Tabula Rasa?

Remember, NCSoft shut down City of Heroes/City of Villians... and that title had a huge and devoted following.

 

~Tabula Rasa 2007-2009 RIP~

~Determination in Excellence~
Some may wonder why I'm always "liking" even views that may be seen as dissatisfied views or objecting viewpoints, while also "liking" those views of us that love our sota design now being created...

~It's Because of Richard Garriott's Determination in Excellence~
An objecting dissatisfied viewpoint? This is the one quality our Richard Garriott has always presented his entire life to the gaming industry. Most gaming executives hate objective opinions, yet it's these opinions that provide the anvil for the pounding hammer that drives good games into becoming better for their anticipating audiences. Richard has throughout his life been that dissatisfied anvil and that hammer that has driven the gaming industry away from content that would soon become only "flashes in the pan" without his work and vision. Flashes in the pan have always appealed to our gaming industry's executives because they have a beginning and an end, which forces players to never fall in love with any game too long, so they can then go out and buy something new off their cookie cutter production line of meaningless gaming.

~The Lineage Series~
Although Richard Garriott's involvement with the Lineage series ended in 2008 with some bad blood between he and NCsoft, I think it's one of his important works, as it was through Lineage, that Richard gained much in the way of knowing the differences between the Asian and American gaming markets and their differing desires. When anyone within many gaming companies objects to what the executive wants, or is dissatisfied, "they get fired", and that's exactly what happened between our Richard and NCSoft within the Lineage series. Yet with just a touch of the Garriott influence, Lineage was able to capture the gaming hearts of many in the Asian market of players in a way no other game had before it's great initial success while under the Garriott influence.

~Let Me Explain This Lineage Love in Thai~

Love of a game is a difficult thing to capture and hold onto, yet this has always been one of Richard Garriott's greatest contributions to our gaming industry... "his continuing dissatisfaction with anything less than excellent"...

Our SOTA hasn't shown us everything yet for a reason, and that reason is launch!
When we look at something like Tabula Rasa, we're looking at something Richard just did in his spare time during his exit of NCSoft, which breakup took some time and was very distracting from his work in providing his audience more than what the larger gaming industry wanted to provide. Other game designs took after his Ultima vision and became successful, and even Lineage eventually came around to providing more for it's players, which was exactly what Richard had been attempting to provide them with... before they tried screwing him in his stock options... bye bye NCSoft...

Visual and gaming satisfaction through art and gameplay? This is Richard's forte !'
SOTA is Richard's baby... and we ain't seen nothin' yet! But we will... oh yes... we will... !'

~Objective Opinions of Richard's Work?~

~Our Richard =Determination in Excellence~!'
~Time Lord~

 

RG had some really great concepts for TR that he openly described on day one, and other games stole some of those concepts.

He also described something that sounded more like a sci-fi RPG on day one, and it sure looked like the finished product was more of an action shooter to appeal to the masses.

 

I really liked the science fiction background and will be quiet about most of the rest

 

I just never played myself because I wasn't interested paying for a subscription. I would have tried it otherwise.

 

when it came out i was an over the road long distance truck driver..i didnt have a chance to..

 

I do not think you have to justify every comment about sota. I liked the concept of Tabula Rasa more than sota. Nobody has talked about the quality or quantity of developers. There are very good indie games which I enjoyed very much than a big company game. This is not the case at least for now.

 

If you're going to make comments comparing the two implying one is better than the other than people should understand the context. It's not about justifying SotA.. it's about keeping things in proper perspective.

 

It was one of the best actions of the game. Defending a base from an alien attack. Better yet you'd run around the wilderness and instead of having alien NPCs wonder about literally doing nothing as they do in most MMOs, these guys were fighting wars. They skirmished along the front lines, they attacked and defended settlements. It was brilliant and so immersive.

I miss that game. I really do.

 

Hoping its this! Having NPC elves fighting to take over player owned towns, now that would be epic!

 

I think we'll be unfortunately limited in that regard I'm afraid.. but NPCs that have behaviors that fit the scenario is something I hope for.

 

You don't get to define "proper" here, Bowen.

