Like most realism mods, things tend to die a lot quicker in TrueCombat. Whether that be from lead in your nether regions or you figured a 20 foot drop from a building wouldn't be "too" bad, you'll notice quickly that your environment and the players you share it with are a lot more lethal than your standard Quake 3 counterparts. Also, player movement and physical capabilities have been approximated to more realistic values. You can't bunny hop, run at a sprint for an eternity, hop a dozen meters into the air because of some flashy floor tiling, or find mystical, magical health kits spread across the map to heal yourself when you've been damaged.
With that said, let's get onto the specifics.
What Makes TrueCombat Unique
While everything mentioned so far helps make TrueCombat a unique experience, there are a number of other things that don't really fit into the above categories that help define what this game is about. So, without further adieu, I give you more list type action!
- Tactical Mode
Basically, using the iron sights of the weapon models in game as your means of aiming (that, or the scope if the weapon has one). If you're not in Tactical Mode (which you go into by hitting the Tactical button), you're shooting from the hip (read: no crosshairs). When you're shooting from the hip, think of it as being more an educated guess than pin point targeting. When you go into Tactical Mode, your field of vision (FoV) decreases while also zooming in just a bit. The weapon that you currently have unholstered moves to the center portion of the screen and moves up closer to the player model. You then aim using the iron sights on the gun. Pretty simple, eh? Oh, and gets better! Not only do you have a means of making targeted shots now, your weapon is also far more accurate. However, there is a trade off. You can't Run or Sprint while in Tactical Mode. You can't swim or jump either. You're stuck at a walk. If you try to do any of those things, your weapon stance goes back to normal. That's the price you pay for being able to hit things at more than 30 meters. How often you'll use tactical depends entirely on your style of play and what role you're trying to fulfill on your team. Just keep at it and you'll find the right mix for you.
- Bleeding and Bandaging
Occasionally, you'll be hit by a round that'll cause excessive amounts of bleeding. Such injuries have to be dealt with as soon as possible or you risk bleeding to death. To bandage yourself you simply hold still and hit the bandage key. After a couple seconds (moving while bandaging means you'll have to start over), the bleeding stops with only the accumulated damaged to show for it. Obviously not the most realistic way to deal with it... but then again, who really wants to call in an evac and drag a man on a stretcher back to safety :).
- Holstering and Climbing
On occasion, you'll find yourself in a situation where you will need (or will be forced) to holster your weapon (climbing ladders or hitting the holster button will do just that). When you holster your weapon (in essence, put it away) you are now capable of climbing various ledges in the map allowing you to go places you previously couldn't go. See a crate standing next to an open window that leads into the enemy base? Why take the front door! Hop on up and climb on through! Places and situations like this are scattered about in each map, so take advantage where you can. On a side note, you'll also need to holster for certain objective based missions. Setting the C4 explosives for example. A message pops up in game when you're in position to set the C4 (or whatever it is that requires two hands) stating that you need to holster. Think of it as Explosives for Dummies :D.
Added in the last release and refined in this one, leaning is one of those quintessential fundementals of TrueCombat that most must master to be effective. Snipers down at the other end of the corridor but you just don't know where? No problem! Take a quick peak by pressing either the lean left or right button (depending on which side of the corridor you're on of course) to find out! Once you have their positions, you can try straffing out and popping off a quick round (burst... clip... whatever) or you can try my personal favorite, the Kamikaze Nade Run! Bwuhahaha! Ahem. Anyways, leaning is their so you can deal with static defenses or for peaking around a corner to make sure you aren't running into a swarm of enemies. Keep in mind, however, that your player model does lean with you... so if you see them (and they're paying attention) chances are, they saw you too. Oh well. The TeamTerminator giveth and the TeamTerminator taketh. So sayeth the Holy Manual of TrueCombat.
- Bullet Penetration
Multilayer bullet penetration system for different kinds of objects. Bullets - depending of the weapons power - can get trough wood and small metal plates (like doors, etc..). So dont think you are save behind a wooden box, or a door !