Kotaku: Id

Wolfenstein Screens, Right Here

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:00:00 MDT

As mentioned in the Activision presser, developer id is putting out a new Wolfenstein game, complete with "B.J." Blazkowicz, Nazis and supernatural stuff! You've seen the trailer, now look at the screenshots. The game is being developed by a partnership between new studio Endrant Studios, Raven Software and Activision Blizzard.

Carmack Talks: From id/EA to Mac gaming and PS3 Programming

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:00:00 MDT

We had a chance yesterday to sit down with id's John Carmack and Tim Willits as well as Electronic Arts' David DeMartini to talk over the freshly minted deal between Electronic Arts and id Software. The deal, he tells us, is for just Rage. id has never, apparently, signed a multi-game deal with a publisher. In fact, Activision is still signed to release the next Wolfenstein.

Check out our four -part interview to hear the three talk about the deal, id's new engine and new game, the future of Doom and other interesting tidbits.

The EA E3 2008 Press Conference In Pictures

Mike Fahey — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:10:00 MDT

Well that was eventful, wasn't it? While my internet connection wasn't exactly there, I was side by side with Crecente throughout the entire EA press conference live blog, immortalizing the event in pictures. From Will Wright's Spore presnetation to the golfer with nicer legs than Tiger Woods, aging basketball players to id's Rage, if they showed it, I desperately took pictures of it, oftentimes cursing at my camera, the presenters, and Crecente under my breath. Here it is, all at once, all for you.

id Leave Activision For EA

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:00:00 MDT

For the longest time, Activision have published id's games. But no longer! John Carmack took to the stage during EA's E3 address to announce a new partnership between the two companies, whereby EA will be publishing Rage, id's upcoming shooter and first game to make use of their new engine tech. We'd normally insert some kind of statement about this adversely affecting Activision, but really, these days they're probably good for the money.

Game Informer Have Details On New Wolfenstein Game

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:40:00 MDT

Poor Spike TV. Their scoop's blown! The first details on the next Wolfenstein title are actually to be found in the latest issue of Game Informer, which gives us information on the game's setting and requisite gimmicky features. Aside from the obvious (you're still BJ Blaskowitz, you're still fighting Nazis who are mucking about with the occult), the game will introduce a quasi-sandbox city, with different parts of it opening up as you complete missions. It'll also feature an AI-controlled resistance force that will assist you, and there'll be some Link-to-the-Past-ish elements courtesy of an ability to enter "The Shroud", a dark, alternate version of the game's city. As expected, Raven are handling development, and it'll be appearing on the PS3, 360 and PC.

Wolfenstein [Game Informer, August, via Kintaor @ NeoGAF]

QuakeCon 2008 Details

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:00:00 MDT

Going to QuakeCon 2008? The 13th annual event is being held at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas (my hometown!) from July 31st to August 3rd. Organizers are expecting 6,000 folks to be in attendance over the four day extravaganza. This year's QuakeCon will see the debut of QUAKE LIVE as well as an Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars console tourney, a QuakeCon first. Hit the jump for a full rundown and more details.

The Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships

QuakeCon 2008 will mark the debut of the first-ever Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships pro tournament. QUAKE LIVE is id Software’s new game created to deliver the excitement and energy of a first-person multiplayer game to a broader audience through a free and easily accessible browser-based experience. The Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships will feature a classic $12,500 One Versus One tournament along with a $12,500 Capture the Flag Team Tournament.

The Activision Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Team Championships

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars™ makes its second annual tournament appearance with the Activision Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Team Championships. Featuring competitions on both PC and for the first time on Xbox 360, the tournament contests will enlist six-person teams to battle it out in double-elimination bracket-style competitive play, in which each squad will have the chance to attack and defend. On the Windows PC side, 16 teams will compete for $15,000 in prize money and in the Xbox 360 competition, eight teams will vie for $10,000 in prizes.

The Alienware Quick-Draw Challenge

For anyone who’s dreamed of competing for prize money on the QuakeCon main stage, the Alienware Quick-Draw Challenge offers $10,000 in prize money to randomly selected attendees competing in special QUAKE LIVE competitions throughout the course of the event.

In addition to their prize money, the top 2 finalists and teams in each of the above competitive tournament events will also be given tickets to the previously announced “QuakeCon Ultimate Power Up” raffle contest, sponsored by Ventrilo, for the brand new 2008 Corvette. Additional raffle tickets and eligibility will be subject to contest rules.

“QuakeCon 2008 will be the grand slam of competitive gaming with the best games and an amazing prize list,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “We’ve partnered with our sponsors this year to bring the top competitive players what they want most: skill based games, top money prizes, the most enthusiastic fans and audience and the world’s best Finals party!”

More information, including map names, prize money distribution, detailed format and rules, and sign-ups for both tournaments will be available soon at www.quakecon.org.

QuakeCon Ultimate Power Up Rules:

QuakeCon 2008 registered attendees who are 18 years of age and older AND are legal residents of the United States, its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia are eligible to participate. No purchase necessary. 250 raffle tickets will be distributed throughout the event. Additional information about contest rules, eligibility and requirements will be available at www.quakecon.org.

[Pic]

Don't Hate On Doom III, It Made Money

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:00:00 MDT

Some people don't like id Software's Doom III, saying, yeah, that game just isn't very good. Company CEO Todd Hollenshead has a message for those people:

I think there are three people on the internet that keep making these posts that Doom III was 'bad'... There's some mass-misperception out there... I get this occasionally — why don't I think Doom III was successful? We sold over three million units! It's the most successful game in id's history.

Take that haters! Doom III made money, and money can buy things. So there.

Todd Hollenshead Interview [Kikizo]

New Wolfenstein Game To (Probably) Be Shown At E3

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:40:00 MDT

Spike TV sent out a presser today, trying to drum up support/interest in their coverage of E3. Nothing in it you won't be bombarded with via TV commercials over the next few days. Buried amongst the hype and hyperbole, however, is some newsy stuff! Stuff like this: "Also, tune in for more world exclusive surprises including something special from id Software and Raven Software". Seeing as we've known for some time that Raven are currently working on the latest entry in id's Wolfenstein series, it seems a safe bet we'll be seeing something about the game during next week's festivities.

