Q3Arena.com - The Ultimate Quake III Site

Carmack contributed a post on Slashdot earlier entitled Dave 'Zoid' Kirsch Leaving id Software. Carmack's post discusses the reasons behind Zoid's departure; "I had talked with Zoid about it a few times over the years, and I think he is making a pretty good decision," and "We are parting on the best of terms (leaving right AFTER a project completes is the considerate way to go)." Check out the post for complete details!

Dave "Zoid" Kirsch, author of Threewave CTF for Quake, Quake II, Quake III: Arena and contract programmer for id Software announced today that he will be leaving to start a new job elsewhere in the entertainment industry. Here's the 411:

In September of 1996, I made a small modification to the popular id Software game Quake and called it ThreeWave Capture the Flag. That simple modification grew into the last three and a half years of working with id Software and the Quake community. The job that id Software gave me over this period has been very rewarding. It has also been a lot of fun. I have enjoyed watching the community grow. I was also overwhelmed at having been able to work on a series of some of the most amazing games ever created. But, like all good things, it must come to an end.

I feel that I have learned a lot in my time with id, but I find myself looking for new challenges. I have decided that in order to pursue them, I must leave my association with id Software. Having done so, I plan on exploring new opportunities.

My contract with id terminates at the end of this month (Feb). My zoid@idsoftware.com address will probably stop forwarding to my permanent address shortly after that. My permanent address is zoid@threewave.com for people that wish to reach me.

I would like to thank id Software (and especially John Carmack) for giving me such great opportunities, and allowing me to work with all the talented people there. I am going to miss it.

In March, I will begin a new position at Retro Studios, http://www.retrostudios.com/. I look forward to joining the team there and working on some exciting new projects.

So long and thanks for all the captures.

Quake3mods.net has posted a review of the Fists of Fury mod on their website. The review covers details such as powerup and certain aspects of gameplay. Check it out here.

The folks over at Fragstomp sent word that they have released the source code for Reload Be Gone! and Bloodlust. "Several folks have asked for it, and there's no reason at all to keep it under wraps." Be sure to check it out!

Visually Enhanced Software has redesigned their site and released two pics in celebration. They are also looking for help. If you have any expertise in modeling, skinning, making textures, programming etc., they would be happy to hear from you.

Q3Seek.com has interviewed big0nes, one of the mappers behind Rocket Arena 3. He provides some insight into the mod, some mapping guidelines for game editors and some details about himself. Check it out by clicking here.

Q_Check v1.5.0 has been released for download. The script now features a snazzy GUI and has many new features -- a number of which are the result of user requests. Q_Check is a highly configurable Auto Away plugin for mIRC that can detect when a user joins a game server (Quake III: Arena, Unreal Tournament, Half Life, Quake2, etc.) via GameSpy. The plugin will automatically set the user away and announce the name and IP address of the server.

Z-Axis has two new Quake III: Arena CTF map reviews up. The first review is The Goblin Stronghold by Undead Demon -- a first-try map submission by this author. The second review is Schadenfreude CTF by Cornelius.

John Carmack updated his .plan today in response to QuakeLives Quake 1 project's decision of not releasing his source code, which is a violation of the GPL license (which the game was released under). Here's the update:

This is a public statement that is also being sent directly to Slade at QuakeLives regarding http://www.quakelives.com/main/ql.cgi?section=dlagreement&file=qwcl-win32/

I see both sides of this. Your goals are positive, and I understand the issues and the difficulties that your project has to work under because of the GPL. I have also seen some GPL zealots acting petty and immature towards you very early on (while it is within everyone's rights to DEMAND code under the GPL, it isn't necessarily the best attitude to take), which probably colors some of your views on the subject.

We discussed several possible legal solutions to the issues.

This isn't one of them.

While I doubt your "give up your rights" click through would hold up in court, I am positive that you are required to give the source to anyone that asks for it that got a binary from someone else. This doesn't provide the obscurity needed for a gaming level of security.

