Tabula Rasa campaign -

[Rae]

http://www.warcry.com/news/view/124708-Tabula-Rasa-Fans-Petition-NCSoft-with-Garriotts-Blessing?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news

In short, a  bunch of gamers are petitioning NC Soft to resurrect Tabula Rasa. You might feel you want to sign the petition, and it can't hurt us to join forces if there's the opportunity?

[eabrace]

I saw that this morning.  I haven't had too much of an opportunity to read up on it yet (blocks by the firewall at work), but it looks interesting.

I found the "with Garriott's blessing" part the most interesting bit.

[Rae]

For the sadly work-afflicted

--

Maybe another door to Tabula Rasa will open?

Fans of Tabula Rasa sprung to action today as a petition to resurrect the game made its way on to gopetition.com. In addition, Richard Garriott himself asked for fans to sign the petition via his twitter account. The petition has approximately 500 signatures thus far and calls for either the source of the game or for NCSoft to resume the game's operations as a Free-2-Play MMO. NCSoft has yet to respond to the petition.

Call me cynical but when I saw Garriott's blessing of a Tabula Rasa resurrection petition, I saw it as a kick in NCSoft's crotch from Lord British. The end of Tabula Rasa remains one of the most dramatic series of events in video game history. Just before Richard Garriott meets his lifelong goal of travelling to space, he is notified (in quarantine, mind you) that he has been fired. NCSoft then drafts a letter of resignation in his name and publishes it as an open letter without his permission. The resulting hulabaloo resulted, partially, in the game's closing just 2 years after launch. While many will cite the game's closure due to poor design, the $24 Million Garriott was awarded after he returned from space indicates that something was tremendously wrong during the game's development.

The petition states that they believe NCSoft will not ignore 100,000 signatures; however, it remains to be seen if 100,000 signatures will equal the $24 Million NCSoft has already lost to this game...and that doesn't even count the actual development cost.

Read more at http://www.warcry.com/news/view/124708-Tabula-Rasa-Fans-Petition-NCSoft-with-Garriotts-Blessing?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news#Ptx13kQtD8OKitSp.99

[Turjan]

Have to say, I have very mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand I really, really liked Tabula Rasa, it was my favorite online sci-fi game of all time. Yes, it had a rocky start, yes it had a dismally small playerbase, yes it was launched probably 6 months early...but by the time of its closure, it was IMO just about perfect. So from a purely selfish perspective, if there was any way to see it come to life once more in the shape it was in at sunset, then I'd be for it. Hell, I'm even in the final 10 minutes shutdown video posted on that site!

However...

There's no denying that the whole Garriott/Taek-jin Kim friction has forever soured NCsoft to the title, and to anything to do with Lord British himself. And that's even before we consider the $24million payout. When work on a Tabula Rasa emulator started up, NCsoft swooped in and crushed it flat at a point that was far earlier in development than SEGS reached ages ago, or even the level of what we can do with the Icon program, for that matter.

Short of it is, saying "Tabula Rasa" to NCsoft is like waving a red rag to a bull.

Now, while CoH was closed just as Tabula Rasa was, both the circumstances behind that closure, and the unprecedented level of response to it by the players means that it would be folly to compare the manner of the two games' demise. I can't help but feel that openly associating a "bring back CoH" campaign wiith a "bring back TR" campaign might backfire on the CoH community horribly, which would be sad indeed because as a playerbase, we've already achieved (through our own unique non-confrontational methods) what no other closed NCsoft title got - a panicked and confused response from corporate giant NCsoft, followed by a desperate attempt to placate us. All Tabula Rasa players got was a slap in the face.

So, I'm torn.
Like I said, I really, really liked Tabula Rasa...

...but I love City of Heroes. And if I had to sacrifice my support of one to ensure the safety of the other's campaign, there's no doubt Paragon City would get my vote.

Okay, some might say "But why choose? They're both NCsoft closed games, so they're in the same boat aren't they?"
And I'd answer "No. Not only are they NOT in the same boat, they're also in entirely different oceans, on different planets, with light years of corporate difference between them."