NEW YORK, July 8 /PRNewswire/ — Spike TV is teaming up with GameTrailers.com to present "E3 Invasion," providing viewers with around the clock comprehensive coverage of the year's biggest videogame convention, the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit. From July 11 through July 18, "E3 Invasion" is an unprecedented week of high-definition programming across both on-air and online channels, anchored by blockbuster world exclusives that will air before E3 even opens to the media.

"With the arrival of 'E3 Invasion', Spike Digital Entertainment, which Spike and GameTrailers.com are both integral parts of, has established itself both on-air and online as the preeminent brand for video game coverage," said Jon Slusser, SVP, Spike Digital and Video Games. "The collaboration between Spike and GT provides gamers with the best coverage of E3 on the planet."

"Videogames are a key component of the Spike brand," said Niels Schuurmans, SVP brand creative and marketing, Spike TV. "Our second-to-none E3 coverage with 'E3 Invasion' is just another example of our year round commitment to providing our audience with the latest and greatest that the electronic gaming world has to offer."

"E3 Invasion" features both a week of on-air programming on Spike, coupled with the most complete 24-hour E3 coverage available anywhere at GameTrailers.com, the premier provider of video for gamers. Visitors to GameTrailers.com will be able to experience all the latest exclusive trailers, developer walkthroughs, interviews, press conference coverage, as well as a special episode of the popular roundtable show "The Bonus Round." In addition, Spike.com will provide supplemental coverage with exclusive reports and interviews from the show floor.

"Over the past few years we've presented some amazing videogame world exclusives on Spike, but 'E3 Invasion' takes things to a whole new level," said Geoff Keighley, host and executive producer, GTTV. "We're thrilled to be working with all the major game publishers to debut the biggest games of the show before anyone else and deliver Spike's most comprehensive E3 coverage ever across on-air and online."

The "E3 Invasion" programming highlights on Spike TV are as follows:

— Friday, July 11 (1:00 - 1:30 AM, ET/PT)
"GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley" (GTTV): E3 Preview

Three days before Xbox hosts its E3 press conference, GTTV heads to Epic Games in North Carolina to meet lead designer Cliff Bleszinski for a sneak preview of Gears of War 2, including world premiere footage from the campaign and multiplayer modes. Then, Spike presents world premieres of some of the biggest titles at E3, including the exclusive sneak peek at the E3 trailer for Bethesda Softworks' Fallout 3; the global debut of Harmonix and MTV Games' Rock Band 2 game footage; Amanda MacKay visits ThatGameCompany to reveal Flower for the PLAYSTATION®3; Spike unveils the next playable faction in Warhammer® 40,000(TM): Dawn of War® II; and, in a not to be missed event, GTTV presents the world exclusive reveal trailer for the next game from BioWare.

— Monday, July 14 (9:00 - 11:00 PM, ET/PT)

The Playbook: E3 Invasion during "A History of Violence"

In this primetime special, GTTV host Geoff Keighley is on location in Los Angeles to present some of the biggest E3 world exclusives before the show even opens. Games set to world premiere include the exclusive reveal of the epic new E3 trailer for Resistance 2(TM) from Insomniac Games for the PLAYSTATION®3; the global debut of the E3 gameplay trailer for Ubisoft's Prince of Persia; exclusive new footage from THQ's UFC® 2009 Undisputed as Spike and THQ recreate the UFC 86 light heavyweight title fight between Forrest Griffin and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson; Geoff reveals the first ever gameplay footage and exclusive details on the new features in the PLAYSTATION®3 system version of BioShock®; and stay tuned, other blockbuster surprises still to be announced.

— Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16 (11:59 PM - Midnight, ET/PT)

GTTV's E3 Minute

Geoff Keighley is on the E3 show floor to give Spike viewers the inside scoop on the sights and sounds of the show. Also, tune in for more world exclusive surprises including something special from id Software and Raven Software.

— Thursday, July 17 (Midnight - 12:30 AM, ET/PT)

Weekend Pre-Game: E3 Invasion

Spike continues its E3 coverage with more world exclusive premieres and surprise special guests including TNA Wrestlers Christy Hemme and Christopher Daniels, stars of Midway's upcoming TNA Impact video game.

— Friday, July 18 (Midnight - 12:30 AM, ET/PT)

"GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley: E3 2008"

Host Geoff Keighley goes head-to-head with the industry heavyweights from the big 3 console companies to delve into their plans for the coming year. Also, see the world premiere of Quake Live from id Software and the exclusive debut of the teaser trailer for Tomb Raider: Underworld from Eidos and Crystal Dynamics.

Online exclusive programming at GameTrailers.com and Spike.com is as follows:

— Friday, July 11 - Friday, July 18

Continuous Coverage on GameTrailers.com

The industry's leading source for videogame media presents around-the-clock E3 coverage with unprecedented depth: trailers, gameplay footage, developer walkthroughs, press conference coverage, interviews and much more all on demand and in high-definition. In addition, all on-air segments will be available on the website including extended cuts of interviews and world exclusive trailers.

— Friday, July 11 - Friday July 18

Continuous Coverage on Spike.com

For E3 week, Spike.com will be delivering information, previews and exclusive news on the games that guys need to know about. Hosted by GTTV's Daniel Kayser, Spike.com will take viewers inside E3 with reports and insight from the show floor. The site's week-long comprehensive coverage of the show — from the initial press conferences and lasting throughout the E3 schedule — will feature video reports, game previews and in-person interviews.

— Friday, July 18

GameTrailers' "The Bonus Round: E3 Edition"

Geoff Keighley is joined by special guests for a roundtable analysis of the major E3 announcements from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

— Friday July 18

Id: ESA Departure "Temporary and not Political"

Owen Good — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:00:00 MDT

Technology columnist Mike Musgrove got Entertainment Software Association CEO Michael Gallagher on the horn (we got him first!) to talk about, what else, ESA's membership losses. Everyone here should be familiar with the story and the pressures that realigning E3 have brought to bear on membership dues, believed to be the motivation for so many big name publishers flying the coop. ESA refers us to the companies to get the reasons for leaving, and so far none have, really.

