Quake

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This article is about the original video game. For the series as a whole, see Quake (series). For other uses, see Quake (disambiguation).

Quake
Developer(s)	id Software, Midway Games, Inc., Lobotomy Software
Publisher(s)	Activision, PXL computers, MacSoft, Midway Games, Sega, Pulse Interactive,
Designer(s)	John Romero (lead designer), John Carmack (lead programmer) American McGee, Sandy Petersen, Tim Willits
Engine	Quake engine, Slavedriver engine (Sega Saturn)
Release date(s)	June 22, 1996 (NA) 1997, 2005
Genre(s)	FPS
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	BBFC: 15 ESRB: Mature (M)/Teen (T) (Sega Saturn only) RSAC: V3: Blood and Gore L2: Profanity
Platform(s)	Amiga, Falcon, IRIX, Macintosh, PC (DOS, Linux, Windows), N64, Risc PC, Saturn, Solaris, Windows Mobile, source ports to additional platforms
Media	Compact disc (1), download, cartridge
System requirements	90 MHz Processor 8 MB RAM 80 MB Hard disk space 2 MB Graphics card IRIX 5.3 / Linux 1.3.88 / MS-DOS 5.0 / Solaris 2.5.1 / Windows 95
Input	Keyboard, mouse, joystick

Quake is a first-person shooter computer game that was released by id Software on June 22, 1996. It was the first game in the popular Quake series of computer and video games.

The majority of programming work on the Quake engine was done by John Carmack. Michael Abrash, a program performance optimization specialist, was brought in to help make the software rendering engine fast enough to be feasible. The sound effects and music for the game were composed by Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails (within the game, the ammo box for the nailgun has the Nine Inch Nails logo on it in reference to this). Reznor's work was one of the first major efforts to bridge the gap between "mainstream" musicians and gaming, and his title screen song has become famous even among the most casual fans of the game. Quake was released just as the Internet was commercially coming of age, and gamers were graduating from local bulletin boards to the global online community. id Software recognized, before anyone else, that the future of competitive gaming lay with the Internet, and so Quake was the second game^{[citation needed]} whose multiplayer could be played against many people on the Internet rather than with only people on a local network without some kind of local network emulation.

Quake and its three pseudo-sequels, Quake II, Quake III Arena and Quake 4, have sold over 4 million copies combined. In 2005, a version of Quake was produced for mobile phones.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Single Player 1.2 Multiplayer 2 Story 3 Quake engine 4 Network play 5 Modification 6 Custom maps 7 Speedruns 8 Enemies 8.1 Monsters 8.2 Bosses 9 Weapons 10 Items and powerups 10.1 Ammunition 10.2 Items 10.3 Powerups 11 Episodes and levels 12 History 12.1 Pre-release and QTest 12.2 Shareware and Final release 12.3 VQuake 12.4 QuakeWorld 12.5 GLQuake and WinQuake 12.6 Ports 12.7 Source code and legacy 13 In popular culture 14 Credits 15 Commercial games using the Quake engine 16 Games using a modified Quake engine 17 Replacement Quake/QuakeWorld Engines 18 QuakeWorld mods 19 QuakeCon 20 Notes 21 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Quake has two fundamental modes of gameplay: single player and multiplayer.

[edit] Single Player

In single-player mode, players explore and navigate to the exit of each level, facing many challenging monsters and a few secret areas along the way. Usually there are buttons to press or keys to collect in order to open doors before the exit can be reached. Once reaching the exit, the game takes the player to the next level.

Before the start level, there is a set of three pathways with easy, medium, and hard skill levels; in order to reach the Nightmare skill level (described as "so bad that it was hidden so people wouldn't wander in it by accident"), the player must drop through the water before the Episode 4 entrance and jump into a secret passage.

Quake's single-player campaign is organized into four individual episodes of about eight levels each (each including a secret level, one of which is a "low gravity" level — Ziggurat Vertigo in Episode 1, Dimension of the Doomed — that challenges the player's abilities in a different way). As items are collected, they are carried to the next level, each usually more challenging than the last. If the player dies, he is restarted at the beginning of the level. However, games may be saved at any time.

Upon completing each episode, the player is returned to the hub Start level, where he can then enter the next episode. Each episode starts the player from scratch, without any previously collected items. Episode I (which formed the shareware or downloadable demo version of Quake) has a boss in the last level. The ultimate objective at the end of the episode is to recover the magic rune. There are four runes; the Rune of Earth Magic, Black Magic, Hell Magic, and Elder Magic, from the episodes of Dimension of the Doomed, Realm of Black Magic, Netherworld, and Elder World, respectively. After all of the runes are collected, the floor of the Start opens up to reveal an entrance to the End level which contains the final boss.

[edit] Multiplayer

In multiplayer mode, players on several computers connect to a server (which may be a dedicated machine or on one of the player's computers), where they can play against each other. Typically in multiplayer mode, when a player dies he can immediately respawn, but loses any items he has collected and so must start collecting them again. Similarly, items that have been picked up previously respawn after some time, and may be picked up again.

The single-player campaign can be played in co-op mode.

The most popular multiplayer modes are all forms of deathmatch. Deathmatch modes typically consist of either free-for-all (no organization or teams involved), one-on-one duels, or organized teamplay with two or more players per team (or clan). Teamplay is also frequently played with one or another mod. Typically, no monsters are normally present, as they serve no purpose other than to get in the way and give away the player.

The gameplay in Quake was considered unique for its time because of the different ways the player can maneuver through the game. For example: bunny hopping or strafe jumping can be used to move faster than normal, while rocket jumping enables the player to reach otherwise-inaccessible areas (or just move faster), at the cost of some self-damage. The player can start and stop moving suddenly, jump unnaturally high, and change direction while moving through the air. Many of these non-realistic behaviors contribute to Quake's appeal. The nature of the gameplay is often fast and frenzied, and has gotten considerably faster over the years as players mastered advanced movement techniques.

There is obvious skill needed to react quickly, aim precisely, dodge other players' shots, and jump across tricky spaces. As Quake did not include any automap, it also requires considerable knowledge of the sometimes confusingly-contorted maps (made more complex by the frequent use of teleporters) as well as careful planning in order to collect needed items and conserve health and ammunition. Strategies include regularly picking up items to prevent one's opponent from having access to them and controlling certain critical areas of each level. Duels often take place with opponents mostly out of sight of each other, jockeying for position and carefully stocking up on items, with sudden changes in speed of play when one player or the other gains an advantage. Sound also plays a central role in keeping track of other players and even items in the game, so many players use headphones to give the clearest sound and directionality. Teamplay adds even more tactical layers, with different ways to communicate and cooperate.

