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Tabula Rasa patch lands, underwhelms
I suppose it was a bit naive to assume that any of the proposed changes to Tabula Rasa that hadn't appeared on the public test realm would actually make their way into the 48.9mb patch that was officially put live this morning. You can probably attribute the community-wide high hopes to the fact that Destination Games hasn't even given an ETA on the Rage nerf, let alone when they're actually planning to implement the Military Surplus (TR's version of an AH) or the huge change to weapon itemization. I think the hope was that, not unlike Santa Claus, the devs were going to slip down our intertubes at night and leave us a whole bunch of in-game goodies while we stay asleep, none the wiser. Alas, that was not to be.Most of the changes in the patch are fairly routine, including the new integrated screenshot utility and UI toggle we mentioned not long ago (used to snap the shot of my character's sweet porno 'stach above). Hopping into the game for the first time post-patch, the first thing I noticed was that (unless I'm mistaken) the number of tokens required for the CP defense quests in Divide had been nerfed big time from 100 to 25. Considering I was at 97 at Hydro Plant last night, I can say that this is definitely personally disappointing, but I think it's also a shame because it gives less incentive for people to engage in the free-form base attack and defense that is so unique to Tabula Rasa. They also seemed to have created a glitch where you can't switch weapons during combat. Oh well, such is life with patches... Since for some reason they don't like to post patch notes on their site, I've gone ahead and copied them for your perusal after the jump. You're welcome.
TR devs further clarify respec
Never let it be said that developers have it easy. Every word they say in the public forum is carefully analyzed, scrutinized, and questioned at great length. With all those eyes on that relatively small volume of communication, sometimes things get confused and people need clarification. We can scarcely imagine the flood of emails Destination Games has gotten questioning the details of the impending skills changes in Tabula Rasa, including the respec that is to go along with it. For the second time in under a week, they've addressed the issue on their official website.Straight from the horse's mouth, the respec (which is NOT included in the build currently on the PTR) will not only be available to everybody, including those not even in the Soldier tree, but will also be mandatory. Upon logging on to a character for the first time after the Rage change goes live, players will find all their attribute and skill choices wiped, and they'll be able to put all the points they've earned back into their builds as they see fit. This isn't the kind of respec you can save for a later date. They've also specified some of the details of the new Rage ability, including the definition of fast cast (a much quicker cast time) and the logic behind the abilities granted at the different levels.Did you notice what's still missing? Yeah, an ETA. Make with the patching already!
The itemization bug bites Tabula Rasa
As you should already well know, Destination Games is hard at work on patching up some common complaints in their new sci-fi epic Tabula Rasa. Though the most significant part of the patch for most players was Rage getting whacked with the nerf bat and the promise of a free respec, that wasn't all that Paul Sage and crew had in mind. An easily overlooked part of the patch notes says, and here I quote, "We have also fixed another problem where item rarity was not affecting damage bonuses on the items. Now green weapons will do more damage than their white counterparts of the same level. Blues will do more than greens." Itemization is getting tweaked, and it's going to have huge ramifications.As things of this nature usually do, the change has spawned a heated discussion within the TR community, with some feeling that the difference in itemization (which, if you'll note, is called a "fix" not a "change") is going to have profound implications for the way players approach equipment and the game in general. As the game exists now, damage is entirely independent of item quality, and the only advantages conferred by rare items (which follows the popular rarity scheme of white < green < blue < purple) are that they have their mod slots filled. In most cases an item bought at a vendor is basically equal to a purple of the same level that you can get either as a rare drop or as a quest reward. Why is that a problem?
Tabula Rasa Rage nerf, free respec for all
After Tabula Rasa forums and general chat have been flooded with rumors of an impending nerf to the Soldier's Rage ability. The discrepancy between the buff to damage Rage gives in practice, what it says in the tooltip, and what the designers originally intended has been the cause of a lot of speculation and debate. As it exists, you get a 105% buff to damage on the first pump alone, an extraordinary boost to damage for one paltry ability point. Destination Games' lead designer Paul Sage has finally put the conversation to rest today, announcing that an impending patch will be put on the PTR soon that will nerf Rage back into the realm of reality.The fix will make Rage a fast cast ability (it currently has a two second casting time) and has modified the buffs as follows: Rage 1: 30% damage self buff Rage 2: 30% damage buff w/squad members Rage 3: 40% damage self buff – 10% resist bonuses Rage 4: 40% damage buff w/squad members Rage 5: 50% damage buff w/squad members – 10% resist bonuses Players will all receive a free respec in accordance with the change. Needless to say, we're quit excited to see how this change will work out when it goes live. Maybe we'll see more specialists!
