Tribes 3: Rivals will learn from Ascend monetisation "mistakes" and might let you build your own singleplayer

Prophecy's Tribes 3: Rivals broke cover earlier this month - or more accurately, came skiing out of cover with a flag in one fist and an electric crossbow in the other. The developers have now shared a bit about how it differs from Hi-Rez's Tribes Ascend, released way back in 2012, which we adored.

Created by a former Hi-Rez subsidiary that includes several of the original Ascend leads, the new shooter retains its celebrated predecessor's emphasis on agility and momentum, but will be a premium game sold for $20 with separately sold cosmetics, rather than a free-to-play affair. It also won't have a singleplayer campaign, much to the probable consternation of Tribes: Vengeance fans, and the indifference of everybody else.

All that comes from a new PCGamer interview, in which an unnamed Prophecy spokesperson acknowledged that "we made some mistakes in how we monetized Ascend in the past, and have learned from them." The reference here is to the ability to buy weapons, which some players decried as a pay-to-win format (others disagreed, as you can see from this ancient Reddit thread). You won't be able to purchase "gameplay items" in Rivals, and some of the cosmetics, which include emotes and voice packs, can be unlocked rather than bought. Shazbot?

Prophecy are also developing more robust networking options, and are keen to get newcomers involved with the series. "Another important new area for the game is matchmaking and ranked gameplay, which were not available in Ascend, but will be a core component of Tribes 3," the developers went on. "This updated approach will keep matches more competitive and fair, and will allow players to compete for the highest ranks. Additionally, we'll make Tribes 3 more approachable for new players and their friends from the start through an in-game practice lobby, tutorial videos, and how-to guides."

According to Prophecy, it's the right time to bring back Tribes because faster, more agile shooters are all the rage right now. "High movement team shooters have become more popular in the last decade, and we've recently seen strong signs that fans were nostalgic for a return of the franchise," the studio said. I feel this assessment of the market is a little out-of-date - I'd argue that Titanfall initiated the current phase of ground-averse ninja FPS games, and that things are currently trending back in the other direction, especially now that Call of Duty has retired its exosuits.

Still, I'm very happy that Tribes is making a return - and also, that Ascend is the chief inspiration. "The movement, maps, weapons, classes, and art in Tribes 3 should all feel similar to what players enjoyed before," Prophecy added.

The developers have been hosting 5v5 playtests, but plan to support 64-player matches in both casual and ranked play in the full game, along with custom matches and modes. There aren't any vehicles in the game yet, but they're coming. As for Tribes single player, Prophecy aim "to release enough tools for the community to create a campaign of their own one day".

The next Tribes 3 playtests are set to run from 7th December to 8th December, which is disastrous news inasmuch as I'll have my hands full with TGA announcements. Still, perhaps you can find time to apply for a slot? The game now has a Steam page.