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Tabula Rasa: Beta Preview
MMORPG.com Community Manager Laura Genender gives us her first impressions of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, the upcoming MMORPG that melds an FPS feel with RPG mechanics.
Since my last look at Richard Garriot's Tabula Rasa, the Studio Visit and Hands On in June, I've been playing Tabula Rasa and watching the changes as we get closer to release. This Sci-fi MMO by NCSoft displays a ton of innovation, from premise to gameplay - but does it have the "addiction" factor to keep players involved?
Classes and Crafting
In Tabula Rasa, all players start as "recruits." At level 5 you choose whether to follow the Soldier or the Specialist branch - Soldiers are damage dealers and tanks, while Specialists stick to support roles. From there you can further specialize as a Commando, Ranger, Sapper, Biotechnician, and more - see the full list here.
Sticking with my long standing tradition of playing the healer-role, I went with a Specialist class. While I never actually grouped with other players, having healing and armor repair tools at my disposal was priceless - not to mention the use of Cipher Tools, to unlock crates in the field for free loot. In fact, I'd say that the specialist perks far outweigh the soldier in day to day solo play. I could run just about anywhere by spamming myself with the heal tool - unbalanced, much?
That being said, I've seen a lot of positive balance changes made to the game lately. For example, when I started my first character, I was barely able to afford ammo for the first 8 levels or so. After that, the costs became trivial - I paid no attention to how much ammo I used, and I only cared how much I could carry! Recent changes have added more Credit (TR's currency) rewards to earlier missions, allowing lower level players to comfortably (but not excessively) buy ammo. And as you level up and obtain better weapons they require better ammo, which is more expensive. This scales the money sink more appropriately up the levels!
;)
They've also revamped the skill system so that players can't max out Firearms and Lightning right out of the gate - that was just too easy. As I level up, I have to think about what skills I am buying! Luckily though, these decisions are not as locked-in as they are in most MMOs. Every time you reach a class change level, you are allowed to create one "clone" of your character - an exact copy of your current character (minus gear) including flags, missions completed, skills, and levels. Let's say I wanted to try out the Grenadier and the Guardian - instead of leveling up two Commandos, I could clone my Commando before the class change and make a Grenadier and a Guardian at once!
On the non-combat side of things, I also got to check out the TR crafting system. As innovative as combat is, crafting is fairly dull and standard. You obtain recipes either by buying them or getting them as drops off of Bane. Using a crafting station, you combine materials (crafted, bought, or dropped) with a single click, into the item of your choice. There are upgrade recipes that are somewhat interesting, but overall it's not the game's focus.
Gameplay
Back to the positives! One of my favorite things about TR is the fast paced gameplay, and the fact that I actually observe the game. In too many MMOs I feel like I'm bogged down by UIs and hotkeys. In Tabula Rasa I have time to watch the game and the environment. This also works into TR's system of using the environment for gameplay - for example you can crouch behind sandbags or ditches for damage-reducing cover.
TR combat is a sort of mix between traditional MMO and FPS. Players don't exactly have to aim - the targeting reticule is sticky, and can be locked onto a target as long as you keep them in your forward line of sight. There's a lot of fast paced action though: movement, shooting, and killing, and how can that not be fun? I had a lot of fun in TR just going out to a field of Bane and killing them dead. This is actually encouraged, to an effect, by the kill multiplier: the more enemies you kill without stopping to rest, the higher your EXP modifier will go, multiplying your experience gain up to 6x normal!
;)
One of my worries at the start of beta was that this fast pace took me out of the story - I didn't have time to stop and read mission text. Fortunately, one of the newer updates to Tabula Rasa introduced voiceovers to missions, allowing players to progress quickly (and have some idea of what they are doing!).
The text itself is also well worth slowing down for and reading when you have the time. I love fantasy games, but too many MMO titles have the same worn out tone - TR's NPCs bring fresh, funny and realistic dialogue into the MMO scenery. For example, one particularly funny quote I found was Recon. Spec. Ryans' explanation of the Cormans, a common friendly NPC: "Cormans are hippie peacenik types from Earth. Got here long before we did, but don't ask me how. Still haven't figured that out. They won't fight or nothing. Just talk about peace and ***."
On a less satisfied note, not all of the voiceovers are well done. One of the things that has continually irked me are the Logos voices - one of the goals of TR is to travel the world in search of Logos. Logos allow players to access new areas, skills, and more. Each time I collect a new Logos, there's a voiceover that is supposed to "match" the Logos I am collecting. For example, the Attack Logos says, "The Thrax used our powers to attack us." All of these voiceovers are kind of creepy, and completely useless so far as I can tell.
And of course, how can I not talk about control points? One of the fun PvE opportunities in Tabula Rasa are the control points: almost all bases can be taken over either by the AFS (good guys) or the Bane (bad guys). When you arrive at a base you never know if it's safely in AFS control, under heavy Bane siege, or even in Bane control! It's a real pity that they didn't use this for PvP at launch, though it shows a lot of promise for future expansions.
