Quake Live Blog

Hands-On Look

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:16:14 -0600

BigDownload has a good look at what you'll be doing if you happen to get into the game... just the kind of thing we've all been looking for! Includes screenshots of the various screens and whatnot.

Once your key bindings, character name, skin, and other settings are set to your liking, you're given the option to partake in a training session while the game continues its rather laborious installation. Quake III veterans will find themselves face-to-face with crash, the original game's first opponent. The opening tutorial, in which Crash introduces you to mysterious items such as weapons, health, ammo and armor, will be quite dull for anyone who has ever so much as touched an FPS. But what else are you going to do while the installation finishes? Run around, frag Crash, and wallow in your shallowness as your marvel at how sexy Quake Live looks.

Link: Hands-on: Quake Live - Big Download Blog

Using Your .cfg File in Quake Live

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:48:44 -0500

Here's a handy tech hint regarding using your existing .cfg file from Q3A in Quake Live. If only I could get in

Link: Quake Live and your config (.cfg) file | Plasma Burn ~ Technology. Gaming. Attitude. ~ Oklahoma's Own

id Interview

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:26:11 -0500

News from the Quake Live front being hard to come by for some reason, here's a brief mention of it from an interview over at 1up.com....

Yes. Well, the current Quake project is Quake Live, and we're actually doing that internally as well. But that's multiplayer-focused, obviously. In terms of what happens next with Quake, a lot of that will depend on how the reception for Quake Live goes and whether that team continues to invest in building that out. That would be what we're hoping for, and then [we'll] figure out where we go down the road with that.

The Quake Live team is smaller. We're still not fully fleshed out [with] three teams that can work on three projects simultaneously. Even then, then you've got Doom, Quake, Wolf, Rage -- it's like there's still an odd franchise out. Plus Enemy Territory, which would lend itself with working with an external party.

Link (to page 3): Interview with id's Tim Willits, Todd Hollenshead

You Have Taken The Lead!!!

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:16:30 -0500

Oh, yeah.... meeemorieees!!

Link: Quake Live Beta Footage!

"Brawling to our Browsers"

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:03:03 -0500

CVG has an interview with John Carmack on Quake Live

"Imagine if somebody gave you a copy of the original Q3A," suggests id Software co-founder John Carmack, "and asked you to come play with them online. You'd have to install it, download the latest patch, figure out what mods people are playing, figure out how to find the servers - that whole long rigmarole that the game conventionally requires. The whole point of Quake Live is to bypass all of that."

and a bit on mods in Quake Live

How will mods work with Quake Live?

JC:The answer is that, in the classic mod sense of being able to hack whatever you want, they don't. We've incorporated a lot of the things that have been popular in mods, we're working with mod teams on there, but it is essentially a controlled system. We're in no way shutting down the original Q3A scene, so anybody who wants to build things with the open-source code is still more than free to do so. That may even become a proving ground for moving things into Quake Live.

Check out the article....
Link: Interview: John Carmack - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

Disarm the Dynamite! ET-Live?

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:00:10 -0500

Considering that ET is based of the Q3A engine (right?) this seems like a no-brainer to me. If QL takes off, that is.

"If [Quake Live] is successful, we've tossed around the idea of taking the Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory game - which was actually always more popular than Q3A in the online space - and doing a similar treatment to it with the experience we've gained here," Carmack told PC Zone.

I still play ET. And I like it. :p It's either going to be "We've got the gold!" or "We've lost the radar parts!" for this one!!!

Link: PC News: Carmack considers Wolfenstein: ET Live - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

Quake Live In-Game Videos

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:55:34 -0500

Wow. Looks faster and more frenetic than the original Q3A!!! Check out these videos.

The "scope" of the viewport seems significantly wider to me, like its through a wide-angle lens or something.

Link: http://www.quakeunity.com/browse=subcat&sid=125

Another Quake Live Preview

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:33:37 -0500

Gamespot has a preview of Quake Live, straight outta QuakeCON (no I'm not there :p)

Some interesting new tidbits, including more on how the in-game ads and possible tie-ins and sponsorships might work....

Sponsors will also host contests and special events that will translate into real-world prizes for Quake Live players. We already see plenty of sponsored contests on Xbox Live, and they are only going to increase. And if you love prizes and competition, that's a good thing. Finally, sponsors may decide to offer free skins of their products for you to use to customize your avatar. Who knows where that could lead… Quake Live teams with sponsored colors, just like we see in professional soccer and stock car racing? Just maybe.

So is id once more on the "inventing" track? This sounds like a way cool idea, and it just might work. Professional clans and all!

Link: GameSpot Preview Blog - Gaming News and Videos

Quake Zero Name Ditched Because of Squatter

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:10:39 -0500

Nice. Glad they didn't just play the squatter's game....

"They offered us a considered buyout option for it," added Carmack. "We just decided heck, we're only a few months into development of this, we'll just change the name."

