Richard Garriott
Latest
Tabula Rasa's Feedback Friday gives backstory on General British
In this week's Feedback Friday for Tabula Rasa, we get a bit of a summary from the release of Deployment 11 earlier this week. Richard Garriott's space flight and his new project Operation Immortality is featured, with an explanation of how this experiment will work. Plus, we're treated to an in-character story entitled The Traveler, which is all about General British's experiences as a cosmonaut castaway and eventual hero for the AFS.We also get an explanation of the changes made to the new player experience, and why these changes were necessary. Apparently, the developers felt that Bootcamp and subsequent missions were too difficult and were laden with too much extraneous information, so they've revamped the tutorial, help menus and log-in screen. Hopefully these changes will aid new players brought in with the recent publicity from Operation Immortality, as well as the current influx of returning players.
NCsoft's Operation Immortality launches
As we reported from Comic-Con 08, NCsoft was quite the belle of the ball last week with their Adam & Eve 2.0 booth gaining its fair share of attention from attendees. At this booth, couples were seen swabbing their cheeks for some DNA samples to send into space with one of the grandfathers of the MMO, Richard Garriott. Finally, the website for this campaign has been officially launched and all further details have been released. From now until August 31st, anyone with a PC and an internet connection (that's you) can participate in the site's weekly polls which will be included on an Immortality Drive, to be sent into space with Garriott. Not only that, but current Tabula Rasa players can actually leave a personal message to be included on this drive. Is this simply an outrageous commercial for Tabula Rasa? Sure it is, but has anyone ever done anything even close to this before for a game? Nope.
Richard Garriott and special guest join TR's Friday Night Fights
In the past, we've reported on some excited bouts in Tabula Rasa's Friday Night Fights, but nothing compares to what they have in store for you now. Next Friday, July 25th, Richard Garriott will be facing up against two time featherweight boxing champ Jesus Chavez in the C.E.L.L.A.R. Arena. This will be held on the TR Test Server starting at 6pm Central time. They will be in C.E.L.L.A.R. 3, which can be accessed via teleporter from the barracks in Alia Das.If you're new to Friday Night Fights and aren't sure how it all works, TR's Community Coordinator Amy "Critters" Crider has assembled a handy Q&A which you can see right after the cut, as well as a hilarious promotional video created especially for this event. We hope to see you there!
Tabula Rasa's Friday Night Fights gets an upgrade
In this week's Weekend Wrapup for Tabula Rasa, we get a few tidbits from within the community at large. Friday Nights Fights is still going strong, with this weekend's winner being Glass on his fifth FnF championship! Plus, the FnF ringleaders have announced some changes to the regular matches to help liven things up a bit. A new match type called the Gut Check pits the final winner against 6 of the previously-defeated competitors, who form a squad to take down the final contestant one at a time. This week, Glass made it through two fighters before finally being taken down by the third.Also, be sure to check out a new video compiled by Kaczmanchoy which showcases all of the weapons in Tabula Rasa. However, the video goodness doesn't stop there as Chae compiled some footage of his lottery event from last Friday.
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%
NCsoft says Tabula Rasa is doing fine
An NCsoft Europe spokesperson tells Eurogamer that Tabula Rasa has a growing player base and isn't in any trouble. Recent reports suggest otherwise, as NCsoft was apparently too embarrassed by the game's performance to mention it in its recent Q1 financial report. NCsoft states that a recent European trial met with "great demand" and it'll do a similar promotion later this year. It's no secret that Tabula Rasa's had a slow start, but just how bad is it? If MMOGCHART is to be believed, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa has approximately 75,000 players, the same subscription numbers as his decade-old Ultima Onine.
Tabula Rasa largely absent from NCSoft financial reports
Wherefore art thou, Tabula Rasa? Though we knew the title's been a bit slow to start, we were still a shocked when Richard Garriott's MMO was largely absent from publisher NCSoft's Q1 financial report. As Massively reports, the title appears only twice throughout the publicly accessible earnings report, and neither time in a particularly favorable light.In a conference call following the release, CFO Lee Jae-Ho confirmed that the "Tabula Rasa operation" has not yet been profitable for NCSoft. This point, however, was only addressed during the Q&A session, and otherwise entirely ignored during Jae-Ho's formal presentation.For those interested, Massively presents a more thorough breakdown of the financial standing of Tabula Rasa. We'll summarize here by saying "it ain't good."
An interview with TR's Lead Designer Tom Potter
Recently, WarCry had the chance to sit down with Tabula Rasa's Lead Designer, Tom Potter regarding the state of the game as we see it today. He discusses how successful some of the game's features have been and what they plan for the future of the game. He also touches on Richard Garriott's space flight plans and how involved he still is in the ongoing development of the game. We can't help but wonder what type of inspiration his space flight will evoke.One of the most interesting pieces of this Q&A is the admission that the game's developers consider themselves more prepared now than they did at launch. While this is perfectly normal for new online games that depend so heavily on the community aspect for its success, it's still interesting to note that Destination Games, being so new to the development world, have finally licked their wounds and are ready to move forward full charge! This includes plans to offer incentives for existing players to stay, and more free trial periods to entice new players to come see what the game is really all about.
