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The Daily Grind: Is maintenance mode better than nothing at all?

Brianna Royce — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

In the last few years, long before rumors that Vanguard would be heading down the F2P path were confirmed, players groused about the state of the game, complaining that SOE was allowing the game to languish with no devs and no updates. Those were exaggerations, of course, but the players were vocal about their perceived neglect, throwing around dirty words like "abandonware," and worse, "maintenance mode" -- the idea that an MMO is just kept as is with no updates and only enough attention to keep the servers running.

Of course, players whose games were sunsetted entirely (Tabula Rasa, Asheron's Call 2, and The Matrix Online, to name a few) might have wished for maintenance mode rather than death. Getting no updates might suck, but at least you still have a game to play.

What say you -- is maintenance mode better than nothing at all?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Is maintenance mode better than nothing at all? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlanetSide 2 website features new Terran Republic lore

Jef Reahard — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2

It's been a while since we've featured a PlanetSide 2 lore update, mainly because more interesting gameplay info was on offer from Sony Online Entertainment. In the absence of new vehicle screens and Matt Higby Q&A's, though, we'll happily tell about the latest story-centric update to the official site (hey, some PS2 news is better than no PS2 news, amirite?).

Last night's blurb features one Tom Connery (presumably no relation to Sean, since it's the year 2640). Connery is prone to making holovid records of his life in the Terran Republic, and his latest is a somewhat harrowing account of a collapsing wormhole and the plight of the 40,000 colonists stuck on the wrong side of it. Click over to the official PS2 website for the full report.

PlanetSide 2 website features new Terran Republic lore originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott: 'Exceptionally unusual pressures' helped tank Tabula Rasa

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa

What truly happened with the sad tale of Tabula Rasa, the scifi MMO that had the full backing of Richard Garriott and NCsoft -- and yet lasted only 15 months before being shuttered? For the full scoop, it's good to go right to the source: General British himself.

Garriott sat down with Eurogamer for a candid dissection of what went wrong with Tabula Rasa. Ultimately, he feels that he did not do enough to make the game the best it could've been. Initially, Garriott's team brought on several Asian developers to help shape the title to be appealing to the Eastern market.

The partnership didn't work out, and after two years the team basically started over. By then, Tabula Rasa was already struggling. "So Tabula Rasa started its two-year late restart under exceptionally unusual pressures and with understandable corporate discontent, which made it very difficult to finish," he said.

Garriott then acknowledges that the MMO's failure has caused players to be wary about his future projects: "Since Ultima Online was a fair time back and Tabula Rasa had its troubles, it makes perfect sense that people would go, 'I'm cautious as to what my expectations are.'"

Richard Garriott: 'Exceptionally unusual pressures' helped tank Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Be here now

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Games die. It's an unpleasant reality but a reality just the same, with the highest-profile death on the horizon being Star Wars Galaxies. Business decisions get made, and unfortunately, sometimes those decisions boil down to "this game is no longer worth the money to keep it running." If you're lucky, the announcement comes with a great deal of time for you to wrap up what you've always wanted to do in the game; if you're unlucky, you might have a couple of weeks before the servers go dark.

So what do you do as a player? How do you cope with the fact that the game is shutting down? There are a lot of approaches, but I think it's unfortunate that most of the reactions seem to center around some last-ditch effort to save the game from oblivion. It's entirely missing the point to try and pull the game back from the brink of death, and it does a disservice to both the game and the players when you spend your last days desperately fighting a foregone conclusion.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Be here now

The Soapbox: Be here now originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: The natives are restless

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Launches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Allow me a little bit of woolgathering. When I started working for Massively, it was October of last year, and Final Fantasy XIV had just been announced as the official title for the game code-named "Rapture" and unofficially codenamed "the sequel to Final Fantasy XI" by everyone else who had seen a single screenshot. About four days after you read this, the game is going to be officially live for players around the world willing to shell out an extra bit of cash for various doodads and a headstart.

This is kind of baffling. Objectively, you know that the game is getting close to release, but it's not made real until the release is right at your doorstep. So before I go too far off the deep end and start thinking about things like the franchise having started when I was four, let's move on to the discussions coming out of the impending launch. And really, do come back next week when Final Fantasy XIV comes out, as I'm sure we'll have plenty of things on launch day. (Very sure, in fact.)

Continue reading The Mog Log: The natives are restless

The Mog Log: The natives are restless originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott and the choppy waters of social gaming

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion

The term "social games" or its frequently-used cousin "Facebook games" is one that gets talked about a lot by MMO gamers these days. Specifically, it gets talked about in a similar tone to the UbiSoft DRM nightmare or the entire Infinity Ward fiasco. So it's going to turn some heads -- and raise some hackles -- when Richard Garriott moves into the social gaming scene. Creator of the genre-setting Ultima Online and the much-discussed Tabula Rasa, Garriott has explained in an interview with Gamasutra why he made the shift and what he thinks of the social gaming scene as it stands now.

