Tabula Rasa Hands-On (PC)

"Tabula rasa" in Latin means "blank slate." Considering how many times Richard Garriott (creator of the Ultima RPGs) and his company (Destination Games) have rebooted development on Tabula Rasa over the years they couldn't have picked a more appropriate title. Ironically, wiping the slate clean is also exactly what they want to do with the massive multiplayer genre as a whole. After spending the last several weeks giving this fresh MMO a whirl (in closed beta, thus in-depth details can't be divulged yet) we're convinced they're on the right track.

Tabula Rasa takes place in the far flung future where mankind has been run off their big blue marble of a home and scattered to the four corners of the universe by a nasty alien race known as the Bane. Earth isn't the only causality though, as these monsters have an insatiable desire to take over every planet that they come across. Players assume the role of a human solider in the Allied Free Sentients (AFS) army, a collective of surviving races that have banned together to fight the Bane.

The character creation system for TR isn't nearly as diverse as City of Heroes (arguably the best in existence), but it doesn't have to be. A handful of faces, body sizes, hair and uniforms are available. But between purchasing armor upgrades (in the form of vests, pants, helmets, gloves and boots), the frequency of equipment loot drops, and the ability to paint your body armor different colors (via collectible paint cans), initial choices are rendered moot.

When a player picks a last name for their first character, every other character created afterwards will have that same universal last name. It seems odd, but it's an important component for how Garriott wants the game to run, mainly so players can't "escape" their game created reputation. This not only jives with the plethora of moral choices players are faced with (which helps create who they become,) but it may even help eliminate the griefing and gold farming plaguing the genre.

At level 5, players choose to become a soldier or a specialist, each with differing branching skills and powers. After experiencing both classes up to level 10, we can say that both are different and enjoyable enough to warrant playing simultaneously. This class choice also defines which weapons, tools, and armor can be used. Afraid to pick? No worries. Enter TR's revolutionary cloning system which allows any character to be copied at any time. This allows players to try out different styles without starting from the beginning. Also, cloning lets players reallocate all attribute and skill points (earned as characters level up) on that particular clone. It's an ingenious method, one we'll likely see copied in other games.

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