I cut you a lot of slack because I honestly thought you intended to properly follow through with the requirements of the GPL, and you were just trying to get something fun out ASAP. It looks like I was wrong.

If you can't stand to work under the GPL, you should release the code to your last binary and give up your project. I would prefer that you continue your work, but abide by the GPL. If necessary, I will pay whatever lawyer the Free Software Foundation reccomends to pursue this.

Robert Duffy updated his .plan today announcing the release of v1.16j of the point release beta. The Win32, Linux, and Mac versions are available for download from id Software's FTP site. Here's the scoop:

New executables for the point release beta are on the FTP.

-Zombie/Ghost unpure clients no longer remain connected.
-Recursive File System error corrected when running mods with logfile set to 1
-The Auto-download rate is controlled by 'sv_maxRate', specify this value in bytes per second. The maximum band rate caps out around 25K per second.

Fists of Fury Version 0.98 for Quake III: Arena has been released for download. This release includes a new custom HUD, kamikaze death, and a functional jump kick. The gauntlet grapple was removed.

Q3Arena.com is looking for a few good people to help with the everyday operations of our site. We are looking for news updaters with previous experience or knowledge of the field, and Q3A enthusiasts to assist in our gaming sections. News updaters must be available everyday and able to update from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern. If you are interested, please e-mail bomb@q3arena.com.

The third and final public beta for Equilibrium has been released. The new version contains a lot of changes and is almost feature-complete, there is a full list of changes and running instructions on the Equilibrium website.

Robert Duffy updated his .plan today with some details on the recently released point release. Here's a small clip of what he said:

Point Release Stuff

There was a lot of new functionality added in the latest point release, primarily centered around mod development support. We are still sifting through all the feedback e-mail but here are some problems and solutions based on what we have found so far.

1. If you are are not seeing the new "Mods" menu, it is likely that you are running something that replaces the UI. ArenaSpy and several other mods have their own UI DLL's or QVM's so you will not be able to see the point release UI. This can be remedied by removing any extra UI mods. This can also cause a problem with auto-download in that if you connect to a server that sends you something, you cannot see the download progress because the UI your using does not support it. The download is working but you just see "Awaiting gamestate" ( because your not using the new UI ). If you see partial files in baseq3 or an fs_game path this is what happened. Again, using the UI that comes with the point release solves this problem.

2. If you have chosen a 3rd party model or skin, you CAN still connect to and play on pure servers. The caveat being that you will temporarily revert to Sarge. This works just like it always has.

3. If you are using a cracked executable, you will no longer be able to connect to pure servers. "You ruined the game, I cannot cheat anymore!" is not a valid complaint.

4. If you are not able to join a server and you get an "unpure" client message, it is likely that you are loading content from an invalid PK3 file, loading DLL's for gameplay or loading content outside of PK3 files. If you have modified any of the official PK3 files this will also cause you to not be able to connect to pure servers. The other case in which I have seen this is if the server was set to pure and not restarted. I am still looking into this one.

To read the entire .plan update for Robert Duffy, click here to use our finger service.

id Software's Robery Duffy updated his .plan with word on a 1.16i Beta update that is now available on id's FTP server. Here's a clip:

Q3A 1.16i Beta is now on our ftp site. This is a small executable only patch that enhances security. It is available in three flavors, Win32 ( a .zip file ), Linux ( a .gz ) and Macintosh ( a self extracting archive ).

In the accompanying README file, he sheds some light on what exactly the patch does.

This update adds an additional layer of CD Key security.

When you type your CD Key in, the letters and numbers will appear as they normally would. If you leave the screen and return at a later time, blank spaces replace all the characters.

Stalin from convulsion.co.uk has released a new map called EQUINOX. EQUINOX is a q3dm17-style map with extra twists and a unique style of play. The map is also centered around a 'railgun domination' theme.

Marine71 from Q3Center has thrown up another edition to his strategy guides. This time he covers key configurations and bindings, giving tips and effective setups. Check it out by clicking here.

