Etqw alive?

(SkyBlues) #1

Hello, i would like to play again that awesome game and i wonder if there is a way to get etqw free or i have to buy it again from amazon?

Is it possible to play with win10 or is a problem?

(REA987) #2

Hey there,

Yeah, ETQW is still alive and being played in the evenings of EU and NA regions. Here is the server list that you can find a populated server;

https://www.gametracker.com/search/etqw/

Moreover, twice a week, TAW clan organizes public clan events to play custom and vanilla maps.

https://taw.net/events/default.aspx?u=54&m=0&c=1

If you already have a license code and/or online account, you can still use it with new installations. In case of having license code and/or online account but not having installation DVD, I can help you. If you don’t have a license code and/or online account, you can get the game from Amazon or eBay around 5 bucks; just make sure it is shipped with manual which has license code on it. Just send me a PM for Windows 10 fixes.

(CaliberWorkz) #3

lol fabio did you lose your key? :frowning_face: PM me if you need something ill do my best

(SkyBlues) #4

Broooo, i have it in italy but i moved anyway i already ordered a new copy hahah​:joy::sweat_smile:

(SkyBlues) #5

Caliber, do u still play?

(CaliberWorkz) #6

maybe once or twice a month so i’m rusty :frowning_face:

(tokamak) #7

Isn’t there a way SD can pull some strings with Bethesda and make ETQW available digitally again? No further development or ‘remaster’ just an online outlet to purchase it from. Either from Stream or through Betheda’s own platform.

It’s just tough seeing W:ET experiencing somewhat of a revival whereas ETQW is limited to whatever physical dvd’s are still left. Most people don’t even have a DVD player anymore in the first place.

(REA987) #8

Well, as ETQW still relies on some Activision services such as license code/online account authentication, legally it’s not possible to re-release the game in its current state. It does require certain patching to clear legal obstacles.

Besides, Splash Damage’s competitive FPS titles target more or less the same audience; Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Brink and Dirty Bomb are quite similar titles in terms of mechanics. Even it was SD’s call, they wouldn’t make it happen until a nice cut is offered.

Physical DVD is a non-issue; there exists a custom online installer for ETQW, anyone interested shall PM me. Not to mention retail DVD images can easily be mounted and installed anyway…

(tokamak) #9

Other than COD I can’t think of anything that Activision tried to revive lately so I guess that’s indeed a dead end.

Though you do see the problem with you being the bottleneck through which the online installs are happening right?

Besides, Splash Damage’s competitive FPS titles target more or less the same audience

As Battle Royale shows, audiences are entirely malleable. People go with whatever genre is hot at the moment. If objective based gameplay is fashionable then SD doesn’t have to worry about fishing in their own pond, they’d already breach the ocean by that point.

(REA987) #10

Other than COD I can’t think of anything that Activision tried to revive lately so I guess that’s indeed a dead end.

It’s the property of Bethesda/ZeniMax which happens to use few remnant Activision services. It’s not up to Activision to revive it, it’s Bethesda/ZeniMax’s. We should be thankful to Activision and/or Bethesda/ZeniMax for keeping the game functional.

Though you do see the problem with you being the bottleneck through which the online installs are happening right?

Sorry, I didn’t get it. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

(tokamak) #11

It just seems trivial. I know it’s not because both Bethesda and Activision have way bigger fish to fry. But it really just seem to be a matter of someone pulling a few strings at both companies to get Quake Wars on Stream. Would be such an easy buck to make.

(REA987) #12

ETQW uses an authentication system which requires license code to create online account. As far as I know, this system happens to use servers of Demonware which is a subsidiary of Activision. As it stands, re-releasing the game on Steam requires;

  1. All sold and unsold license codes to be transferred to Bethesda/ZeniMax. Activision is known to not keeping valuable documents and information; ie they lost the copyright documents of No One Live Forever IP…

  2. Entire authentication system has to be removed and/or replaced which requires more than pulling a few strings.

  3. All Activision references should be removed from artwork such as intros, pictures, cinematics, EULAs, etc. Bethesda has made id Software to replace opening logo of Quake 4 for that purpose. Editing and remaking artwork costs time and resources that Bethesda simply doesn’t care to provide.

Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to have ETQW on Steam even its current state, but after spending so much time to investigate the possibility; I detected many obstacles that big publishers woudn’t attempt to fix…

(Nail) #13

Tok means well, but seems to be lost when confronted with commercial/legal realities. Bethesda made Brink free on Steam so they’re not against re-release, just not for ET:QW, might be because of the vehicle dynamics

(tokamak) #14

That seems to be more of a matter of cutting DRM and logos without replacing it with new stuff.
@Nail I’m not sure what the vehicles have to do with this. They’re already open source idtech and prettt dated these days. Nothing to protect there.

(REA987) #15

Brink has always been a property of Bethesda/ZeniMax and it never relied on legacy authentication system that is based on retail license codes.

ETQW license codes have been distributed by

  1. Different international branches of Activision such as Activision US, UK, Deutschland
  2. Different international distributors contacted by Activision such as 1C (Russia), Cenega (Poland)
  3. Different international branches of Aspyr for Mac such as Asypry US, Deutschland
  4. Different digital distributors such as Steam, Direct2Drive, Gamesload

Unless Bethesda/ZeniMax wants to discontinue existing version by selling a new version that doesn’t rely on old license codes, getting a list of license codes from those companies would be serious trouble.

(tokamak) #16

I assume they would need to ditch the authentication system before putting it on Steam or Bethesda.net anyway.

And both can easily exist at the same time, though I doubt it would take more than a day for the current active players, all seven of them, to move to the digital platform.

(REA987) #17

I assume they would need to ditch the authentication system before putting it on Steam or Bethesda.net anyway.

True that.

… doubt it would take more than a day for the current active players, all seven of them, to move to the digital platform.

Daily total number of ETQW players is around 40 when you combine TAW and BBA servers in the different timezones; this number might go beyond 50 in the weekends. Not a big number but not as abysmally low as you pointed out.

And yes, in case of re-release, I would argue entirety of the community would be completely okay to repurchase the game.

(Runeforce) #18

There is also the issue of ETQW relying on the outdated Punkbuster software, which could open Bethesda to all kinds of legal liabilities. A free and open source release of the codebase would be nice but I doubt it will ever happen.

(_Megabyte) #19

I think there’s a chance. I presume, ETQW can be considered an old game and can be re-released on GOG.
After some Gleichschaltung brainstorming behind scenes. As expansion pack “Les vacances de Monsieur Dupont”.