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24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 4
The clock just struck 11, which means it's time for another installment in our 24 hours of Tabula Rasa giveaway! We're continuing to party like the servers are going down and this time around, we're giving away a promotional cardboard display (nearly five feet tall) featuring the recognizable redhead from Tabula Rasa's box art. What do you have to do to win? To be eligible to enter you must be a US resident of age 18 or older (see our official rules for full details), but all eligible participants need to do for their chance to win is leave a comment on this post sometime in the next hour (we're giving you until 12:00 PM EST, today). But please, only leave us one comment -- multiple entries will be disqualified. After the entry period is over, we'll select three winners at random. First place will receive a promotional cardboard Tabula Rasa display (valued at $10) and one runner-up will receive an oversized Tabula Rasa display box -- not a retail game box, but an empty, oversized display box (valued at $5). Interested in winning? Comment away -- and check back in with us at 12:00 PM EST for your next chance to win!
24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 3
10:00 AM just rolled around, and if you've been paying attention this morning, you know that means it's time for another installment in our 24 Hours of Tabula Rasa giveaway! Today we're celebrating the launch of Massively and NCsoft's Tabula Rasa with hourly giveaways. And right now we're giving away a Tabula Rasa hat to one of our commenters at random. What do you have to do to win a chance to explore Richard Garriott's latest? To be eligible to enter you must be a US resident of age 18 or older (see our official rules for full details), but all eligible participants need to do for their chance to win is leave a comment on this post sometime in the next hour (the cut-off date11:00 AM EST today, November 2nd). But please, only leave us one comment -- multiple entries will be disqualified. After the entry period is over, we'll select three winners at random. First place will receive a Tabula Rasa hat (valued at $10) and one runner-up will receive a Tabula Rasa poster (valued at $5). So comment away -- and be sure to check back in with us at 11:00 AM EST for your next chance to win!
24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 2
What? It's 9 o'clock already? Well, if you've been reading the blog so far this morning, you know what that means -- it's time for another installment in our 24 Hours of Tabula Rasa giveaway! Today we're celebrating the launch of Massively and NCsoft's Tabula Rasa with hourly giveaways. And right now we're giving away a copy of the game to one lucky commenter. What do you have to do to win a chance to explore Richard Garriott's latest? To be eligible to enter you must be a US resident of age 18 or older (see our official rules for full details), but all eligible participants need to do for their chance to win is leave a comment on this post sometime in the next hour (we're giving you until 10:00 AM EST, today). But please, only leave us one comment -- multiple entries will be disqualified. After the entry period is over, we'll select three winners at random. First place will receive a copy of Tabula Rasa (valued at $50) and two runners-up will receive a Tabula Rasa poster (valued at $5). So comment away -- and check back in with us at 10:00 AM EST for your next chance to win!
24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 1, win an iPod!
Today we aren't just celebrating the launch of Massively (though all of us here at Massively HQ are very excited about it!): we're celebrating the launch of NCsoft's newest MMO, Tabula Rasa. We're planning on making the most of the day by giving away prizes from NCsoft every hour on the hour, starting with this 2GB iPod Nano. What do you have to do to win this charming piece of audio technology? To be eligible to enter you must be a US resident of age 18 or older (see our official rules for full details), but all eligible participants need to do for their chance to win is leave a comment on this post sometime in the next 24 hours (the cut-off date is tomorrow, November 3rd, at 8:00 AM EST). But please, only leave us one comment -- multiple entries will be disqualified. After the entry period is over, we'll select three winners at random. First place will receive a 2GB iPod Nano (valued at $150) and two runners-up will receive a Tabula Rasa poster (valued at $5). So comment away -- and check back in with us at 9:00 AM EST for your next chance to win!