Multiplayer Quake was one of the first games that people singled out as a form of electronic sport. Most notable was Dennis "Thresh" Fong who won John Carmack's Ferrari 308 at the Microsoft-sponsored Red Annihilation tournament in 1997.

Online Quake play is also a significant social activity, with players chatting during gameplay, or even just talking while connected through the server without actually playing the game at all. Many players have built enduring friendships with people they met online while playing Quake.

[edit] Story

The player takes the role of an unnamed soldier (later known as Ranger in Quake III Arena) sent into a portal to stop an enemy, code-named "Quake". The government has been experimenting with teleportation technology, and created a working prototype called a "Slipgate". Unfortunately, a portal to an unknown dimension has been opened, and death squads begin to emerge, killing and robbing as much as they can before returning through the gate. Once sent through the portal, the player's main objective is to survive and locate the exit which will take him to the next level, not unlike that of Doom.

The game consists of around 28 separate "levels" or "maps", grouped into 4 episodes. Each episode represents individual dimensions that the player can access through magical portals (as opposed to the technological Slipgate) that are discovered over the course of the game. At the start of each episode, the player is deployed in a futuristic military base and he has to find a slipgate that will take him to the alternate realm. The various realms consist of a number of gothic, medieval, as well as "fire and brimstone"-style caves and dungeons with a recurring theme of hellish and satanic imagery reminiscent of id Software's earlier game Doom. The latter is inspired by several dark fantasy influences, notably that of H.P. Lovecraft; most notably, the end game boss is named Shub-Niggurath and the end boss of the first episode is named Chthon, although there is little resemblance between the game's portrayal and the original literary description. Originally, the game was supposed to include more Lovecraftian bosses, but this concept was scrapped due to time constraints. It is debatable whether the four dimensions under Shub-Niggurath's rule are truly the spiritual Hell or whether they are simply other physical realms, with the Hell theme used merely for horrific effect.

Although the moniker "Quake" originally applied to the protagonist, the final story describes Quake as simply being "the enemy". It has been implied by other sources that Quake is a master antagonist, possibly leaving open the option for a direct sequel in which this person or creature is a boss character. This has neither been confirmed nor denied by John Romero or id Software.

It should be noted, however, that by the time the game was released the specifics of the story had become relatively unimportant and somewhat disorganized. This is mainly due to a last-minute mix of two different game designs - John Romero wanted to make a dark fantasy hand to hand combat/RPG hybrid game while level designers Tim Willits and American McGee wanted to make a more futuristic, Doom-like game. Ultimately the Doom-like mechanics were implemented and many of the dark fantasy design elements were incorporated into the graphics and visual effects of the game.

Partly due to the internal power struggle surrounding the game design, Romero resigned from id Software soon after the game was released. He went on to co-found the ill-fated development company Ion Storm. Half of id Software's staff left the company in the six months following Romero's departure, including Jay Wilbur (CEO), Sandy Petersen, Mike Wilson, Shawn Green and Michael Abrash.

The unnamed hero of Quake reappears as one of the selectable characters in Quake III Arena, where he is known as "Ranger". However, Quake is one of the only modern id games not to have a true sequel - after the departure of Romero, the remaining id employees chose to change the thematic direction substantially for Quake II, making the design more technological and futuristic rather than dark fantasy; Quake 4 followed the design themes of Quake II, whereas Quake III Arena lacked a standard single-player campaign entirely as this episode was meant for multiplay only. PCGamer, in its recap of the mixed settings throughout the Quake series in its fall 2004 preview of Quake 4, stated that Quake II actually began as a totally separate product line. Unfortunately, due to the failure to gain rights to the title they wanted, id designers were forced to fall back on the project's nickname of "Quake II." Since any sequel to the original "Quake" had already been refused, it became a viable way of continuing the series without actually continuing the storyline or setting of the first game.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Quake engine

Main article: Quake engine

Quake popularized several major advances in the 3D game genre: it uses 3-dimensional models for players and monsters instead of 2-dimensional sprites; and the world in which play takes place is created as a true 3-dimensional space, rather than a 2-dimensional map with height information which is then rendered to 3D. Previous 3D games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Doom and Wolfenstein 3D (sometimes called 2.5D games) used a restricted-view mathematical trick when rendering their 3-dimensional view. This allowed a true 3D view, but only when looking straight-ahead (you can tell the difference by tilting up and down in those games, which is really just a distortion trick of the straight-ahead view rather than a true rotated rendering.)

Quake also incorporated the use of lightmaps and 3D light sources, as opposed to the sector-based static lighting used in games of the past. id Software's innovation has been used for many 3D games released since, particularly first-person shooters, though id Software switched to a Unified lighting and shadowing model for Doom 3.

Quake by default used the keyboard to turn left and right and move forward and backward, using the mouse, like Doom, to do the same movements. This produced awkward movements, and required settings like "auto-level" that would move the viewpoint back to straight forward as you moved and "auto vertical aim" that would automatically shoot things above and below you. Probably because of this the level design in Quake was more suited to the 2.5D environment of Doom. Only in a few spots in the game was the monster that was shooting you above or below you. Quake did have the option of using the mouse to look/aim/orient ("mouselook") and the keyboard to move forward, backward and sideways, but it was not the default until Quake III was released. However, nearly all skilled players in single-player and deathmatch alike utilized the mouselook option, which granted a greater degree of control, allowing for a variable turn rate. In fact, it was common for the more advanced players to openly mock beginners for not using the mouselook option, and the mouse and keyboard combination has since become a de facto standard in many PC shooters.

Quake was also one of the first games to support 3d hardware acceleration. While initially released with only software rendering, John Carmack created a version of the Quake executable that took advantage of Rendition's Vérité 1000 graphics chip (see VQuake below). OpenGL support was soon added in the form of the GLQuake executable for Windows 95 and higher. Many believe that this kick-started the independent 3D graphics card revolution, "GLQuake" being the first application to truly demonstrate the capabilities of the 3dfx "Voodoo" chipset at the time. The only two other cards capable of rendering GLQuake were a professional (very expensive) Integraph 3D OpenGL card, and, later, the PowerVR cards.

