Ask Us Anything - Dev Answers 7/21
The development team at id Software answered more questions during their "Ask Us Anything" session on the official forums. Questions to developers are still being accepted on the official Bethesda forum, pitch in and get some of your own questions answered!
Development Team Responses & Contributions from:
Q. Does hitbox change when attachment to the custom skin is in use? There are various elements on the model (mostly perimeter) and the model looks bigger with them.
A. No. The hitbox model remains unchanged when vanity attachments are equipped.
Q. So how long is this Beta test expected to last? Do we get to keep the Key and play after or is this just for the testing of the beta?
A. We have remained dedicated to staying in beta for the time being as we work towards finishing some of our major goals. Once we are approaching the end of our beta we will begin sharing news of our plans as we move forward. If you are already in the game and playing, you will continue to be able to play.
Q. Any plans for taunts or something like a VGS system? I find chat during a match practically useless; there's just really no time to say anything in between spawns. I'd really appreciate being able to roll my fingers across a few keys to communicate things like good luck, have fun, nice shot, well played, good game, get to quad, get to mega, get to red, i don't have a weapon, i need health, and SHAZBOT! Not only is this a lot faster than typing it out, but also everything is translated automatically. Not only from language to language, but also new players don't need to be trained on what existing "short cuts" like gg, hf, ns, wp, etc... mean.
A. Yes we have plans for taunts, and we’re exploring different ways to encourage team communication and coordination.
Q. Are you going to fix Slash’s crouchslide issues (f.e. Blood Pool in dm6, Ramp in Burial Chamber)?
A. These are map clipping issues that will be resolved.
Q. When will we be able to customize our HUDs? Some wish for different crosshairs, others don't want to see medals flashing.
A. Customization is very important to us. We have some exciting ideas and are continuing to take community feedback.
Q. Will custom crosshairs be in before Regionals? Would be great to know so people can start getting used to something with an overlay or not.
A. Custom crosshair support is coming, but these options will not be available before the QWC Regionals.
Q. Looking at the (now removed) "secret" area right above the eye in Sarnath, is there any other spot on any map that we haven't discovered? Even though the area was removed in Sarnath, do you plan to have more of these spots in other maps?
A. To note, the secret area above the Eye of Sarnath has not been fully removed, but instead has only been removed from Duel to address potential exploits in 1v1 situations. That said, if we told you all of our secrets, they wouldn’t be secrets. Have fun.
Q. Will there be any balance changes before QuakeCon? What kinds of updates can we expect before QuakeCon, if any?
A. We have plans for updating the game both before and after Regionals, one of which includes a small balance change which makes small improvements to Slash.
Q. Are there plans to enhance the Battle Report?
A. Yes.
Q. I would like to see detailed statistics, similar to duel. However, in addition to detailed weapon statistics, additional information for team modes would be nice: number of assists, how long did each team (and player) hold the soul, which team had the better item control, etc.
A. Great feedback. We would like this too and we’ll look into providing more stat information in our other game modes.
Q. Why is the rocket launcher not dealing any damage sometimes on head-on collision?
A. This is a known top priority issue that will be addressed in the near future.
Q. Do you want people to win the game using mainly their skills, or you think there should be a good element of chance too?
Skill will absolutely always win out and is the more important factor in every Quake game. Rather than chance, we also like to add different layers of mechanics which allow players to utilize their own unique skills to compete in ways that complement their play style, take control of combat, and turn the tides in their favor.
Q. Will there be more tournaments after QuakeCon?
A. Yes, we have many more competitions and events planned for Quake Champions and look forward to sharing those announcements.
Q. Are we going to see a return of the console? While I realize that the intent is to have the features needed in the UI, typing can be so much faster than navigating. I could have a script or just a copy and paste of typical custom match settings.
I live in a remote region (small mountain town) and so I have to deal with bad pings and offline periods during bad weather. I enjoyed Quake 2, Quake 3 and Quake Live casually versus bots when not connected to internet and also locally with friends on same network. 1. Now that you are making a free to play always online game you will completely abandon us fans who want to play offline with bots?
A. Quake has a long history of providing a variety of ways to play, and we will continually work toward providing new ways to play for all types of players.
Q. Currently I believe Clutch is slightly overpowered and just not fun to play against at all. Are there going to be more changes to clutch after the QWC?
A. We’re happy to see that Clutch has become a viable champion, including in duel. At the moment our match stats indicate that Clutch is a good choice in many situations, but is not dominating matches. We will continue to evaluate and test balance changes as always.
Q. Will you add an option to have the weapon pickups use the actual weapon models? (as opposed to the current color-coded simplified models)?
