Part 1 - Quake 2 Weapons |
There's nothing like the feeling when you've granulated some unfortunate opponent with a shotgun blast to the head, or when you turn a fellow fragger into bloody chunks with a well placed rocket. Of course I'm sure psychiatrists would have something to say about this, but who cares what they think! In any event, here's all the weapons available for your deathmatch fun and how best to use them.
Blaster
The most basic weapon in Quake 2. Not very powerful, but it has it's place. After all one
shot from this trusty guy can take down any severely battered (i.e. low health) opponent
no matter what weapon he has. Another one of my favorite tactics (as I mentioned before)
is to jump on top of an opponent and then blast away at his head. It sounds crazy but it's
worked before! In general though if all you have is the blaster then you need to find some
more powerful weaponry pronto.
Shotgun
Better than the blaster (in power respects), but the super shotgun is even better.
Super Shotgun
Also known as the double-barreled shotgun. The super shotgun is a favorite of expert
deathmatchers everywhere. Although it's not as powerful at long ranges, a close up blast
to another player will ensure instant death. The super shotgun should always be in your
arsenal.
Hand Grenades
Personally I think these are of little use most of the time; because of the time required
to actually throw one it doesn't make them very effective. However I'd be lying if I said
I've never been killed by a well tossed hand grenade. Usually the grenade launcher is more
preferable if you're going to be using grenades.
Machine Gun
One of my favorite weapons! The machine gun is a good all purpose gun. Well rounded in
power, shot rate, and range - the machine gun doesn't really have any significant flaws.
One exception is its kickback which can make steady aiming hard. However with the standard
mouse and keyboard control and freelook turned on this shouldn't be a big problem.
Chain Gun
Powerful is the only word to describe this bad boy. The chain guns chews up ammo as fast
as it chews up bad guys so watch your ammo level. Generally this is best for mowing down
large crowds, but don't be afraid to use it in a one on one duel.
Grenade Launcher
I like using the grenade launcher for two things. One is lobbing grenades into large
crowds of people when I'm above them on a ledge. The second is for quick kills of enemies
at medium or close range. The only danger from this is the harm close range explosions do
to your health.
Rocket Launcher
Ahhh, the weapon of choice in original Quake multiplayer is not quite as dominating in
Quake 2 multiplayer. Still it remains a vicious component in the weapons collection of any
player. The rocket launcher should be used primarily for long and medium range attacks.
Close quarter killings with the launcher are possible but more than likely you'll take a
severe hit to the health.
Note |
If you accidently kill yourself with your own rocket or grenade in a deathmatch the computer deducts one frag from you (for "killing yourself"). You also loose frags for drowning, burning up in lava, or dying in radioactive sludge. |
Hyperblaster
Probably my favorite implement of destruction for Quake 2 deathmatches. The Quake 2 manual
describes it as an "energy chain gun with no spin up delay." So this gun is
useful in just about every situation. Like its counterpart the chain gun, it will eat up
ammo rather quickly though.
Railgun
Do you remember the Arnold Schwarzeneger movie "Eraser?" (that's okay, you
dont have to admit you saw it). Well in that flick you might recall seeing Ahnold
use this big boy. The rail gun fires uranium slugs at super high velocities (the speed of
sound) so just about anything you hit is going to die. This is the gun of choice for many
players but I feel it's not quite as effective as it should be. First the reload rate is
slow which can cost you dearly in a heated duel. Also I've noticed that many times even
close up hits aren't always enough to do an opponent in. Still I can't deny the power of
this weapon; just use it intelligently.
BFG
Gun doesn't do this piece of machinery justice. When everything has to die right now use
the BFG. The BFG is really only effective when you're able to fire her off in an enclosed
room full of people (that's a good way to get lots of frags quick). For everything else
it's too slow and cumbersome.
Armor/Powerups
No they aren't weapons, but snatching up as much health
and armor you can get your hands on is prudent in any PC game. Especially in Quake 2
deathmatch, where you're going to get shot
a lot.
That's all for weapons right now. Let's move on to the more technical side of things and learn how Quake 2 servers work. Click the link below to continue.