Well Musgrove got Id CEO Todd Hollenshead to say that Id's departure was "probably temporary and was not political. It was just a question of other priorities this year that we wanted to focus on." OK, pretty vague line but, hey, at least it's something. And it makes some kind of commitment to Id returning. One wonders if others have the same point of view as Id, and what must happen in the meantime to bring about their return.

Also, ECA chief Hal Halpin told Musgrove he knew of two other game companies planning to leave, and more who are unhappy but sticking around.

Fewer Players in the Gaming Group [The Washington Post via GamePolitics]

Id Software Exits ESA, Too

Leigh Alexander — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:18:00 MDT

id Software confirmed it has left the Entertainment Software Association, joining a growing list of recent departures that includes Activision, Vivendi and LucasArts.

The publisher departures follow decisions made by the ESA board surrounding last year's E3 move to Santa Monica that ultimately cost the association $5 million and necessitated raising its membership dues, as Kotaku reported earlier this week.

Both id and the ESA confirmed the departure; while id Software declined to comment, ESA senior VP of communications and research Rich Taylor responded:

"We can confirm that id Software has decided not to renew its membership in the ESA. We admire their creativity and innovation. We also respect their decision," he said.

"The ESA continues to lead the thriving video and computer game industry. We are dedicated to protecting intellectual property, preserving First Amendment rights and fostering a beneficial environment for the entire entertainment software industry."

id Software Begins Production on Doom 4

Brian Crecente — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:00:00 MDT

We may not know if they're going to E3, never mind that the ESA says they're not, but at least we know something. Today id Software announced that they have begun production on Doom 4 and is looking to hire folks to help work on it.

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

If you're looking for a job in the industry and have the talent and experience than hit up their site for a complete list of positions.

id Software Jobs

THE ULTIMATE BATTLE AGAINST EVIL CONTINUES IN DOOM 4
id Software Hiring for Internal Team to Develop Next Installment of DOOM
Mesquite, TX – May 7, 2008 – id Software announced today that production has begun on DOOM 4™, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe. id Software is expanding its internal team and is currently hiring to work on this highly anticipated title.
“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”
The DOOM franchise is one of the most recognizable and important in gaming history, having been named “one of the ten most influential games of the decade” by PC Gamer and “the #1 game of all time” by GameSpy. DOOM 4 will join the award-winning series which has consistently topped sales charts throughout the world.
id Software is looking for talented, ambitious and passionate individuals eager to join its accomplished team of developers working on the industry’s most innovative and anticipated games. For a complete listing of available positions, visit www.idsoftware.com. Resumes can be submitted via email to jobs@idsoftware.com. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Happy Birthday, Wolfenstein

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 MDT

Yes, other games came before it, but that's just nitpicking: for 99% of gamers, the first-person shooter genre kicked off with Wolfenstein 3D, which turned 16 yesterday. Happy birthday! Having played through the original only a few months ago, it's funny how, sixteen years on, I still had more fun with Wolfenstein than I do with most modern FPS games. Maybe that says something about the pure, arcade pleasures of the game. Or (more likely) it says something about the appeal of mowing down a mechanised Hitler with a chaingun while stuffing your face with plates of bbq chicken.
[via Wired]

QuakeCon: July 31 - August 3

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:30:00 MDT

id are getting their con on once again this year. Expect LAN parties, expect demo booths (from 60 exhibitors), expect competitive gaming and expect large, balding men in tight-fitting, id-related black t-shirts. It'll be held between July 31 and August 3, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Entry is, as always, free, but accomodation isn't, with a cot at the Anatole setting you back $137 a night. More details in the presser that dutifully follows.

MESQUITE, Texas - April 22, 2008 - As temperatures begin to rise it's time to start planning the ultimate summer vacation to THE must-attend gaming event of the year - QuakeCon 2008. That's right! The world's greatest gaming festival and party will take place July 31 - August 3, 2008 in Dallas, TX at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. As always, this event is FREE to all attendees thanks to the support of the QuakeCon volunteer staff, id Software, the event sponsors and exhibitors.
QuakeCon will once again host North America's largest BYOC
(Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN party, as well as an expanded exhibit area
with nearly 60 companies demonstrating their latest products. Of course, it
wouldn't be QuakeCon without highly competitive tournaments for serious cash
and bragging rights, parties, contests, entertainment and announcements.

Registration for the BYOC area will kick off at 9 p.m. ET on April 30, 2008
at HYPERLINK
"file:///C:\\Documents%20and%20Settings\\natalie.edwards\\Local%20Settings\\
Temporary%20Internet%20Files\\OLK79D\\www.quakecon.org"www.quakecon.org.

The Hilton Anatole is now taking room reservations for QuakeCon 2008 through
their custom QuakeCon reservation page at HYPERLINK
"http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/DFWANHH-QUA-20080726/index.
jhtml"http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/DFWANHH-QUA-20080726/i
ndex.jhtml or through their toll-free reservations number, 1-800-HILTONS.
To receive the specially negotiated room rate of $137 (single, double,
triple or quad occupancy) and the special daily self-park rate of $5
(regularly $15 per day), you must request the group rate for "QuakeCon 2008"
or book through the link above when making your reservation. The hotel
requires a $50 non-refundable deposit on group reservations, which will be
credited to your final room bill upon check-out. Rooms at this special rate
are limited.

Companies interested in receiving information on sponsorship and exhibitor
opportunities should email HYPERLINK
"mailto:sponsors@quakecon.org"sponsors@quakecon.org.

More exciting details about QuakeCon 2008 will follow. Visit HYPERLINK
"http://www.quakecon.org/"www.quakecon.org to stay on top of the latest
information. Plan your travel, reserve your hotel room and BYOC spot,
practice those gaming skills and prepare to be blown away by another awesome
QuakeCon.

