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Two prominent bots are [http://oakbots.co.uk/forums/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=16c35f39a6bee700872121fa568a26dd Jarad "TinMan" Hansen's SABot] (a.k.a Stupid Angry Bot) and [http://www.omni-bot.de/e107/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2391 Alpha Omni-bot], which perform very well on the retail multiplayer map packs as well as user-created custom maps. There is also the [http://www.oakbots.co.uk/ Oak Bot] which is still in development. Bots are also in development as part of Q4MAX.
Two prominent bots are [http://oakbots.co.uk/forums/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=16c35f39a6bee700872121fa568a26dd Jarad "TinMan" Hansen's SABot] (a.k.a Stupid Angry Bot) and [http://www.omni-bot.de/e107/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2391 Alpha Omni-bot], which perform very well on the retail multiplayer map packs as well as user-created custom maps. There is also the [http://www.oakbots.co.uk/ Oak Bot] which is still in development. Bots are also in development as part of Q4MAX.


=== Weapons ===


''Quake 4'' displayed an impressive array of weaponry, and while the game had a somewhat more "realistic" bend to its plot and setting, the player-character was still able to carry around a literal arsenal of high-tech firepower without any setbacks.

'''Blaster''' - Inherently weak, the Blaster can be "charged up", which amplifies the power of the round considerably. Another feature of note is that the weapon has unlimited ammunition, making it a nice utility gun (say, for blowing up barrels) should other ammunition be short. The Blaster is not intended to be a primary weapon, and as such, does not enjoy the same amount of usage as other weapons. The Blaster receives no upgrades, but does possess a mounted flashlight.

'''Machine Gun''' - While technically not a [[machine gun]] (but rather an [[assault rifle]]), this is the first "real" gun that the player comes across. Despite the early point at which the machine gun is encountered, this weapon proves itself to be a consistently effective weapon throughout the course of the game. The weapon has two firing modes, fully automatic and scoped semi-automatic. On its normal setting, the weapon sprays ammunition with a simple holding of the primary fire button; on its alternate setting, it switches to the more controllable semi-automatic when zoomed in with the scope using the alternate fire button. Before being upgraded, the Machine Gun feeds from a 40-round magazine; upgrading replaces this with an 80-round magazine. A flashlight is mounted below the barrel of the Machine Gun, making it one of the few illumination choices in the game.

'''Shotgun''' - The [[Shotgun]] is true to traditional form, presenting the player with a devastating but slow-firing close-quarters firearm. It is a pump-action weapon, meaning that the player will have to manually cycle each shot. Damage and accuracy up close are impressive, but at anything beyond medium range is negligible. An 8-round tubular magazine (which requires each shell to be hand loaded one at a time) is the standard ammo supply, but later in the game, the player is given a 10-round box magazine that considerably improves reload speed.

'''Grenade Launcher ''' - In the absence of hand grenades in Quake 4, there is a Grenade Launcher that lobs grenades. The [[Grenade Launcher]] is the first "heavy" weapon given to the player. Despite being less potent than the Rocket Launcher, the Grenade Launcher is still more effective than previous weapons versus heavier Strogg troops or those with energy shields. The only fire mode available is semi-automatic, and a round's trajectory is that of an arc rather than a straight line. Grenades drop noticeably soon after being fired, meaning that the player must compensate aim frequently. The grenades themselves work in two ways. If the round impacts a living Strogg, it will explode immediately, however if it is fired against an inorganic surface, such as a wall, the round will bounce off at an angle. Due to this bouncing ability, the Grenade Launcher can be used creatively while on-the-run; firing grenades forward only to have them bounce back at the enemy in pursuit. Ammunition is fed is from an eight-round drum magazine. No upgrades are available.

'''Nailgun''' - The [[Nailgun]] was the signature weapon of the original Quake, and is also present in the fourth installment. The Nailgun is a fairly standard type of Strogg weapon, which hurls a cloud of low-velocity but high-impact nails at its target. Hardly a finesse weapon, the Nailgun is all about saturating the target area with deadly projectiles. The Nailgun is initially unimpressive, as its rate of fire is low. The weapon is soon modified, though, and the aforementioned cloud of nails is much easier to attain. To facilitate this mass expenditure of ammo, the Nailgun is fitted with a pair of 50-round magazines, resulting in an immediate loadout of 100 nails at a time. The Nailgun does not come into its own until the later stages of the game, when it is upgraded with a Strogg targeting scope. This allows the player to lock on to a target with the alternate fire button, causing nails fired to home in on the locked target.

