Quake 4
| Quake 4 | |||
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| Official logo for the game | |||
| Studio |
 Raven Software id Software
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| Publisher |
Activision (2005–2009) Bethesda Softworks (2009–)
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Windows: October 18, 2005 Xbox 360: December 2, 2005 Mac OS X: May 16, 2006 Steam: August 4, 2011 |
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| platform | macOS , PC ( Linux , Windows ), Xbox 360 | ||
| Game engine | id Tech 4 | ||
| genre | Ego shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard & mouse , gamepad (console) | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | 4 CD-ROMs , 1 or 2 DVDs , download | ||
| language | English | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | USK-16 version is shortened. Uncut versions indexed in Germany. | ||
Quake 4 is a computer game and the fourth part in the Quake series . It was developed for the PC by Raven Software under the supervision of id Software and was released on October 18, 2005 for Windows . Two days later the Linux client was delivered. Quake 4 appeared as one of the 15 launch titles for the Xbox 360 .
action
The storyline of Quake 4 ties in directly to Quake II . After the supreme general (Makron) of the Strogg was killed, the Terran forces prepare a major invasion of the home planet of the Strogg. But the Strogg have meanwhile elevated a new macron to their leadership and hardly lost any of their fighting power. You take on the role of Matthew Kane, who takes part in the invasion as a member of the Rhino Squad . In the course of the plot, the Marines try to detonate an EMP in the core of a central computer in order to interrupt communication between the Stroggs. During this endeavor, Kane is captured by the Strogg and transformed into a cyborg himself . But shortly before his consciousness is brought into line, he can be freed from his troops. Armed with his new skills, Kane becomes a key figure as the war progresses, but his Strogg-esque appearance also makes him an outsider.
Single player mode
The gameplay follows the genre-typical peculiarities: The player first fights in a team with computer-controlled comrades, is later separated from them and has to survive a few missions alone. In the further course of the action, the player is repeatedly brought together with soldiers from his squad in order to carry out various tasks (for example infiltration or sabotage), to which he is instructed by radio. The progress of the story is conveyed via the radio messages and short exchanges with the comrades.
In contrast to its predecessor, the player often fights in association with other soldiers. In different levels, the player is on the move in futuristic military vehicles such as floating tanks or mechs .
Multiplayer mode
The multiplayer mode is based on Quake III Arena in terms of gameplay . This also applies to a number of popular trick jumps (circle / penalty jumps) that made the feel of the older Quake parts. Differences mainly affect the physics of the game. So it is now possible to ricochet grenades from jumppads and shoot projectiles through teleporters. The crouch slide was introduced as a new type of movement, a sliding movement in a crouch that can be used (also in combination with the other trick jumps) to increase speed.
Game modes in multiplayer are Deathmatch , Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag (CTF) and Tournament, all of which were also available in Quake 3 . In addition, there is Arena Capture the Flag, which extends the normal CTF mode by adding so-called runes (permanent power-ups ). Some of the included maps are modernized versions of popular multiplayer levels of the predecessors Quake 2 and 3.
In the German version , the multiplayer mode can only be used to a very limited extent (see technology ).
weapons
In the single player mode, the player initially only has Terran standard weapons, which he can upgrade over time through modifications (e.g. changed projectile properties or increased magazine capacity). Captured Strogg weapons complete the arsenal. In multiplayer mode, the same weapons are used for the most part, but there the blaster is replaced by the "Gauntlet" and, unlike in single player mode, the weapons do not have to be reloaded.
Many of the weapons are already known from the previous games, others are slightly changed or completely new compared to their predecessors.
- Gauntlet
- Melee weapon in multiplayer mode that replaces the blaster there. More or less a circular saw on a gauntlet.
- Blaster
- A low-damage pistol with unlimited ammunition that can also be charged and then fired to increase the damage done. It is one of two weapons that are equipped with a lamp.
- Assault rifle
- An assault rifle that is equipped as standard with a telescopic sight with which it is possible to fire single shots with pinpoint accuracy. The machine gun also has a lamp. In the course of the game the ammunition capacity of the weapon is increased.
- Pump gun
- An eight-shot pump gun , which is later modified with a magazine system for faster reloading and a higher number of shots.
- Hyperblaster
- Shoots small plasma balls that are fired at high speed. A modification allows the projectiles to ricochet off walls and hit enemies as ricochets.
- Nail gun
- The nail thrower shoots nails at the enemy (similar to a machine gun). The magazine is expanded by modification and a target device with target-seeking projectiles is installed.
- Grenade launcher
- Shoots grenades that explode on contact with the enemy or after three seconds.
- Rocket launcher
- Shoots missiles and is augmented by laser guided missiles as the story progresses.
- Railgun
- Fires projectiles accelerated by a magnetic field at a very high speed. It is equipped with a telescopic sight and is modified in the course of the game so that the projectiles can shoot through multiple targets.
- Lighting gun
- Shoots continuous lightning at the enemy. Will later be modified so that lightning can jump to nearby enemies.
- Dark Matter Gun
- Shoots a slow but deadly ball of dark matter that soaks up enemies and objects lying around. Smaller enemies are not sucked up, but shredded.
- Napalm Thrower
- ( Added to multiplayer by patch version 1.3) Shoots hard-to-erase napalm .
Frames
The German version of the game was released on DVD, is censored and has been given an age rating of 16 by the USK . All blood representation has been removed here, as well as some scenes , although they are important for understanding the plot. In addition, some loading screens have been replaced, which are displayed when changing from one level to the next. In addition, the multiplayer mode can only be used to a very limited extent (see technology ). The uncensored US and UK versions ( BBFC 18) were not rated USK and were indexed in Germany.
In addition to these two versions, there is also a limited special edition which was distributed on 2 DVDs. This also contains the predecessor Quake II including the two Chief Executive Officer add-ons The Reckoning and Ground Zero as well as "Making of" videos and has a different cover design.
There is an Italian, a Spanish, a French and an English version of the game. There is no German version; the version published in Germany is entirely in English.
technology
Quake 4 is the first game in the Quake series that does not use an engine specially developed for the game . Instead, a revised version of the Doom-3 engine is used, which among other things improves the display of outdoor areas.
With the patches released so far, many bugs have been ironed out and the game mechanics in multiplayer mode have been rebalanced, while tips and suggestions for improvement from the Quake community have also been taken into account in the patches. In addition, the patches contained new levels, weapons and game modes for the multiplayer mode.
In the current German version, as far as we know, it is not possible to compete in multiplayer mode against players who use the US version (or any other version) . This severely limits the usability of the German version for playing on the Internet, as there are almost no multiplayer servers that support the German version.
The Quake 4 multiplayer mode is protected against cheating by the PunkBuster used in earlier games produced by id-Software or based on their engine . This checks whether a game has been tampered with, and most of the possibilities for piracy are also prevented.
criticism
In general, Quake 4 was received rather ambiguously. It is technically and atmospherically successful and demanding, but in the eyes of the critics too little innovative.
The youth protection measures that were taken for the German version have heavily alienated Quake 4. Scenes in which the protagonist is forcibly transformed into a cyborg by machines have been removed without replacement, so that the plot at the relevant point is incomprehensible. In addition, the censored German version is incompatible with the original version, which is why it is not possible to play with the German version on international multiplayer servers. The German servers are usually poorly or not at all visited.
See also
swell
Web links
- Official website
- Linux Client FAQ and Download
- Link catalog on Quake 4 at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
