Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
| Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars | |
|---|---|
| Quake Wars PC cover. | |
| Developer(s) | Splash Damage, id Software Nerve Software (Xbox 360) Z-Axis (PlayStation 3) Aspyr (Mac OS X) |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Engine | id Tech 4 with MegaTexture technology |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS X, Linux, Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release | Windows October 2, 2007[1]  September 28, 2007[2]  September 28, 2007[3]PlayStation 3 TBA |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars (ET:QW) is a first-person shooter video game, and is the follow-up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. However, it is set in the same science fiction universe as Quake II and Quake 4, with a back-story serving as a prequel to Quake II. It is the second multiplayer-focused game in the Quake series (after Quake III Arena). Quake Wars features similar gameplay to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, but with the addition of controllable vehicles and aircraft,[4] asymmetric teams, much larger maps and the option of computer-controlled bots. Unlike the previous Enemy Territory game, QUAKE Wars is a commercial release rather than a free download.
Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars was developed by Splash Damage for Windows using a modified version of id Software's Doom 3 engine and MegaTexture rendering technology.
It was announced on February 13, 2007 that Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars will also be released for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.[5] On May 21, 2007, it was announced that id Software will release a version for Linux and Aspyr Media will be releasing the title for Mac OS X.[6]
Gameplay
Enemy Territory is a class based game. There are two opposing teams; the GDF (Global Defense Force), who are humans, and the Strogg, an alien race that are invading Earth. For each side there are five classes, and while these classes are essentially the same on both sides, there are small variations in the way they perform as well as differences in names. Some classes include soldiers for basic assault, medics for healing, and engineers for support. The classes of Global Defense Force consist of Soldier, Medic, Engineer, Field Ops, and Covert Ops. The corresponding Strogg classes are Aggressor, Technician, Constructor, Oppressor, and Infiltrator.
The main drive of the game is to either capture enemy territory by completing objectives, or defend said objectives for a specified amount of time. It has been said that each side will alternate between attacking and defending.[7] In addition to the overall mission for each map, sub-missions are available, such as destroying an obstacle to make progression easier.
As you complete objectives, cause damage and aid your team with your specific class you gain "XP". With XP you can get upgrades for your specific class, light weapons, vehicles or battlesense. These upgrades last for one campaign consisting of three maps, which will reset when the campaign is completed. While they can aid you in being an efficient soldier, the developers have aimed to make the upgrades benefit you, but not give a significant advantage over other players.
Asymmetric Teams
While ET:QW features asymmetric teams, there are corresponding classes and weapons for each side. Some of the major differences are as follows:
Health, Ammo and Weaponry
The GDF use health and ammo packs distributed by Medics and Field Ops, respectively.
The Strogg feature one source of both ammo and health called Stroyent. Stroyent can be seen running through the weaponry of the Strogg and only picked up from one source, the Technician. By default Stroyent will first fill your health, but you can replenish your ammo or health supply by sacrificing one surplus to the other. Due to their unique health supplies their reviving techniques are much different (see the Medic/Technician section below).
While the Strogg and GDF feature similar weaponry there is a key difference in weapon usage. The GDF have a limited ammo supply and must reload on emptying a magazine. The Strogg do not have to reload, however they will be penalized if they fire for too long as their weapons will overheat.
Classes
Soldier/Aggressor
The Soldier and Aggressor are the standard grunts of each army. They get a health bonus and the widest array of weapons to choose from. They are key players in taking out deployables and vehicles, or taking out objectives that require explosive charges. There are no significant item or class differences between the Soldier and Aggressor.
Field Ops/Oppressors
The Field Ops and Oppressor are major supporting roles. Each side can place offensive weaponry such as the Hammer Missile/Dark Matter Cannon, Rocket Artillery/Plasma Mortar or the Artillery Cannon/Rail Howitzer. The Field Ops can place an air strike beacon that can lay down a quick line of fire that can destroy tanks and deployables in seconds, while the Oppressor can use an orbital strike that lays down a longer lasting, slow moving line of damage. Field Ops can give out ammunition packs, while Strogg Oppressors have the ability to place tactical shields to keep allies out of the line of fire.
Medic/Technician
The Medics and Technicians are the supporting roles. Medics can give out health and revive team mates instantly using the shock paddles. The instant revive comes in use when attacking enemy bases, causing the enemy to be pushed back even after a momentary victory. The Technicians can give out stroyent replenishing both ammo and health, as well as reviving team mates with the stroyent tool. The stroyent tool takes a few seconds to revive a friendly target, so attacking an enemy in groups can be more difficult for the Strogg. However they can inject stroyent into a human body turning them into a "spawn host" which can be claimed by a Strogg player, causing a secondary wave to spawn in the midst, or behind, GDF forces. Medics can clear the spawn hosts off a (formerly) friendly body with the shock paddles.
