Quake 4 Multiplayer !

[spOOky]

It's lookin' real good! Can't freakin' wait!
http://pc.ign.com/articles/641/641602p1.html

Quake 4 Multiplayer
It's on, baby!
by Steve Butts
August 12, 2005 - If you've been following our QuakeCon coverage, you know that we met yesterday with the id and Raven and Activision guys to talk about the single-player side of Quake 4. But that's only half the story. Though Raven is taking great pains to craft a new experience with Quake 4, the multiplayer side of things should stick pretty closely to the model established by Quake 3.


In the face of more and more squad focused, objective-oriented multiplayer games, Quake 4 has decided to keep the focus on player mobility and marksmanship. There are no points for playing support in Quake; it's either kill or be killed. The game does come with a Capture the Flag mode and team-based deathmatch for players who feel like helping others, but the core of the game is still about individual achievement. There are no vehicles, no rewards (or opportunities, even) for healing teammates, and no complex scoring systems.
One of the most important aspects of any twitch-based multiplayer game is the weapons list. Quake 4 is characteristically satisfying in this regard. There are nine total weapons available in the multiplayer game, from the basic Gauntlet to the death-dealing Dark Matter Gun. Your default weapon is the Machine Gun. It has a high rate of fire for times when the enemy gets a little too close. Even better, you can use the zoom function to dial in on your enemies and deal even more damage to them. It's harder to hit them in this mode but it's well worth it for the extra damage you deal. The Hyper Blaster is a slightly more powerful, energy-based version of the Machine Gun but it doesn't have the latter's zoom function.

Quake 4 also comes with the requisite Rocket and Grenade Launchers for when you need to spread out damage in a wide area. The only trick with these is that the rocket is so slow and the grenades take so long to explode that you'll have to aim then where you anticipate your enemies will be when the projectiles actually connect. One neat feature of the new game is that the grenades are affected by the jump pads in the game so you can send them up after fleeing enemies.

Quake has also been defined by its Rail Guns and Lightning Guns. Happily, they've been maintained here and should seem familiar to most players. The Rail Gun fires a deadly blast but has a very high rate of fire. The Lightning Gun is a bit different. The bolt it fires doesn't do as much damage but it works like a hose so you can use it to deal constant damage to your enemies -- assuming you can keep the beam focused on them.


For fighting close in, you can hardly do better than the Shotgun. Though it has a limited range and a small ammo capacity, it deals tons of damage to enemies who have the bad luck to be standing right in front of you. Another amazingly deadly weapon is the new Nail Gun. Though it takes a while to get going (think of it as a kind of chain gun), its projectiles are mighty deadly. The sound of it firing is pretty darn satisfying as well.

The only other two weapons to talk about are the Gauntlet and the Dark Matter Gun. The Gauntlet is the basic handheld buzz saw you're always equipped with. It's pretty hard to get a kill with it but you do get a very gratification from humiliating your victim by killing them with a hand weapon. The last weapon is the Dark Matter Gun. It's not available in the usual rotation of maps here at QuakeCon but you can find it if you search around on one of the space-based CTF maps. It only has one shot in it but that shot is good enough to completely destroy anyone you hit.

You'll have to learn to use all of these weapons at some point or other. One nice feature of the multiplayer game is that it tracks your weapon accuracy stats for each game. At the end of a match, you can just click on the "statistics" tab to see your kills, deaths and your accuracy with each of the weapons in the game. You can do this with any player you like too, so you can see what the leaders and losers are doing. It would be nice to see an overall average of all players' accuracy or a running tally of your accuracy across multiple matches, but the stats are still a nice touch that can help you formulate new strategies.

In addition to the various weapon pickups and ammo clips lying around, you can also find plenty of health packs and armor shards on the maps. Though you'll just have to learn where they are, the game makes a point of showing you where already taken packs are likely to appear. In the case of weapons, they'll be marked with a short beam of light shooting up from the floor. In the case of ammo clips, you'll see a ghostly version of the clip in the spot where the clip will eventually appear.

We've played tons of straight deathmatch in The Fragging Yards, a large level with lots of halls and passages surrounding a large open area. There's a lot of verticality built into the level, so you'll need to keep your eyes open for attacks from above and below. A wide array of ramps and jump pads helps to get you from one level to another or from one side or the large courtyard to the other.

Most of our CTF play took place on a map called Death Before Dishonor. This map features two underground bases, each of which is connected by tunnels and jump pads to a large central area. The two sides of the more open are divided by a large wall. You can either take twisting passages through this wall or use a ramp to jump across it. Each side is a mirror image of the other, so players will quickly figure out how to get from their flag to that of their enemy. Each side is also associated with a color. The players on that side will wear uniforms of that color and there will be some highlights in the level itself that show you which side of the map you're on.

The final mode is a special Tourney mode. Though modders have built these types of systems in for previous games, this is the first time that these tools will be built into the architecture of the retail version of the game. A system of brackets will let players compete in one on one matches until a winner is determined. Players who aren't in the running anymore or who are simply waiting for their match to come up can either spectate the current matches or practice in an alternate arena with other players.

Also of interest today was Todd Hollenshead's announcement that Quake 4 would also be available in a DVD-only special edition. Though the details haven't been released yet, he confirmed that the special edition will include some substantial extras.


Movies:
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/016/016856/vids_1.html
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[ChemicalWarrior]

Sounds cool, I have confindence in Raven making a great MP game. Though the SP part I really am not to interested in.

[LoPo]

YES!!!! CTF here we come!

[{OF}Malicious Assault]

QUake Who!? That should stir things up a bit. Never played quake.

[LoPo]

|7| started in Quake 2 land. OSP Instagib. I wouldn't mind returning to our roots for some *** kicking again.....

[dudio]

I still play Q3 Insta for a fix when I need it.

Quake is cool.

[{OF}Blong]

bah i might try quake 4.....

































ok yeah ill try quake 4 . I will also be doing the unreal 2007 thing hehe.

[hamstang]

from reading a bit of what ...Citizen had to say over on Gamecloud...
http://www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=1091



q4 sounds to good to be true...I hope its not a let down...

I guess with all the recent "hype" on some games (and them turning out to be crappy) I am reluctant to be a "believer" but alas I will buy it ...just to have it ...if it turns out to be everything Ive read...then its a "winner"

I will need some upgrades I am sure...so I better maybe save some $$$...heck I may just build a whole new machine for the hell of it...I dunno
I would also like to reshingle the roof....LOL (it dont need it but I dont like the color we have)... :P

so its a toss up...new machine or new shingles...

I wish they would release a demo...then I could make my mind up...

[hamstang]

I still play Q3 Insta for a fix when I need it.

where?? I never see ya dudio!

I go regularly to GLU and some to AB...and of late NADS been playing a bit more too...

check it:
http://gnatab.com/servermaster.php?stype=osp

also RGB and xr...

we took our server down ...there were enough all over ...

maybe see ya sometime...

[NiRvAnA]

Looks like halo, and that scares me.