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Richard Garriott blasts NCsoft with $24 million lawsuit
When Tabula Rasa shut down in January, we thought we'd heard the last of NCsoft and Richard Garriott in the same sentence. Oh, how wrong we were. Yesterday, Kotaku broke the news that Garriott was suing his old pals at NCsoft to the tune of $24 million for fraud, and generally being a bunch of fetid arsebiscuits. Details were decidedly skimpy, however - why would Garriott go after the company so long after his departure? What had gone rotten in the state of Denmark? This morning, GamePolitics added their .02 to the mix and upped the ante with the legal documents involved - and boy, are they illuminating. According to Richard's side of the story, it goes like this: Richard & co form Destination Games, and are bought out by NCsoft in exchange for some very hefty stock options. After Tabula Rasa launches, Richard gets tapped for a space flight he signed up for some years prior. After talking to NCsoft higher-ups, he is approved for, and goes on, extended leave to take his space flight. During this time, he continues doing PR for Tabula Rasa, including Operation Immortality. Flight (and PR stunt) successful, Richard touches down to Earth, goes into quarantine in Russia, and NCsoft calls him to drop the hammer - while he's stuck in Russia, decontaminating. No choice, no warning, nothing. "So long, and thanks for all the Bane."
One Shots: A final salute
While Tabula Rasa may have shut down all of the servers, this game is by no means forgotten. As many people head into their favorite gaming spaces this weekend to spend time with friends, at least one group will be missing their favorite MMO haunt. This salute to the end of Tabula Rasa comes to us from Mort, who sent along the follow brief note: [This is] a final salute to the fallen Earth from clan Kaka, [taken] at the Empire State Building. We have a few other final Tabula Rasa contributions, so we'll be adding those in the mix in the days to come - if you'd like to send yours and join the fun, feel free! If you're playing a game we haven't seen in a while - or likely won't see again - why not send in a screenshot? We like to see everything from rolling landscape screens to the intense heat of battle. All you have to do is email it to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you credit for sending it in!%Gallery-9798%
The Daily Grind: A farewell to Tabula Rasa
As this morning dawns across the world, the ranks of MMO communities are down by one. Tabula Rasa, started on the same day that Massively opened its doors, has closed down after one final, epic battle. As MMO players, just about all of us can relate as to how much it would suck to lose the game our community is in, thereby sending that community to the four corners of the gaming world. It's always a hard thing to see any MMO sunsetted. This morning, we wanted to give those players a chance to reflect on what they loved about Tabula Rasa - the community, the graphics, the story line, the dev interaction. Also, we'd love to hear what your plans are now; other AFS alumni may decide to join you in new gaming pastures! Will there be another MMO, or are you off to play games like Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead?
Tabula Rasa's shutdown salute schedule
Listen up, soldiers! We're going to post this once and only once, so I want all eyes and ears on this blog post! Do you get me!?*Waits to hear the chorus of "We get you, sir!" coming from the computer monitor.*We have gotten word from AFS High Command that the Bane are preparing for an all out attack against the Allied Free Sentients in Tabula Rasa. This will be the single largest troop movement that the battlefields have seen to date. This is why all soldiers are being asked to fortify all AFS bases in preparation of an attack on Saturday at 8 PM GMT for the Centarus (EU) server and again at 8 PM CST for the Hydra server.These attacks will be lead by the infamous Neph, cousin race to the benevolent Eloh. Neph are the most intelligent commanders that the Bane has to throw against us, but we will fight them back!The attacks are expected to last until midnight GMT and midnight CST. If we are unsuccessful with our defense, and should we be overrun, then we will make sure that their victory will cost them everything! The Penumbra Division has been ordered to ready the last resort weapon and only fire it should we still be under attack at midnight. If we're going down, we're taking them, and the server, with us!Hoo-rah, soldiers!
Deployment 16 stomps onto Tabula Rasa's battlefields
If you've been clamoring for mechs, then clamor no more! Deployment 16 has now hit the Tabula Rasa servers, and you too can jump in a big 'ol mech and go stomp some people. Don't know how to find them? Don't worry, we've got you covered in that department.The only downside to all of this mech joy is that they're only available in Edmund Range. But, with the mechs now being available, you can be sure that pretty much everyone is rushing on over to get a taste of steel in their system.This patch isn't devoted entirely to mechs, though. Players will be happy to procure three new sets of armor, as well as 40 rare weapons that are named after TR players. The AFS buildings got a facelift as well, so there will be some new sights to see for all of the players before the game closes.For the full patch notes, check them out on the Tabula Rasa website.
