Editing Quake III Arena (section)

==Development==
During early March 1999, [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] leaked the internal hardware vendor (IHV) copy of the game, which unveiled to the public in [[Macworld Conference & Expo]] at [[Moscone Center]] in January and [[Makuhari Messe]] in February by [[Steve Jobs]] ([[CEO]] of [[Apple Inc.]] at the time when it unveiled).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bluesnews.com/s/386/quake-iii-arena-ihv-test-leaked |title=Quake III Arena IHV Test Leaked) |work=Blue's News |access-date=2008-08-12 |date=1999-03-01 |archive-date=2017-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916011414/https://www.bluesnews.com/s/386/quake-iii-arena-ihv-test-leaked |url-status=live }}</ref> This was a functional version of the engine with a textured level and working guns. The IHV contained most of the weapons (excepting the Gauntlet) that would make it into the final game although most were not fully modeled; a chainsaw and grappling hook were also in the IHV but did not make it into the final release. Many of the sounds that would make it into the final release were also included. The game was developed by nine people in 18 months.<ref>{{cite web|first=Stuart|last=Clarke|url=http://www.smh.com.au/icon/0001/22/games1.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20001016085025/http://www.smh.com.au/icon/0001/22/games1.html|title=Three of the best|website=smh.com.au|archivedate=October 16, 2000|date=January 22, 2000|accessdate=March 18, 2022}}</ref>

After the IHV leak, id Software released a beta of the game called ''Quake III Arena Test'' on April 24, 1999, initially only for [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://macweek.zdnet.com/1999/04/25/register.html|title=On the Register: Ahead of the game?|last=Smith|first=Tony|date=April 27, 1999|website=[[MacWorld|MacWEEK]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000229083216/http://macweek.zdnet.com/1999/04/25/register.html|archive-date=February 29, 2000|url-status=dead|access-date=October 2, 2019}}</ref> before expanding to Windows at a later date. The Q3Test started with version 1.05 and included three levels that would be included in the final release: dm7, dm17, and q3tourney2. Id Software continued to update Q3Test up until version 1.09.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rr.pc.ign.com/rrview/pc/quake_iii_arena/010794/46709/ |title=A Review of Q3 after the fact) |work=[[IGN]] |access-date=2008-08-12 |date=2006-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713004759/http://rr.pc.ign.com/rrview/pc/quake_iii_arena/010794/46709/ |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}</ref>

id co-founder and former technical director John Carmack has stated that ''Quake III Arena'' is his favorite game he has worked on.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kent |first1=Steven L. |title=The making of Doom III |date=2004 |publisher=Osborne |location=Emeryville, Calif. |isbn=0072230525}}</ref>

''Quake III Arena'' was shipped to retailers on December 2, 1999; the official [[street date]] for the game was December 5, although id Software [[chief executive officer]] Todd Hollenshead expected the game to be available as early as December 3 from retailers like [[Babbage's]] and [[EB Games]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailyradar.com/news/game_news_805.html |title=Quake III on Sale Tomorrow! |date=December 2, 1999 |website=[[Daily Radar]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000302000110/http://www.dailyradar.com/news/game_news_805.html |archive-date=March 2, 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The game supported the A3D 2.0 [[Head-related transfer function|HRTF]] technology by [[Aureal Semiconductor]] out of the box.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/460/6|title=Diamond Monster Sound MX400|last=Andrawes|first=Mike|date=January 27, 2000|website=[[AnandTech]]|access-date=January 2, 2021|archive-date=September 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909105951/https://www.anandtech.com/show/460/6|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Game engine===
{{Main|id Tech 3}}
[[Image:Quake III Arena q3dm0.png|thumb|right|A mirror reflects Sarge and the ''Quake III'' logo in the opening scene of the first level, Q3DM0.]]
The ''id Tech 3'' engine is the name given to the engine that was developed for ''Quake III Arena''. Unlike most other games released at the time, ''Quake III Arena'' requires an [[OpenGL]]-compliant [[Graphics processing unit|graphics accelerator]] to run. The game does not include a [[Software rendering|software]] or [[Direct3D]] renderer.

