Guys, seems like 80% of the ESR userbase just wants QC to be Q3 with new engine/graphics.
This is stupid. Why ?

Because we already had it, it's called quakelive. Yes, same engine than Q3, but improved slightly especially on the textures and on some visuals effects. QL is basically Q3 in HD with 16:9 support and HD screen's res support, with relatively high definition textures.

See how it went ? Basically every big e-sport events dropped QL, only left is QuakeCon. Majority of people just got bored of the same Q3 gameplay @ picmip 16. Reflex already tried CPMA/CPM on new engine, but didn't take off, and people went back to Q3.

Most hardcore die-hard fans of Quake are close-minded and way too elitists to see that actually id made a good move with QUAKE Champions.
With every new version of Quake we saw changes. Especially from Q1 to Q2. And Q1 was a major change from DOOM 2, and already at that time, die-hard DOOM's fans complained about how Q1 is not DOOM and why it sucked compared to it.
When Q2 came out, Q1 die-hard fans complained about railgun, slow movements, not-like-q1-at-100%-gameplay etc...
When Q3 test came out Q2 players complained about the fact that Q3 was just basically a worst version of Q2.
When Q4 came out, people complained about crouch-sliding being a worst version of air-control, Q4 gameplay to be an exact copy of Q3, but only a worst one.

Now QC brings to us the Champions and some new rules, die-hard QL fans are complaining about that.

Yes, new gameplay elements are always scary at first, but once you get used to them you start to feel again in your "comfort-zone", and start to realize that it's not necessarily a bad thing, just different. And what means different means NEW & FRESH, means "noobs" A.K.A. new players more tempted to try out the game, means better critics from the gaming journalists, means more FUN overall for the not "die-hard-quake-fans-playing-it-for-15-years".

And one last thing, QC will obviously not follow the same business-model than QL (which is a good thing like I said already), BUT, look, let's be honest, it still has :
1°) Quake-Like graphics
2°) RG LG RL SSG/SG MG/HMG
3°) Strafe-jumping, bunny-hopping, crouch-sliding
4°) Items to pick up
5°) Maps that feel just QUAKE
6°) Well known Quake characters models (ranger, visor, anarki etc) and some new ones that just look fantastic (Nyx is sexy af :D)

7°) IT'S STILL QUAKE AT ITS CORE-GAMEPLAY <----- MOST IMPORTANT thing ever, the rest doesn't matter THAT much.

We'll just have to adapt to some new gameplay elements and to some new gametypes, but the best Quake players will still be the best because true-hardcore-quake-gameplay is still there and not broken, we'll just adapt to the new other things eventually and feel in our "comfort-zone" again.

If you're intelligent enough, you'll adapt... or die if you're dumb :P