2008 wasn't a good year for MMOs
One of the blog posts over at the Hellforge community that is getting some traction is Agamemnon's look back at the MMO failures of 2008. Included are looks into why Tabula Rasa, Hellgate: London, Age of Conan, and Pirates of the Burning Sea either outright failed (in the case of Tabula Rasa and Hellgate) or were unable to get the subscriber numbers they expected with their launches.What separates this blog post from the myriad of other posts on the same subject is that the article ends with the many things that these games all did wrong and other developers should learn from. Little things, like listening closely to the feedback from your beta testers, fostering a community, and learning to stay away from the concept of "we'll patch it to perfection." It's a good analysis of the many failures of other games, and a kind tip of the hat to the things an MMO can do right, such as Mythic's openness with Warhammer Online.
The Daily Grind: Are you holding down the fort in Tabula Rasa?
Listen up soldier and listen well! You have only a little over two months before the Bane reinforcements arrive and put the entire army of the Allied Free Sentients at risk in Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa! We at the Massively.com detatchment want to know if you are on the front lines of the war, or are spending time in other battlefronts!With the game becoming free to play, it seems that more soldiers are adding to the AFS front lines every day. But we here at Massively understand that you may not want to pick up your gun, as you know the war will be ending on February 28th! But the skilled engineers of the AFS have added many new tools of destruction to the field of war, such as a first-person tactical combat view and the highly anticipated PAUs and mechs!So are you with us, soldier? Are you going to be using less mew mew and more pew pew? Shout out your plans in the comment box below, but be loud! That Bane artillery cannon on our position is causing too much of a racket!
One Shots: The bane of the Big Apple
In one of the shockers of the year, we've seen Tabula Rasa head towards shutdown just one year after initial release. What's really disappointing is that so many people we've heard from have said that Tabula Rasa has come leaps and bounds from original release. Several think the game is very enjoyable now that they've added in the new content. Whether or not people coming back and playing TR now may be enough to make NCsoft reconsider their decision or not remains to be seen. Nonetheless, today we've got a screenshot sent in to us by Kaczmanchoy, who has also been enjoying the new content. Kaczmanchoy writes: This is from Tabula Rasa's latest high-level epic instance "The Empire Sector". This is the view that greets you when you first come out of the subway tunnels after taking the wormhole back to Earth. Not only is NYC in ruins (although the Empire State Building still stands in the background), but the Bane have already begun terraforming it to their liking. Are you still playing Tabula Rasa or Hellgate London? If so, we'd love to have some screenshots from you to preserve your games for future generations. Just send those screens to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and whatever you'd like to say about it. We'll post it out here, and give you the credit for snapping the image. %Gallery-97989%
Behind the Curtain: This too shall pass
And so we mark the passing of another MMO. I was going to add an adjective to that sentence, maybe 'great', 'fine' or even just 'good'. I couldn't decide, as I didn't play Tabula Rasa beyond the Open Beta. That's clearly not my fault though, obviously it's something to do with the developers not making exactly the game I wanted, needed or deserved at the time. Cry, whine, QQ, etc.Don't worry, this won't be an obituary for TR. That would be silly; I'm not lying when I say I didn't play it beyond Open Beta. I liked it well enough, but it lacked the spark that drives me to log on, night after night. The news of TR's demise however, has got me thinking. Like it or not, nothing lasts forever. MMOs are subject to the same financial rules as any other business, and sometimes those rules mean you lose. Regardless of how long we've been playing any particular game, how many alts you've raised up or how much of a home you've made for yourself in the community there, there's a chance your MMO will die eventually. Some games last longer than others; gaining enough momentum to garner a fair-sized and dedicated fanbase before they're shut down. Others barely get out of Beta testing before things go South, and the doors are closed before momentum really gets going.
The Daily Grind: Penny for your Tabula Rasa thoughts?
The announcement that Tabula Rasa will close in February came suddenly, what with NCsoft employees saying there were "no current plans" to close the game only a couple of months ago. We're sad to see the game go, though we're not surprised in the wake of Richard Garriott's departure.Are you a current or former Tabula Rasa player, and if so, what's your take on all this? Did you see it coming? Is it a tragic early death, or an appropriate end to an era? And where do you plan to go next? NCsoft is offering a fair deal to refugees -- months of free playtime in City of Heroes, Lineage II, or the forthcoming Aion. Does that tempt you, or are you going to take your business elsewhere -- to Turbine, Blizzard, SOE, CCP, or Funcom, perhaps?
