M I N I O N A R E N A . . . . The Introduction . . . . Two monsters enter the arena. Only one comes out. And it won't always be you. It's time to present Minion Arena, a different kind of deathmatch contest for single players. Throw away your idea of what Quake is. Forget the notion that you are the only player that matters. Cross the line between single player and multiplayer. Welcome to the other side. You play as a monster, but you don't always fight. A certain number of mobots, or monster bots, are spawned at the beginning of each game. Then two are chosen to enter the Arena, where they fight viciously to the death. You and the other monsters can watch and enjoy safely on the sidelines. As one fighter dies, he is teleported back to the observation area. Another contestant is selected, and he tries to defeat the reigning champion. Inevitably, your time will come to enter the arena. You will win or die: there is no escape. Now you can watch a tarbaby use his bounce attack on a vore, who will strafe out of the way. You can watch a spider try to sting an ogre, who will drop a pipebomb and flee. At the same time, you can interact with the mobots who are watching. They will talk to you, tell you cheat codes, even recommend other Quake mods. They'll pivot towards the fighters and run around to get a better view. And they will jump in excitement when a fighter dies. But you don't just chat with these bots for fun: sometimes, if they like you, they will cast a heal spell or a morph spell on you. On top of that, they may teach you any number of magic spells for use in battle. So, the more you interact, the better you will be as a fighter. If you're monster enough to win a tournament, you morph into a new creature. The contest begins again. If none of the mobots topple you, you will attain another morph. But believe me when I say, the other creatures don't want to see this happen. If you think this sounds like Rocket Arena, you're right. That cool game was my inspiration, and I thank its maker, David Wright. Of course, I put a twisted spin on his mod. In short, I want us single players to get a deeper experience from games. I'm tired of reading about a groovy new mod ... for internet play only. As a solo gamer, I find Minion Arena to be fun to play. Period. This is a game for people who love artificial intelligence, for people who are tired of the same old thing. Each monster bot has his own multiple attacks -- just like your morphs -- while each observing mobot has something different to say and do. So, the winner gets to fight. The losers have to watch. Minion Arena has arrived. The status quo has left. . . . . The Features . . . . ~ two arena maps (the_cell.bsp and coliseum.bsp) ~ eight morphs with two attacks ~ ten monsters with new weapons ~ magic spells like timestop and fire ~ a series of cheat codes ~ in-game help ~ no keys or impulses needed ~ chasecam allowing you to see your monster ~ you more you play, the more you see . . . . The Intelligence . . . ~ mobots roam and seek cover ~ they flee when injured ~ will jump and strafe away from your attacks ~ observing bots will talk and follow you ~ each has a personality, like the newbie ogre and Peshi the Fiend . . . . The Top 10 Reasons to Play Minion Arena . . . . 10. You miss going to those cockfights in Thailand with your merchant marine buddies 9. No longer do you need a full moon to tranform into an evil creature 8. You like to watch 7. There aren't enough ogres and tarbabies on television 6. Hanging out with monsters is just as much fun as hanging with your friends 5. In the time it takes you to hook up to a Quake server, you could decapitate a vore with your shambler claws 4. You enjoyed it when Tyson bit Hollyfield; now you can sit ringside and watch a fiend do that to a scrag 3. Winning no longer makes you feel warm and fuzzy 2. When you look down and see your innards on the floor, articial intelligence doesn't seem so artificial anymore 1. Minion Mobots just laugh when you say "ping" . . . . The Story . . . . The citizens of the realm of Shub-Niggarath are bloodthirsy. Since the death of the ruler and the loss of the Earth war, life has been dull and meaningless. The monsters are getting restless. While Y'neth Lei prepares to hold her Tournament of Minions and recruit for the new army, the citizens need entertainment now. Shub-Veraatu, the Minister of War, realizes this and wants everyone to be eager for the next war. Thus, he has built a series of monster Arenas. Here citizens can watch first-rate violence, while the soldiers get good practice to fight. Everyone is happy. . . . . The Credits . . . . Arena concept David Wright Chasecam Inside 3D Monster evasion Steve C. Clark Bot rankings Alan Kivlin Spider (?) I'd like to thank RedDeath, Impaler-Z, Flood Anxiety, Nakedman, the PlanetQuake staff, Lax, Ishkish, everyone on ICQ, Dark_Skye, and everyone who has visited the Minion's Lair. I appreciate it, really. . . . . The Legal Stuff . . . . This modification has been copyrighted and cannot be used for commercial purposes. If any other QuakeC developer would like to see the code, please ask me at coffee@planetquake.com. . . . . The Author . . . . Darryl Atchison coffee@planetquake.com http://www.planetquake.com/minion I welcome all comments and questions. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for playing. Beta Version, October 18, 1997