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Carmack fighting with Jobs about gaming on the Mac
Despite what Jobs told us at WWDC earlier this year, Apple isn't as committed to gaming as they'd want us to think. GamedailyBIZ has an interview up with id software's John Carmack (makers of Quake and the new Rage, set to premiere simultaneously on Mac and PC), and he says that he and Jobs have had arguments about gaming on the Mac, including a "...fairly heated argument" at WWDC.Carmack says he would love to develop on the Mac-- and who wouldn't-- but that the problem is that Apple just doesn't care. Carmack mentions the iPhone as a platform he'd love to see some great games on as well, but points to the iPod as a place where Apple failed gaming-- they made developers work on an emulator, and there were many "horrible decisions."As Carmack says, you can't exactly fault Apple for their choices. From a business perspective, they are going gangbusters. But with Jobs' feelings on this coming to light, we must look past specific developers, and Apple themselves-- why are Jobs and his company so opposed to solid game development on their platform?[Via IMG]
id confirms Quake Arena DS
The rumored project from id got a little more possible last week, when husband and wife super-duo John Carmack and Anna Kang commented to Wired that they'd been planning on bringing Wolfenstein to the DS and would like to do the same with Quake Arena (as well as bringing Orcs & Elves to the Wii). Now, it's been confirmed that Quake Arena DS is happening.Carmack commented that Quake Arena DS would not be made for mobile and DS together, stating "...we're currently looking at potentially two more DS titles in the next year a Wolfenstein title and a Quake Arena title. Wolfenstein 1 being done in concert with a mobile title, the Quake Arena title would be DS specific." He also wants to assure us that the game won't just be another sloppy port and will maximize the handheld's unique features. "We're never going to try and cram a square peg into a round hole with this." He went on further to say "That's kind of our whole theory behind the mobile stuff, is, we're going to do things that work well on mobile, rather than try to do the things that we're historically known for and push it onto mobile."We're excited, believe us, but if this game doesn't have Wi-Fi Connect support, we're not sure it could work.[Via AMN]
Why no horror genre?
I'm not currently aware of any horror-themed MMOs, and it made me wonder why. Think about how immersive and creepy a Silent Hill-esque MMO might be, where perhaps your field of vision is narrowed, with graphics outside of the cone murky and nebulous. Your only real notification that there's an enemy nearby being your trusty radio's static. The feeling of isolation and madness in a world you only dimly comprehend.But maybe that's the problem. A lot of what horror is depends on the singular experience, despite those movies that feature a gaggle of teenagers getting dismantled in various gruesome ways. Like Silent Hill, or Resident Evil, or even Quake to a certain extent, true horror depends on getting under your skin, establishing a rapport with the player one-on-one. This experience can only be diluted by online MMO play, where you have the companionship of other players, even if only peripherally. Consider also that the main feeling associated with an MMO is that of heroism, of being the One Who Makes a Difference. In horror titles, the prevailing feeling tends more toward survival, or perhaps discovery/enlightenment, where you attempt to solve a mystery. Horror requires a resolution, and it typically cannot be replayed -- once you've seen the monster under the sheet, it no longer holds dread for you. I guess we can write this genre off, then. What's next, the Western? Hmm ... lemme think about it.
Quake Wars patch to add voice, better balance
Though they've just delivered what, by all accounts, is an extremely solid shooter in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, developer Splash Damage hasn't taken much time for themselves. For that is the horrifying double-edged sword of video game success, your fans may be legion, but they are also voracious. They are like vampires that crave content, and can be slowed in their advances only by nerfs. For now, Splash Damage is satiating the hoard with patch 1.2. In addition to balancing issues you'd expect to be fixed, the patch will also bring some user interface improvements and improve bots. Also, you can look forward to full voice support, so you'll finally be able to tell if "PrincessTeddyRainbow" you've been fighting alongside is a Hot Lips or a Klinger.
GameStop inserts Mario in Quake Wars
What better way to ring in your Wednesday morning than with a little "Fun With Copy Editing Errors"? A listing for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on GameStop's home page says that players of the game will get to "Duke it out with characters from your favorite Nintendo games, Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikachu and more!" You can allow yourself a bit of fan fiction day dreaming before you realized that somebody probably screwed up. It's not the end of the world, but you have to admit it's good for a laugh. This entry might be gone by the time you click your way to GameStop's front page, but thankfully it's saved here in digital amber for you and your grandkids to enjoy. [Thanks, dg10050]
Quake Wars demo now available
Admit it: Releasing a big multiplayer shooter a few days after Halo 3 is just plain scrappy, and it's the kind of scrappy that calls for a sports movie analogy. If late September were a movie, we'd like to imagine that it would be The Mighty Ducks. We see Halo 3 as "The Hawks," strong and confident, while Quake Wars is the Ducks, short on hype, but big on heart. Continuing our analogy, the newly released demo for Quake Wars could be the game that the team wins to clench their slot in the playoffs that gives Emilio Estevez the opportunity to start hitting on Charlie's mom. It could also be the game after Emilio is fired from his lawfirm and the team is so demoralized that they get beaten to a pulp. You can only find out by playing. We admit that the big game between Quake Wars (Ducks) and Halo 3 (Hawks) won't actually have much gravitas, what with them being on different consoles. But as long-time Quake fans, it would warm our hearts to see them pull out a triple deke.