Adventures From the Back Row: the Specialist and her tools
Given that Tabula Rasa is still so new, I'm going to focus for the time being on getting my fellow healbots up to speed. Unlike other games that have dedicated class systems, the tiered system in TR requires that you 'want it'; you have to choose the right class and specifically allocate skill points in order to keep your fellow soldiers on their feet. Today we'll start slow, by going over the basics of the Specialist class. We'll talk about her tools of the trade, and begin running down some of the particular challenges of being a healer in Tabula Rasa. If you're an AFS healer, speak up in the comments, because I want to know: how the heck do you keep your teammates targetted?
Tabula Rasa: why game delays are good for us
Talking with some new friends in Tabula Rasa last night, we happened on the subject of game delays, and why sometimes we have to suck it up and take them without complaint in order to enjoy a more complete product later down the road. Of course, with as many players as the MMO genre has under its sway, the "without complaint" aspect is often ignored in favor of nagging and incessant whining. Gamers accustomed to instant gratification and pandering from developers are often inconsolable when a patch is delayed, saying nothing of an actual retail release. Forums and IRC chats become flooded with complaints, insults, and sometimes even threats of bodily harm. Mindful of a couple big titles delayed in recent months, I thought I'd offer up evidence of why game delays are sometimes good for us.The video you see before you is Destination Games' showing of Tabula Rasa at E3 2004, a scant three years ago. At the time, Tabula Rasa was a confusing mishmash of fantasy, sci-fi, and... unicorns? Sensing that they had an impending disaster on their hands, they replaced 20% of the development team, scrapped 75% of the code, and started over essentially from scratch. While some still debate whether the finished product they put on the market earlier this month was worth the effort, I find it hard to believe it could be any worse than the trippy mess of a game shown in their E3 presentation. In Tabula Rasa's case, the delay likely saved the game from bombing.So next time the big game you've got on preorder is delayed, relax. The developers are probably doing you a favor. That is, unless you like unicorns.
Kieron Gillen on TR, betas, and free trials
Kieron Gillen of Rock, Paper, Shotgun has a great retrospective up about Tabula Rasa, its launch, and where Destination Games should go from here.Kieron talks about how he actually likes TR, but how the game has been damaged -- maybe ruined -- by an ill-advised Beta test. Which is spot on, really. Loads of serious MMO fans played the Beta at one time or another, and it was missing so many features that made it into the final game it's not even funny -- in fact, it's still missing some even now, hence the rush for patches and new content. The solution? Kieron recommends TR gets a free trial. Not the refer a friend scheme going around at present -- a real free trial so Beta testers can reevaluate the game as it stands.The quality of a Beta influences how successfully a game sells much more than publishers seem to believe, and similarly, free trials. It's always struck me as foolish that every MMOG doesn't have a free trial to begin with. Whilst retail sales is something publishers will always hate to lose, surely if subscriptions are increased in the long-term it's a wise investment?
Tabula Rasa players ask: where's the rage?
One of the biggest questions that Tabula Rasa players have had since the new patch went out on the public test realm has been: what happened to the nerf to Rage that the devs had been rumored to be talking about? Rage is an attack enhancement for those in the Soldier tree that, when fully pumped, offers a temporary 100% buff to damage output. Outside of maybe Training: Weapons, Rage is probably the most ubiquitous skill choice people take, and is almost directly responsible for the huge imbalance between the Soldier and Specialist trees. Destination Games had been proposing a reduction of the damage buff down to 25%, but it was conspicuously absent from the patch notes.We still haven't heard anything official from the developers themselves, but the rumor so far has been pervasive. We weren't able to track down the original source of the rumor, though threads discussing it can be found on most RGTR forums. It's something that makes sense from a balance standpoint and that is the topic du jour in general chat, so we'll see if we can't get any official word. In the meantime, keep an eye on the patch note pages to see if any incremental updates pop up on the PTR.
New Tabula Rasa build on PTR, includes screenshot feature
As part of their "Feedback Friday" feature (which in honor of the holiday this week, was written on Wednesday), Tabula Rasa developer Destination Games revealed that a new build is officially live on the Public Test Server, and includes a number of changes and bug fixes. Among the added goodies is the inclusion of a Military Surplus store, which promises to be the primary venue for selling your old weapons, armor, and other bag-cloggers. There are military surpluses available in all the major zones, alongside the normal vendors. They've also added the ability to toggle the UI and added an integrated screenshot taking utility -- which was really long overdue.I've only just started in Wilderness myself, but my impression is that there are lots of prominent bugs that still need to be stamped out. It seems like every few minutes somebody in general chat asks why a quest turn-in doesn't work or why they can't enter a cave to access one quest without triggering another. Further complicating the frustrations is that fact that players can't copy their characters to PTRs manually. They're populated with copies of a given server, so advanced players who might otherwise be able to provide valuable feedback are barred from contributing by this arbitrary limitation. These are the sort of things that can keep people from resubscribing, and moving to other, newer offerings.
