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CTF != The Grappling Hook
– By Essobie

(This editorial comes to us from Essobie, Webmaster of Rocket Arena 2: Inside and Out, and is in response to the recent controversy regarding id Software’s decision to exclude the standard Grapple Hook from its upcoming title, Quake3 Arena)

Recently the news hit the Internet that right along side Unreal Tournament, id Software was going to strip the out of the box CTF of the now standard Grappling Hook in their newest title Quake 3: Arena. It’s caused quite a ripple in the gaming community, and surprising to the current crop of CTF players out there, non-CTF players like myself are getting into the discussion. This editorial looks into the phenomenon of the “Save the Grapple” campaigns and why there is really no need for them.

Here’s a little history, just to put things into perspective. If one was going to play, say Quake 1 multiplayer out of the box perhaps, they’d expect to play something that had them spawn with 100 health, no armor, and a cheesy shotgun. They’d instantly be in search of bigger weapons and more armor so they could more effectively slaughter any other players they came across. This is all fine and dandy until it gets old and boring (which it did rather quickly to quite a few players).

Quake 4 is the true sequel to Quake II, continuing the Strogg vs. Humans storyline from the point where Quake II ended. The Strogg is an alien cyborg race which, much like the Star Trek Borg race from which they seem to be partly inspired, wander the galaxy conquering planets and wiping civilizations. Quake 2 Tank by Helios437 on DeviantArt July 2020 DeviantArt is the world's largest online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, allowing people to connect through the creation and sharing of art. Be sure to check out Galitz's Instagram post and the new concept art of the Quake 2. Quake - hatchet (axe): A new thing to put in a futuristically themed fps afaik, though not all that original or cool.

Then came the “mods” modifications of the original set of rules to add some new spice to the game. It’s basically the only reason Quake 1 stayed popular for so long. One of the most popular mods was Capture the Flag. A number of versions of this mod existed, but one of the first, and undeniably the most popular was Zoid’s Threewave CTF.

The premise was simple: red versus blue, each team has to protect their flag from the opposition, while trying to steal the flag of their opponent. Teams score captures by carrying the enemy flag to their flag while it is still in its original place and touching the flags together.

Okay lets hold the description right there. What’s missing from that concept? Well if you’ve been playing CTF since the days of Threewave CTF for QuakeWorld, then you’ll immediately say “runes and the hook.” But if you are like me, you’ll say, “nothing at all.”

In fact, if you are like me, you may well say, “why have a hook and runes I just want to play Capture the Flag with the original physical properties and weapons from regular multiplayer Quake 1.” This, unfortunately, what not what players got. Instead, we got CTF with a grappling hook and runes.

After the success of Threewave CTF, Zoid got the gig of making Q2CTF and help with work on the point release for Quake 2. Unfortunately the massive success of QWCTF meant that to deliver the goods the second time around, Zoid was compelled to go with the recipe that worked: 2 flags, 4 techs (the “futuristic” version of runes) and grappling hooks for everyone.

When it first came out, there was lots of excitement but there was also a lot of outrage. You see, Quake 2 had slow weapon switching (as opposed to Quake 1’s instant weapons switching which allowed weapon switching from weapon to weapon and from weapon to hook and back with a few lines of scripting code). What this did to the hook was make it only useful for movement throughout the map in Quake 2, instead of the seamless flying/shooting combination that was available to the Quake 1 CTF players.

Consequently, Zoid caught a lot of flak for not “making CTF right”, mostly from the “QWCTF Community” who had been playing CTF in clans since the early days of Threewave. Cries of “it slows the game down” and “I want it to be more like QuakeWorld CTF” rang out across the IRC channels.

A number of modifications were made to Zoid’s original Q2CTF to “fix” these problems, the most popular being L-Fire CTF, which added a number of clan mode options, sudden death overtime, and most importantly, instant weapons switching.

