OpenArena

OpenArena is a free and open source first-person shooter (FPS) computer game based heavily on the Quake III Arena style deathmatch. The OpenArena project was established on August 19, 2005, the day after the id Tech 3 GPL source code release. It is still in early development.

OpenArena's primary goal is to make a completely free, open source FPS game derived from Quake III. Its game engine is ioquake3, based upon id Software's GPL id Tech 3. In addition, a "missionpack" add-on is planned, to take advantage of the GPL'd Quake III: Team Arena source code.

The newest version of OpenArena 0.8.5 was released on February 23, 2010. The version 0.8.0 was removed because of the non-free content from the previous version.

OpenArena is available from the default repositories of a number of Linux distributions, including Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Mandriva, and Ubuntu. It is also in development for the Maemo mobile operating system.

Overview
OpenArena's gameplay is exactly the same as Quake III Arena - score frags to win the game using a balanced set of weapons each designed for different situations. Guns include a chaingun, rocket launcher, shotgun, and railgun. The Quake III style of play is very fast and requires skill to be played successfully online. Just as important will be knowing how to modify configuration settings and especially those related to Network connection. Modifying command lines in the Configuration files for packet dumps and more complex issues like 'timenudge' can give players big advantages in the Arena and the effect of being 'faster' than other less configured opponents. In addition to all this 'Ping' (basically how fast your internet connection) will play a huge role in determining the success of a player. In recent years OA has become more a competition of 'network configuration tweaks' than most anything else.

Gameplay modes exist such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tournament, and Capture The Flag (all modes also in the original Quake III). OpenArena version 0.7.6 adds the new Elimination, CTF Elimination, Last Man Standing and Double Domination gametypes. Domination mode is available, too, and the same are Harvester, One flag CTF and Overload modes (the latter three are from Quake 3: Team Arena).

OpenArena has undergone compatibility testing with some Quake 3 mods and maps. Because "OpenArena" is not finished, some of the many mods and maps created for the original game are not compatible. A list of tested mods can be found at http://openarena.gamepedia.com/ModCompat

More recently OpenArena has advertised itself as a "sexy" first person shooter and warns that some models are near nude (only covered with tight clothing or hair), in addition to the game's violent theme, it is "not appropriate for children".

Legacy and impact
OpenArena has been used as a platform for scholarly work in computer science. Some examples include streaming graphics from a central server, and visualizing large amounts of network data.