by: Tony "RadarX" Jones

It's been an extremely busy week for Tabula Rasa soldiers, and the AFS has kept us engaged with lots of news and events. Here are the highlights of this week and what you need to know!

Maligo Tower Preview - RPG Vault got a sneak peek at the upcoming Maligo Base instance NCsoft is currently working on. Concept Artist Sam Gephardt explained:

I wanted to portray the feeling of a massive excavation of an ancient Eloh artifact. In this case, the Bane are trying to crack into the technology of this new discovery. The environment was supposed to be barren, harsh and sharp, yet the Eloh were so far advanced that attempts to scratch the surface seem to be failing, as can be seen by the fact that some sort of power seems to be emitted from the interior.

They've got a couple of concept art shots that are worth looking at over at RPG Vault.

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I Thought Doctor Octopus
was Dead

NCsoft Support Child's Play through Auctions - If you aren't familiar with Child's Play, it's a charitable organization created by Penny Arcade a few years ago. Ever year they collect toys for children's hospitals across the country and a number of gaming corporations sponsor programs to raise money. NCsoft took a few unique ideas to the table putting up 2 signed copies of Tabula Rasa and the ability to name an NPC in game. How cool is that? Check out the auction. On a personal note, it's hard to think of a greater cause to promote this time of year. Join thousands of us who have bought toys (it's easier than you think) or even donated money.

Team gives some "Feedback" on Malfunction - - The dev team announced last week they'd be removing the Wormhole Summon ability from Engineers and replacing it with an ability called "Malfunction" which would affect weaponry. Apparently a little unsatisfied with it's effectiveness in the PvE environment they are looking at things again so this should please some of you who weren't happy with what was being proposed. You can check out their release about here

CuppaJo Q&A - MMORPGSlave landed an interview with the always interesting Tabula Rasa Community Manager April "CuppaJo" Burba who covered some very interesting questions including who owns Destination Games, content expansions, and even entertains a question about player housing. They are bringing in boxing rings, and it's worth reading just to hear that. Well worth your time so head over there and take a look.

Memorial Day Service - A somber day approaches this weekend. It's time to remember the assault on Earth and why we are fighting. This weekend marks rememberence and is heavily sponsored not only by the NCsoft team but Tabula Rasa Roleplayers.com who are organizing events. If I remember correctly I was told to dye my armor red and there will be a ceremony on Casseopia Saturday night featuring a few developers and Community Manager CuppaJo. If you are planning on playing stop by and show your support for the liberation of Earth. You can check out the thread at Tabula Rasa Roleplayers regarding the event here.

Robert Garriott Promoted - An interesting bit of industry news that many may not be concerned with, but it does involve the company who owns Tabula Rasa. Robert Garriott (not to be confused with Executive Producer Richard) was promoted from his position as President of NCsoft North America and moved into a global business development position. VP for Worldwide Product Development Chris Chung will be taking up the reins so we wish him well and now you know who to ask about fixing stuff. Find the press release here.

Holiday Spoof-A-Long Contest - Is it shameless? Of course! Should you expect anything less? Doubtful! Ten Ton Hammer is running a holiday contest where we are asking you to spoof a holiday song. Tap into your creativity and put together a song for us. Spending 30 mins writing a song could next you 6 months of free game time for any game you want. How friggin cool is that? Go take a peek at the requirements and rules.

Forum Q&A #3 - Community Manager April "CuppaJo" Burba took a few minute to answer a number of questions we submitted from the forums. Bioarmor, Tradeskill item tracking and weapon paint are just a few of the topics she tackled for us. Take a second and go give it a read.

That's if for this week! We hope you've been brought up to speed if you were not. Be sure to keep checking our forums for current discussions and news.