Immersiveness?
One of my longtime worries with TR was that, while the game is fun while I'm playing it, there's nothing that makes me really want to log on. For lack of a better term, there's no "addiction" factor - it's a lot like a flash puzzle game that you play once or twice, but don't make a daily habit of visiting. One recent addition that gives some incentive are the Target of Opportunity quests. For each area, there's an overarching quest that tracks your progress in that particular zone. For example, my Wilderness Targets of Opportunity quest required I obtain all waypoints in Wilderness, complete all storyline quests, kill 200 Thrax Soldiers, kill all 6 of the unique Thrax Officers in the area, etc. I am not sure what the rewards are to finishing these quests, since I didn't complete one, but the curiosity is eating me alive and inviting me to play some more TR!
;)
Bugs
The downside to the Targets of Opportunity quests is what I'm affectionately calling the Quest Lag Bug: every time I obtain, complete, or progress a quest, I get a moment of lag. Since every Thrax I kill progresses one, maybe two quests, this adds up into quite a lot of frustration.
Overall, I would say that TR is a fun game - fun, innovative, but not very immersive. If you're looking for a Sci-Fi title I'd say it's worth the purchase; if you're happily settled in a different virtual world, it might not be worth moving over - yet.
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nice review. that pretty much nails down what i felt. its fun when ur playing, but no addiction factor. nothing really pushing u to want to log in. Its an okay SCIFI MMO but not really impressive. I agree if your already in another MMO dont come over. at least not yet. :P
and as far as the opportunity quests, i finished the kill 200 thrax and 40 miasma lol. i got a thrax hunter title. felt so cheated lol. whoopty dooO!! snoooozeee
For the most part I tend to agree with your assessment there just isn't something to draw me back to the game.
I do however disagree with you about the voiceovers, I think in execution they were done poorly but the idea and the potential they can add to the game are fantastic. In other words I'd have rated the voice overs as neutral, neither good nor bad about the game.
The game has a lot of good points, but it lacks the spark to make a truly great game, part of it I think is the rudimentary crafting, I'm sorry but most people I discuss the issue with in WOW hate its crafting system. Designers really need to add something into these games beyond what most games are offering perhaps not quite as far as EVE online but something close I bet would add a lot of depth to any game.
If anything this game just doesn't seem to have any depth, and I think many poeple are recognizing that fact.
Although I think you are generous or just extremely polite in your review, I think you pretty much covered the basics well. The game is enjoyable, but definitely lacks immersion, crafting, and pvp. IMO, to those reading this review, if you are a big Scifi fan that likes fast-action combat games, try it out, if you are not, or are hyper-critical of mmorpgs (like many members of these forums) don't even continue reading any further and go elsewhere, your ignorance will be bliss.
This is BETA review not RETAIL remember that
if they really amp up the bane vs. afs control points war, maybe add some zones for PVP all about controlling these points between different factions...
It'd go far.
month or two after release when they get the balance fixed and difficulty squared away....
who knows? could end up a great game. I know I won't be buying it at launch, and will wait for a free trial
I played in Beta and wasn't that impressed, so hopefully they have done some good work since then and will continue to improve the game
I for one do not enjoy extravagant, so-called "deep" crafting systems. I like the CoH method -- find the recipe, collect the parts, boom, you're done. Spending hours and hours clicking a stupid interface to produce one stupid widget does not make me love a game.
As for the addiction factor ... CoH had the same problem right after its release. But when they added badges, everything changed. Most badges don't even do anything, but I still do my best to collect them! Sounds like the TR folks have already started heading that direction with these opportunity missions. I think their system may need a little refinement, though. The rifle reward sounds like a horrible letdown. What they need is a way for other players to easily see what you've accomplished. Do they have that?
Non-level-based achievements 4tw!
"Non-level-based achievements 4tw!"
It's called the Tome of Knowledge!
wait, wrong game. WAR ftw
That's a good point but it's also worth noting that the game releases in less than a month and has at most one major patch before that time. I want to like this game and probably will pick it up but this review pretty much nails it.
I want to point out that a "huge" (the dev's word) content patch is scheduled for the 9/25, this review should have waited till then. Crafting is reportedly getting a huge face lift, so any discussion about that needs to wait till we see what they are installing. I just hope the memory leak gets fixed, I'm tired of seeing my ram usage go from 30% to 98% over 2 hours of play time. I am personally on the fence about this game, I enjoy it but have reservations about it's long term ability to keep my interest, but I'll wait on this up coming patch to see what changes they have actually added.
I agree with the reviewer myself. I want to like this game so much, but I just really have no desire to play.
The lack of chat bubbles makes it hard to interac t with people around you. I found myself playing alone most of the time. The enviroments look nice, but basically all the same. I hate to bring up Wow, but look at all the various enviroments in Wow, especially now with Outland. I just think we have all come to expect so much more. Sorry Richard, but you should really consider what your putting your name on.