Tabula Rasa lead developer stops to thank beta players
Tabula Rasa lead developer Paul Sage took some time out at the end of last week to reflect on the long road the game has taken to reach launch day. In an open letter to the TR community, he talks about his favorite class, the best thing about the game (in his opinion), some of the title's little-known secrets, and thanks a bunch of the folks involved in bringing the game to store shelves. Most of all, though, he wanted to get across his thanks to the players who saw the game through the long and sometimes painful beta process.I want to thank every beta player out there: the grumpy ones, the indifferent ones, and the blissfully playing ones. Seriously, we make games so people will have fun. One of my biggest thrills is watching someone have a good time in the game. I love it when people taunt the Bane and cheer when they take over a control point. I very actively listen in general chat, read the boards, and listen to what you are saying, even when you think I'm not. Beta testing isn't like playing a game. Yes, you get a sneak peek, but sometimes you also get to stand on a carpet and have it ripped out from under you. I understand that can be frustrating. So for that, let me again say "thank you."
Tabula Rasa to go without official forums, common sense
No, you're not taking crazy pills - that headline says "without official forums." In a moment of inspiration, blogger noisyparker thought to write down Tabula Rasa's community model, as it was described in their now-defunct beta forums. Most of it is fairly standard fare. A blog with an RSS feed to chronicle press releases, community news, the usual. Conspicuously absent though are official forums. The reason? The TR crew feels that official forums aren't conducive to a community atmosphere, because people's posting habits tend towards the dogmatic when they think there's a developer listening. Most people have had to endure the pain and self-loathing involved in browsing official forums before, so we know the behavior they're talking about. Still, it seems like a questionable decision to eliminate what is typically the primary conduit for communication between developers and players. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how it works out.
Tabula Rasa goes on the patch
Noisyparker on LJ recently posted the latest patch notes for Tabula Rasa. Amongst the bug fixes and tweaks we find that the friends list has now been boosted to 200 slots and the ignore list to 50. Seeing as how this is the last set of patch notes before the close of beta, I don't see any major changes happening after this for a while at least. But hey, I've been wrong before, at least once, I think. Personally, my favorite of the notes is "mires should be less lagtastic." Someone on the dev team is enjoying themselves, at least. Read the whole list of patch notes after the jump.
TR testers get emotional
For those of you that participated in the Tabula Rasa beta testing, the game developers want to give you more than the memories of your experiences. Beta testers will be receiving an excluslve emote within the game when it goes live. There's a catch, though (isn't there always?): you had to play the beta between October 25th and October 26th, the last two days of the beta. Of course, if you were in the beta at all, chances are you at least logged on yesterday to enjoy the end-of-beta event. If you did, then you will receive the coveted /throat emote. Taunt your friends! Amuse your enemies! Does this sound a little off to anyone else out there?
Halloween festivities for NCsoft titles
We already filled you in on CoX getting some Halloween fun underway, but NCsoft has now let 1Up know what their plans are for their other titles.Guild Wars players can expect the return of the infamous Mad King Thorn. This joker typically visits different areas of towns telling people what to do, rewarding those that listen and destroying those that don't. The two cities he will make appearances at are Lion's Arch and Kamadan, and you'll need to be around between October 26th and midnight October 31st to catch him.Lineage II fans will see the "Trick or Transmutation" event for their Halloween celebration. This will involve a treasure hunt for some Alchemist's Chests, to create Philosopher's Stones and unlock rewards. Some of these rewards will reportedly be unique to this event, and if you're interested in trying your hand at the hunt, the event begins October 26th.Finally, NCsoft is even infusing their unreleased MMO Tabula Rasa with Halloween madness. Those who have preordered the game will get to play a few days early, in the headstart promotion, and will be able to go on missions to earn special Halloween masks.If you want to find out about the celebrations already going on in CoX check out our previous coverage, and a link to 1Up's article is provided below.
Tabula Rasa end of beta event
As the game nears it's launch date, Tabula Rasa is planning an all-out war to end their beta. The dev team will be playing this Friday, October 26, 2007 between 10 PM and midnight central time, and players will get the chance to frag away at those that designed the game. I can't imagine it will be easy to do, but even Richard Garriott (they're calling him General British on the TR dev floor now) will be there fighting along with his troops.If you have not gotten a chance to try the game yet, beta keys are no longer available, I'm sorry to say. But cheer up. The game itself will soon be out, and you only have to wait until November 2nd for soon to become now.