[edit] Network play

Quake includes cooperative and deathmatch multiplayer modes over LAN or the Internet. Additional multi-player modes were later added using "mods".

Quake uses the client-server model, where a server has control of all game events. All players connect to this server in order to participate, with the server telling the clients what is happening in the game. The server may either be a dedicated server or a listen server. Even in the latter situation, Quake still uses the client-server model, as opposed to the peer-to-peer networking used by some other games. Quake thus cannot suffer from de-synchronized network games that could occur from different clients disagreeing with each other, since the server is always the final authority.

Depending on the client's specific route to the server, different clients will get different ping times. The lower a player's latency (ping time) is, the smoother his or her in-game motions are, which makes it easier to aim, move, and score. Someone playing at the PC or within the same LAN as the server gets a substantial advantage due to essentially no lag.

While gamers had been deathmatching each other via IPX LAN connections, serial cable connections, and modems in the Doom, Heretic, and Hexen series of games, it was not until Quake that the Internet deathmatch community really began.

[edit] Modification

The game itself can be heavily modified by altering the sounds, graphics, or scripting in QuakeC and due to its popularity, has been the focus of many fan "mods". The first mods were small gameplay fixes and patches initiated by the community, usually enhancements to weapons or gameplay with some new foes. Later mods were more ambitious and resulted in Quake fans creating versions of the game that were drastically different from id Software's original release.

The first major Quake mod was Threewave Capture the Flag (CTF), primarily authored by Dave 'Zoid' Kirsch. Threewave CTF is a partial conversion consisting of new maps, a new weapon (a grappling hook), some new textures and new rules of game play. Typically, two teams (red and blue) would compete in a game of Capture the flag, though a few maps with up to four teams (red, blue, green, and yellow) were created. Capture the Flag has become a standard game mode included in most popular multiplayer games released after Quake, in addition to Deathmatch first introduced in Doom. The mod was vastly popular and as of 2005 there is still a community of players who play the Quake CTF mod. The popularity of the specific Quake Threewave CTF mod stems from the speed of the game and the grappling hook. In most cases, a player has the ability to travel from one base to another base in a matter of seconds. The grappling hook acts as a slingshot, where advanced players can maneuver themselves in the air by using the strafe keys. Players would master flying around and shooting rockets with precise aim. The Threewave CTF Quake mod was converted into a ClanRing modification coded by J.P. Grossman and Paul Baker, geared towards match play. Quake CTF Clans used this mod to play 20 minute private matches. This same ClanRing modification would later be upgraded by pulsewidth and rook. This was widely used for team deathmatch tournaments. As of late 2005, two CTF servers still get active gameplay, nearly 10 years after the game's initial release. In 2005, woods released a new ctf textures for the Threewave CTF maps for use with the new engines.

The popular Team Fortress mod consists of Capture the Flag gameplay, but with a class system for the players. Players choose a class, which creates various restrictions on weapons and armor types available to that player, and also grants special abilities. For example, the bread-and-butter Soldier class has medium armor, medium speed, and a well-rounded selection of weapons and grenades, while the Scout class is lightly armored, very fast, has a scanner that detects nearby enemies, but has very weak offensive weapons. One of the other differences with CTF is the fact that the flag is not returned automatically when a player drops it: running over one's flag in Threewave CTF would return the flag to the base, and in TF the flag remains in the same spot for preconfigured time and it has to be defended on remote locations. This caused a shift in defensive tactics compared to Threewave CTF. Team Fortress maintained its standing as the most-played online modification of Quake for many years.

Rocket Arena provides the ability for players to face each other in small, open arenas with changes in the gameplay rules so that item collection and detailed level knowledge are no longer factors. A series of short rounds, with the surviving player in each round gaining a point, instead tests the player's aiming and dodging skills and reflexes. Clan Arena is a further modification that provides teamplay using Rocket Arena rules. Such game modes are commonly found in later games under names like Last Man Standing.

More extreme mods have included AirQuake (a primitive jet fighter simulation), Quake Rally (an off-road car racing game) and Quake Chess. These, however, were stretching the engine's capabilities to the limit, and were more curiosities than particularly playable games, although various clans were created for playing them.

One interesting category of mod is the bot. These were introduced to provide surrogate players in multiplayer mode, and are a particular challenge of artificial intelligence behavior implemented with the limited scripting system of QuakeC. Botblasts were for a time popular contests to see who could perform the best against one or more bots under specified conditions. Like speedruns, each player would record a demo (film) of his matches and use the best performance as his entry. Prominent Quake bots included the Zeus Bot, Reaper Bot, Omicron Bot, Oak Bot, FrikBot and Frog Bot.

[edit] Custom maps

It is also worth noting the huge number of custom maps that have been made by users and fans of the game. Custom maps are completely new and original maps that are playable by simply loading them into the original game. Custom maps of all gameplay types have been made, but the most custom maps for Quake have been in the single-player and deathmatch genres.

There have been thousands of third-party single-player and deathmatch maps made for Quake. They vary in quality enormously, but the best custom maps are generally accepted to be better than the id Software maps in the original game. Some of the best and most ambitious single-player custom maps are episodes like Nehahra, Insomnia, Zerstorer, IKSPQ and Beyond Belief by Matthias Worch, and single maps like Marcher Fortress, Cassandra Calamity and Bestial Devastation. Two of the most popular multiplayer maps are Aerowalk by Preacher (popular strategy guide here) and Blood Run (ztndm3) by ztn.

In addition, new maps continue to be made into 2006 for the game, over 10 years after it was originally released.

[edit] Speedruns

Main article: Speedrun

As an example of the dedication that Quake has inspired in its fan community, a group of expert players recorded speedrun demos (replayable recordings of the player's movement) of Quake levels completed in record time on the "Nightmare" skill level. The footage was edited into one continuous 19 minutes, 49 seconds demo called Quake done Quick (QdQ) and released on 10 June, 1997. Owners of the game could replay this demo in the game engine, watching the run unfold as if they were playing it themselves.

