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Tabula Rasa + Vista SP1 = what exactly?
Tony "RadarX" Jones over at Ten Ton Hammer has crafted a fine briefing concerning Vista's long overdue Service Pack 1 and it's potential effects on MMOs and Tabula Rasa in particular. It's geared for gamers (if you like technobabble, check out ExtremeTech's article), so even a Dunder-Mifflin head like myself can understand it.I was one of the early adopters, hopping aboard the Vista wagon not long after it dropped. I won't say I regret it, but I will say there were days (many of them to be exact) that I pulled my hair out in frustration. I still do that on occasion, when for no reason whatsoever Vista decides to randomly erase a game's executable file. So here's hoping SP1 does for Vista what hops did for beer. But I'm not holding my breath. Vista was supposed to the shining knight on horseback to save PC gaming and bring it to gaming nirvana. Ya... not so much.So, will SP1 help or hurt gaming? More specifically, will it help or hurt Tabula Rasa? Check out Tony's article for all the details, then come back here and discuss. Do you love or hate Vista in regards to your fave MMO, and do you think SP1 will provide any benefit?
Seeing Tabula Rasa's future
I've spent a fair amount of time on the Tabula Rasa public test server over the last few days trying to score me some of that sweet "Charcoal Colored Armor Dye" being given away during Test Fest '08. I've also experienced some of the things that will be coming in the next patch (1.4), which I could blither on about... but why bother when the gang over at Ten Ten Hammer has already done the grunt work?In their latest report from the front line entitled, Testing the Future, Tony "RadarX" Jones breaks down the slew of new goodies that will drop, including the the much heralded Hybrids. Since this particular topic has been talked to death already, I'll just add that I have in fact seen a few. They're ugly. But I can't wait to give them a whirl. They may be ugly, but they're new! Equally intriguing are all the other changes and tweaks to armor, ammo, attributes, shield extender, hacker skills and the oddly worded "Game balance has been adjusted to be slightly easier at all levels (higher character survivability) and significantly easier at higher levels."Aside from the obvious game balance adjustment, which frankly I don't feel the game needs (at least at the lower levels I'm participating at), the biggest areas of concern for me are the "Three A's" (armor, ammo attributes). Last night while attempting to take over the Pravus Research Center with my level 15 Ranger (solo) I noticed a distinct change in armor absorption. The absorption rate seemed seriously degraded, but I didn't seem to die any quicker. This was likely due to the changes with a player's Attributes. Body, Mind, and Spirit will now provide bonuses! Body improves max absorption, Mind improves Logos damage, while Spirit gives a better chance to Critical Hit. Ammunition changes weren't immediately noticeable aside from being able to use standard canister ammo for my chain gun instead of just standard cartridge ammo.All in all... good stuff. Read the whole report to get all the juicy details.
TTH AFS Field Report - Slow Week Edition
Post holiday blues got ya down? Apparently it's been a slow week for everyone as folks the universe over (including the AFS and Bane) come down off drunken eggnog stupors and fruitcake sugar rushes. Still, TenTonHammer's Tony "RadarX" Jones covers this weeks slim pickings in the Tabula Rasa universe like the Hollywood paparazzi swarm the Spears Clan.Even though we here at Massively try to keep you up to date with all the hot, breaking news you can handle... we miss some things. Take for instance this little nugget: did you know that the "crapton" (Tony's words) of reviews for Tabula Rasa (personal plug: I wrote the first world exclusive review on the day it released) seem to repeatedly compare it to World of Warcraft. Uh, excuse me? I've played WoW. I've played TR. The two are nothing alike. TR is better looking, has better game play (because it has really BIG guns!)... just kidding! TR is my pint 'o beer while WoW is not. That's why so many MMOs can exist. Not everyone has to like every game. But I digress...Check out Tony's full field report for all the details.
