I played the beta for a long time. Forcing myself to like it so I could replace WoW. I have more fun playing WoW (even with all its problems).

The previous comments about Neocron were more spot on than they’d like to say. Neocron actually had BETTER controls than this game, aside from the lag. Hell, even SWG NGE had a better control scheme. This game really HAD some great ideas, but failed to implement any of them. Previously I stated I would give this game a 3/5, but that’s a rating on it’s own. If this game were compared to the current market of MMOs, it doesn’t even rate itself into the pay-to-play category IN IT’S CURRENT STATE (in case anyone was to misquote me).

Time will tell, but the outcome looks pretty grim.

I think TR in general has some potential and I like the fact that they are trying to break the mold in a lot of areas. Kudos to NCSoft for making the effort.

I think their marketing is off and they are trying to pitch TR as something that it is not.

I still say it looks mostly like an FPS styled game.

Sorry if I got you cranky… ;)

Of course a user interface should be well designed and intuitive, no argument there. And I agree that the dynamics of battle fields are probably not more than perhaps changing some spawns in order to try to enforce periodic changes of control points in order to give the impression that player fights matter.

After all, it is market speak.

The cloning is a good idea I believe though and more or less a necessity to have if a tiered class structure is used.

I do not see this game as anything that are aiming for any epic proportions or anything beyond some short play sessions with a bit of fun and it that is fine with me.

1). FPS is the key acronym here. While I agree that a minimalistic interface is important, I would suggest that a well designed and intuitive interface is more important than simply minimalist…however in a FPS, there isn’t much going on besides aiming and shooting. You need more for a properly designed MMORPG.

2) Character Cloning. Yeah, sounds like a feature in a single player game. Doesn’t really make sense in a mmorpg. Now, I’m not talking about clones like you see in Eve Online or Anarchy or whatever, this is different. I mean come on, save points for your character that you can turn into another character? Yeah, sounds good on paper, but I think it doesn’t fit the RPG space, but is fine for the FPS stuff.

3) NCSoft is a little disingenuous here with the word “dynamic”. They *mean* that the battlefield changes when different control points are possessed by different parties. This is about as dynamic as “dynamic characters that can live or die!”. What they *imply* is that every gamer has the chance to do great and wonderful world-shaking things! Dynamic battlefields where things happen! You can do stuff! Wait wait, you can HIDE BEHIND THINGS and IT MATTERS!. I’m telling you, its a FPS with some RPG makeup on.

4) Ethical Parables. This isn’t new by any means. MUDs back in the 80′s had this, and many players were tormented by dungeon masters way before then. What is new though, is a MMORPG developer actually going this route for a chance with any meaningful weight. I wonder how well this is implemented in TR or if it is just lightweight “make a choice to affect your faction later”.

5) Instanced storyline! Wow. More single player game design. You know, it isn’t epic if everyone experiences the same thing, and nothing any of them does affects anyone else. Truly epic games have many things going on where a player or players can make their mark or affect the overall longterm experience of other players. Instanced storylines are a sham. Instanced dungeons are likewise weak (they have their place, but not as the mainstay of content).

I need some coffee, I’m getting cranky.

If you read or listen to Richard Garriott when he talks about Tabula Rasa, he covers 5 elements in the game which he considers important/innovative pieces.

1. The more minimalistic user interface. While the actual targeting mechanism at least visually resembles a more FPS like game, it really isn’t that much different and it works better than other attempts where one has actually tried to bring in FPS style targetting (Neocron and SWG NGE comes to mind at least). At least as important I think is the more streamlined interface, although SWG NGE also have tried this, I think TRs attempt works better.
I guess RG also includes the differences in combat here which has a bit more emphasis on movement and positioning as tactical elements.

2. Character cloning. You do not have to start all over from scratch if you want to create an alt, you clone an existing character, reallocate skill points and modify its appearance and you are ready to go from the point of cloning. I think this is a brilliant feature.
All characters also share storage space, like the bank slots in EQ2.

3. Dynamic battlefields. The idea is that mobs do not just spawn at the same spot all the time, but that it may be different all the time and that outposts may be controlled by the Bane (baddies) or the AFS (good guys) at any point and this may change. To be honest, beside the tutorial example of taking control of an outpost, I have not seen much of this and while Bane does not just spawn, but are dropped down through drop ships, they still tend to appear at the same spots. I can understand that there is an exception for the lowbie/newbie areas though.

4. Ethical parables – there is not only one choice to make when doing missions, but multiple options, which may have consequences later with the different factions in the game. I have seen two of these missions in the lowbie areas so far, have yet to determine what the actual consequences will be.

5. Instanced storyline focused areas. The idea is more focus on moving the story forward and presenting some puzzles rather than a place to grind/get loot. Not sure I would call it innovative, but a good element nonetheless.

I like it and taking it as a game to spend perhaps somewhat short sessions in every now and then I think it has potential to be good fun. But given the state of the beta I would say October 19th is a bit early.
And far too often I have not been able to get into the game at all due to the same type of problems as Ethic describes.

It’s ready to go boys, ship it!!!

So… if I’m reading all this correctly… the only thing they’re really-really-really-really innovating anything with is that FPSish control scheme that’s hit or miss with some people?

The lag on mob death can be rationalized as a part of stress testing. Personally, I gave up after two weeks of finding myself stuck in or on the terrain once or twice an hour. I took a look at the launch date and figured I couldn’t on good conscience ask them to let me test their game for free, when in a mere two months people would be lining up to pay them to do so.