In short, he sees in social and mobile games the same things that marked other major shifts in the overall philosophy of making games, making them the next big wave. It's not an uncommon sentiment, but he goes on to point out that many of the virtues these games have, such as no installation and no up-front cost, are desirable traits in any game. He goes on to discuss stories in games and how he thinks that even social games can have them, even as he advocates less emphasis on freeform player-generated narratives. Take a look at the full interview to get a clearer picture on what we can expect from Garriott next -- and considering his place in the field of MMOs, it should be notable.

Richard Garriott and the choppy waters of social gaming originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garriott's Mission trailer offers a sneak peek before SXSW

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, MMO industry, News items

You may love him, or you may hate him; but nobody can deny the influence Lord British has had on the MMO industry. Many feel that Ultima Online was a shining example of MMO mechanics, not since repeated in quite the right combination. Later, Richard Garriott went on to create Tabula Rasa for NCsoft -- a game beloved by some, reviled by others. As part of his own trip to space, he launched Operation Immortality, in an attempt to draw more interest to Tabula Rasa. He went up in space, he came back down, NCsoft released him. We all know the story by now.

But what you may not know is that Garriott had a crew filming the entire time he was involved with the space program. They've compiled the footage into a documentary called Man on a Mission, which is slated to be released later this year at South by Southwest. However, for those who would like a little taste what life was like for Garriott during those hectic days juggling public appearances and training in Russia, you can check out the trailer on his Facebook page now.

[via GameSetWatch]

Garriott's Mission trailer offers a sneak peek before SXSW originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: 2009's defining moment

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Academic

The look back has already started here and there, and we've got only two days left -- assuming you count today. And we've seen a lot of things happen over the last year, which everyone on-staff has their own opinion about. To some, it was the year of free-to-play. To others, it was the year of dying games. But there's no way to encapsulate everything about 2009 into just one statement, with the industry still changing and evolving. Sometimes even seemingly small changes are what we remember (fondly or otherwise) when viewed in hindsight.

Out of all of the things that happened this year, what struck you as the most defining moment? Was it something major, such as the end of Tabula Rasa or The Matrix Online? Or was it something minor that other players might not even notice? Did it make the whole year better, worse, or was it simply a turning point? What seems like it's going to stick in your memory when you think back on the year as a whole? And as a connected topic, what seems like a big deal at the moment that you're pretty certain isn't as important as people say?

The Daily Grind: 2009's defining moment originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avoiding a sinking game

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, The Matrix Online, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Vanguard

With the holiday season usually comes a healthy dose of gift money, and what comes with extra money for many people reading the site is new games. It's not as if the past year has been exactly spare on game releases, although the success of several is a bit up in the air. But be forewarned -- if you needed the reminder, 2009 could very well be the year we learned that no title is immune to being shut down, with Tabula Rasa and The Matrix Online being among the highest-profile games to finally be shut down for good due to sales figures.

Bio Break has an excellent post on what is termed "avoiding the Titanic" -- in short, making sure that you're not signing up for a game that's going to just leave you high and dry. The recent announcement from Vanguard is among the examples cited, although some fans would be quick to point out it's not a death knell for the game. But it doesn't sound like the game is going to advance far beyond its current state, and for many games, that means a slow bleeding-out. Of course, avoiding titles that are perceived as hopeless can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it's worth keeping in mind that perhaps that money might be better spent if you question a game's near future.

Avoiding a sinking game originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Producer letter addresses the future of Warhammer Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items, Opinion

It's funny how times change. Not so long ago the most disconcerting thing that players of Warhammer Online players had to deal with were the numerous changes introduced in patch 1.3.2. Now, however, the recent layoffs that have hit EA and Mythic are far more worrisome. Executive producer Jeff Hickman has taken the time to try and assuage the community fears with a recent letter to the community regarding the future of Mythic's franchises and the game's ensuing viability. Hickman doesn't address the layoffs directly, instead using the letter simply to try and reinforce the image that the game is going to continue and keep being improved upon.

The letter becomes a bit more unsettling when Hickman calls the response to the aforementioned patch 1.3.2 "great." It's quite likely nothing negative is going to happen to Warhammer Online, as it has been making an earnest effort to turn around a disappointing first year, but time hasn't yet healed the wound of "triple A and here to stay." Different companies and different games, but it's fresh in our collective memory, and only time will tell what the ultimate impact of recent events will be upon WAR.

