We did Tribes Ascend the other day, and it got me thinking of doing another game in that vein. What vein? The ole' classic-arcade-shooter-reimagined-for-a-modern-audience vein. Yes, that vein.
And Quake is definitely one of the classics. We're talking OG here. π This reimagination has not brought back the fan fair id was expecting. And while the game is not dead like Tribes, it's not that far removed. π
And soβοΈ In this edition of Through the Lens π, we'll be looking at id Software's revival of a classic PC shooter from 2017 (oops, I, did it again): Quake Champions, Roll it! π½
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πΆ UP TOP πΆ
The soundtrack this time around is pretty good. I'd say it fits the atmosphere and tone of the game perfectly. I'd also say it's perfect for when you're going to the gym. πͺ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-zi-buMaA0
I've been playing Quake since I was but a wee lad playing video games in internet cafes with my friends. π Damn, I miss those times. World was a lot simpler then... Oh! Sorry I spaced out there for a second. I was playing Quake 3 back then, yes.
So I've been playing Quake on and off for almost my entire life. I am familiar with the franchise and I honestly love it to bits. If DOOM is my preferred single-player arcade shooter, Quake would have to be the multiplayer (I'd say Tribes but Tribes is dead so... π)
Needless to say when Champions was first announced I was all over that. π―
Let's explore what worked and what didn't shall we?
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πΆ THE PREMISE πΆ
When Quake Champions was being developed the Hero Shooter genre was taking off (think Overwatch, Paladins). So id had the bright idea of taking Quake's core mechanics and implementing them with abilities and such. π€·ββοΈ People at the time were opposed to this, but I had no problem with the idea itself. Seemed like a perfectly reasonable mash-up of genres.
id is a legendary game studio. One of the founding fathers of PC gaming. And their track record, although shaky at times, has remained consistent over two decades. I had faith they would pull it off.
And for the most part, they did. Each character had one special ability along with some passives that made them stand out from the rest. π« This ability had to be charged up to use (like Overwatch ultimates) and they usually led to a kill.
The passives were also mostly movement based. Like Tribes, Quake has always put an emphasis on movement. Champions tried to give the player more options and variance in the type of movement they could perform (i.e. not just bunny-hopping).
So far so good, eh?
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πΆ STILL QUAKE πΆ
I know some of you'd think that they messed up the DNA of the game or something, but no... they actually stuck pretty close to Quake. It is the same studio after all, so at least they got that right. π
One thing about Quake that thankfully has more or less stayed the same is the map design. Quake, like DOOM, has always put an emphasis on exploration. Watching pro Quake gameplay is like watching a dance where two combatants fly around the map in perfect timings to pick up all the... well, pic-ups, leading to the eventual firefight. Rince and repeat.
Granted, there are fewer pick-ups in Champions. id said this was to simplify the gameplay for newer audiences. And, again, I think they pulled this off. A new pick-up that was added was the hourglasses, which sped up the unlocking of your ability.
The maps were also faithfully recreated. And the new maps weren't bad either. So the map department was a β . The movement, although different in some classes, was by in large kept the same. The skill expression was still there. So, the movement was a β .
So if they nailed what makes Quake, Quake. What went wrong?
Weeeeelllll...
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πΆ MATCHMAKING πΆ
The matchmaking is the biggest problem here, but there is also a slight side-mention that I'm going to throw in here.
The monetization model, although fair, never really fits the game. It just felt like you never really earned anything. And to get a skin for a weapon was so troublesome and gritty. This isn't that big of a problem, hence it's not getting its own section, but it was still an issue at the end of the day.
But now to the real culprit: Matchmaking! π±
Quake is a game more than 20 years old, and since most of the core mechanics have largely remained intact the skill gap between the noobs and experienced players is MASSIVE. π©
So much so, that you can't even see the enemy before they kill you. I dunno if Quake even has any matchmaking, since it will put a player that is fresh and new to the game against someone with over 10k hours of playtime. Does that sound fair or fun? Because it is the most despairing thing imaginable. π
They never addressed this. Either because the player base was too small and this mix of noobs and pros was necessary to even find a match. Or... I dunno that's all I got. Regardless, those that were interested in the game quickly found out that getting repeatedly fragged for their entire life was not fun. So, of course, they quit.
This in combination with the fact that Quake is a hard game in general just led to an ever-shrinking player base. And while the game is still active today, good luck finding a balanced match. π
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πΆ LEGACY πΆ
So this is two-fold:
- Quake's legacy is unquestionable. It's up there with DOOM as the two fathers of FPS gaming (you might put Wolfenstein in there as well and I wouldn't argue with you).
- Quake Champions' fate is still to be determined. It's not looking good right now but, who knows, a comeback might be on the horizon. Stranger things have happened.
It also doesn't help that the game was 5 years in early access. π Only exited last year. So there's that. I take it id is not allocating many resources to the game. Most likely it has a small team behind it and that's fine.
But the potential is there, and I think we can all agree that Quake deserves it. π―
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) πππ
Shout-out to the πPIZZAπ gang, π€ gang. π€
I guess we're doing arcade/hero shooters now. π Have any of you played Quake Champions? What did you think of it?
I really enjoy this game, it's just I hate getting my face mashed every time I try and play it. Bad players where are you?
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Hope you are having an amazing day! Cheers! π
Return from Quake Champions π½ Through the Lens to ΠΠΎΡΠΊΠΎ's Web3 Blog
