Full Voice Communications Support

The ETQW 1.2 Update features full voice communications (VoIP) support, allowing rapid and easy coordination with your team-mates. You can select the input and output devices independently of your speakers which allows you to use dedicated headsets and microphones, communicate on three separate channels, mute all VoIP, specific channels, or just specific players (which incidentally also cuts all bandwidth usage), set the volume and test your devices in-game. There's full hardware refresh support for connecting and using USB headsets while the game is running too.

Better Game Balancing

Aside from playing a lot with all of you on the public servers, we also continually analyze data from statistics, read and research your forum feedback, and continue to conduct extensive internal play-testing. This has resulted in a number of improvements in game balance: Various weapons have undergone subtle changes to make them fairer, including tweaks in damage fall-off (increases and reductions to damage over distance), weapon spread, firing rates, and accuracy. Highlights include the Pistol and Blaster being more accurate, increased firing rates for the Shotgun and Nailgun, and tracers appearing over all distances for the Sniper Rifle and the Railgun.

Experience points have been improved in many areas too, with level four rewards easier to achieve across all categories in the course of a campaign. There are also increases in experience points for certain classes such as the Medic and Technician when reviving and dropping health packs, and fixes to the Statistics and Achievements site. On the vehicles front, we've discovered and solved a number of bugs, but most noticeably the Anansi and Tormentor will take longer to repair.

Refined Fireteams and StopWatch Mode

Another thing that a lot of you wanted is for Fireteams to stay together across maps instead of being disbanded at the end of a round. This is in the game now, so once you create a Fireteam on a server, it won't disappear unless you tell it to or switch teams, and this maintains your voice communications channel too. StopWatch mode now features a bit of added logic code to better deal with ties. If neither team wins the map outright, the team that progressed further through the objectives gets the win. While this is the only StopWatch improvement in this update, we have a separate push to add lots more features to tournament support overall. More on that in another Blog.

User Interface Improvements

We've also made several improvements to the user interface. Your number one request to be able to save your password has been added, while we've also improved the Instant Messaging functionality such that a log of recent conversations is maintained (so you'll know what you were last talking about), and you can keep the window open while talking.

The server browser has more features too – it will only poll your favorites if you wish (rather than requesting the entire list), while filtering is handled locally (also removing the need for a new list each time you change a filter). We've also made the server protocol more efficient so it uses less bandwidth – this should help players who were previously unable to get a full server list. Clicking a friend (in the friends or clans list) and selecting Find Server, now works correctly too.

There are many more improvements to the user interface here and there, including more obvious recognition that a Deployable or Vehicle has been disabled via new particle effects, a unique hit sound for when you get a head-shot, and the ability to disable the complaint pop-up when you're team killed (in case you're the automatically forgiving type).

Bot Fixes and Improvements

In the 1.2 Update the bots continue to become more devious and enjoyable to play with. Among some of the fixes and features recently added are improved vehicle handling and usage, bots better adapting to and dealing with enemy snipers and campers, bots being much more focussed on obeying player commands (especially in “Play Computer” matches), improved attacking of enemy Anti-Vehicle Turrets, and better usage of the Oppressor's Tactical Shield as cover while in combat.

Miscellaneous Features and Bug Fixes

There are hundreds of other features implemented, and bugs that have been fixed, too, from the big stuff like the addition of a threaded renderer (yielding even greater performance from quad core processors), to native support for Quadrophonic and 7.1 speaker systems. We've resolved several odd crashes in certain hardware set-ups, improved mouse input with RAW API support, enhanced the shadow code, and fixed numerous visual, collision, physics, and bot issues across the maps. For those of you with your own Ranked Server, you can now add four private slots reserved by password, so that you can join it even if it's full.

The Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars 1.2 Update is currently with Activision's Quality Assurance Team, and undergoing exactly the same testing as if it were a full retail game. It takes a couple of weeks for this process to be completed, but it won't be long before we have the update in your hands.

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Gamers choose to play as Human or Strogg in one of five unique character classes. Employing an arsenal of weapons, vehicles and deployable armaments, players engage in an action-packed test of skill and coordinated teamwork through a series of combat objectives. Persistent character growth and achievements reward players for teamwork, while clearly defined mission and class objectives guide new players to meaningful contributions on the battlefield.

In development at Splash Damage, co-creators of the award winning Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, and in conjunction with id Software, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars employs id Software’s new MegaTexture graphics technology, delivering large outdoor battlefields of unrivaled detail. These life-like recreations of real-world environments are designed specifically for objective-based team combat and include realistic terrain, lighting, special effects and atmospheric conditions.

KEY FEATURES:

• QUAKE Wars is all about conquering and securing enemy territory, and pushing forward or holding your team’s front line. Players must work together using their vehicles, deployables, and character class abilities to complete objectives, defend valuable installations, or execute massive assaults. The gameplay is designed to allow players of every skill level to jump into a match and make a sizeable contribution to the overall mission. Every player’s choice of character class, along with their actions play a critical role throughout as they gain rank, upgrade skills and provide specialist abilities necessary for victory.
• With “asymmetric gameplay,” the characters of both the GDF and the Strogg look, move, and behave uniquely. Bases, characters, vehicles and weapons demonstrate the different technologies and behavior of each side and require distinctive approaches to combat from each player. For example, a GDF Medic can heal and quickly revive injured or fallen soldiers on the field, while the Strogg Technician may use a GDF corpse as a “host” body for a waiting Strogg reinforcement. Similarly, the GDF Field Ops will deploy and call-in a laser-guided strategic strike missile, while the Strogg Opressor peppers a GDF convoy with his Plasma Mortar. Players can choose one of five character classes unique to each force, including the GDF’s Soldier, Field Ops, Engineer, Covert Ops and Medic, or the Strogg’s Aggressor, Opressor, Constructor, Infiltrator, and Technician.
• QUAKE Wars are much more than standard issue equipment. Each selection truly affects gameplay and is integral to a team’s success or failure. Set in the relative near future, the Human arsenal is based on ultramodern updates to today’s conventional Earth arsenal, while the Strogg utilize a more advanced technology suitable for conquering vastly different alien worlds. The GDF use weapons, and vehicles such as machine guns, rocket launchers, armored personnel carriers, and hover-copters, among others. Conversely, the Strogg’s technology is built on the manipulation of energy and gravity and includes assets like the Hyper Blaster, Lightening Gun, a giant mech-walker, a hover tank, vertical take-off and landing Hornet, and more. Players will also utilize unique strategic assets like radar, auto targeting anti-personnel or vehicle turrets, artillery or strategic strike missiles – all of which are realistically deployed onto the battlefield when and where you choose.
• QUAKE Wars renders large, highly detailed and un-tiled outdoor environments all the way to the horizon. Outdoor dynamic lighting allows for every battle to be fought during day or night, with accurate simulation of shadows, atmosphere, vegetation, and weather. Advanced real-time physics, and all new network code support large-scale military combat for up to 24 players through real-world locations, including deserts, glaciers, mountains, and countryside.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars, rated "T," and carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 for the regular edition and $59.99 for the Limited Collector's Edition, and will be on EU store shelves on Sept. 28, 2007 and North American store shelves beginning Oct. 2, 2007.