Unraveling The Mystery Of Tabula Rasa?

Thanks to an anonymous reader for suggesting abstruse information on Ultima creator Richard Garriott's mysterious new MMORPG, Tabula Rasa, as referenced in a recent Slashdot Games post dealing with Korean MMO behemoth NCSoft, who purchased the nascent game for "$33.4 million in stock and cash" back in 2001. An online chat transcript from early 2003 noted that "many people that worked on [cancelled MMO Ultima Online 2] are now with NCsoft working on Tabula Rasa", and more recently, a Richard Garriott lecture at the Austin Game Conference mentioned that the game "will most likely utilize a massively multiplayer metaworld for player matching and instantiated spaces for smaller groups of matched players", but almost nothing about the game has yet been revealed. The clearest indication yet comes from several recently-posted pieces of concept art, as noted earlier this week, showing an alien planet called Eera as the main setting, and mentioning such oddities as "Eeran Wastelanders [which] will beguile you with psychic hallucinations."

Wont be much of a game once Microsoft Sues

[Bruha]

This instanced versions of worlds sound almost exactly like Mythica technology. Course nobody at MS had even thought of Mythica in 2001 either. This will be interesting to watch.

Instancing isn't new to Mythica

[gasaraki]

The more advanced MUDs have been doing area instancing for years. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean MS won't sue, but if they do it should mean they don't win.

Re:Instancing isn't new to Mythica

[Babbster]

Don't forget Phantasy Star Online, where the entire game is "instanced" for small groups.

I have to wonder: At what point these games should stop calling themselves "massively multiplayer?" Some of the best fun I had in Everquest (before I got tired of the whole thing) was when I was hooked up with 30 or more people at a time, working through the same area, answering calls for assistance, coordinating movement, etc. If, over time, content becomes predominantly aimed at small groups, then how massive can

Re:Instancing isn't new to Mythica

[*weasel]

exactly. developers are essentially trying to charge people for matching services again.

-massive- people. c'mon. i can hop on battle net for free to get that kind of 'instanced' play. (never understood pso for that same reason)

the most fun in -massive- online games is the stuff that crops up that you didn't -plan- on doing. the raids, or events, or people you meet. i mean, some degree of instancing is fine. if you want to instance a few dungeons or something, that's fine, i can see how it'd be useful

Re:Wont be much of a game once Microsoft Sues

[Bryant]

Quite a few upcoming MMORPGs are using instances, including Everquest II. In fact, the technology exists in Lost Dungeons of Norrath [sony.com], the latest EQ expansion. Despite popular rumors, Microsoft doesn't sue everyone.

Mod parent down

[Bryant]

It uses a Sony.com redirect to send you to goatse.

aka "Multiple Servers"

[Quarters]

will most likely utilize a massively multiplayer metaworld for player matching and instantiated spaces for smaller groups of matched players"

This is just a way of saying, "We'll have one over-stressed chat/login server and multiple game servers to choose from. Just like everyone else does."

Tal Rasha

[bralph82]

I always think of diablo2 when I hear the name of this game