Todd Hollenshead updated his .plan announcing that folks can get a great deal on Quake III: Arena if you buy it from the Mplayer store. Check it out:

I just received word from the Mplayer Store folks that they've put Quake III Arena on sale for $31.99. That's the cheapest price I've seen so far and you might not see it that low for a while.

http://store.mplayer.com/catalog/Software/PC_Games/Action/1000505/product.html

The page shows $49.99 but it's $31.99 once you "add to cart".

Oh, almost forgot: Kevin, Graeme and I were just in the middle of the bank robbery + car chase that was broadcast not only locally, but evidently was unusual enough to interrupt even California TV shows (where high speed car chases are the norm and you usually have to a celebrity or sports star involved to make it interesting ;-) The suspects were apprehended in the Town East Mall while we ate lunch and about a dozen helicopters circled overhead.

Paul Jaquays updated his .plan today with an announcement to the community that the manual for Q3Radiant has been completed. Here are the complete details:

The Q3Radiant Manual is Done!

... and it's available for download. The manual is big ... 163 formatted pages. It's being released in two distinct "flavors." One is an MSWord version (created in Word 2K on the PC, which appears to be very backward compatible with earlier versions of MsWord) and a somewhat "raw" HTML version converted directly from the Word document. The document contains a number of embedded graphic files and organizational formatting, so ripping it down into a text document didn't appear to be the way to go.

Each of the versions is zipped and run just under half a meg each. Unpacked, you'll need 2 megs of drive space.

Q3Radiant Manual (HTML version) on id ftp site

Q3Radiant Manual (MSWord version) on id ftp site

Mirrors:

Q3Radiant Manual (HTML version) on quake3arena.com

Q3Radiant Manual (MsWord version) on quake3arena.com

A couple things to note.

The document is targetted at version 192 of the Q3Radiant editor, which Robert Duffy is still working on. Some of the things documented in the manual are not in the released versions of the editor.

Second, if you want to mirror these files on your own site, go ahead. If you want to make a more functional, robust HTML version (one that does not require a full download to view), we (id) want to see it and approve it before you make it available for public viewing. This document is covered by the same EULA that covers our earlier tools releases.

Licensed developers of Quake 3 Engine product should contact id directly for this manual.

AEstats v4.36 has been released for download. This release adds more support for Unreal Tournament and fixes a bug with the logging for Quake III: Arena. AEstats is a log file analyzer for 3D shooters that outputs stats/rankings into HTML.

Servarena version 2.07 has been released for download. This new version is now able to scan your PK3 files for custom maps, as well as view thumbnail map images in Targa (.tga) format. As well as being a server launcher, Servarena 2.07 now includes additional features that make it an excellent offline game launcher.

Goodbye Charlie Brown!

Paul Jaquays replied to a message on Quake3World's editing forum: "This is the file naming convention that we want to support. The original from it comes from Rogue-13 over at polycount. If you plan on distributing other resources separately, we strongly recommend the following naming conventions:

md3-xxx.pk3 User Model with original associated skin files and sound files
bot-xxx.pk3 User bot files. May contain additional model or skin and texture files
skin-xxx.pk3 User skin with associated skin and texture files
map-xxx.pk3 User created map(s) and supporting files (arena, texture, sound, music)
tex-xxx.pk3 User texture and shader files
snd-xxx.pk3 Sounds only
mus-xxx.pk3 Music only
pfb-xxx.pk3 Map prefabs"

Z- Axis has reviewed two more maps, this time the victims are:
- GodBoy's map 'Riot of cliff', a small 2-6 player map that's has good architecture but suffers from bad layout. See why layout is so important in map making and why a pretty map does not just cut it these days.
- AzrKnight's 'The Crossroads', one of the 7 S3TC maps that were recently released. Karnatos takes a look at this expertly crafted map and talks about what makes this map a winner. Check out these two reviews at Stomped's Z- Axis. Thanks, Karnatos.

The guys over at BeQuake have announced their Screenshot Contest. All you have to do is send an amazing, funny, or wacky Q3 screenshot to Mouse until March 14th and you can win a Microsoft Sidewinder Dual Strike game controller!

