Tabula Rasa Interview

Recently I was able to get an interview with producer, Starr Long, and lead designer, Paul Sage about their pending MMOPG Tabula Rasa. With E 3 looming, I wanted to thank Paul and Starr as well as Valerie Massey for taking the time to make this interview happen.

Questions from Gareth Von Kallenbach
Skewed and Reviewed
http://www.sknr.net

1. GVK: What is the background and setting for the game please?

Starr: Long ago the alien race known as the Eloh were the first star faring species. They were masters of the science of Logos, the ability to manipulate matter and energy through the power of the mind. They traveled the universe sharing their knowledge with less advanced species. One of these species used this knowledge to war with the Eloh. This led to a schism among the Eloh. Some wanted to continue sharing the knowledge; others wanted to use the knowledge to control the universe, to protect species from themselves. This latter group became known as The Bane. The Bane waged a galactic war against the Eloh of which Earth is one of the latest victims. Earth is invaded by the Bane and humanity is scattered to the stars. Tabula Rasa takes place on various planets that are under siege by the Bane.

2. GVK:  What are some of the player types and their abilities?

Starr: In most RPGs, you have to choose your character class before the game starts. This is before you even know how the game plays and which play style most appeals to you. In contrast, Tabula Rasa uses a progressive class tree. Everyone starts as a recruit. You gain experience from killing enemies and completing missions. This experience increases your level. At each level you are given points to apply to your attributes and/or new abilities and/or pump points for your abilities. At certain levels you can make a choice of which branch of the class tree to keep progressing.

Paul: The initial class, the recruit, covers the basics of fighting and even some triage on the battlefield. Therefore, each character in the game will be able to fight effectively. The first choice is between Soldier and Specialist. The players can opt for more firepower in the Soldier class or the ability to keep the team up and going in the Specialist class. You won’t lose your fighting prowess by becoming a Specialist though, as you will still be able to knock off a few rounds of your pistol. As a Soldier, if you have studied up on your healing disc proficiency, you will still be able to be an effective triage medic. Your guns and skills influence the way you play, they don’t determine it.

3.GVK:  What are some of the weapons players will be able to use and will vehicles be included?

Starr: We have a large variety of weapons, all of which have varying characteristics that make them more useful in certain situations. We have rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, machine guns, propellant guns (flamethrower), rocket launchers, shotguns, etc. The shotgun can hit multiple targets and knock them down but has a shorter range than the rifle which can only hit single targets. In addition each weapon comes in a variety of damage types including electric, laser, poison, cryogenic, incendiary, etc.

Paul: Our plan is to add vehicles after ship.

4. GVK:  What are some of the challenges you have encountered blending a MMORPG and a 3D Shooter?      

Paul: Obviously, our biggest challenge has been and is “feel.” We will continue to tweak until ship, even though we are largely happy with it. When we were using die rolls for the determination of hitting a target we felt the rolls could make someone feel cheated if the crosshairs were on a target and they missed. So we had to really look closely at what missing meant, and we decided that people shouldn’t miss if they have a target, but that hitting the target in less than ideal situations should reduce damage. So this is one example of how we had to veer away from conventional RPG “math” to get the proper responsive feel showing that the player is “in control.”

5. GVK:  How will Player VS Player be handled in the release?

Paul: PvP will be handled through our Clan system. Clans are similar to guilds in other MMOGs. Should a clan decide to “declare war” on another clan, the two clans can battle for a specified period of time. We believe supporting PvP in this way makes it consensual, but also gives the thrill of an unexpected enemy coming into view for players who like the challenge of playing against other people.