Using cover is key. Underneath the light-show, the same MMO dice-rolls and saving throws take place, but they also take into consideration the lay of the land. Pop out and shoot from behind a balustrade and you’ll receive stat increases. Charge straight in and you’ll receive scorch marks.

It’s back at base, as players recuperate from their combat, that Garriott’s single-player heritage shines through. In one quest-line, players are asked to root out thieves in camp who’ve been stealing from the medical tent. Sure enough, before long, the dealers offer up their stolen loot for a price. It opens up a significant moral choice. The med officers need the drugs to soothe the sick. But the soldiers are working 28-hour shifts, and the stolen stim-packs are their only way to keep on fighting. Shopping the dealer might appear to be the correct choice, but this is like ’Nam, baby. His clients, and your squadmates, are going to accuse you of being out of touch with the realities of this war all the way through the rest of the game.

That’s not an accusation you can level at Garriott. Tabula Rasa might have been a long time coming, but it’s attempting to address major flaws in MMO gaming. We’ll have more, soon, when we’ve had more time to play with the private beta.