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Tabula Rasa Popular?
DrWalnut
Member CommonPosts: 133
in Tabula Rasa
How's this game doing? Do many people play it? Has the response been mostly positive?
Comments
Its a very love/hate game. Some people love it, others hate it. The EU servers at any rate always seem to have enough people on them, I have never had problems getting a group.
The instances are fun, the battle is good. Though it could be better. Really we need more skills.
The cumtomisation is not wonderful, the characture creation is really not very good. the word that comes to mind is basic. But you can change you gears colour. So many guilds have takes to wearing a uniform colour.
The players are nice, mostly mature gamers who have played 2 or so other games, SWG seemingly always being one of them, NGE was a really big mistake it seems.
The crafing is really very poor. I have a crafting nut but on TR, unless its totally reworked, I wont bother.
We are still waiting for real pvp.
The way the monsters spawn is very nice, beamed in by ships most of them. A great change from appearing from thin air.
The three day trial is very popular and I would recoment it to anyone, dispite its problems (that I am sure will be soon fixed in updates.
) there is something fun and fresh about this game, and I am enjoying it very much.
"How's this game doing?"
Despite what you read on MMORPG.com it actually seems to be doing quite well.
"Do many people play it?"
I think only NCsoft can answer that question but my personal experience is that 2 of the 4 servers are usually at medium capacity. Even when population is listed as low on the server screen there are usually 6 instances of the intital wilderness zone, 4 of the next and usually 2 of the third on my home server.
"Has the response been mostly positive?"
It seems that TR breaks the MMO mold too much for some and not enough for others. I personally think they have evolved the genre and I like the results. People have raised various issues with the game some of the main themes being a lack of content at higher levels and lack of some features "standard" to other MMO's like player housing.
People also have complained about the crafting system but I haven't had any issue with using it, I suspect vets of other MMO's with advanced crafting systems are a little disappointed with it's limitations. As I understand it it's slated for a revamp very soon.
I beta-tested and played from pre-order, at each tier selection I have cloned and am now levelling a spy, sniper, commando, exobiologist, medic and sapper and have a crafter parked at Twin Pillars. I have to say that I don't think any of them will be hitting the cap in the next month or two and based on my experience thus far (new high level zone/new quests for lower level areas in the last patch) I would say NCsoft is working to implement new content in a timely manner.
Those "missing features" people have talked about are for the most part cosmetic timesinks and I'm glad the devs spent more time on polishing the gameplay than adding things like player housing. Hopefully they will use common sense and implement these features in a way that keeps within the context of the story but I think for them (as for me) it is a low priority.
I think some veterans of MMO's don't like having to change from the "click on mob and go make a cuppa" type gameplay common to the genre and some veteran's of FPS's feel TR isn't enough in that style. My opinion is it strikes a good balance between the two based on the limitations imposed by the medium and the devs have done a great job in making latency largely transperant (except in Mires lol) which I believe would be major issue in trying to create an MMOFPS style game like TR.
My personal opinion that TR is a breath of fresh air for the tired elf- and ninja-infested genre that MMO's have become and I'll be sticking with it as long as the fun factor is there. The FPS style gameplay gives me a sense of immersion I just don't normally get with an MMO. Did I mention there were no elves?
Let the flames begin!
As they stated..
Alot of love and hate relationship going on right now with TR. Your dealing with mainly hardcore gamers on this website and if the game doesnt deliever what they are looking for, then all hell starts breaking loose on posts (this person quoting this person and the other quoting that person). It starts becoming a real big mudd flinging contest agaist the people that are enjoying the game and the people that think the game is a pos.
If your asking me personally, I am enjoying the game as a casual player. I have seemed to slow down at level 35. As people have stated, there is no real reason to get to level cap, due to, no end game content as of right now. I am currently playing TR, Eve Online and going to try out the PotBS.
These current games should keep me busy for a few months..
On a side note for TR info..
There is going to be some pretty neat stuff coming up in the months for TR so look for it. A 3 day pass is always nice to try out, but the real fun starts around level 15.
As people have stated, you be the judge and go from there.
I love this game because I can log in for 15 minutes and get stuff done. I don't ahve to committ hours of play time to accomplish small goals. The flexibility is soemthing that can't be beat, in my opinion.
I love this game. I do wish character creation was a bit more fleshed out. I also have faith that where some things are lacking, that NCSoft will continue to work on issues and bugs.
I give a big thumbs up.
Ransom
Born in Chaos Clan Leader Orion (PvP)
www.borninchaos.com
I'd say it is doing average for a newly released MMO. This is not saying much though seeing that the last big name released was VSoH which had an unpolished feel to it as well. Nontheless, I'd recommend trying the 3 day trial and gather your own opinion. Personally, I did not find the game that innovative or fun, but many would disagree with that opinion.
