Tabula Rasa Previews

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Written by BuckGB on March 9th, 2007

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These skirmishes gave us a chance to see the game's tactical combat system up close. This will very much be a role-playing game that doesn't require you to quickly aim, point, and shoot at your enemies; instead, you'll be able to lock onto your enemies with a "sticky" targeting reticule. However, instead of choosing from a giant row of hotkeyed special abilities to use in battle as in most other online games, in Tabula Rasa, you'll simply have two attacks available at any given time--the left mouse button to use your equipped weapon and the right mouse button to trigger your character's supernatural powers derived from the game's mysterious alien language, Logos. You will be able to quickly cycle through different types of weapons and powers in battle, but combat won't be about repeatedly mashing out the same damaging abilities in sequence; it will be much more tactical and will actually factor in the use of cover, as well as your character's position. If you hide behind cover, your enemies will have less of a chance of hitting you, and if you fire while crouching, you'll receive an accuracy bonus to your own weapons. However, crouching behind cover may prompt enemies to come after you, either by circling around cover to get a better shot or simply getting in close enough to engage you in hand-to-hand combat--and in close-quarters, crouching on the ground while clutching a rifle is one of the most vulnerable positions you can be in.

The game will feature battlefields that are dynamic and can change as combat takes place. The battlezones have control points, which will dictate spawning of elements like hospitals and gun emplacements. NPCs will be available to help with quests, and the game does provide help with the targeting system. (The game has a strong sense of tension and pace,) Garriott said, and players will have to pay attention to position on the field of battle and pacing.

One of the more player friendly functions available is the ability to clone a character back at a major decision point in character progression. For instance, recruits will eventually get to choose between a Soldier and Specialist path which then lead to more choices. Should a player decide that they want to try a Specialist rather than the Soldier path they originally chose, they can clone their character and immediately begin at the point in their character development where they made that decision. Garriott and the team are hoping that this allows players to choose new paths in the game without having to start a character over from the beginning.

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