The Q3Fortress Team, developers of the Team Fortress inspired team-play based mod for Quake 3 Arena, just released 13 new screenshots. Including previews of their new 2FortSE, Crossfire and Night3 maps (which makes a total of 8 maps), they are all available on their web-site. You can visit their team on IRC - #q3fortress on irc.quake.inet.fi:6667. Thanks, Locki.

Bigdog from Q3Center has put up a guide on overclocking PC peripherals. Here he gives a step-by-step on improving your mousepad, monitor, and AdLib 16 soundcard, all done by overclocking them. (Okay, so it isn't for real, but everyone needs some comedy now and again). Click here to see this comical tidbit for yourself. :)

Version 0.9 of the BotPlugin from the Tectonic website has been released for download. In this version, you can name bots whatever you desire, and it will also locate bots in a directory structure (not just .pk3's), so custom bots can be detected.

IoN_PuLsE from Q3Center has put up a small coding tutorial for changing the name of weapons in Quake III: Arena. The tutorial goes through the coding process for this particular (and small) mod and explains all the changes made to the code.

Q3ServerKit 2.0 has been released. This release includes all new graphics, a real-time chat panel, support for both the Q3Demo version and the full version, bug fixes, and more. The source code is also available. Screenshots and more can be found at the website.

Tonight PlanetQuake is hosting an IRC chat with Robert Duffy, id Software programmer and creator of the Q3Tools package. Robert will be taking questions from chat participants about Q3Radiant and mapping for Quake III: Arena. The chat begins promptly at 10 PM Eastern time, 7 Pacific. To participate, point your irc client to irc.gamesnet.net, port 6667 and join #planetquake.

- Q3 Toolbox, a Quake 3 Arena map compiler front end has just been released, offering the editing community a few more functions for map compiling.

Fists of Fury for Q3A has just been announced. This 'all gauntlet mod' brings some fun features like:

Speed increases

Stamina

Off hand Grapple

Gauntlet Jump

Long Jump

Poison

Wave

FireShield

And much more. Check it out.

I'm looking for a video sequence of high resolution lossless digital images that we can use in some experiments we've got going here at id. Up until now we've been using the in-house rendered stuff, which is great, but I've previously used some nice standard sources that really test things out like compression and color space conversion issues. Any pointers would be appreciated.

- The WireTap site has put up a few map shots from their upcoming mod. Here's some eye candy. Now visit their site for more!
- The Urban Terror website has a cool new screenshot that caught my picky eye.

Tarot Games has released the second build of HeadHunters Classic, which is the final beta version of the mod. There will be various servers running this build. For questions/comments join #headhunters on irc.enterthegame.com, or the Tarot Webboard.

- Warzone just put together a tutorial on how to add QW style weapon switching to Q3A. This allows you to customize your own weapon order to taste: "The standard "always switch" or "never switch" options in Q3A are just flat out unacceptable to any experienced gamer. This tutorial surpasses Q2's weapon switching method (where the weapon order was locked) by allowing each user to customize their own weapon order. The tutorial can be found here.
- The Gothic Revival is yet another place where you can find good mapping tutorials for all experience levels.
- The 27th tutorial at Quake3Mods.net's mapping section talks about making complex curves and skinning them correctly.

- A new version of Shaded, the shader editor is out. The new version contains a few bug fixes, an interface addition, improved comment stripping and two new templates.
- Signosoft's Q3A MapMan makes managing of your Q3A maps a lot easier. Most of the basic functions are there already, but the creators promise more functionality with the next version.

A great resource for all your Q3 coding needs has been opened at PlanetQuake. It's called Code3Arena and the guys over there have some neat coding tutorials for all levels of experience.

Version 0.5 beta 2 of the Equilibrium mod for Quake III Arena is now available. Equilibrium sports many neat and useful features so check out their website for full details!

A new version of the ModMaker is available for download. ModMaker is "A Windows utility to help facilitate the creation and tracking of mod projects using the Quake3 source," which includes features such as One click QVM compiling and more!