Producer letter addresses the future of Warhammer Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What kills your confidence in a game before you play it?

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Business models, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

There are elements of games that are turn-offs for all of us. Some of us love PvP, for example, and a world with virtually none of it isn't very appealing. But sometimes we don't event start playing the game before our feelings about it go straight into the dumpster. It's hard to argue that Tabula Rasa's frequent shifts during development inspired players to expect any longevity out of it, and whether or not it's the case Warhammer Online's frequent server merges and population shuffling have given the impression of a game that's struggling a bit.

Sometimes you hear of a developer or project head assigned that makes you cringe, sometimes it's a choice of IP or business models, or sometimes it's just the number of issues you have patching the game to try out the free client. We ask you, readers, what makes you start losing faith before you've even loaded up a game for the first time? It might not be a dealbreaker, and you might even look back at it and laugh, but there are certain things that make you more nervous about committing to a game. What does it for you?

The Daily Grind: What kills your confidence in a game before you play it? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you buy lifetime memberships?

Lesley Smith — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Lord of the Rings Online, Business models, New titles, The Matrix Online, Tabula Rasa, Star Trek Online, The Daily Grind, Casual, Champions Online

On Monday we told you Cryptic had announced a lifetime membership for Champions Online. For $199 you get access to the Star Trek Online closed beta, special costumes not available to anyone else and other juicy perks. Cool huh? Now while lifetime memberships are not new (LotRO springs to mind), it's a lot of money to try a must-play game but, in a way, it also binds you to said MMO. You're buying before you try, in effect, and promising to invest a large amount of time in a particular game based on screen shots, lore or the IP.

The problem is, it's hard to tell whether a game will be hit and miss and if it ultimately goes the way of Tabula Rasa and The Matrix Online. At the same time, the really popular MMOs like WoW never seem to offer lifetime subs, as if they know they will be so popular that subscriptions will keep the game going well into the next decade. I'm wondering, constant readers, do you buy lifetime memberships and did you do it because it would work out cheaper or because you genuinely love that MMO?

The Daily Grind: Do you buy lifetime memberships? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott blasts NCsoft with $24 million lawsuit

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Legal

When Tabula Rasa shut down in January, we thought we'd heard the last of NCsoft and Richard Garriott in the same sentence. Oh, how wrong we were. Yesterday, Kotaku broke the news that Garriott was suing his old pals at NCsoft to the tune of $24 million for fraud, and generally being a bunch of fetid arsebiscuits. Details were decidedly skimpy, however - why would Garriott go after the company so long after his departure? What had gone rotten in the state of Denmark?

This morning, GamePolitics added their .02 to the mix and upped the ante with the legal documents involved - and boy, are they illuminating. According to Richard's side of the story, it goes like this: Richard & co form Destination Games, and are bought out by NCsoft in exchange for some very hefty stock options. After Tabula Rasa launches, Richard gets tapped for a space flight he signed up for some years prior. After talking to NCsoft higher-ups, he is approved for, and goes on, extended leave to take his space flight. During this time, he continues doing PR for Tabula Rasa, including Operation Immortality. Flight (and PR stunt) successful, Richard touches down to Earth, goes into quarantine in Russia, and NCsoft calls him to drop the hammer - while he's stuck in Russia, decontaminating. No choice, no warning, nothing. "So long, and thanks for all the Bane."

Continue reading Richard Garriott blasts NCsoft with $24 million lawsuit

Richard Garriott blasts NCsoft with $24 million lawsuit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: A final salute

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Tabula Rasa, One Shots

While Tabula Rasa may have shut down all of the servers, this game is by no means forgotten. As many people head into their favorite gaming spaces this weekend to spend time with friends, at least one group will be missing their favorite MMO haunt. This salute to the end of Tabula Rasa comes to us from Mort, who sent along the follow brief note: [This is] a final salute to the fallen Earth from clan Kaka, [taken] at the Empire State Building. We have a few other final Tabula Rasa contributions, so we'll be adding those in the mix in the days to come - if you'd like to send yours and join the fun, feel free!

If you're playing a game we haven't seen in a while - or likely won't see again - why not send in a screenshot? We like to see everything from rolling landscape screens to the intense heat of battle. All you have to do is email it to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you credit for sending it in!

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: A final salute originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dismissed! The final moments of Tabula Rasa

Shawn Schuster — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Video, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa

Despite any glimmer of hope from fans that the game could somehow be saved, NCsoft's Tabula Rasa closed down last night in a truly epic display of community and developer involvement.

