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Even with those issues, the players of the game seem whole-heartedly content to continue playing. Despite the changes and augmentations that are consistently being made with each patch, those individuals that have been playing TR seem extremely happy with the worlds they've encountered and are persistent in their desire to play through the levels of the game. Why? The answer to that lies solely in what may be the newest trend that Richard Garriott brings to the MMOG table: the Character Cloning System.

The Cure for Alt-itis

Already trademarked by the NCsoft team, the Character Cloning System represents a new way for players to engage in the world around them. In short, the Character Cloning System introduced in Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa allows players to make a "photo-copy" of their character at each of the levels where they make an important decision. Dubbed "cloning" - a term that works in this science fiction based game - the system allows players the leverage they need in creating characters, allowing them to not be confined to a particular class that they chose in the beginning of the game.

You'll get an opportunity to try out a variety of characters with TR's cloning system.

When a player makes a clone, they basically create an exact replica of their current character save for the skills they've selected for that particular entity. Any class choices or branching selections are stored, but the process now allows players to "back-up" their characters at particular points which allows them to go back and try different class trees. When you're progressing, you're given the option to clone your character at level 5, 15, and 30 - basically each time you select a different branch in a particular class tree. While some players may use the clones to create different classes, other players have decided to hold clones in reserve until later levels. This gives them the opportunity to create an incredibly skilled character by redistributing abilities without any fear of being underpowered through a certain portion of the game.

Although the combat changes have been the areas most talked about by the general media, the Character Cloning System, in my opinion, is the most evolutionary portion of the entire game. The developers have really hit upon a terrific way for characters to create alternate characters (or min-max their own characters to perfection), and gamers are very happy with the way the cloning system works, albeit they want more ways to clone their characters in the long run. Though the skills and weapons portion of the game may not be completely finalized, most players simply aren't worried due to the flexibility they feel with the Character Cloning System.

The Technical Scoop

When it comes to world creation, Richard Garriott and the NCsoft team have ultimately outdone themselves when it comes to Tabula Rasa. Instead of making one planet with a variety of different biomes, the NCsoft team developed several planets, each with its own particular personality and hazards. As you progress in levels, you'll be traveling to and from these different locales and each area provides you with a completely different visual experience. With the settings cranked to their maximum, you'll almost feel like you're in a living breathing world, where alien life forms are common place and your insistent shooting is just another part of the greater ecosystem.

The different planets all have their own particular flavor when players are exploring them.

From a graphical standpoint, many developers could learn a thing or two about creating particular atmospheres and environments by taking a look at the work the Tabula Rasa development team put into the different planets in the game. With each move up your advancement ladder, you'll find more amazing vistas and locations rife with biological specimens that you would have never dreamed of. It's a futuristic world, but it certainly has the fantastic spin that players have commonly found in all of Richard Garriott's products.

Truth be told, while the environments in Tabula Rasa are stunning, I was a bit disappointed with the character models that the players are forced to run around with. Not only are the initial character creation options fairly limited (especially in the facial department), but players can only choose from stock bodies and have no option to finagle with body types. Although I do love looking like Rambo, I'd prefer that my character have just a hint of girth to make it feel more accurate to the real "Micajah" deal.

What Didn't Make It?

Now that the praises have been heaped on, you're probably wondering about the elements of the game that I found frustrating. Simply put, there were a number of parts of the game that didn't make it fully into the final release. Although many other reviewers have complained about the lack of a solid crafting system (and it is a frustration), I generally had more concerns with areas that are more intuitive to a futuristic combat experience. I would have loved to see vehicular based battles early in the game. I understand that mechs are available at later levels and the Personal Armor Units are making their way into the game, but what about the standard hovercrafts or spaceships? Why can't players fly around in enemy vessels or command the enormous guns that can blast the crap out of you? These elements almost seem like a natural part of any science fiction world, and they seem egregiously left behind in the world of Tabula Rasa.

Logos serve very little purpose in TR except to provide players with needed components to activate their abilities.

Along with that, it's also frustrating to hear about how many of the initial abilities in the game had issues. By simply perusing the patch notes from the last several updates, you'll find that a number of abilities weren't active at all in the beginning, and some (like the Guardians Staff skill) still aren't working properly. Although it hasn't seemed to upset the player base, it is frustrating to think that a game so long in development still wasn't completely finished by the launch date.

Finally, I was wholly disappointed with how the Logos language played out in the game. As Garriott's pet project, I expected more interactions between my character and the language as a whole. At this point in time, Logos seem to only provide the necessary components needed for activating your special abilities and function more as a "runner" type mission for the players in the game. Without some sort of necessary player interaction using the Logos, I'm afraid that the concept of a universal alien language simply won't catch on.

The Final Throwdown

Tabula Rasa is the swift kick in the ass that the MMOG industry needed. Even with its faults, it's evident that the NCsoft developers are really trying to blaze a new trail in the massively multiplayer gaming marketplace. With a new and intuitive combat system, a fantastic Character Cloning System, and a fundamentally different take on the science fiction experience, NCsoft has delivered a product that is strikingly original while still maintaining ties to an already storied past. More game developers need to take NCsofts cue and stop hesitating before jumping into the fray. Gamers want change, and they want things to stay the same. To me, Tabula Rasa delivers on both fronts.

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