Tabula Rasa

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Feedback Friday: PTS level command, Patch Note update, Sniper

Jay P. — 2008-05-11T06:33:04-07:00

If you're an active player of NCsoft's Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, then you might find the Feedback Friday useful. After all, knowledge is power. Use the information we have to your advantage in the MMO. The latest leg of the weekly update covered various topics: the PTS level command and updates on the Patch Note and the Sniper job class.

The level command will be activated on the Public Test Servers with Deployment 8.3. Just what exactly will this do? Both of them will give levels and cash to your characters. Although the level command does not release logos, players must gather it for the time being.

As for the Patch note update, the devs have tinkered with the Crab Mines AI. These things will react to players within 0.5 seconds of their creation in the MMO's world. Upon reaching their targets, they will automatically explode. But there are still times that these little baddies fail to detonate. The devs are still currently working on resolving this issue.

The Sniper job class was briefly updated by designer Lee Ridout. He noted that they're trying to make this particular job an effective character in eliminating targets with just one hit using chainguns. Changes have been made to the Shredder Ammo to make it more effective when used by players. Here are various levels that can be achieved by using skill points:

Rank 1 - Physical damage buff. Estimated rounds per minute for all ranks: 10
Rank 2 EMP damage buff. Estimated rounds per minute for all ranks: 20
Rank 3 Sonic damage buff. Estimated rounds per minute for all ranks: 30 - Note that at this pump, TSR users should expect shredder to proc with almost every shot when shots are timed with re-bead
Rank 4 Virulent damage buff. Estimated rounds per minute for all ranks: 45
Rank 5 Ice damage buff. Estimated rounds per minute for all ranks: 60 Note here that this is a considerable buff to Chaingunners but you will now have to heavily invest skill points to gain these benefits.

If you guys want to know more about what was posted for the latest Feedback Friday, feel free to visit the link below. Just be sure to head on back to QJ.NET for more updates on the game.

Tabula Rasa updates: Public Test server changes, invite an inactive soldier promo

Enrico S. — 2008-05-09T09:21:26-07:00

We've got some news from the frontlines of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, so grab your rifles and fall in. The developers from NCsoft are going to be making a few changes in the Public Test Server and implementing a new program to get some inactive soldiers back in the war.

According to a post of the game's official website, the developers will be running a new script this May 9 from 8 A.M. to 9 A.M. Central Time on the Public Test Server which fixes a bug that blocks players from re-using a character name once it has been changed.

As for the new promo, active players are encouraged to invite inactive gamers to play the game once again. Those who do so can split 30 days of credit on their Tabula Rasa accounts. To find out more about this promo, follow the source link below.

Tabula Rasa screenshot of the week: Eloh Vale

Enrico S. — 2008-05-07T12:38:08-07:00

The developers from NCsoft have released the screenshot of the week for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. This week's offering called Eloh Vale shows off an in-game couple as they meet a living Eloh on Planet Foreas.

The screenshot was submitted by Eryxx Starssprint, and it shows off his character and his in-game wife Rubynyota Starssprint as they pose with the Eloh that they met while exploring the Eloh Vale.

This is an interesting change from the other screenshots that were posted before since it focuses more on the characters than the scenery. We can't help but wonder what next week's screenshot will bring.

Tabula Rasa Double XP squad event, TabulaCast episode 22 now out

Charles D. — 2008-05-06T14:16:34-07:00

It's all about teamwork and brand new podcasts this week for NCsoft's Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. Several interesting in-game and real life events will be highlighting this week as players can get the chance to participate in them and make General British proud.

First off, we have a Double XP event for all players joined in squads between Monday, May 5 from 10:00 a.m. to May 12, 4:00 p.m. CDT. This is to encourage teamwork with fellow AFS soldiers and to show off the might of the unified front under General British's command.

In addition, episode 22 of TabulaCast is finally up. This newest podcast features several highlights such as the announcement of the new patch and several live events to help promote the game.

Here's a rundown of the points discussed during the latest TabulaCast from John and Matt:

Patch 1.7 goes live
Paul Sage steps down as lead designer, welcome Tom Potter
The Bristol Comic Expo
NCSoft prize for the Tabula Cast Haiku Competition

Winners of the Tabula Cast Haiku Competition will feature their character sketched by a top Tabula Rasa artist at the next NCsoft convention. All you need to do is submit your haiku entry through the email found in the source link below along with a screenshot of your character. You can view the actual podcast by following the link found there as well.

Anyway, that's it for this latest update from NCsoft's Sci-Fi MMORPG. Don't forget to drop by QJ.NET again for more news and happenings on Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.