The Quake 3 Killzone has been relocated to http://killzone.slicedsmoke.com/ after a network update. Also included on the site are two map reviews; Maximum Chaos by Twitch Factor and Q3Q1DM2 - Claustrophobopolis Remake by Mike Zuber (the original was made by American McGee).

The website for the Armed Service World War II Q3A Mod has opened at http://www.telefragged.com/armed. The Armed Service mod will feature localized damage, realistic weapons, player models, sounds, levels, and game modes. Check it out!

Servarena v2.06 has been released for download. This new version includes two of the most requested features; alphabetically listed maps and user definable defaults for all map and environment settings. A variety of other features and enhancements have also been added.

There is an in-depth interview of John Carmack on Thresh's FiringSquad. The interview covers details such as Carmack's teen years, money and much more! Check it out.

The point release of aGSM - 2.33d is now available for download. It is a stable release with bugs from 2.33c fixed. aGSM 2.33d is a small utility to find & monitor Internet game servers plus games running at your LAN. It has a total of 33 games supported, three languages (English, German, Russian), and many other nifty features. Find out more by clicking here.

Servarena v2.05 has been released for download. This new version changes the way Q3A handles server passwords. It will also import custom maps specified in earlier versions of Servarena, and fixes a bug that cause the map rotation to stop under certain conditions.

The Bid For Power website has been updated with the first release images of the Vegeta skin. They are also in need of 2 more level designers, so if you're interested, check out their site for more details.

Graeme Devine updated his .plan with info on their server:

id vs. the world ctf at 192.246.40.223. id is red, world is blue.

Now go kick some id ass ;)

Navy Seals: Quake3 has got a lot of new screenshots on their page. There are shots of maps and new weapons up now. A batch of textures has also been posted for mappers to make custom NSQ3 maps.

Servarena 2.01 update fixes a couple of bugs spotted in the new 2.0 release. It is available as a full-install, or as an update to version 2.0. Go download it.

Name Maker Studio v5.0 for Q3A has been released! The new version adds a bunch of new features including: Improved User Interface code, changed GameSpy support, optimized code for Pentium Pro CPUs, support for JPEG and GIF images, etc.

The Team Assault site has just been updated with 14 new screenshots of Cyber's 2fort map and Mad Bull's Well map. Go check them out!

Id Software's Tim Willits just updated his .plan with the following bit, which will interest many level designers:

Level Design Position Available

Id Software is searching for a talented, experienced, and team driven individual to help us create some of the best selling games in the industry. We are looking for a team player to add to our design department.

Requirements:

1. Experience working with a 3D engine such as Quake, Unreal, Lith-Tech, etc.
2. Ability to maintain an organized schedule within a creative environment.
3. Ability to set goals and compete them in a timely manner.
4. A driven, self-starter who enjoys the commitment and rewards of creating some of the best levels in the industry.
5. Avid game player with an open mind and understanding of games and gamers in general
6. Willing to play on team id during Capture the Flag games.

If you are interested please send email to twillits@idsoftware.com. All inquires will be strictly confidential.

This one's for all you freebie modelers out there: chUmbaLum sOft has just released a new version of MilkShape 3d, now with support for Q3A models! Version 1.1.0 adds Quake III Arena static model export. That means no tags, no animations in this experimental version yet, but you can already export to .md3 file format.

AntiTux has slapped up a Howto for Installing Voodoo3 Drivers on a Slackware Linux system. I've seen some people having problems with it, so I hope this solves it.

- The guys over at the Q3Center have made a clans database. You can create a profile for any clan and include all your info, description, logo, and more, and edit it when needed! it'll be easier to setup matches and practices with other teams. You can browse the entire database as well. Also they have the clans news section up for any clan related news. Be one of the first clans to post their info in their database!
- QuakeHelp.Com has put up Quake 3 Maps, Bots, Tools and Skins sections. "They are by no means 'complete' but will get you started if you need help."
- Overdrive Quake has released news on thir new dedicated T1 servers. Capture the Flag, Free For All and InstaGib fun on the Quake 3 side and the ODQ Mod (serverconfig30) for Quake2.

