Q3A Bus Stops in Oregon Anticipation, They're Making Me Wait! Sounding Out Showdown

Since the moment the Q3A bus left QuakeCon in August, I've been anticipating the stops in Oregon. Ah... to wait in line with a multitude of sweaty, smelly bodies roasting in the heat along side me. This truly is bliss. It didn't matter that the wait could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, I had to see the latest id had to offer.

Q3A Bus stops in Oregon
Unfortunately, I was unable to partake in the first Oregon stop... a mere 30 minutes from my home. So I sent my operatives in to scout out the new maps and models and let me know if I really wanted to bear the heat of the Oregon sun (hey, stop laughing... it really was hot!). The reports were good... the lines weren't too long and the maps were well worth the wait. So I made plans to venture out the following day as the bus journeyed even closer to home.

Anticipation, They're Making Me Wait!
The day dawned bright and I knew I would need sunblock. Decked out in my clan t-shirt and my bottled water, I made my way to the end of the line with 15 minutes to spare until the doors would open. As you can see by the picture above, they really wanted us to appreciate the air-conditioned bus as they positioned us to take the brunt of the midday sun. Time ticked by and the first group of eight was ushered in through those glorious black doors. Sweat beads began to form and my water bottle ran dry. The second group was counted off and led into the bus... but what of the first group? No sign of them was seen. After what seemed like an eternity the winner of the first 8-person tournament came bursting out of the bus with a triumphant gleem to his eyes. I could tell I was going to have fun... if I ever made it inside.

It actually didn't take that much longer before I was in the door and settling down on the cushioned bench to be briefed on the tournament rules. We were given a brief warm-up period on the first new map. During this time we had to set up our controls and test out the hardware to make sure everything was peachy. My fingers itched and I swear my eyes were twitching as I tried to restrain myself and wait my turn.

Sounding Out
As the previous group of players filed out with yet another triumphant gamer I jumped up and grabbed the first machine I laid eyes on. We had to stand as we played but I really didn't mind. I set up my controls as quickly as I could and began to warm up. I had to laugh as my Athena model made familiar male noises... apparently they haven't quite gotten that far in development. After running around and trying out such new items as invisibility and the grenade launcher, I was raring to go... but I made one fatal mistake. I noticed that my sound was just a little too low so I reached up to turn up the volume (and drown out my husband's game as he was doing to mine) and the world went silent. I screeched at the tournament operators to let them know my sound was gone. They gave me sympathetic looks and let me know that was just a little bug in their equipment. BAH!!! No time to fix it... I'd have to suffer.

Showdown

The signal was given and we all hopped out of the warm up session and into the "Advanced Tournament" with lightening speed. In this situation it was a first come, first frag deal. I took the early lead sans sound but was quickly dominated by the other players in the bus. The floor shook with the force of eight quakers enjoying this new map. I have to be honest... I loved both maps but when I try to recall one from the other they sort of mesh together. I can tell you there was water on one... and this cool hallway with a rocket launcher at the end on another. Oh, and the eyeball model (image from Bluesnews) is absolutely freaky! As the frag count climbed higher (first to 20 frags wins) I think my survival instincts kicked in and I started to make my way up to the top of the list. At 18 frags I managed to pass up my husband and felt the glory of seeing "You are in 1st place!" As soon as I had seen that it was over. My husband made those final frags and hit 20 as I was just scraping 19. I tell you, some things in life aren't fair! So he walked off the bus with his own Q3 hat and that winner's twinkle in his eye... and I walked off grumbling, "If only I had sound!"

Overall, the Quake 3 Arena Bus was an incredible experience. It redevoted me to Q3A and tantilized me enough to keep me looking forward to the upcoming Q3Test v1.09 and the Q3Demo as well as the final release. Any fans who have the chance to meet up with the Q3 Bus, do it! It's worth the drive... it's worth the line... you'll wish you had if you don't.

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