Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Quake Wars PC cover.
Developer(s)	Splash Damage, id Software Aspyr Media (Mac OS X) Nerve Software (Xbox 360) Underground Development (PlayStation 3)
Publisher(s)	Activision
Engine	id Tech 4 with MegaTexture technology
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release	Microsoft Windows Linux October 19, 2007 Mac PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, 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 minimal 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 as well as multiple AI deployables, 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 with MegaTexture rendering technology.

It was announced on February 13, 2007 that Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in May 27, 2008. On May 21, 2007, it was announced that Aspyr Media would be releasing the title for Mac OS X. On March 18, 2008, the Mac OS X version started shipping.

Gameplay

Quake Wars is a class-based, objective focused, team-oriented game. Teams are based on Human (GDF) and alien (Strogg) technology. While the teams are asymmetrical both sides have the same basic weapons and tools to complete objectives. Unlike other team-based online games (such as the Battlefield series) the game play is much more focused on one or two main objectives at once vs spread all over the combat area. This allows for much more focused and intense combat situations, similar to the original Unreal Tournament assault mode.

Each player class from each side normally has new objectives show up during game play, many times based around the specific capabilities of your class. The game also has the capability to group players into fireteams for greater coordinated strategy. These fireteams can be user created or game generated depending on the mission selected by the player.

The game has an experience points (XP) rewards system in place. It rewards every player some points depending on the mission completed. This accumulated XP later leads to unlocks which may vary from availability of new equipment/weapons to abilities like faster movement or more accurate weapons. These rewards are reset to zero after the completion of every campaign, which consists of three unique maps, all with a common locale/region.

Online and offline play modes are available with different modes for computer and console players: PC/Mac and Linux versions let you play individual campaigns/maps/stopwatch games against bots while the console versions have full single player campaigns (The single-player allows for combat as both sides over the course of the game.) The Human weapons and vehicles are based on modern combat weapons/vehicles but updated for the futuristic time period of the game. The Strogg have alien weapons and vehicles, some similar to what the humans have and some unique.

Asymmetric teams

While Quake Wars features asymmetric teams, there are corresponding classes and weapons for each side. Some of the major differences are as follows:

Health, ammo, weaponry and vehicles

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. One Stroyent cell gives you a combination of 18 health and 40 ammo. You can also replenish your ammo or health supply by sacrificing one surplus to the other using a technique called "Stroyent Swapping". 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, but prolonged fire can lead to their gun overheating.

Likewise, there are significant differences among the vehicles made available to the Strogg and GDF. While the vehicle classifications are inherently similar in implementation, there are substantial differences. Typically speaking, Strogg vehicles are of a higher "tech-level" than those of the GDF and offer more overall tactical flexibility. Strogg vehicles are also more heavily armed than their GDF counterparts and some GDF vehicles are devoid of weapons completely.

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 (Assault Rifle/Lacerator, GPMG/Hyperblaster, Rocket Launcher/Obliterator, and Shotgun/Nailgun), as well as a much stronger sidearm (Machine Pistol/Lightning Pistol). They are key players in taking out deployables and vehicles, or taking out objectives that require explosive charges.

Field Ops/Oppressor

The Field Ops and Oppressor play a major supporting role. Each side can place offensive indirect weaponry such as the Hammer Missile/Dark Matter Cannon, Rocket Artillery/Plasma Mortar or the Artillery Cannon/Rail Howitzer. These must be fired by the Field Ops/Oppressor by spotting the desired target. Both can place colored smoke grenade beacons that call in further indirect fire: a Vampire bomber air-strike for the GDF, and an Orbital Strike beam for the Strogg. Field Ops can give out ammunition packs, while Strogg Oppressors have the ability to place temporary tactical shields to keep themselves and their allies out of the line of enemy fire.

Medic/Technician

The Medics and Technicians play a further supporting role. Medics can give out health and revive team mates instantly, at 50% health, using the defibrillator paddles. They also have the ability to signal via a colored smoke grenade for a Supply Station to be dropped that includes both health and ammo. Also, for each Medic on the team, the health of all members is increased by a small amount. The Technicians can give out stroyent, which replenishes both health and ammunition. The stroyent tool can also be used to revive a fallen Strogg, but unlike the Medic paddles, it is not instantaneous and takes a few moments. Finally, Technicians can also inject stroyent into a fallen GDF soldier, turning him into a Spawn Host which, when claimed by a fellow Strogg, will cause them to spawn at the location of the Spawn Host, instead than their usual location; but this can only be used once, and after spawning at the Host, it disappears. Spawn Hosts can only be destroyed by Medics with their paddles.