- There is a new mod in development called Cops Quake III. They need some modelers, skinners, mappers, etc. If you're one of the mentioned, drop Lacerus a line and help them out. Here's an excerpt from the mail: "CQ3 will be an uncomplicated and fast actiongame. Good balancing and fun will be the prime directive. The gameplay of CQ3 will be similar to Action Quake II without pending any of their original ideas..."
- Team Phatass needs a modeller to help them out with their Survival 9mm mod.
- There are a few new screenshots of Dragonball Q models and maps using custom textures.
- The q3comp mod is a server mod designed to provide anything a player or admin could want. Complete customization, player admin, match services, server configuration, stats reporting, and a whole lot more.
- There is a beta version of PoW Mod by Black Knight Productions. They need some testers so help them out!
- The Fragsters Team has announced their latest mod called (suprisingly;) the Fragsters Mod: "It will allow the player to hide in the shadows and sneak up on players, which will require different strategies than past quake deathmatches." There will also be two different races: The Aliens and The Humans.

- The Q3Radiant site has got a few new tutorials, covering newbie issues like leaks, bots, etc.
- The House of Hard Havoc have their first chunk of code working and it's up for download. It allows server admins to ban weapons (like bfg:) or make you spawn with the items you specify.
- Over at ARSE they have a new skinning tutorial and a troubleshooting guide as well as two Marvel Comics skinpacks for you to download.
- A weapon coding tutorial can be found on the quake3mods.net's forum.

- The Reload Be Gone mod (RBG) has been updated to version 1.1. The changes include: "Increased ammo to compensate for faster firing rate and added set sv_pure 0 to MacOS parameter file which was left out in version 1.0."
- Version 0.99B of the Beryllium mod brings even more options that you can set (initial health and armor, grapple speed, nocamp feature, etc).
- There's also a new version of InstaGib+ mod. Go check it out.

- Id Software's official Shader documentation has been transported into HTML. It's also available for download if you'd like to mirror it on your own site.
- Solid ground has made a short coding tutorial on adding + and - commands to your code. - A german q3 site called GXP have put up an interview with g1zm0, the creator of many great Q3 and Q2 levels. It contains some interesting information about the mapper, so go check it out.

Version 2.0 of Servarena has been released. This new version of the popular Quake III: Arena server launcher adds over 25 new enhancements! Now you can specify speed, gravity, knockback, time limit, frag limit, and capture limit settings for each map. New context-sensitive help files and an even friendlier user interface make configuring and launching your server easier than ever!

Borderfield has released a beta version of Q3ASE: The Q3 Arena Shader Editor: "This release is the 0.1 Beta. It still has plenty of work to do, but you can already browse your PAK files, stack layer upon layer of animated textures, tweak them using the RGBGen, TCMod, TCGen and all blending functions, and save the result in the .shader format. You'll still need to manually finish the shaders (eg give them a title etc), and opening of existing shaders is not supported yet either.
Q3ASE is made by Rat (programmer at the Belgian game company Larian) and released under the Borderfield label"

- Jon from Quake3Mods has slapped up a new mapping tutorial. This time he speaks about using bots on your maps.
- FvF World has released the first modeling tutorial in their row of q3 tutorials: "This comprehensive tutorial illustrates in 3D Studio Max how to turn a simple primative into a deadly Quake 3 Weapon. The tutorial starts with visualization and ends with detailing."
They are also looking for a few level designers for their cool mod. If you're interested, throw an e-mail to hap.

Robert Duffy updated his .plan with the following info on the next point release for q3a:
"The point release is still in progress. We are addressing several things, among them auto downloading, mod support, cheating, and a few other things. It is moving into testing now and should be done "soon". One area that we are working hard to improve on is releasing things for all three platforms at the same time. As we have still not released the final point releases for the Macintosh or Linux based systems, the new point release will be available in all three flavors at the same time."