>it seems that TR breaks the MMO mold too much for some and not enough for others. I personally think they have evolved the genre and I like the results. People have raised various issues with the game some of the main themes being a lack of content at higher levels and lack of some features "standard" to other MMO's like player housing.
Can you list one thing that actually "breaks the MMO mold"? What precisely has "evolved"?
I only played in beta, but here were my conclusions:
- very poor player customization -- everyone looks the same, the options at startup are primitive at best
- very poor crafting -- basically a total loss
- repetitive gameplay, missions -- just like almost all other MMO's, except the sandbox ones
- small, dull maps, with no quick freeform travel
- decent action style combat -- just like City of Heroes, another NCSoft title. Except CoH/CoV has about 1,000 times more variety, and the same fast feel
In short, I found nothing "breaking the mold", and nothing "evolved" about it. RG was all over the local paper saying how TR "broke new ground", but he never said what it was. The game has been in development for what? 6 YEARS?? And what is the "MMO mold" that was broken?
Seriously.
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2025: 48 years on the Net.
>Now what i feel breaks the mold in TR: The way spawns work, can't recall a MMO that has done this so immersive as TR has done it, i mean most MMO's mobs/creaters ect ect...just spwn *FLOP* in your face,
I am not trying to be facetious; try Ryzom. In that game, the predators chase the prey, mobs will come up to you, sniff you, pee on your leg. Mobs will roam, even migrate.
In CoH, you have dropships that fly over, and drop mobs on you and around you. You can then run to the outpost and try to take it over, or defend it. Large battles with NPC's and real PvP people on both sides. Very very similar to TR.
So I didn't feel that that was innovative at all. The whole dropship thing was already done in CoH. Try playing an AR/dev blaster in the Rikti War Zone -- just like TR.
RG said that the game was "groundbreaking", but I still haven't seen anything new in it at all. For those who play TR, what do you think is actually new and groundbreaking?
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2025: 48 years on the Net.
Marketing that made us believe its groundbreaking.
Reklaw has made a detailed reply as to why he thinks TR breaks the mold somewhat and I agree with most of the points he made.
One of the ways I think TR is innovative is that it largely does away with the "pull and kill" gameplay I've seen in a lot of traditional MMO's - I've never had the feeling i was "processing" the mobs in TR like I have in those games.
Another way I feel that TR is innovative is the way the environment and cover can be the key to success, logical examination and utilisation of the terrain can yield a marked advantage in most situations.
And of course I can't forget to mention cloning, not having to re-grind the lower levels to make an alt is pretty revolutionary for MMO's.
And playing made us realize it was shallow, boring and about as far from "ground breaking" as the Earth is from Pluto.
Down to $9.99 in less than 2 months, yeah it's really "ground breaking" and "innovative".
And playing made us realize it was shallow, boring and about as far from "ground breaking" as the Earth is from Pluto.
Down to $9.99 in less than 2 months, yeah it's really "ground breaking" and "innovative".
TR still has a list price of $49.99 and most places are selling it between $40 and $50. You can not buy a new copy for $10 right now. That was a one day thing through EB as a retailer promotional and included other MMO titles as well.
People please do not stray off topic here.
The questions that was asked are "How's this game doing? Do many people play it? Has the response been mostly positive?"
At least in Germany TR is doing kinda well. Germany´s No 1 Computer Games Trader (Amazon.de) increased the price twice after release (from 36,-€ at release up to 40,-€ before X-Mas and up to 43,-€ now).
The first weeks after release TR was listed at the third place in mmogs there (after WoW and Guild Wars). Only dropped short before christmas one or two ranks (LoTRo is atm No 3 in sales in Germany).
Sure and in the same shop Hellgate London is 49EUR, WoW expansion is 40EUR etc etc.
Cmon m8 this prices are ridiculous to say at least and dont tell a thing about the game and how sales go...
I enjoyed it for a little while. The best part I enjoyed was the opening movie. I could watch that thing over and over again.
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
Welcome to Germany
And yes. Amazon.de is the best indicator how sales are going in germany since they are the No 1 gamestrader here.
I happen to think it's a very groundbreaking game for what it's accomplished as a whole, and your comparisons only help to prove it. You've had to name two different games already that encompass features you get in one package with TR - interesting AI reactions, spawning that makes sense rather then appearing from thin air, and outpost capture/defense. Both CoH and Ryzom also didn't put as much detail in to these ideas as TR, because some mobs do randomly spawn in CoH unlike TR and Ryzom's AI included a bunch of random things that might make you laugh but didn't really serve a purpose in the end like the TR AI's ability to dodge behind cover, shout out to comrades during a battle, etc.. If an MMO manages to include features from many other games that have never been released before in one package, then I would definitely consider that groundbreaking and a step in the right direction.
