Liquid talk Quake Champions
August 22 2017
With QuakeCon 2017's Quake Champions debut tournament just on the horizon—August 24th - 27th to be more precise—it only makes sense to want to know more about Bethesda's upcoming arena shooter.
For this, we turned to Quake legends and upcoming QuakeCon competitors Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty and Shane "rapha" Hendrixson to get the rundown on Quake Champions.
What were your first impressions of Quake Champions?
Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty - I thought the idea made a lot of sense to combine features from previous Quake games. The ultimate abilities are not too strong which also makes sense for a Quake title. Definitely a lot of potential as an esport if the right decisions are made.
Many players were worried that classes and their abilities would break the game. Have they changed it a lot?
DaHanG - I don’t think a whole lot has changed, although there is a big nerf coming to Clutch which is unfortunate since I was just hoping he would become balanced instead of nerfed out of the meta.
There are definitely some “overpowered” and “underpowered” champions at the moment, but it’s not too overwhelming and I think will be tweaked in due time.
Shane "rapha" Hendrixson - I don’t think that the abilities necessarily break the game at all, I think it comes down more so to what abilities fit the mold of the modes the best and what that champions niche is. Most of the champs so far have been pretty good in both sacrifice and duel but there are obvious example of champs like Visor/Galena who are just much better in duel and then someone like scale bearer who is OK in duel but much much better in sacrifice with his design.
Overall though, the game still really feels like Quake to me and that’s what I enjoy.
There are definitely some “overpowered” and “underpowered” champions at the moment, but it’s not too overwhelming and I think will be tweaked in due time.
Shane "rapha" Hendrixson - I don’t think that the abilities necessarily break the game at all, I think it comes down more so to what abilities fit the mold of the modes the best and what that champions niche is. Most of the champs so far have been pretty good in both sacrifice and duel but there are obvious example of champs like Visor/Galena who are just much better in duel and then someone like scale bearer who is OK in duel but much much better in sacrifice with his design.
Overall though, the game still really feels like Quake to me and that’s what I enjoy.
There has been consensus that Quake Champions is much easier than previous iterations. What are your thoughts on this?
DaHanG - I think it is a little easier to just frag opponents in general, and there is less emphasis on completely locking down a map since ultimate abilities cannot be controlled by the opposing team like a heavy armor, for example. So yes, this iteration of quake is “easier” but still not easy to master.
What are your overall impressions of the duel mode in Champions?
DaHanG - I am not a fan of round-based duel mode with champions. There is quite a lot of randomness to the gametype in comparison to previous duel titles
rapha- I actually like the round format, simply, I don’t think straight up 10-15 mins can work with how this Quake has been designed. That being said though I think there’s some possible changes that could be made to the round system itself that could make it more enjoyable and open up the game a bit. For now it is what it is until QuakeCon and we’ll see what IDsoftware decides to try and adjust afterwards.
rapha- I actually like the round format, simply, I don’t think straight up 10-15 mins can work with how this Quake has been designed. That being said though I think there’s some possible changes that could be made to the round system itself that could make it more enjoyable and open up the game a bit. For now it is what it is until QuakeCon and we’ll see what IDsoftware decides to try and adjust afterwards.
How is the team play, and how does it compare to Overwatch?
DaHanG - The team play is faster than Overwatch and requires more improvisation. So, it ends up being way more about individual instincts than actual execution of a plan like Overwatch. To put simply, I would say the overall complexity is higher with Overwatch while the need to improvise is stronger with Quake Champions
rapha - Yea, Tim sums it up pretty well. I’d say we ourselves have a few good basic outlines of expectations or maybe rules for ourselves concerning certain in game situations/positioning but most of it is based off of listening to comms, reacting, and improvising constantly.
rapha - Yea, Tim sums it up pretty well. I’d say we ourselves have a few good basic outlines of expectations or maybe rules for ourselves concerning certain in game situations/positioning but most of it is based off of listening to comms, reacting, and improvising constantly.
Which champion is your favorite?
DaHanG - Nyx
rapha - Honestly I like them all so far, don’t really hate one but I definitely find Slash and Sorlag most enjoyable to play =)
rapha - Honestly I like them all so far, don’t really hate one but I definitely find Slash and Sorlag most enjoyable to play =)
What can you say about the weapons?
DaHanG - The weapons are pretty balanced and not surprising compared to previous quake titles. The only worthy note to me is how Tri-bolt feels pretty weak.
rapha- So many overpowered weapons compared to Quake Live, so it seems they’re going for the if everything is overpowered it’s all balanced approach.
rapha- So many overpowered weapons compared to Quake Live, so it seems they’re going for the if everything is overpowered it’s all balanced approach.
Which other old maps would you like to see in it?
DaHanG - Please no more old maps.
rapha - For dueling, Furious Heights might actually fit well with the abilities in this game. They might have to tweak it a little bit in size or maybe add/take away something, but the general design and flow of the map would probably feel pretty good. I would like to see new maps though and actual ingenuity in strategies and play on maps.
rapha - For dueling, Furious Heights might actually fit well with the abilities in this game. They might have to tweak it a little bit in size or maybe add/take away something, but the general design and flow of the map would probably feel pretty good. I would like to see new maps though and actual ingenuity in strategies and play on maps.
Between now and Quake Champions' inevitable launch, what would you like to see changed/added/adjusted to give this game the edge to compete with the other esports titles?
DaHanG - Improved netcode, better “smoothness”/framerate, ability to message players within the interface like a private message, matchmaking with visible SR/ELO and a leader board, and many other things
Catch Team Liquid compete at QuakeCon 2017 on August 24th! There's no official release date for Quake Champions but beta invites are going out fast, so sign up on the official website for a chance to play!
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