Quake 4

Quake 4 is the fourth title in the series of Quake FPS computer games. It was developed by Raven Software and distributed by Activision. Raven Software has collaborated with id Software, the creators and usual developers of Quake games in the past. In this case, id Software supervised the development of the game as well as providing the Doom 3 engine upon which it was built. Quake 4 went gold in early October 2005 and was released on October 18, 2005 for the PC, and later for the Xbox 360 and the Apple Macintosh. A special DVD Collectors Edition also exists, including promotional material and the game Quake II with its expansions. The Xbox 360 version of Quake 4 is based on the Special Collectors Edition, and therefore also includes Quake II.

Plotwise, the game is a sequel to Quake II. Quake III Arena is not part of the sequence because it focused on online multiplayer gaming and provided only a very limited single player mode, which essentially pitted the player against computer-controlled bots. Quake 4, like Quake II, is not related to the first Quake in any respects other than name and logo.

Story

The Quake 4 single player mode continues the story of Quake II by pitting the player against a cyborg alien race known as the Strogg. The game follows the story of a marine named Matthew Kane who is a member of the fabled Rhino Squad. Following the success of the protagonist of Quake II in destroying the Strogg's leader, the "Makron", the Rhinos are tasked with spearheading the mission to finally secure the alien's home planet Stroggos. In the course of the invasion, the squad ship is shot down and crashes in the middle of a battle zone, separating Kane from his companions.^[1] Kane eventually rejoins his scattered team members and leads the assault against the Strogg.

After performing a number of tasks, such as destroying and capturing Strogg aircraft hangers and defense systems,^[2][3] Kane and his remaining squad members make it to the USS Hannibal . There they are given their next mission: infiltrating one of the Strogg's central communication hubs, the Tetranode, with an Electromagnetic Pulse bomb in the hopes that it will put the main Strogg Nexus in disarray. Kane is tasked with defending the mission convoy,^[4] which takes heavy casualties. After many setbacks, including the destruction of the EMP device by a Strogg ambush, Kane is left to complete the mission alongside only Private Johann Strauss and Lance Corporal Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovitch. Strauss figures out a way to destroy the core by shutting down its coolant systems. As Kane reaches the entrance to the Tetranode however, he is greeted by two rocket-equipped network guardians - as well as the supposedly defeated Makron. The Makron captures Kane and knocks him unconscious.^[5]

When the marine finally awakens, he finds himself immobile on a conveyor belt in the Strogg "Medical Facilities", a structure used for turning those captured and killed by the aliens into protein food, or their own units. Kane is taken through this "Stroggification" process which replaces much of his anatomy with bio-mechanical parts. However, before the final controlling neurochip implanted in his brain can be activated, Rhino Squad bursts into the facility and rescues Kane.^[6] After escaping through the Strogg medical facility and Waste Disposal plant, fighting off zombie-like half-stroggified humans along the way, Kane is forced to combat his former commander, Lieutenant Scott Voss, who has been fully "Stroggified" into a powerful mechanized monster.^[7] After defeating this threat, Kane and the remaining marines finally make it back to the Hannibal.

The commanders realize that Kane's Strogg physiology has opened up new possibilities in finally defeating the Strogg, as he can be used to infiltrate locations previously impenetrable by human forces. The new plan is to directly target the Strogg Core, a huge centralized brain-like structure which controls the Strogg forces. Rhino and Raven Squads are tasked with infiltrating the three data processing towers adjacent to the Nexus, where they will power up the teleporter into the Nexus, a huge data storage and processing tower, and send Kane in. There Kane will travel to the center to destroy the Core — and its guardian, the Makron.

