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Sunday, 21 May 2000 -
Recluse ? comment
Recluse is well known as a writer in the US Quake scene. His website, FPS Spectator (now sadly defunct), was always one of the "essential reads", often covering an enormous amount of stuff (including the PGL). Today he writes coverage on Staynes House of Demos.

Recluse is an ex-Q2 guy but he has a keen appreciation for carnage in any FPS game, and QW seems to entertain him almost as much as Immy's rail did in Q2.

Recluse's thoughts on the Pro Mod
In a nutshell, I think the Pro Mod should focus on giving back the elements of Strategy and Control to Q3A Pro Duelers. Everything comes back to this central point. Controlling a level, controlling armors and weapons... this is what makes exciting matches for players and spectators alike.

Rocket Launcher - I like the RL how it is now and would be perfectly happy with it, however for a Pro Mode I do think it should be slightly faster. I'm not married to the faster concept though, since I'm fairly happy with how the RL turned out. However, the calculations for how much damage it does should be Q1 style or the tones should inform you of how much damage was inflicted. Right now you can splash someone minimally, hear the tone and think "I hit them" when it might have only done a few points of damage because you were at the edge of the splash radius. So it's disconcerting when you think you hit them three or four times with a rocket and they are still alive. This could be solved by either changing the way the splash algorithm works (making it stronger) or having two sets of 'damage tones'. One for a strong direct hit, one for a weak splashed hit. Your own Rockets should damage you less than your opponents. I feel like I'm being punished just because I want to Rocket Jump. Also, the RL firing sound is weak. Whoosh instead of Boom. Bwah? Basically my thought on the RL is that it and the Red Armor (and perhaps the MH) should be the 'Ultimate Goal' in any 1 on 1 situation. All of the other elements in the game such as minor weapons, level design, and weaker armors/health should all be constructed as to lead up to confrontations surrounding the Holy Trinity. RL, RA and MH.

Lightning Gun - This gun feels very loose to me. It lacks that 'stickiness' that was so beloved in the Q1 Shaft. It's still much better than it was in the test but it just doesn't feel very accurate or powerful. I miss the ability to shaft someone against the ceiling and hold them in place. Also, the sound they chose just plain sucks. What happened to the big thunderstrike sound from the original?

Grenade Launcher - This weapon is worthless. The timing on the bounces and explosions just seems OFF. It needs to be adjusted so that you can plant one right in somebodies face without having to rely on pure luck. Also with the original in Q1, you could aim directly overhead and fire a grenade... it would explode on the ground on exactly the second bounce (try it yourself). This made GL jumps possible. With the Q3 GL, if you try the same thing, the GL explodes above your head. The timing needs some serious tweaking. Also, the firing rate should be sped up just slightly, as long as it doesn't mess up the timing issue. One other thing, the model looks like a rectangle. WTF is up with that?

Shotgun - The spread needs to be wider, but inflict less damage. As it is now, it is more like a railgun than the ultimate finishing weapon it should be.

Plasma Gun - Great for FFA's, crappy for 1 on 1's. What can I say? The ultimate spam weapon that doesn't require much skill. Wouldn't kill me if it was left in though. It is comforting to spawn near because you can easily take back control with it.

Railgun - It's perfect. Leave it alone.

BFG - Goes without saying. Shouldn't ever be in a 1 on 1 match.

Gauntlet - I've never liked this weapon, but wouldn't be upset if it stayed like it is either. I would prefer seeing a melee weapon like the axe instead, but don't think it's a big deal for a Pro Mode.

Weapon Switching - This absolutely has to be instant. Also the 'reload time' for all the weapons needs to be consistent so that some weapon switching tricks can be pulled off. i.e. RL bounce into the air and Shaft. Rail mid-air and finish with Shotgun, RL bounce then Rail etc... Let the Pro's use muscle memory to pull off some of these fantastic moves. Consistency in the timing is critical for this to happen.

Ammo - Picking up a weapon that you already have should give you the same amount of ammo as an ammo box would.

Backpacks - I miss this 'dessert' after having giblets for dinner. It should contain at least the weapon that was being used and all ammo that was carried for that weapon at the time of death. I don't think it needs to give you ALL the ammo your opponent had though.

Weapon dropping - Bring this nice feature back from Q2.

Weapon Spawn times - They spawn way too fast right now. There should be a consistent timing for weaon spawns that still allows players to control key weapons.

Air Control - I agree with Methos on this one. I'd like this adjusted so that the really good players can be distinguished from newbies in their movement style. Everyone looks the same now. Contrast this with Q1 where you could load up a demo and watch a few minutes and be able to tell who is playing just by how they move. This is essential to any Pro Mod.

Teleporters - I gotta go with Q1 style tele's here so teleporter tricks can be done. Also, when you telefrag, why not have a 'TELEFRAG' announcer voice-over? I'm not sure why that was missed when they were deciding the voice-overs for Impressives, Excellents and Humiliations.

Armors - Armors shouldn't count down. Period. The Red Armor should actually protect you from damage. Right now, there isn't really a difference between YA or RA. There should be a notable advantage to having the Red Armor. Also, Armors should have a longer spawn time to allow control.

Footsteps - Granted, the Q3 footsteps are still much better than the Q2 'heard all over' style, but for a Pro Mode, there should be no footsteps at all. If Footsteps do get left in for some weird reason, then normal walking speed should be faster. Running speed is ok how it is though.

Splash through Walls - This looks like a bug to me. Someone can be on a walkway above you and you can splash them from underneath. I don't think this should happen. I still haven't figured out if it's just an effect of level design or a bug in the game. Either way, it should be taken out. A wall should be a wall. These aren't paper Japanese walls we're talking about here, it's Stone and Metal.

Maps - I like the idea of a Pro Mod having a nice selection of very good dueling maps. Perhaps ZTN or someone of like calibre could be enlisted to make a few levels?

Spectating - I would make the 'Following SoAndSo' text a lot smaller. Also I like Methos' thoughts on Spectator Only. id didn't put much thought into spectator mode. How about a built in QTV browser?

Demos - I dislike the 'recording ..' text that pops up when you are recording a demo. I'd prefer maybe a small icon off to the side to let you know that you are recording one, or move the text out of the middle of the screen. That center area is prime real estate and is already taken up with all sorts of other Game messages.

Sounds - A Mega Health pickup should be heard from farther away than it is now.

Player Spawn Health - The player should spawn in with only 100 health.

HUDS - My thought is that several HUDS could be made for people to choose from in the menu. For instance, I'd prefer a text only HUD with everything off to the left or bottom. Having the ability to turn off 'middle screen' messages and whatnot would be nice too.

Recluse - come visit at Staynes House of Demos.

Read Methos.

Read Cache.

Read Hoony.

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