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Richard Garriott, NCSoft Finally Reveal Tabula Rasa

Posted by simoniker on from the put-a-little-british-on-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "GameSpy has released the first concrete details on Ultima creator Richard Garriott's PC sci-fi MMORPG, Tabula Rasa, after years of development at Destination Games and NCSoft. The game promises to do away with MMO annoyances such as excessive 'travel time', indicating: 'one of the first elements added to the game was the ability to teleport to a friend - not as a power, but merely as an ability inherent to anyone in the world.' The combat system (in which the developers 'took inspiration from console titles like Soul Calibur II') and level structure is also more unconventional: 'The bulk of the game outside of the Hubs and the Estates is focused on squad-based cooperative gameplay in instanced missions that are available to anyone.'" GameSpy also has first in-depth details on another NCSoft title, Auto Assault, offering "[massively multiplayer] car combat in a Mad Max-type universe."

2 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. Auto Assult looks interesting.... by Muda69 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm gonna form a clan consisting entirely of Subaru WRX's and 1974 Dodge Darts..........

  2. "Dramatic Compression" by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Good to see Garriot learning about game design, and admitting it.

    "Dramatic Compression" is otherwise known as "dead-time." If the player is bored, then your game is missing the elements of fun.

    i.e. Why is the player bored ?

    Paraphrasing Sid Meir "You want to present the player with interesting choices - problems and offer solutions - none which are the only correct answer, as they work towards the over-riding goals."

    It's interesting to note that card & board games typically don't have dead-time.

    Movies have learnt this ages ago -- keep the story moving. Of course that doesn't mean you can't have slow buildups, or build the tension, but if the tension it is never resolved, you just don't feel right. People want completion. That's why games have goals. The devil is in the details as they say -- How you get there is just as important as the goal itself.

    --
    So when America has 2 buildings bombed, that's called Terrorism.
    But when America genocides another nation, that's called ending the War?!
    Are morals Relative? Absolute? Both? Neither?!