Tabula Rasa

[IEC]

I stopped buying NCSoft games after Guild Wars...

Heck, I stopped playing MMOs. They're just a horrendous waste of time and a sausage-fest full of adolescent males getting e-rections.

 

[Arglebargle]

Richard Garriot is like one of those actors or directors who had big hits way back when, but haven't managed to put out anything decent in a decade. Garriot is pretty much a PR talking head at this point. He has had a great deal of difficulty getting a game out under budget and on time. I think he's lost his vision as well, since there hasn't been a game you can point to in ages that he did real well on. The last couple of Ultimas where not hits with the old fans, and are not on anyone's 'great ' list. I think once it became evident that he wasn't going to produce, NCSoft sent in a couple of other headmen, and Tabula Rasa thus ended up being designed by too many chiefs -- 'in committee'. NCSoft has plowed too much money into it to write it off though. They just have to release and hope..... Hey, maybe their insurance covers it.

Clunky, unintuitive interface; a mix of rpg and a shooter that will probably make fans of neither genre happy; and no real MMO breakthroughs that I was able to discern. It did play and look good on my system, and their servers were generally robust. We had two Beta Testers at the house, neither has bought the game. I pulled the game off my system a couple of weeks ago. Needed the space. Only caveat from me is that I don't play a lot of MMOs to begin with, I don't particularly like most of them either. So Tabula Rasa is in the same category as WoW for me. Though if I was forced to choose between the two, I would go TR.

 

[Aikouka]

http://www.escapistmagazine.co...unctuation-Tabula-Rasa

Just listen to Yahtzee on the game... I think he'll give you a good idea of how bad it is .

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
I stopped buying NCSoft games after Guild Wars...

Heck, I stopped playing MMOs. They're just a horrendous waste of time and a sausage-fest full of adolescent males getting e-rections.

And that is different from any other of game genre how exactly? I've met more women in the one MMO I play than I have ever even seen in all of the other games I have played combined.

There are many reasons to stop playing MMOs, but too many guys playing is a pretty silly one.

KT

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Arglebargle
Richard Garriot is like one of those actors or directors who had big hits way back when, but haven't managed to put out anything decent in a decade. Garriot is pretty much a PR talking head at this point. He has had a great deal of difficulty getting a game out under budget and on time. I think he's lost his vision as well, since there hasn't been a game you can point to in ages that he did real well on. The last couple of Ultimas where not hits with the old fans, and are not on anyone's 'great ' list. I think once it became evident that he wasn't going to produce, NCSoft sent in a couple of other headmen, and Tabula Rasa thus ended up being designed by too many chiefs -- 'in committee'. NCSoft has plowed too much money into it to write it off though. They just have to release and hope..... Hey, maybe their insurance covers it.

Clunky, unintuitive interface; a mix of rpg and a shooter that will probably make fans of neither genre happy; and no real MMO breakthroughs that I was able to discern. It did play and look good on my system, and their servers were generally robust. We had two Beta Testers at the house, neither has bought the game. I pulled the game off my system a couple of weeks ago. Needed the space. Only caveat from me is that I don't play a lot of MMOs to begin with, I don't particularly like most of them either. So Tabula Rasa is in the same category as WoW for me. Though if I was forced to choose between the two, I would go TR.

Take into account that Ultima 8 and Ultima 9 were NOT under Lord British's control. He had a guiding hand in the design, but he was not the lead producer of either... and EA pushed both of those out before he said they were ready. I personally enjoyed Ultima 8 (and am still looking for a replacement CD).

I honestly think TR is a refreshing change of pace over the craptacular WoW clones. I'm simply not playing it right now since I don't have the time.

 

[videogames101]

Originally posted by: pontifex
I tried the beta this weekend and omg does the game suck...

controls aren't very good, graphics are just horrible, it plays like a korean grindfest mmorpg. equipment rewards for quests is usually worse than what you have, even early on. i played for maybe an hour and a half and then uninstalled it.

isn't Richard Garriott the guy who made Ultima online or am i thinking of someone else? Ultima online was pretty cool, this is just utter crap.

I agree, this UI totally sucks... i mean, this game feels like it's from the 90s... People will pay for this?

 

[Arglebargle]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: Arglebargle
....

Take into account that Ultima 8 and Ultima 9 were NOT under Lord British's control. He had a guiding hand in the design, but he was not the lead producer of either... and EA pushed both of those out before he said they were ready. I personally enjoyed Ultima 8 (and am still looking for a replacement CD).

I honestly think TR is a refreshing change of pace over the craptacular WoW clones. I'm simply not playing it right now since I don't have the time.

There's a reason he was not in charge. British was a perfectionist who could not get a project done in a reasonable amount of time. His projects would always be trying to do more, while spending increased and deadlines passed. Very much like Tabula Rasa. Not to be supportive of EA (they are the debbil!), but they didn't want to wait for the time it would take for British's projects to wallow out. Even before the EA takeover, Origins empolyees would privately admit that LB's projects were slow moving time and money sinks. Though he may not be responsible for problems in the final version of Tabula Rasa. I don't know how much of his original ideas are still in the game. No matter, he has to smile and try to sell the game. And it may develop well, if it manages to keep its head above water.

Not a WoW fan here, so I certainly agree that TR is better there. But I personally was not enthused enough to bite. People's tastes differ, so it may be great for you.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Arglebargle

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: Arglebargle
....

Take into account that Ultima 8 and Ultima 9 were NOT under Lord British's control. He had a guiding hand in the design, but he was not the lead producer of either... and EA pushed both of those out before he said they were ready. I personally enjoyed Ultima 8 (and am still looking for a replacement CD).

I honestly think TR is a refreshing change of pace over the craptacular WoW clones. I'm simply not playing it right now since I don't have the time.

There's a reason he was not in charge. British was a perfectionist who could not get a project done in a reasonable amount of time. His projects would always be trying to do more, while spending increased and deadlines passed. Very much like Tabula Rasa. Not to be supportive of EA (they are the debbil!), but they didn't want to wait for the time it would take for British's projects to wallow out. Even before the EA takeover, Origins empolyees would privately admit that LB's projects were slow moving time and money sinks. Though he may not be responsible for problems in the final version of Tabula Rasa. I don't know how much of his original ideas are still in the game. No matter, he has to smile and try to sell the game. And it may develop well, if it manages to keep its head above water.

Not a WoW fan here, so I certainly agree that TR is better there. But I personally was not enthused enough to bite. People's tastes differ, so it may be great for you.

You have to admit though, when he was allowed to take his time (Re: Ultima 6, 7:1 and 7:2) he made some kickass games. That's the playbook Blizzard uses these days - "It will be released when it's done." (Again, WoW being the exception) And look where it has put Blizzard: The top of the heap for game quality.

LB's original ideas for Tabula Rasa are essentially gone. I remember screenshots from the original TR - it was basically WoW set in a mix of fantasy-scifi. He scrapped that original idea because there was nothing to differentiate the game from every other MMO out there. I personally think that this incarnation of TR is pretty damn good compared to the crop of crap that's currently being shoved.