Start the game

Quick setup

A quick key config setup revealed a much more streamlined configuration screen - the game now asks for changes to be saved on "back" rather than requiring that changes be saved first. The console itself is now animated, with parallax circuit board textures and random displacement filters - a subtle touch that adds the "completeness" and polish of the game.

First opponent

The map itself is small and flat, divided into an outside courtyard and a corridor connecting it to the inner chamber. This is also the level where you'll see the famous gaping curve-surfaced maw, complete with undulating tongue and sharp fangs. The first opponent should be familiar to Quake 1 players, and is of course designed to be an easy opponent to beat.

Jan Paul - Bot man

Jan "Mr. Elusive" Paul, of Q2 Gladiator Bot fame, was brought on by id to help develop and fine-tune Q3A's bots for maximum life-like performance. The goal of creating a good bot is to make it indistinguishable from a real human player. Just like people, the bots are programmed to attack and retreat, miss occasionally, and in the case of Q3A, be quite chatty as well!

Moving on

The next match was another one on one. I had a little more trouble with this map, as there were more resources and a slightly more intricate level. This added up to more chances to run into the opponent in an open area, which is a situation you would rather not be in when facing a bot. Still, with a little camping, resource control, and ensuring that battles were only engaged with superiority in armor and position, I was able to get through without much difficulty. The rest of the first two tiers went similarly smoothly, and I was able to pass each level with no more than 2-3 attempts (basically taking the time to become familiarized with the level layout).

Don't come back now y'hear?

After playing halfway through the 3rd tier, we broke for lunch. Paul Jaquays said "take a LONG" lunch," as they were taking the information we gave them and recompiling bot skills and behaviors, and fixing the weapons-pickup bugs. We'd run through the first few tiers again afterwards. Food, Quake, Food, Quake...I could get used to this!