As I’m sitting here re-ripping my entire CD collection into MP3’s again (something I should probably detail in another mundane & boring post), it made for a perfect chance to put down a few thoughts I had playing through the beta of Tabula Rasa, well, what little I can stand of it anyway.

With Tabula Rasa, I had the same problem getting into the game as I did with all other sci-fi-oriented or alternative MMORPG’s that tries to defy the traditional fantasy convention. There are a lot of game-related knowledge that doesn’t have to be explained in fantasy-based RPG’s. A lot of conventions are inherited, preached, rehearsed from years and years of fantasy literary work. Even those who aren’t into the whole RPG scene, understand the basic nature of the medieval-derived culture.

Here’s a pack of hungry wolves, they’ll probably bite me. Here’s a dragon, that’s really bad. I have just acquired a new plate mail armor, which is definitely stronger and sturdier than my previous chain mail armor. Picking up a bigger, two-hand sword probably means I do more damage than a one-hand sword, but swings much slower. Learning a new fire spell that shoots out a bigger fireball, is probably better than the one that shoots out a smaller one (unless, the smaller one is a completely different spell with a bigger concentration of heat in a small package!). Lastly, a blacksmith does exactly what a blacksmith does, and a leatherworker or an alchemist is unlikely to be taking care…

According to Wired, Multiverse has signed a deal with Fox, securing the right to make a MMO based on Firefly. I’m holding cautious enthusiasm right now, since Multiverse has not to this date, produced any games on their own. Instead, Multiverse’s business plan so far has been providing the platform (some may say “game engine”, but there platform is a more appropriate phrase, because the background infrastructure is much more massive compared to say, a FPS game) for developers to make their own MMO’s. I’m a bit unclear if Multiverse is planning to make this themselves, or maybe they’re going to license it to one of the game developers currently using their platform.

Read more about the deal here (Wired).