🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Pine.SUN.3.95q.970902113619.29132A-100000@ruly46>, Edwin
Wijers <wij...@ruly46.medfac.leidenuniv.nl> writes
>Greetings.
>
>After reading an article in PC Gamer recently I was wondering what
>improvements ID hope to make on the single-player side of Quake 2. Let's
>face it, single player on Quake just sucked... The monsters just stood
>there waiting until you shoot first.
>No. I hope they will include a Botsystem, like the reaperbot, just to make
>the single player version more interesting. I do have an Internet
>connection but it runs through TC/ICP Winsock which is only 16-bit so KALI
>refuses to work, so no Internet gaming for me until they fix this problem.
>I also have a lot of friends playing Quake through IPX network, and once
>or twice a month I am able to join them and play true Quake, Multiplayer
>that is. It's the multiplayer Quake, which really makes this game fabulous
>to play and really is the reason why it's so loved. 
>
>If ID are able to add a Botsystem to Quake 2 then the game, IMHO,
>justifies it's probable rank as PC game of 1997 and maybe even of the
>century?! Has anybody heard if ID will add a system like this???
>
>Greetz, Edwin
>
Well I don't know about actual bots, but Carmack claims that Q2 will
feature intelligent enemies. i.e. they will roam a level in much the
same way as a bot.
I don't think there can be any excuse for not at least matching a good
bot intelligence. Including such AI also raises the issue of what are
these things DOING roaming about? i.e. there must be some form of
plot/organisation that explains their movements. There is enormous scope
for the imagination here...An enemy scout that spots you on his travels
would logically report your presence to other enemies. (unless you can
stop him!). The longevity of the game would also be greatly entended if
enemies could summon help from other quarters. (teleported in from
another level (therefore depleting enemy elsewhere), or from outside the
player environment (increasing the total number of enemy)).

Hopefully id have considered some of these possibilities. (there are
obviously many more)...

www.quake2.com looks to be a good place to check out what's going on,
there's more info there about what is known.

Does anyone else remember the intense speculation that preceeded the
release of Quake?. Carmack in particular responded to most of the
suggestions with reassuring noises about 'we will do the right thing,
you won't be disapointed'...In hindsight, Quake was a great playing
environment, but not a great game. The vastly increased sophistication
of the environment has amplified the simplicity of the game to the point
where the AI of the enemy now seems utterly stupid (where it was
acceptable in DOOM). I hope id HAVE listened to the players and learnt
this lesson.

Carmack is still the top man in my opinion, I just hope that id uses his
engine with more imagination.

I appear to have ranted on a bit!...what does anyone else think?
-- 
David McReynolds