Quake aims to replace Doom as greatest game | 25 June |
How do you follow the most successful game in the history of the electronic gaming? The producers of Doom, Id Software, say they spent two years creating the "next greatest game ever," Quake, which debuts today on the Internet. In the world of computers, two very different games have been runaway successes. Both Doom and Myst have that special power to immerse players so deeply that they create a success which marketing alone cannot achieve. But their similarities end there. At Id Software, company officials will tell you in some version, Doom is installed on more computers than Microsoft's Windows operating system. And Doom is the archetype for shoot'em-up, hit'em-hard violent action. The number of Doom "wannabes" number over a hundred. "We knew Wolfenstein (the precursor to Doom) would be a success and we knew Doom would be a success before either of them left the shop," said Jay Wilbur, Id's chief executive officer, speaking to Newsbytes. "However, if you told me several years ago, I would be reviewing a script and the details of a feature film based on Doom, I would have thought you crazy." For almost two years, millions of devoted Doom fans have questioned Id about its next-generation game. "Yes, there has been non-stop pressure from the media and our loyal gamers," added Wilbur. "The real pressure, though, comes from inside our company. To follow Doom, we set out to produce the greatest game ever. Our programmers have worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week. There have been at least four different Quake engines (the heart and soul for powering a game). John Carmack, one the great minds behind our technology, would come up with some new idea which would speed the game by 75% and we would have to start all over with the engine. But that is our path to building the greatest game ever. You have to have speed and power." What else does Quake have? "First. it has immersion," continued Wilbur. If you have ever played Doom, you know that is has the ability to suspend disbelief, claims the company. Quake has been built the same way. Quake is also designed to take advantage of the Internet. "You have to include multi-player technology in a game today," said Wilbur. "With Quake, the limiting factor of how many players can participate in a game is not in the game, it is in the speed and backbone of the Internet. The question is bandwidth. Quake can be played by an almost unlimited number of people." Like its versions of Doom, Id's Quake is available in a shareware version on the Internet. The shareware version, one-quarter of the full game, can be downloaded from the Id Software World Wide Web site at http://www.idsoftware.com . In August, the shareware version of Quake on CD-ROM, with an encrypted full version, will sell retail for under $10 (an additional charge is required to open the full version) and a full version can be ordered for $45. Quake requires a Pentium-based personal computer with a minimum of eight megabytes (MB) of RAM and 40MB of hard disk storage. Microsoft DOS 5.0, a CD-ROM, and Sound Blaster compatible card, are also required. In closing, Wilbur claimed, "The wait was well worth it. Quake will change the face of gaming forever." (Patrick McKenna/19960625/Press Contact: Audrey Mann, Technology Solutions, 212-696-2000/QUAKE960625/PHOTO) |
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From the NEWSBYTES news service, 25 June |