Wired's new article about massively multiplayer games, "Next-Gen Multiplayer Worlds Are Built to Snare Nongamers", features Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa as its main lead-in.
Here are some excerpts from the article:
In most MMOs, simply getting from point A to point B in a virtual world can be a tedious and time-consuming experience. Tabula Rasa incorporates an "instant travel" feature that does away with such lag time, making short play sessions a possibility.
The game also addresses another common gripe: career inflexibility. In current MMOs, the player's character is often stuck with whatever "job" — thief, wizard, soldier — the player chooses at the beginning of the game. Tabula Rasa's growing class tree will let the player gradually develop a character's skills and abilities, presenting the player with a clear map of his potential career paths. If the player ends up dissatisfied with his character's development, he can simply choose a new branch of the tree.