This is Just a Test

Over the weekend, id Software released the much-anticipated test candidate of its upcoming Quake III: Arena, Q3Test. Unfortunately for the gross majority of gamers, the test is strictly for G3-based Macs and iMacs.

Already delayed for weeks, the release comes amid a flurry of last-minute surprise announcements from several key id Software employees. "Basically, if there is a huge issue with the initial release we're exposing a smaller audience to it", says ex-Trilobyte and current id Software game designer Graeme Devine. "The Macintosh market is smaller than the Win32 market, and has less configuration options than the Linux market. There is only a single OpenGL driver, and the hardware is essentially always the same. This is an ideal 'controlled environment' for the initial testing."

Those lucky enough to own a G3-equipped Mac are encouraged to report any video or network bugs they encounter with Q3Test to id's message board.

While not a demo, or even an alpha, Q3Test shows off a pair of polished multiplayer levels that lets between three and -six players duke it out over either a LAN or Internet connection.

In keeping with its trademark vague release dates, id will release Linux and Win32 versions of Q3Test "soon." The full version of Quake III: Arena isn't expected to reach retailers before this summer.