quake

This article appeared in Quake III Arena  This article appeared in real life  

“ Never before have the forces aligned. United by name and by cause, The Fallen, Pagans, Crusaders, Intruders, and Stroggs must channel their power into an allied operation where teamwork is the only method of mass destruction. Four distinct games test each troop's synthesis and strength to exacting degrees. Cooperation is the only course of action, and war, the only alternative. Soldiers once alone in their struggle, now face the Arena as one. ”

—id Software

Q3TA cover

Quake III: Team Arena, often abbreviated TA or Q3:TA, is the expansion pack for Quake III Arena. Team Arena was developed by id Software and published by Activision on December 18, 2000.

The Story

Little is known about the mysterious Vadrigar. Those who dare speak of them do so only in hushed tones and with dread in their voices. Ages past, they fashioned the diabolical Arena Eternal, populating it with the greatest warriors in the galaxy. While some suspect this was but the first step in a grand scheme envisioned by the Arena Masters, most believe they did so only to satisfy their love of carnage and fascination with chaos. Those imprisoned as gladiators in the Arena Eternal are generally too busy fighting for their lives to care one way or the other.

For uncounted centuries, battles have raged in the Arena as warriors from every corner of the universe were tempered in its deadly crucible. Now, without warning, their lives (and deaths) have been suddenly changed. Long accustomed to fending for themselves, trusting no one, and depending upon their own skills to remain alive, the accursed gladiators now find themselves grouped together and forced to compete in teams.

Again, the motives of the Vadrigar are unseen and unknown. The basic rule of life in the Arena Eternal remains unchanged, however. If someone or something other than a teammate gets in your sights, frag it before it frags you. If you can't tell whether someone's on your side or not, it's better to cauterize them and worry about it later.

Description

Team Arena focused on team multiplayer, as its name implies; it introduced new weapons, bots, maps and powerups, including the infamous Kamikaze and Invulnerability Shield.

The game has a Single Player mode as well - it does not have a Tier system and is more arcade-like. Players are free to play the maps in any order they prefer, and in any mode they like. After a map is finished, statistics (completion time, frags, accuracy, etc.) and any earned Medals are saved and displayed on the map selection screen. The statistics can be updated when the map is played again, especially if the player has improved his performance.

Players can choose which clan they belong to, as well as which clan will they be confronting as the enemy team.

Single Player also features a tournament mode, whose gameplay is like the original Quake III Arena: a 1-on-1 combat against a bot. Two new bots have been added specifically for this game mode - Pi and Fritzkrieg.

Both AI bots and player now have access to voice commands which are recorded reactions to use in teamplay.

New Content

Game Types

Maps

Main Article: Team Arena Maps

The expansion pack features 20 new maps belonging to several categories. There is a good variety, ranging from very small to absolutely huge maps, designed for very large teams and prolonged gameplay.

Environment

Bots

Tournament Mode
Clans

Main article: Team Arena Clans

All bots outside Tournament mode are members of the five clans that fight for dominance over the Arena. Each clan has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is up to the players to adjust their strategy accordingly.

Weapons

Powerups

Team Powerups

Runes always spawn within the team's home base. Once picked up, they last until the player dies and are not available for pickup by another player. Once the original holder is dead, the powerup will reappear and it can be picked up again - by the same player (after they respawn) or by another one. At teams bigger than four, power-up possession can be rather chaotic because of spawn rules of team power-ups. In Quake Live, Runes are kept in Arena CTF mode but their purpose and stats are altered to balance the gameplay.

Power-ups brought faster combat dependent on response times at the claustrophobic spaces and defensive gameplay at vast open areas. This also brought some randomness which player can not control in crowded team matches without pulling back teammates to observe the battle and report back. As a result, Team Arena can witness slow moving or fast-paced matches and rewards moving as a team with coordination.

Compilations

Team Arena is included in the compilation Quake III: Gold.

Gallery

Reception

The expansion received mixed to positive review as metacritic and gamerankings rated 69/100 and 73.98% respectively. The game was criticized for failing to be original, compared to the main game.[1][2]

Downloads

References

  1. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/quake-iii-team-arena
  2. ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/913843-quake-iii-team-arena/index.html

External links