Quake 3: Arena is upon us, and Zoid and the rest of id have announced that the id CTF maps were designed to be perfect without needing a grappling hook. As one standing on the outside of this phenomenon, it doesn’t really come as a shock that the same people that cried out when Q2CTF didn’t live up to the “standards” of the QWCTF are now crying out that Q3CTF isn’t going to live up to the “standards” of the previous two games.

Fortunately, they are dead right. Q3CTF is NOT going to live up to the standards of the past games. Instead, it is going to try to set a new standard. Capture the Flag as a pure form of “goal oriented team deathmatch” will be the next incarnation of the “CTF” name, and many of those original “hardcores” don’t think it’s a good idea for one reason or another.

Already the “web petitions” have been started, IRC channels with the name #savethegrapple are on popular game IRC server organizations, and they all rally to the cause of getting id to put the grappling hook back in “their” mod. I’ve had conversations with a number of them in various IRC chats, and their personalities range from intelligent argument “pro-hook” theorists to the extreme, hate-filled, hook fanatics that will defend their way of life to the bitter end (some of the latter coming from channel admins themselves).

Their arguments are nice and organized on the petition that they have and in an editorial that was compiled by a few #savethegrapple channel regulars (who apparently like to quote people out of context). For the most part, all of their arguments are either based completely on personal taste, or they are based on the false assumption that CTF has been perfected before, and anything different from the original can’t be good for gameplay.

The #1 argument for the hook is, of course, that it is just plain fun! I can’t really argue with anyone about the hook’s “funness”. The only thing that I can say is, I think CTF would be more fun without it for a number of reasons. Mostly, I feel that the hook removes the necessity for team organization (which is what id Software seems to be striving for).

Other arguments argue for the need for a “third dimension” of movement, speed, and mobility in CTF. All of the above tend to make the individual player a very powerful force all by his/her lonesome, which lessens the need for coordinated teamwork. It is possible in Q2CTF for example, for a single offensive unit to get powered up and make at least a fairly successful attempt at stealing the enemy flag returning to base without even firing a weapon (not counting the grappling hook itself). Certainly with a few extremely accurate players with Railguns can take what is known as a “grapple monkey” down with a few well placed shots, but the fact that such a runner feels confident enough to even TRY at the flag by only using his/her hook is what makes the hook so powerful.

This is something that I think id Software doesn’t want possible any longer. They want all attacks on the flag to be a team effort the most successful of which will be extremely coordinated attacks by skilled players that can cover each other and be able to get the flag out with as few loses as possible. What it seems they want for Quake 3: Arena CTF is exactly what I’ve been wanting in CTF since someone said to me “hey, Essobie there’s a Capture the Flag mod for Quake check it out!” and pointed me to a website to download it. Unfortunately it has taken until now in its third incarnation for CTF to be something that looked appealing to me.

A very annoying point that many have made against my personal involvement in the issue is that many feel that I have no right to even voice an opinion on the matter of what CTF turns into specifically because I’m not a “hardcore CTFer” like they are today. I’ve helped make a couple of Quake 2 movies and the webmaster for a Rocket Arena website, right? What business do I have trying to change their mod if I don’t like it in the first place?

I’m guessing that whoever reading this right now that considers themselves a “hardcore CTFer” is probably asking that same question, even though the answer is self evident: I’m welcoming the change of the mod because I was dissatisfied with Quake CTFs in the past specifically BECAUSE of the grappling hook and the runes/techs. Without them, I might very well end up having a really great mod that will certainly suck away large amounts of my free time available to me when Q3A ships. If it is as good as I envision it to be, I could very well be as devoted to Q3CTF as many of this current crop of “hardcores” are about THEIR past CTF games.

