Last updated: 30th September 2004, revised 28th May 2006
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This web page is purely a vehicle to vent my frustrations with playing Quake 3 Arena, and also as an exercise in putting up a page on the World Wide Web.

Drop me a line why don't you?

The Story

In The Beginning | Gameplay | Nightmare! | Playing Online | Strategies And Tactics
High FPS And Game Physics | Client-Side Prediction | More Technical Issues
Of Mouse And Men | No More Onboard Graphics | The Very End Of Me?

In The Beginning

I've been playing Q3A since the demo came out in mid 1999. Initially I paid it scant attention since I was more interested in Unreal Tournament. This was because I had just finished playing Unreal which turned out to be quite a beautiful and enjoyable game (better than Quake 2 in a lot of respects). It of course included its botmatch game which was the precursor to Unreal Tournament.

When I initially played Q3A I found the bots too fierce even in 'Hurt-Me-Plenty', but I had always appreciated the feel, the surreal colours on some maps and the overall artwork of the game. Anyway I discovered I preferred it to the rather flat look and feel of UT. So what if it didn't have the variety of game-play types?

I grew fond of the Q3 bots. They seem to have so much more 'personality' than the ones in UT
- and yes I know they're not real! I love their individual styles of movements, mannerisms and voice characterisations; and the in-game sounds generally (typical of id games). This and the more visceral feel of the Quake3 engine really endeared me to the game. The 'chats' the bots spew are, by and mostly humorous and not as downright annoying or offensive as the UT bots. I also liked the medals, score plums, announcements and the music. And, it's so immensely satisfying to watch them fly and crumple when fragged!


Gameplay

When I first got the game I had a Celeron 333Mhz (o/c to 500Mhz) and a Voodoo Banshee graphics card and 128MB of PC100 Ram. So, just about a medium spec'd machine (at the time). Initially I used a conventional mouse on a textured mouse mat and PS2Rate to change the sampling speed. Then I discarded this in favour of an Intellimouse Optical. Although it had a skipping problem if you turn it too fast, I prefer it to the mouseball rodent since it requires less maintenance and you don't need to use it on a mouse mat.

I found that the game seemed slow and set the visual settings option to fastest, so now the game looked washed out but I could move faster, and the game ran smoother to boot.

I started off on the 'Hurt-Me-Plenty' skill level, got used to that and stepped up to 'Hardcore' which was not a trivial jump at the time. I started to see some of the quirks like bots shooting through corners but at least the bots did register a fair amount of damage when you hit them. So I completed the entire game on hardcore. The last level with Xaero gives a taste of how things get on the next level.


Nightmare!

Well, at this skill level I couldn't score a single frag for a very long time. The bots were too damn accurate, and seemed to be able to do you far too much damage than you to them. It's amazing how quickly you can die with just a few machine gun rounds shot from nearly across the map, and never mind that corner in the way...it's really annoying.

I've completed all the Tourney's and a few Deathmatches on this setting, but purely by luck and persistence. A win ratio of 1:60 (or less probably). Have you noticed that after playing the same map over and over, all of a sudden it seems as though the bot's aggression increases as if to say 'not so quick, don't you get too cocky now!' No? Well it must just be me then. Also, have you noticed those times where you win purely because the bot made plenty mistakes or falling off the map and made it easy for you - this is especially welcome against Xaero in the last map.

Ah well, at least it's easier online, providing you get a good ping rate...


Playing Online

I had played a few games on-line when I had an ordinary 56K dial up, but not that many, but moving on to ADSL opened my eyes. There are a sizable number of gamers that can play ( move and shoot) just like the Nightmare bots, only much, much badder! In fact some can play this way even though they have a ping nearly double yours. But I think that although a decent ping is essential that there are other factors that affect game play and game response (there must be, mustn't there?).


Strategies And Tactics

Admittedly I have very little technique and virtually no strategy or tactics when I play. I'm a twitcher (a 'spam' shooter). Ok, well I try to aim but just end up pointing in the general direction and shoot. Does me well enough in the hardcore setting though.

But there are a few essential modes of movement to master:

Anyway because all these various jumping techniques, you'll probably see the bots and players jumping around like, well, things on 'acid' or something.

Actually an important strategy is to keep yourself topped up not only with maximum health, but with maximum armour too, as it determines how much punishment you can take (although I do wonder sometimes).
Strangely enough, for me, quad damage only seems to ensure that I'm more of a target to everyone else. I hate myself sometimes for not making the most of my quad sprees.

