STORY

After the chaos of the Doom Wars, the Earth Realm fell into a Dark Ages... not only of technology, but of the human psyche as well. Only through the efforts of the UAC did humanity pull itself out of the depths of its post-apocalyptic environment.

The Vadrigar, meanwhile, attempted once again to exercise their grasp on the Earth Realm...

The UAC, with its new gothic surroundings, began work on "slipgates," transports based on the Martian Gate technology. Devised as a means of moving troops across the globe instantly, the slipgates ran into two difficulties. The first was that soldiers who entered the slipgates often returned insane, rewired for carnage and shooting anything that moved. The second, and much more important, was that an otherworldly being known as Quake was using the slipgates to bring his own troops to the Earth Realm. A task force was assembled, in hopes of tracking Quake to his home dimension and defeating him.

They were too late.

Quake struck first, invading Slipgate Central with his forces. The base was completely destroyed. Only one soldier survived of the original task force. Undaunted, he continued onward, determined to defeat Quake's minions. He travelled through four dimensions and defeated Quake's second-in-command, Shub-Niggurath, before being stolen away to the Arenas Eternal.

When the split began among the gladiators, the Slipgaters that survived formed under one banner. Unlike most factions, they wished very little of actual changes. They did not wish to change the Arena so much as receive recognition of their influence on it. The environments and weaponry of the Arenas Eternal bore more semblance to their era than any moment before or after. Others fought before, and fought after... but the Slipgaters feel they fought best.


CHARACTERS

Iconic Character:
The Unknown Hero (codename "Ranger") - The sole survivor of the task force originally sent to defeat Quake and his minions. With his squad dead, he dove through the slipgate Quake's forces entered, and entered one of the dimensions Quake controlled. He fought his way through Quake's soldiers, eventually destroying Quake's second-in-command before reaching the Arena.

Other Characters Include:
Uriel
Keel
Jaeger (not avaliable in current version)


WEAPONS

Axe - the backup weapon for any marine. The perfect weapon to split some heads.

Shotgun - a standard sidearm. Fast-firing, and with a tight spread, but highly ineffective against most marines. This shotgun does little more than annoy your opponent until you can pick up something larger.

Double-barrled Shotgun - double the pleasure, double the fun. The fastest-firing large shotgun, but also one of the weakest. Slipgaters are not known for their buckshot.

Nailgun - forget machineguns. Slipgaters employ weapons that spew razor-tipped flechettes called "nails." The standard nailgun brings two streams of nails to hammer the enemy.

Super Nailer - advanced nailguns use multiple barrels to drive a high-speed stream of nails towards their target.

Grenade Launcher - bounce an explosive payload to your target. The grenades explode either upon hitting their target, or after a short while. Try not to be near in either case.

Rocket Launcher - for when a grenade absolutely positively has to be there on time.

Thunderbolt - lightning in an easy-open case. Not to be used near open bodies of water.


ARMOR

Slipgaters have the most complex armor system in the game, featuring three armor types that make armor control extremely imporant. A simple rule of thumb: Slipgaters' armor type is always the LAST armor they picked up.

Green Armor: Slipgaters can ONLY pick up green armor if they have less than 50 armor. Upon picking up a shard, they immediately switch to green armor, and their armor total increases by +5. Green armor absorbs 30% of incoming attacks. Shards can still add to more potent armor types however, so don't shun them if you have Yellow or Red armor.

Yellow Armor: Slipgaters can ONLY pick up yellow armor if they have less than 150 armor. Upon picking up yellow armor for the first time their armor total becomes exactly 75 yellow armor. Picking up another yellow armor adds 75 to their remaining armor count, up to a max of 150. Yellow armor absorbs 60% of incoming attacks.

Red Armor: Slipgaters can always pick up red armor so long as they have less than 200 armor. Upon picking up red armor for the first time their armor total becomes exactly 100 red armor. Picking up another red armor adds 100 to their remaining armor count, up to a max of 200. Red armor absorbs 80% of incoming attacks.

Slipgaters' armor does not stack except for armor shards. That is, if you have Red armor you cannot pick up Yellow armor unless it will be more beneficial than what you currently are using.


STRATEGY

Slipgaters, quite simply, are all about the rocket launcher. The slipgate Rocket Launcher is the standard to which all others are judged. Players will find that the classic pattern of find armor/find RL/loot town is just as effective as ever.

Of course, no class is without its shortcomings. Slipgaters will find themselves burned by flamethrowers, devastated by BFGs, cut up by chainguns, and painted across the walls by railguns. True victory will require that players utilize all their abilities to succeed.

The classic tactics are still available: Pentagram and Thunderbolt underwater, for example. Players will also develop new tactics due to the additions to the Arenas. The Slipgater's method of air control offers bold new worlds to explore when combined with the Arena's jumppads. For example, skilled players will discover that they can travel from the yellow armor jumppad of The Longest Yard directly onto the second Quad jumppad... or from the accel pad to the railgun straight back onto the red armor. Survival in the new Arena requires a blending of old and new tactics.