Konami ID Dojo: Things Are Streamlined, Yo

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:00:49 MDT

Clusterfuck and all, Konami cares. Konami wants you to have a good Metal Gear Online experience. But before you can have a good MGO, it would be nice if getting a Konami ID wasn't such a pain in the ass. Well! Konami has streamed-lined its website and made getting an ID somewhat less of a pain in the ass. Bravo. Now, if they can get their servers up and running when the *planned* Friday Beta kicks off, things would be just grand.
Quick Registration [Konami via PS3 Fanboy]

Konami ID Dojo: Servers Collapse, Beta Postponed

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:30:00 MDT

Stick a fork in it, this beta's almost done. Konami have just issued a statement on the Metal Gear Online site, which reads:

...we regret to inform you that due to extraordinary levels of traffic from all around the globe, we have been unable to run the service to the level we expected. As a temporary measure, we will be deferring the start of the US public beta test until we are able to stabilize our server. We would like to apologize for all inconveniences as well as confusion caused.

As a result, the beta's start date - which was meant to be today - has been postponed, with an announcement on a new date expected on Tuesday (Europe: "we will be suspending the European public beta test and restart it once we stabilize our server"). To compensate for this, the beta will be run for another week, and is now due to end on the 11th of May, rather than the 6th. Good thing Konami are doing all this now, such a loooooong time before the game's due for release, because if they left it to the last minute (like, a month and a half before release, say), people might start to worry!
[Metal Gear Online]

Konami ID Dojo: Metal Gear Online? More Like Offline

Brian Ashcraft — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:00:41 MDT

Another week means one thing: More Metal Gear Online mess-ups! In today's extra special clusterfuck, Konami errors persist. We're getting word that even though the servers are live, but many are getting network errors up the whazoo or this message: "The GAME ID or password is incorrect. Unable to log into server.(0911:00000003)." Keep in mind, these folks are entering their correct user names and ids. Konami's running regular updates on the Japanese Metal Gear Online homepage about how the servers are getting overloaded and how sorry it is for the hassle. Another thing to keep in mind: The Beta starts today! Hooray!! For those unable to log in, here's the online manual. You can read it and imagine the fun you'd be having. That is, if Konami hadn't dropped the ball and then kicked it across the room. We're sure Konami will figure out this internet thing sometime today, tomorrow or maybe even before the game goes on sale this June.

Thanks to all who sent this in.

Konami ID Dojo: Site Down, Fix It Time

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:20:53 MDT

Smash Bros Dojo is dead. Face it. To fill the void, there's this: the Konami ID Dojo. Bringing you all the latest ID clusterfuck news, today's update is quite exciting. No, it's very exciting. So many people are trying to access the portal site, that Konami's servers are buckling. The Metal Gear Online teaser site posts this message:

Currently, the extraordinary levels of traffic levels are causing great difficulty for our customers in accessing the page.
In order to solve the problem, we will be carrying out emergency maintenance work on the site from 04/18/2008 at 20:00 (GMT+9h).
During maintenance, the KONAMI ID portal site will be taken down and therefore will be inaccessible.
We would like to apologize for any inconveniences caused.

Just wait until, you know, people start playing your game! Then those servers will get a good work out. This, this is just a warm-up. The real shit hits the fan June 12th. Can't wait! (Though, we might have to — that is, if the servers get fucked.)
Important Notice [Konami Thanks to all who sent this in!]

Konami ID Dojo: "System Is Very Busy Now"

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:20:00 MDT

Didn't much like the Smash Bros Dojo. Thought it was kinda stupid. Drip-fed, inane PR at its very worst, even. Nothing wrong with the format itself, though, which is much better suited towards cataloguing a clusterfuck, like the one Konami have orchestrated for their Metal Gear Online beta. Latest news from the front: the site itself isn't even working properly, let alone the beta signup process. We've had emails from users reporting that their application's keep pinging out, while my own application hasn't gotten any further than the message you can see above. Not very encouraging, this. If they can't handle some simple password sign-ups, what are they going to do when June 12 comes around?

Sign Up For The Quake Live Beta

Mike Fahey — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:30:00 MDT

Back in February, Id Software and IGA announced Quake Live, a browser-based 'freemium' multiplayer version of the classic shooter. Now that they've wet our whistles with a couple of teaser screenshots, their ready to get our hands dirty. Quakelive.com is now accepting email addresses for the upcoming beta test of the game. Remember folks, beta testing isn't all fun and games.

Beta testers are given early access to the QUAKE LIVE website and game, and will help us test all of the game's features and functionality while offering feedback and suggestions.

Exactly. So if you get accepted into the beta, remember to keep a pad and paper next to you at all times so you can write down your helpful comments for the developers. You're just going to have fun shooting people, aren't you? Me too.

Quake Live Beta Signups [Id Via Videogaming24/7]

The Quake Family Tree

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:30:00 MDT

Ever hear someone say "oh, man, that game's just like that other game, just with different multiplayer"? Course you have. Most games are just successors/homages/rip-offs of games that came before them. As it is with most creative mediums. And few games inspired so many of its competitors/descendants than Quake did. Here, then, is Quake's "family tree", an academic pursuit that's probably the only place on the internet you'll see Daikatana, American McGee's Alice, Hexen II and Half-Life 2 standing so close to one another without getting nervous.
The Quake Family Tree [Wikipedia, via Boing-Boing]

id Know Where The Money's To Be Made

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:20:00 MDT

id see which way the wind's blowing. Once was a day you could count on them to be - thanks to both their games and their engines - one of the champions of PC gaming. Today? You just can't ignore these console things the kids are all spending their time and money on. Id's Steve Nix:

...you still have PC players, and some players are just console guys, but have players moved over? Absolutely. We love PC gaming, and we continue to support PC gaming - but you can't ignore the market realities and the size of the console market these days.

PC guys, don't let your hate dogs off the leash, id have got a business to run.
Core PC gamers moving to console experiences - id [GI.biz]

id Has Plans For iPhone Gaming

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:40:05 MST

In a comment filed to Slashdot, id co-founder John Carmack says that his company is looking at iPhone development. Sega's on board, as are EA and Gameloft, and it appears we may be seeing an accelerometer controlled Orcs & Elves if Carmack has his way. Although Carmack apparently didn't have nice things to say about iPod dev tools, pissing of Steve Jobs, he was up on iTunes distribution and its 70% royalty rate.