After infiltrating the facility and realigning the data nodes powering the teleporter, and destroying its fearsome "Guardian" creature,^[8] the marine finally reaches the Nexus core. There Kane meets in a final showdown with the Makron and kills him. This done, he destroys the Core and returns home. Celebrating with Rhino Squad afterward, Kane receives word that he has new orders....^[9]

Gameplay

Single Player

Gameplay features include vehicle-based combat with several vehicles introduced throughout the game, and squad-based combat on occasions where Rhino Squad fight alongside Kane, including medics and technicians in his squad who can heal him or repair his armor. Around a third of the way through the game, events lead to Kane being captured and then partially Stroggified — that is, turned into a Strogg — but the process is interrupted by Marines before completion so Kane retains his free will. This turn of events allows for more gameplay changes, including the ability to understand Strogg communications and use Strogg health stations, as well as a change to the player's HUD (Head-Up Display). This plot device also advances the story in different directions.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tourney, Capture the Flag, Arena CTF and DeadZone. Players at Quakecon reported the multiplayer gameplay to include elements similar to those in previous Quake and Doom games. Notable new additions to play are the ability to send shots through the teleporters and the advancement of the game physics provided by the new technology including the ability to bounce grenades off of the jump-pads.

Like the previous Quake games the multiplayer has a client-server architecture. The network code has been altered from Doom 3, allowing for larger numbers of players on each server (Doom 3 has a four player restriction, whereas Quake 4 has a standard 16 player limit). One of the changes to the network code is a move from the per-polygon hit detection system used in Doom 3 back to using hit-box system like most other online first-person shooters such as other Quake games and Half-Life.

Generally speaking four mods exist for Quake 4; those being Q4MAX, XBM, DeltaCTF and GTR. Q4MAX is the most developed of the three mods, offering many HUD, frame-rate, and gameplay tweaks and fixes. Q4MAX is used for the majority of tournaments, and used by the Cyberathlete Professional League.

Nicknames can be colorized with most keyboards by pressing shift-6 to produce a carat character, followed by 0 through 9 to specify the color. Using idm0 or iw00 through iw09 will display images varying from a skull, to various weapon symbols. Most often used for nicknames under multiplayer, these character sequences can be typed into config files, the console, and chat text.

Bots

Quake 4 came without any bots for multiplayer play. User-made bots for practicing offline for users with only a dial-up connection or filling LAN servers are being developed by many dedicated fans of the game. Two prominent bots are Jarad "TinMan" Hansen's SABot (a.k.a Stupid Angry Bot) and Alpha Omni-bot, which perform very well on the retail multiplayer map packs as well as user-created custom maps. There is also the Oak Bot which is still in development. Bots are also in development as part of Q4MAX.

Enemies

Main article: List of Strogg in Quake 4

Weapons

The following weapons are included in the final version of Quake 4. All of these weapons appear in at least one of the other Quake games (except for the Dark Matter gun) and are for the most part similar to their counterparts in those games.

Gauntlet 

This weapon replaces the Blaster in multiplayer, and is not available in single-player. The gauntlet is a melee-range weapon consisting of a spinning saw blade mounted on the back of the player's wrist. The gauntlet is a last resort weapon, and is only powerful if in direct contact with an enemy. Players who make a frag with this weapon receive a 'humiliation' bonus, as they have essentially humiliated their victim.

Blaster 

Standard issue sidearm of the SMC. Rapidly tapping the trigger shoots small fast lightly-damaging projectiles at a fast rate. Holding the trigger charges the weapon, and releasing it fires a slower, but more powerful shot. It comes with an integrated flashlight mounted under the barrel. This particular weapon does not require ammunition due to nuclear batteries. The blaster is a suitable weapon for the beginning parts of the game, but becomes less effective as enemies become stronger, and more ideal weapons become available. This weapon is not available in multiplayer, and is replaced by the gauntlet.

Machine Gun 

Standard weapon of all Space Marine Corps troopers, this fully automatic assault rifle comes with a 40 round magazine, an integrated short range scope with ammunition display and average to good accuracy. It can be upgraded with an extended clip mod onboard the MCC Hannibal. This is truly a multi purpose weapon, able to take down many different types of enemies. however, it should be noted that the bosses are nearly unaffected by this weapon. All players start with this weapon in multiplayer.