The fact is, RG hasn't built and delivered a retail game on his own since Ultima. Nothing "negative" in it, it's just a fact that cannot be denied.

He was wise to bring along other veterans, yes. But he missed the chance to innovate by insisting on nostalgia in mechanics. He was brilliant to think of synthesis between single player, friends, and full on MMO... why couldn't he have made that same leap for mechanics? (That's what I'm seeing in COE by the by... and if they don't travel the pattern to success, it's likely doing to be for the very same reasons.)

RG is a visionary. No debate. As many visionaries tend to do, he speaks of dreams rather than realities.

It's a hurdle all visionaries have to overcome (or find someone they trust to "handle" them so it doesn't cause problems with differences between "what was promised" and "what actually is possible given money, time, and resources").

Add to this that, because he did bring along those veterans, "his" dream had no choice but to compromise to the various pressures of production, platform constraints and/or issues, team perspectives... otherwise collectively known as REALITY.

Then the investors arrived. Both "us" as well as whomever else they're getting funding from (because they damn sure aren't solely relying on the Kickstarter Money, and what was in Richard's pocket... though, admittedly, the poetic justice of having Tabula Rasa court winnings be the big bankroll would just be so very, very sweetly perfect).

So the biggest reality check of all is sitting here, in the middle of the room, all white elephant, blushing: RG is hardly the only voice (or even the most authoritative one in SOTA's instance). It's a fact, albeit not one that gets a lot of spotlight.

We all know what his dream was; he stated that he wanted to "return to his roots" ... more pointedly:

"This is a chance to go back to my roots and do an Ultima-like game, as well as bring in some modern sensibilities to it," said Garriott. "Both in what I think is good storytelling technique that we didn't have in those days, and as well as literal technology that we have now that we didn't have back in those days. And to rectify a few of the errors that have crept into roleplaying games, or at least some of the things that are way too over-trodden in the last few years." (emphasis added - ed.)

Of course, he also said:

"I don't anticipate we're going to get to more than twenty people, and I still think we'll be able to get an alpha/beta out to the people who back us on the Kickstarter by the end of the year. We'll ship the first episode next year, probably in the spring."

And people wrote that schizzle in stone...as they do. In 2013.

Here's the thing, Bowen - One would think by now that we'd ALL learn not to "fall in love" with the history, the personality, the accolades, awards, and, well, with anything EXCEPT the product.

But we haven't. I know I sure haven't. I love those dreams like an over-protective, big sister (ain't nobody gonna talk trash bout my brothers and sisters but me; try it and see if'n we don't dance).

And I recognize it when I see it, Bowen... we're the same in that. Ok?

The only difference is, I can carry the paradox of the facts and the fashion of fandom without having a stroke (well, usually).... and when I genuinely see that it's in trouble, I can rationally call it being "in trouble" and not only not feel guilty, but genuinely think I'm doing my absolute utmost to try and flag it down before it's too late.

Here's the world as I know it (working in the role and industries that I do):

1. If I tell you there's a cliff ahead, you get mad at me.
2. If I try to keep you from running off the cliff, you get mad at me.
3. If I refuse to run off the cliff with you, you get mad at me.
4. If I LET you run off the cliff, you get mad at me.
5. Is there anything I can do that will not result in making you mad at me?
6. Oh, I'm so so sorry; I see that asking you that has made you mad at me.

But the truth is much easier and simpler: I can love it all and hope it gets right before real launch (or frankly, final wipe... since they're just not going to get a 2nd chance on this... we all know it) and still be very, very pointed and sharp about what's NOT here that really, really, REALLY needs to be.

And yes, I can say that the game IS in trouble.

I get why you really don't agree, but you do not get to dictate that the facts it expresses are "improper". Certainly not that they are incorrect. It's a matter of public record (99.9%, that is).

This is particularly true when it is a neutral analysis of publicly reported information and some small, privately reported information; frankly, I've been doing this kind of research for about 28 years so you'll just have to excuse me if I only spend this one post trying to help you see the difference between "just being negative" and genuinely trying to help spotlight legitimate information so people can understand this one thing (and I'm looking straight at you, Portalarium):

Just because you heard it, read it, or believe with your whole heart in either does not ensure this future; to gamers, when there's trouble, a vain hope is far more hurtful than a hard truth. (Remembered longer and more resentfully, too.)

