Combat seems more action oriented, and what we saw looked more like mission from a first-person shooter than your typical MMO quest. With no NPCs sporting boxes of scrolling text to glaze over, friendly and enemy soldiers battled it out in the background as drop ships continued to bolster each side with reinforcements.

But stat-loving junkies should note that Tabalu Rasa will be a “die-roll” RPG at heart. As you mouse over enemies, your reticle will “stick” to targets with a slick auto-targeting system. Whether or not each of your shots hit, and how much damage they do, will depend on factors ranging from cover to your character’s stats/skills.

Above: This guy looks super serious. Don’t bother '/dancing' with him

Like just about every upcoming MMO, Tabula Rasa promises to take gamers past the level grind with new takes on staples of the genre. Garriott wants you to “feel the ebb and flow of battle, to feel that your actions have consequences.” But until we get our hands on a playable demo of the game, we’ll have to settle for seeing some sharp screens from this half-twitch, half-die-roll hybrid that looks ready to marry elements from shooter and MMO genres. Click on the Images and Movies tabs above for the latest.