General

New Approach for New Content

A common practice that many game developers use when releasing new content is to schedule fairly large expansions spread out every 3+ months. After these expansions are released, developers spend the next several weeks fixing any issues found or making the final tweaks with the release build, and then start working on the next expansion schedule to be released months down the line. For many game developers this may mean sitting on finished content for months before it is compiled with an expansion and released to players. For the players, it means getting a lot of new content at once, experiencing this content, and anxiously awaiting the next expansion.

1.4 to PTS!

The new 1.4 build arrived onto the Public Test Server last week with the character database from the Orion server. We hope that you will be able to read through the PTS Patch Notes and test out the new content. Remember! If you have any comments or suggestions about the 1.4 changes, please make sure to send them using our Feedback Form.

Patch Update

On Thursday we made a new build for version 1.4 (1.4.2) for the Public Test Server. Currently, it’s going through final testing before it hits the PTS. Many of the concerns we had for 1.4 have been corrected in this new version and our goal for 1.4.2 is to have it out sometime next week. When 1.4 goes to PTS, the Orion player database will be copied to the Test Server. Stay tuned to the website for updates!

In an effort to make our European website as helpful as possible to all our soldiers out there, we will be updating it every so often with various features.

This week, for those who hadn’t noticed yet, the updates include the following sections and changes:

- AFS Intel > Armour
- AFS Intel > Allies
- AFS Intel > Engineering
- Shortcuts (above the Latest News on the front page) > Server Status
- Shortcuts > Server News
- Shortcuts > Patch Notes
- Field Training > Test Server Access
- Combined General News and Community News

And don’t forget, you can always use the Feedback Form if you have any suggestion to further improve our website!

Living on Foreas or Arieki is a battle for survival at the best of times, but with the new year, the AFS High Commandment wishes all of you fighting out there a year of discovery and salvation, a year when we will be given the opportunity to harden our stance against the evil brought upon us by the Bane, a year when technological innovations will allow us to do more than just survive, a year when we will be able to find the time to stop fighting for a little while and enjoy the company of one another. But perhaps this goes beyond the scope of a mere wish, perhaps this is a premonition, that of a better future…

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It’s that time of week again, your chance to find out what we’ve been up to and to have some of your burning questions answered!

Statistics from the last 2 weeks:

• 855 mission rewards have been re-evaluated and replaced with new items.
• 38 instances now have portable waypoints at the beginning of the mission to make it faster to go back to the beginning.
• 857 bugs fixed!
• Over $1700 raised for Child’s Play Charity.

In honour of all who fought and all who fell, join us for this year’s Days of Remembrance celebrations. On Friday 21st December, we will remember Defeat of Earth Day, the day the Bane invaded our planet. It is a time of reflection, a chance for each and every marine to pay respect to those they lost by dyeing their armour red, a symbol of the bloodshed.

On Saturday 22nd December, the anniversary of the day we defeated Bane forces and took back Foreas Base, we will celebrate Resurgence Day. This is your time soldier, a time to let loose and lose the safety… just stay vigilant at all times, old Crusty wants this stronghold back and intel. predicts a counter attack. Time to see this year off with a bang…

There are big changes coming up with the next update to Tabula Rasa that will help players diversify their characters even more. I briefly mentioned the attribute changes coming online in this next update, but now I can go into more detail about them.

• Body points will now add a bonus to your armor rating.
• Mind points will now add a bonus to your ability damage.
• Spirit points will now add a bonus to your chance to deliver critical hits.
• Health has now been upped for all characters.

TRIAL PROMOTION NOW OVER. STAY TUNED FOR MORE TRIAL OPPORTUNITIES

The holidays are upon us, and even a war with malevolent aliens can’t stop the Soldiers of the AFS from celebrating in Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa during this festive season. We have a lot of special events for everyone already enlisted in the AFS, and those who have yet to join the fight against the dreaded Bane will be able to enlist in an exclusive free trial on 13th December. In Europe you will be able to get your free trial on the following websites.

And jumping on the Tabula Rasa review train, we now have the online version of the UK Telegraph Newspaper and the long-established Rock, Paper, Shotgun sharing their experience of the game with their readers.