"The ability to distribute larger applications than the over-the-air limits and effectively market your title with more than a dozen character deck name, combined with the reasonable income split make this look like a very interesting market," he says. We're sure John can knock up a solid Doom 3 engine over the weekend if need be.

An App Store For iPhone [slashdot via GameSpot]

New Doom Weapon Rickrolls Demons To Death

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:20:00 MST

The most powerful aftermarket Doom weapon? The voice of Rick Astley apparently, as some enterprising Doom fan has created their own tribute to the English singer-songwriter-meme source in the form of a deadly boombox that never gives up. Hey, it may be old(!!!!1) to you, but since we make it a point not to troll /b/ too often, it's news to us. Hilarious, hard hitting news. Thanks for the linklog, Waxy.

IGA And ID Team For Free, Web-Based Quake Live

Mike Fahey — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:55:04 MST

In-game advertising specialists IGA and id Software have partnered to bring you the next iteration of the classic Quake franchise, Quake Live, and it's definitely not your normal web-based, free-to-play game. Quake Live will deliver a full community experience, including stat tracking, friends lists, matchmaking, and sponsored tournaments, all within your standard web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, it is the first title in the company's "freemium category", offering premium gaming experiences for free thanks to integrated advertising.

"id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."

While I know many of you folks aren't too fond of in-game advertising, this is free Quake we're talking about. It's not like they are delivering some Peggle clone or something. And the features? It's like they're packing a mini Xbox Live into the website. Seems like a fair trade-off for a few "Sponsored By" banners to me.

IGA is banking big on Quake Live, hopeful that other forward-thinking publishers will give the "freemium" concept a go. No word yet on when the game will officially launch, but you can bet we'll be keeping you posted!

IGA Worldwide Partners with id Software on Forthcoming QUAKE LIVE title
IGA Selected Exclusive Provider of Advertiser Sponsorships; In-Game Brand Integration Opportunities within Revolutionary QUAKE LIVE Portal

San Francisco, CA- February 19, 2008 -IGA Worldwide Inc., the leading independent in-game advertising network announced today from the 2008 Game Developer Conference that it has partnered with id Software to manage all advertising, sponsorship and creative branding opportunities within the forthcoming QUAKE LIVE web site and free-to-play version of the popular action series.

Created by id Software as an all-new way to deliver the excitement and energy of first-person multiplayer action to a broader audience than ever before, QUAKE LIVE offers game players of all skill levels a totally free and easily accessible multiplayer gaming experience and community through a single website at quakelive.com. Every element of the experience, including friends lists and communication, sponsored events and tournaments, matchmaking, stats tracking, and even the game itself is accessed and delivered free of charge through the web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, QUAKE LIVE will offer companies and agencies fresh opportunities to dynamically-target brands to audiences within a broadly accessible version of one of the world's premiere game franchises, while also offering gamers a totally free premium game, fun events and a vibrant, active community of other players.

"IGA understands game developers and game players which makes them the perfect partner for QUAKE LIVE. Whether it's been the ease of implementing their SDK or just their excitement about QUAKE LIVE, they have been fantastic to work with," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. "As we work to bring QUAKE-style deathmatch excitement to the masses, IGA has fully supported our vision."

"id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."

IGA predicts more progressive game publishers like id will create what the company has coined "freemium," or free-to-play premium games based on their most popular titles in order to attract new audiences and open new revenue advertising revenue streams. A recent eMarketer forecast estimated the current video game advertising market to exceed $502MM and is expected to grow 23 percent year-over-year over the next five years.

About IGA Worldwide
IGA Worldwide, Inc. is the market-leading in-game advertising network offering brands and agencies a single point of access to an exclusive range of opportunities within the world's premium videogame franchises. IGA's proprietary Radial NetworkSM enables advertisers to dynamically-target over 15 million uniquely engaged consumers and has successfully delivered campaigns for brands such as Intel, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nokia, Gillette and Unilever. IGA also provides brands with customized branding solutions including integrated product placement and co promotion. IGA Worldwide is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Los Angeles, Connecticut and Berlin.
For more information please visit www.igaworldwide.com.

About id Software:
Id - defined by Freud as the primal section of the human psyche; id Software, located in Mesquite, Texas, was founded in 1991. From inception to present day, id Software has relentlessly provided technical, design and artistic leadership as an independent game developer and technology provider. Transcending the games industry, id's iconic brands such as Wolfenstein, DOOM, QUAKE and Enemy Territory have become staples of popular culture for generations of gamers. More information on id Software can be found at www.idsoftware.com.

Quake II Ported To Nintendo DS

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:00:55 MST

The original Quake running on a Nintendo DS? About as exciting as Daikatana, now that someone's hacked together a working version of Quake II for the dual screened handheld. id Software's classic first person shooter is now (nearly) a fully functional port, with working sound, graphics and on-screen keyboard support for console fun. No wi-fi support yet, but we expect it within the next 20 minutes or so.

The catch? It doesn't fit on a stock DS memory footprint, requiring a slot-2 flash card with at least 16 MB of RAM. A list of support cards is available at the offical Q2DS site. The hobby project is free to download, but we haven't tried it out yet, so homebrew enthusiast beware.

Quake II DS [Drunken Coders via Waxy]

Gamertags, Friend Codes, PSN and Steam IDs Hit Kotaku

Brian Crecente — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:00:42 MST

See what a little persistence will get you? Over the years we've run posts where people could put up their own gamer IDs, be they for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii or PC. But the problem has always been that that post eventually, usually quickly, moves off the page and people forget about it. So I started bugging our tech folks about maybe adding it to Kotaku's increasingly robust user profiles and sure enough they did it.

Now if you want to know a fellow Kotakuite's 360 Gamertag, PS3 ID, Wii Friend Code or Steam ID you can hit their user page and check it out. To add yours to your page just sign in and click on your name at the top of the page. You'll find the boxes for that information on the right side.

Have at it and play nice.

