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First Guild Wars novel announced: Ghosts of Ascalon to release this summer

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2

We know from the lore of Guild Wars 2 that Ascalon will become what is literally a ghost town thanks to King Adelbern, his sword Magdaer, and his last-ditch effort to drive out the Charr in a cataclysm known as Foefire.

The effects of the event reach farther than anyone would have thought in the first Guild Wars 2 novel, now officially titled Ghosts of Ascalon. The ghosts of slain Ascalon soldiers are the only inhabitants of the area now, defending their home from invaders and generally making it a pretty unwelcoming place.

In Ghosts of Ascalon, Queen Jennah is attempting a treaty with the Charr, who are unwilling to deal until the Charr artifact the Claw of the Khan-Ur is retrieved from -- where else -- Ascalon City. A small band of adventurers sets out for Old Ascalon to retrieve the artifact from a dangerous land and an unwilling ghostly king. (Since Lion's Arch is gone, we assume they couldn't find anyone to run them.)

The book is scheduled for release this summer in North America and Europe. For now, check out the FAQ on the Guild Wars 2 site.

First Guild Wars novel announced: Ghosts of Ascalon to release this summer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:00:00 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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NCsoft announces formation of NC West

Adrian Bott — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry

Update: 'Minor reductions' have been reported at NC Austin: Tabula Rasa is once again confirmed as secure.

Update 2: David Reid has told Kotaku.com that NCsoft will now be focusing on triple-A MMO titles, and moving away from lighter ones. Creating several online games for PS3 with Sony will also be important.

In the midst of intense speculation and rumor, NCsoft today announced that it will be merging several subsidiaries under a unified banner, with a headquarters to be sited in Seattle. According to the press release, 'NCsoft's existing subsidiaries NC Interactive, NC Europe, NC Austin, and ArenaNet will be led as a unified organization under NC West with a dedicated focus towards becoming the world's premier western publisher of MMOs.'

This throws new light on reports of job losses at NC Europe, and indeed gives a greater clarity to the recent events at NC Austin. The job losses at NC Europe are not yet tallied, with reports varying from 50 to 70 employees, but we can confirm, with great personal sadness, that Stephen 'Rockjaw' Reid is one of those affected. Rockjaw was the Creative Concepts manager at NC Europe, well regarded by the community, and the driving force behind many successful events, not to mention putting in sterling work for Draw the World Together.

Continue reading NCsoft announces formation of NC West

NCsoft announces formation of NC West originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official word from NCsoft on the Austin studio layoffs

Adrian Bott — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeon Runners, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa

We had already sourced information that confirmed layoffs from NCsoft Austin, but formal notification has now gone out of the loss of 21 jobs. David Swofford, Director of Public Relations for NCsoft North America, has provided the following information:

We are announcing that 21 positions are being eliminated in the Austin office of NCsoft in the area of product development. Primarily this is related to products which we have not previously announced and were in prototype phases. We are also cutting some positions on the Dungeon Runners team after deciding not to port the client to other platforms at this time.

Although exact details were not given, we can confirm that 13 out of the 18 Dungeon Runners staff have lost their jobs, following a post by Producer / Lead Programmer Stephen Nichols at the Dungeon Runners forums. Stephen has said that the Dungeon Runners team are 'in shock' at the news.

Continue reading Official word from NCsoft on the Austin studio layoffs

Official word from NCsoft on the Austin studio layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCsoft Austin sheds staff

Tateru Nino — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: City of Heroes, City of Villains, Dungeon Runners, MMO industry, News items, Tabula Rasa

Rumors abound across the manifold tubes of the Internet over just what is (or is not) presently going on at NCsoft Austin. NCsoft's Austin office is presently home to Tabula Rasa, Dungeon Runners, at least one unannounced fantasy MMO, and noticeably fewer developers than last week.

We have some confirmed departures, including staff from Dungeon Runners such as April 'CuppaJo' Burba, and Crickette -- The much-loved April Burba, you may recall was the newly minted Associate Producer for Dungeon Runners, having recently transferred from the Tabula Rasa team. That comes courtesy of Jester of w00tstudios.net, a well known DJ and broadcaster on the MMO scene, via the CoX forums.

Continue reading NCsoft Austin sheds staff

NCsoft Austin sheds staff originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: NCsoft Austin, Dungeon Runners to be shut down

Michael Zenke — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeon Runners, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa, Rumors

Massively and Joystiq have learned that serious shakeups may be in the future for the Austin game development scene. The closure of Midway's Austin studio came as something of a surprise earlier this week, but we've now learned that the MMO industry may be set to experience turmoil as well. NCsoft Austin, home to the Richard Garriott-lead title Tabula Rasa and the free-to-play romp Dungeon Runners, may be in a precarious position today. In fact, industry insiders have indicated that the NCsoft home offices may be considering closing the Austin studio. Massively has followed the numerous troubles faced by Tabula Rasa, in the face of disappointing sales and subscriber figures and apparent frustration from the company's Korean HQ.