I agree with the review... mostly anyway. I don't think the specialist was overpowered. I have played down both routes, and healing is certainly nice, but the lack of armor benefits and the soldiers ability, shrapnel, help balance things out. If they fixed Rage, then things would be fine.
I like the voiceovers for the logos, they tell a nice story and add an exploration element... even if you are informed about the location of many. The voiceovers are played a bit too frequently though.
I also noticed that there was no mention of the videos that are presented upon entering an instanced area... they are pretty nice to watch. Seeing a Thrax kick a scientist in the head is pretty entertaining. ;)
Every single one of them has failed; I've learned that lesson. A 'huge' patch isn't going to fix a poorly designed game that is going to wind up going the way of Auto Assault in a year. I *still* can't believe that RG spent seven years with the TR concept only to come up with this pile of code.
Good luck to those who enjoy the game - I wish you well. Just don't expect a long life from TR.
I kinda like this game, however I fear it will suffer the same fate as AA so I wont be buying it. Therefore I'm not going to gamble another $50. If they offered 100% refund if they closed the doors, i'd pick this up for sure.
I agree that last minute patches can't fix content issues right before launch unless the devs were holding things back on purpose to save something for the last minute. Otherwise they are simply trying to get a handle on the game concept which isn't a good sign this close to launch. Auto Assualt may be a very good example for TR. Great idea that was kinda fun to play but there was no burning desire to log back in. Something was just missing even though all the pieces seemd to be there.
Over the top writing style? Of course not! Laura just loves exclamation points to end paragraphs! They make the story seem exciting! Don't they? Absolutely they do, when mixed in with the right rhetorical questions!
Other than that petty gripe, I found the preview quite helpful, and it was a good counterbalance to all of the TR bashing that I have read from beta-testers lately. I am still on the fence about this one, but at least that puts me in the neighborhood. I'll have to seriously consider this one.
I hope this turns out to be my new neocron crack. =D
Ha, thanks, but there is absolutely nothing about that game that I find appealing.
IS there no pvp at launch then?
Nice review. Personally I find the fast pace with Bane combat kind of addictive. I often get sidetracked from a quest because I want to fight through 'just 1 more!' wave of Bane attacks at a control point or frontline. Needless to say 'just 1 more' often turns into an hour or so of fighting.
As for PvP, they're working on it. I do think the game screams for PvP, but I don't want them to add it just because. I want them to do a well thoughtout version of PvP that fits well with the story.
Very nice review, i feel the same way.
I disagree with the OP's view on the Logos alien voiceover. I find it very nice and soothing not um... creepy as the op states. I feel it should sound somewhat mysterious without being robotic. I think it really fits well and the purpose is to help the player understand the past events that led to this current situation. I totally agree with the rest of the op's views of the game.
The biggest deal breaker for me so far has been the lack of support for community building. From no /e freefom emoting command, to the short list of graphical emotes, to the no chat bubbles when trying to communicate with others, to furniture not being interactive. I REALLY playing in beta, but I agree with others that it just didn't grab me after the glow wore off. I think this is a direct result of the lack of community. I don't log in and play Oblivion anymore after beating the game either. I DO still log into the same text-based MUD I've been a customer of for the last 13 years though. :) Looking back (I do intend to give the game another glimpse after this next big patch), TR just felt like a single player game with a bunch of other players running around mixed in with the NPCs.
I largely agree with the preview, except that I think it's too generous towards the game.
One thing I have to really question is the comment that the game has "tons of innovation". I'm wondering what innovation the reviewer was talking about? The game is hyped as innovative, but aside from the hybrid combat system that ultimately satisfies neither RPGers nor FPSers I didn't find anything innovative about the game. Repeating hype with no real basis is not a good way to start with an objective review.
The game is a huge disappointment. It would be disappointing in any event, but it's made even more so knowing the money and time (six years) that went into it and the fact that Richard Garriott is behind it. What a wast of time, money and talent.
I stopped reading the review the minute that word "innovative" popped in. There is nothing in TR that hasn't been done before.
I'll be looking for this one in the bargain bins in a month or two after release, just to add it to the copy of Auto Assault I bought the day after the servers shut down. Absolutely worthless, but good as a collectible memento of a failed game.
Far as Richard Garriott, he has shown the same failing as Brad McQuaid. A one trick pony (Ultima series) who's time is over.
The action in TR is fun but at the same time coming from Playing FPS/RPG like Deus Ex and System Shock 2 and as well as playing games like Neocron I don't fell like aiming is not that well designed, even being all the way behind some cover you still get hit if you where standing in the open but can't hit back(Yeah I know it is still beta but It's still there at this stage), in some areas run out real fast and it gets boring waiting for repops, which makes the XP bonus system seem useless when this happens, also some areas have way to much action.