Anti-Aliased: I wear funny hats and I'm proud of it
Since when did role-playing become a dirty word? Apparently even mentioning the initials of the dreaded "RP" is enough to make people want to prove John Gabriel's Greater Internet Dickwad Theory as loudly as possible. Players go out of their way to make others feel uncomfortable and to ruin any sort of fun some people may have. Is it because it's the internet? Or have we forgotten the history of the role-playing game?Because I can't exactly spend a whole column talking about the horrors of the internet (NSFW) I'm going to be focusing on the place of role-playing and how it got interjected into these online games of ours.
How not to review Tabula Rasa
PC Advisor UK recently ran a "expert review" of Tabula Rasa, giving you a wonderful look at the game... up until level 10. Then apparently the reviewer didn't want to play anymore and started to make things up.Tabula Rasa Vault picked this gem of a review up and actually reviewed the review, and I'm quite inclined to agree with them. Last I checked, Foreas isn't an island, Twin Pillars and Foreas Base are nice places to hang out, you don't waste so much ammo when you crouch and have a higher accuracy, and it's really easy to avoid enemy controlled bases by just switching battlefield instances. Reviewing an MMO is tough - especially when you may not have alot of time to put into it. This review is, sadly, proof of what happens when you don't spend some time with the game beyond an early level. This reviewer never got to see the interesting facets of Tabula Rasa, like the community sponsored fist fights, the in-game events, and the other cities and planets. If the reviewer had played past level 10, he might have started to like Tabula Rasa. This is a great reason to make sure your reviewer checked his facts before posting his review. Otherwise, you might just be believing an illusion.
6 month veteran rewards unveiled for Tabula Rasa
The Tabula Rasa weekend wrap-up offers the usual community news and Friday Night Fights review. But this was a special weekend for the men and women of the AFS: it's been just about six months since the game launched. (Hey, that means Massively is about half a year old too.) A new monthly milestone for an NCsoft game can mean only one thing: new veteran rewards! The six-month vet rewards are ladled atop the three-month Kirin mask, and the hilarious 1-month /jumpforjoy emote. These newest rewards are downright goofy. Dedicated players will be getting access to three dance emotes (YMCA, breakdancing, and ballet), as well as a handful of costume props. These props include a green beret, a pair of brass Knuckles and (no, we're not kidding) a General British mask. Those Destination Games folks sure love their fictional military leader.
One Shots: Giving a new meaning to "green hybrid"
We sent out the call for more screenshots from Tabula Rasa, and our readers Shadow Wind and Mark 'Jukovic' Benson have stepped up to offer up a veritable feast of Tabula Rasa goodness for the eyes! Today's lovely screenshot was described as the "obligatory hybrid alt." We're glad to see that alt-itus is rampaging around the galaxy at a good pace. (And also glad to know we're not the only ones with it!) Now we'll send out the call to the rest of you -- from AO to Zu Online, all screens are welcomed! The next time you're wandering around your game-world and see something cool, fun, interesting, beautiful, or exciting, snag a screenshot and send it to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com. We love seeing new things. %Gallery-9798%
Win Tabula Rasa gear
If you like to wear your hobby on your sleeve - or on your head, around your neck, or on your chest - it's time to gear up with some Tabula Rasa branded swag. The best part? You can get it for free. Techgage, a tech-related news site, is having a Gear Up at Techgage Contest where you can win a TR-shirt, beanie, or a set of rare AFS dogtags.There will only be three winners, and you only have until April 8 (11:59PM CST) to enter. So go read the rules 'n regs, then fill out the entry form ASAP.
Are you ready to rumble?
Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa will be getting a fighting arena in patch 1.8. The new arena contains a large ring complete with red and blue "corners." Both 1 on 1 and Squad vs. Squad events will be sanctioned by AFS officials. The arena will also include a bar (to help you wash away the money you just lost when your fighter decided not to take a dive), a medic station so wannabe "Rockys" can yell "Cut me, Mick," a upper viewing deck and several recreation rooms. But they need you to help them name it. So get your thinking caps on and submit your ideas for the new Arena (to trcontests@ncsoft.com) by Friday, April 11, 2008.
Can you keep cool under Live Fire?
If you can then the Live Fire Sports League (LFS) is where you need to be! This Saturday the LFS is hosting a King of the Hill 6 versus 6 squad based elimination tournament in Tabula Rasa. Here are the mucho important details: Date: March 29, 2008 Time: 9:00pm Eastern, 8:00pm Central, 7:00pm Mountain, 6:00pm Pacific Server: Orion Map: Wilderness Zone (4) Assembly point: Twin PillarsThis is for characters up to level 10 and will be a fight for Memory Tree Hill. For all the details check out PlanetTR.com ASAP. Time's running out soldier!