Quake ported to select Nokia Series 60 handsets
Some gaming fun that isn't N-Gage has appeared for our S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 friends today, Quake is here and judging by the vid, is looking great. User ohinkka over at allaboutsymbian.com forums has posted the goodies -- including the source -- for any die hard fans to get their hands on and all ya need to get it going is the data files from the original game. While we doubt the controls are fantastic out the gate, if nothing else, the novelty factor will be enough to see this installed on a pile of handsets. So now if somebody can get the multiplayer working, we're in for a treat for sure. Continue reading to see the vid of the game in action.[Thanks, Luca]
Quake Wars demo due this month
When id Software and Splash Damage announced that work had finished on Quake Wars: Enemy Territory, they mentioned another nugget we thought you might be interested in. Splash Damage is currently working on a demo that's planned for release in mid-September. With the full game releasing in late September/early October (depending on where you live) that means you have around two weeks to assess the game before you make your purchasing decision. It also will allow you valuable time to ponder why anyone would start a war during a quake. Doesn't that seem like the worst possible time? Isn't that a time for understanding? [Via CVG]
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars shines gold
Not to be outdone by another prominent first-person shooter with a new metallic finish, id Software's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars has gone gold. According to the press release, the game will invade Europe and Australia first on September 28, followed by North America four days later (October 2). Though not mentioned, we're expecting the game to also be released via Steam much like the rest of id's catalog. No word on its impending release for Mac (being handled by Aspyr), Xbox 360 (Nerve Software) or the PlayStation 3 (Activision Foster City). %Gallery-1618%
Quake Arena to rock the DS?
John Carmack may have released quite a big cat from quite a big bag at QuakeCon. He made comments in regards to a version of Quake Arena making its way to the DS during his keynote. He also said that, should it happen, he'd want a different control scheme than you may initially expect.Unlike the touch-screen input of Metroid Prime Hunters, Carmack voiced his opinion that a d-pad, restricted movement control scheme like that of Doom would be better-suited to the title. Personally, if this were even to happen, we'd prefer the touch-screen controls, as they more closely resemble the mouse and keyboard. Of course, Carmack's intent to put the game on the DS isn't anything new, but it's certainly a bit more plausible now, if we may say so.
QuakeCon 2007 keynote recap
Even though we couldn't liveblog the QuakeCon keynote, that didn't mean we weren't taking notes. It's Sunday, the final day of this giant BYOC (bring-your-own-computer) LAN party organized by volunteers right in id's backyard: Dallas, TX. Want to see how things went down on Friday night, when they announced Rage, their first game built using the id Tech 5 engine? Or how about the status of the next Wolfenstein game (hint: they're making one). Or how about John Carmack's thoughts on cell phone game development (if anyone can get us excited ...).6:10pm - We're all filing in.6:17pm - Todd Hollenshead takes the stage. Sponsor thanks; QuakeCon 2008 date is already set! (July 31 - August 3, 2008). He announces that the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars beta is open to all attendees both at the BYOC LAN, and as a downloadable beta once you get home. (The crowd goes wild). An October 2nd ship date is already set for ET: QW so mark those calendars. 6:24pm - OMG! Wolfenstein news! A new game is in development! ... and that's it. We already knew that much. No other news, just the teaser. Thanks for nothing, id!%Gallery-5531%
Quake Zero announced: Free browser-based Quake 3
During its QuakeCon 2007 press conference, id Software announced plans to form a second development team tasked with creating Quake Zero, an updated, possibly sugar-free version of Quake 3: Arena. The 'Zero' in the title refers to the game's price tag -- it'll be made available for free (supported by advertising dollars, natch) and playable in web browsers for PC and Mac, reports Shacknews. Said id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead, "We appreciate what you guys have done over the years in building the popularity of [Quake 3]. "We also like 'free.'" We'll keep you informed as to when you can expect to play Quake Free, er, Zero.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars coming Sept 28 to Europe, Oct 2 to North America
The PC version of id Software's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is coming to Europe on Friday, September 28 and to North America on Tuesday, October 2, according to an announcement made at Quakecon. The public beta is still going strong, but the final product is now just two months away. Though previously announced that the game is also coming to home consoles, no details or information have been given. We wonder if this will be made available on Steam. %Gallery-1618%
Joystiq interviews id Software's Todd Hollenshead
Just minutes before he takes the stage, along with John Carmack, to deliver the QuakeCon keynote address, we bring you our E3 interview with Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. We had a chance to ask him about id Tech 5 and id's future in engine licensing, that new IP they keep talking about (and will be showing off any minute now), the Games for Windows initiative, their announcement of a Nintendo DS game, and more. You guys have been laying low for a while. Laying low, but busy. I'm quite certain. At WWDC you guys come back out swinging, and I'd like to find out what your goal was there. Probably a good discussion of that would start with all of the projects that we're working on that are sort of announced just so you get up to speed. And I think some of these things, people forget this is actually id working on this stuff. You guys are working with Splash Damage and Nerve over here and then you've got ... That stuff is all going on at id too, because we have internal resources that are devoted to that. For example, the guy who is programming all of the AI bot work for PC, 360, and PS3 is actually an id employee and he's devoted full time to the project. Of course, Kevin McCloud is the executive producer for id so he's overseeing not only the Splash Damage work but also others. So there's a significant amount of id effort that goes into a project like Enemy Territory because we're working hand in hand with all of the developers, and Activision trying to coordinate stuff. It's resources and managerial? Managerial? I guess it depends on how you define that word. It's design input, it's working with Activision and Splash Damage to make sure the workflow stuff that is set up is something we think is achievable and doable and is working towards the right direction. So, yeah, there is a lot of what ends up being management but not like what I would call production management work. Nobody is sitting down and going, "I've got twenty people and this person is working this many hours on this little thing and he needs to be done with that by Thursday at noon."