Single player Tourneys (my favourite).

Similar tactics for online multiplayer.


High FPS And Game Physics

I had always realised that setting the video mode to fastest and turning off some - well most! - of the settings in the game options menu made the game move smoother, faster and more responsive, much to the amusement of one of my friends I continue to play this way even with my current machine. Then browsing a post on a Q3A related gaming site I came across this post, which I was also referred to by this tweakers site. The fps (frames per second) - frame rate - that you can achieve in the game determines how far and high you can jump and how fast you move in the game. Of course fps depends on such things like the machine spec, the map being played, how many players on the map, ping rate and connection quality.

A couple of good tests for jumping ability by the way is to jump for the megahealth in q3dm13 and the jump on to the platform by the yellow armour in q3dm5 (without using the inclined slab). I've noticed that often you can't do them online even though you can offline (due to the issues mentioned above.

I'm tempted to say go for the highest fps you can, although there are optimal values in particular 125fps (see this link again). Although it's not supposed to have an effect I do think that the higher the fps on your machine for a given Internet/LAN gives you an advantage. It's all kind of confusing, especially the relationships between your machines fps, connection rate, client and server side data exchange!



Client-Side Prediction

Playing over a network whether it's the Internet or a LAN means that the server has to receive and update the clients (players') machine. Obviously the quality of the connection and ping rate between clients and server determine how playable and accurate the game play will be. But is a low ping and a fast stable connection (no packet loss, or flooding the end of the story? I would conjecture not. I've had lowish pings (40-140mS) and my Q3 lagometer shows no dropped frames or packet loss but still I notice the following:

So, it would seem that my gameworld updates are well out of phase with everyone else.


More Technical Issues

Mouse polling and hit arbitration: Have you ever noticed that the computer favours the bot when there is a close-call between you and it? Transferred to online players I find the server favours the 'faster mover'.

Question: Keyboard buffer: Is this important? What about USB keyboards?


I changed my mouse from a Microsoft Intellimouse optical (version 1.0) to a Logitech optical mouse (a basic oem model, not an MX or dual sensor). I did this after I realised that the Intellimouse had developed much more severe tracking problems than I noticed before (has this happened with age?). You could drag it across the Windows desktop and see the cursor fly all over the place. It's still perfectly usable for normal work though. It's amazing that I got as far as being able to win the Tourney's and a few of the smaller maps on Nightmare level, albeit taking up to six goes to win. Changing the mouse has caused a (hopefully) temporary set back! I'm nearly back to the bad old days again. The feel of the Logitech is solid and positive and most surprisingly it seems as though the processor responds quicker to this mouse and the perceived lag (offline) seems so much better than before. I have actually won some slinging matches where previously the bot would have won although the bot can still kill you off much quicker (I just don't see why it can frag me from the other side of the map with a machine or gun or plasma rifle, but yet when I try to do it I end fried!). But I guess because of the different feel as characteristics my aim and reaction are well off. My wrist 'flick' or reaction response shots need to be relearnt again. Alas, yet another stint of endless practicing to become at least satisfied that I can stand a chance with the nightmare bots again, something I was quite proud of. Still, I've had to re-hone what ever skill I thought I've had before, when I've changes to the cfg file. I guess I'm a kind of flaky player at best.

After continuous playing mainly on Q3Tourney3: Hells Gate (I hate Klesk now, never mind that you feel sorry for him when he yelps). I'm getting use to the Logitech. Surprisingly this map, is really quite tough. My favorite one-on-one map is Q3Tourney2: The Proving Grounds, I spent countless hours cursing Hunter and that Lightning Gun, I had never realised what a sod Klesk was.

The polling seems a better now, but the bots still kill you far too easy, than you can kill them on Nightmare Level . The game has a lot of er, quirks I think.

I've had to alter some of the settings in the cfg file and I now have to try and be a bit more accurate and not just depend on luck.


No More Onboard Graphics

I thought it was a good idea originally. By putting money saved from not having to buy a graphics card towards buying more memory. Well at that time I hadn't got hooked with online Q3A and so the i845G's built in graphics would suffice or so I thought. Well I knew for most of the modern games I'd have to turn the 'eye-candy' down, but what the heck as long as I could play the game who cares, and anyway I could get 177fps at 640x480 anyway. Well the online value wasn't as high as this anyway and I always ended up capping it to stabilise my online connection. 512MB is worthwhile so I'm glad I got that amount. (It's PC2700 by the way, but I can't run it asynchronously of the CPUs FSB, which the online reviews of this motherboard didn't mention.)

