During our earlier experiences with the game, Knights of the Old Republic's combat system was still in a very embryonic form and a bit difficult to properly gauge. The build we saw at the GDC featured a fully realized combat system that should be accessible to a wide variety of players. The core of the combat system is rules-based and should be familiar to fans of the Wizards of the Coast Star Wars game. If you aren't familiar with these rules, don't fret--the game offers plenty of help in the form of in-game cues and instructional text in the menus. But you'll actually have several ways to experience combat. Your primary choice is in real time, which is fairly self-explanatory--you'll simply deal with your foes in a real-time battle by selecting your attack commands from a context-sensitive menu. The options available on the menu will vary according to your character's ability and your proximity to your foe. Your second option is tied to your ability to pause the game at any time during a battle, which gives you time to choose your method of attack more carefully. The final option is a variation on the aforementioned pause method but brings the game closer to the standard turn-based structure seen in traditional console RPGs. While you'll be able to customize the pause options in a number of ways, you'll basically be able to have the game pause between the actions of the combatants. This option actually changes the dynamics of a fight considerably, turning battles into more-strategic experiences. The option to think things through a bit more carefully affords you a better chance of making it through a fight without sustaining as much damage as you would by wading into one in real time.​