This involved a number of players recording run-throughs of individual levels, using every trick and shortcut they could discover in order to minimize the time it took to complete, usually to a degree that even the original level designers found difficult to comprehend, and in a manner that often bypassed large areas of the level. Stitching a series of the fastest runs together into a coherent whole created an amazing demonstration of the game played in a way that most players could never have imagined. Recamming is also used with speedruns in order to make the experience more movie-like, with arbitrary control of camera angles, editing, and sound that can be applied with editing software after the runs are first recorded. It should also be noted that the fastest possible time for a given level is not necessarily the fastest time used to contribute to "running" the entire game. One good example is grabbing the grenade launcher in an early level, an act that actually slows down the time for that level over the best possible, but actually speeds up the overall game time by allowing the runner to bypass a big chunk of a map in a later level that they could not otherwise do but for the launcher.

A second attempt, Quake done Quicker (QdQr), reduced the complete time to 16 minutes, 35 seconds (a reduction of 3 minutes, 14 seconds). QdQr was released 13 September, 1997. One of the levels included was the result of an online competition to see who could get the fastest time.

The culmination of this process of improvement was the unbelievable Quake done Quick with a Vengeance (QdQwav). Released three years to the day after QdQr, this pared down the time taken to complete all four episodes, on Nightmare (hardest) difficulty, to 12 minutes, 23 seconds (a further reduction of 4 minutes, 12 seconds), partly by using techniques that had formerly been shunned in such films as being less aesthetically pleasing. This run was recorded as an in-game demo but interest was such that an .avi video clip was created to allow those without the game to see the run.

Most full-game speedruns are a collaborative effort by a number of runners (though some have been done by single runners on their own). Although each particular level is credited to one runner, the ideas and techniques used are iterative and collaborative in nature, with each runner picking up tips and ideas from the others, so that speeds keep improving beyond what was thought possible as the runs are further optimized and new tricks or routes are discovered.

Further time improvements of the continuous whole game run were achieved into the 21st century. In addition, many thousands of individual level runs are kept at Speed Demos Archive's Quake section, including many on custom maps.

Speedrunning is a counterpart to multiplayer modes in making Quake one of the first games promoted as a virtual "sport".

Further information: Quake done Quick

[edit] Enemies

[edit] Monsters

Rottweiler

A guard dog that can bite players and can jump quite well. It has a gory appearance and may be a zombie or possessed by the forces of Quake.

Grunt

The standard anthropoid enemy armed with a shotgun. They look somewhat like the player but worse for wear, and much slower and weaker. They also don't speak, and instead announce their presence with grunts and deep growls. It is not explained why this former human is against the player, but it is most likely due to being possessed by the forces of Quake and being zombified. It is mentioned in the instruction manual that the Grunts have electrodes attached to the pleasure centers of their brains to give them bursts of pleasure when they kill. Drops 5 shells when killed.

Enforcer

A more powerful anthropoid enemy with a more futuristic theme, armed with a laser blaster and wearing a vacuum/armor suit with a battery backpack, with the helmet containing a face mask. These soldiers shout "Stop!" "You there!" and "Freeze!", making them the only monsters in Quake to speak intelligible English, and have a heavy breathing sound like Darth Vader. Drops a backpack containing 5 cells when killed.

Knight

An armored Medieval warrior, armed with a sword and can only attack at close range. They run at moderate speed which often catches novice players off guard. They make pained groans when wounded and are killed relatively easily.

Death Knight

These are tall knights with spiked shoulders, horned helmets, and two-handed swords. They have significantly more endurance and can inflict much more damage, while also maintaining a moderate speed. They can also unleash a spread of slow-moving fireball projectiles, which is deadly at close range. Like the Knights, they make pained groans though louder and more hoarse. (Also known as Hell Knights).

Rotfish

Fish that bite and swim in swarms and more or less resemble piranha. They are relatively weak, but are dangerous in groups, for they usually try to keep the player from reaching the surface.

Zombie

Undead creatures that throw lumps of their own rotten flesh at their target. The Zombies also make long moans, and can be knocked down temporarily with normal weapons. Being slow and causing little damage, the pose little threat except in mobs. However, are effectively immune to non-explosive weapons unless combined with Quad Damage since they need to take more damage in a single hit than can be inflicted by any non-explosive, non-Quad enhanced weapon. It would however be possible to kill a Zombie with a regular weapon if it took damage from another source at the same time — for example, being hit by another monster.

Scrag

A flying creature that resembles a pale human torso and head without face or limbs, tapering into an articulated fleshy tail that somehow aids flight. It squirts yellowish acid from its shoulders. Scrags make hissing sounds that resemble whispered human speech and make harsh breathing sounds as well. When they are struck by a weapon, they will cry, "no," in deep resonating tones. Also known as 'wizards'.

Ogre

A brutish character armed with a chainsaw and a grenade launcher. It is one of the most common enemies in the game. When not fighting, they move slowly and drag their chainsaws but when they sight an enemy, they immediately go berserk, snarling and moving around quickly. They can be knocked down if hit by sufficient gunfire though they will get back up.

Spawn

Strange creatures made entirely of blue slime that jump about at high speed, making them difficult to target. Commonly found in levels with blue floors (for camouflage), they start in passive mode as small lumps and then morph into a bouncing blob. They explode when they are defeated, causing significant damage (a good tip is to shoot at spawn only when it is bouncing away). They make wet, sticky noises when impacting a surface. This creature is most likely based on one of the Formless Spawn of Tsathoggua. They are also known as 'Tarbabies' and 'Wizards'.

Fiend

Flightless bat-like creatures with goat-like legs and cloven hooves, thick tails, tremendous fangs and wing-like arms ending in scythe-like claws. Can jump long distances to pounce on their foes, with their leap attacks causing a lot of damage. Also known as 'Demons', as they more or less resemble the Pinky Demon from Doom. They have very high attack power and jump very quickly, although they are very clumsy in their attack patterns and frequently get "stuck" inside narrow hallways. A 1999 editors' poll in GameSpot ranked the Fiend as one of the top ten monsters of all time.^{[citation needed]}

Vore

Tripodal, spider-legged creature that flings explosive spiked spherical purple projectiles which home on the player. Vores make harsh breathing sounds as they walk along and sometimes whimpering sounds but when they spot an enemy, they screech. Some have suggested that they are based upon Driders in Dungeons and Dragons. They are also known as 'Shalraths'.

