Underground-Development
Latest
Live Anywhere nowhere to be found in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
As the first game to support Live Anywhere, Shadowrun has erected a rickety bridge between the realms of the PC and the Xbox 360, allowing players to dash across and kill each other using their peripherals of choice. Perhaps it is in the interest of peace then, that id Software has ruled out the possibility of cross-platform multiplayer for their upcoming shooter, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. "Console players will not play against PC players," says id co-owner and creative director, Kevin Cloud, in an interview with GameZone. "Consoles require a certain [adaptation], and that wasn't something that we wanted to take on." While there's no immediate framework to necessitate play between the PS3 and PC just yet, Live Anywhere promises to bring more convergence between Microsoft's Vista and 360 platforms -- but could the $50 Live entry fee for Xbox-PC multiplayer prove to be a turn-off for developers and gamers alike? %Gallery-1618% [Via CVG]
Quake Wars admits: no cross-platform online play
Makers of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, id Software, have come out saying that the title will not feature cross-platform online play. Kevin Cloud said "Console players will not play against PC players...Consoles require a certain [adaptation], and that wasn't something that we wanted to take on." What he means is that it would be difficult to keep a level playing field between consoles and PCs. Because not all consoles support the keyboard/mouse combo. However, don't think the console versions of the game will be handicapped in any way -- they're going to be the same as the PC version. Both will feature the neat action with little bits of RTS features to fight against... you guessed it, maniacal enemy creatures that want to destroy. Look for the game later this year on the PC, PS3, and XBox 360.
No cross-plat play for Quake Wars
CVG reports that id's Kevin Cloud has confirmed that cross-platform play will not be featured in the upcoming Enemy Territory: Quake Wars for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. According to Cloud, the concept is possible, but requires too many tweaks to each platform in order to level the playing field. We imagine Cloud is referring to the advantage of a mouse and keyboard on PC (and potentially PS3). The mouse obviously offers an aim advantage, and the keyboard could provide plenty of shortcuts for the game's RTS like features. Cloud does mention, however, that id is striving to make sure that the overall Quake Wars experience will be maintained across all platforms. Well, thank God. Expect Quake Wars to debut some time this year.
id Software CEO: piracy pushed us multiplatform
At an early session Friday, id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead gave a lecture on the problems of piracy on the internet. During his speech, Hollenshead revealed that, although they are still primarily a PC developer, id Software had begun to look at console game releases as a way to financially combat piracy. "Piracy has pushed id as being multiplatform," Hollenshead said, noting that the current project Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is being scheduled for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Hollenshead's rationale is that console piracy is, by a large factor, minimal relative to the rampant PC piracy. In Hollenshead's lecture, entitled "The Videogame Piracy Problem: Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest," was a discussion on the problems of piracy, his company's experiences with the issues, and suggestions to help the diffuse the issue.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Id Software is rounding up the old gang, or gangs in this case, to develop Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ports of the highly anticipated (and nebulously dated) PC-shooter, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Id's fellow Dallasites at Nerve Software, who previously worked on other Id projects like Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War for Xbox and DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil for the PC and Xbox, will be responsible for bringing the title to the Xbox 360 platform while Activision's very own Z-Axis, who most notably delivered Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, will handle PlayStation 3 duties. The press release reveals that the console versions will feature 16-player multiplayer, whereas the PC version is slated to feature 24-players. Nevertheless, we're heartened that the game -- which is being produced by Id Software but developed by Splash Damage -- will be coming to both of the obvious new-gen systems despite John Carmack's rather outspoken feelings on the console wars. It should come as no surprise that there is no date for any of the releases, but we're sticking with Activision's guess of "before Christmas." %Gallery-1618%
Quake Wars confirmed for Xbox 360
Id Software confirmed today that Quake Wars: Enemy Territory will be arriving on the Xbox 360. The 360 version is being developed by Nerve Software, best known for their expansions to games like Doom 3 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Quake Wars sets players in an epic struggle between humanity and a malicious alien race known as the Strogg. The game will support up to 16 players and features strategic team play, deployable structures, and both land and air vehicles. Players can choose from five different classes and will enjoy persistent character promotions and plenty of online stat tracking. Quake Wars is expected as early as April 2007 for the PC; hopefully we won't be waiting too long for the 360 version. Keep in mind though, this is an id Software title, so "it's done when it's done®." [Thanks, DarkSaviour69]
Quake Wars by March 2008, as early as April '07
Activision's latest financial reports reveal that Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is now positioned in the broad release window of the "fiscal year 2008." While that could imply a major delay (as late as March 2008), it could also mean that Quake Wars is on schedule for an early, in this case April (2007) launch. A previous, but unconfirmed delay last year pushed the game's release from fall 2006 to spring 2007. An Activision spokesperson told Eurogamer that Quake Wars is expected before Christmas, adding ominously, but "it's an id Software title so it's done when it's done."
Quake Wars pushed back to 2007
The Strogg invasion originally planned for this holiday season has been postponed. Activision has confirmed that Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will not be shipping in 2006, which supports a comment made earlier this week by Splash Damage lead designer Paul Wedgewood. In a GameSpy developer diary, Wedgewood wrote, "Unfortunately, sometimes effort isn't all you need -- sometimes you just need more time. To ensure the quality we want, we've decided to push the release out of 2006 to allow for extended testing, feedback and game balancing." We were impressed with the Quake Wars LAN demo at this year's E3, so it should be pretty solid by the time it ships.
Hands on with Quake Wars: Enemy Territory
Activision had a huge LAN set up on their floor space showing off Quake Wars: Enemy Territory that let attendees get a taste of the multiplayer mayhem. Players assume the role of either the devious Strogg or the GDF. The campaign we played involved the Strogg going on the defensive and the GDF attempting to re-take the region that they've been contaminating.
New Enemy Territory: Quake Wars details
The creators of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory are hard at work on their next project, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, based on the upcoming Quake 4 game. The online tactical shooter will take advantage of both the Doom III engine and a new "megatexture" technology developed by John Carmack. With this new technology, the Splash Damage team will be able to render environmental terrain all the way out to the horizon and also assign different physical properties to the various types of terrain. For example, asphalt will be louder to walk on but offer better traction for land vehicles, while sand will make your footsteps quieter but at the same time will bog down vehicles. And don't expect every map to be located in the desert. Quake Wars is set to take place across Earth, so we should see some temperate and jungle environments in the mix. We'll keep you posted.
E3: Enemy Territory - Quake Wars is a sight to behold
Every developer makes their in-development game look better to the public than it actually is. The Killzone 2 discussion going on in the community right now is that the "gameplay" footage is questionable. Is the hardware really able to deliver that kind of gaming quality? If not, is it it false advertising? My bottom line is that all three consolers had a chance to put their best foot forward and Sony's stride was stronger. Even compared to MS' best cutscenes, Killzone is a killer. But there are other titles wowing the crowd now. Enemy Territory is one of them. The game clip is, once again, playing on an obscenely beautiful screen the size of my apartment. It stops you in your tracks in a room where everyone is trying to get you to stop in your tracks. The Quake spin-off is being developed by Splash Damage, using id's MegaTexture engine. It's a tactical shooter with 40 vehicles and enough character classes to kill your buds seven ways to Sunday. Details are a little sketchy right now. We all know that means it's early in development. Of course, that didn't keep them from releasing one of the true must-see clips of E3 2005.