The Story the goes with the quests are great but the quest them selfs seem to be the same quests you find in all games, I rather have less quests and a lot more areas to explore and mixed with action along the way.
Also some area's(usually caves) in TR become to crowded from people trying to kill a mob that is only found in that one area, this seems to be much worst then other games that have this same problem, well it takes 15-20 minutes to kill 6 - 10 mobs for a quest that can be killed in less then 5 seconds there is a problem.
I not seeing any long term depth in the game crafting could have been handled better, they could have made crafting more important and make way better quality weapons then the store bought ones.
Ammo Useage / Cost is way unbalaced between the weapons where some weapon use lots of ammo way to fast with little reward you get from kill a mob with it, also some weapon do almost or very little damage compared to other weapon's of it's level and shot frequency.
I really feel that it would make a better single player games then a MMO as I don't see much that it offers to keep you playing or wanting to log in for that matter, also has the feel of a game more like Guild Wars then a P2P MMO
Like others who have actually PLAYED some mmos in the past decade I couldn't continue past this part..
"This Sci-fi MMO by NCSoft displays a ton of innovation, from premise to gameplay"
Whatever it takes to stay in good relations with NC though right? I don't blame ya, the sites gotten pretty popular.
i agree with the review 100%. was really excited about this game but, i can't recommend it as a game worth spending $50 on.
The combat system, as well as the unobtrusive AI, are really different than anything I've seen in 10 years of MMOing. I think it's a great idea, and I actually do feel satisfied with the meld. That being said, I don't think it's a standalone sellpoint.
There's some consentual PVP, but what I was really hoping for was player/clan controlled control points.
Three things.
First: Way too much spin on a negative review. Tell it like it is, leave the candy coating at home.
Second: There was absolutely nothing in this review that hasn't been posted in the numerous reviews in the TR forum on this site. What was the point?
Third: Why do people still use the "it's in beta" excuse? Beta is for bug finding/fixing and stress testing. The core gameplay ain't gonna change and that's the problem with this game. (The original TR was tons better.)
"Cry "Beta!" and unleash the Fanboys...
For now - I can say that before launch we will have the control point functionality will be much more as promised. They are already fixed on the internal development servers.
Also, as I said on another thread, we are adding chat bubbles, resizable chat box, resizable chat font, and a tabbed inventory, as well as a revamp of the crafting system to be more 'worth-it.' All before launch. And those voiceovers on logos aren't all for naught. They are telling the backstory of the game.
The big content patch someone was saying is I expect the other two high level continents which are currently closed in beta. I expect they will be opening them up so the beta testers can hunt for bugs before the game goes live.
With the review - Laura said most bases are capturable. At the moment thats one or two a map. I think the AFS needs to stop using blue forcefields. They have forgotten that the thrax are an insect race and hung these big blue bug-zapper forcefield doors that attract the thrax.
I am finding the first couple of maps really well polished - with the intel recon for the map/instance giving you some idea of the objectives for that map. It would be nice if this could display when you look at a map.
The intro movies for the instances are cool.
The voice overs for the logos are nice - apart from the bug at the moment where you get it twice, and the bug where you can hear the darned thing from 20 miles away :)
Sound effects are nice - from the whoosh of wind turbines to the sound effects on guns. But please fix the stupid double firing animation on pistols :)
I like the graphics (running on high), buildings, logos, Eloh ruins, pillars, Eloh caves all look good. Love the moon in the sky over foreas. The trees, plants, ground dont look as good - but they dont bother me.
I am hoping the polish in the first few maps - wilderness, divide etc gets applied to the other maps before release.
T.R is a fun action game. It runs fine on my core 2 duo E6600, 2 gig DDR2, 256M 7900GT video, and Win XP pro. Dont try running it on minimum requirements - the 2 gig memory makes a big difference.
Stability is good - I have had minimal crashes.
Character customization - Face options are good, you can vary height but not build. Dont bother coloring your starting armor - it will be gone by the time you finish boot camp and you wont ever see it again.
Why not creating a new human fraction (fully playable of cours). Humans who dont wont to back on ruined earth. Who wont to stay on a new planet and start to build new human civilization on Eloh world. People who wont to destroy portal to earth to prevent other humans to back in earth hell. Two ideas. Two playable fraction. Both enemy to the Bane but also enemy amongst themself .
Than we have two humans fraction:
GOOD Humans who wont to back on earth
BAD (this is just a name.... we can call him REBEL HUMANS) Humans who wont to stay on new planet. This fraction is not friend whit Bane. Thay also wont to clean Eloh world from Bane.
Of cours.... some Eloh can hate humans. Eloh who try to drive back humans to earth. Thay dont like new comers. So we can have another two fraction in Eloh race. Of cours both playable.
Friendly Eloh (Who try to help humans to back on earth and fight against Bane, BAD humans and Eloh human haters )
Eloh who hate humans (just becouse thay dont love that some new comers occupy theirs world)
And at the end..... why player can choice to play Bane race.