Tabula Rasa wallpaper contest
The folks over at Tabula Rasa are super busy building their MMO, and so they need your help, all you artists out there. To that end they have announced a wallpaper contest -- the desktop kind, not the stuff that covers your dining room walls -- and the prizes are pretty swank. If you are overflowing with artistic talent and have just as much passion for the game, this is just the thing to combine your two loves and get something out of it. Should you need some more inspiration, they have graciously provided images and graphics for use in the contest (and in any fan sites you might want to create about the game) which you can download here.Now onto the good stuff. The first prize for the best wallpaper artwork submitted is a prize package that includes TR swag and other goodies from Ideazon totalling over $550.00. Runners up will also receive Zboard items and TR gear. In other words, you can get really yummy goodies for doing something you probably would have done anyway. The contest runs between October 15th and November 5th, so you have some time, but make sure you read the official rules before you start.
Zero Punctuation on Tabula Rasa
Yes, he may hate MMOs, but Yahtzee certainly has some valid points to make about Tabula Rasa. Largely his argument deals with the fact that the game seems to be trying to please everybody, both the shooter-lover and the MMO-lover. Now these are two very different types of players, who expect very different things out of a game. The MMO player loves collecting, building, and creating a character. The shooter player on the other hand wants objectives to overcome, so that they can prove to others exactly how uber they really are. Trying to appease both parties means that you have most people disappointed. How can they fix this? I guess it comes down to knowing who your target audience is. They can shift their target audience (hell Star Wars Galaxies shifted so much it became an entirely new game), but first Garriott and the dev team have to decide who they want to play their game. Now, it's all well and good to try to build a game that pleases everyone, but I think in order to do that properly you would have to delineate the sections of the game that are for each type of player. This is a tough thing to do, and in the end people will start wondering why you just didn't make two games and have done with.I think Tabula Rasa can be good as long as they up and decide who they want to play their game. If they want a traditional MMO, then they need to seriously look at the control point concept and reevaluate the "fun" level that comes when you collect 7000 pieces of alien carcass and go to turn them in, only to find the place is now owned by another faction. And in the end, isn't that what gaming is all about, fun?Note: NSFW warning, although he talks so fast your boss might not even understand the off-color language.
Does Tabula Rasa include Auto Assault code? Does it matter?
Auto Assault is widely considered a failed MMO, though opinions on the reason for this abound. Regardless, is there something there to be harvested and repurposed?A reader for the blog 'Tobold's MMORPG Blog' claims that there are aspects of Tabula Rasa that he's "100% sure" utilize code from Auto Assault. Some of these aspects include UI elements and character models. The blog goes on to ask 'So what?' Does it really matter if there is legacy code from a failed game in an upcoming, and hotly anticipated title? The commenters bat this back and forth, but the questions remain: are there similarities enough to invite the speculation, and is there anything to be concerned about here?(Via Tobold's MMORPG Blog)
Zero Punctuation hates on Tabula Rasa
If you've been paying attention to the Escapist's Zero Punctuation reviews, then you've caught on that the whole point is to listen to some British guy hate on a game for a few minutes (the exception being the Psychonauts review where he just hates on people who didn't buy it). The latest review from "Yahtzee" has him hating on Tabula Rasa. As Americans (or, at least, Escapist editors) seem to love listening to British accents getting all uppity and nit-pick on things in absurdest Monty Python-esque statements, this Tabula Rasa review (found after the break) is another entertaining stroll of Yahtzee's breathless rage.
The MMO scorecard
Ancient Gaming Noob has a scorecard up-- after all the hype about the next big MMO after World of Warcraft, he's listed out eight criteria an up-and-coming MMO needs to meet to really be as big as Blizzard's epic game is.And I tend to agree with everything. A great MMO needs to be both a brand of its own and a strong IP, and that right there is enough to get rid of most of the contenders. Tabula Rasa is a good idea, but what makes it unique to any of the other "sci fi legends" settings throughout the rest of history? System spec compatibility, quality and polish, and solo play are Blizzard standbys, and they had the genius and the knowhow to put them into an MMO. Not many game companies can do these three things effectively, although I'd put Bioware on that list (what they miss out in system specs they make up for in quality), and their upcoming MMO will be something to see for sure.PvP and Sandbox play are two things that can turn a good game into a really great game, and again, there are only a few companies so far that can really get it right. Mythic is an old veteran of PvP, but the big question with Warhammer Online will be whether it can appeal to a casual audience in the way that WoW does-- remember, you have to meet all eight of these criteria to really have a chance at beating WoW. And finally, AGN lists financial stability as a must, and that's a no brainer-- it's why Gods and Heroes didn't make it.It's a good list-- I'd say that if he's missing anything, it's that you need to make 100% sure your game is socially accessible. WoW does that with a strong guild system, an easy to navigate realm system, Horde and Alliance factions (you're more likely to make ties when you know an opponent is hunting for you), lots of emotes and waves, and pop culture references that even new players can "get" and see as familiar. Even a terrific game won't reach WoW heights if nongamers log in and don't understand what they see.