Shambler

Somewhat akin to a giant, bipedal, polar bear or Yeti that shoots lightning bolts with extremely high attack power. At close range, they use their massive, very damaging claws to pound and swipe their foe. They have a gory appearance, with bloody claws and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Not only does it have the highest amount of hit points, explosions will only inflict half-damage against this monster. More or less based on H.P. Lovecraft's Dimensional Shamblers, as on many occasions they teleport into the area to fight you. Also similar to Owlbears in Dungeons and Dragons.

In a recent interview with John Romero, he confirmed that the Shambler has a shaggy coat instead of bare skin as was once thought by some. It is also eyeless along with the Fiend and Vore, due to the environment of Quake. He also revealed the Ogre was designed differently originally and was also meant to urinate on the player's corpse after it had killed the player. He also stated there was going to be a dragon enemy and a creature known as the Vomitus that were cut from the game. -- [2]

[edit] Bosses

Chthon

A fierce beast of living lava and the first boss, found at the end of episode I. Chthon is inherently immune to all common weapons the player holds, and only the two electrical conductors around his arena can damage and eventually kill him. It is pretty tricky as the player must lower both electrical conductors and activate the current, all while dodging explosive lava balls that Chthon tosses.

It is believed Chthon also has children that exist in one of the two mission packs for the first Quake. However, they are affected by smaller weapons, and go down much easier than their parent does.^{[citation needed]} The name Chthon suggests "god or spirit of the underworld", see Chthonic.

Vore

A pair of Vores serve as boss monsters in Episode II, where their death will open access to the Rune of Black Magic.

Shub-Niggurath

The aforementioned creature supposedly drawn from Lovecraft lore is the second and last boss found at the end of the game. The creature's looks are based on a Dark Young rather than Shub-Niggurath herself; it is simply not large enough and lacks the huge number of tentacles and mouths. It sits on an island in a pool of lava, and is surrounded by many Vores and Shamblers. Like in Chthon's case, it is impossible to kill Shub-Niggurath with player weapons, since it has 40,000 health points which get restored everytime it's hit ^{[1] [2]}. In order to kill it, the player must make use of the small, spiked sphere that circles around the map in combination with the portal device that overlooks the boss. When the sphere goes inside Shub-Niggurath, going through the portal device will teleport the player onto the same location as the boss, and messily telefrag it.

[edit] Weapons

1. Axe: The player always has an axe, the only weapon not requiring ammunition. Due to limited range, it is rarely used. Because it does not use ammunition, the axe is good for finding secret walls and hitting buttons.
2. Shotgun: The default weapon. The shotgun is a weak hitscan weapon with a moderate fire rate. Seldom used when other weapons are available, except occasionally for sniping at long distances due to the relatively narrow pellet spread. Also known as the Boomstick.
3. Double-Barreled shotgun: A double-barreled shotgun which inflicts more damage and has a wider pellet spread than the single-barreled shotgun, but takes two rounds per shot and has a slower fire rate. Moderately useful for closeup or finishing damaged opponents, or in conjunction with quad damage. Uses ammunition more efficiently than the shotgun, since for the two shells it consumes, it does more damage than two single shots from the regular shotgun.
4. Nailgun: A rapid-fire weapon with relatively light damage per shot, but the automatic fire allows damage to mount quickly. Reminiscent of the Gast Machine Gun.
5. Super nailgun: A more powerful, damaging nailgun which expends nails twice as fast as the regular nailgun. It is a moderately powerful weapon, very good with quad damage. (Also known as the Perforator.)
6. Grenade launcher: An explosive weapon that launches grenades in an arc. A unique weapon, somewhat different from grenade launchers in other games due to limited projectile speed and range (resulting in high arcs), and grenades that bounce off of inanimate surfaces, only exploding after hitting a living creature or a 2.5 second timer elapses. Can be used to grenade jump.
7. Rocket launcher: An explosive projectile weapon, the dominant weapon in the game in most levels that have it. Rockets travel in a straight line, relatively fast and inflict slightly more damage than grenades. Rockets always explode on impact. Frequently used for rocket jumping.
8. Thunderbolt: An electrical discharge weapon with a beam in the form of a solid, jagged (but straight) line. Aiming is challenging, though, since the beam jumps around rather than turning smoothly. One of the most powerful weapons in the game. It will also will discharge when the player using it is in water deeper than ankle-depth, which will release all of its remaining battery power in a massive explosion and almost invariably kill the player and anything in the water around the player. It's possible for the player to survive the explosion easily when having the Pentagram of Protection power-up or cheat (God Mode) active. (Also known as the Lightning Gun and "shaft".)

[edit] Items and powerups

[edit] Ammunition

• Shotgun shells are used for the shotgun and Double-Barreled shotgun.
• Nails are used for the nailgun and super nailgun. These ammo boxes are adorned with a "NIИ" logo, a nod to soundtrack composer Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
• Rockets are used for the grenade launcher and rocket launcher.
• Cells are used for the Thunderbolt.

In multiplayer games, these respawn 30 seconds after being picked up.

[edit] Items

• Medkits can heal the player by 15 or 25 health points, up to the starting maximum of 100.
• Armor comes in three types: green, yellow and red, from weakest to most powerful. These reduce the number of health points of damage the player suffers. Green absorbs 30% of damage and gives the player 100% armor, yellow absorbs 60% damage and gives the player 150% armor, and red absorbs 80% damage and gives the player 200% armor.

In multiplayer games, these respawn 20 seconds after being picked up.

[edit] Powerups

• Quad damage identified by rotating "Q" letters, causes the player's weapons to do four times their normal damage. It expires 30 seconds after being picked up, and in multiplayer games normally respawns 60 seconds after from when it was picked up.
• Pentagram of Protection makes the player's health rating invulnerable to damage for 30 seconds. In multiplayer games, it respawns every five minutes. It also puts a 666 in the armor counter. However, while the player's health rating is unaffected while this artifact is engaged, the armor rating will be.
• Ring of Shadows makes the player invisible except for their eyes, for 30 seconds. Once you shoot at a monster/person, you become visible (only to that monster/person). In multiplayer games, it respawns every five minutes. (Often referred to as simply "eyes".)
• Megahealth provides an additional 100 health. Health above 100 gradually ticks down until it reaches 100 again. If two megahealths are picked up at the same time, the maximum health is 250, and health ticks down faster than with one. In multiplayer games, it respawns 20 seconds after the countdown to 100 completes.