Link: Quake Zero Name Changed Due to Domain Squatter - Shacknews

Enemy Territory Live?

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:08:47 -0500

I'm all for it. I'm actually (well not so much lately due to time) a huge Enemy Territory fan.

"If Quake Live is successful, the next thing that we might look at is Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory," said Carmack, "but it's hard to see how we'd do the same treatment of it."

Wolfenstein's World War II setting was cited as the main reason behind the company's hesitation.

"You're running around fighting the Nazis and there's a billboard with [an advertisement] on it," said Carmack, noting the awkward nature of combining Nazis and Coke ads.

LOL. Yeah, I could see that being an issue. Although ET doesn't actually have any concrete Nazi references, at least in stock form, but yeah.

Link: Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Likely Not Getting the Quake Live Treatment, Says Carmack - Shacknews

Future Quake Standalone Titles Ride on Quake Live

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:57:59 -0500

Given the market for multiplayer shooters at the moment, I don't know that there's room for another kick-ass graphics intensive id title. I mean, Quake basically invented it, but could a new title survive?

"The door is not completely shut for another Quake project, and I'd say probably the success of Quake Live is going to determine whether or not we do another Quake Arena project," said Carmack.

The way I see it, Quake Live's success depends on it being free and freely accessible...

Link: Blue's News: News Comments

Quake Live Trailer!

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:46:12 -0500

I leave the rest up to your imagination!!

New Screenshots!

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:43:54 -0500

What else is there to say? Borrowed from IGN, see link below...

Link: IGN: Quake Live Screenshots, Wallpapers and Pics

Quake Live, Premium Edition?

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:41:09 -0500

Not just yet, if Carmack has any say in it, but he's not ruling it out in the future. I think it'd probably fly. Maybe not for Quake Live, but something to go forward with for future "web based" titles no doubt.

"I do think there's definitely room for a premium service but we don't have any firm ideas on what that might entail and we're definitely not rolling out with it. It may even just be the type of thing where for a few bucks you're just in a different group that can select into sets of games that people who aren't premium players don't come into. We'll just have to see how the community sorts itself out. One of my early fears about there being crickets chirping when this came out has already been allayed by the fact that we have over 100,000 people signed up for the beta right now."

Link: IGN: id Software Talks Quake Live

Hollenshead on Doom IV, Tech 5 Engine

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:38:14 -0500

id's CEO Todd Hollenshead talks a bit about the new "Tech 5" engine they're developing for D-IV. Doubtless you'll need a super-yet-undeveloped graphics card to pull it off! lol.

OK so there's nil about Quake Live, but its still an interesting read.

Link: Kikizo | Interview: id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead on Rage, id Tech 5 and more

Frantic and Free

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:34:44 -0500

I'm out of it for a couple of days and look what happens! Sheesh! Gamespy got a sitdown with Carmack and they talk at length (5 pages) about Quake Live....

The game itself, once you get inside it, is not drastically changed from the original, although it's been brought up to a modern level of quality without changing the core rendering engine in any particular way. But what you do is, you go to the website, it's just a couple of clicks, it automatically happens, it brings the game down, you don't have to go off and install anything, update any drivers, this kind of stuff, you click on it, just like you would a Java or Flash game, but it is actually a full native game that was state-of-the-art AAA when it was released with a full development team going at it rather than a more amateur small-time development system on there.

This and so much more... Check it out....

Link: GameSpy: Quake Live: Frantic and Free

Quake Live Tourneys at QuakeCon!

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:44:42 -0500

Damn my day job! Looks like Quake Live will get a grand sendoff at QuakeCon, with a series of full-blown tournaments....

The Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships
QuakeCon 2008 will mark the debut of the first-ever Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships pro tournament. QUAKE LIVE is id Software’s new game created to deliver the excitement and energy of a first-person multiplayer game to a broader audience through a free and easily accessible browser-based experience. The Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships will feature a classic $12,500 One Versus One tournament along with a $12,500 Capture the Flag Team Tournament.

Be sure to let us chained masses know how it turns out!

Link: id Software

E3 Debut for Quake Live?

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:29:42 -0500

Here's an interesting rumor or two. Could Quake Live be that far along that they'll show it off at E3 later this month? And what of the rumors of a new Wolfenstein title?! I'll bet they get more exposure at QuakeCon....

As we know from id's previous comments on the subject, the new Wolfenstein game is a collaboration between the Texas-based series creator and long-time partner Raven.

The GTTV press release also mentions that Quake Live will be shown at E3, potentially giving us our first proper look at the free-to-play web-distributed Quake 3 Arena shooter. Id Software hasn't commented on either report yet.

However, while both games could well be at E3, it's more likely that they will be shown properly at id's annual QuakeCon shindig in Dallas at the end of the month. That's where the company unveiled Rage and Quake Live (then Quake Zero) last year, despite a heavy presence to showcase id Tech 5 at E3 a few weeks previously.

