NCsoft is showing no signs of slowing down even after the big release of Tabula Rasa, and with NCsoft America under Chris Chung's management, massive games are inbound. In his latest interview, Chung talked about making PS3 titles, improving customer experience, and extending NCsoft's domination in Japan. Check out the full article for more details.

In an interview conducted by website Ten Ton Hammer, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Producer Starr Long discussed the MMORPG's Personal Armor Units (PAU), Command Opportunities, and Flashpoints.

Each of these features look like they will change the way the game is currently being played. Check out the full article for more information by clicking the "read more" link below.

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa has always strived to take the MMORPG genre to greater levels, and (another) one of its features that will separate it from the niche is that the game's postergirl, Sarah Morrison, will be played by an actual person instead of being an NPC that spouts out scripted remarks when you talk to her.

In a recent interview with IGN, the three women who will play Sarah Morrison (yes, three of them, and girl gamers too) explained their roles as the women behind the character.

Read the full article to read more.

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa end of beta event had players find and kill General British. But why? How? Who the hell is General British anyways? (Hint: Richard Garriott = General British) Well, April Burba (AKA CuppaJo) discussed about the end of beta event and how it came about. Veteran MMORPG players will know this bit of gaming lore for sure.

For those who aren't aware, this event has some historical roots from all the way back in Ultima Online. When the game launched back then, Richard Garriott (the game's creator) he addressed the crowd in-game and... well, died. Apparently, upon giving the other players the challenge to kill him, he had forgotten to make his character invincible. So, right as he jumped into the fray of battle... well, you can probably figure out the rest.

Now in Tabula Rasa, they've recreated the event from ten years ago, with a few tweaks though. For one, Garriott wasn't invulnerable. What made him seem so were the clones of himself causing chaos in the battlefield. As CuppaJo explained before the event:

A lot of the developers will be in the game, dressed in the General British armor, and although they will look identical, they will have names like General Br1t1sh or General Irish. Only Richard Garriott himself will have the correct name, General British. As the players encounter these clones, they will have to eliminate them so that they can find the right one and take him down.

 

Talk about the beta phase drawing to a close has been confirmed by none other than NCsoft community Community Manager April "CuppaJo" Burba. "We are also ramping up for the end of beta event," said CuppaJo in an interview, as NCsoft gears up for the release of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa coming real soon.

According to CuppaJo, NCsoft is already going through with the implementation of "Operations" - Tabula Rasa's equivalent of content additions. In this regard, the developers have already mapped out Operation 0 (that's Operation Fair Trade) and are prepping to spill info on Operation 1, all before the game even launches!

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa is developed by Destination Games and is expected to hit PCs on November 2, 2007 over DVDs and digital download means.

Richard Garriot recently sat down with CVG to talk about Tabula Rasa, due for release in less than a month. Garriot, executive producer and creator of the game, talks about the its development and how its game design and revolutionary concepts will affect future MMORPGs.

Garriot explains that Tabula Rasa was originally set to be more of a blend between fantasy and sci-fi, taking inspiration from both Eastern and Western cultures, partly to attract both markets. However, the developers opted to just go with their own style, and with that decision they also abandoned the fantasy theme.

This is not to say that the fantasy theme is completely out of the picture, as the whole feel of the game didn't completely extract the essence of a fantasy feel. While the principles of the story and gameplay are essentially the same, the real difference surrounds the shift to a different context.

Garriot was also asked how Tabula Rasa can compete with the ever popular World of Warcraft. He answered that WoW is "the pinnacle of the design principles of the past" while Tabula Rasa will be the herald of new trends for future MMOs much like how Ultima affected the industry when it was first released.

On that note, Garriot was also asked whether he will be returning to the Ultima series. While he says it's unlikely, seeing as the intellectual property belongs to Electronic Arts, he doesn't count out the possibility that he can make a pseudo-Ultima game as a "hypothetical future."

The Austin Chronicle recently sat down with the people behind NCSoft's MMORPG title Tabula Rasa. Creator Richard Garriott and producer Starr Long took the time to extol the virtues of Tabula Rasa and other online games.

"My passion for online games comes from history," said Long. "The first games ever were dice games. They were social experiences. They were mechanics that gave us structure for social interaction. It was an aberration when they became about solo play. Cooperative play goes back to what makes games strong."

Garriott also echoed Long's statements, pointing out that the wave of online multiplayer games can be seen as a good thing for society in general.

"Solo-player games throughout the rest of history tend to provoke an anti-social behavior that drives people to hide in their rooms in the dark," Garriott said. "That can be seen as a negative social impact; MMOs are bringing people with like interests together. So all good MMOs are having a good social impact."

The full interview can be viewed via the Read link below. Tabula Rasa touches down in October. For more on the game's story and gameplay features, check out this previous QJ post.

A lot of people want to know more about NCsoft's Tabula Rasa. This MMORPG has really taken the market by storm and is generating massive amounts of hype from various communities on the internet.

While we could probably tell you a lot about the game, there's no denying that it would be better to hear it from the game's Executive Producer himself, Richard Garriott. He explains the premise of the game then proceeds to give a pretty detailed walkthrough on playing the game.

Slated to be on shelves this October, this game looks pretty awesome. But don't take this blogger's word for it, watch the video and see for yourself.

During this year's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), WarCry spoke to Tabula Rasa Community Manager April "Cuppa Jo" Burba about what's new in NCSoft and Richard Garriott's upcoming MMORPG title. Here's a rundown of some of the changes and new stuff mentioned by Cuppa Jo:

• More customization options such as facial hair, eye patches, goggles, clothes and coloring options
• Changes to the XP curve make it easier to level up so that players can go through the content faster. Cuppa Jo noted that this was done in order to stick to the game's "Stable, Fast and Fun" credo.
• Changes have also been made to the tutorial and the chat function. The UI has also been given a new control option. "It was much more like a FPS style, and now it's more of a cross over."
• The "kill 20 of this mob" quest has been discarded.

More info on the remaining tier 4 classes will also be coming soon. It also looks like players may be able to get badges and ranks for completing certain quests and objectives in the game. Cuppa Jo declined to talk further about it, but she did say that it wouldn't surprise her if it gets implemented before the game goes live.

You can read the full interview via the Read link below.

With NCsoft's Tabula Rasa undergoing closed beta, there have been a lot of questions from those who weren't lucky enough to secure an invite. That reaction is expected considering all the hype that Richard Garriott and the rest of the developers have been building up for the game.

The game's Community Manager April Burba recently gave out a few details on the game in an interview conducted by WarCry Network. We know that most gamers would be interested in the changes that the Beta Testers have suggested be implemented in the game. You'd probably be surprised as what Burba's said about that:

Increased character customization immediately comes to mind. The original plan was that everyone would start out with the same uniform and only really customize their gender, hair and overall body size. Now we are adding in things like facial hair, eye patches, goggles, various clothes and coloring options. So yes, you can blame the beta testers for any space pirates you come across.

Another question discussed was how players would be transferring their items between their alternate characters. After all, with the cloning system, it will be inevitable that most gamers would be keeping a stable of characters. Burba gave word that everyone will be getting a footlocker which can hold credits and items to facilitate item transfers.

Tabula Rasa is slated to be out this October 2. You might want to be on the look out for it because it's shaping up to be an awesome game. Just in case you want to read the full interview, feel free to click on the Read Link.