Tabula Rasa Team Q&A #3
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Jonric: Within the scope of your contributions to the game, what were your biggest challenges, and what did you resolve them?
Jacob Repp
Lead Server Software Engineer
I was brought onto the project fairly late, and tasked with figuring out how to take the servers from barely handling 50 players to up to 5,000. The only way I've been able to do this is to make a huge personal commitment. The last 10 percent of a project takes at least as much work and dedication as the first 90, and the only way you overcome this is through hard work, dedication and experience. It has been an honor to be surrounded by people who share these same values. My advice for other teams building games of this type is to realize you're not just building a game, but a service. It's nearly impossible without solid software engineering practices and great communication.
Rick Holtrop
Tools Programmer
The most challenging time for me was when Tabula Rasa made a major change in game design after its first public showing. Until then, I had been on the design team, doing tool work "on the side", which worked well since I'm a huge fan of fantasy role-playing games. When we moved toward a more military-themed world, I was at a loss - I'm not very familiar with them, and as a designer, my brain had difficulty designing systems, maps and missions around the concept. All the producers, managers and leads are such great people that they let me take some time off, and come back to the team as a full-time programmer, which I've been doing now for almost three years.