Shotgun 

A regular pump action shotgun in the employ of the SMC. Fires a wide spread of pellets per shot. Ideal at close range, and devastating at point-blank. But becomes innaccurate and causes sharply less damage at longer ranges due to its high spread. At first, the player can only reload one shell at a time, which can be time consuming, and inefficient during combat. But later in the game, the weapon receives an upgrade which increases clip size, and allows ammo to be loaded all at once.

Nailgun 

A Strogg weapon firing projectiles identified as nails. It has a high rate of fire in addition to its firepower and can be upgraded with a bigger magazine capacity and a homing device. This weapon can be very handy in tight spots, but ricochets from close encounters can injure the player, and the usefulness increases when the rate of fire is upgraded. An interesting observation, is that once the clip size is upgraded, it has more clips attached to it. This results in longer reload time if more than half of the clip is empty - this can be a problem during extended combat.

Napalm Gun 

Launches a fiery ball of napalm much like the grenade launcher and attaches to the first surface it hits. The napalm will continue to burn and inflict damage for a few seconds. This weapon was added in the 1.3 patch, and is only available in multiplayer.

Grenade Launcher 

Launches a grenade which will detonate after 3 seconds, or on impact with an enemy. Compared to the rocket launcher, the grenade deals a little more damage, has a larger blast radius, and a slightly faster rate of fire. But it has a short range, and a greater potential to damage the player. Especially in close quarters. This weapon is most effective when facing enemies who will take cover behind crates or other objects.

Rocket Launcher 

A common sight in many FPS games, including all previous Quake titles. This weapon fires a high-damage, straight-flying projectile with a good blast radius. Like in most FPS games, the rocket can damage the player if it explodes too closely. The weapon only allows for one rocket to be loaded, but it will reload itself. But for this reason, the weapon has a fire rate of approximately 2 seconds per shot at first. But later in the game, the weapon will be upgraded, allowing up to 3 rockets to be loaded at once, and fire one after the other with an approximate 0.5 second delay between each. Once all loaded rockets have been fired, it will fire at the original 2 second delay. While the weapon is not firing, it will automatically reload the rockets one at a time. The same upgrade will also allow the rockets to be guided when the player holds down the alternate fire. Projectile speed is reduced while it is being guided, however.

Hyperblaster 

Fires medium-damage blue plasma balls at a very high rate of fire. It uses up ammo fast, and will run out quickly if the player does not exercise restraint. During the game, the weapon will be upgraded, allowing the projectiles to bounce off surfaces, making it more effective in narrow corridors and small rooms.

Railgun 

Shoots a high damage 'slug' that hits instantly, making it an ideal sniper weapon. Has a firing delay of approximately 2 seconds, and a clip size of 3. During the game, the weapon will eventually be upgraded to increase clip size and energy output, allowing the projectile to shoot straight through enemies and allowing multiple kills.

Lightning Gun 

Fires a steady stream of damaging electricity as long as the trigger is held down. Its aim must be maintained upon an enemy to continue damage. The weapon has no clip, so reloading is not required. But it can use up ammo quickly if the player does not exercise restraint. During the game, it will receive an upgrade that allows the stream to jump to enemies near the target, and damage multiple enemies at a time.

Dark Matter Gun 

Hurls a slow-moving yet highly damaging and massive dark matter ball. In its trajectory, the dark matter ball sucks enemies inside the ball and destroys them. Weaker enemies won't be sucked in, but simply vaporized into bloody gibs. The weapon shoots one projectile at a time, and must be recharged after a shot. Recharging takes approximately 5 seconds, and if the weapon is switched out during that time, it must still recharge before it can be fired. The high damage and wide radius makes the weapon ideal for clearing a wide hallway of weak to mid-strength enemies. This is widely seen as a replacement of the BFG10K from Quake II, and some fans have reacted negatively to it.^{[citation needed]}

Vehicles

Vehicles are only available in single-player, and each will only appear once (Excluding the truck). While riding in a vehicle, health and armor are replaced by armor and shielding respectively. All vehicles have a never-ending supply of ammunition, and their armour and shielding will recharge automatically if they receive no damage for a period of time.
The vehicles are ordered in appearance.

