Interface: Action Mode / aiming

Action Mode

Rogue Spear is primarily played from a first person perspective (although 3rd person is available by hitting F1) so the controls are pretty much similar to most first person shooters - keyboard or joystick to run and mouse to aim. During action mode (executing your mission), most of the real estate onscreen is devoted to your viewpoint, but the bottom bar contains key information, including a zoomable mini map, and your selected weapon with number of bullets and clips left. Additionally there are indicators on the right that tell you the health level of your teammates and the tasks that the other elements of the strike team are performing. At a glance you can determine how much of your team is still left, what they are up to, and how much ammo you have left.

Not a good time to change mags

Two car garage?

One thing that took some getting used to - there's no jump button. Special forces often have to rely on stealth, so jumping doesn't lend itself to that. In situations where a jump would be useful you'll have to climb instead. This doesn't prove to be too much of a problem though. Also be aware that running creates noise that could tip off your enemies. You'll spend a lot of the game crouching, tip toeing, and peering around corners (yes that favorite "lean over" command from Thief is also in Rogue Spear). Unlike Quake, you will usually die when you get hit with a bullet, so running around corners Rambo style is not recommended.

Aiming

Aiming in Rogue Spear is a lot different than regular first person shooters. Rather than simply fire dead center at the aiming reticle every time, Rogue Spear takes a number of factors into account to limit your accuracy. First of all you'll notice that different weapons have different reticules. Sniper rifles have cross hairs that meet directly at a point to show their pinpoint accuracy. Assault rifles and pistols have different looking reticles, as do shotguns and submachine guns. Pistols are not going to be nearly as accurate as sniper rifles at long range. The four "points" of your cross hair will expand and contract to affect your accuracy depending on what you're doing. For instance, firing a weapon for an extended period of time at fully automatic will steadily drop your accuracy - this means that your bullets have an equal chance of landing at any given point within the expanding crosshair.

Steady aim = tight crosshair

Swing away quickly = less accuracy

Other things that affect your accuracy include changing movement speed, flick shots (swinging your aim rapidly from one side to another), being injured, taking a bullet or shrapnel, getting hit with a flashbang grenade (this will actually blind you temporarily and cause your "ears" to ring), and getting up from a crouched position. The skill level of your man will determine how quickly your accuracy recovers. Are you playing a bad-ass named character? Or are you stuck with one of the scrubby reserves?

Sniper rifles have tight sighting

Shotguns are more area effect