It's not often that we get to see the last second of an MMO's life, so it's important that we showcase those videos depicting the final moments. Quite a few videos have popped up already, with many more out there on YouTube. We've collected and embedded a few of the very first videos available just below the cut, courtesy of iRacerMatt, our reader Poozle, Plukh and the wonderful tribute video at WarCry. Plus, be sure to check out our visual tribute to TR through a gallery of player screenshots.

Gallery: Remembering Tabula Rasa through screenshots

Continue reading Dismissed! The final moments of Tabula Rasa

Dismissed! The final moments of Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Raising a glass

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Tabula Rasa, One Shots

Those brave soldiers of the AFS have been battling bravely against the Bane as the final days of Tabula Rasa tick to a close. Where these recruits will head next is anyone's guess, but we're glad to see a Tabula Rasa screenshot showing a little slice of life from the servers before they're gone. Today's One Shots comes to us from one AFS recruit, Kazmanchoy, who sent this in along with the following note. With the end of Tabula Rasa coming at the end of this week, there's never been a better time to head to one of TR's taverns to drown your sorrows with some fine Corman ale. The well-stocked bar seen here is in the Staal Nightclub in Crucible, on the planet Arieki.

Are you taking part in the final days of Tabula Rasa? If so, we'd love to see some of your screenshots and hear some of your thoughts on this game. Just email them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name. We'll post your pictures for everyone to see and give you the credit for reporting in from the front lines.

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: Raising a glass originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa honors biggest fans by naming in-game items after them

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Patches, Opinion, Tabula Rasa

As I mentioned in an earlier post regarding Tabula Rasa's Deployment 16 hitting the test servers, one interesting feature included with this patch was this tidbit: 40 unique weapons named after players. This might be something you glanced over as you searched for more info on the PAUs, but this simple addition has made so many people excited, including myself.

The official list of immortalized players hasn't been released yet, but from the buzz at the PlanetTR forums, the ones who were honored are quite happy. I've skipped the plural narrative here to gush a bit about how much something like this means to me and presumably, the other 39 people honored as well.

Continue reading Tabula Rasa honors biggest fans by naming in-game items after them

Tabula Rasa honors biggest fans by naming in-game items after them originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TR's Mechs have arrived on PTS with Deployment 16

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa's Public Test Server just received a brand new shipment of Mechs, and the AFS recruits are pumped! With the highly-anticipated Deployment 16 hitting the PTS last night, Personal Armor Units are finally here. The CELLAR Arena and the Edmund Range Training Grounds have both been expanded to accommodate the Mechs, as well as some newly available combat technology installed.

This patch also brought about some other goodies, including three new armor sets with level 50 stats that can be worn by any level, new pets, new emote items, hyper-EXP tokens and probably the coolest thing of all time: 40 unique weapons named after some of the game's most involved players. Look for a post later today regarding more on that. In the meantime, if you don't already have the PTS installed, check it out for these latest changes to the game before they go live.

TR's Mechs have arrived on PTS with Deployment 16 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: What's a WRUP? edition

Elizabeth Harper — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion

What's a "WRUP," you ask? Well, in our game-addled brains, it stands for "what are you playing" and it's a chance for you and the Massively staff to chat about the most important subject in MMO gaming today: what you're playing right now. Here's what the Massively team is up to this week, a list dominated by everyone's favorite MMOs.
Of now free-to-play Tabula Rasa, all we have to say is: it's a trap! You'll either enjoy it -- but it's shutting down forever soon -- or you won't enjoy it and it will have been a waste of playtime.

Alexis Kassan: I'll be playing mommy to a sick puppy dog. Hoping to spare a few minutes to level my main in WoW and try to max out Mining and Cooking. Eventually I'll bring my Blacksmithing up to speed too. Major goal is to level from 72 to 73.
Brendan Drain: EVE Online. I don't have much time to play this weekend due to exams so today I just ran a few missions. I might go for some small roaming gang PvP in the faction warfare region Black Rise later or if there's a big fleet going down I'll probably join that.
Colin Brennan: Looks like my guild is doing classic raid content in World of Warcraft. Blackwing Lair, Onyxia, and Kara. Also heavy roleplay. :D
Dan O'Halloran: I'll continue to furiously level my Lore-master in LotRO to get him to Moria. I'll also be participating in the Lunar Festival in WoW to get moving on all the Achievements associated with the seasonal event.
Kyle Horner: Double experience weekend in City of Heroes for me! I'll probably be playing my gravity/empathy controller.
Michael Zenke: Catching up levels in LotRO. I'm 28 pushing on 30, and next week I'll be into Book 3.
Shawn Schuster: I'm on the home stretch for getting my LotRO main to level 60, and my kin and I have Book 2.4.7 scheduled for tonight. Other than that, I've just downloaded City of Heroes and can't wait to try that out for the first time, thanks to that Tabula Rasa "severance package" from NCsoft. If you don't hear from me on Monday, it means I'm drowning in alts. Sweet, sweet CoX character creation.
William Dobson: Giving Vanguard a try for the first time. So far, so good!