However I was curious how much of a graphics bottleneck I was experiencing and desperate for some upgrade to improve my frag rate, I bought a GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB card (the cheapest I could find). I think a 64MB would have been good enough since I reckon most of the next generation games will probably need a next generation card anyway.

Well my fps rate on the demos I used went up nearly 250% in some cases. The GeForce performs well even with lightmap enabled (although I still use vertex -old habit and all that) so I can get more colour and vibrancy in the game with a tolerable hit in speed. But most importantly input/hit polling lag has reduced to a level which doesn't bother me and hit arbitration is much improved, I can now often escape from a lightning gun attack by Hunter now (Q3 Tourney2) and frenzied exchanges with Nightmare bots can seem a bit fairer. I'm happy with this and the Logitech optical mouse. Tourney levels play great at nightmare skill, so do the DM maps that I've played.

Online the issues are still not quite so clear though, server-client lag and connection rate mismatches etc are still issues here. What's going on?

As I said before I have no technique as such, and from an online in game chat I was told that I wasn't strafe-jumping properly. Trying to so some of the large jumps (e.g. Q3DM2 and Q3Tourney4) I've always been erratic at best. I've got hold of a map from TrickingQ3 and the Defrag program so I hope to work at them, at least I can rule out hardware limiting factors.

Still, all this getting my ass kicked online has had a most beneficial effect on my offline against the nightmare bots gameplay. I don't feel quite so totally useless! (It is only a game after all, I know but...)


The Very End Of Me?

After a very brief stint with 'Defrag' (A Q3A trick jump trainer) and Tricking Q3 map called OPC1, I couldn't get into the jumping rhythm to clear all the gaps in the maps and I just got too frustrated with it. So I decided to upgrade Q3A to point release 1.32 (from 1.31). This was to be the turning point, because just like Sampson with his shaved bonce, my online playing became very weak and very lame. I have no idea if the punkbuster anti-cheat system had anything to with it, but I just couldn't hit anything anymore; aiming, prediction and everything else has gone out the window. I'm back to square one yet again. I don't really understand it. Fortunately though I can beat the bots at nightmare skill in single player (one on one) offline. I'm actually not bad against them now.

I was very saddened and dismayed about the deterioration of the online game, but maybe it's just time to move on. It's only a game after all and it served its pupose by keeping me entertained for a not so inconsiderate amount of time. Actually the pings and lags of my regular online Q3 game servers have increased since anyway.

But realistically gaming can get too addictive and is an all too easy way to waste your life away. So adios Quake 3A, and thanks for the memories.

So until the next game hooks me then...



News


September 2004
Added JDoom and Doom3 (Demo) to Gaming History. (I'm still working at being productive though!)


July 2004
Well, that's it! I've taken all games off my computer! Now lets see if I can be more productive!


April/May 2004
I can't help myself. I guess it's an addiction or something (and it's a distraction from actually doing something useful!). I'm still playing offline, and online (via the built-in game server browser). Some of the matches are fun and I seem to have overcome the helplessness I felt after the 1.32 patch upgrade. I am now playing on different and lower ping servers now. Some of the matches are quite fair in respect to prediction, world updates, and hit arbitration. But still, on some servers the anomalies still occur. As usual some players are able to move blisteringly fast and sometimes are able to take far too many hits before (or even if) they expire. and of course, I frag after just a few hits (even when fully armoured) when all the while I'm shooting directly at them and the hits are not registering. I really would like to know why these things happen -I really would!


Jan 5th 2004
Actually I lied. I still play offline quite a bit still. I'm not overclocking anymore though but the machine is still responsive enough for me to give the dueling bot a good thrashing - er well, sometimes anyway and actually much more regularly now.



Most Played Maps


As you can see I mainly play the Tourney maps.

The stars indicate the playing frequency. Recently I've started playing Hells Gate a lot more now. I've never bothered too much with The Very End of You, the only way I can beat Xaero is to snipe from behind a pillar. You can move around more in Hell's Gate even though Klesk seems as formidable railing you as Xaero is.

My absolute favorite is The Proving Grounds, ever since I played it in the demo version of the game.

Vertical Vengeance is tough when Anarki rails all the time and it's hard to find an area to snipe from unlike some other maps.

Some of the default OSP maps are quite nice as well. The bots seem to be a lot fiercer than the normal Nightmare bots and consequently give me a harder time!



My PC

(As of October 2002)



Gaming History


Doom 1
- The first game I got into. I actually dreamed it and in real life I would turn corners and look around like I did in the game. Great atmosphere and sounds.