Unreal Engine Invades Kids' Summer Camp

Brian Crecente — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:00:02 MST

iD Tech Camps, a sort of summer camp for children interesting in game development and computers, announced today that they will be offering classes on using the Unreal Engine 3 tools to make games to six or seven students this year. The instruction sounds like it will be heavy on the modding, but there will also be instruction on creating original games and environments.

"We've partnered with iD Tech Camps because of their reputation for quality game development instruction for teens," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "Unreal Tournament 3 delivers unparalleled game quality that gamers have come to know and expect from Epic Games. We are reaching an audience of gaming enthusiasts who play the game as well as learn to design and mod with our deep set of tools."

This seems like a pretty smart move on Epic's part. It's sort of like Apple giving computers to schools to use in their labs. It hooks kids when their young.

Video Game Camp Uses Award-Winning Unreal Tournament 3 to Teach Valuable Game Development Skills

CAMPBELL, CA - January 3, 2008 - Today's teens are the first generation born into a world completely oriented around technology. Their births were announced on a cell phone and their images growing up were sent to family on the Internet. They have social networking pages and build relationships by calling and texting friends.

So what's the best way to teach technology, and more specifically, the emerging field of video game development, to teens? Campbell, CA based iD Tech Camps, America's largest national youth summer computer camp, thinks it has the answer. Instruction is broken into manageable parts and classes promote hands-on learning in small groups of just 6 or 7 students—a big departure from a typical school classroom of 30. Topics at the camp focus on the interests of teens. And who wouldn't want to make their own video game? The small peer group collaboration and emphasis on experimentation encourage exploration and creativity in the rapidly expanding field of video game development.

"We provide an environment where instruction is personalized and fluid," said Pete Ingram-Cauchi, president and CEO of iD Tech Camps. "Teens choose our computer camp because we have the cutting edge software and tools that are most relevant in the industry. Partnering with industry leaders like Epic Games is vital. They believe in our teaching philosophy. They understand that a key component to offering the best tech courses involves instruction of the industry's leading game engine, Unreal Engine 3, as provided with the Unreal Tournament 3 game."

Midway, a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, and world-renowned developer Epic Games, Inc., recently announced that the highly anticipated and award-winning Unreal Tournament 3 game has shipped for PC. Building off of the massive success of Gears of War, the 2006 Game of the Year, Epic Games has brought the world's premiere and multi-million unit selling first-person shooter back to the PC. Students at iD Tech Camps will get instruction on the Unreal Engine 3 tools that ship as part of the Unreal Tournament 3 PC version. This way they are getting training in a world-class professional game engine that has also been used in award-winning, million-selling, games including Gears of War, Mass Effect and BioShock.

"We've partnered with iD Tech Camps because of their reputation for quality game development instruction for teens," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "Unreal Tournament 3 delivers unparalleled game quality that gamers have come to know and expect from Epic Games. We are reaching an audience of gaming enthusiasts who play the game as well as learn to design and mod with our deep set of tools."

iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy use the recently released Unreal Tournament 3 in their curriculum and during NVIDIA-hosted Gaming Tournaments. Students will be able to modify Unreal Tournament 3 by adding new levels, redesigning skins or replacing characters to customize game play through interactive modding tools. They can also create 3D video games and design 3D environments and levels complete with advanced special effects.

The "couch potato" characterization of video game players is being tossed out the window. Players no longer passively play; they build their own environments, characters and strategies. Educators and manufacturers are responding by providing the training, technology and tools that allow users to be more than just players.

GDC08's Floorplan Hits

Brian Crecente — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:00:10 MST

This year's Game Developers Conference page just updated with a slew of new information including the floorplans for the new show. Is it just me or is it starting to look more and more like E3? This could be in part driven by Microsoft's continued commitment to the show. This year their meeting room and suite space looks to be more than twice the size of Nintendo's and Sony's combined. Epic's is also insanely large, though they have a lot of sales to do for their engine, so I can see them going big at GDC.

Two more maps on the jump.

John Carmack Is Content With PCs

Mark Wilson — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:20:29 MST

Maybe it's that we cracked open the eggnog a bit early this morning, but we're already feeling the holiday cheer. And maybe id's John Carmack is as well, who instead of whining about PC component manufacturers, operating systems, or, I dunno, an ache in his back or something, he seems fairly happy—content even—with life in the PC industry.

You know, there's not that much that I would care to ask of the PC vendors, and so on. The interfaces we're working with are pretty good, and stability's pretty good on there. There's a lot less to talk about...for the most part, things work as you'd expect right now. So to some degree, the lack of excitement is a sign of the maturing of the industry and the tech base that we work on.

Lack of excitement, John? When was the last time you took your PC out to dinner? Or on a zero g flight? Or told her she looked beautiful? Id's Carmack: World Of Warcraft The 'Train' Driving PC Gaming [gamasutra]

iD Consummates Mobile Marriage

bogost — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:00:00 MST

iD Software has announced a partnership with Fountainhead Entertainment to create a new mobile games division, iD Mobile. Id and Fountainhead had previously worked together on Doom RPG and Orcs & Elves.

Carmack comments, "We are operating on the assumption that mobile gaming has a potential for huge growth," but one can't help but wonder how much of the success of iD's mobile games (together Doom RPG and Orcs & Elves have sold around 1.5 million copies) has to do with iD's name and not with actual marketplace growth. In any case, iD Mobile certainly demonstrates that iD plans to do this for the long haul.

Id takes its gaming Mobile [USA Today]

Orcs & Elves DS Boasts Free Stylus, For A Limited Time

Mark Wilson — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:00:30 MDT

I was little excited over Orcs & Elves, if only because I watched McWhertor guiltily enjoy the game for an extended period of time at EA's press area while empty, mirage-like Rock Band boxes called my name in the background. Now I'm excited about Orcs & Elves on the DS because early buyers will get a Limited Edition version that includes a free, Nintendo-approved stylus. My cynical side realizes that you really should get something free for playing cellphone games that have been ported to your DS, but that side of me would never have played this game if it didn't leave the cellphone.