Engineer/Constructor

Engineers and Constructors are primarily defensive and strategic units. They 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.

Covert Ops/Infiltrator

Covert Ops and Infiltrators can both hack enemy deployables and objectives, disabling them for 60 seconds and damaging it 50% if held long enough, 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, killing them instantly. The disguise is removed, though, if the player attacks an enemy in front of another, if they attack an enemy from the front, use their ranged weapon, or use the hacking tool. The Covert Ops has a Smoke Grenade and a Third-Eye Camera that creates a localized radar, can be used to view its surroundings, and can be destroyed remotely. The Smoke Grenade will block all visual and radar images of the soldiers; Constructors' deployables are not foiled by the smoke screen, however. The Infiltrator also has an explosive Flyer Drone; if this Drone is destroyed by the enemy, however, the Infiltrator will take damage. The Infiltrator also has a Teleporter Beacon, used for getting into key sniping positions or taking objectives with ease. Finally, both classes can deploy Radar/Psi Radar, which are capable of detecting enemy units within a wide range.

Deployables

Engineer/Constructor

The GDF Engineer and Strogg Constructor have access to three different defensive deployable turrets - The Anti-Personnel Turret (APT), Anti-Vehicle Turret (AVT) and the Artillery Interceptor Turret (AIT). The APT will engage any enemy Infantry that comes within range and visibility of the turret and will give the engaged target a lock on warning. The AVT is like the APT but will engage any manned vehicle within range and visibility of its missiles. The AIT will not engage infantry, vehicles or air strikes but will instead engage artillery bombardments in its defensive area.

Field Ops/Oppressors

The Field Ops have access to offensive deployables in the game. The Artillery Turret/Rail howitzer can effectively fire a salvo of ten rounds into a specified area. The Rocket Artillery/Plasma Mortar can fire up to six rockets at a designated area or can lock on to enemy vehicles or deployables. It can also be re-targeted "on the fly" while firing if the person who deployed it uses their targeting laser to designate a new target. The Hammer Launcher/Dark Matter Cannon launches a single, slow-moving round with an warhead that will kill any infantry, destroy any ground based vehicle, and disable (or destroy) any deployable in its area effect.

Covert Ops/Infiltrators

The Covert Ops and Infiltrators have access to the Radar and Psi Radar, respectively, which provide radar coverage of a large area once deployed and will give infantry within its range a positions and orientations of enemy infantry, vehicles and deployables.

MegaTexture

Main article: MegaTexture

MegaTexture is a texture mapping technique developed by John Carmack of id Software. The technology allows maps to be totally unique, without any repeated terrain tiles. Battlefields can be 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 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).

Beta and demo releases

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 public beta ended on September 25, 2007. 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 and for Linux on October 16, 2007 also featuring the map Valley. The full Linux version was released on October 19, 2007. A Mac OS X client has also been released.

Critical reception

Compiler	Aggregate score
Game Rankings	84%
Metacritic	84%
Publication	Score
GamePro	4.5/5
GameSpot	8.5
IGN	8.5
Game Informer	8.5
Edge	8
EuroGamer	8
Yahoo Games US	4.5/5
GamePro US	4.5/5

As of February 9, 2008 on the review aggregator Game Rankings, the PC version of the game had an average score of 84% based on 55 reviews. On Metacritic, the game had a score of 84 out of 100 based on 52 reviews. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot gave the game a rating of 8.5/10.

Other reviews are generally very positive, scoring Quake Wars in the 8–9 (out of 10) range.

For the week ending September 29, 2007, Quake Wars was the best selling PC title in the United Kingdom according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association.

And on October 17th, 2007, after its top of the charts sale in the United Kingdom, Quake Wars debuted at a familiar #1 spot yet again in the United States. According to NPD group's top 10 best selling PC game charts, it managed to take the #1 spot.

Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 reviews for the game were generally much less positive, with IGN giving the 360 version 6.1 and the PlayStation 3 version 5.3, citing game issues and slightly inferior graphics to the PC version as causes for the lower score..

External links

• Official Quake Wars website
• Official Quake Wars for Linux website
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Modding and Mapping Wiki