Tabula Rasa Weekend Wrapup: FNF, Atrus Manus event, fan video

Enrico S. — 2008-05-05T12:40:21-07:00

The Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Weekend Wrapup has been officially released. In this week's release, the guys from NCsoft compiled the results of the last Friday Night Fights, the Atrus Manus event on Pegasus, and a new fan video.

The format of the last Friday Night Fights was changed into double elimination competition with Toxilium taking first place. It should be noted that Toxilium also earned the special prize by taking down his opponents with his partner Cappelli.

The Atrus Manus event held on the Pegasus server was designed to test the skills of level 50 players. Each team of three had to fight through several spawned characters after which their times were averaged. The winners took home 1000 assault and defense tokens, a General British beret, 10 white dyes, and various crafted items. Here are the winners:

1st Place

With an average time of 45.25 seconds
Stricnine, Oniguma, and Sanz

2nd Place

With a time of 47 seconds
Zeth, Reck, and Xalentori

3rd Place

With a time of 50.5 seconds
Wescream, Daopa, and Eckhard

4th Place

With a time of 66 seconds
Zurn, Rattler, and Kilr/Gummer

Finally, we have the fan video created by Tabula Rasa player Jason Summers. Called Tribute to Tabula Rasa, this video shows various fight scenes as well as the different landscapes in the game. Check it out below.

Tabula Rasa: developments we can expect in the future

Isaac C. — 2008-05-03T13:33:56-07:00

A lot of things are in store for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, according to the game's lead designer, Tom Potter. In this week's Feedback Friday, Potter talks about what the devs are cooking for the game's populace.

According to him, the main focus of the devs right now are clan-owned control points, which has been a sought-after feature for some time now. While this is their current heavy burden, they're also working on several other tasks.

They've already completed some work for the PAU system, but first they want to get the whole thing "right". Before they release it, they want to create better missions and instances designed with PAUs in mind so players can take advantage of the gameplay.

Another thing on their priority list is improving avatars, Pet and AI improvements, and crafting. Class tweaks and changes are also in the works, so watch out for that. To read up on all of the changes that are in store for Tabula Rasa, follow the Via link below.

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa: Double XP and Free Game Time

Ryan C. — 2008-05-01T22:22:29-07:00

AFS recruits, form up - there's a news bulletin that's just been released on the official NCsoft Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa website, and it concerns you and your experience rates. The deal is that if you take the time and effort to create squads and work together (get some co-operation going there, too), then you'll be rewarded with double XP rates. Yes, you'll get double the experience points with every kill, so long as you're in a squad!

But if you've always toughed it out alone, well, you can still take advantage of this by signing up a friend or two into the AFS Recruit a Rookie program. They'll be given their very own account for a free five day trial period - and if they do subscribe, then it's a month's worth of free credit for you.

You not only get squadmates AND double the experience, but also a month's worth of game time. That's awesome, right there.

Bit of notice for the double XP period though. It begins in May 5 and ends in May 12, so if you want to take advantage, well, you'd better start rounding up all your buddies. Updates as we get them!

Tabula Rasa Screenshot of the Week for April 30: Somebody is Watching Me...

David T. — 2008-05-01T06:09:17-07:00

If you've ever seen movies like "The Island," you probably already know that some people have difficulty telling clones apart from the originals. That seems to hold true as well for the featured Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Screenshot of the Week of April 30. In the picture, NCsoft features a pair of AFS Exobiologists, one of which is supposedly a clone of the other one.

It was player C. Collens who sent in the screenshot that you see above. The big question is: which one is the original and which one is the clone? If Collen's purpose was to muddle people's brains a bit, then we think that the player has certainly done a good job of doing so.

That aside, the Screenshot of the Week is one way that NCsoft encourages players to help enrich the community of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. If your photographer's eye has caught a vision of something good, why not share it with your fellow players?

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa update- The AFS needs you

Jay P. — 2008-04-30T04:45:33-07:00

Longing for some Bane-blasting fest in NCsoft's sci-fi MMO, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa? Don't worry about it any longer. The AFS upcoming week-long event will be able to serve all the action that you can possibly chew.

You guys might remember the last struggle that you had against the alien forces that happened almost half a year ago. If your memory fails you, then it's time for a refresher course ladies and gents!

From May 2 to May 7 of 2008, players can get to blast all the Bane forces to kingdom come. All you have to do to be able to participate in this upcoming event is to enlist through the game's official website. Don't worry, you just have to visit the link below in order to do so. That's about it for now. We'll keep you guys posted for more updates when they come.