Doom 2
- Never finished. Big levels with more monsters - too many, choked my machine at the time. Revenants were good though, spooky.


Quake 1
- I liked the medieval flavour, well anticipated game from id after the Doom series.


Quake 2
- Good progression from Quake 1. The moaning prisoners were a good laugh.


Ground Zero (add-on for Quake 2)
- I liked the mini spiders, had some good levels as good as or better than the original.
The end boss looked shaby though.


Unreal
- I originally shunned this game because of machine issues, but I think it was actually a better game than Quake 2 It had a real sense of battling and pretty colours.


Half-Life
- The ninjas and soldiers were impressive and well executed and the soundtrack was excellent.


The Gunman Chronicles
- I liked this game and thought it was better than Opposing Force which in turn was much better than Blue Shift. (and, "Yeah I can take it.")


Deus Ex
- Great game and plot line, disappointing ending though as I couldn't win through with the ending I wanted to do.


Quake 3 Arena
- 'Nuff said, nightmare bots cheat though! (Better than UT as well.)


No One Lives Forever
- A real surprise this one. Involving story, like Deus Ex, with some lovely touches and good humour.


Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault
- Boring before the Omaha beach landing but then it picks up and gets quite good but ending seems a bit odd. Preferable to the prettier looking RTCW.



Recently (Jan 2004) I've tried out a few demos just to see what the state of play was like -


Unreal 2: The Awakening
- What a stingy demo it's far too short!


Deus Ex 2: The Invisible War
- The demo was very confusing; bad GUI and dumb AI, maybe full game is better? It got slated for the PC version being dumbed-down for the X-Box.


NOLF2: A Spy In Harms Way
- Very nice interface, lovely visuals and soundtrack, quite polished. Dodgy AI though sometimes.


Call of Duty
- The best game so far, despite being heavily scripted. Very smooth play and exciting. A good successor to MOHAA. Wonder if the multiplayer would be as much fun as MOH?


Painkiller
- Slated to be the new Serious Sam/Doom type shooter. Well, I dunno. I gave up because there was no save game in the demo. (Dumb! Very very dumb!).


Visually all the games look great, but you know, the gaming experience has not changed from the prevous games, there's just nothing really new or innovative. It's maybe just that I'm getting too old or worrying that I really should be doing something a heck more productive or useful with my time. Having said that though, I've heard that there's quite a sizable market for middle-aged gamers (ahem!). So maybe I aughtn't to feel quite so bad about wasting my life in this way.


I just have to find the next 'right' game... So as Duke would say: "C'mon, where is it?"





Ahem!...


Doom3
- I downloaded the demo to see what the fuss is all about. Well, the graphics and game engine may be state of art, but I won't see them in their full glory on my current 'old' system anyay. I found the game far too dark and irksome. Where are the gaudy colours? I got fed up with with not being able to see anything and went to seek out JDoom instead! (But I may return to it later.)


JDoom
- This is a conversion for the original Doom series that allows these games to be played in Windows with minimum hassle. It also provides new textures and a more 3D look to the monsters. It's really nice. I'm quite enjoying replaying Doom again; those tunnels, gaudy colours and strobing lights, and the characteristic creature sounds. Plus, it's so much nicer playing on a decent machine (ie not a 286/386 clone). Like Q3A it is really satisfying to frag dem monsters, and those Cacodemons are so cute!



Links


(Probably the most useful part of this page.)

Console Commands - Commander Keen

Q3A Config Tweaking by Stony (ESREALITY]

Q3A Console Guide

Quake3 [Cyberfight] / Tricks / Of tricks and settings

Revilla Quake 2 and 3 Playing Guide

TechSpot NVIDIA GeForce Tweak Guide

TechSpot Quake 3 Arena tweak guide

The Q3A Guide - Basic Console Commands and Cheats [PlanetQuake]

The Strategy Index Guide - Quake 3 Arena [Gamesurge]

The Tweak Guide - Quake 3 Arena [Gamesurge]

Tweak Quake 3 [Planetquake]

Tweaking Quake 3 [Barrys Guides]

UpsetChaps Guide [Savage UK]

Wicked Quake 3 Speed Tricks [Planetquake]

Clanbase Q3A FAQ

Quake 4 Dummies

Trixmaster`s Speedy Quake III Arena Trix


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Disclaimer

The author of this page cannot accept any responsibility for any kind of distress or pain (mental or physical) to persons or property caused any content on this site.

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