Tabula Rasa: A fan's P.O.V.
Misery may love company, but negativity breeds page hits. People are more fascinated with "misery" then they are with joy, and once the bad PR bandwagon gets rolling there's usually no slowing it down. Why do you think the evening news and daily newspapers are so rife with doom? It sells.Case in point: Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. Over the last few months TR has been the bane (pardon the pun) of gaming's misery lovers. But one fan of this funtastic sci-fi MMO has a different perspective. One that some of us here at Massively who play this game happen to agree with. In what amounts to a call to arms to the "silent majority" (those who play and enjoy the game but remain quiet in doing so) , as well as a defense against the horde of negativity, Tabula Blogger gives an unbiased rundown of the things that seem to be harped on the most (crafting, PvP, end game content)... from a player's POV, not a video game journalist's paid commentary.In particular I like the point made about how fast some players managed to "finish" the game and then had the audacity to gripe about no end content. TR has only been out five months (it launched in early November). Those who race to the end of any MMO within weeks of a game launching and then gripe about not having anything to do just don't get it. MMOs take years to make and aren't designed to be finished in mere weeks. They are not sprints (like single player frag fests), but marathons that should be enjoyed and savored. [Via Ten Ton Hammer via VirginWorlds]
The long goodbye to Gary Gygax continues
The death of Gary Gygax earlier this month is still sinking in for the nerd nation. Despite some viciously cruel (and completely off-base) commentary on his legacy, it's fair to say that his work had an enormous impact on gaming as a hobby. Videogames in particular have been affected by his work, and to explore that the Newsweek games blog LevelUp has been chatting with various industry paragons about how D&D affected them. As you might imagine, the MMO developer crowd is well represented; NCsoft's Richard Garriott, EA Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs, and Sony Online CEO John Smedley all weigh in with a few words about their time with pen and paper.Mr. Smedley and Mr. Garriott are well-known D&D players, with the game's influence on the Ultima and EverQuest titles a fairly open bit of gaming trivia. Mr. Jacobs, though, had an especially interesting take on what has been lost since the early days of tabletop gaming: "I think we've lost some creativity, challenge and true social interaction. If you go back to the heyday of table-top gaming, you had an amazing variety of games, worlds, etc. to explore ... while games like EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, World of Warcraft, etc. have their own magic and wonder, some of the pen-and-paper gaming sessions that I participated in were a lot more fun, intense and immersive than anything I've played on a computer."
Tabula Rasa: From Russia With Love
Tabula Rasa Vault is reporting on a news article out of England (which is where 007 hails from ironically enough), that has Tabula Rasa in 4th place on the Russian retail gaming charts.Not bad for a game that some doomed as a failure. NCsoft has formed a solid distribution network in Russia for their games by working with three of Russia's premiere distribution companies.Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa launched in the land of Ivan Drago and Vodka on January 17 at #10. It has since climbed up to #4, confirming that this sci-fi MMO has broad appeal. Seems Russians love them some TR. Like the American version the Russian version is available in two forms (Standard and Collector's Edition) and features localized packaging and instructions.TR is slated to release in Japan later this year. The reception there will be something we will follow very closely...as we like to help prove people wrong.
PlanetTR has a crossword puzzle for you
Admit it, you're either a sudoku number cruncher or a cross wording puzzler. If not, why are these two brain busting games in every newspaper and news rack across the world. Why does every in-flight magazine have them filled in? Ya, that's what I thought. PlanetTR has created a contest that combines gathering information from inside Tabula Rasa with a crossword puzzle. Some of the in-game clues (which are scattered throughout the game world) require words spewed from NPCs, the name of an NPC, a logo, or counting the number of objects at a given spot. So it's like a scavenger hunt too! Everyone is eligible to play, and the event starts tonight (5 PM Pacific, 6 PM Mountain, 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern)! Winners will receive a collectible Tabula Rasa Beanie, and the first place winner will earn themselves a "special" TR prize. Be sure to check out the full list of details, and... get your cross verbiage on!
Tabula Rasa patch notes for 1.6 are up!
Some folks are happy, some guarded, and others aren't so thrilled, but the details for Tabula Rasa's upcoming Patch 1.6 have been released. Along with the experience buffs that were mentioned on Feedback Friday, there's also a boatload of fixes to missions, mobs, terrain problems, modifiers, and more. For those curious about how the new experience modifiers play out, here's the details:- The kill streak multiplier has been updated to make leveling easier at higher levels. Before the same multiplier was available to everyone regardless of their level and players could only reach a maximum of plus 250%.More patch notes experience news behind the cut!