The graphic technology of the game is based tightly around a "[[shader]]" system where the appearance of many surfaces can be defined in text files referred to as "shader scripts". ''Quake 3'' also introduced spline-based curved surfaces in addition to planar volumes, which are responsible for many of the surfaces present within the game.<ref name="shader5">{{cite web |url = http://www.qeradiant.com/manual/Q3AShader_Manual/ch05/pg5_1.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010223094944/http://www.qeradiant.com/manual/Q3AShader_Manual/ch05/pg5_1.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2001-02-23 |title = Quake III Arena Shader Manual |access-date = 2006-10-01 |page = 5 |author = Paul Jaquays, Brian Hook }}</ref> ''Quake 3'' also provided support for models animated using [[morph target animation|vertex animation]] with attachment tags (known as the [[MD3 (file format)|.md3]] format), allowing models to maintain separate torso and leg animations and hold weapons. ''Quake 3'' is one of the first games where the third-person model is able to look up and down and around as the head, torso and legs are separate. Other visual features include [[Volumetric lighting|volumetric fog]], mirrors, portals, decals, and wave-form vertex distortion.

For networking, id Tech 3 uses a "snapshot" system to relay information about game "frames" to the client over [[User Datagram Protocol|UDP]]. The server attempts to omit as much information as possible about each frame, relaying only differences from the last frame the client confirmed as received ([[Delta encoding]]).<ref name="network">{{cite web |url = http://trac.bookofhook.com/bookofhook/trac.cgi/wiki/Quake3Networking |title = Book of Hook: The Quake3 Networking Model |access-date = 2006-10-01 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061027183301/http://trac.bookofhook.com/bookofhook/trac.cgi/wiki/Quake3Networking |archive-date = 2006-10-27 |url-status = dead }}</ref> ''id Tech 3'' uses a [[virtual machine]] to control object behavior on the server, effects and prediction on the client and the user interface. This presents many advantages as mod authors do not need to worry about crashing the entire game with bad code, clients could show more advanced effects and game menus than was possible in ''[[Quake II]]'' and the user interface for mods was entirely customizable. Unless operations which require a specific [[endianness]] are used, a QVM file will run the same on any platform supported by ''Quake III Arena.'' The engine also contains bytecode compilers for the [[X86 architecture|x86]] and [[PowerPC]] architectures, executing QVM instructions via an [[interpreter (computing)|interpreter]].

''Quake III Arena'' features an advanced [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] with five difficulty levels which can accommodate both a beginner and an advanced player, though they usually do not pose a challenge to high-tier or competitive players. Each bot has its own, often humorous, 'personality', expressed as scripted lines that are triggered to simulate real player chat. If the player types certain phrases, the bots may respond: for example, typing "You bore me" might cause a bot to reply "You should have been here 3 hours ago!". Each bot has a number of alternative lines to reduce the repetition of bot chatter. The Gladiator bots from ''Quake II'' were ported to ''Quake III Arena'' and incorporated into the game by their creator - Jan Paul van Waveren, aka Mr. Elusive.<ref>[http://members.cox.net/randar/review.html http://members.cox.net/randar/review.html] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222311/http://members.cox.net/randar/review.html |date=September 26, 2007 }} ''Members.cox.net''</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/docs/MSc/2001/Waveren_Jean-Paul_van/thesis.pdf |title=The Quake III Bot, J.P. van Waveren |access-date=2011-08-17 |archive-date=2005-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305151021/http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/docs/MSc/2001/Waveren_Jean-Paul_van/thesis.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Bot chat lines were written by [[R. A. Salvatore]], Seven Swords and Steve Winter.<ref name="salvatore">{{cite web |title=Quake III Arena Credits |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/192047.html |work=[[GameFAQs]] |access-date=2007-05-16 |archive-date=2005-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050207195502/http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/192047.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Xaero, the hardest opponent in the game, was based on the Gladiator bot Zero. The bot Hunter appears on magazine covers in the later id game ''[[Doom 3]]''.

