The nitty-gritty on the Tabula Rasa team
At the Tabula Rasa headquarters, expect a bunch of truly talented people. And we don’t mean that to oversimplify or understate. If you take a closer look at their bios, you’ll find bits and pieces of their personalities that bond together like jigsaw puzzles, making the entire game solid in itself. Of course, there are still some stray items, but because of a high level of teamwork and professionalism, everyone gets to fill in their own versions of “blank slate” without stepping on each other’s feet.
Take, for example what Paul Sage, Lead Designer, says: “The biggest lesson for me right now is to make sure to see all points of view. Almost every person on the team wants to create a great game, but not everyone is going to agree on the best way to do it. ” Is this going to ensure Tabula Rasa‘s success? From what we’ve gathered, these guys aren’t just entering into a million-dollar business — they’re having fun doing it. (Aren’t we all jealous?)
Their inspirations come from various sources as well. These guys read a lot, play a lot, and enjoy listening to music a lot. Most of them have worked on past projects such as Ultima Online, Akalabeth, and Sierra“>Sierra adventures. And most of them adored playing Half Life! Playing other games and getting involved with past MMORPG projects taught these guys lessons that we all can learn from as well. Starr “Darkstarr” Long, the TR team’s Producer, described his own experience with Richard Garriott when the latter forgot to make himself invulnerable in a Beta state tour of one MMOG. Players fired at him until he (Garriott) died.
More about the Tabula Rasa team bios after the jump!
At the Tabula Rasa headquarters, expect a bunch of truly talented people. And we don’t mean that to oversimplify or understate. If you take a closer look at their bios, you’ll find bits and pieces of their personalities that bond together like jigsaw puzzles, making the entire game solid in itself. Of course, there are still some stray items, but because of a high level of teamwork and professionalism, everyone gets to fill in their own versions of “blank slate” without stepping on each other’s feet.
Take, for example what Paul Sage, Lead Designer, says: “The biggest lesson for me right now is to make sure to see all points of view. Almost every person on the team wants to create a great game, but not everyone is going to agree on the best way to do it. ” Is this going to ensure Tabula Rasa‘s success? From what we’ve gathered, these guys aren’t just entering into a million-dollar business — they’re having fun doing it. (Aren’t we all jealous?)
Their inspirations come from various sources as well. These guys read a lot, play a lot, and enjoy listening to music a lot. Most of them have worked on past projects such as Ultima Online, Akalabeth, and Sierra“>Sierra adventures. And most of them adored playing Half Life! Playing other games and getting involved with past MMORPG projects taught these guys lessons that we all can learn from as well. Starr “Darkstarr” Long, the TR team’s Producer, described his own experience with Richard Garriott when the latter forgot to make himself invulnerable in a Beta state tour of one MMOG. Players fired at him until he (Garriott) died.
“It was an amazing example of how the players were much more in control of this experience than us, the game creators,” said Darkstarr.
And what has Richard “Lord British” Garriott got to say about his job? Sure, he mostly goes to GMs, argues with his brother, and crafts world reality in all his waking moments, but he too, has an insight to share. In a summary of his own most memorable MMOG experience, where a poor fisherman refused a wealthy soldier’s offer of help, Garriott said, “I thought that this was a very enlightening moment, to see how such a simple ruleset had such diversity and how people were adopting such unique and varied activities that we never expected in the game.”
What advice does the Tabula Rasa team give to all aspiring MMORPG creators? Apart from playing as many games as you can and writing analyses about them, it’s best to absorb as much as you can, get inspired from any creative source, develop a wide range of skills, practice at them, and accept constructive criticism. These folks, are the POVs of the Tabula Rasa team who once gave us the highly successful Ultima Online. And perhaps another one coming.