Starr Long talks Personal Armor Units
Destination Games have been talking quite a bit recently about what's to come in Tabula Rasa, but the main focus is on ... giant robots! TenTonHammer have a sneak peek up, talking to Starr Long, discussing the Personal Armor Units -- no screenshots or concept art, unfortunately, but there's decent descriptions.Personal Armor Units, as they're known, are TR's version of mounts. The names of five are known so far -- Angel, Ghoul, Grendel, Shiva, and Spectre. According to Paul Sage, Lead Designer of TR, you'll get access to your PAU at level 40. All we know so far is that Grendel is Grenadier only, Spectre seems to be Spy only, and that you can fight in them. These ain't no horses!There's some details about other end-game content in TR, though whether that will come in the same update as PAUs is anyone's guess.
Tabula Rasa RP bloggers wanted
Though there are some among us who espouse that roleplaying is dead, Destination Games apparently hasn't gotten the memo. As part of their on-going community-outreach efforts, which have been fairly awesome to date, they're looking for capable roleplayers to blog, in character, about their experiences fighting the Bane in Tabula Rasa.All you have to do is head over to their fansite registration page, fill out a few forms, check a few boxes, and you could very well have your work shown as part of their on-going Soul of a Soldier feature. So far a lot of the content they have posted is from the perspective of humans just coming to terms with their place in a pitched-battle that encompasses nearly all of the known universe. Granted, Tabula Rasa is less than a month old, but I think there's a big niche that can be filled beyond this sort of "wow, I'm fighting aliens" material that is up there so far. So hop to it, Massively scribes, and smite those bane with your thesauruses!
Building the Bane
Over at GameZone, there's a lengthy article about the origins of the main villains of the whole Tabula Rasa saga: The Bane. It's also got some beautiful shots from Destination Games of a Thrax soldier and the Neph, and goes into a bit of detail of the Bane hierarchy -- standard story fluff, you'd think, but intriguing.The Thrax are quite well personalized as a race, actually -- in that they're immediately recognizeable as repulsive, and that you want to shoot them. It also makes a break from tradition in that they're the first foe you'll encounter in TR, and that they're not stupid; instead of the usual fighting of rats / bats / giant spiders / kobolds to introduce you to a standard MMO, dropping assorted body parts that you'll immediately sell for two shillings. Not that I'm a cynic, and not that other MMOs don't have their own memorable opponents -- be they Charr, Nazgûl, or other players.Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to kill some Trolls.
Come kick Bane butt, make some cash, in RGTR player event
A call to arms is going out on Tabula Rasa's Orion server for players willing to help engage a large concentration of Bane troops near Lower Eloh Creek. Field Sgt. Witherspoon and the clan "Panic" have been holding the line at the river, but are putting out an all points bulletin looking for reinforcements to help beat back the Thrax and recapture this strategically important objective. Players interested in throwing their weight into the counter-offensive should assemble at Lower Eloh Creek at 9PM CST (10PM EST) on Saturday the 17th. While this is part recruiting event for Panic, they're also encouraging other players to help out, and are offering a $200,000 credit bonus to the first player to complete a special operation.For our part, we're rather impressed that Destination Games is encouraging this level of community involvement through their official channels. Clan raids are hardly anything new, but it's still pretty rare that they get acknowledged enough to be featured on the game's website. So if you play on the Orion server and want the opportunity to make some cash or meet an established group of players, make sure to free up your Saturday night.
Tabula Rasa launches in Austin, Texas
For those of you who have been in hiding recently, I'll let you in on a little secret: Tabula Rasa, the latest MMO from NCsoft, was launched this past Friday. In Austin, Texas, home to Destination Games, developer of Tabula Rasa, there wasn't much fanfare -- but the developers did leave their offices for a few hours on Friday night to chat with fans and sign autographs. When asked about the launch, the game's producer Starr Long told us that he felt things were going well -- there were about 5000 players logged on to the game when he left the office and no major complaints emerging of yet. (Though it sounds like the launch may not have gone so smoothly in Europe.) For those of you who couldn't make the launch event, however, we have good news! While you may not have had the opportunity to hang out with Richard Garriott, Starr Long, and the rest of the NCsoft crew, we did pick up a poster sighted by Garriott and Long which we're going to give away to one of our readers! Want a signed Tabula Rasa poster? All you have to do is leave one comment below (just one, please!) between now and 3:30 PM EST tomorrow (that's Tuesday, November 6th, folks!). As usual, with our contests, you must be age 18 or older and a US resident to enter: please direct any questions towards our official rules. In the end, we'll pick one winner at random to take home this fine piece of swag. %Gallery-9822%
Massively interviews: Starr Long of Tabula Rasa
Two weeks before the launch of NCsoft's latest MMO, Tabula Rasa, Massively had a chance to sit down and chat with the game's producer, Starr Long, in their Austin offices. We discuss Tabula Rasa's past, present, and future -- including a first glimpse at the game's ambitious expansion plans. So what's there to look forward to in Tabula Rasa? Alien-human hybrid races, a major expansion a year (each featuring an entirely new planet), and major content patches every few months. Need to know more? Keep reading!