On August 19, 2005, id Software released the complete source code for ''Quake III Arena'' under the [[GNU General Public License|GNU General Public License v2.0 or later]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/20/1329236&tid=112|title=Quake 3: Arena Source GPL'ed) |work=[[Slashdot]] |access-date=2008-06-23 |date=2005-08-20}}</ref> as they have for most of their prior engines. As before, the ''engine'', but not the content such as textures and models, was released, so that anyone who wishes to build the game from source will still need an original copy of the game to play it as intended.

===Fast inverse square root===
{{Main|Fast inverse square root}}
Fast inverse square root, sometimes referred to as Fast InvSqrt() or by the [[hexadecimal]] constant 0x5F3759DF, is an algorithm that estimates <math>\frac{1}{\sqrt{x}}</math>, the [[Multiplicative inverse|reciprocal]] (or multiplicative inverse) of the [[square root]] of a 32-bit [[floating-point]] number <math>x</math> in [[Single-precision floating-point format#IEEE 754 single-precision binary floating-point format: binary32|IEEE 754 floating-point format]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-12-28|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Single-precision floating-point format#IEEE 754 single-precision binary floating-point format: binary32|reason= The anchor (IEEE 754 single-precision binary floating-point format: binary32) [[Special:Diff/1079572738|has been deleted]].}}. The algorithm is best known for its implementation in the source code of ''Quake III Arena.''

At the time, it was generally [[computationally expensive]] to compute the reciprocal of a floating-point number, especially on a large scale. However, the fast inverse square root bypassed this step.

Around 2002, initial speculation pointed to John Carmack as the probable author of the code, but he demurred and suggested it was written by Terje Mathisen, an accomplished assembly programmer who had previously helped id Software with ''Quake'' optimization. Mathisen had written an implementation of a similar bit of code in the late 1990s, but the original authors proved to be much further back in the history of 3D computer graphics with Gary Tarolli's implementation for the [[SGI Indigo]] as a possible earliest known use.

===Source ports===
''Quake III Arena'' has been unofficially ported to several consoles, including the [[PlayStation Portable]] handheld and [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] console. These versions require a modified console or handheld and the assets to the original game to go along with the source port.

Carmack has said that Quake Trilogy (including Arena) will be ported on the iPhone/iPod Touch/[[iPad]]. An unofficial version for [[iOS]] was released through [[Cydia]] for [[iOS jailbreaking|jailbroken iOS]] devices in April 2008; it is a demo version similar to the original except that it integrates the [[iPhone]] and [[iPod Touch]]'s accelerometer and touch controls to make gameplay possible.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://gizmodo.com/376536/quake-3-arena-ported-to-iphone-let-the-networked-games-commence |title= Quake 3 Arena Ported to iPhone; Let the Networked Games Commence |author= Haroon Malik |date= April 5, 2008 |website= Gizmodo |access-date=November 25, 2011}}</ref> A high-definition version for iPad was released in November 2010, featuring re-created controls, sharper graphics, better gameplay, and better framerate;<ref>{{cite web |url= https://gizmodo.com/5682588/full-quake-3-arena-for-ipad-at-last |title= Full Quake 3 Arena for iPad, At Last and For Real |author= Jesus Diaz |date= November 5, 2010 |website= Gizmodo |access-date= November 25, 2011 |archive-date= September 26, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110926053437/http://gizmodo.com/5682588/full-quake-3-arena-for-ipad-at-last |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.redmondpie.com/quake-3-arena-hd-for-ipad-is-now-available-for-download-jailbreak-app/ |title= Quake 3 Arena HD for iPad is Now Available for Download! Jailbreak App |author= Taimur Asad |date= November 6, 2010 |publisher= Redmond Pie |access-date= November 25, 2011 |archive-date= September 9, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110909114244/http://www.redmondpie.com/quake-3-arena-hd-for-ipad-is-now-available-for-download-jailbreak-app/ |url-status= live }}</ref> this improved version was also integrated into the iPhone and iPod touch version of the port.