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa patch 1.7 now out

Karl B. — 2008-04-28T10:47:39-07:00

Fans of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa will be greeted by some good news when they log on today. The latest version of the sci-fi MMO, version 1.7, is now out and available for downloading.

This patch includes quite a few interesting updates. There are fixes to respawns, aggro adjustments, and even a few changes to Spy and Ranger abilities. Pet-loving players will also welcome the new damage bonuses to their pets when they add points to their Mind attribute.

For the full list of patch notes, you can click on the via link below. You can also check out this previous QJ.NET article for a short list of the more recently-added changes to patch 1.7.

Richard Garriot's Tabula Rasa: Prestige in 1.8 explained

Isaac C. — 2008-04-25T11:46:15-07:00

When build 1.8 is introduced in Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, the devs will kick off a new system called Prestige. What's is Prestige? Basically, it's a kind of currency that will dictate how Clan Owned Control Points will function.

When Prestige is initiated, you'll notice a new pane on your character doll which will be your interface for the system. Here is a quick overview of what Prestige will entail:

Prestige is a new form of currency that is recognized by the AFS. It is gained through the actions of your character.
Prestige can be gained through two types of actions: PvE and PvP.
On the PvE end, these actions are as follows:
- Achieving a max kill streak
- Killing control point minions and bosses
- Killing standard bosses
- Acquiring rare items off corpses of enemies you ve killed
- Included in the reward for specific missions
On the PvP side, Prestige can not only be gained, but lost as well:
- Killing an opponent will net you prestige that is generated based on your level relationship to the player
- You will also acquire a percentage of your opponent s prestige that is taken directly from them.
If you re looking to add a bit more risk, you ll be able to wager an item:
- Wagering an item requires that you lock in a high quality item.
- Once locked, the item cannot be removed unless substituted with a higher quality item or an item out levelling the level of the item.
- You will gain a boost to your prestige gain based on the quality of the item you ve wagered.
- Dying will cause you to lose the item to your opponent.

It's definitely a huge change and players might take some time to adapt to it, but it also sounds like it'll add a fun new dimension to the game. To read more about the Prestige System, follow the link below.

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa update: Patch notes for April 23, 2008

Ryan C. — 2008-04-24T22:30:51-07:00

Heads up, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa players! The latest patch notes for the game have already been released, and it's very brief. Teeny weeny it is, but it's still an important batch of update that you should know about. After all, you'd want to be up to speed on all things relating NCsoft's legendary sci-fi MMORPG, right? Right.

In any case, here are the patch notes, as quoted from the news post:

Fixed an issue that caused performance problems on several maps.
Changes were made to the Bring-A-Friend code that lessened the amount of enemies brought along when aggro'd.
Armor dye schematics are now dropping from mobs Level 4

And that's that. Brief, yes, but we definitely like it, especially the last one where armor dye schematics are now being dropped from mobs. After all, getting those can be a bit tricky, and there's nothing like being able to kit out your armor to make it a bit more personalized. In any case, updates as we get them, and have fun taking out the Bane with your improved client.

Tabula Rasa screenshot of the week: Atta Under the Microscope

Enrico S. — 2008-04-23T12:26:34-07:00

Scientists take note, the Atta specimen...oh, hello there. The Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa screenshot of the week is now out for viewing. This week's screenshot, called Atta Under the Microscope, was submitted Doctor Victeonus of the Browncoats Clan of Orion.

Atta Under the Microscope shows an AFS soldier as he uncovers one of the Bane's projects on expanding their fighting force. Apparently, the Bane are very eager to study the Atta in the hope of using them in their campaign against the AFS as shock troops.

We can't say that we blame the Bane for actually trying to do this, but isn't it about time that the AFS start performing these experiments as well? Then again, that wouldn't be very heroic right?

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Weekend Wrapup: Veteran Rewards, Tabula Cast 20, more

Jay P. — 2008-04-22T06:04:24-07:00

Missed out on some of the highlights in NCsoft's Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa for the week ending on April 21, 2008? Don't your worry. As always, we have the latest edition of the Weekend Wrap. This includes updates on the Veteran Rewards, Tabula Cast Episode 20, Friday Fight Nights and a pose-off event for the game.

For those who bravely opposed the Bane forces, the AFS have extended their gratitude to valiant soldiers in the form of the Veteran Reward. This package includes General British Mask, Green Beret, Brass Knuckles, /YMCA emote, /Ballet emote, and the /Breakdance emote. Now that's a well deserved treat.