So what are you playing this weekend?

WRUP: What's a WRUP? edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa to merge all servers into one

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Events, in-game, Tabula Rasa

NCsoft has just announced during today's Feedback Friday that they will be merging all four Tabula Rasa servers into one main server, in preparation for the final shutdown next month. This server merge will basically combine all characters and items onto one main server, located on the East Coast of the US.

In a situation like this, many factors are to be considered. What about duplicate character or clan names? Will all characters on one account be combined onto the same character selection screen? These questions, and more, are answered by a handy FAQ set up on the main TR website. They also mention a release of Deployment 16 coming during or shortly after the merge itself, which will introduce all the goodies we've been hearing about for awhile.

Tabula Rasa to merge all servers into one originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: A full MMO or an MM-No?

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion

Last night while talking about some of the recent news, we hit upon an interesting question in regards to smaller MMOs and sunsetted (or currently being sunsetted titles) Smaller MMOs sadly don't often get a lot of investment in terms of money or developer time, so many times they wind up locked into near-stasis, with perhaps one large content patch per year, if that.

This morning we thought we'd ask - if presented the choice of seeing your MMO which was in heavy development change, which would you prefer? Would you rather it just be shut down altogether; going out at its peak, as it were? Or would you prefer your game to essentially land on life support with only the occasional update and very long development times between them?

The Daily Grind: A full MMO or an MM-No? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A timeline of Tabula Rasa

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Tabula Rasa

As Tabula Rasa approaches its final lap, the community retrospectives continue to arise, showcasing the best and worst that the game had to offer. Over at Ten Ton Hammer, they've compiled a short run-down which chronicles the rise and fall of NCsoft's failed sci-fi shooter.

Beginning in August of 2007, open beta rolled out, in what easily became tens of thousands of beta testers. Reviews for the game were mixed as the NDA lifted, and the polarizing opinions that later defined the game's community came out in full force. From there, the game suffered a few personnel changes and brought out its biggest guns when Richard Garriott announced a promotional tie-in with a space flight. This wasn't enough to keep the game afloat, as Garriott himself left the flock and the game's closure was announced 10 days later.

This article at TTH gives a brief timeline for the features and highlights of the game from early beta to now. It's worth a read if you're curious about the game's life, or want to simply look back fondly at its progression.

A timeline of Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opinions flare from ex-NCsoft employees about TR's closing

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, Opinion, Tabula Rasa

As Tabula Rasa approaches its end days, the anger, sadness and I-told-you-so sentiments are rising up more than ever. This week marks an interesting occasion where two former NCsoft employees each wrote detailed stories on their own perspectives regarding the sci-fi MMO's downward spiral.

First we have this post by Adam Martin, former CTO of NCsoft Europe, where he explains his views on why the game failed. Granted, he admits he wasn't actually on the TR team, but he was privy to the internal mailing lists and information about the game from Alpha to launch. As a response, we have a post from Scott Jennings, who sums it all up fairly well with this statement: "The biggest failing, though, was that it was in development about twice as long and spent twice as much as it had any right to. And that's what promotes it, in this snarky outside blogger's view, from understandable failure to extinction-level company-slaying train wreck."

Update: Although Adam Martin's post states that he was the European CTO at the time, we get word from NCsoft that he was never the CTO for NCsoft Europe. He was the Lead Programmer.

Opinions flare from ex-NCsoft employees about TR's closing originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why you should be playing Tabula Rasa: It's free!

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Education, Why You Should Be Playing

If you're still postponing the dive into NCsoft's Tabula Rasa, because of that whole shut-down thing, I wanted to just let you know that you may be missing out on a historical opportunity here. How often is it that you get to play a game through its last remaining weeks, and actually witness the end first-hand?

Right now the game itself is even free to download. I'll explain more on this later, but if you're feeling extra generous, or you're big into souvenirs from dead MMOs, you can pick it up on Amazon or most brick-and-mortar shops for $5 US. If you want to spend the extra cash for a Collector's Edition, to get some dogtags, an AFS Challenge coin, a "Making of Tabula Rasa" DVD and more, you can do that for $15-$30 usually. Or perhaps, you'll be lucky enough to find a dumpster full of boxes behind an EB Games somewhere.

Continue reading Why you should be playing Tabula Rasa: It's free!