A [[Moorestown (computing platform)|Moorestown]] prototype version was demonstrated on a reference design that demonstrated performance of up to 90 frames per second.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2010/06/05/aava-mobiles-intel-moorestown-prototype-plays-world-of-warcraft/ |title=Aava Mobile's Intel Moorestown prototype plays World of Warcraft beautifully (video) |date=5 June 2010 |publisher=Engadget.com |access-date=2011-08-17 |archive-date=2011-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728093325/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/05/aava-mobiles-intel-moorestown-prototype-plays-world-of-warcraft/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  An unofficial port of Quake III for Symbian mobile devices was made. It requires PAK files from original game to run. An unofficial port of the game to [[Android (operating system)|Android]] was created based on the released source code.<ref>[http://www.tomsguide.com/us/quake-3-android-arena-live,news-5943.html Quake 3 Ported to Android; Runs Impressively] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816041047/http://www.tomsguide.com/us/quake-3-android-arena-live,news-5943.html |date=2010-08-16 }} Toms Guide, February 25, 2010</ref><ref>[https://www.engadget.com/2010/02/25/quake-3-ported-to-android-shows-off-droids-graphical-prowess/ Quake 3 ported to Android, shows off Droid's graphical prowess] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627024926/https://www.engadget.com/2010/02/25/quake-3-ported-to-android-shows-off-droids-graphical-prowess/ |date=2017-06-27 }} engadget, February 25, 2010</ref> This means the game can be run on several Android powered devices, most notably the [[Motorola Milestone]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100515150501/http://dailymobile.se/2010/05/14/android-quake-3-arena-on-motorola-milestone-controlled-by-a-zeemote/ Android: Quake 3 Arena on Motorola Milestone, controlled by a Zeemote] Daily Mobile, May 14, 2010</ref> [[Motorola Droid]],<ref>[http://www.gsmdome.com/motorola/play-quake-iii-arena-on-motorola-droid-full-guide-here-video_15510 Play Quake III Arena on Motorola Droid] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216014349/http://www.gsmdome.com/motorola/play-quake-iii-arena-on-motorola-droid-full-guide-here-video_15510 |date=2010-12-16 }} GSM Dome, May 11, 2010</ref> and the [[Nexus One]], as well as other high-end devices.<ref>[http://phandroid.com/2010/05/10/quake-3-finally-ported-to-the-nexus-one/ Quake 3 Finally Ported To The Nexus One] Phandroid, May 10, 2010.</ref>

In August 2011, the ARM-based [[Raspberry Pi]] credit card-sized computer was shown running a specially-compiled ARM version of ''Quake III'' on [[Debian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/106|title=Demo - Raspberry Pi running Quake 3 - Raspberry Pi|date=27 August 2011|access-date=6 February 2012|archive-date=10 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210143323/http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/106|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In February 2019, an unofficial port of ''Quake III'' called ioQuake3DS was released for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] by masterfeizz. The console must be [[3DS homebrew|homebrewed]] in order to be run.<ref>{{Citation |last=Izzo |first=Felipe |title=masterfeizz/ioQuake3DS |date=2024-01-29 |url=https://github.com/masterfeizz/ioQuake3DS |access-date=2024-03-13 |archive-date=2024-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313171231/https://github.com/masterfeizz/ioQuake3DS |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2022, an unofficial VR port was released for Meta Quest and Pico virtual reality headsets by a group of modders around Team Beef. To run the port, players must use sideloading. The port is based on the IoQuake3 source port.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-16 |title=Team Beef Quake 3 Arena Quest 2 Port Now Available Via SideQuest |url=https://www.uploadvr.com/team-beef-quake-3-quest-port/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=UploadVR |language=en |archive-date=2024-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506131443/https://www.uploadvr.com/team-beef-quake-3-quest-port/ |url-status=live }}</ref>