You also bring up games of completely different genres - Maybe everyone isn't in to being superheroes or living in a fantasy world like Ryzom. The top three elements have never been implemented within the militaristic sci-fi MMOFPS-like setting before. I think it's kinda silly to compare single elements within TR to all 200 other MMOs on the market. We obviously all want one that has all the features we want in one game and that would make it 'groundbreaking' enough since it hasn't been done.
People can also compare it to other games, like SWG with the target-lock similarities to the NGE. Again, this wasn't ever combined with intelligent AI or well constructed base capture/defense, or experience modifiers based on how quickly you could retain killing mobs over a period of time, or the combination of damage reduction that various degrees of cover provide you, or how movement affects your aim and ability to dodge fire. There's also the language of Logos that you collect via quests and map exploration, that's used later both to complete quests by knowing the language and enable your class abilities, and quests that offer you a choice of paths and change your dialogue with future NPCs based on your decision, and many other elements that may or may not have been done before but not within one game.
It's still not groundbreaking enough to reach mass appeal because there's a lot of features people wish it had in it that are in other MMO games. Crafting and PvP were not well-implemented, and neither was the endgame content but this game had a pretty successful release overall and they should have time and support now to bring it to it's full potential.
I've been playing since late beta and been having a ton of fun because it's incredibly different and more action-oriented then any other MMO I've played. I can't argue that everything they've done is new, but every other game that they've borrowed ideas from didn't do it right or within the same context as TR and that's what makes it fun in the end.
Thanks for the reasoned response! Very nice instead of the usual flaming.
Your post reminds me of when I was getting a patent, the lawyer explained that the pencil was a patent, and the eraser was a patent. Then, combining the pencil AND the eraser was another patent! In this case, the idea of "dropships" dropping mobs on you was already done, by CoH. And interesting mob AI was already done by Ryzom (among others). Your claim is that combining those two elements in one game is "groundbreaking". The whole idea of using cover, or Line of Sight, to influence your battle is also common, for example, in CoH. But again, adding that to this game was also "groundbreaking". I think the Logos was a missed opportunity, that would allow players to custom-build their own spells/powers/weapons. But that has already been done by Ryzom and others.
What I thought, upon reading RG's comment that they were doing something new, groundbreaking, was that they had actually done something new. The only kind-of new mechanic I saw was the cloning system, and EvE had already gotten pretty close to that.
So if the only really new thing in the game is the particular combination of already done ideas, then perhaps TR is groundbreaking. But that leaves it open to criticism on what those particular features are; and in this case, TR falls quite a bit. For example, I love crafting, TR's crafting is minimal. I love grouping, but TR's grouping is primitive and difficult. I love high-speed action, but CoH's action is better IMHO. I like mob AI, and LOS, and those were done better by other games. I like rapid transit (flying, jumping 10 story buildings, mounts, etc), but TR has none of that.
So to the original question, is TR popular, or will it be? My personal opinion is that TR will appeal to a subset of shooter -type players, and will eventually be moderately successful. If they add vehicles, housing, better crafting, better grouping, bigger/more zones, more weapon types, other playable races, spaceflight or airflight, full Logos customization, expanded classes, good PvP, and some end-game content, it will be a good game
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2025: 48 years on the Net.
Well said, olepi. I couldn't have said it better myself. I agree with you on each point in your post.
read through before typing or responding.
many missions are broken (cant wait for that one troll to say whoa again
) by many i mean more than 20. this includes missions undoable becaus certain instances were completed, again, GM's will be required to fix those if ever. a january patch is due anytime. to date i have had a gm fix 3 and simply give me credit for them since the posted petitions were days old. this game needs more gm's desperately. to date i have interacted with two, GM_rofl and GM christine. GM christine was helpful GM rofl was not. out of 14 petitions 1 has been answered (and to the clueless before you type, i know the diff between a broken quest and simply missing something)
customer service is abysmal, to include the emails recieved for your "not being ingame to contact you" when in actuality you are, this happens to many people, ask ingame. wait times are in the hours (if you want to wait that long) and submitting a petition is only worth it to get credit for a broken mission as it will not be answered when you need it. if your counting i have seen 2 gm,s , some say there are actually three. the folks that send the emails from nc soft have a twisted sense of humor asking how your gm experiance was, was the petition punctual, were you "content", who uses the word content in this manner? (grin) and any negative responses will be deleted. hehe i say wild questionaire!!
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to date i have hit level 36, part of the overpopulated spy crowd and having a blast
as a quick update op, i do see more and more "new" folks asking beginner TR questions in general chat, whether they are trials or paid subs you would have to ask. and on the subject of chat, as with any game gold spammers make frequent appearances, though not for long as the GM's do handle this part of the game quickly and ruthlessly and with great fanfare at times, sometimes publicly executing gold spammers for many to see, which is humerous in my book.
can you smell that?!!...............there is nothing quite like it.....................the smell of troll in the morning............i love that smell.