Link: Wolfenstein and Quake Live at E3? News // PC /// Eurogamer

The End of Piracy?

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:06:50 -0500

Yeah, we've heard this before, but I suppose, if there's nothing to pirate, its sort of QED.

FTA: blahblah...

Perry's idea is already in the beginning stages of appearing in the West; EA's Battlefield Heroes is set to release as a totally free download, and id is currently beta testing Quake Live, which is fully funded by in-game advertising.

I think this model will work in the long run, but it'll take some getting used to.

Link: News: Free games will beat piracy, says Perry - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

John Carmack on Quake Live

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:55:00 -0500

The meat is starting to come to the table. I'm psyched. Interesting how many people he thinks are going to play the game. Count me in.

Also of note is the 'matching' system they're talking about. I know as a Q3A n00b it was a steep learning curve getting on a server and getting thrashed almost instantly.... Hopefully this will give the new guys a chance!

It’s completely free - there aren’t any micro-transactions. Quake Live is completely ad-supported on the web browser pages and [through] in-game advertising. Of course, this is speculative - we’re going to have to see how this works out. Early on, we were tossing around two different orders of magnitudes - anywhere from 50,000 to 5 million people playing. We have no idea where it is going to be in there. The fact that 70,000 people have signed up in a week means that we’re going to be looking at hundreds of thousands of players, if not millions. We hope that that can be a sustained critical mass of a community that can play this type of game, and be self-supporting.

Quake III Arena was always my personal favorite id Software game. It’s such a pure activity kind of game - more of a sport than a movie. And I’m excited to have this opportunity to bring back the pure type of gaming as opposed to the “everything and the kitchen sink” modern design. We have no pretensions about it being the best multiplayer game in all types of things, but for any player looking to test their [deathmatch] skill, I think Quake III Arena is the best there ever was.

Link: Carmack frees Quake | GamesRadar

Quake Live Press Release

nospam@example.com (RIP) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Here it is! The thing that's getting it all started! I can't wait. NOW.

More to follow.

IGA Worldwide Partners with id Software on Forthcoming QUAKE LIVE title

IGA Selected Exclusive Provider of Advertiser Sponsorships; In-Game Brand Integration Opportunities within Revolutionary QUAKE LIVE Portal

San Francisco, CA- February 19, 2008 -IGA Worldwide Inc., the leading independent in-game advertising network announced today from the 2008 Game Developer Conference that it has partnered with id Software to manage all advertising, sponsorship and creative branding opportunities within the forthcoming QUAKE LIVE web site and free-to-play version of the popular QUAKE Arena multiplayer action games.

Created by id Software as an all-new way to deliver the excitement and energy of first-person multiplayer action to a broader audience than ever before, QUAKE LIVE offers game players of all skill levels a totally free and easily accessible multiplayer game and community through a single website at quakelive.com. Every element of the experience, including friends lists and communication, sponsored events and tournaments, matchmaking, stats tracking, and even the game itself is accessed and delivered free of charge through the web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, QUAKE LIVE will offer companies and agencies fresh opportunities to dynamically-target brands to audiences within a broadly accessible version of one of the world's premiere game franchises, while also offering gamers a totally free premium game, fun events and a vibrant, active community of other players.

"IGA understands game developers and game players which makes them the perfect partner for QUAKE LIVE. Whether it's been the ease of implementing their SDK or just their excitement about QUAKE LIVE, they have been fantastic to work with," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. "As we work to bring QUAKE-style deathmatch excitement to the masses, IGA has fully supported our vision."

"id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."

IGA predicts more progressive game publishers like id will create what the company has coined "freemium," or free-to-play premium games based on their most popular titles in order to attract new audiences and open new revenue advertising revenue streams. A recent eMarketer forecast estimated the current video game advertising market to exceed $502MM and is expected to grow 23 percent year-over-year over the next five years.

About IGA Worldwide
IGA Worldwide, Inc. is the market-leading in-game advertising network offering brands and agencies a single point of access to an exclusive range of opportunities within the world's premium videogame franchises. IGA's proprietary Radial NetworkSM enables advertisers to dynamically-target over 15 million uniquely engaged consumers and has successfully delivered campaigns for brands such as Intel, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nokia, Gillette and Unilever. IGA also provides brands with customized branding solutions including integrated product placement and co promotion. IGA Worldwide is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Los Angeles, Connecticut and Berlin.
For more information please visit www.igaworldwide.com.

About id Software
id – defined by Freud as the primal section of the human psyche; id Software, located in Mesquite, Texas, was founded in 1991. From inception to present day, id Software has relentlessly provided technical, design and artistic leadership as an independent game developer and technology provider. Transcending the games industry, id’s iconic brands such as Wolfenstein, DOOM, QUAKE and Enemy Territory have become staples of popular culture for generations of gamers. More information on id Software can be found at www.idsoftware.com.

Link: id Software: Press