Scrambling for a solution, the five-man Legions team at GarageGames--a company formed by veterans of TRIBES creator Dynamix--put on their thinking caps. The crew identified a few key factors that truly defined the series: "Team play, freedom of movement, and just zipping around the terrain and blasting the shit out of people."

They wanted to make sure the spiritual sequel retained the fun of the original, but was still accessible enough for anyone to pick up and enjoy.

So far it looks like they're succeeding.

Before Aste had even finished his explanation of the controls, I was already rocketing over the landscape's rolling hills, launching myself onto rooftops, and blasting away decoys with a laser rifle.

Fallen Empires' controls are simple, to the point where anyone that has ever touched a PC shooter can pick them up within seconds. There aren't an endless amount of hot keys to learn, or a vast number of button combinations to memorize. At present, you move with the WSAD keys and zoom-in with E. Hitting Tab switches between third and first-person views. Fire with the left mouse button, activate the jetpack with the right, and jump with the spacebar. As is now standard, the mouse wheel is used to scroll between weapons.

It's truly, genuinely simple--but that's not to say the game has been dumbed down or lacks complexity. As was the case with Tribes, Fallen Empire: Legions is a fast-moving shooter. And while shazbot-shouting fanatics may feel immediately comfortable with the rocket-disc launcher, new players will need a bit of practice.

That's where the secondary fire and balancing mechanics come in. Track a target in the cross-hairs long enough, and the the rocket launcher will start to lock-on. Of course, this takes time, and the resulting barrage is a bit weaker and far easier to dodge. This lock-on system is intended to coach new players in the subtleties of the rocket-disc launcher, and also give them the confidence to compete despite their lacking skill.

The grenade launcher has a similar function, allowing players to detonate the grenade in mid-air, releasing numerous pieces of shrapnel into the area. It doesn't pack much of a punch, but you feel like you're accomplishing something despite your utter suckitude.

To balance out the sheer power and pin-point accuracy of the laser rifle, it will take a few seconds to charge up before unleashing its deadly torrent of searing light. Meanwhile, the chain gun is a simple affair. Point, shoot, and try not to overheat in the middle of a fight.

Aste didn't talk much about the character classes, but he did show me around two of the levels that will be in the beta. One was a open prairie full of rolling hills and oh-so-pretty flowers swaying the wind. The other seemed a bit more close-quarters, its tall narrow corridors and pillar-filled bases encouraging conflict every step of the way.

Then again, when you activate that jetpack and start ramping off those rolling hills for air, there's not really much time to stop and admire the flowers. The tall corridors of the second map will make for some interesting battles, as defenders have to take care that base-runners don't just rocket through the holes in their defense. Those pillars are bound to make life interesting for those hoping to race their way through a base.

Instead of scrambling around, the more strategic minded may find themselves rocketing straight upwards in the hilly environment, attempting to position themselves atop one of the towers located on either end of the map. Not only does this provide a clear view of the arena, it's also the perfect place to score a clean shot of anyone trying to cap their flag.

But while jetpacking action may be straightforward to Tribes veterans, what will really set Fallen Empire: Legions apart is what the team refers to as its "live development" philosophy.

As the beta program progresses over an estimated two months, the development team will use the opportunity to squash bugs, balance gameplay, and add more content to the game. Once the beta concludes, the team will continue fleshing out the game with new modes, weapons, character classes, and so forth--all post-release. And instead of following some preset plan or guide, the team will rely upon a community voting system to shape their efforts.

The voting will follow a proportional democracy. The more time spent playing the game, the more points players will earn to use in the ballot box, which will contain a list of proposed classes, weapons, gameplay tweaks, and such. Players will have to choose to vote for or against whatever additions they think will improve the game.

"It's a whole new way of developing games," noted GarageGames representative Bill Linn.

Best of all, to reflect the game's continuous development and rolling release, Aste promised that the full version will be sold at a very low cost at release.

As far as technical requirements, GarageGames is still optimizing the title, with Shader 2.0 support being the only hard requirement at this time. As with most InstantAction games, Fallen Empire: Legions will be playable directly within a web browser window or at full-screen resolution.

With its emphasis on a rolling release and community involvement, Fallen Empire: Legions holds a great deal of potential. And based off the small portion I was able to play, it has an extremely promising foundation.

Obviously, the real test will come when twelve to sixteen players are duking it out in an online arena and voting for new maps in the background. But assuming GarageGames can pull it off, I can't imagine Fallen Empire: Legions, and by proxy InstantAction, being anything but a success.

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Fallen Empire: Legions is expected to hit InstantAction.com sometime in March, with a full release two months afterward.