July 25, 2008 - This week's Feedback Friday has been put together by another active lead of the Tabula Rasa team. He has also taken the time to provide a few screenshots to illustrate this week's topic: the Clan Owned Control Point system!

Hey all,

I am Neal "Thade" Johnson the Tabula Rasa QA Lead. Today I would like to talk about Clan Owned Control Points!

• Clan Owned Control Points - What are they?

  Clans will be able to compete for the opportunity to own specific Control Points. Members of a CP owning clan will earn bonuses as long as the CP remains in their possession. Currently the TR dev team is focused on direct PvP conflict to determine CP control, though alternative methods may be brought about in the future. COCPs are still intended to be a PvE feature as well, but for the time being we are focused on the PvP aspects.

  
  
• Clan Owned Control Points -What progress has been made and when will we see them?
  

  COCPs are currently being prototyped and iterated internally on a new COCP map. The entire TR development team is involved, play testing, providing feedback, and obviously gloating about their various exploits. The hours following one of these play tests usually go by very quickly as any number of discussions spark up around the team.

  In the current internal iteration of the Clan Owned Control Point Map players arrive to find themselves hovering high above the ground on jet powered platforms which make up the staging area of the COCP Rumble Show. Here you will find the show's host Stewart Richards inviting you to take part in the Show along with various NPCs with which to prep your character for the main event. Richards will help direct you to either take part in CP battle directly or enter the various hovering observation decks poised around the field giving you an optimal view of the battle.

  If you chose to take part in the CP battle, a holographic billboard displays information about which team needs players, and your mission tracker allows you to see current game stats such as game timers, team sizes, and team kill counts. Once enough players have joined each team, the map begins with a short period in which the base defenders can set up shop before the attacking team begins their assault. After this period is over defenders must hold out while their assailants seek to wrestle control of the base before a 45 minute time limit expires. This time limit isn't final, but it seems to lend itself well to the map. During this time battles are waged all over the map. The momentum can shift quickly as deep offensives are shattered, or even the most stalwart defenses crumble. The defenders are able to spawn within the CP or either of the two external encampments, while the attackers can only spawn at the encampments. The CP spawn point can be temporarily disabled by killing the Medical Sgt. located within; forcing respawning defenders to travel back to the base from one of the external encampments. The Medical Sgt. will respawn after several minutes reactivating the CP spawn point. When the match is won all players are transported back to the staging area, where the victors are rewarded with Prestige.

  We plan to give players their first look at the COCP map on PTS as soon as we've made sure it works optimally.

  
  
• Clan Buffs - What do they do, and how do we get them?
  

  Clan Buffs are currently being prototyped in conjunction with the Clan Owned Control Point Map. These buffs are available to clans who own a CP, giving their members an edge in battle. A few examples of Clan buffs include: Melee Damage Radial Reactive Procs, Ranged Damage Reflection, Damage Resistances, Attack Bonuses, and even a chance to Self Rez upon death. These buffs will aid players in both PvP and PvE combat.

  
  
• Major Hurdles Facing COCPs
  

  Our biggest hurdle with the COCP system is ensuring that it adds a lot of value to Tabula Rasa as a whole. To this end we are taking a very iterative approach to make sure that COCP game play is as fun and engaging as possible at every step. By doing this, we feel we can ensure COCPs are a valuable and enjoyable new experience for the TR player base.

  Our second biggest hurdle is performance. We want COCP battles to be epic, with large clans battling over the right of ownership and the bonuses it brings. To that end the TR development team is working diligently to optimize performance not only on the COCP map but across the game at large. We feel a steady frame rate is integral to making the Clan Owned Control Point system enjoyable.

  
  
• Final Thoughts
  

  I'm really excited about the work we are doing on Clan Owned Control Points, and look forward to our internal play tests as a highlight of my week. I feel we are headed in a very positive direction, and look forward to hearing your COCP feedback when it is released to PTS.

See you in the field,

Thade