We need to have a choice. I dont think that only clan wars will be enough (for hard core players) for any serious PvP system.
So this is 5 playable fraction involved in great war on Eloh world.
Sorry for my bad english.
TR is a very fun game.. it's perfect when you want 5-15 minutes of action packed blasting and it's just as good when you want to head out with a bunch of friends and clear out an instance or hold a base.
Equipment is sufficiently "sci-fi" to be different from previous games you've seen and the Logos powers add a nice spice to the gameplay.
Personally I would recommend this to anyone who likes a little faster paced action and is tired of all the elves and orcs.
*Sigh* Only if this article was written after the next two patches.
The Next two have some really good stuff planned, and alot of buggs etc too fixed.
Well i hope it gets a better After Realse review.
This seems like a fair review. The innovation is the combat system, branching missions, PVE flipped bases. Exploring for Logos is a newish idea too. Of course, most MMOs launch with little to no original features these days. Despite all the action, it gets boring fast. I once jotted down a few features I'd want in the ultimate MMO, and TR has a few of them but it still gets it wrong.
I see parallels with Auto Assault, but at least then I wanted to see the next area, unlock new vehicles and weapons and get to the PVP end-game. There doesn't seem to be anything drawing you along like that.
I'd recommend giving it a try if you can for free. Good throwaway fun in small doses, ideal for the casual player but beware even semi-hardcore players. I'll be playing LOTRO, PotBS, WAR, AoC, STO... by which time Richard Garriott himself has hinted this game will be dead and there will be another one on the way.
I agree that the Reviewer was overly generous on this article. He/she should have really gone off but I guess they don't want to "offend" anyone. Innovative?! HA, No way!
Not so clunky UI and combat system? HA! Its the main part I couldn't stand. Should have been made an FPS off the bat not some strange over the shoulder hard to control camera view, annoying right click 4 times to get the skill I need crap that I played.
Sorry, this game needs to go away, I'm tired of hearing about it.
To be honest, I didn't find the combat to be very innovative at all. It was basically SWG NGE combat. After being in the closed beta, I had no inspiration to log on after day 5. Maybe it's my level of experience, or gaming style, but the game had nothing to keep me interested. Certainly not a game I would pay a monthly fee for.
My big issue with the combat is the lack of visceral feel you get from a shooter and the lack of tactical choice making feel you get from a standard mmo.
What really burnt me out as odd as it sounds was making the decision on whether to click fire 45243905724395782439857 times to kill one bane or to just hold the button down. Both of these options really break the immersion, how many shotgun blasts to the face can an enemy take after i have shot them 4 times with my rifle, 3 times with the pistol all while closing the distance.
So really its the Hit Points of the npc's that bother me and break the fun/immersion of the game.
A Beta Preview published a couple of weeks before release? Oh, my....
Multiplayer Roleplaying? Not even close...
I just wanted to point out that since we haven't seen a combat system similar to Tabula Rasa's ever before in a AAA MMORPG, it is indeed innovative.
Now, I'm not saying that it's a good innovation, I haven't played TR enough yet to make a personal decision one way or the other, but something doesn't have to be good in order to be innovative. Just different, which TR is.
We ran our beta preview as soon as we could after the NDA was lifted. Writers who are invited into Beta are under the same Non Disclosure Agreement as everyone else...
Fair enough.
It is extremely interesting for me to monitor how TR is promoted and marketed and how that process uses sites like this one to achieve their goals :P
I'm sorry?
NCSoft had absolutely zero input on this preview. In fact, I don't even think they knew that it was being written.
The beta preview was completed by our writer based on her experiences playing the game. Nothing more, nothing less.
Why wouldn't MMORPG companies use MMORPG.com as a marketing tool? That is the entire purpose of this site; its purpose isn't just for the forums and the all-too-common trash talk that (mostly) fills them.
What? I thought this site sole purpose now a days was to be the center piece of negativism about all things MMO. And it's secondary function is to bash WoW?
I don't see a problem with devs using this site to get their ideas out. once that isn't all they do and forget to dev the game... as seems to have happened over at vanguard. It kinda makes sense that they are reading forums they do not control if they are genuinely concerned with developing a game people might want to play. I come to this site for information and comment. That means encouraging devs to use this as a forum to explain what they are working on . What's the point of criticising people for not communicating and then denying them a voice? doesn't mean you have to agree with them though...
I'm relieved to hear cuppajo say the bubbles are in, be nice to be reassured they have fixed the /e personalised emote and swimming anim while he's at it. Yeah, this game's not perfect but it has a new take (it does not play like the NGE as somebody erroneously posted. love or loathe the hybrid; at least you can hit things and not fire away at nothing due to lag as people complained about in the NGE).