I’m strongly opposed to the grappling hook in any mod it just so happens that the most popular grappling hook game of the past is now going to be dropping this ill-fated game feature that I loathe. It will finally be changing to a game I want to play. Luckily I’m not alone in this opinion. Statistically Q2CTF places fifth in the CLQ’s list of most popular multiplayer games on the Internet (that are teamplay only), and all four games ahead of it in popularity do not have a grappling hook in the arsenal of weapons. I think it would be a safe bet to say that all those people playing non-hook games and mods would like to at least give this new CTF a try when Q3CTF comes out.

Besides Zoid has stated on numerous occasions that the code for the grappling hook is in the game already it’s just disabled by default on the id CTF maps that will be released upon retail release. It will probably take the likes of any JoeBlowModAuthor a good thirty minutes to hack up an exact duplicate of the new Q3CTF that INCLUDES the grappling hook for all the “hardcores” to play.

Who knows? Perhaps it is time for CTF to be appealing to more players. Perhaps Zoid and the rest of id Software will do CTF up so right no one will WANT a hook. Personally I can’t wait to find out. I do know that the “hardcores” that will inevitably be playing their CTF with a hook won’t need to worry about me dropping into any hook servers. ;)

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Send ’em all here!

Quake 2 Concept Article

• View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2003 CD release of Purple (The A&M Recordings) on Discogs.
• Speed version of parasite from Quake 2 Strogg pursuer. Cool selection of concept art, character design and illustrations by American artist Cameron Sewell.
• Well, i much prefer the engine that was re made from the ground up, rather than the quake 2 engine that is source, with physics thrown in, complete with zero real time shadows and lighting. To each their own. Half-Life 2 Episode 3 Leaked Concept Art? 2012/06/29 06:27:58.

So there were currently some whispers around Doom 2016 discharge about a fresh Quake video game in the design of Quake 1, but not much has been said since.Individuals obviously are very hype about going back the the unusual and gothic style of the initial Quake, but not really much debate was presently there about gameplay ánd how to make it something even more than an respect or a remake.Doom has been handled pretty properly and is certainly a great game that values the authentic, however some component of it aren't actually something that I discovered 'doom' enough. For illustration you continuously have areas where an area gets shut off and creatures maintain spawning, which have to all become wiped out, before you can develop. That type of take aside the speed-running possible and furthermore makes the sport less of a maze and even more a linear knowledge.I believe that such an strategy for a Quake game, which would follow in the original's footsteps would just not become Quake. Getting dropped, the Piranesi-like level style and the ability to use trick-movement to miss large areas of each degree had been IMHO a excellent part of what create Quake great.Therefore how would a new Quake stay real to the unique and at the same time provide something revolutionary that is certainly not only modern images and (cough, cough) stremalining some technicians?Well Frames per second have evolved through the years from closed, maze-like amounts with tips to develop, to huge routes with open-énded gameplay and actually automobiles. We finished up with open-world FPS like Far Be sad and while this sort of seems like a organic development as technology advances, Ubisoft produced it into a dull mill and let's encounter it, Quake on an open island just wouldn't end up being Quake.However, there is certainly another genre with sprawling single-map realms, progression centered on locating weapons that enable you to gain access to new areas, backtracking (like Tremble 2) with road directions mostly structured of meticulously crafted sections that are usually not really an open globe. That type is called Metroidvania.I feel no expert here, but to me this seems like a pretty logical relationship.

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Instead of heading from level to level, the participant would discover a solitary globe that could extremely well be an strange/lovecraftian castle structuré (alien ás in Alien, nót space mén), which could faciIitate maze-like désign, secret hunting ánd progression based ón acquiring weapons ánd skills. For example there is definitely a cracked wall, but you can't obtain exceeded it before you obtain the rocket launcher to whack it up. 0r a large distance that can just be transferred once you possess the RL and the reddish armour so you could create make use of of the historic art of skyrocket wall-jumping. Or maybe a grappling fishing hook later on in the video game, that would enable you to access areas formerly unreachable, to obtain all those treats.