A. There are currently no plans for this.
Q. I've seen situations where you spawn in duel, and you spawn right on top of a Galena Totem or The Slash Plasma trail. Is that going to be fixed?
A. This is something we’ll continue to monitor; we don’t want players to feel like they have an unfair advantage upon spawn.
Q. Match Report: Could you show the XP for each medal longer, so that it’s better to see?
A. We will look into improving this.
Q. Story/lore question: what happened to Vadrigar(s)/Arena Masters? There’s no mention about their existence in game. Is this a retcon due to Lovecraftian lore or something else?
A. The Vadrigar are a sub-group of Elder Gods that rule the Dreamlands and our arenas. They still very much exist in Quake Champions and our upcoming lore systems will begin to explain the story behind them. However, the specific Vadrigar in QC have different motives from those in Quake 3, so Arena Masters is a term that we don’t use and does not apply. In Q3 the gladiators were said to have been pulled in by the Arena Masters, whereas in Quake Champions there are many reasons why someone may have found their way into the Dreamlands, and our lore seeks to explore those individual stories.
Q. Why not add quad kills in total ended scoreboard?
A. Not against the idea, just a matter of whether we have room for it. I’d like to hear a few more suggestions like this and see what players think is most important to have present at the end-game stats.
Q. Can you just add the soundtracks to the remade maps to their counterparts. For example "the soundtrack from q3dm6 in blood covenant". I have one more reason to love quake champions if you do this :).
A. While we’re not going to replace any of our existing environment theme tracks, we do have some fun plans in store for music lovers that may have nostalgia for our past tracks.
Q. Are there any plans for a defrag or race mode?
A. We keep the idea alive as something to explore in the future, but have not begun any sort of development on a race mode.
Q. Is it possible that you will release an official armor absorption rate for each weapon? And then continue to update it later on?
A. Currently all weapons deal the same armor absorption rate of 66%, just as it was in Quake Live, Quake 4, and Quake III Arena.
Q. Are there plans to bring back friendly fire in TDM at least?
A. No. Although, it would be an option that we could consider for Custom Game.
Q. Are you going to release major patches every month?
A. We have plans to continually update the game and eventually bring a normal cadence to releases.
Q. This may be a stupid complaint, but the current crosshair we have in the game is too small. Can we get customizable crosshairs?
A. Yes, we will eventually be providing options for customizable crosshairs.
Q. Better visibility options are requested. Recent player poll of 200 users, 50 wanted to go back to bright skins and picmip, 70 wanted static outline, team colors and less visual overhaul. Any changes coming to visibility?
A. Yes, we have continued to work on visibility and we have some improvements coming soon.
Q. Rocket Launcher complaint. Video appears to hit. Any comment on why it didn’t register?
A. Known issue frequently reported that started occurring during our latest major update that we have been working to address and hope to fix as soon as possible.
Q. One of my favorite things about DOOM 2016 was being able to use Centered weapon position and with Clutch his shield animation will move the Q1 rocket launcher to the Right screen position. I really would like if we could choose Center, Left or Right position for our weapons.
A. Currently we plan on weapons remaining on the right screen position (near the weapon bar and ammo counters) with the exception of certain legacy weapons that may be centered, as seen with the Quake 1 rocket launcher.
Q. Maybe it supports it already and I don't know: is there or will there be 5.1 / 7.1 output? Would be pretty cool to help localize players.
A. Too soon to say, although I would prefer not to give players with surround sound options an advantage in regards to identifying the locations of sound events.
Q. This is one of the most important elements of the quake community, even today people create new maps for q/q1/q3/ql. We know that we cannot expect editor such like in UE4 (or maybye, who knows:D). But today people have knowledge of programs like 3dsmax/maya/modo/zbrush etc. So please, tell us something about community maps.
A. I look forward to support community maps in the future, but we need to further development on the core game before supporting user generated content for a platform that is still evolving.
Q. Solution for overtime. Nyx vs Nyx overtime especially can be a drag. Stop spawning health & armor in overtime, problem solved?
A. This option would not work well for other Champions however, as it would give a great advantage to Champions which can provide themselves health, such as Anarki and Galena. I would never want to add special case overtime rules that are dependent on the Champions currently in play as that would be highly inconsistent and difficult to learn and understand what to expect. In regards to Nyx vs Nyx, one change coming in the future helps mitigates this as Nyx will soon see other Nyx’s who are also in the Ghostwalk dimension.