Hmm, different planets...
*sigh*
I still miss Foreas and Arieki - damn you NCsoft for making me choose 

However again...
I did say "openly associating" in terms of a voice representing our entire community here. What any given individual wishes to do is entirely up to them of course

[JaguarX]

But then again this could be proof that this saveCOX capaign isnt about selfish intentions and only reason we even give a crap about closing of a game was because it was our game and dont give a rat's ass about other games that have been closed.

This could show that this campaign is more than about COX closing and more about games being closed in general and we are not getting up in arms and angry only because they took our game and we want our game and dont care about the others....right? We missed the first opportunity when they were closing Tabula Rasa to show out rage. And that kind of put a slight pall on our intentions as all of this only came about when they closed our game even though they closed about 4-5 prior. If we brush this off again, then some may take it a sign that we talk the good talk about community and changing the way things works in the mmo market but really care only for COX and dont care about the other games that have been or will be shut down like our game. If we was in that tabula rasa shoes, we would want support, as we go from website to website telling people about what happened and was trying to get them to sign our petition. Let's extend that same courtesy we expected. Many people that signed our petition never even played COX. And soem of them were Tabula Rasa players.

Not to mention, it might gain some allies in a community that went through what we had to go through regardless of the circumstances. On the flip side though, the post above is right about one main thing if not all points, is that more than likely Tabula Rasa and anything that have anything to do with them or that Garrott guy is poison to NCSoft and more than likely NCSoft dont want anything to do with Tabula Rasa and probably sure as hell dont want to bring it back or else, if they do bring it back and make money, how much will they owe Garrott in royalties and again, and risk getting sued. Remember Garrott isnt exactly the average player that make average living and cant afford a lawyer to defend themselves even if NCsoft just made up some charges. Even before the reward of the case, Garrott already had deep pockets and more than likely NCSoft is not wishing to go anywhere near that road or anything he touched ever again. But by all means try if that fits the fancy, just be aware of the ups and downs.

[dwturducken]

While Garriott did Tweet about it, I wouldn't say it was a tacit plea. The petition is over 1100 sigs, but I have no confidence in an online petition even being acknowledged but NC$oft, never mind any bad blood they have with Garriott.

[NecrotechMaster]

While Garriott did Tweet about it, I wouldn't say it was a tacit plea. The petition is over 1100 sigs, but I have no confidence in an online petition even being acknowledged but NC$oft, never mind any bad blood they have with Garriott.

/this, the online petition to save coh got close to 30k signatures and ncsoft never even really took heed of it, but only responded due to the media publicity

[JaguarX]

/this, the online petition to save coh got close to 30k signatures and ncsoft never even really took heed of it, but only responded due to the media publicity

22,000 and some change.

But not sure if 22,000 even is a great accomplishment given that the actual signatures without discounting double or triple signees and stuff, do not even amount to half of the stated population that is also touted about it being 60,000-80,000 people or rather about 3/4ths up to didnt even bother signing it and thus if NCsoft looked at it, they probably took it as only about a quarter of the population of the game gave a damn to do something and thus not even worth worrying about.

But it's quite normal. Thousands of petitions go on and on, and 99% of them are ignored regardless of the number of signatures. I think the government, out of all people, will look at any petition towards it if it reaches a certain number. Private corporations (non-governement owned) usually just ignore them or rather dont even know about it in many cases.

[Surelle]

I like the idea that more of NCSoft's shuttered player bases are making noise, especially with new games of theirs looking to launch in EU and NA here.  Anything that keeps their dismal long-term reputation in the faces of gamers everywhere is all right by me.

And whatever bad blood is between Lord British and NCSoft, it isn't caused by the Tabula Rasa player base, and they have a right to speak their minds.  Never mind the fact that a court of law awarded Garriott millions (I actually thought it was 36 million but it was a while ago now so I'm probably remembering it wrong) so apparently he wasn't in the wrong.  Not to mention that it's widely believed that NCSoft kept interrupting development on TR and demanding radical changes, which is the main reason the game was a mess when it launched and went so far over budget to boot.

Oh well.  I signed their petition.  I feel their pain.  And I did play TR too, just not nearly as hardcore as CoH (nor of course for nearly as long, because the plug got pulled on it in its infancy).

I often think NCSoft should sell off the rights to Auto Assault too.  You wonder if anyone who used to be at Net Devil would even be able to rescue it nowadays though.  Like Paragon Studios, most have probably long-since moved on to greener pastures.