'''Hyperblaster''' - The Hyperblaster is a high-tech Strogg <!-- Quake Wars features the Hyperblaster as a Strogg weapon --> weapon reverse-engineered by humans. It employs a rapidly spinning barrel to rapidly pump out a steady stream of energy bolts. While specializing in target saturation, the Hyperblaster is unlike the Nailgun in that it is an exceedingly accurate weapon. Despite lacking the scope of the Machine Gun, the Hyperblaster is generally a better weapon. The Hyperblaster has a high rate of fire and a propensity to burn through ammo quickly (each Power Cell holds 60 cells). Coupled with a quick reload procedure, however, the Hyperblaster is an ideal assault weapon at close-to-medium ranges. The upgrade for this gun comes in the form of a "cohesion inducer" which modifies the composition of the energy bolt and allows it to ricochet wildly off nearby objects. Although this weapon can be employed with precision, the ricochet feature allows it to be fired blindly into a hostile area. Given the number of energy bolts bouncing through the air, it is almost guaranteed that some damage will be done.

'''Rocket Launcher''' - The ubiquitous Rocket Launcher of the Quake series, this weapon is present in Quake 4 with few modifications from its incarnations in the other games of the series. The weapon is dumb-fire upon first acquisition, but an upgrade adds a laser designator to the mix. The player simply holds down the alternate fire button and paints the designated target with the designator's laser dot. Rockets will then home in on the painted target.

'''Lightning Gun''' - Another Quake original, the Lightning Gun is just that, a gun that shoots lightning. Unlike other weapons in the game, the Lightning Gun is a beam weapon in that it fires a continuous, solid beam of electricity from its muzzle. Damage is marginal, but holding the beam on a target results in a quick buildup of inflicted damage for the victim. Power is provided by cells. A maximum capacity of 400 charges can be stored. The upgrade for this weapon allows for a chain-link effect, with the bolt hitting one target and then jumping to any others nearby, causing simultaneous damage.

'''Rail Gun''' - First introduced in [[Quake 2]], [[rail gun]]s have since become somewhat common in science-fiction games that involve futuristic weapons. Simply put, the Rail Gun uses particle acceleration rather than explosive propellants to fling a solid-core slug at an incredibly high speeds. The telltale mark of the Rail Gun is the colorful "particle trail" it leaves behind with each shot fired. For game purposes, the Rail Gun functions in the role of a sniper rifle. It is slow to fire and requires a fair degree of precision, but does massive damage when it hits its target. Most of the basic Strogg infantry can be felled by a single Rail Gun slug, and even larger creatures only have limited resistance to the weapon's effects. The three-shot capacity makes accurate aiming a must, as an inept shooter will frequently be caught reloading the weapon or waiting for it to cool between shots. The upgrade for this weapon allows the slug to penetrate through multiple targets, allowing for damage to multiple enemies provided they are lined up properly.

'''Dark Matter Gun''' - Quake 4's ultimate weapon. Shaped like a cannon, this Strogg-made weapon is built around a gyroscope that contains a ball of "Dark Matter". When fired, it produces a dark vortex which travels straight ahead, sucking in anything near it while also causing damage. When the vortex strikes a solid surface, it detonates, producing a large explosion. Minor enemies are completely destroyed by this gun. The Dark Matter Gun has enough storage for 25 shots of Dark Matter. After each shot the gun takes roughly three seconds to recharge.


== Critical response ==
== Critical response ==

Revision as of 03:56, 4 September 2007

Quake 4
North American PC box art for Quake 4
Developer(s)Raven Software, id Software
Publisher(s)Activision, Aspyr Media, 1C Company
EngineDoom 3 engine (id Tech 4)
Platform(s)PC (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows), Xbox 360
ReleaseOctober 18, 2005 (Windows)
October 20, 2005 (Linux)
November 22, 2005 (Xbox 360)
April 5, 2006 (Mac)
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Quake 4 is the fourth title in the series of Quake FPS computer games. It was developed by Raven Software and distributed by Activision. Raven Software has collaborated with id Software, the creators and usual developers of Quake games in the past. In this case, id Software supervised the development of the game as well as providing the Doom 3 engine, now referred to as 'id Tech 4', upon which it was built. Quake 4 went gold in early October 2005 and was released on October 18, 2005 for the PC, and later for the Xbox 360 and the Apple Macintosh. A special DVD Collectors Edition also exists, including promotional material and the game Quake II with its expansions. The Xbox 360 version of Quake 4 is based on the Special Collectors Edition, and therefore also includes Quake II.

Plotwise, the game is a sequel to Quake II. However, Quake II and Quake 4, do not share story lines with Quake or Quake III Arena; their only relation is their names and logos.