Source: Bethesda.net
Development Team Responses & Contributions from:
- Adam Pyle - Lead Designer at id Software
- David Saunders - Monetization Designer
- Andrew Dutra - Producer
Q. Does hitbox change when attachment to the custom skin is in use? There are various elements on the model (mostly perimeter) and the model looks bigger with them.
A. No. The hitbox model remains unchanged when vanity attachments are equipped.
Q. So how long is this Beta test expected to last? Do we get to keep the Key and play after or is this just for the testing of the beta?
A. We have remained dedicated to staying in beta for the time being as we work towards finishing some of our major goals. Once we are approaching the end of our beta we will begin sharing news of our plans as we move forward. If you are already in the game and playing, you will continue to be able to play.
Q. Any plans for taunts or something like a VGS system? I find chat during a match practically useless; there's just really no time to say anything in between spawns. I'd really appreciate being able to roll my fingers across a few keys to communicate things like good luck, have fun, nice shot, well played, good game, get to quad, get to mega, get to red, i don't have a weapon, i need health, and SHAZBOT! Not only is this a lot faster than typing it out, but also everything is translated automatically. Not only from language to language, but also new players don't need to be trained on what existing "short cuts" like gg, hf, ns, wp, etc... mean.
A. Yes we have plans for taunts, and we’re exploring different ways to encourage team communication and coordination.
Q. Are you going to fix Slash’s crouchslide issues (f.e. Blood Pool in dm6, Ramp in Burial Chamber)?
A. These are map clipping issues that will be resolved.
Q. When will we be able to customize our HUDs? Some wish for different crosshairs, others don't want to see medals flashing.
A. Customization is very important to us. We have some exciting ideas and are continuing to take community feedback.
Q. Will custom crosshairs be in before Regionals? Would be great to know so people can start getting used to something with an overlay or not.
A. Custom crosshair support is coming, but these options will not be available before the QWC Regionals.
Q. Looking at the (now removed) "secret" area right above the eye in Sarnath, is there any other spot on any map that we haven't discovered? Even though the area was removed in Sarnath, do you plan to have more of these spots in other maps?
A. To note, the secret area above the Eye of Sarnath has not been fully removed, but instead has only been removed from Duel to address potential exploits in 1v1 situations. That said, if we told you all of our secrets, they wouldn’t be secrets. Have fun.
Q. Will there be any balance changes before QuakeCon? What kinds of updates can we expect before QuakeCon, if any?
A. We have plans for updating the game both before and after Regionals, one of which includes a small balance change which makes small improvements to Slash.
Q. Are there plans to enhance the Battle Report?
A. Yes.
Q. I would like to see detailed statistics, similar to duel. However, in addition to detailed weapon statistics, additional information for team modes would be nice: number of assists, how long did each team (and player) hold the soul, which team had the better item control, etc.
A. Great feedback. We would like this too and we’ll look into providing more stat information in our other game modes.
Q. Why is the rocket launcher not dealing any damage sometimes on head-on collision?
A. This is a known top priority issue that will be addressed in the near future.
Q. Do you want people to win the game using mainly their skills, or you think there should be a good element of chance too?
Skill will absolutely always win out and is the more important factor in every Quake game. Rather than chance, we also like to add different layers of mechanics which allow players to utilize their own unique skills to compete in ways that complement their play style, take control of combat, and turn the tides in their favor.
Q. Will there be more tournaments after QuakeCon?
A. Yes, we have many more competitions and events planned for Quake Champions and look forward to sharing those announcements.
Q. Are we going to see a return of the console? While I realize that the intent is to have the features needed in the UI, typing can be so much faster than navigating. I could have a script or just a copy and paste of typical custom match settings.
I live in a remote region (small mountain town) and so I have to deal with bad pings and offline periods during bad weather. I enjoyed Quake 2, Quake 3 and Quake Live casually versus bots when not connected to internet and also locally with friends on same network. 1. Now that you are making a free to play always online game you will completely abandon us fans who want to play offline with bots?
A. Quake has a long history of providing a variety of ways to play, and we will continually work toward providing new ways to play for all types of players.
Q. Currently I believe Clutch is slightly overpowered and just not fun to play against at all. Are there going to be more changes to clutch after the QWC?
A. We’re happy to see that Clutch has become a viable champion, including in duel. At the moment our match stats indicate that Clutch is a good choice in many situations, but is not dominating matches. We will continue to evaluate and test balance changes as always.
Q. Will you add an option to have the weapon pickups use the actual weapon models? (as opposed to the current color-coded simplified models)?
A. There are currently no plans for this.
Q. I've seen situations where you spawn in duel, and you spawn right on top of a Galena Totem or The Slash Plasma trail. Is that going to be fixed?
