The Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa screenshot of the week has been revealed. This week's release is called Atta under the Microscope and shows off some an Atta as it gets examined by the Bane. To see the screenshots for yourself, head on over to the full article.

 

Erik Bethke, known for his participation in the development of classic franchises as Starfleet Command, has been selected as one of 80 speakers to tackle issues at the 2007 Online Game Development Conference, as stated in an official press release. The 2007 OGDC will take place in Seattle, Washington starting May 10, 2007.

Bethke, while being one of those responsible for putting out Interplay's Starfleet Command 1 and expansion Neutral Zone, SFC II: Empires at War, SFC: Orion Pirates and Starfleet Command 3, can also be attributed to the controversial and utterly unique classic I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream from CyberDreams.

As current CEO for GoPets Ltd., the people behind GoPets and its online 3D virtual pet community, Bethke is expected to take the podium on May 11, Friday, to tackle current and relevant issues as placed by the 2007 OGDC agenda that was revealed recently.

OGDC director Peter Freese was honored to have added a man of Bethke's reputation and caliber to the list of speakers. He also assures that Bethke's knowledge and experience will be successfully endowed upon the attendees of the conference.  The 2007 OGDC is currently organized by the Evergreen Events and is co-sponsored by Seoul-based GoPets Ltd.

About three months ago, Lord Of The Rings Online design team member Orion made the first entry in his Dev Diary. In this entry, he assured those gamers eagerly awaiting the release of Turbine's MMORPG that it will be a friendly environment for solo players, but there would be group instances as well. As far as "raiding" went, Orion said, "At this time, the answer is no."

Note the operative phrase, "At this time." A game in development is subject to constant change, like any other project. The bottom line: There will be raiding in LOTRO. So...that means the game is for "hardcore raiders" now?

"No way! " Orion assures, "The only change is that there will be raids. We’re not changing the focus of the game, nor are we making this the only avenue of an end-game or unique treasure. Treasure will still drop outside of raids that are comparable."

Gamers will still have to raid, though - right?

"Again, no way! Raids will be tangential to the main storylines, offer alternative game-play and be available to players who enjoy them. We are well aware that not everyone enjoys raiding and we are still dedicated to keeping the main storylines out of raids. We will not force players to raid."

But players will need 40 companions to raid, won't they?

Again, Orion says, "Nope. Currently, raids are slated for twenty-four people maximums. While this number is mutable downward, there are no plans to increase that number at the top end."

So, is the your answer to Endgame?

On this point, Orion seems a little vague. "Raids are part of the answer to endgame as they are an option," he says. "They are not the only answer. More information will be available as it is ready for dissemination."

And when will that information be disseminated?

"No guarantees, but likely within the next few weeks."

Stay tuned...