot bullets, not lasers. The development team took inspiration from real-world science, thinking what 50-70 years of future innovation would look like. While the Vanguard is more technologically advanced than humanity of the present day, it is still intended to be relatable to players.

• In late 2022, the concept team spent six weeks focusing on the visual development of the Vanguard.

"War-torn" skins concept art

• A "war-torn" skinset will be released for the Vanguard at some point. Once the skins for this set are completed, they will be retroactively incorporated into the campaign and featured in the Vanguard's missions. This will be done to establish a "more rough-and-tumble" vibe for the Vanguard and align their faction more closely with the post-apocalyptic world around them.

Lore Development

• Early in the development of Stormgate, a "Human Resistance" was portrayed as the de facto human faction. Over time, this shifted to the Vanguard, with the "Human Resistance" scarcely being mentioned. In June, 2023, Micky Neilson stated that the Vanguard was one of the branches of the Resistance. In a dev update, the term was used synonymously.

• Originally, it was stated that the Vanguard/Resistance was formed to serve as humanity's last bastion of defense with Earth on the brink of extinction. Representing the greatest scientific minds, toughest soldiers, and most brilliant strategists from around the world, the Vanguard stood resolute against the invading Infernal Host. Protectors by necessity, the Vanguard was a decentralized "scrappy" group scattered all over Earth.

• In original lore, Stormgate took place twenty years after the start of the Second Invasion, not fifteen. Here, Tara Fletcher was able to locate and secure the Aegis Cipher. The Vanguard began examining this relic, collecting valuable data to aid them in locating other artifacts. It was believed that success would allow the Vanguard to mount a decisive counter-offensive to strike at the heart of the Infernal Host.

• By April 2025, Vanguard lore had been changed to make them a faction of humans returning to Earth, rather than a Terran-based resistance.

Inspirations

• The Vanguard takes direct inspiration from the terrans of StarCraft. It has been suggested (though not by Frost Giant themselves) that the Vanguard are representative of the StarCraft IP as a whole.

• The aesthetics of the Vanguard have been described as being "somewhere between" the terrans of StarCraft and the aesthetic of Overwatch.

• It has been implied that the Vanguard take some inspiration from the Alliance faction in Warcraft.