In the latest installment of our ongoing Tabula Rasa Q&A series, we get a special treat. Richard Garriott parachuted in for one answer in this edition to talk about Logo. The remainder of the Q&A is answered by Lead Designer Paul Sage and Community Manager April Burba.
Answers by Richard Garriott (Exec. Producer), Paul Sage (Lead Designer) and April Burba (Community Manager)
Questions by JR Sutich
WarCry: Have we asked “Why did you pick “Logos” to describe the psionics and language in the game? Are you referring to the ancient Greek philosophical concept or to the more Biblical connotation”?
Richard Garriott: The word “Logos” is used in our game both for the symbolic language and for the force-like super powers our players learn to wield. “Logos” is often used to describe god-like powers that manifest reality with the power of your mind and spoken words, such as “Let There Be Light and there was.” Added to this is the concept of a logogrammatic language, which uses pictographic symbols for communication.
WarCry: Currently, clan-based PvP consists mainly of spawn-camping noobs at teleporters and hospitals. Are there any plans to either limit the areas where PvP can take place or restrict higher level characters from attacking low level ones and vice versa?
Paul Sage: We want to allow more safety zones for resurrection so spawn camping is difficult. We will have the portable waypoint unit to help players in these Zones move on to other locations. Also, we want to discourage any reason for people to spawn camp in a war, and make it counterproductive to do so.
WarCry: When the storyline for each character splits based upon what choices I made during the moral/ethic missions, will I arbitrarily get placed with the AFS or Retreads? Will I get to make the choice myself?
Paul Sage: You will absolutely make that choice for yourself.
WarCry: Will armor bleed through be implemented in the game again?
Paul Sage: At this time, there are no plans to implement it again. It provided a lot of solutions we liked, but it also made things unclear. “If I have armor, why am I taking damage to my health?” Once learned, it wasn’t that big of an issue, but we felt the clarity was better.
WarCry: My clan has hit a point where they can no longer add members. Is there a limit to clan size?
April Burba: Yes – it is 200.
