OpenArena
Encyclopedia
OpenArena is a free and open source first-person shooter
(FPS) computer game based heavily on the Quake III Arena
style deathmatch. The OpenArena project was established on August 19, 2005, the day after the id Tech 3 GPL
source code
release. It is still in early development.
OpenArenas primary goal is to make a completely free, open source FPS game derived from Quake III. Its game engine
is ioquake3, based upon id Software
's GPL id Tech 3. In addition, a "missionpack" add-on is planned, to take advantage of the GPL'd Quake III: Team Arena source code.
The newest version of OpenArena 0.8.5 was released on February 23, 2010. The version 0.8.0 was removed because of the non-free content from the previous version.
OpenArena is available from the default repositories of a number of Linux
distributions, including Debian
, Fedora
, Gentoo
, Mandriva
, and Ubuntu
. It is also in development for the Maemo
mobile operating system.
OpenArenas game play attempts to emulate Quake III Arena
: score frags to win the game using a balanced set of weapons each designed for different situations. Guns include a chaingun, rocket launcher, shotgun, and railgun. The Quake III style of play is very fast and requires skill to be played successfully online.
Gameplay modes exist such as Deathmatch
, Team Deathmatch, Tournament
, and Capture The Flag
(all modes also in the original Quake III). OpenArena version 0.7.6 adds the new Elimination, CTF Elimination, Last Man Standing and Double Domination gametypes. Domination mode is available, too, and the same are Harvester, One flag CTF and Overload modes (the latter three are from Quake 3: Team Arena).
OpenArena has undergone compatibility testing with some Quake 3 mods and maps. Because "OpenArena" is not finished, some of the many mods and maps created for the original game are not compatible. A list of tested mods can be found at http://openarena.wikia.com/wiki/ModCompat
OpenArena has been used as a platform for scholarly work in computer science. Some examples include streaming graphics from a central server, and visualizing large amounts of network data.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
(FPS) computer game based heavily on the Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena , is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly...
style deathmatch. The OpenArena project was established on August 19, 2005, the day after the id Tech 3 GPL
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
release. It is still in early development.
OpenArenas primary goal is to make a completely free, open source FPS game derived from Quake III. Its game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
is ioquake3, based upon id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
's GPL id Tech 3. In addition, a "missionpack" add-on is planned, to take advantage of the GPL'd Quake III: Team Arena source code.
The newest version of OpenArena 0.8.5 was released on February 23, 2010. The version 0.8.0 was removed because of the non-free content from the previous version.
OpenArena is available from the default repositories of a number of Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
distributions, including Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
, Fedora
Fedora (operating system)
Fedora is a RPM-based, general purpose collection of software, including an operating system based on the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat...
, Gentoo
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo Linux is a computer operating system built on top of the Linux kernel and based on the Portage package management system. It is distributed as free and open source software. Unlike a conventional software distribution, the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen...
, Mandriva
Mandriva Linux
Mandriva Linux is a Linux distribution distributed by Mandriva. It uses the RPM Package Manager...
, and Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
. It is also in development for the Maemo
Maemo
Maemo is a software platform developed by the Maemo community for smartphones and Internet tablets. It is based on the Debian Linux distribution, but has no relation to it...
mobile operating system.
Overview
Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena , is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly...
: score frags to win the game using a balanced set of weapons each designed for different situations. Guns include a chaingun, rocket launcher, shotgun, and railgun. The Quake III style of play is very fast and requires skill to be played successfully online.
Gameplay modes exist such as Deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
, Team Deathmatch, Tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
, and Capture The Flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
(all modes also in the original Quake III). OpenArena version 0.7.6 adds the new Elimination, CTF Elimination, Last Man Standing and Double Domination gametypes. Domination mode is available, too, and the same are Harvester, One flag CTF and Overload modes (the latter three are from Quake 3: Team Arena).
OpenArena has undergone compatibility testing with some Quake 3 mods and maps. Because "OpenArena" is not finished, some of the many mods and maps created for the original game are not compatible. A list of tested mods can be found at http://openarena.wikia.com/wiki/ModCompat
Legacy and impact
OpenArena has been used as a platform for scholarly work in computer science. Some examples include streaming graphics from a central server, and visualizing large amounts of network data.
See also
- List of free first-person shooters
- First-person shooters
- FreeDoomFreedoomFreedoom is a free Doom engine based first-person shooter game currently under development. The game is currently in an alpha stage and many features are missing, for example some monsters and other sprites are replaced by placeholder images, some levels are missing, and some levels have no music....
, a similar effort but for Doom