However they'd better get the pvp in some time soon if it is to work properly as a shooter. I mean, you have a gun, a nice big one firing rockets and everything. And you have to ask somebody nicely if they'll let you shoot them with it?? Flagged zones, attackable bases, instanced CTF- i don't care but patch something in asap.
if i HAD to pay for a client... i'd say 39.99 ($50 just seems like so much money) :'(
but the game looks better than you would expect for a 29.99$ client - i attribute my laaaaaaaaaags to memory leaks and not service (i didn't bother logging out or restarting my computer during playsession so it just piled up ^^; but you do get kinda lost in time when you're burning through bullets xD more bullet recipe's please :D
and per month? $11.95 :P
$15 is standard and when you boil it down 50 cents a day isn't that much, but 11.95 just feels so much less than 15$ with cloning they could limit it to 1 character per server, and 1 server per account - then charge $1 more per extra character per server like FFXI does - that way if you only want to play 1 character you don't have to spend as much per month as someone who wants to spread themselves over 5 characters
one of the reasons i still play FFXI and why i stayed with SWG as long as i did was the community, i can do nothing all day and still feel like i did something, ....mostly crafting >.> - TR just feels like a bunch of people all running around shooting at stuff, all trying to kill the same Bane Officer but only 1 (or a few) getting credit for the kill, even if you were right in there swinging too (they can have the XP but plz to gief kill credit 4 quest plz ^^ - there's not much community feel to TR that i can see (at this point) ...text bubbles might help for spacial chat (because the log window fades out and i lose track of what's going on considering everyone speaks in general and not spacial)
if there was more "sandbox" i might be more inclined to play - credits were coming in well enough to keep my guns loaded (shotguns use 3 rounds per shot :O - but i wish crafting was more of a sideline that i could do instead of spamming bullets at targets - crafting also uses the same spec points as your combat skills, so its either power up your force lighting or be able to make a better grenade
there's also no auction house for those dye recipes or amor mods that you can't use (if you're wearing specialist armor and have a commando recipe for example) - even something like a black market dealer would help, to sell things on the sideline and avoid paperwork
if crafting would become a side-job a munitions crafter would have a BOOMING success (no pun intended even with caps) but then their money sink of having to buy more bullets would be shot....... >< once again sidestep that pun.
though my pistol is more effective as a melee weapon then as a gun >.> /whip
i would like to see them add something like a cantina - even that TV show MASH had that bar they'd go to now and again right?
a place for clans/guilds to come to plan their next instance/raid/assault mission
not enough RPG in this MMO imo >.> sure one soldier can't ammount to much alone against the bane, but i feel like i'm playing an avatar instead of being a character (if that makes sense) i'm not IN the game, i'm looking AT it.
"This class creates biological pets that other players can use" exobiologist = creature handler / bio-engineer?
the problem I see, independent if you like the gameplay or not, who will p(l)ay it?
I mean, the market gets more and more crowded, and most ppl won't pay two monthly fees (that'S why I think the lotro lifetime membership is pretty clever). and ncsoft is greedy. imho, AA could still be available if they would have introduced a station pass system or reduced the fee. but no, they tried to charge the "full" price for a niche game, and fell flat on the floor.
I like TR, and I would play it - but I won't pay 15€ for it (or 12€ whatever.. not to mention that it's 12$. different currency same price?).
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This is the best quote, well ever, and it sums up the entire experience. You have crafting stations FFS. Where did that idea come from? You have crafting stations, and according to review, crafting is a complete bore. Funny, I have never heard anyone from that Ralph Koster game proclaim crafting as a bore. Tedious: Yes, Complicated: Yes, Deep: Yes, a Bore: no. I wish Ralph had a small stake in this game, it would have been better for gods to collide at some point.
I am not hyper critical of MMO's, I just simply expect NO LESS than I saw four years ago. Is this so much to ask? This is another failure, and I hate, more than most to say that. I am not ignorant, I played. It doesn't measure up to a few past Sci-Fi MMO's. If you want to know what they were then do a google search. Cry elsewhere, and stop cow-towing to a bunch of folks who refuse to deliver QUALITY and depth after 6 years.
If you want to live in a hole, please do, some of us know much better.
just to clarify i don't know what price they have set per monthly cost - be it 15 dollars american or the prefered $11.95
If something is new but it dies out, it's not considered and innovation, because actually it did not 'innovate'.
But still, the combat is indeed a bit different. I still think the game will be a flop though. Actually I think its perfectly reasonable to compare it to D&D on how well it wil do.
Have you played the game? That is a serious review, in that aspect at least. 90% of the players solo. The game is sadly setup in a way that grouping is not needed, required, or in most cases, wanted. One more reason Auto Assault II (previously known as Tabula Rasa) will fail with everyone but the Halo/Counterstrkie crowd. And even most of them will be turned off by it's pathetic attempt at emulating a FPS environment.
just wanted to point out that since we haven't seen a combat system similar to Tabula Rasa's ever before in a AAA MMORPG, it is indeed innovative.
