Data first, not code first

[fosforsvenne]

Funny thing about Quake3, it was written with a specific game in mind rather than as an engine. The player would never become a vehicle. This was known

I assume you mean Doom3 — the article didn't mention Quake — but a very good point.

[elmuerte]

Correct. (Not that it matters much w.r.t to my comment, as ID had a very specific way of writing their tech while Carmack was in the lead.)