October 30, 2007

Lead Designer Paul Sage talks about Tabula Rasa on the verge of its retail launch
By Michael Lafferty

“Creating games is about creating choices.”

The game has undergone a lot of changes since its inception. There were different environments, different styles of play, but after testing and retesting, a final course was determined and Tabula Rasa (which translates to “a blank slate”) settled into the sci-fi genre as an action shooter within the massively multiplayer genre.

Developed by a studio that knows a little thing or two about the MMO genre (Richard Garriott, NCsoft and Destination Games), Tabula Rasa is on the verge of release and GameZone thought it would be a good time to have a chat with the team about the trek from initial intellectual property to retail release.

Paul Sage, lead designer on the project, took time to answer a few questions:

Through all the changes in the look and feel of the Tabula Rasa development, what constants have remained?

Paul: I think the primary constant is the fiction behind the war. From very early on, we wanted to make this game feel like you were in a war. Honestly, when we looked at the earliest concepts, that wasn’t something that really stood out as being presented well. So, that was something we wanted to really nail when we started reworking the game. We had to take war elements people could relate to, and put them in a futuristic environment. I doubt we will have machine guns in the future, but it plays to the modern psyche that this is war. So the war and the fiction of the war has been a constant.

What do you consider Tabula Rasa does that raises the bar in the general MMO environment?

Paul: Everybody’s “bar” is different. For me, some of the things we have done that raise the bar are focusing on combat interactivity, story telling, and removal of tedium. Combat being fast paced was really important to get right. We took a lot of chances by making it an attribute / RPG math “shooter.” Combat started out as this messy affair of missing while shooting with lots of other issues, but there was definitely a twinkle of fun. When we did things like make opponents die faster, reduced the rate of missing to almost never, and the like it really made the whole thing flow and feel much better. I think it takes an hour or two for the standard MMO player to adjust to the interface, but many of our users report they don’t like going back to the “normal” interface in other MMOs once they have played Tabula Rasa.

Also, TR has a much larger story that goes on as the player progresses through the game. I know many MMOs do have underlying stories, but TR actually has branching missions on this storyline that eventually winds up in a very unique split, depending on what branch you follow later in the game. Getting to the end of all the current missions in TR leaves the player with a cliffhanger that will be built upon in our ongoing content and expansions.

As to the last point of tedium, I don’t believe that removing tedium is what makes a good game. However, I do think we tend to allow things as designers that frustrate players for our own ends. One example of this is finding a certain location on a map for a quest. Why not direct the player to that spot? Sure, there are times not to do it, but forcing a player to open a web page on every mission / quest to find out how to get to a spot is tedious. If we can remove those small things, and still keep things challenging, I think that will help the genre. We have to be sensitive to the player’s time and investment.

When it comes to the shooter genre, what new ground does Tabula Rasa tread?

Paul: Well, let me just say that Tabula Rasa is not really a “shooter” game. It is a fast action MMO that I think/hope will appeal to fans of shooters. The interface will be immediately familiar. What won’t be familiar are the rewards and character growth that RPG fans really enjoy. So that feeling of being rewarded for the things you do, and the actions you take are important.

How does development carry forward after the launch? Do you have specific goals in place for downloadable content and expansions or will that depend on player feedback as to what is implemented first?

Paul: Yes, indeed we do! We, of course, will be patching as often as needed to take care of balance issues and bugs that weren’t caught in beta. But we also have plans to add to the game significantly over the next year. This involves enhancing existing systems and adding new content. Player feedback is always considered. In fact, feedback from our beta testers has greatly influenced our plans over the next few months. We’ve got some *really* cool stuff coming the months after launch, so everyone should stay tuned to www.rgtr.com for new developments!

The idea of a higher alien race and artifacts has seemingly been in place for a long time. What made you pick that element to carry forth throughout the iterations of the game? What fascinates you about the idea of a higher race?

Paul: Creating a new fiction for a game is more difficult than you may think because it has to be both compelling and “attainable” to your target audience. Therefore, once it was set and everyone agreed on it, it was something we felt needed to endure. What appeals to me about the idea of a higher race is twofold. First is that childlike viewpoint you have about your parents. They can do things you can’t, they have things you don’t have, and, for a while, you view them as almost godlike. There is a defining moment everyone has when that veil of ‘godhood’ is ripped away. So the story of a higher race tugs on that particular human commonality. Also, when creating a fiction that is close to modern day, there had to be a way for humans to somehow “advance” quickly. How we advance, and what we sacrifice to advance also adds to the depth of the story. There were many elements that locked into place by having a higher race of “Benefactors.” So once we all heard it, I think it felt right.

Morality issues have been a hallmark of Richard Garriott titles? While some titles just allow players to rush through games, hacking, slashing or firing weapons, you are asking players to think about their character’s involvement with the world. Why is that important?

Paul: This is simple. Creating games is about creating choices. There doesn’t have to be a right or a wrong choice, it can just make you think for a second, and move on to the next thing. It gives the player more of a feeling that what they do “matters.” A book or television show never gives you a choice. You can use your imagination to expand upon what is presented, but there isn’t ever a true choice. (With the exception of Choose Your Own Ending books.) So giving the player a compelling choice in how they experience the story is just an extension of how we make games.

What do you like most about the launch version of Tabula Rasa (as opposed to the other iterations)?

Paul: Well, all of the iterations run together for me, so identifying one feature from launch as opposed to the week before or after launch is hard to do. The game will be balanced better, there will be more varied “mini-bosses,” control point action is improved, we have tabbed inventory in, and overhead chat will be in by launch. Very shortly after launch we will have in our Military Surplus so players can sell items they find in game while they are offline.

What do you consider to be the nicest thing about the game launching?

Paul: On a very personal note, I will enjoy spending a lot of time with my seven-year-old son, and my fantastic girlfriend. On a more professional note, I really can’t wait for the team to see all of their efforts pay off. To see what works and what doesn’t work. MMOs are great because launch really is just the beginning. You get feedback from the community so readily… and you are able to act on it. Just as I am excited to see people playing and having fun, I am also just as excited about working on the future of the game.

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