Now, I'm not saying that it's a good innovation, I haven't played TR enough yet to make a personal decision one way or the other, but something doesn't have to be good in order to be innovative. Just different, which TR is.
I'm sorry but I just can't agree with this statement. Are you honestly suggesting TR's combat isn't even SIMILAR to SWG? mmorpg.com doesn't consider SWG a AAA title? I can accept the claim that both Neocrons and Face of Mankind are not AAA but SWG? The game still has more subscribers than a lot of the games listed to my left and surely had what is considered a AAA titles budget in development.
I could even argue that for the most part TR's combat really isn't a whole different than what Anarchy Online released with. It at least easily qualifies as "similar".
Looking at both games...
Ability to play with sci-fi based rifles and other weapons? Check.
Ability to cycle through and lock on to different targets during combat? Check.
Ability to jump around and strafe during combat and such but ultimately "twitch" maneuverability has no real impact on the dice rolls that are occurring? Check.
Use of weapons while deploying other skills and ability's during combat to augment your effectiveness? Check. Although AO offers much more in the way of variety in those ability's and tactics that can be used because of them.
So in essence what does TR really do combat wise that was different from AO? Cover?
Yeah I actually bothered to use cover for like the first 10 levels until like most I learned the combat system benefits the guy who just whips out a shotgun and blows away 15 mobs in .7 seconds in the face. Rather than stand back behind a rock and waste time pop shotting mobs when you could have already torn them all up and been working on your next group. Perhaps they'll wise up and nerf those ridiculous shotguns at some point to add more reason to bother with the "cover" system. Then again nothing ever stopped me from taking cover in AO neither, we just couldn't shoot back when we did.
I'm not insulting TR but defending this claim of Innovation based on the combat system honestly seems silly. Even if we pretend that truly no other game ever used a system close to what TR is we have according to the reviewer two things that they found innovative..the combat and the AI (though at least up till level 37 most of my mobs just stood in one place until they fled or died on the spot).
Now I don't know about you guys but I've never used the term "TON" to refer to only two things.
Played this for a bit, and I got to say. Wow am I bored. Not a fun game at all, no immersion, and you basically hold your mouse1 button, target.
It the AI bots that appear in groups only
What you get after you finish the wilderness of opportunity quests is the very cool "Master of Wilderness" which very few people have.
The only thing that slows the game down for me is that fact that i have to manage 4-8 characters. It gets tiring after a while.
Swimming animations ARE in :)
The thing that annoyed me about this preview was the fact that Specialists are being called overpowered . That isn't the case, yes they can instant heal, but if they do so they can't do damage, which means they cant stop incoming damage.. And that's a pretty big thing in Tabula Rasa.. Commando's can stop damage from being taken before they need to heal at all.
Furthermore i believe the thing that makes you not want to go back in is mainly due to the fact you arn't a part of a community. If you have friends around that you do things with and hang out with you'r constantly drawn back in.. That's the reason you'r drawn back into most MMO's so it's not too odd you arn't drawn back into a beta.
I find this game to be an interesting sidetrack, but can't say that I have any hopes for long-term play. Yes, combat is fast-paced, but also completely rudimentary. Auto-targeting and only 2 buttons used in combat makes it feel like a console. Instead of just hitting the left mouse button repeatedly, I'd like to see an actual variety of gun attacks (guess I'm thinking old-school SWG, I miss my head shot, leg shot, rapid fire, etc.). It's spam combat at it's most basic. And yes, lack of necessary grouping makes it feel lonely. I'm lvl 21, only grouped once, have soloed all instances I've had available. I do enjoy some aspects of game, and like I said it's been a nice sidetrack from the standard fare, but not sure how long I'll stick around.
About your definition of innovation, one detail (clarification rather): it's the market's preception that dictates how new it is :) Hence if company A formulated the original idea before company B did, but company A's product reaches the market after that of company B, company A didn't innovate.
Ok enough about theories, to me as it stands right now TR has potential, but it seems we've all been fooled by Richard Garriott's promises and his past achievements. Not as revolutionary as it sounded, a few evolutionary features.
And I find the "Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa" naming convention used left and right pretty creepy...
"- Dude it's Richard Garriott!!
- Yeah right, though pretty much everything is just shoot-kill-rinse-repeat
- But it's Richard Garriott man, RICHARD MOTHAFOOKIN' GARRIOTT!!!"
This game might find a public, though I'll just keep an eye on it. Not enough stuff that makes me want to play it for now. And I've grown reluctant to play games that use the old "box + $15 a month" business model.
Awww, talk about adding water to my cornflakes. I had some hope that Tabula Rosa would be the game I would play right oout of the box. Looks like I may have to sit the launch out and wait for improvements.
Appreciate the review. Thanks.
I would really like to see these reviews be, more review and less advertisements. I mean way to gloss of the bad stuff. Its like going to a job and being asked what's the quailty you least like about yourself? And saying, Oh that I can never give less than one-hundred percent.