Tabula Rasa delayed until Nov. 2
Despite confirming an October 19th release date early last month, NCSoft has announced their years-in-the-making MMO Tabula Rasa will see a minor delay, bumped two weeks back to November 2. A message from the game's producer, Starr Long (now that's a stellar name!), on the official site explains, "This short but critical amount of time will give us time to address several issues including stability and balance as well as allowing our players to test the continent of Ligo (L38+) and our major changes to crafting for a few weeks rather than a few days."Don't get all worried pre-orderers, your Halloween plans aren't ruined after all; you'll still get the game three days early on Oct. 30. Everyone else, what can we say besides we're sorry?[Via Gamespot]
Tabula Rasa's opening cinematic
Reminiscent of Sarah Connor's monologue from Terminator 2, the opening sequence to Tabula Rasa sets the stage for the sci-fi MMORPG. Of course, being an MMORPG, we know the thing won't have an ending, so there's no chance we'll ever be able to finish the fight. But the cinematic sure is pretty and accomplishes the age-old trick of getting us to try the game just because of an over-the-top gorgeous opening sequence. Hopefully Tabula Rasa ends up being good ... there really aren't enough non-fantasy high-profile MMOs on the market. Other than EVE, we can't remember a single major sci-fi MMORPG since Earth and Beyond -- and those servers were shut down years ago. Tabula Rasa is currently in beta with no official release date yet.
Joystiq interviews NCSoft's Brian Clayton and Richard Garriott
Whilst at the Develop Conference last month we, unfortunately, managed to miss our meeting with NCSoft's Richard Garriott. Thankfully we have still been able to get our questions answered via email. The majority of the following are responses by Brian Clayton, Executive Producer at NCSoft, who was directly involved with the Sony partnership. Richard Garriott answers the final two questions on MMO design. Why choose to develop exclusively for Sony in the console market? Brian: Sony has shown a commitment to developing robust console hardware with strong longevity which is crucial to any viable MMO console strategy. In addition, Sony understands that our MMO business model is different than the traditional console model and is giving us the flexibility to develop and publish AAA MMOs. We feel that together our strategic partnership will offer console gamers an experience that can't be matched anywhere else.
Richard Garriott calls for MMO devs to innovate
Speaking at the Develop Conference, game designer Richard "Lord British" Garriott (Ultima series) called for innovation in the field of MMO games. "Game design has not changed over 10 years. Fundamentally the gameplay is unchanged," he said, referring to his 1997 Ultima Online title that arguably laid the framework for modern-day MMOs. He later added, "We owe it to consumers to provide new kinds of gameplay." Garriott lamented on the prevalence of level grinding in current titles and emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence as the genre moves forward. We can think of at least nine million people who enjoy the current state of MMOs. Garriott has laid down the gauntlet; time will tell if his latest project, the oft-delayed Tabula Rasa, will advance the genre.
Tabula Rasa shows off heavy weapons
Tabula Rasa has been a long time coming. Thankfully, it recently started beta testing and we're looking forward to getting a solid look of the end product by E3. When Richard "Lord British" Garriott (who we recommend not robbing) showed the game last year, it was coming along and looked like a perfectly fine alternative to the fantasy filled orc-lands we've gotten used to in the MMO market.In the video, after the break, we get a look at Tabula Rasa's weapons. Graphics have never been a big selling point of MMOs (ask Vanguard what happens when you try do that), so we're just waiting to get a real feel for the questing and gameplay once the beta reports get out. Personally, we still like the Team Fortress 2 heavy weapons video much better.
