No, there's no need for Vista; it's still a buggy version. When they improve it, then yes, but right now it has many problems. I'm currently using XP Service Pack 2, which is perfect for programming, and besides, Heroes 5 runs fine on it. I think Tribes of the East will simply support DirectX 10, and that's it! And as for the Marsh, we'll take care of it, since Nival is stepping back from the project! :)
P.S. Although it's already known that DirectX 10 doesn't recognize Vista and doesn't officially support it. ;)
P.P.S. And finally: both the original game and Tribes of the East run fine on Vista – I'm proof of that. :)