[edit] Episodes and levels

Episode	Level	Title	Designer	Notes
Start	start	Welcome to Quake	John Romero	hub level
Episode I Dimension of the Doomed
	e1m1	The Slipgate Complex	John Romero
	e1m2	Castle of the Damned	Tim Willits
	e1m3	The Necropolis	Tim Willits
	e1m4	The Grisly Grotto	Tim Willits
	e1m5	Gloom Keep	Tim Willits
	e1m6	The Door To Chthon	American McGee
	e1m7	The House of Chthon	American McGee
	e1m8	Ziggurat Vertigo	American McGee	secret level, low gravity
Episode II The Realm of Black Magic
	e2m1	The Installation	John Romero
	e2m2	The Ogre Citadel	John Romero
	e2m3	The Crypt of Decay	John Romero	Contains the picture of the Dopefish
	e2m4	The Ebon Fortress	John Romero
	e2m5	The Wizard's Manse	John Romero
	e2m6	The Dismal Oubliette	John Romero
	e2m7	The Underearth	Tim Willits	secret level
Episode III The Netherworld
	e3m1	Termination Central	John Romero
	e3m2	The Vaults of Zin	American McGee
	e3m3	The Tomb of Terror	American McGee
	e3m4	Satan's Dark Delight	American McGee
	e3m5	Wind Tunnels	Tim Willits
	e3m6	Chambers of Torment	American McGee & Tim Willits
	e3m7	The Haunted Halls	American McGee	secret level
Epiosde IV The Elder World
	e4m1	The Sewage System	Tim Willits
	e4m2	The Tower of Despair	Sandy Petersen
	e4m3	The Elder God Shrine	Sandy Petersen
	e4m4	The Palace of Hate	Sandy Petersen
	e4m5	Hell's Atrium	Sandy Petersen
	e4m6	The Pain Maze	Sandy Petersen
	e4m7	Azure Agony	Sandy Petersen
	e4m8	The Nameless City	Sandy Petersen	secret level
End	end	Shub-Niggurath's Pit	John Romero
The Deathmatch Arenas
	dm1	The Place of Two Deaths	Tim Willits
	dm2	Claustrophobopolis	American McGee
	dm3	The Abandoned Base	John Romero
	dm4	The Bad Place	American McGee
	dm5	The Cistern	Tim Willits
	dm6	The Dark Zone	Tim Willits

[edit] History

A preview included with id's very first release, 1990's Commander Keen, advertised a game entitled The Fight for Justice as a follow-up to the Keen trilogy. It would feature a character named Quake, "the strongest, most dangerous person on the continent", armed with thunderbolts and a "Ring of Regeneration." Conceived as a VGA full-color side-scrolling RPG, "The Fight for Justice" was never released.

[edit] Pre-release and QTest

Quake was given as a title to the game that id Software was working on shortly after the release of Doom II. The earliest information released described Quake as focusing on a Thor-like character who wields a giant hammer, and is able to knock away enemies by throwing the hammer (complete with real-time inverse kinematics). At the start, the levels were supposed to be designed in an Aztec style, but the choice was dropped some months into the project. Early screenshots then showed medieval environments and dragons. The plan was for the game to have more RPG-style elements. However, work was very slow on the engine, since Carmack not only was developing a fully 3D engine, but also a TCP/IP networking model (Carmack later said that he should have done two separate projects which developed those things). Eventually, the whole id team began to think that the original concept may not have been as wise a choice as they first believed. Thus, the final game was very stripped down from its original intentions, and instead featured gameplay similar to Doom and its sequel, although levels and enemies were closer to medieval RPG style rather than science-fiction. Praised throughout the gaming community, it quickly dethroned previous FPS titles and revolutionized the way multiplayer games were developed.

Before the release of the game or the demo of the game, id software released "QTest" on February 24, 1996. It was described as a technology demo and was limited to three multiplayer maps. There was no single player support and some of the gameplay and graphics were unfinished, but the game's multiplayer support caused Quake servers to spring up everywhere overnight. QTest also gave gamers their first peek into the filesystem and modifiability of the Quake engine, and many entity mods (that placed monsters in the otherwise empty multiplayer maps) and custom player skins began appearing online before the full game was even released.

[edit] Shareware and Final release

On June 22, 1996, id Software released the shareware version of Quake. This consisted of the first episode of the game, roughly one-quarter of the single-player content. It became the downloadable demo version of the game. At that time, despite Assembly language optimizations, there were few computers that could run the game at acceptable performance levels without having to disable some of the more advanced graphical features in the game (such as lighting effects).^[3]

On July 22, 1996, id Software released the full version of Quake. Upon registration, players who already had the shareware version could unlock three additional episodes and a series of deathmatch-only maps. id supported the release of Quake with multiple patches, the mod source code (QuakeC), the tools source code, and frequent .plan updates. The shrinkwrapped retail version was distributed by GT Interactive.

[edit] VQuake

In late 1996, id Software released VQuake, a port of the Quake engine to support hardware accelerated rendering on graphics cards using Rendition Vérité chipset. Aside from the expected benefit of improved performance, VQuake offered numerous visual improvements over the original software-rendered Quake. It boasted full 16-bit color, bilinear filtering (reducing pixelation), improved dynamic lighting and even optional anti-aliasing.

As the name implied, VQuake was a proprietary port specifically for the Vérité; consumer 3D acceleration was in its infancy, and there was no standard 3D API for the consumer market. After completing VQuake, John Carmack vowed never to write a proprietary port again, citing his frustration with Rendition's Speedy3D API.

[edit] QuakeWorld

To improve the quality of online play, id Software released QuakeWorld on December 17, 1996, a build of Quake that featured significantly revamped network code including the addition of client-side prediction. The original Quake's network code would not show the player the results of his actions until the server sent back a reply acknowledging them. For example, if the player attempted to move forward, his client would send the request to move forward to the server, and the server would determine whether the client was actually able to move forward or if he ran into an obstacle, such as a wall or another player. The server would then respond to the client, and only then would the client display movement to the player. This was fine for play on a LAN — a high bandwidth, very low latency connection. But the latency over a dial-up Internet connection is much larger than on a LAN, and this caused a noticeable delay between when a player tried to act and when that action was visible on the screen. This made gameplay much more difficult, especially since the unpredictable nature of the Internet made the amount of delay vary from moment to moment. Players would experience jerky, laggy motion that sometimes felt like ice skating, where they would slide around with seemingly no ability to stop, due to a build-up of previously-sent movement requests. John Carmack has admitted that this was a serious problem which should have been fixed before release, but it was not caught because he and other developers had high-speed Internet access at home.