As for the Tabula Cast Episode 20, it was able to cover some of the things current happening in the game. It was able to discuss the plans of NCsoft for a new micro-transaction with the NCcoin, server changes, the show being able to win an award at the MMOFury, Feedback Friday, and the host's in-game birthday even with Avatea.

For the recent Friday Night Fights, PlanetTR's Deadringer gave a recap of the hand-to-hand brawl that happened. After the weekly event, two special announcements were made. Live Fire Sports League has now become an official part of the PlanetTR Family. The FNF on Orion will be hosting the first ever two on two tournament, called the "Wild Card Night."

Now, for the pose-off event, the devs are calling for submissions from players. If you guys know that your avatars look good, you can freely submit them. Players will get to pick who will win. Polls will open on April 26 and close on May 3.

If you guys want to know the nitty-gritty details of the weekly recap, you can visit the source link below. Don't forget to come back to this space for more news and updates on the MMORPG.

Tabula Rasa Fiction Feedback Friday: battle lines, planet correlations and more

David T. — 2008-04-19T01:57:35-07:00

Feedback Friday sessions of NCsoft's Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa are usually informative. This week's edition, however, involves a different theme: that of lore.

In it, NCsoft's European Community Coordinator Tia Avatea answers some of the most important lore-related questions burning in players' minds.

Avatea responded to the following questions:

Where are the two planets in Tabula Rasa in correlation to each other?: Arieki and Erdas orbit HD 162020, in the constellation Scorpius. Foreas orbits Epsilon Indi in the constellation Indus.
How are the battle lines drawn out in a galactic level?: While the AFS Forces were transported to Arieki and Foreas, it's possible that some humans were transported to other star systems via different wormhole connections. The AFS currently has no way to communicate with them, nor does the AFS grasp the full scope of the war or the true size of the Bane on a galactic scale.
Do the Bane have wormholes of faster-than-light drives on their ships?: It is possible that they do, but the exact nature of it currently remains a mystery.
Were there any major battles fought with the Bane in the past?: "The Battle of Concordia Divide" was mankind's first battle against the Bane forces. It occurred almost five years before the Bane invaded Earth. A platoon of Marines entered an Eloh wormhole and found themselves on Foreas. Foreas Base now stands on that very battlefield.

A more recent battle involved a brutal surprise attack by Bane forces on Arieki. "The Attack On Fort Intrepid" left the largest human fort on the planet in ruins. The AFS sustained heavy losses in this altercation.

Intel reports another major battle taking place at Valverde Plateau on Foreas. This battle is already being called "The Battle for Trinity Bridge," though there can be little doubt that the real prize is the Bane installation at Maligo Base.

Tia Avatea also offered answers to questions relating to ammunition, resuscitation and the AFS chain of command in Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. For the complete transcript of NCsoft's Q & A session, feel free to click on the source link below.

NCsoft sheds light on MMO support behind the scenes

Nicolo S. — 2008-04-17T22:06:44-07:00

Behind massively multiplayer online games where thousands of players gather and cause customer support headaches, several people are given the daunting task of keeping the MMO universe running. It's difficult to imagine how NCsoft, known for dozens of successful online products, manages to ensure their patrons are satisfied.

To give us a glimpse of how an established company such as NCsoft supports its persistent worlds, Director of Studio Services John Erskine listed elements necessary to handle existing games like Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa and Lineage 2.

For Erskine, head of NCsoft's department where Quality Assurance, Customer Service, Game Support and Localization are located, there are three important things that compound proper support systems.

First off, he stressed out that selecting the right persons to join the team behind an online game is crucial. Erskine explained the assigned "Lead" is required to form a team consisting of "people who are particularly interested in the game or whose strengths are particularly well suited for that game."

Meanwhile, having tools is another essential part supporting an MMO. Tools in question include ticketing systems and those that allow staff to view character data unavailable to players. Many of these tools are said to be used by QA before proving worthy of being included in the support department's arsenal.

Finally, there are four processes needed for the support system. Studio service groups involved are Quality Assurance, Technical Support, Game Support, and Developer Relationship. For more details on these and Erskine's entire Dev Corner post, click on the "via" link below.

Buy: [ Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Collector's Edition (PC) ]

Tabula Rasa's Sunday Fight Series III three-man PvP event details

Charles D. — 2008-04-17T14:35:19-07:00

NCsoft invites everyone to join the fight this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. UTC as PvP fanatics can set their sights into becoming the champion of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa's Sunday Fight Series III, sponsored by PhantasmagoriA. The event will feature three-man squads fighting for supremacy around Mt. Hellas, Torden Plains and a chance to score as much as 500,000 credits.