Truck 

Land vehicle used by the SMC to transport supplies and units to the battlefield. Some are armed with a machine gun. During the game, the player simply rides apon the vehicle as it makes its way to the destination. The player will use his own weapons to defend the truck from attacking strogg. Shortly after, the player will ride another truck, but this time will man the machine gun.

Hovertank 

An armoured assault unit of the SMC, it is armed with a large tank cannon and machine gun to engage a variety of targets. The hover propulsion system allows it to have extreme maneuverability and high speed capacity compensating for its relatively weak armour. The desert planet of Stroggos initially caused problems for the tank crews, as dust was clogging the air intakes.

Walker 

The walker is an open cockpit vehicle sporting reverse-jointed legs. Compared to the Hovertank, it has much weaker shielding, but also much stronger armor. Like the hovertank, it is armed with a chaingun but, unlike the tank has missiles as its anti-armor weapon. The missiles have a much faster rate of fire, and will automatically lock on to large enemies, such as a Harvester. But the missiles also have a clip size of 6, a long reload time, and cannot be reloaded until the entire clip is emptied. The user can use the chain gun while reloading. The walker is also slow-moving, and a bit difficult to control.

Tram 

The Strogg use railways as part of their transportation system. It is armed with a single machine gun. During the game, the player must simply use the machine gun to keep the tram from being damaged by enemy strogg as it makes its way to the destination.

In some of the levels, the player can see multiple un-named human vehicles. Some seem to be light tanks, while others are armored personnel carriers.

Critical response

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. This article has been tagged since January 2007.

Reviews of the game are widely favourable. Websites and magazines such as IGN and UGO praised its single-player campaign, graphics and Hollywood voice-acting, but complained that its multiplayer was too much like Quake III's. A few days after release the majority of reviews gave Quake 4 scores of 80–90%. EGM gave a mixed rating to the Xbox 360 port, claiming that the single-player campaign was not creative enough to compete with other games such as Half-Life 2 and Halo 2 and that the game ran poorly on the 360. The Xbox 360 version of the game scored 74/100 on Metacritic, compared to 81/100 for the PC version of the game.^[10][11]

One major praise of the game was for its return to plot-based single player missions that had not been included in Quake III: Arena.^{[citation needed]}

PC Gamer Magazine gave Quake 4 a good review ^[12] for both singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay. On the subject of Halo 2 in comparison with Quake 4, the review states that the decision of which game is better depends on whether the player prefers the tactical aspects of Halo 2 or the run and gun aspects of Quake 4.

Versions

Quake 4 was released at the launch of the Xbox 360 and is Xbox Live compatible. Due to the fact that Quake 4 needed to be developed in a short time period in order to meet the launch of the Xbox 360, there have been major issues with frame-rates for the console adaptation, earning it the award for Most Aggravating Frame Rate / Best Slideshow in the GameSpot.com Best and Worst of 2005 list. These frame rate issues only occur in rare instances where lots of enemies and large explosions are occurring on screen at the same time while playing in Standard Definition; however, when played in High Definition frame rate issues occur more frequently due to increased processing demands at the higher resolution. In addition, the Xbox 360 port of Quake 4 has very long load times and Xbox Live glitches that result in problematic multiplayer experiences as documented by game review sites as well as on Activision's support pages for the Xbox 360 version. The Xbox 360 version was initially priced the same as the PC Special Edition DVD and features the same content as that edition, however as of May 2006 the Xbox 360 version has not received any patches to fix its numerous problems, unlike the PC version.

Aspyr Media published and released Quake 4 for Mac OS X, on April 5, 2006 as a universal binary, compatible with both PowerPC- and x86-based Macs.

id Software continued their tradition of supporting Linux by releasing a Linux version of the Quake 4 binary executable, which players could download for free from id (though it requires a licensed copy of Quake 4 for Windows to run). The Linux installer was made available two days after the release of the game itself.

References

Wikipedia information about Quake 4 This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Quake 4". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.