With the help of client-side prediction, which allowed players to see their own movement immediately without waiting for a response from the server, QuakeWorld's network code allowed players with high-latency connections to control their character's movement almost as precisely as when playing in single-player mode. The netcode parameters could be adjusted by the user, so that QuakeWorld performed well for users with low latency (also referred to as Low Ping Bastards or LPBs) as well as high latency (sometimes called High Ping Bait (HPBs).

The tradeoff to client-side prediction was that sometimes other players or objects would no longer be quite where they had appeared to be, or, in extreme cases, that the player would be pulled back to a previous position when the client received a late reply from the server which overrode movement the client had already previewed; this was known as "warping". As a result, some serious players, particularly in the USA, still preferred to play online using the original Quake engine (commonly called NetQuake) rather than QuakeWorld. However, the majority of players, especially those on dial-up connections, preferred the newer network model, and QuakeWorld soon became the dominant form of online play. Following the success of QuakeWorld, client-side prediction has become a standard feature of nearly all real-time online games.

As with all other Quake upgrades, QuakeWorld was released as a free, unsupported add-on to the game and was updated numerous times through 1998.

[edit] GLQuake and WinQuake

On January 22, 1997, id Software released GLQuake. This was designed to use the OpenGL 3D API to access hardware 3D graphics acceleration cards to rasterize the graphics, rather than having the computer's CPU fill in every pixel. In addition to higher framerates for most players, GLQuake provided higher resolution modes and texture filtering, improving image quality. GLQuake also experimented with reflections, transparent water, and even rudimentary shadows. GLQuake came with a driver enabling the subset of OpenGL used by the game to function on the 3dfx Voodoo Graphics card, the only consumer-level card at the time capable of running GLQuake well. Previously, John Carmack had experimented with a version of Quake specifically written for the Rendition Vérité chip used in the Creative Labs PCI 3D Blaster card. This version had met with only limited success, and Carmack decided to write for generic APIs in the future rather than tailoring for specific hardware.

On March 11, 1997, id Software released WinQuake, a version of the engine designed to run under Microsoft Windows; the original Quake had been written for DOS, allowing for launch from Windows 95, but could not run under Windows NT-based operating systems. WinQuake used Win32-based APIs such as DirectDraw, DirectSound and DirectInput that were supported on Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0 and later releases. Carmack caused some controversy, however, by eschewing Direct3D, opting instead to continue supporting OpenGL. Like GLQuake, WinQuake also allowed higher resolution video modes. This removed the last barrier to widespread popularity of the game.

[edit] Ports

In 1996, there was a port of Quake to Linux. Its developers used the Quake source code without license, and patches were submitted back to id Software before it became an official port. Additionally, source code was used without license to create an early fan-created port to Mac OS. 1997 saw further porting efforts, with an IRIX port, called SGI Quake (link) done by Ed Hutchins on the SGI O2. SGI Quake has both OpenGL and software rendering systems. In addition, in 1997, the official port to Mac OS was done by MacSoft and a port of Quake to Sparc Solaris was released.

Quake was also ported to console systems. In 1997, it was ported to Sega Saturn by Lobotomy. The Saturn port used Lobotomy's own Slavedriver engine (the same engine that powers the Saturn port of Duke Nukem 3D and Powerslave) instead of the original Quake engine; yet it is widely considered to be some of the most advanced 3D work ever cranked out of the console; it is also the only version of Quake that is rated 'T' for Teen instead of 'M' for Mature. In 1998, Quake was brought to Nintendo 64 by Midway Games.

Both console ports required some compromises because of the limited CPU power and ROM storage space for maps. The Saturn version lacked multiplayer but had most of the maps from the original game, with only the secret levels (Ziggurat Vertigo (E1M8), The Underearth (E2M7), The Haunted Halls (E3M7) and The Nameless City (E4M8)) not making the cut. Instead, it had four new maps: Purgatorium, Hell's Aerie, The Coliseum and Watery Grave. The N64 version had multiplayer, but was missing The Grisly Grotto (E1M4), The Installation (E2M1), The Ebon Fortress (E2M4), The Wind Tunnels (E3M5), The Sewage System (E4M1) and Hell's Atrium (E4M5). It also lacks the "START" map where the player chooses difficulty and episode; difficulty is chosen when starting the game, and all the levels play in sequential order from The Slipgate Complex (E1M1) to Shub Niggurath's Pit (END).

A port for the Commodore Amiga was also made available in 1998 by clickBOOM Software. It is currently only available in a 68K version (though the game is pretty much unplayable on anything less than a 68060 CPU).

Many more ports were done after the source code release, such as numerous homebrew ports for the Dreamcast and Xbox consoles. Most recently, an engine designed for Windows Mobile powered Pocket PCs has been released, which utilises the 3D chip found in a few Dell PDAs.

There has also been a port for Series 60 Symbian mobile phones, although it is still in beta version. (http://sourceforge.net/projects/quakes60)

A Port to the Nintendo DS system has also been recently created for use on flash carts as homebrew and is in the beta stages. A release can be found at (http://www.quake.drunkencoders.com)

[edit] Source code and legacy

The source code of the Quake and QuakeWorld engines was licensed under the GPL in 1999. The id Software maps, objects, textures, sounds and other creative works remain under their original license. The shareware distribution of Quake is still freely redistributable and usable with the GPLed engine code. One must purchase a copy of Quake in order to receive the registered version of the game which includes more single player episodes and the deathmatch maps.

Based on the success of the first Quake game, id later published Quake II and Quake III Arena; Quake 4 was released in October 2005. It was developed by Raven Software utilizing the Doom 3 engine.

It is also interesting to note that Quake was the game primarily responsible for the emergence of the machinima artform of films made in game engines, thanks to edited Quake demos such as Ranger Gone Bad and Blahbalicious, the in-game film The Devil's Covenant and the in-game-rendered, four-hour epic film The Seal of Nehahra.