John Carmack continues to eyeball the DS, considers Quake-style game
After some waffling and then an announcement (as well as a recent re-announcement) of the mobile game Orcs & Elves headed DS-ward, programmer and co-founder of id Software John Carmack is toying with yet another idea for the handheld: a Quake Arena-style game. Carmack offered the system some backhanded compliments while discussing his work on Orcs & Elves, saying that he loved working on the system, but that he noticed a few of what he termed "rookie mistakes." We can only guess that he is talking about issues that came up with the newer features of the DS, because we're pretty sure that Nintendo knows a thing or two about handhelds by now. However, Carmack must have enjoyed himself, because now he's toying with this new idea of a Quake game on the dual screens, so we'll keep an eye out and see what develops.
Joystiq impressions: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
I have a confession to make ... I didn't know that much about Enemy Territory: Quake Wars going into this. I'd heard of the title and knew that it wasn't your normal entry in the Quake series, meaning that it's not the typical first-person shooter where your goal is to run around looking for bigger and better weapons while fragging the enemy back through the gates of Hell. Instead you'll be building those weapons, like turrets and anti-aircraft guns, ordering your teammates to repair your vehicles, and generally trying not to get killed. Just be prepared to fail at that ... a lot. In fact, imagine yourself failing at staying alive, and then multiply that by a lot. At least you'll be mentally prepared. %Gallery-1618%
Video: killing some Strogg in Quake Wars
This new Quake Wars video came across the proverbial desk this weekend. Unfortunately, it was at the bottom of the virtual "IN" pile, so we've only now just gotten to it. News about the title has been fairly scant so far, so we're happy to take what we can get. The video is taken from the PC public beta that's going on right now. The game looks decent, though we wish there was more weapon variety present in the video. What do you think? Does Quake Wars stand a chance against the likes of Halo 3 and Team Fortress 2?
Today's shootingest video: Quake Wars
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is one of the next big shooters from Id, and GameTrailers shows some in-game multiplayer footage. We've seen better demos of the game, but this video gives an idea for some of the gameplay and style of the title, just in time for the public beta. Is Quake Wars on your FPS radar? See the video after the break, or view the HD version if unimpressed with the embedded clip.
Quake Wars enters the in-game ad wars
Splash Damage has announced that Quake Wars will feature in-game ads. The reasoning behind this decision, according to Managing Director, Neil Postlethwaite, is that Quake Wars will require ongoing support for things like stats servers, and Splash Damage doesn't want to pass that cost onto gamers. Postlethwaite assures readers that the ads will not be intrusive or interactive in any way. What's more, they will be appropriate to the game and all ads must be approved directly by Splash Damage. In-game advertising is still fairly new, and opinions toward it vary wildly, but we're glad to see Splash Damage taking care not to ruin its game. Hopefully they make good on their promise. Oh, and if you happen to be part of the PC beta, then you'll be among the first to see the ads in action. [Via Joystiq]
Quake Wars to have in-game ads
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars producer Neil Postlethwaite has announced on the community site that the upcoming game will feature in-game advertisement. The ad revenue is to help the developers to "provide a higher level of on-going support to the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars community than would have been possible otherwise," he said. Postlethwaite explains that the ads will be appropriate in content and placement (e.g. the side of container trucks), non-intrusive and non-interactive. The developers have absolute approval rights. "If it's not appropriate or it's distracting, it won't go in," he said. No personal data will be collected. "All they track is if an how long you look at the advertisements." Since we've yet to see any in-game ads in the screenshots, we don't know how well developer Splash Damage will implement them. However, that Postlethwaite is being open about the process is always appreciated, and he keeps to his word and it does mean more substantial support (e.g. free content packs in the future), it doesn't sound like a bad trade-off to us. The first sign of the advertisements will be seen in the upcoming public beta.