How about that you get only 3 clones? That is the only respec option in the game. Most games offer more. Calling it cloning doesn't make it special. How about you can't respec your skill points? The only way to respec your skill and stat points, is by not spending them, cloning, dumping them in stuff to see if you like those skills and if you don't... Scrap that character and use the clone. Of course if you do that, you won't be able to use the clone to try out different classes. Oh and what happens when a skill gets 'balanced' and you don't want to use it anymore?
Really way to go and just blow by all that and make limited repecs seems like a good thing. How much are you being paid by NCsoft?, because you should be cashing their checks.
How about the idea that its the same game at 40 as it is at 5? Even the foes are the same with just different paint jobs?
How about that there is no reason to level past 30? 30 is your last tier after that you have nothing to look forward to, since there is no end game to speak of and crappy prp.
How about you only have 3 levels to look forward to. Does no one else think this in insane? Most games you are getting new skills every couple of levels, skills which very often change your game play. That happens 3 times in this game. 3 times you get a ding. You aren't even spending skill points at new levels because you only get 1 point and you are saving your skill points until you hit a tier.
How about stat points do next to nothing?
How about crafting just is the same as in other games, its pointless and useless?
How about you get an autoattack and that is pretty much it. Its a one button game with limited specials. WoW you got bars all over after you got some level under you. Here? Your luckly to need a 5 slot bar.
How about limited UI control?
That argument is flawed. Yes its beta but most people are not griping about bugs. It's the game play, the fact that all you do is run around and shoot the ENTIRE time. There really is very little content. So unless they plan to push release back a couple years to revamp the actual game play mechanics, "This is beta" is just spouting bullshit.
You know, last month I actually bought the pre-beta box for TR, and due to the type of posts on this particular forum have yet to install it. I suppose it's too late now, huh?
I wouldn't worry about these guys that post here to much, all they do is bash games, TR is fine, still working out the bugs but fine non the less. it's not WoW or EQ1 or 2 so get over it, I like the game I pre-ordered and I'll be playing at launch. And yes I wont be the only one there.
I've been playing the beta for a few days now. It's alright. I enjoy the combat. But as others have said it's a bit shallow and doesn't really give the player any reason to stick around and get into it. Definitely for the casual gamer.
Oh, and it's stupidly easy.
I am rather surprised, the way Richard talked about this game, I thought it would be something special. In reality it is rather mundane.
Sadly, there really isn't an addiction feature in the game..
Take WoW for instance (no, I am using it as an example, not promoting it) - as you gain in level, you get stronger, better spells that move you up into other areas...
In TR, that doesn't really happen.. the skills you get are not very unique, it's mainly a geared- relate games and I don't feel any sense of progress.. not to mentioned the area is sooo repeatitive, it's almost painful..
I am sure others will love it and all.. but for me, I will be looking somewhere else..
I'm doing the same after reading this preview.
I highly doubt the game will change so drastically once it is out of beta that the preview will go from 'ok' to 'you've got to play this game'. The game is supposed to come out in a couple weeks and it is going to add 'spectacular content and game mechanics' within in a month when it couldn't do it in years of development? I don't think so. The people using the 'in Beta' argument need another diversionary tactic.
I've been waiting for this game for months but after the reviews and playing in the beta for a short time, it has not really captured my imagination. I will be waiting for a month or two now before I make a decision. I hope Gods & Heroes does not suffer the same fate. I need a new MMO(CoH is getting long in the tooth).
And yes...thank you for the review.
This game is fun because if forces you to think or you have the experience the guy above did. There are times to run in with a shotgun, other times to snipe them or even chaingun them. No matter what, stuff your level should go down fast if you are using the right weapons and switching damage types once you get through sheilds. Use armor piercing guns when possible. I have a AP rifle that does more damage to armored stuff than a regular rifle that has twice the base damage.
This game is way more complex and deep than most people give it credit for. You just need to play for more than 5 hours to "get it". Like any game you need to learn to play or your experience will suck.
-Viz
If the game is as good as you say then it will show up in the reviews so it won't be a problem waiting. I haven't seen such reviews and my own playing experience didn't reveal appealing gameplay. I really hope this MMO has great gameplay but sorry, I'm going to wait until it's out a month or two and wait for some solid feedback before 'wasting' my money. Glad you are enjoying it though.
The preview has all correct observation, but one point isnt valued enough: I just still cant see what will keep people longer. Its all fun and nice to rush and fight, but how many weeks can you do this before it feels VERY repetitive? Thats what I really wonder.
When I fought for Restuss in SWG (PVP), we knew no side could hold it forever, so it was a bit TR in miniature. But you can come back, because you can go to a cantina, socialize, relax, RP, do a low paced quests and THEN come back refreshed to the war. I so lack this counter-point to the hasty, rushing war. Where is the civilization we fight for when all the world is one big battlefield? Sorry to ask such a mundane question, but what are we fighting for, after all? I just do see it.