Covert Ops/Infiltrator
Covert Ops and Infiltrators can both hack enemy deployables and objectives, disabling them for 60 seconds, as well as use EMP/Scrambler Grenades on turrets and vehicles for a 30 second disable. Both of these classes can steal enemy uniforms as well, taking on the name and appearance of the enemy, and then use their powerful back stab attacks to take out unsuspecting enemies. The Covert Ops and Infiltrators get different gadgets to use against their enemies. The Covert Ops has a smoke grenade and a "third eye camera" that allows them to create a localized radar enabling friendly forces to have the upper hand in a close quarters battle. The third eye camera doubles as a powerful remote bomb to ambush enemies or defend objectives. The Infiltrator gets an explosive "flier drone" which allows the Infiltrator to scout and harass enemy positions remotely. The blast radius is smaller than the third eye camera, but can be maneuvered into enemy positions. The Infiltrator also has a teleporter beacon similar to Unreal Tournament, used for getting into key sniping positions or taking objectives with ease.
Engineer/Constructor
Primarily defensive units the Engineer and Constructor can place anti-vehicle, anti-personnel, and anti-artillery turrets. Along with turrets, up to three proximity or trip mines can be placed. Engineers and Constructors have the ability to repair all friendly vehicles and turrets, as well as build certain objectives or useful outposts. This class is also privy to a special weapon unlock, a single shot grenade/plasma launcher that is affixed beneath their assault rifle/lacerator. While not the most precise weapon, the launcher allows this class the option to function as a vehicle/deployable assassin, the grenades being effective against large, hard targets.
MegaTexture
MegaTexture is a texture mapping technique developed by John Carmack of id Software. It is used along with the Doom 3 engine in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars to eliminate common texture bugs and glitches found in previous games. This technology will allow maps to be totally unique, without any repeated terrain tiles. Battlefields are rendered to the horizon without any fogging, with over a square mile of terrain at inch-level detail, while also providing terrain type detail that defines such factors as bullet hit effects, vehicle traction, sound effects, and so on. Each megatexture is derived from a vast 32768×32768 pixels (1024 megapixels, or a gigapixel) image, which takes up around 3 gigabytes in its raw form (with 3 bytes per pixel, one byte for each color channel). Techniques such as DXTn exist to compress this vast amount of information down to a more manageable size, quoted at around 8MB.
Beta release
The public beta opened to FilePlanet paid subscribers on June 20, 2007 and to nonpaying members on June 23, 2007. There were also beta keys given out for a limited time exclusively at QuakeCon 2007.
The initial beta release contains one map entitled Sewer. This pits the two teams against one other in a fight to remove the Strogg from their sewer lair. The map consists of three main objectives for the GDF; constructing an EMP generator, planting explosives to gain access to the sewers, and finally hacking the computers to flood the Strogg out. The Strogg have to prevent the GDF from completing these objectives.
A patch has subsequently been released to add bots to the game, allowing server administrators to use this new functionality to fill up servers if they so desire.
A second build of the beta was released on August 3, 2007. It features a new map entitled Valley to replace Sewer and several changes to the game code to improve performance and implement new features. This map was featured in tutorial videos released prior to the beta, and was the map made available to play at QuakeCon 2006.
A PC demo for Windows was released on September 10, 2007, also featuring the map Valley. The Linux and OS X clients are still in development.
Critical reception
| Compiler | Aggregate score |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
As of October 5, 2007 on the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game had a score of 86% based on 18 reviews.[8] On Metacritic, the game had a score of 86 out of 100 based on 19 reviews.[9] Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot gave the game a rating of 8.5/10.[10]
Other reviews are generally very positive, scoring Quake Wars in the 8-9 range. [11]
For the week ending September 29, 2007, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was the best selling PC title in the United Kingdom according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association.[12]
References
- ^ "id Press Conference & Carmack Highlights". quakeunity.com.
- ^ "Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Release Date Announced". 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "ETQW to Hit Australia on September 28". 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "www.quakewarsgame.com/etqw_vehicles.html".
- ^ "id Software confirms Enemy Territory: Quake Wars for next generation consoles". activision.com.
- ^ "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars coming to Mac". macnn.com.
- ^ "Defend or Attack". community.enemyterritory.com.
- ^ "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (pc: 2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ Kevin VanOrd (2007-09-28). "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars for PC Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
- ^ "First Wave of ETQW Reviews and Awards".
- ^ http://www.elspa.com/?c=/charts/uk.jsp&ct=27 Retrieved 2007-10-07
External links
- Official Quake Wars website
- id Software website
- Splash Damage website
- Quake Wars Developer Interview
- Paul Wedgewood at Multiplay i30
- Official Quake Wars Community website
- QUAKE Wars 'Teamplay' Trailer (HD/QT)