Story

The Quake 4 single player mode continues the story of Quake II by pitting the player against a cyborg alien race known as the Strogg. The game follows the story of a marine named Matthew Kane who is a member of the fabled Rhino Squad. Following the success of the protagonist of Quake II in destroying the Strogg's leader, the "Makron", the Rhinos are tasked with spearheading the mission to finally secure the alien's home planet Stroggos. In the course of the invasion, the squad ship is shot down and crashes in the middle of a battle zone, separating Kane from his companions.[1] Kane eventually rejoins his scattered team members and partakes in the assault against the Strogg.

After performing a number of tasks, such as destroying and capturing Strogg aircraft hangars and defense systems,[2][3] Kane and his remaining squad members make it to the USS Hannibal. There they are given their next mission: infiltrating one of the Strogg's central communication hubs, the Tetranode, with an electromagnetic pulse bomb in the hope that it will put the main Strogg Nexus in disarray. Kane is tasked with defending the mission convoy,[4] which takes heavy casualties. After many setbacks, including the destruction of the EMP device by a Strogg ambush, Kane is left to complete the mission, assistd only by Private Johann Strauss and Lance Corporal Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovitch. Strauss figures out a way to destroy the core by shutting down its coolant systems. As Kane reaches the entrance to the Tetranode, however, he is greeted by two rocket-equipped network guardians - as well as the newly constructed Makron. The Makron easily defeats Kane and knocks him unconscious.[5]

When Kane finally awakens, he finds himself strapped to a conveyor belt in the Strogg "Medical Facilities", a structure used for turning those captured and killed by the aliens either into protein food or additional Strogg units. In a long and gruesome first-person cutscene, Kane is taken through this stroggification process which violently replaces much of his anatomy with bio-mechanical parts. Before the final controlling neurochip implanted in his brain can be activated, though, Rhino Squad bursts into the facility and rescues Kane.[6] After escaping through the Strogg medical facility and Waste Disposal plant, fighting off zombie-like half-stroggified humans along the way, Kane is forced to combat his former commander, Lieutenant Scott Voss, who has been fully stroggified into a powerful mechanized monster. (Voss nevertheless retains his own consciousness long enough to warn Kane.)[7] After defeating this threat, Kane and the remaining marines finally make it back to the Hannibal.

The commanders realize that Kane's Strogg physiology has opened up new possibilities for defeating the Strogg, as he can be used to infiltrate locations previously impenetrable to human forces. The new plan is to directly target the Strogg Core, a huge centralized brain-like structure which controls the alien forces. Rhino and Raven Squads are tasked with infiltrating the three data processing towers adjacent to the Nexus, a huge data storage and processing tower. There, they will power up the teleporter used to access the Nexus and send Kane in. Once inside, Kane will travel to the center of the Nexus to destroy the Core and its guardian.

After infiltrating the facility and realigning the data nodes powering the teleporter, and destroying its fearsome "Guardian" creature,[8] Kane finally reaches the Nexus core. There he meets the Makron in a final showdown and kills him. This done, he destroys the Core and returns to the Hannibal. Celebrating with Rhino Squad afterward, Kane receives word that he has new orders ...[9]

Gameplay

Single Player

Gameplay features include vehicle-based combat with several vehicles introduced throughout the game, and squad-based combat on occasions where Rhino Squad fights alongside Kane, including medics and technicians in his squad who can heal him or repair his armor. Around a third of the way through the game, events lead to Kane being captured and then partially Stroggified — that is, turned into a Strogg — but the process is interrupted by Marines before completion so Kane retains his free will. This turn of events allows for more gameplay changes, including the ability to understand Strogg communications and use Strogg health stations, as well as a change to the player's HUD (Head-Up Display). This plot device also advances the story in different directions.
Quake 4's campaign differs from that of its spiritual predecessor (Quake 2) in that the main protagonist is not stranded or alone behind enemy lines. The team and squad-based gameplay replaces the sense of hostile aloneness with a sense of organized assault. The protagonist of Quake 4 is given a name and can sometimes be seen from a third-person point of view, which contrasts the mysterious unseen protagonist of Quake 2.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tourney, Capture the Flag, Arena CTF and DeadZone. Players at Quakecon reported the multiplayer gameplay to include elements similar to those in previous Quake games such as Strafe-jumping or Rocket jumping. Notable new additions to play are the ability to send shots through the teleporters and the advancement of the game physics provided by the new technology including the ability to bounce grenades off the jump-pads.

