Something has puzzled me since I've returned to this site from a long lay-off. It seems to me there is a negative bias looming in the background when it comes to anything Quake Live. Why?

The package of Quake Live is about as good as a solution for the Quake community as I can possibly imagine. The developers have a certain degree of freedom which allows "listening" and "testing" from some of the best players in the community. This is key. That they contracted arQon is just another example that they are really willing to try. What are the fruits of this labor?

I can't be exactly sure, and I'm omitting many things but in short: they're balancing the game "properly." Specifics? I can't be exactly sure but it seems the Railgun is now at 80, the LG is now toned back a bit (5,6,7?) and the movement is a bit faster (at least initially), as well as the shotty having a bit more power.

(Please inform me if I am misinformed)

In my opinion BECAUSE of those little balance tweaks, the game already has a better foundation than VQuake 3. Where is the hate coming from? Seriously? You get an ENTIRE FREE GAME AND COMMUNITY for nothing. An improvement. The foundations of VQ3 have been improved upon in the balancing areas. The things that FINALLY got changed - in retrospect - are the hardest to change.

Auto-updating in-your-browser playing is on display, so that any n00b can jump on board. An entire community awaits thousands of players.

Now my guess is that most of the hate might be coming from the lack of competitive features. Am I right? I will vehemently defend the balance changes, so we are left with fickle little ho's, yapping and crying about one specific competitive feature set or another, and almost bringing down the game - in their own eyes - because of this.

Aren't these features coming? Yes, I believe they are. At a price? I think so. So what? The singular point of control is with ID but it just makes things so much easier for everybody else.

No game is perfect, but in my opinion you'd have to be one depressed, angry and non-sexed bastard to start bitching about this wonderful product that is Quake Live.

No game is beyond criticism, but GIVE criticism. "THIS GAME IS THE SUCKS... CAN'T START MY OWN SERVER..." To the people that talk like this, I say: I did your GF last night. You like them apples?

Quake Live is a wonderful solution for a resurgence of Quake play and a correction of the flaws from the past. The competitive features are coming, and in my estimation the core gameplay of THIS version of Quake, is by far the best that has come from ID.

I'm glad some of the U.S players seem to like Quake Live. Chance and Rapha are chief among them (I think).

Three Cheers for Quake Live. And for those thinking I'm trolling read this for any comments:

Zach being accused of trolling:

I don't know what you mean by "trolling."

Having a sense of humor by no means excludes the fact that I've perceived a negative bias (which may be incorrect) of Quake Live, and I'm dumbfounded at the perceived hate, when VQ3 is shaft and rail broken.

There is also a question of consensus. What is it here? I want to know. I want to know why. THAT is a conversation to have. That is the conversation I want to have with ALL people that call this a troll job.

Tell me what you think of Quake Live. Shift the focus.

As for this post, it's a balancing act. With so much "bad" stuff, I figured I'd throw in my two cents (with attempts at humor), and so I did. Trolling? When does something seize becoming a troll job, and START becoming an actual opinion?

I was intellectually honest, and I gave my opinion. If this is a troll job, so be it.