Quake Champions announces that it’s getting AI bots and other new features

id Software has announced some new features headed to Quake Champions in an upcoming patch. The incoming update will add, among other changes and new features, the ability to have AI bots in matches along with a new gore system that ups the bloodshed considerably.

id let fans know about the plans via a Twitter announcement, which you can also find below.

The game is looking to become the “next generation of the multiplayer arena shooter”. According to the Steam page, there’s still a heavy focus on tactical maneuvering and positioning combined with fast-paced action in Quake Champions. That same gameplay style that made Quake famous is getting a fresh coat of paint and tuneup in this new game.

These new bots will have a difficulty selector as well, on higher difficulties they’re more likely to use powerups and are more likely to try and dodge or path around oncoming fire.

The gore system that’s also teased in this announcement has an interesting design. The skeletal structure of each character model is suffused with dozens of chunks that blast apart, Mortal Kombat Fatality style, when sufficient damage is applied. So whether it’s plasma weaponry, explosives or good ole’ fashioned boomsticks, there’s plenty of ways to blast enemy players into mincemeat.

Quake Champions is currently in Early Access on Steam. And here’s the official description in case you’re not sold on it yet:

Developed by id Software, in conjunction with Saber Interactive, Quake® Champions is a return to the frenetic, fast-paced competition that established Quake as the originator of the multiplayer shooter genre more than 20 years ago. Quake Champions delivers the dark mythos of the first Quake combined with the groundbreaking multiplayer mayhem of Quake III Arena with a major modern twist – Champions. These fierce warriors each wield unique attributes and abilities, enabling players to compete in their own distinctive style, while adding an additional layer of strategy to the game.

Key Features:

• The Next Great Quake Multiplayer Game
  Quake’s signature rocket jumping, skill-based competition, and incredible speed remains intact, providing veterans with a welcome return and new players a fresh way to showcase their multiplayer skills.

• Incredible, Diverse Champions
  Quake Champions introduces a roster of elite Champions, each equipped with unique attributes and abilities that are additive to Quake’s established gameplay. Champion skills offer a great variety to fit your play style.

• Uncompromising Weapons, Ready for Battle
  Quake’s devastating arsenal of flesh-chewing weaponry, including fan-favorites like the thunderous Rocket Launcher, electrifying Lightning Gun, and snipe-tastic Railgun are back alongside new additions for you to master.

• Intense Game Modes
  Established and beloved game modes return, including the gib-filled fragfests of Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch and the competitive fury of 1v1 Duel mode, while a new team-based mode, Sacrifice, joins the fray

Overall, Quake Champions sounds like it has some interesting core concepts, and the popular weapons, modes and features are working their way into the release, so it should just be a matter of time until the next evolution of the series is upon us.