Barrels haven't gotten their fair shake yet, dammit. I forsee much fun with them sliding, gliding, bumping and banging cylinders of fun. 

When brainstorming ideas for Ontranto, I had visions of being able to pick up barrels, move them around to make barriers, or throw them at approaching beasties, either knocking them back (indestructible), inflicting damage from shrapnel (normal), or blowing them up (explosive).

But obviously I gave it away as too much trouble.

But you try rolling a crate down a slope into a pack of monsters - with all those sticky-outy corners and all. 

can be pushed downhill and roll!

thus becoming rolling explosives !!

i guess crates can kinda roll, but it just aint so easy.... maybe on some stairs... 

Crates are essential to avoid. Barrels are merely desirable to avoid. Crates win. What was the question?

I've managed to make 15 maps without one crate, come on it isn't that hard. 

Hollowed out balls 

crate = lower r_speeds 

Bees.

Actually, have you seen those screens of the Doom3 crates? They're awesome - not merely simple six-sided cubes - they have cool bevelled edges. It's obvious id wanted to pioneer the next stage in the evolution of the crate. Although personally I think pipes are set to become the next big FPS cliche. 

PIPE 

The true answer is that there is no winner. Doom3 shows us that barrels, crates, and even pipes can live together in the same game! using the same unified lighting system! all equally bumpmapped!

PEACE. 

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~roneil2/cvb.jpg


(crate wins, CRATALITY (flawless victory) ) 

Crates are very helpful, when you can't make a nonsquareish architecture. Then, instead of curveish, slanted and detailed walls, you're adding squareish crates and you're getting a nonsquareish architecture, because crates are even rotated, ergo- they aren't too squareish !!

Poland loves crates. 

Are they really bevelled in the geometry, or is that just a nice use of the normal mapping? 

Yes, the actual model is bevelled quite a lot. In addition, the normal mapping adds all sorts of extra geometrical details on top of this. Crates have never looked so good. 

post pics!! 

Doom3 crates:

http://photopile.com/photos/sloochyslooch/quakemisc/137396.jpg 

ah, cool. 

the Riddick crates. 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robbiekhan/hosted/midget_porn/shot00019.jpg

(dodgy sounding url, i know, but trust me :) 

i almost posted that shot :)

they look like the unreal 2 crates actually, wich were one of the only good things about the game. 

I like them thar crates...they have lil yellow logos on 'em an' evreefing. 

definitly barrels, you can't fill a crate with beer ;-) 

The most logical answer thus far 

i am with kell here!
very good crates in that screenshot [post #28] 

Gotta be the crates. Barrels are good, and I agree pipes are the next stage in FPS evolution, but currently the crates still reign, with their tradition, history, variety, and solid dependability. 

In my tinkerings with Quake C I got the barrels (I made a BSP model that looked like a 45 gallon drum, with nukage swirling around inside) to explode and shoot flaming globs of debris every where. If there was a cascade explosion, the blast would be so violent the engine would crash ;-)