Quake 3 Arena Impressions
5/4/99
by Alan Macey

As luck would have it, a couple of weeks ago I purchased a copy of Redhat 5.2 so I could set up a Linux based webserver on my home network. This was lucky because, as you all know, the Linux version of Q3test was released before the Win32 version. With a lot of help from Jai, HaB, and UG I've managed to get Linux running q3test.

And man oh man is it fun!

The Linux install for q3test wasn't too bad, actually, if you are using Redhat 5.2. On my system I have a TNT and a V2 card, so I had to first upgrade the XFree86 stuff so it could find my TNT card. Without it I couldn't easily use XWindows. After that, I installed the glide drivers for Linux (they are available at www.3dfx.com in RPM format). As you are more than likely aware q3test requires some kind of voodoo card to play. After that, I downloaded and installed the q3test RPM and have been off to the races ever since.

A Little Note About My Hardware

Just so you know what kind of system I'm running for comparison, let me give you the specs:

• Celeron 300A (currently not overclocked)
• 64mb SDRAM
• STB Velocity 4400 RivaTNT
• 8mb Creative Labs Voodoo2
• Soundblaster 16 PnP (ISA)
• Redhat Linux 5.2 with XF86 3.3.3.1
• 640k/256k ADSL Connection via US West.

First Impressions

The first server I tried had 7 people on it. I later discovered that all of them were Mac-based players on variable G3 systems. My ping to this server was steadily in the 80s, and the map was q3test1, which is your typical Gothic Quake offering with acid pools, corridors, stairs, etc. All the stuff we've seen in Quake maps since Quake was made.

I didn't have much time to look around - within seconds of spawning I was heavily into the heat of battle with my Mac friends, and this is where the beauty of the game really rooted itself in my brain.

Combat in q3test is fast, three-dimensional, and confusing. It's confusing because the weapon effects are so outstanding and pervasive that you can easily lose your opponent behind the smoke trail of your rocket and the fireworks of your plasma gun. Personally, I really enjoy it more this way. One of the things I really enjoy about playing Shogo is that, after you've gone through a city with your Howitzer and defeated all your enemies, you can stand amongst the still-smoking wreckage of your enemies and bask in the glory of it. Without being hyper-realistic I get the feeling from q3test that combat is volatile and energetic moreso than in any other Id game I've played to date.

On top of the awesome weapon effects, and as equally important, are the sound effects. While we've learned that this game does not come complete with all of the sounds that will be available for the Quake 3: Arena demo and full retail version, I must say that it's refreshing to finally play a game where a shotgun REALLY sounds like a shotgun. I like using the shotgun merely because it sounds so impressive. Likewise the Rocket Launcher and Plasma Gun have nice sound effects that give you some real joy when you fire them. The strangest thing from the game, which significantly impacts gameplay, is that when you hit someone it makes a sound to let you know that you registered a hit. While it makes it easier to target someone with the machinegun and plasma gun this way, I don't think I like this feature of the game much. The feedback I want on whether or not I scored a hit on someone should involve screams of agony and blood trails.

Game Play

I spent a fair amount of time playing both q3test1 and q3test2, and have found the gameplay to be very satisfying. The two maps are completely independent of one another in terms of style and require very different abilities to play well. The latter map, q3test2, consists of multiple platforms suspended in space. Fall of these platforms and you plummet to your death. The platforms are "linked" via jump pads that launch you from one platform to another. On this map there are two platforms with jump pads that go to one another, and players often find themselves in midair battles not unlike the sword fighting scenes in "Big Trouble in Little China," flying through the air with rockets blazing. Interestingly the map designer chose to put some key items (armor) on this midair path between platforms, so players often find themselves in mid air duels as they try and grab the goodies.

Q3test1, as a more standard type of deathmatch map, is suited to larger groups of players. Imagine if you were playing a Quake map that had ten times the graphics and all of the same functionality, and this is what Id has given us. The map is perfect for players who like to stay on the move, containing multiple routes and no deadends. I have yet to see someone camp successfully in this game on either of these two maps.

The gameplay, in general terms, is very good. It feels like Quakeworld-style movement with ten times the visual appeal. Footsteps and weapon sounds are robust and cleanly rendered to provide that additional sensory input for the accute and attentive player. The jumping is reasonable, but still "heroic." I haven't noticed the jump-run-strafe issues prevalent in Quake 2 and have not been able to replicate such movement myself. You jump to get up on stuff and get down from stuff, not to move about the map. This is an important part of the gameplay to me - many Quake 2 mods are ruined by the lack of air resistance in the physics of the game.

Weapons

I'm not going to go over every weapon in this game. I'll just go over a handful of the things that I like and don't like so far:

• The Rocket Launcher - Id has made this the premier weapon in the game once again. It's rate of fire is perfect and it's effects astounding. It does enough damage to be the weapon of choice for most players, but not so much damage to keep you from trying out the railgun. The splash area seems smaller than before, so it requires more consistent aim. Personally I like this more, not less.
• The Shotgun - Rate of fire is slow but it packs a nice wallop. Use it simply because it sounds so cool and it's nice to see all those piece of shot impacting your opponent.
• The Plasma Gun - requires prediction, does decent damage, but I don't think it does enough. The effects are nice but it is hard to stay on your target when you use it.
• The Machine Gun - the starting gun when you spawn, this juicy little fully automatic firearm can tear your opponent apart, and is a very good tool for getting you out of a hot spawn point. It's nice to have a fighting chance off of the spawn. I think it's more powerful and more useful than the Plasma Gun - you can stay on your target and it doesn't require as much prediction.

  Other Notable Points

  One of the effects I really like is the new quad damage effect. When someone gets quad everyone in the game is notified. Not only that, but the person glows with this blue electricity. It stands out so much that players inadvertently team up against the quad-induced player. In most of the games I've played the Quad has switched hands four or five times before it has run out, merely because so many people are going after whoever has it.

  Other things that I like: the game gives you some nice positive feedback. Frag two people in a row, and a voice says, "Excellent." Make a midair spinning railgun kill and you may here, "Impressive." The HUD for the game is clean and useful. Weapon changing is as simple as it can get and the command menu will let you set up your game just like you set it up for Quake or Quake 2. Frag someone and you are told your current rank. All good input and none of it obstructive.

  The only knock I have so far is that on q3test2 I experienced some pretty bad framerate drops. I'm sure this was because of my substandard 8mb Voodoo2 card, however, and because there were about 50 rockets and streams of plasma fire going off on my screen at the same time. For the most part, with pings of 200-300 on some servers and pings of 80-90 on others, I've experienced no lockups or hangs.

  I'd be really curious to play this thing on a modem sometime or here some thoughts from other modem users out there on their experiences. If you have some inputs you would like posted, send them to me.

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