[Optimus Dex]

I signed and was 1114.

[dwturducken]

I did sign it. I'm surprised that it "only" has 1100 sigs, given Garriott's broader influence than Posi or Emmert. I hadn't even head of the game until coming here, so I don't care one way or the other, as far as the game is concerned. I do think that what has been said about the wider implications points to what is at issue, here. With the decision to maintain GW1 (whatever the reason), the bad press from us (regardless of scale), and now this, something will come from this. It may not be the result we desire, but it has to get attention, if it can reach a notable number of sigs.

I would even suggest reTweeting Garriott's Tweet.

[JaguarX]

I did sign it. I'm surprised that it "only" has 1100 sigs, given Garriott's broader influence than Posi or Emmert. I hadn't even head of the game until coming here, so I don't care one way or the other, as far as the game is concerned. I do think that what has been said about the wider implications points to what is at issue, here. With the decision to maintain GW1 (whatever the reason), the bad press from us (regardless of scale), and now this, something will come from this. It may not be the result we desire, but it has to get attention, if it can reach a notable number of sigs.

I would even suggest reTweeting Garriott's Tweet.

yeha i dont think word got out quite yet. I think the date was in may when it started. Not to mention Tabula Rasa been gone for some time now. Our petition started when the game was still running and thus the player base was relatively together. Tabula Rasa players are probably scattered all over and probably very few pay attention to Garriott tweets so they are in even more of an uphill battle to get the word out and get a lot of signatures. I'm surprised it got 1100 already. I think it might get a few thousand more at least before it's said and done but even with a few thousand more, it's small beans. But yeah, I think something will eventually come of all of this and yeah the results may not be what people have in mind in the ideal situation but it will be something for the better or worse. But I'm thinking that maybe joining forces with them, as there are probably a group hanging out somewhere that is in the same mood we are about NCSoft and games closing, then get those Auto Assault ex players, and those other closed game player bases and we'll no longer be a mere pocket of ex players but an army that actually can do something.

And whether or not those games were profitable or not or what ever the case may be, those games were also someone's home that they lost just like us. It's easy to say other reasons are just while the reason for closing our game was unjust and thus should be the only focus, but remember again, those games were also someone's home and any reason looks good to someone else, even the reason for shutting down our game is considered just and proper by some. Lets focus on the common. They lost a home too.

Speaking of which, didnt Nexon recently shut down a game? Anyone thought about reaching out to that player base?

[SerialBeggar]

You are signer #1127

Still, I doubt that this petition will have any effect with NCSoft.  They lost too much face with Garriott lawsuit. 

[Nafaustu]

I'm going to sign it when I get home from work, because this has been about more then City of Heroes for me for a while.

I discovered the fact that my imaginary worlds can be jerked out from under me at a moment's notice to be quite off-putting...to the point that I don't even play anything but casual games I care nothing about anymore.

Game closure took my feels.   
I bet they took other people's feels too.
That's crap.   

So any campaign I can get on to help save a game so someone else doesn't lose their feels or so they can get them back, i'm in.

[dwturducken]

Not to be a doom-sayer, but it's still only just at 1200 sigs. I kinda want this to succeed, but I'm also going to be watching it just to see what happens.

[Spatch1971]

I loved TR, and played it from beta right through to its sunset, a year and a half in total.  In fact, for the first year I paid my sub monthly, but at the end of that year I decided to pay the reduced annual fee.  Well, before that month's billing cycle had completed, NC$oft announced the game's closure, and made it F2P for the final three months of its life.  The game ended in February 2009, over four years ago now, but I would love to see its return.  It really was a great game.

[Ellscry]

I too loved TR. I was in beta, and continued playing until the doors closed. I spent the final moments of the game in Howling Maw on my beloved Guardian, Tia Gaiden. She was probably the only one in the zone.

I tried to help Infinite Rasa when they came about, until they were shut down by NC$oft, and I still have the very basic version that they came up with (it let you wander through the tutorial).

But if I had to pick between the two, I would choose CoH. Thanks to Codewalker though, I can fly through Coatoa again, so at least there is that.

[dwturducken]

Evidently, Massively got enough tips on this to warrant a story. It's still hovering just above 1200 sigs, though.

(ION, I really should bookmark the actual petition. I still have to click thru the HTML chain from Rae's post...)