Each weapon has its own ammunition and is not shared between weapons as in Quake2. It is also the case that for id software 'CTF', 'Tournament' and 'FFA' modes in Quake3 should you pickup an ammunition pack but not be holding a weapon that uses that ammunition, the ammunition is lost. This is not the case when playing in id software 'Team Deathmatch' mode or when using many of the modifications available / weapons stay. It is very easy to identify the ammunition type by the unique colours and markings that match the HUD weapon display. Plasmagun ammunition is shown here for example . Respawns every 40 seconds after pickup.