Orcs & Elves Freebie [via digitalbattle]

Carmack Good At Coding, Making Rockets Explode

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:20:52 MDT

Longtime id programmer and technical director John Carmack is good at many, many things—writing and rewriting 3D game engines, typing up .plan files that read like moonspeak, and nearly being successful at simulating lunar landings. Unfortunately, Carmack and his team at Armadillo Aerospace are also quite proficient at blowing up aircraft on the landing pad, throwing them out of competition in the recent Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. While the team was successful in getting its modular class rocket off the ground, an engine explosion ultimately kept them grounded.

Don't worry, no one was hurt, including Carmack. He'll still be able to put his typing skills to good use for id's upcoming Rage. You can read all about the harrowing, explosive experience at the official X PRIZE site.

Armadillo Aerospace Nearly Wins Northrop Grumman [X-Prize Foundation]

Carmack Codes On Honeymoon, And Every Vacation

Mark Wilson — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:20:59 MDT

John Carmack is one of those legendary industry legends who is known because he's ubertalented, but even more importantly, ubercrazy. Fellow id vet/wife Anna Kang fills us in on Carmack's exact level of geekdom:

The really funny thing is, for our honeymoon we had to ship two computers to the hotel so that he could work! It's one of the endearing parts about it. He can't be without his computer, because he just loves to code, so he must code every single day!

But this wasn't just an isolated incident.

We were on vacation in Hawaii, and that's where he wrote it. I think it was over the weekend, because we usually don't leave too long. It was like, a four-day extended weekend — we left Friday and came back on Tuesday, or something, and in that weekend, he had done the engine for Doom RPG. He was like, 'here's the engine, go for it!'

I love my Doom manifestations as much as the next guy. But dude, you were in Hawaii, with your wife. There's got to be something to do more fun than programming cellphone engines. Q&A: Fountainhead's Kang Talks Orcs & Elves DS, Wii Possibilities [via sexyvideogameland] [image]

Orcs and Elves Screens

Brian Crecente — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:00:59 MDT

Electronic Arts just sent over new screens for their upcoming DS role-playing game Orcs & Elves. The id Software game was developed by Fountainhead Entertainment based on the uber popular cell phone game. While it looks like it has some potential, it didn't exactly float my boat at Leipzig when I tried it. Hit the jump for the fact sheet.

Orcs & Elves

Product Description
Enter an ancient and magical world where good and evil collide in an epic adventure with Orcs & Elves™ for Nintendo DS™.

The award-winning fantasy RPG mobile game, created by id™ Software and developed by Fountainhead Entertainment comes to the Nintendo DS, with more levels, weapons and fierce foes.

Orcs & Elves offers a breathtaking dungeon-crawling experience for any fantasy RPG gamer, featuring an Award-winning storyline spanning twelve sprawling levels within an ancient Dwarven kingdom.

As a young half-elf, a player will explore the ancient mountain-citadel of Zharrharag, a massive Dwarven fortress riddled with ancient treasure, powerful weapons, and waves of ruthless enemies.

Gamers can use the DS touch screen to solve devious puzzles, overcome deadly traps and unleash magical powers with an arsenal of arcane items like magic potions, enchanted rings, dragon scale armor and an enchanted wand.

Gamers will find and master thirteen mystical weapons including magical swords, deadly crossbows, and a powerful war hammer as they fight through waves of legendary beasts each with their own tactics and powers. Along the way, players will also befriend unique characters such as an ancient dragon to help them fight their way into the deepest reaches of the mountain fortress on a quest to expel the ultimate evil from the mountain's core.

Key Features
• Explore a Dungeon Teeming with Adventure: Travel through a Dwarven citadel's twelve massive levels, each riddled with evil forces and ancient treasure.

• Put your Best RPG Strategies to the Test: Solve devious puzzles, overcome deadly traps, and battle massive forces of foul beasts.

• Master Unique Weapons and Items: Wield extraordinary weapons including a sentient wand, a powerful warhammer, and magic swords. Use the DS Touch Screen to cast spells and make use of magic potions, enchanted rings, and dragonscale armor.

• Unravel an Award-Winning Storyline: With over ten hours of handheld gaming, escape to a place of adventure, mystery, and sorcery with Orcs & Elves, the new first-person adventure from id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment.

• New For the DS: A 3D game engine, new creatures, three new levels, new potions, and four new spells will thrill even the most seasoned adventurer, giving them reason to journey back into Zharrharag.

Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Developer: Fountainhead Entertainment
Ship Date: November 13, 2007
Category: Role-Playing Game

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Launch Trailer

Mike Fahey — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:00:10 MDT

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars feels like it has taken forever to get here, and honestly I had started to lose interest in the title, but the recently released launch trailer here has my interest rising anew. It reminded me about all the things that really matter in life: spaceships, giant robots, and lasers. How could I have strayed so far from the true path?

Quake Wars Demo is Live

Mark Wilson — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:40:43 MDT

The Enemy Territory: Quake Wars demo is ready for download on the game's official site. It actually supports both single and multiplayer modes, so you can kill bots and friends alike. We actually saw the featured map (Valley) in Leipzig and I can attest to it being both large and beautiful. And if this Mac were only a PC, we'd be base jumping off mountaintops into enemy bases instead of just telling you about it. Maybe it's time for that Vista install.

Anyone who completes the download, hit the comments and let us know the size, experience, etc. Because we want details. And we want you to do our job for us. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Download it here

The Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars PC demo is now available from the game's official site: http://www.enemyterritory.com/. Head to the "download demo" tab for a list of local mirrors. You can also view a list of available mirrors at this site:http://community.enemyterritory.com/index.php?q=node/130.
The Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars PC Demo (Multiplayer & Single-Player) comes with the final version of Valley, one of the larger battlegrounds in the game. Set in Yosemite, California, Valley has the Global Defense Force on the attack, as they attempt to foil a Strogg contamination plot centering on a water treatment facility. Valley features a great blend of close quarters infantry action, vehicle battles and aircraft dogfights, and the varied terrain combining mountains, waterways, tunnels and industrial structures allows for many different playing styles. To top it all off, there's a multitude of optional side missions and plenty of opportunities to try out the various defense turrets, artillery and radar deployables - Valley is a prime example of the frantic and diverse action you'll find in Enemy
Territory: QUAKE Wars.