Massively.com giveaway: Tabula Rasa AFS Commander prize pack
Earlier today we started giving away 50 Tabula Rasa soldier packs. There's some really nice swag in there ... but it is just not enough. See, Massively and Tabula Rasa share pretty much the same birthday. Last year's giveaway extranavangza had us doing an entire 24-hour marathon of giveaways. So this year we wanted to offer something really special to everyone serving in the AFS. That's why we have the AFS Commander Prize Pack. If you win this one-of-a-kind pack you'll get: A collector's edition box of Tabula Rasa (retail: $39.99), a Tabula Rasa T-Shirt, a TR Zboard keyset, TR dogtags, a TR hat, a Tabula Rasa lanyard, a commemorative patch from Richard Garriott's flight to the ISS, and a fantastic Tabula Rasa poster signed by General British and Starr Long. Total estimated retail value: $116.All you have to do to win this kingly swag pack is leave a comment on this post telling us whether you'd want to serve on the front lines against the Bane. Would you sign up, or leave the alien-fighting to others? You'll need to comment before 7:00 AM EST Wednesday, November 5th to be eligible. You can only enter once per person, and after the contest closes we'll ship out the prize pack to one randomly-selected winner. Give us at least a week to ship out this massive pile of swag, though. To win you must be age 18 or up and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). For full eligibility details, we suggest you read our official rules. Good luck!
Massively.com giveaway: Tabula Rasa AFS soldier packs
We thought we'd kick off today's giveaways with a bang! You're almost guaranteed* to win one of these packs, we've got so many of them! 50 of you lucky readers will get to walk away with the ultimate in Tabula Rasa swag packs! Each pack has (at least) 1 XL Tabula Rasa T-shirt, 1 set of Tabula Rasa Dog Tags, and 1 Tabula Rasa Lanyard! Of those 50 packs, 9 of them are going to find an extra special addition slipped inside: a commorative patch from Richard Garriott's historic flight to the International Space Station! Total retail value of everything is less than $20. Plus, every NCsoft giveaway we do today is going to get some extras, like City of Heroes/Villains balloons, buttons, and bumper stickers ... what you get is a total surprise!Remember, we've got 50 of these things to giveaway! Enter quick to get your chance! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us what you like about Tabula Rasa! You'll need to comment before 7:00 AM EST Wednesday, November 5th. You can only enter once per person, and after the contest closes we'll ship out these fantastic prizes to 50 randomly-selected winners. Give us at least a week to ship out this massive pile of swag. To win you must be age 18 or up and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). For full eligibility details, we suggest you read our official rules. Good luck!*Mr. Asterisk guarantees nothing.
Watch a video of Richard Garriott's geeky but enviable space voyage
By now a lot of you know that Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima Online and Tabula Rasa, is in space. Sadly, since we didn't watch the live broadcast of his liftoff, we only know this through second-hand reports. But it's all going to be okay -- the NASA TV broadcast has been uploaded to YouTube, so if you missed it as we did then you too can watch an eccentric and wealthy nerd experience his lifelong dream. We've embedded it after the jump. Enjoy!Garriott lifted off on October 12th, carrying with him the DNA of Operation Immortality participants, including some Tabula Rasa players. Shortly after liftoff he displayed to the camera a Logos message to the camera on the spacecraft -- simultaneously an inspiring quote about space travel from a Russian scientist ("Earth is the cradle of humanity but mankind will not be in the cradle forever.") and a hint at upcoming additions to Tabula Rasa.[Via Joystiq]
Scouting ahead to Tabula Rasa deployment 14
Tabula Rasa has seen a lot of attention recently, what with the free trial offer pulling in many curious new (and old) players, and Richard Garriott sending a message in Logos script back to Earth. Now, excitement is hotting up for the next deployment due to be issued to Tabula Rasa players. Three of the team members have been talking about specific areas of the game that are due to be addressed. Casey Thorp gives the rundown on changes in enemy strategy on Divide, with an increase coming in Bane aggressiveness and tactical intelligence. There's also a tantalizing hint at a new system of Dynamic Spawners, 'the first steps of a system of modular kits that will add new and interesting combat scenarios to the already lush environments of TR.' Casey doesn't go into detail, but it seems there will be reactive spawns specifically engineered around player presence.Dwight Spaulding describes changes to the treasure chest mechanics on Plains and Mires, with a broader variety of loot and a chance at enemy response, while Raven Sherman has explained the addition of expanded storage in the Clan Lockboxes, something the players have been asking for. Many players are also revved up at the arrival of the long-awaited PAUs (Personal Armor Units) on the Public Test Server, which (although the design has changed since the first announcements) show a good deal of potential.