Why you should be playing Tabula Rasa: It's free! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa burial ground, behind EB Games

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Free-to-play

Despite the title of this Kotaku post, I still refuse to call Tabula Rasa a bad game. Sure it's certainly not an encouraging sign to see dozens of sealed TR boxes filling a dumpster behind an EB Games in Canada, but I am not going to jump on that wagon.

In this Kotaku post, we see two reader-submitted photos of said dumpster, and it really makes me sad to think about where those games could have gone instead. I wonder if they first tried to give them away for free, or perhaps the EB Games upper management told them that it's not even worth the shelf space, considering their PC shelf space is shrinking every day anyway. Would you have taken a free copy of Tabula Rasa, just to play it out completely free these last six weeks? Am I being a complete fanboy? Yes, but I know I've never had a stronger compulsion to dumpster dive in my life.

Tabula Rasa burial ground, behind EB Games originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: The bane of the Big Apple

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Tabula Rasa, One Shots

In one of the shockers of the year, we've seen Tabula Rasa head towards shutdown just one year after initial release. What's really disappointing is that so many people we've heard from have said that Tabula Rasa has come leaps and bounds from original release. Several think the game is very enjoyable now that they've added in the new content. Whether or not people coming back and playing TR now may be enough to make NCsoft reconsider their decision or not remains to be seen. Nonetheless, today we've got a screenshot sent in to us by Kaczmanchoy, who has also been enjoying the new content. Kaczmanchoy writes: This is from Tabula Rasa's latest high-level epic instance "The Empire Sector". This is the view that greets you when you first come out of the subway tunnels after taking the wormhole back to Earth. Not only is NYC in ruins (although the Empire State Building still stands in the background), but the Bane have already begun terraforming it to their liking.

Are you still playing Tabula Rasa or Hellgate London? If so, we'd love to have some screenshots from you to preserve your games for future generations. Just send those screens to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and whatever you'd like to say about it. We'll post it out here, and give you the credit for snapping the image.

One Shots: The bane of the Big Apple originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa goes free-to-play one month early

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Tabula Rasa, Free-to-play

The news coming out of the Tabula Rasa camp this evening just keeps getting better! First we hear about the new content being released with Deployment 15, then the upcoming PAU and Mech units being released in Deployment 16, and now we get word that the game will be going free-to-play a full month earlier than originally planned.

As of right now, Tabula Rasa is completely free to current players, former players and brand new players. Head on over to the PlayNC store to create or reactivate an account and enjoy the final months of the game at no cost. Check out the official announcement for more details on creating or reactivating an account, and check out the game before it's too late!

Tabula Rasa goes free-to-play one month early originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's best of - Biggest surprise of 2008

Michael Zenke — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tabula Rasa, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Winner: The shutdown of Tabula Rasa (writeup by Shawn Schuster)

This year's Biggest Surprise goes to the news that Tabula Rasa is closing for good in February of 2009. Some might think this was no surprise at all, considering the exodus of players over the past year, and the recent news of Richard Garriott leaving NCsoft to pursue other interests. We chose it because of the vivid community still surrounding it, with the actual finality of a closure a surprise to us all.

What makes this an even larger surprise is the fact that the September closure rumors were quickly denied by NCsoft themselves. Recent reports of several new and exciting game features, plus the announcement that players would have a chance to return to Earth in the game made us firmly believe that TR was making a strong comeback. In game, we started to see more players running around in the world, more players in chat and full groups again. The PlanetTR weekly events were filling up like they did in the old days, and we were optimistic.

For whatever reason it was too little, too late for NCsoft. The publisher is not in the market of losing money, and we understand that. Yet if we see another closure of an NCsoft title any time soon, it certainly won't be on our Biggest Surprise list.

Gallery: Remembering Tabula Rasa through screenshots

Continue reading Massively's best of - Biggest surprise of 2008

Massively's best of - Biggest surprise of 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honoring Tabula Rasa through screenshots

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Culture, Events, in-game, Tabula Rasa

Over the next 2 months, we here at Massively plan to honor Tabula Rasa through a series of articles. The news of the game's closing affects all MMO gamers, even if they never actually played Tabula Rasa itself. So in this first one, we're taking a look at the community's best screenshots in an abbreviated gallery of event pics, rare captures and just a bit to help us look back once it's all gone.

These 45 screenshots were all created by the community at the PlanetTR forums, with a few thrown in by myself. They show everything from the early days of Beta to the high-level instances. I wanted to thank everyone at PTR who submitted literally hundreds of screenshots to me to make this possible. Follow the link below for the complete gallery.