A well-placed source with the company reported the studio's position to Joystiq, confirming similar information provided to Massively by a trustworthy third party. According to our sources, any or all of the following may be in the works:

NCsoft Austin will be closed, with work on Tabula Rasa to be moved to the West coast. Dungeon Runners is apparently to be closed. Los Angeles is home to the development-in-the-dark Carbine Studios effort, while the San Francisco area is home to the City of Heroes development team. Seattle, of course, plays host to Arena.net and Joystiq reports that's where TR will be headed.
This shakeup is only affecting Austin; the City of Heroes and Guild Wars teams are unaffected, as are the teams based out of the Korean offices.
Future collaborations between NCsoft and the Garriott brothers will be very limited in scope, a sign of the frustrations between the Korean executives and the sibling-lead NCsoft North American office.
Tabula Rasa may see closure by this time next year, if the team fails to turn the tide of subscribers and expectations.

We freely admit that this is not confirmed information; we attempted to get a response from NCsoft representatives early today, but so far have not received word back. Massively and Joystiq will keep you posted as this story develops, and in the meantime our well wishes go out to the artists, developers, and designers affected by this news.

Rumor: NCsoft Austin, Dungeon Runners to be shut down originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A first look inside Tabula Rasa's Omega Labs

Elizabeth Harper — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Previews, Tabula Rasa, Massively Interviews

Recently, we made a trip over to NCsoft's offices in Austin, Texas, to get a preview of the Tabula Rasa's newest dungeon, the ultra top secret Omega Labs. We had a chance to chat with Senior Designer Wynne McLaughlin, who brought us up to speed on where Omega Labs fit into the game's story in between staccato bursts of gunfire from his computer speakers. So for those of you who haven't been keeping up with TR's lore [and for those of you who don't want to spoil any surprises, we recommend averting your eyes], we're visiting Penumbra Headquarters in the level 40ish subcontinent Torden Abyss. Penumbra is the black ops branch of the AFS, under the questionable leadership of a man known only as the Director. As you work through quests given by Penumbra, you'll gain higher levels of security clearance and be allowed into section 1, 2, 3, 4, and finally 5.

Omega Labs is an instanced wing off Section 5, where Penumbra and the AFS have lost all communication -- and no one is quite sure what's happening inside. As he jumps through the instance portal, McLaughlin explains that with Omega Labs, they were trying to bring more of a survival horror feel to the game, and we have to say they've done a decent job of it with dark corridors, flickering lights, and zombie-like Machina rising from the ground when you least expect them.

Warning: If you're the sort of person who does likes to experience the content first hand and unspoiled -- stop reading now. The text to follow is filled with spoilers. If you click ahead and see something you didn't want to see, don't say we didn't warn you! However, if this sounds like your cup of tea, read on!

NEXT >>

Gallery: Tabula Rasa

A first look inside Tabula Rasa's Omega Labs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Staffing shake-up on Tabula Rasa

Chris Chester — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Tabula Rasa

Feelings must be mixed over at NCsoft Austin today, as the Tabula Rasa team is experiencing a bit of a staffing shake-up. April "CuppaJo" Burba, who only a few months ago was promoted from Community Manager to Associate Producer, will be leaving the team to take on the same Associate Producer role with the Dungeon Runners team, who just recently released their first retail box. Dane Caruthers, long-time Tabula Rasa team member, is being promoted from QA Lead to fill CuppaJo's combat boots at Associate Producer. and Neal Johnson will be getting the nod to take Dane's former position.

Just two months ago, Tabula Rasa designer Paul Sage left the team to work on another unspecified project within NCsoft. The flight of their lead designer and associate producer within such a short timespan is worrying, to say the least. We don't think the game is going anywhere or anything dramatic like that, but as gamers it makes us a little uncomfortable to have people we don't know shepherding the team forward. We will, however, be looking forward to Dane's first communiques as Associate Producer.

Staffing shake-up on Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Tabula Rasa's AFS War College

Elizabeth Harper — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Events, real-world, Tabula Rasa, Massively Event Coverage

Last week we got a chance to visit NCsoft's Austin offices to attend the first ever AFS War College, where some of Tabula Rasa's finest soldiers were invited to join NCsoft's developers for a day of discussions, questions, and demos. We took a tour of the facilities guided by Richard Garriott himself, and we invite you to join us as we learn all about the design of Logos, hear all the details on how Tabula Rasa is developed, and see the TR developers' top priorities. Have we piqued your interest yet? Click along with us and see what came of this year's War College!

Let's get started in the audio department >>

Gallery: Tabula Rasa War College 2008

Massively Exclusive: Tabula Rasa's AFS War College originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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