Witness Richard Garriott launch into space on October 12
One of the MMO industry's most recognized names, Richard Garriott, is about to become the world's sixth private citizen to participate in a space mission aboard the International Space Station. The trip into space comes at no small cost through Space Adventures, and the whole experience of gearing up for the trip is documented on Garriott's dedicated site. The MMO tie-in is that Garriott's space walk is part of "Operation Immortality" which we've touched upon in the past here at Massively. Garriott fans can watch him launch into space via streaming video at NASA TV, NASA Select TV (Australia), or the NASA TV Public Channel. Haters can do the same thing, just describing it as "seeing him strapped to a rocket and shot into space." It's all about perspective. Regardless of whether you think Operation Immortality and the trip to the International Space Station is interesting or not, it's a first in the industry. If you're in the Austin area, there will be a space watch party at Opal Divine's Penn Field restaurant, with live music and pre-launch activities.The launch is scheduled for October 12, at 1 pm Kazakhstan time. Since we suspect most of our readers don't reside in Kazakhstan, that's Sunday at 2 am Central, 3 am Eastern, and midnight Pacific. Best of luck with the flight, Richard.
One Shots: AFK, researching
Many of the Massively staff will be on the road this weekend covering either PAX or Dragon*Con, so we figured this screenshot was appropriate for today's One Shots. What is it, you might ask? Well, from what we're told by Sevenwind, this is what the "AFK" screen looks like in Tabula Rasa. If you're going to be AFK, there are certainly worse things for your character to do beyond researching the situation. (Heck, that could be really handy on boss mobs if your character could research and tell you what to expect as opposed to having to rely on external websites and/or your raid leader!) Will you be gaming at home this weekend, or heading out to get your geek on? If you'll be doing some gaming, you should grab some screenshots of your favorite game and send them our way! After all, One Shots thrives on your screenshots; otherwise we have to dig into the folders of our staffers. Email those screenshots and descriptions to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com! Safe (in and out of game) travels, all!%Gallery-9798%
Early Stargate Worlds combat video shows off enemy AI
Jon Wood at MMORPG recently put up a hands-on video of gameplay in Stargate Worlds. This latest footage gives us an early look at combat in Stargate Worlds. Primarily, it shows the importance of using cover to survive. Wood seems to like what he's experienced of the game so far, particularly in terms of the AI in Stargate Worlds."Getting taken off-guard by AI opponents does not happen very often. But when it does, it's just fantastic. It gets your heart going, causes you to panic," he says. The comments related to the video are drawing comparisons with Tabula Rasa but keep in mind this footage is from an alpha stage of testing. That being said, what do you think about how Stargate Worlds is shaping up?
Shopping list: Milk, bread, MMO game time cards...
Let's face it, getting time cards for your favorite game is a necessity. It's up there with the milk, bread, and eggs that you need for your daily survival. We have enough stories about MMO withdrawal to fill a shopping cart, so why not sell our addiction where we can easily grab it? NCsoft got the message and is pushing their time cards out to the masses by partnering up with Target, Rite Aid, and Best Buy. Now you too can literally walk down the street to the drug store and pick up your favorite addiction -- more play time. More importantly, if you're a subscriber to City of Heroes/Villains, grab yourself a time card because it will unlock an in-game jet pack for you to use. The approach isn't anything new, as Nexon has already been providing their cash cards to customers of 7-Eleven convenience stores for some time now. What all of this does show is a marketing push by more game companies to get their cards into the mainstream market of consumer products. Lastly, as a friendly reminder, when you're running out to get those "essentials" at Rite-Aid or Target before that "big storm" hits, remember your desktop computer doesn't work when the power is out.
Deployment 10.6 now on Tabula Rasa public test server
Tabula Rasa's Public Test Server has now been fitted with Deployment 10.6. The main feature of this update is a change to Grey Market Vendor items -- their cost has been increased by 500%. The developers felt that the power of the Grey Market Vendor weapons was not proportional to their price, hence the rather drastic increase. They have left Control Point vendor items alone, but they will continue to monitor the equipment situation to make certain that crafted items are better than those bought from NPCs.if you want to get involved with the testing on TR's PTS, you can visit this guide at the official site to get started.
Massively Exclusive: Tabula Rasa's AFS War College
Last week we got a chance to visit NCsoft's Austin offices to attend the first ever AFS War College, where some of Tabula Rasa's finest soldiers were invited to join NCsoft's developers for a day of discussions, questions, and demos. We took a tour of the facilities guided by Richard Garriott himself, and we invite you to join us as we learn all about the design of Logos, hear all the details on how Tabula Rasa is developed, and see the TR developers' top priorities. Have we piqued your interest yet? Click along with us and see what came of this year's War College!Let's get started in the audio department >>%Gallery-25259%