Gallery: Remembering Tabula Rasa through screenshots

Honoring Tabula Rasa through screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa's PlanetTR forums to change format

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, in-game, Forums, Tabula Rasa

With the news of Tabula Rasa's closing, one might wonder what will become of the game's largest and most popular unofficial forums. As was announced this past weekend, the PlanetTR forums will be changing formats after TR closes down in February. This will all be accomplished through a series of in-game and on-forum roleplaying events, introducing the world to a rogue band of AFS named The Agenda.

You can read a complete backstory on the creation of The Agenda, as well as an in-character thread from the story's Captain Durall for more information. The main in-game event will happen in January, and it promises to be an extensive war, much like their previous Server vs. Server wars, but larger. From there, in March, the forums will change format to appeal to a broader audience and be renamed to The Planet, although the domain name will remain planettr.com. It hasn't been decided exactly what direction the site will take, but you can make your voice heard in this thread, and of course we will be sure to keep players informed with any news.

Tabula Rasa's PlanetTR forums to change format originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Curtain: Innovation

Craig Withers — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST

I'd like to talk about Innovation for a little bit.

There's an argument which runs along the lines of, "gamers don't get innovation because gamers don't want innovation." There's a certain logic there - if we, as consumers, are not willing to spend money buying games with innovative features or content, then why should developers and publishers spend money to make them?

Eating the same food again and again, refusing to change your diet would be monumentally unhealthy for you. Why then, do so many of us do almost exactly that when it comes to our gaming habits?

In my opinion, there's been plenty of innovation in gaming in past years. Half life 2 introduced a character I'm sure many of you grew attached to almost as much as I did; Lamarr Miss Alyx Vance. For the first time ever, we had an NPC did more than just get in your way, die easily and spout the same catchphrase over and over. While Alyx really shines in Episode One, the introduction of her character in the original game stands out for me.

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: Innovation

Behind the Curtain: Innovation originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa crafting: What didn't work then, and what works now

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Crafting, Tips and tricks, Tabula Rasa

Several times I've wanted to just sit myself down and write an in-depth article explaining the original crafting system in Tabula Rasa (before it was announced to close), but it's just one of those things where the explanation would not make much sense unless you've frustrated yourself with it firsthand. It was complicated, time consuming and you would only need to kill 3 or 4 more Bane to get a better item anyway. Yet in Deployment 13, the crafting system was completely overhauled, simplified, and caused players to actually craft again. But was it just too late?

Over at Van Hemlock's blog, he takes a practical look at the past and present of TR crafting, explaining what we once dealt with versus the new and improved system. For anyone who has simply ignored the crafting in TR based on previous bad experiences, this post if worth a read.

Tabula Rasa crafting: What didn't work then, and what works now originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa introduces Epic instances

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Endgame, Tabula Rasa

As announced in today's Feedback Friday, the Tabula Rasa team has been working on a way to present low-level instances in what could be considered a "hard mode" of sorts. The first of these is the Caves of Donn instance which now has an Epic version, accessible through the CELLAR Arena.

This Epic Caves of Donn instance has Epic versions of the Caretakers, Technicians, Soldiers and the brand new Ravagers and Seekers created for the Back-to-Earth campaign. This instance is repeatable, allowing players to eventually gain all rewards in addition to the XP, Prestige and Mimeomech. Admittedly, the developers report that the instance doesn't have as much polish as they'd like, but considering the circumstances, we understand.

Tabula Rasa introduces Epic instances originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa's weekend activites still going strong

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Culture, Events, in-game, Forums, PvP, Tabula Rasa

As a testament to the fact that Tabula Rasa players aren't throwing down their rifles and giving up that easily, the community events are carrying on stronger than ever. Thanks to fansites such as PlanetTR and Gangrel's Forums, this weekend is chocked full of contests and special events to keep away those end-of-the-game-in-two-months blues.

First, there's the EU Centaurus AFS Boxing Tournament, which is basically the EU server's answer to Friday Night Fights. Speaking of which, this week's FNF will be held on the Orion server at 10pm EST. Finally, we have this month's installment of the Server vs. Server War on the PTS for all to enjoy. You can find out more information on this SvS War through our previous coverage or at PlanetTR's forums. Hope to see you there!

Tabula Rasa's weekend activites still going strong originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa's Deployment 15 hits the Public Test Server

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Patches, Tabula Rasa

For those players left to enjoy Tabula Rasa in its final months, NCsoft has remained diligent about keeping up with quality content. The most recent game update, Deployment 15, has now hit the Public Test Server and brings with it many features that players have been looking forward to for a while now.

In addition to the new FPS camera view, we're treated to a new instance map entitled "The Empire Sector". This special map is restricted to level 50 players who must also meet certain Logos requirements. Plus, NCsoft's developers aren't letting the closure blues get to them as they break out with some holiday decorations throughout 16 different locations where holiday headgear and "Festive Footwear" await players. Check out the complete PTS patch notes for more information on this large update.