If you want to learn more about Valley, read our Valley Map Guide
(http://community.enemyterritory.com/index.php?q=node/91) for a full run-down of the team objectives, secondary missions and a host of tactical tips for getting the most out of the various GDF and Strogg weapons, items, deployables and vehicles.

The Demo also features ETQW's bots, so you can explore the map and gameplay in single-player mode with computer-controlled opponents...

Who Do You Think Will Star in Wolfenstein Movie?

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:00:05 MDT

Say what you will about the Roger Avary's Silent Hill script, the filmmaker has churned out some great pictures including The Rules of Attraction and Killing Zoe. His next project? Bringing Return to Castle Wolfenstein to the big screen. Avary wants to do the first-person-shooter as a "men on a mission" movie like The Dirty Dozen or Where Eagles Dare. The director explains:

I mean, what's not to love? It's a WWII "guys on a mission" movie, which means you're going to be blowing shit up, storming bunkers, busting dams, derailing trains, and killing Nazi's. I love WWII films, but with Wolfenstein we get the creature effects as well, and the guys at id Software have already done all the heavy lifting for me in that department. They went to the imagination well and pulled up buckets of craziness — and as you know, I respond to crazy.

It's interesting to point out that Pulp Fiction co-writer Quentin Tarantino also wants to make a "men on a mission" movie, and has been working on a script called Inglorious Bastards for almost the past ten years. Looks Avary will get his WWII movie out first! Who's going to play B.J. in Wolfenstein? Avary says "all one needs to do is look at the box art on the Return to Castle Wolfenstein game and you can see who I see in my mind for the role." Start your guess below!
Castle Wolfenstein [AICN via CVG]

Orcs & Elves DS Hands-On Impressions

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:30:20 MDT

Maybe mobile gaming isn't that bad. The id Software port of its Orcs & Elves dungeon crawler, born on the mobile platform now on the Nintendo DS, may force me to reevaluate playing games on my cell phone. After getting what I thought was a second string hands-on assignment from Crecente, I realized that I'm more into first person dungeon crawling RPGs than I had originally thought. Having experienced only a handful over my amateur gaming career—Shining In The Darkness, Phantasy Star, and a handful on Texas Instrument computers whose titles escape me—I realized that a straightforward dungeon hack might be just what I'm looking for next on the Nintendo DS.

Fountainhead Entertainment's Orcs & Elves DS may not be much to look at—graphically, it's not much better than id's own Doom—it's actually quite fun to play. Gameplay takes place on the top screen of the Nintendo DS with the bottom screen dedicated to the inventory or, at times, a top down map for when you get lost.

The inventory system is actually just a first-person downward look at your character's belt. In it, you'll see a map, journal, potion, sword and other items. Tapping the blue potion on your belt will bring up a menu screen with various other tonics, including buff potions, healing potions and more.

Control is very flexible. It can be controlled entirely with the d-pad and face buttons. Or you can opt to use nothing but touchscreen controls. I actually found that a combination of both was best for me, using the d-pad to move forward, backward, left and right—using the L-button to strafe—and dishing out attacks with the stylus.

Most of the game's action, based solely on my time with the demo version, was simply unlocking doors, solving puzzles and dispatches various slime beasts, anthropomorphic rats and purple spider-things. Combat is obscenely simple, requiring that one tap the all-powerful USE button over and over and over.

Battles are in real-time, making the one boss battle I experienced tougher than expected. Trying to attack the thing while keeping an eye on my health and using the touchscreen interface was too awkward (and ultimately ended my play session). It may make more sense to use the ABXY buttons for something like this, but since I foolishly passed on saving my game, I was unable to give it another shot.

Orcs & Elves may not be the best-looking DS game around, or even in the top 200 best looking DS games, but it was surprisingly fun in an old-school way.

id Loves Them Some MotorStorm

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:00:57 MDT

id's Rage is FPS-meets-racing-meets-vechicular-combat-meets-lotsa-sand. So many ideas rolled into one. Sure, id probably had no shortage of FPS ideas — the developer all but invented the FPS. But where did it get those other ideas? From other games! id's Todd Hollenshead explains:

For other areas, MotorStorm was an influence, and I was a big PGR3 fan, and of course we have some other guys who are racing game fans. But the driving side of it isn't intended to be a racing simulation like PGR3 or Gran Turismo. It is intended to have the feel and response that you would expect, and one of the things we had to prove to ourselves internally is that we had the capability to drive around in vehicles and have that be a significant aspect of the game and fun.

There's more! id's Tim Willits adds:

Rage's foundation, definitely, is first person shooter, because that's what we do best... There's obviously the first person shooting, then there are the driving games that are more arcadey. For me, I'm not a big Ridge Racer fan. The driving isn't going to be like that, it's going to be more like MotorStorm, more like Burnout. I really want people, when they play the game, to say, "You know, it wasn't what I expected from id, but I had a great time doing it.

What interests me isn't whether id can do a racing game, but rather, how id will balance the racing and shooting so that neither feels shoe-horned in. Can't wait to find out. id Interview [Shack News via PS3 Fanboy]

Carmack Does NOT Hate The PSP

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:00:02 MDT

John Carmack (above, not a recent picture) doesn't hate the PSP. Nor does he dislike the PlayStation Network. Just because Carmack is putting his mobile game Orcs & Elves on the DS and not on the PSP is meaningless! What's more, don't read anything into his company, id, not doing a PSN game. It's just worked out that way. id's Steve Nix explains:

John had actually thought about PSP initially, and then sort of started getting more interested in the DS — and that's not a knock on the PSP, it's just there were some interesting gameplay options for Orcs & Elves with the DS.
The PSP is definitely something we've thought about, but as far as Sony's Network - we've nothing against the network or anything, we just haven't had those discussions internally. We'd love to talk to Sony and find out...we've talked to them a little bit, but we'd love to find out more specifically to look at our games and see what makes sense. We haven't talked to them in depth about options, but you shouldn't be surprised if we do something with them.

So remember: id isn't knocking on the PSP and has nothing against the PSN. There's no denying it!
Nix Interview [Eurogamer]