I want this game to be amazing and succeed wildly. Just like you. Truly, I do.

Here's the thing - my experience professionally as well as my own experiences over pretty much all of MMO history are telling me that we're moving from a "strong probability" of it to a "moderate possibility".

It's not "mean" or "negative" to say this, it's just the truth as the data and facts I've researched indicate.

If anything, it is compassion that motivates me to pretty much shoot my own head off in this community just to be CERTAIN that someone at Portalarium will actually READ this post.

So, um, Could there be something I don't know about it all? You're kidding, right? There's metric TONNAGE of things I don't know about it all.

But that's my point.... everything I DO see tells me something is wrong. So I want to know what it is... mostly because I want to offer help, but also because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be the only one offering to do so. I mean, dang... I'm pretty sure there are skilled workers besides myself up in here.

So, yeah, Bowen... You can agree or disagree with it as you wish, as can anyone else who stumbles onto it, as can Portalarium themselves.

You do, of course, understand that, of those options, the only information that will have any credibility whatever is Portalarium's... right?

Well, I hope you do.

 

What a post, one of the BEST I have read on these forums! Thank you for taking the time to write!

 

As long as it's possible to opt out.

 

~We All Should Live in Our Unreal World~
Rufus, this is one I have to disagree with you on, as I can't see any boundaries being of gaming value within any "opt-out". I base my opinion on the facts that our POTs are on the map, or have connections to our map, and I don't see any reason that player's economies within POTs should be treated any different than those living in an NPC town.

Attacks effect economies, and economies not of the conflict would prosper more by having elitist advantage by opting out ...

Beaumaris, you're totally right, "that would be epic!"

"Our Elitism is Getting Out of Control" when even NPC Monster Attacks, "which are by nature supposed to be an uncontrollable random event", are circumvented by a players opting-in or opining-out becomes something normally allowed by inserting special gaming mechanics circumventing those events.

Random events in every context should never be able to be circumvented by a player's desire, other than opting-out of PvP.
The pampering of our player elitism must have a limitation somewhere ...
~Time Lord~

 

At one point, the Moon Tower was to have been a protection for a town from such attacks... If you'll notice, every iteration of Dawn's Keep has had a Moon Tower based on this. You'll notice that it's even in my signature. I've foregone placing other monuments which will grant some unknown blessings to gain this rumored protection. This was to have been the methodology early on for Opting Out of NPC Sieges of a town.

I no longer know if this is still true as it's been impossible despite repeated requests not only from myself but other Governors for Any information on the Blessing system.

 

What a fun topic! I'm not able to see TimeLord's videos (something about server's DNS address not resolved), but great posts and information all around to chew on.

I had my hopes about Tabula Rasa being the Ultimate RPG, but it became a stepping stone toward that goal instead. Now that the team is their own company again, using crowd funding to create what they want to create, I just hope that vision can sustain itself as a profitable endeavor. *fingers crossed*

 

Sorry but no sadly they dont. atleast i dont see it at the moment. There are games out there with only 5 mill budged a 6 man team and a development circle of 3 years which endet up to be great rpgs.
I dont say that port cant or never did a good job but the resources point.... no doesnt feal for me right

 

I liked to play the Beta. The only thing I never liked was the cloning function…choosing a subclass was that way of no importance.

But I think you are talking about offline rpgs or what MMO rpgs are you talking about?
I think it is like comparing apples and oranges…at least in my opinion there is a difference if you are creating a single player or a multiplayer game. (and port is trying both therefore more complicated and time consuming)
But to be honest we are also to be blamed that the game is not already released. We are making suggestions, ask for changes or request new features…and the devs even listen to us. Not all crowed funded projects are that adaptable.

 

Fact is.. this has absolutely nothing to do with the point I was making. And neither does the rest of your post.

And I did not. Someone said TR felt better than SotA.. and all I did was point out the difference in team size, budget and development time. That's it. I didn't say or imply their opinion was somehow wrong or improper. Only that people should understand these things do make a difference. I would appreciate it if you didn't read into what was never said and put words in my mouth.