A. This is something we’ll continue to monitor; we don’t want players to feel like they have an unfair advantage upon spawn.
Q. Match Report: Could you show the XP for each medal longer, so that it’s better to see?
A. We will look into improving this.
Q. Story/lore question: what happened to Vadrigar(s)/Arena Masters? There’s no mention about their existence in game. Is this a retcon due to Lovecraftian lore or something else?
A. The Vadrigar are a sub-group of Elder Gods that rule the Dreamlands and our arenas. They still very much exist in Quake Champions and our upcoming lore systems will begin to explain the story behind them. However, the specific Vadrigar in QC have different motives from those in Quake 3, so Arena Masters is a term that we don’t use and does not apply. In Q3 the gladiators were said to have been pulled in by the Arena Masters, whereas in Quake Champions there are many reasons why someone may have found their way into the Dreamlands, and our lore seeks to explore those individual stories.
Q. Why not add quad kills in total ended scoreboard?
A. Not against the idea, just a matter of whether we have room for it. I’d like to hear a few more suggestions like this and see what players think is most important to have present at the end-game stats.
Q. Can you just add the soundtracks to the remade maps to their counterparts. For example "the soundtrack from q3dm6 in blood covenant". I have one more reason to love quake champions if you do this :).
A. While we’re not going to replace any of our existing environment theme tracks, we do have some fun plans in store for music lovers that may have nostalgia for our past tracks.
Q. Are there any plans for a defrag or race mode?
A. We keep the idea alive as something to explore in the future, but have not begun any sort of development on a race mode.
Q. Is it possible that you will release an official armor absorption rate for each weapon? And then continue to update it later on?
A. Currently all weapons deal the same armor absorption rate of 66%, just as it was in Quake Live, Quake 4, and Quake III Arena.
Q. Are there plans to bring back friendly fire in TDM at least?
A. No. Although, it would be an option that we could consider for Custom Game.
Q. Are you going to release major patches every month?
A. We have plans to continually update the game and eventually bring a normal cadence to releases.
Q. This may be a stupid complaint, but the current crosshair we have in the game is too small. Can we get customizable crosshairs?
A. Yes, we will eventually be providing options for customizable crosshairs.
Q. Better visibility options are requested. Recent player poll of 200 users, 50 wanted to go back to bright skins and picmip, 70 wanted static outline, team colors and less visual overhaul. Any changes coming to visibility?
A. Yes, we have continued to work on visibility and we have some improvements coming soon.
Q. Rocket Launcher complaint. Video appears to hit. Any comment on why it didn’t register?
A. Known issue frequently reported that started occurring during our latest major update that we have been working to address and hope to fix as soon as possible.
Q. One of my favorite things about DOOM 2016 was being able to use Centered weapon position and with Clutch his shield animation will move the Q1 rocket launcher to the Right screen position. I really would like if we could choose Center, Left or Right position for our weapons.
A. Currently we plan on weapons remaining on the right screen position (near the weapon bar and ammo counters) with the exception of certain legacy weapons that may be centered, as seen with the Quake 1 rocket launcher.
Q. Maybe it supports it already and I don't know: is there or will there be 5.1 / 7.1 output? Would be pretty cool to help localize players.
A. Too soon to say, although I would prefer not to give players with surround sound options an advantage in regards to identifying the locations of sound events.
Q. This is one of the most important elements of the quake community, even today people create new maps for q/q1/q3/ql. We know that we cannot expect editor such like in UE4 (or maybye, who knows:D). But today people have knowledge of programs like 3dsmax/maya/modo/zbrush etc. So please, tell us something about community maps.
A. I look forward to support community maps in the future, but we need to further development on the core game before supporting user generated content for a platform that is still evolving.
Q. Solution for overtime. Nyx vs Nyx overtime especially can be a drag. Stop spawning health & armor in overtime, problem solved?
A. This option would not work well for other Champions however, as it would give a great advantage to Champions which can provide themselves health, such as Anarki and Galena. I would never want to add special case overtime rules that are dependent on the Champions currently in play as that would be highly inconsistent and difficult to learn and understand what to expect. In regards to Nyx vs Nyx, one change coming in the future helps mitigates this as Nyx will soon see other Nyx’s who are also in the Ghostwalk dimension.
Source: Bethesda.net
It's really difficult against a decent opponent to make his clutch use his shield and survive it, and most of the time you manage to do it, you need to fall back and heal up before challenging him again... but with his current cooldown time (& picking up 2-3 hourglasses) he most likely already has his shield up again.