A MISUNDERSTOOD MASTERPIECE THAT DARED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

PLAY IT NOW https://quake.bethesda.net/en

*Audio. Soundtrack and audio queues from hits, kills etc Quake feels more visceral with sound effects and soundtrack that punches harder?*

Quake Champions was released on PC only which is a shame considering all other prior quakes exist on consoles. Quake Champions is a game designed around precision movement and lightning fast reflexes. These attributes don't suit controller sensibilities and to play Quake Champions well you need a stable frame rate AT LEAST above 60 frames per second. The console generation of this time being the Xbox One and Playstation 4 couldn't handle such frame rates... 

HOWEVER,

I reserve the belief that a console port should have existed regardless so console-only players can still have the quake experience. Yes, it might be slower and, it might not be running at 6000 FPS but there is fun to be had and there are some SWEATY controller FPS players out there. 

Server Browser (or lack there of)

Another common complaint is the lack of a server browser. Modern FPS players probably don't know what that is, except for maybe Krunker players. A server browser is a list of multiplayer servers that are active all around the world. This list will show you which servers have the best Ping for your location and whether there is anybody active in these lobbies to play with. These types of lists can be found in Quake Live, Unreal Tournament, DoomBringer, Worfork, Xonotic and MOST AFPS… but not in Quake Champions. Here is my reasoning as to why a lack of a server browser is not necessarily a bad thing. 

A gamer like me, who loads up a game, excited and ready to dive right into the fast-paced frenetic action that is your chosen AFPS game, only to find hundreds of dead empty servers is very lonely and disheartening. Not saying that these lobbies are ALWAYS empty, but finding one that is active, with low ping and not set to private is nearly impossible nowadays. As an Australian AFPS fan, it feels like 99% of the time, I am the ONLY Australian who still plays AFPS with how empty the lobbies are. There are ways to join games because every AFPS has their respective communities and you can join certain discords and arrange games and join competitions, but its not always easy finding the time to join these games especially when you have other commitments such as work, sleep, parenting, etc. THIS is why I play Quake Champions regularly. It seems to be the only solid AFPS that has a steady player base, almost every time. Of course the average steam player count is nowhere near as high as other modern multiplayer games, but it's nice to jump into QC, and fall into a lobby with familiar names.. The same can't be said for Quake Live in my experience. QC has a modern matchmaking system instead of server browsers and I think it's better off for it. It essentially forces whoever is online at the time within the servers you have selected to play against each other and its not relying on 1 person having an active game that everyone else has to join. It puts everyone together, drops us onto a random map with a random game mode (depending on what you've selected) and walla, you’re playing QC, your fragging and bagging instead of server hunting, only to find 1 active server, with 1 active player where the ping is 500 and you have no chance of a good time.

3. History and how Quake can be confusing and hard to get into when new to the franchise. It’s not team based at all. There are no ‘support’ characters and even though there are teams in TDM etc you’re still trying to be top fragger.

The initial response to the announcement had Tim Willits visibly nervous. Just naming it Quake Champions gave people the initial idea that it would be a Hero shooter, which is leaving hardcore quake fans with a bad taste in their mouth, which is weird because some of them enjoy ‘hero’ aspects in other games such as overwatch being the biggest comparison. But QC and Overwatch couldn't be further from each other. The only similarities is there are different characters to choose from with their own abilities and that they're both FPS. 

Epic Games released a game developed by seasoned AFPS veterans called Diabotical which promised the old school form of AFPS to modern audiences and even that has fallen flat. I personally enjoy diabotical, it's great to jump into a classic style AFPS where everyone is on an even level with no movement or ability advancements, the maps are fun to navigate and the weapons are as classic as any AFPS, just like Star wars, the biggest haters of Diabotical are the ones who actively play it. I think it simply boils down to expectations. Everyone has a right to have expectations and when something new is on the way which promises so much, it can be disheartening to the die hard fans of the genre when it doesn't quite deliver on those expectations. The Gameplay and design of Diabotical is a video for another time, but its another example of a well crafted AFPS, which did not deliver the classic experience AFPS fans are yearning for, which has me thinking… with the slue of AFPS games that exist today and that are playable. Surely one of them has to deliver on those expectations right, or does the AFPS multiplayer genre just simply belong in the past, and there may be no redemption for it.

5. Super nice community. Even if you get blitzed, they’ll teach you the tricks. Even though it’s a selfish game, you’ll appreciate a newcomer adapting and learning from the seasoned vets and winning. Going back to the community side of QC, Speaking of familiar names, I have NOT ONCE come across ANY toxic players. Everyone in the online Quake Champions community is so welcoming because just like me, they want more people to play this game, they want people to play their game. Early in my time with QC I would often get people seeing how badly I was playing and they would use the chat to give you pointers. They’ll arrange 1v1 duel matches so they can take you through the maps and tell you important things to remember such as movement techniques, item timing, weapon spawns and vantage points. The community is small, but its full of excellent humans.