Like the previous Quake games the multiplayer has a client-server architecture. The network code has been altered from Doom 3, allowing for larger numbers of players on each server (Doom 3 has a four player restriction, whereas Quake 4 has a standard 16 player limit). One of the changes to the network code is a move from the per-polygon hit detection system used in Doom 3 back to using hit-box system like most other online first-person shooters such as other Quake games and Half-Life.

Five of the more popular mods for Quake 4 are Q4MAX, XBM, DeltaCTF, GTR and Q4SupremacyMod-GTR. Q4MAX is the most developed of these, offering many HUD, frame-rate, and gameplay tweaks and fixes. Q4MAX is used for the majority of tournaments, and used by the Cyberathlete Professional League.

Nicknames can be colorized with most keyboards by typing the ^ character, followed by 0 through 9 to specify the color. Using idm0 or iw00 through iw09 will display images varying from a skull, to various weapon symbols. Most often used for nicknames under multiplayer, these character sequences can be typed into config files, the console, and chat text.

Bots

Quake 4 came without any bots for multiplayer play. User-made bots for practicing offline for users with only a dial-up connection or filling LAN servers are being developed by many dedicated fans of the game. Two prominent bots are Jarad "TinMan" Hansen's SABot (a.k.a Stupid Angry Bot) and Alpha Omni-bot, which perform very well on the retail multiplayer map packs as well as user-created custom maps. There is also the Oak Bot which is still in development. Bots are also in development as part of Q4MAX.


Critical response

Reviews of the game were generally favorable for the Windows version of the game, with game databases Metacritic and MobyGames giving the game aggregate review scores of 79/100 and 81/100 respectively.[10][11] Websites and magazines such as IGN and UGO praised its single-player campaign, graphics and Hollywood voice-acting, but complained that its multiplayer was too much like Quake III's. A few days after release the majority of reviews gave Quake 4 scores of 80–90%. PC Gamer Magazine gave Quake 4 a good review [12] for both singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay.

The Xbox 360 version of the game fared considerably worse with critics when it was released, scoring only 74/100 on Metacritic, and 75/100 on MobyGames averaged scores.[13][14]EGM gave a mixed rating to the Xbox 360 port, claiming that the single-player campaign was not creative enough to compete with other games such as Half-Life 2 and Halo 2 and that the game ran poorly on the 360.

One major praise of the game was for its return to plot-based single player missions that had not been included in Quake III: Arena. [citation needed]

Versions

Quake 4 was released at the launch of the Xbox 360 and is Xbox Live compatible. Due to the fact that Quake 4 needed to be developed in a short time period in order to meet the launch of the Xbox 360, there have been major issues with framerates for the console adaptation, earning it the award for Most Aggravating Frame Rate / Best Slideshow in the GameSpot.com Best and Worst of 2005 list. These framerate issues only occur in the rare instance where many enemies and large explosions are occurring on screen at the same time and the game is using the Standard Definition video setting. When played in High Definition, however, framerate issues occur more frequently due to increased processing demands at the higher resolution. In addition, the Xbox 360 port of Quake 4 has very long load times and Xbox Live glitches that result in problematic multiplayer experiences, as documented by game review sites as well as on Activision's support pages for the Xbox 360 version. This version was initially priced the same as the PC Special Edition DVD and features the same content. Unlike the PC version, however, as of July 2007 the Xbox 360 version has not received any patches to fix its numerous problems.

Aspyr Media published and released Quake 4 for Mac OS X, on April 5, 2006 as a universal binary, compatible with both PowerPC- and x86-based Macs.

id Software continued its tradition of supporting Linux by releasing a Linux version of the Quake 4 binary executable. The game can be downloaded for free from id's servers, though it requires a licensed copy of Quake 4 for Windows in order to run. The Linux installer was made available two days after the release of the game itself.

At the spring 2007 IDF exhibition Intel Corp. demoed Q4RT, a raytraced version of Quake4, running on a blade server composed of four Core 2 Quad based machines. [1]

References

  1. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Air Defense Bunker". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Interior Hangar". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:MCC Landing Site". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Canyon". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Nexus Hub". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Strogg Medical Facilities". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Waste Processing Facility". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:Data Networking Security". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Quake 4 Game Guide:The Nexus". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved December 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Metacritic PC Review score compilation". metacritic.com. Retrieved January 03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Mobygames PC Review score compilation". mobygames.com. Retrieved June 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Quake 4 Review by Matthew D. Sarrel". PC Gamer MAgazine. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Metacritic Xbox 360 Review score compilation". metacritic.com. Retrieved January 03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Mobygames Xbox 360 Review score compilation". mobygames.com. Retrieved June 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
Official Websites
General Resources
Multiplayer Modifications
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