Tabula Rasa in an equipment bind once again
About a month ago, I wrote an editorial about the controversy surrounding a change that Destination Games was planning to make to the itemization in their hit sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa. At the core of contention was the proposed change that would make items have basic armor and weapon damage bonuses commensurate with the item's rarity. This was to be an important first-step to jump-starting Tabula Rasa's economy with the introduction of the Military Surplus. I came out strongly backing the fix, because I thought it would add some value to Tabula Rasa's credits and get the crafter aspect of the game kick-started.
I'm sad to report that things didn't work quite as I expected. The Military Surplus has seen a huge volume of business since it was put in, but once the initial price bubble for rare items burst, it became clear that the market for equipment in Tabula Rasa was broken, and for one simple reason: the game still lacks a mechanism where items are bind on equip. The consequence? The Military Surplus is flooded with rare item drops and quest rewards, and the market is only getting more saturated as players use their items, out-level them, then put them up for sale.
The crafting element of the game, where items are taken apart for components that can be used to upgrade other items, isn't taking items off the MS fast enough. While it's made finding 1337 equipment an easy task for even the most casual player, the quest for gear has fallen into the general background noise of the game. It's gotten to the point where it's scarcely worth putting items on the Military Surplus at all anymore, because one can make more money just grinding in the time it would take to list them. While I implore Paul Sage and company to continue to make the end-game the priority, I think it might also be in their best interest to slap a Bind on Equip sticker on items in the meantime.