On June 22, 2006, it had been 10 years since the original uploading of the game to cdrom.com archives. Many Internet forums had topics about it, and it was a front page story on Slashdot.[3]

On October 11, 2006, John Romero released the original map files for all of the levels in Quake under the GPL. [4]

[edit] In popular culture

• In the television series, "Undergrads", Gimpy challenges Spud to a game of Quake to decide who commands the minions. Gimpy Commands Cal and Rocko to beat Spud and Jesse, Brody and Kruger Dan are seen playing the game as well.

• the track on Nile frontman Karl Sanders' solo album Saurian Meditation, 'The Elder God Shrine' is named after the Quake level

• In Duke Nukem 3D, when Duke first encounters an earthquake he comments "I ain't afraid'a'no quake." The additional meaning was obvious because Quake would be released so soon after and become a direct competitor to the game.

[edit] Credits

Programming: John Carmack, Michael Abrash, John Cash

Level/scenario design: American McGee, Sandy Petersen, John Romero, Tim Willits

Graphics: Adrian Carmack, Kevin Cloud

Music: Trent Reznor

Sound: Trent Reznor

Project Manager: Shawn C. Green

Support: Barrett Alexander

Business: Mike Wilson, Jay Wilbur, Donna Jackson, Todd Hollenshead

Additional work on sound code, UNIX ports: Dave Taylor

Linux ports: Dave "Zoid" Kirsch

Special Thanks To: Sean Barrett, Raymond Chen, DJ Delorie, Andy Glew, Lance Hacking, Chris Hecker, Todd Laney, Terje Mathisen, Charles Sandmann, Jon Vondrak, Billy Zelsnack

[edit] Commercial games using the Quake engine

There have been two official expansion packs for Quake:

• Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge Of Armagon
• Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution Of Eternity

The following expansion packs are unofficial:

• Final Mission: Abyss of Pandemonium [5]
• Aftershock for Quake
• Aftershock Toolkit
• Tremor for Quake — The company that compiled this collection of over 1,000 fan-made levels, the now-defunct Head Games, was strongly criticized for including the levels without the makers' permission.
• Dark Hour
• Eternal War
• Malice
• Q!Zone for Quake
• Shrak
• X-Men: The Ravages Of Apocalypse

[edit] Games using a modified Quake engine

• CIA Operative: Solo Missions
• Half-Life (Primarily includes QuakeWorld source code, but contains portions of Quake II source as well)

• Counter-Strike (Half-Life engine)
• Day of Defeat (Half-Life engine)
• Half-Life: Blue Shift (Half-Life engine)
• Half-Life: Opposing Force (Half-Life engine)
• Team Fortress Classic (Half-Life engine)

• HeXen II
• HeXen II Mission Pack: Portal of Praevus
• Laser Arena
• Nexuiz (Darkplaces engine)
• Urban Mercenary
• ZAERO (Authorized Quake II Mission Pack)

[edit] Replacement Quake/QuakeWorld Engines

Replacing the game engine became possible after the 1999 release of the Quake and QuakeWorld source code under the GPL.

• BengtQuake [6] (Quake)
• CheapHack (Quake)
• D3DQuake (Quake)
• DarkPlaces [7](Quake + QuakeWorld)
• ezQuake [8] (QuakeWorld)
• FitzQuake [9] (Quake)
• FuhQuake [10] (QuakeWorld)
• FTEQW [11] (QuakeWorld + Quake)
• GQ (Quake)
• JoeQuake [12] (Quake)
• MQWCL (QuakeWorld)
• MVDSV (MultiView Demo Server) [13] (QuakeWorld dedicated server)
• ProQuake [14] (Quake)
• Qrack [15] (Quake)
• Quake for Mac OS X
• QuakeForge (QuakeWorld)
• qw262 [16] (QuakeWorld/TeamFortress)
• Telejano (Quake)
• Tenebrae (Quake)
• TomazQuake [17] (Quake)
• Tremor (Quake)
• ZQuake [18] (QuakeWorld)

[edit] QuakeWorld mods

• Capture the Flag
• Clan Arena [19]
• FrogBot
• Kombat Teams
• KTPro
• KTX [20]
• PainKeep [21]
• Rocket Arena [22]
• Slide
• Team Fortress[23]

[edit] QuakeCon

Popular North American LAN Party QuakeCon finds its roots in the game as well. The gaming convention was started up so Quake fans could get together every year and compete on a LAN, on even footing without Internet connection latency and packet loss handicapping play.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• id Software: Quake
• The Quake Wiki A very complete Quake Wiki
• QuakeServers.net A server directory for all versions of Quake
• The Unofficial Quake FAQ
• Quake History a chronological history of Quake
• FTP: Quake source code (zip)
• Inside3d The 10 year old central site for QuakeC modifications, still active
• Func_Msgboard The central site for Quake mappers and a few other games
• Quake Standards Group Hub site for infomation and help on Quake source projects.
• Planetquake: Quake 1 A commercial site providing Quake 1 news and files for over 10 years.
• Quake Terminus Maintains a useful catalogue of downloads such as Quake mods, utilities, guides and comics.
• Quaddicted Huge archive of single & multiplayer maps, texture wads, and mirrors of idgames2 & ftp.endpoint.nu Quake file databases.
• QuakeOne A forum and news page with extras focusing on netQuake multiplayer and a few mods with very active forums.
• Planet Rome.ro Quake game designer John Romero's site.
• Methos Quake Contains an archive of famous Quake match demos for download.
• Quake Mods - At the Mod DB
• European NetQuake Community A site for the handful of remaining European NetQuake players (not QuakeWorld).
• Quake at MobyGames

QuakeWorld Leagues and Competitions:

• EQL European Quake League
• NQR Nations Quake Rank
• Ownage Duel Tournament
• NNQL 2on2 Tournament

Inactive Competitions:

• Quake Invitational League North American Invitation-Only 4on4 League
• DuelMania European 1on1 Tournament
• NQRLAdder 2on2 European 2on2 Ladder
• NQRLAdder 2on2 NA North American 2on2 Ladder
• NQRLAdder 4on4 European 4on4 Ladder
• QuakeWorld 4ever European 4on4 and Free For All Tournament
• Endif QuakeWorld Tournament 1on1 Endif Tournament
• t-w-o s-h-o-t t-w-o 2on2 Tournament

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