Tabula Rasa's Deployment 15 hits the Public Test Server originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCsoft clarifies its rationale for closing Tabula Rasa

Michael Zenke — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa, Massively Interviews

Last week we spoke very briefly with NCsoft's Director of Public Relations David Swofford about the company's decision to close Tabula Rasa. He reiterated the basic statement we heard from several sources surrounding the call: this was all about the bottom line.

David Swofford: We had to weigh Tabula Rasa against everything else that was out there. From our standpoint it was strictly a call ... it wasn't as successful as we needed it to be. We had to take this position.

From our perspective, from the readers of Massively we just feel like there is a little bit of confusion. We spoke with Mr. Reid just two months ago, and the headline we used was 'Tabula Rasa is Triple-A and here to stay'. It just seems like it has been a quick turnaround in two months from 'we have every confidence in this game going forward' to 'we have to shut the game down.' Has something happened in the last two months that prompted this?

Mr. Swofford: My reaction is that definitely at the time we thought we had something good going on ... we had the Operation Immortality promotion going, things were looking good, the team was working on the product. As David said, we considered it a Triple-A level product for the company. Things do change. I think he also said, and I'll reiterate, that we're constantly looking at projects. It's not like you have them out there and you let them go for a while, we're constantly monitoring them and weighing them against the success that they're having against the current market.

I think things changed quite a bit since when you did that interview.

Thank you for clarifying that - it's good to be able to get that explained, there was definitely a sense of confusion on the site.

Mr. Swofford: No, no, we understand. This was not a popular thing and certainly not a pleasant thing to do on our end. When you look at it from a business sense it was really what we needed to do.

NCsoft clarifies its rationale for closing Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Penny for your Tabula Rasa thoughts?

Samuel Axon — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, The Daily Grind

The announcement that Tabula Rasa will close in February came suddenly, what with NCsoft employees saying there were "no current plans" to close the game only a couple of months ago. We're sad to see the game go, though we're not surprised in the wake of Richard Garriott's departure.

Are you a current or former Tabula Rasa player, and if so, what's your take on all this? Did you see it coming? Is it a tragic early death, or an appropriate end to an era? And where do you plan to go next? NCsoft is offering a fair deal to refugees -- months of free playtime in City of Heroes, Lineage II, or the forthcoming Aion. Does that tempt you, or are you going to take your business elsewhere -- to Turbine, Blizzard, SOE, CCP, or Funcom, perhaps?

The Daily Grind: Penny for your Tabula Rasa thoughts? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa's subscriber rewards explained

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Aion, City of Heroes, Lineage 2, MMO industry, New titles, Tabula Rasa

As we're still digesting the sad news from earlier today of Tabula Rasa's demise, some may have overlooked, or simply become confused about the special rewards that NCsoft is offering their current TR subscribers. We thought it only fair for us to explain them a bit.

First off, it's important to note that all of these goodies are only available to people who were subscribed to Tabula Rasa at the time of this announcement. That's right. There was no warning, or time to prepare. They are rewarding those who have stayed subscribed to the game, rightfully so.

Continue reading Tabula Rasa's subscriber rewards explained

Tabula Rasa's subscriber rewards explained originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa to shut down in February 2009

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Endgame, Tabula Rasa

It's been a fairly good run for Tabula Rasa, but the inevitable has now been announced. As of February 28, 2009, Tabula Rasa will be shutting down its servers for good. We've feared an Auto-Assault-like fate for the game for a while now, but confirmation of this event truly saddens everyone in the MMO community.

According to the announcement, the folks at TR plan on going out in style, though. Not only will they continue to pump out some new, quality content in the remaining months, but the game will actually go free-to-play for its final month and a half. You can check out more of their upcoming final plans with the game, as well as the official announcement at their website.

Tabula Rasa to shut down in February 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott announces his departure from NCsoft

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa

Some say they knew this day would come, while others swore it never would. In an official announcement on the Tabula Rasa website, Richard Garriott announced to the world today that he is leaving NCsoft to pursue other interests.

According to the announcement, Garriott's experience pursuing his lifelong dream of spaceflight has sparked some new interests in him, and he aims to devote his time and resources into these, instead of the MMO he worked to build for so many years. This still leaves us with many unanswered questions. Does this mean the end of Tabula Rasa as we know it? That part has not been mentioned at all, but we imagine there will at least be some upcoming changes, like, to the logo. You can read Garriott's departing letter just after the cut below, and let us know what you think of his resignation in the comments.

Continue reading Richard Garriott announces his departure from NCsoft

Richard Garriott announces his departure from NCsoft originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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