Just step into Quake 2 Rocket Arena, armed with the new and almighty rocket and rail gun and you will be gibbing for hours on end.If you dig fast paced action, then load up the good ole Quake 2, fire up a mod or two and have some fun!

Also legendary boss-fights, because frying Chthon certainly not gets old.Such style would also alow for a even more Quake-friendly storyteIling, without exposition dialogue from NPC or dull cut-scenes but finding hints written on wall structure or in terminals or much better yet, maybe told by smartly implemented gameplay sections.What perform you men believe? Would that make sense? I'michael type of hype for the new Doom, but basically all the new games keep me wanting in terms of degree style.

Doom 2016 offers nothing at all on Tremble's amounts, nor the initial Doom'h and the distance becomes actually bigger when you go into things like Duke Nukem 3D, Dark Makes or the 1st Jedi Knight.I simply want large maps, becoming lost while low on health in a strange and alien world with onIy a shotgun ánd some mean monstérs growling around thé corner, while l desperately try tó avoid the Iava traps ánd find a bóx of shells whén I only havé 10 left.This will be what Quake was usually to me (ánd multiplayer, but thát can be another tale). Are I producing sense right here?. Honestly i totally consent, I've usually thought a Tremble metroidvania would become an great idea.Even the unique making use of a begin center and letting you deal with the attacks in any order almost has a lite sensation of this.The show runes could be flipped into some sort of skills for participant progression, and include in a degree editor and mod support and you've got something that differs itself from doom while having free range to take inspiration from the unique quake and quake mods as well. Fo4 combat zone mod minecraft.

project: Darksidersdeveloper: Vigil Gamescomments: Several images on eachpage. ScroIl like a mófo!(Best results when 'automaticimage resizing' is certainly disabled.) ©THQ Inc., VigiI Gamessubject: misc.

Horrorprojéct: Singularitydeveloper: Raven Softwarécomments: BLEH! This was really,really early stuff that never ever made its way into production. D'est la concéptart. ©Activision, Raven Softwarésubject: misc. Badguysproject: WoIfensteindeveloper: Raven Softwarecomments: Certainly not take candies froma Nazi.

Quake 2 Concept Art

©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwarésubject: atlanteans darkelvesproject: Wonder Ultimate Alliancedeveloper: Raven Softwarécomments: misc. Thumbs ©Wonder, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: sci fi characterproject: independentdeveloper: independentcomments: squidy man, squidy maaaaaaaaaaaaan ©2006 Jason Chappell, John Richardssubject: misc. Fantasyprojéct: independentdeveloper: independentcomments: surges 'n' skulls, spikes'n' skulls ©2006 John Richardssubject: Hellchick 2.0project: independentdeveloper: independentcomments: thumbnails and modelsheetfor a 2005/2006 remix of Hellchick participant model for Quake deathmatching- unique design/skin by John Steed and Kénneth Scott Hellchick© Cáryn 'Hellchick' Legislation, Tremble © id Softwaresubject: alternative grunt headsproject: Quake 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: We were going to repIacethe in-gamé grunt head with a fresh one. lt didn't happén, but designs weremade. ©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: strogg appearance expansionproject: Quake 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: Strogg makeovers ©id Software, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: enginesproject: Quake 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: A techy engine engine block wasneeded. I walked upward. Some might contact me a main character.

Quake 2 Concept Art Gallery

Quake 2 Concept Artwork

©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: Fatguyproject: Quake 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: The left-most design wasthe authorized modelsheet, but the method Fatguy shows up in-game is usually quite different. ©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: consolesproject: Tremble 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: What'h that switch perform?What's THAT button perform? ©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: doorsproject: Tremble 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: They open.

Quake 2 Concept Art Sung

Things move throughthem. They near. ©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: index headproject: Quake 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: a rework of a walkinghead that never made it into the video game ©id Software program, Activision, Raven Softwaresubject: liftsproject: Quake 4developer: Raven Softwarecomments: Lifts go upward.