Each group will be comprised of three different classes with a required level range of 0 to 35. There will be an initial cash in registration of 15,000 credits to join the event.

To ensure the good form of the tournament, each group will have a member of PhantasmagoriA to arbitrate within each squad should they exercise any unsportsman-like conduct. Each match will have a maximum duration of ten minutes and the team with the most deaths in the combat session will be booted out of the tournament's running.

For more details regarding the Sunday Fight Series III, you can read all about it on the source link that we've provided below.

Tabula Rasa Screenshot of the Week: Outpost Inferno

Charles D. — 2008-04-16T11:58:22-07:00

After last week's romp of tomb raiding, the latest Screenshot of the Week for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa throws us back into the heat of battle with this new hardcore action shot from M. Tandy.

The featured screenshot takes a look at M. Tandy and his team as they take on an action-packed mission into the depths of Outpost Inferno. The number of enemies he and his team encountered doesn't seem to disturb them because they seem more than ready to take on all challengers.

In any case, if you think that you have what it takes to capture the perfect picture in this sci-fi MMORPG from NCsoft, you're more than welcome to submit your own screenshots through the game's official website, accessible through the link below. Come back again next week for more exciting screenshot updates from Tabula Rasa.

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Weekend Wrapup: Fan art and video, Total Domination, more

Jay P. — 2008-04-15T04:47:48-07:00

We've got the lowdown on NCsoft's latest Weekend Wrapup for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa for the week of April 12, 2008. You'll be getting that and more, so don't worry if you weren't able to get hold of what went on this past week.

First up, there was some new fan art and video to be viewed. Eva Evok from the Pegasus server was able to create a rendition of Sarah Morrison. Kaczmanchoy was able to submit personal in-game footages which he compiled.

Next, details to the Tabulacast episode 19 were discussed. It was able to shed more light upon the latest edition of the Feedback Friday. A special announcement was also made at the end of the show. Here are some of the topics discussed:

The up and coming 1.8 development plans, how the developers are managing their time
The Foreas Base Announcement contest winners
A welcome return to some listener emails
Chae's Friday Word Jumble
Our future plans for TabulaCast

Also, Live Fire Sport League announced the one-on-one clanwars, Total Domination. Clans will have to fight to gain total control of both Arieki and Foreas, by taking alternate roles of defender and attacker. The end goal of this is to destroy your opponents headquarters. Do take note that there are no server, class, and level restrictions to this event.

Lastly, DeadRinger was able to give some words regarding the latest leg of Friday Night Fights. He was able to discuss briefly what happened with it and provide details on how it fights developed.

That's about it for this edition of the Weekend Wrapup. If you guys want to know more about this, you can visit the link below. Be sure to come back now for more updates and news on this sci-fi MMORPG.

RGTR Feedback Friday: "looking for squad" improved, clan-owned control points, more

Karl B. — 2008-04-13T09:38:45-07:00

For this week's Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Feedback Friday, lead designer Paul Sage talked about a couple of new features that the now-smaller post production team will be focusing on.

The first is an improved "looking for squad" system. A lot of the fun in the game comes from playing in a squad, so the dev team wants to make sure people can find other players to team up with.

One of the improvements being considered for the "looking for squad" system is a better lock feature. When players lock on to a target, the lock stays even if the target is behind the player. There will also be a lock for both friendly and hostile actions.

The second item on the devs' plate is clan-owned control points. Apparently, this feature will be for both PvP and PvE. Control point tokens will also be renamed to prestige. Prestige will still work like control point tokens, but ways of earning them may change.

Right now, the following can be done in PvE to gain prestige: killing a control point attacker or defender, killing a control mini-boss, reaching the maximum killing streak, getting a blue or purple drop, gaining a level, or completing some special missions. The prestige system is being tracked to go into testing with release 1.8.

Sage also gave a bit of an update regarding the fates of PAUs, flashpoints, and command opportunity. PAUs are still being worked on by the artists and will go into development once the dev team feel that enough people have freed up after clan-owned control points.

Flashpoints, meanwhile, are actually already in the game. Kind of, anyway. There are a few missions in Tabula Rasa that activate for more than one squad on overland maps. These missions are now called flashpoints. Flashpoint instances requiring more than one squad, as they were originally intended for, currently aren't in development.

Finally, command opportunity. According to Sage, before the team can work on command opportunity, they still need to make sure that the current summoned minions respond better to orders. Work on this feature will probably commence once class balance is worked out and if it still fits with the game.

That ran a bit long, but if you want to learn even more about what's coming up in Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, just click on the source link below.