Ever since id added pro TDM, it's been requested to add a pro Duel mode which would bring back some of the gameplay mechanics from Quake 3. I would like to see some of these features added, but I would rather see them incorporated into the existing duel mode because I don't think these changes will make the game any harder for beginners. Although, if id is only willing to make these changes in a separate gametype then I would rather see it done that way, than not at all.

Below I have listed a few suggestions that I feel would make QL better for competitive play.


Q3 weapon collection system
It is way to easy to get stacked up on ammo right now. When you pick up a weapon for the second time your ammo is doubled. This, combined with 5 second weapon respawns allows you to get 20 rockets in a mere 5 seconds.

In Q3 each weapon had a default amount of ammo. On the RL for example, it was 10. If you picked up RL with below 10 rockets your ammo would be increased to 10 (default). If you picked up RL with 10 or more rockets your ammo would be increased by 1.

I think this system is better because it requires you to conserve ammo, and it will not allow you to spam one specific area for such a long amount of time.


15 second weapon respawns
In competitive matches it should be possible to control any item on the map, including weapons. This brought an interesting element of strategy that QL is lacking. If you're playing someone that is unusually good with the rail, it should be possible to deny them that weapon. With 5 second respawns this is impossible.

15 second weapons will not mean that someone can control everything on the map at the same time - there are to many items on a map making that impossible. It will only mean that if someone wants to incorporate a weapon into the 4 or 5 items that they concentrate on controlling on a specific map, that will be possible.

The only duel map that I think should retain the 5 second weapon spawns is T9 due to how small and fast paced it is.


Q3 spawn system / more random spawn system
Because your opponents possible spawn spots are decided by where you are standing on the map rather than where your opponent was killed, it is much easier to manipulate the spawn system than it was in VQ3. You can force your opponent to spawn on a side of the map where you know there are no available powerups by running in the direction that you do not want them to spawn, you can force them to spawn in front of you multiple times by standing still and watching a spawn spot from a distance, and imo, the worst part of the QL spawn system is how repetitive it is. If it was more random not only would every match be more fun to play, but the game would be more interesting to watch as well.

The VQ3 spawn system was far from 100% random, but still much more random than the QL spawn system. In VQ3 if you spawn fragged someone once, it was impossible for them to spawn in that same spot consecutively because they would always spawn far from the location that they were killed.

There has been a lot of talk about the spawn system, and a lot of different ideas have been tossed around, but a lot of people think the QL spawn system could be improved. I wish id would at least try something different, and let the community test it and give feedback on the focus test site, like people did with the hitbox change.