Quake Live = Quake 3 10 Years On!

I can still remember playing Quake 3 when it was first released. My trusty Intel PII-300, 64Mb Ram and Voodoo 3 run it but only with frame rates in the low 30s and even that dropped as the action hotted up.

Quake 3 received very mixed reviews when first released. It was such a departure from Doom and the earlier Quake games. No offline content to speak off, just death match bots to practice against.

People questioned its value and how it would hold peoples attention, they just didn’t get it. Quake 3 for many was and still is the perfect 1 vs 1 and death match game. It was the pro tournament game for many years and Mods like Rocket Arena 3 and ThreeWave CTF just built on and added extra depth.

Quake 3 just got it right. Great weapons, great physics and a game structure that meant the better player would normally win.

Move forwards almost 10 years and Quake Live has started its public Beta trial. As I write this I am in position 14056 in the queue of people trying to connect to the site. I had a similar queue just to register my details.

This is the first time in all my years on-line that I have EVER had to queue to sign up or login to a site. The question becomes, is it worth it?

In a word… YES!

I was unsure how well the new browser based system would work but I have to admit that Quake 3 has never looked better. The graphics don’t even look that dated and run with a silky smoothness that is hard to describe. They just look so fluid. That said, the graphics card I have now has 10 time the memory I had for main system memory back on my PII.

Before you can play online you go through the initial boot camp with Crash, one of the games original characters. This determines you initial skill rating, which is used to skill match players in games. I soon remembered how to rocket and straff jump so managed to get to the end of the corridor and through the expert door ready for my test fight with Crash which ended at 8 all on the buzzer.

The skill matching appears to work well and all the games played to date have felt well balanced. Your stats are tracked as you play so you can see how you rate compared to everyone else out there which adds an extra element that was missing from the original.

It does not matter if you missed Quake 3 the first time round or are an old hand, Quake Live is worth a play. It still has all the magic of the original with the benefits that 10 years of fine tuning and player feedback bring to the table. What more could you want from a free game?

Quake Live Open Beta

iD Games first announced Quake Live back in 2007 under the name Quake Zero before changing the name to Quake Live. Quake Live is an advert supported re-release of Quake 3 Arena, for many the pinnacle of deathmatch FPS games.

The whole system has been wrapped in a new web based interface that automatically downloads data as required and tracks stats from all the games played to maintain player rankings.

Unlike other FPS games, Quake 3 Arena lends itself well to in-game adverts due to its arena based nature. As long as the adverts fit well they should not feel to intrusive. This could be a real winner for iD.

Quake Live has been in closed beta since it was announced but the open beta starts 24th Feb so dust off your gaming mouse and get ready for some serious fragging.

Games no longer on tap!

A while back I said the GameTap service was a great source of games. A bit has changed since that post.

The main change being all that the games which once made it worth setting up a free account are now subscriber only games. If you are not interested in paying the monthly free you should ignore this service as all it has to offer for free are 3rd rate garbage.

How quickly things change!

Durka Durka Durka

It can be hard to find a good online modern combat FPS game, there are so many. Many just rehash what has gone before, because of this they have so  few players it is not even worth the download.

Games like Urban Terror are great for older machines but if you want something more “next gen” and have a copy of Half Life 2 kicking about you are in luck. Insurgency is a free total conversion mod for Half Life 2 that brings something new to the table.

This is not your normal online frag party. Run around like Rambo shooting from the hip and you will spend most of your playing time waiting for the next wave of reinforcements while trying to figure out where the hell that shot came from. It is a game that requires you to move with care, to work with and support your team if you want your side to win.

The combat is between the US army and Insurgents in dusty war torn urban environments  in countries such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. When you join a team you select the role you want to play, this determines what equipment you start with which in turn requires very different play styles.

The game is built around attack/defence of key locations in each environment. Some modes require capture of locations in a specific order while others are more free form where you can secure in any order.

Combat is normally very quick, one bullet is normally enough to take you down. The fear of being hit is enhanced with a unique suppression effect system that lets you know when bullets fly close to you. The effect is good enough that it has you dive for cover in case the next round is closer. This brings a whole new aspect to the gameplay. A heavy machine gun can pin your opponents just by spraying in they direction while you move on them.

The built in browser makes it simple to locate a server near you and there is a very active online community so it’s easy to find a game. Setup and install is simple, just locate the mod on Steam and click the install button. It is a hefty download but well worth it.

See you online… Durka Durka Durka!

Tap into free games

If you want a source of some great free games you should take a look at the GameTap service. GameTap has two different account types:

• Free – Gives access to a subset of the games available and you must watch a advert before you start a game.
• $59/Year – Gives access to the full list of games and no adverts.

It requires the download of a client application which is used to browse, download and manage your games. I have had a free account for a number of months now and have not noticed an influx in spam which is a good sign.

The free account adverts normally take the format of a short video before the game starts although I have not had them in a while. The advert window opens then fails to get the advert and the game starts. Might be an Adblock side effect as that is my default browser.

The full games list is very impressive. The free list does include a lot of old games and some real rubbish but there are a few real modern gems in there and more get added from time to time. For me, these are the best of the free list:

• Overlord.
• HitMan 2.
• Thief Deadly Shadows.
• Tomb Raider Legend.
• Colin McRae Rally 2005.
• Psychonauts.

If you do buy a lot of games the paid account is probably worth it. Me,  I am happy with the free offerings.

UPDATE: Looks like Overlord was free for 1 week only. Rest are still free though.
UPDATE: The free game list has recently changed such it is no longer worth looking at Gametap!.

Project Torque

Project Torque is a Windows only race game that bridges the boundary between race game and MMORPG. I ways it reminds me a little of the later NFS games which are based on car tuning.

The car physics sit at a port between arcade and simulation. You don’t have to really understand weight transfer and car handling to push hard but you are required to think about corners and slow down for them. Most hardware is supported from keyboard through to more high end controllers like the G25 wheel with H shifter.

There are all manner of racing styles available including:

• Circuit.
• Street.
• Oval.
• Offroad.
• Drag.
• Drift.

For the MMORPG part, you earn reward points by playing which can be spent on all maner of car parts and performance tweaks. You also gain experience points which gives you access to more parts as you gain enough experience to level up.

Project Torque is free to play although to get some of the cars and parts you need to spend real cash. That said I have played this game for a long time now and not felt the need to part with any money.

There are also a wide range of single player mission and objectives you must complete for rewards that keep you occupied when you are not racing against others online.

Be prepared for a hefty initial download for the client and update before you can start though. Last time I reinstalled I think is was nearer 1Gb by the time I had completed the update but well worth the time.