Quake (video game)

Quake is a first-person shooter video game published by id Software on June 22, 1996. It introduced some of the greatest advances in the video game genre in 3D: Use 3D models for players and monsters instead of 2D sprites; and the world where the game takes place is created as true three-dimensional space, rather than a two-dimensional map with height information rendered in three dimensions. It also incorporated the use of real-time lightmaps and light sources, discarding the static, sector-based lighting of previous games. It offered, in its time, one of the most realistic physics engines programmed for a video game to date. Believed by many to have provided the platform for the independent 3D graphics card revolution, "GLQuake" was the first application that, in those days, demonstrated the true capabilities of 3DFX's Voodoo Graphics chipset. The impact of the Quake engine can still be felt today.

Most of the Quake engine programming was done by John Carmack. Michael Abrash, a program performance optimization specialist, was hired to help make the software rendering engine possible with speed in mind. The soundtrack and sound effects was composed by Trent Reznor.

Quake, along with its sequels Quake II and Quake III Arena, have sold over 4 million copies.

A PlayStation version was planned for release, but was canceled for unknown reasons.

Plot

In the not too distant future, military scientists take their first steps in teleportation technology, creating Slipgates (Portals-Passways), devices that allow organisms to materialize from and to distant points in space. Without their being able to prevent it, these devices were also capable of uniting dimensions, causing one of these facilities to build the bridge between this universe and a reality plagued by demons (alluding to hell), starting a large-scale invasion that threatens to destroy the planet Soon, the soldiers of the ground military bases are defeated before the gigantic hordes.

At this point, and without a graphical introduction, the player takes the role of the last survivor of a battalion, an anonymous soldier (later called Ranger, in short for military special forces) who crosses the first portal and begins the odyssey to defeat the greatest of these demons, an extremely powerful foe known only by the code name "Quake" (later revealed to be Shub-Niggurath, dark pagan goddess of evil).

Armed only with a shotgun and an axe, this soldier will begin numerous interdimensional journeys between our world and the demonic world, looking for the exits from the places where he appears teleported, in order to get closer and closer to Shub-Niggurath and fulfill his mission to exterminate him.

It should be noted that this plot line —similar to the one used for the video game Doom— was later discarded by ID Software for the realization of the series' sequels, particularly Quake II and Quake IV, radically changing the story towards a non-binding plot. paranormal, but alien. Among Quake fans, there are still requests for this company to unite both stories at some point, or to develop a sequel that follows the campaign of the original game, this time with a next-generation graphics engine.

Enemies

• Grunt: It is the most basic of the enemies. It has the appearance of a human soldier, but zombified, supposedly possessed during the diabolical attack on the military bases. Armed with a shotgun, it is recurrent in the scenarios with human-military environment. Later, this enemy was included -with another 3D model- in the Quake III Arena videogame, now as a selectable character, as was the protagonist Ranger.

• Rottweiller: Zombified dog, apparently used before as guardian in the human military bases. It is relatively weak, but its danger lies in speed, its zigzageant trajectory that makes it difficult to hunt, and its attack as a leap from distance.

• Piranha (o) Rotfish): Pyrañas (also zombified) Giants that are only in the water sectors. Easy to remove, they are only dangerous in surprise attacks and in number. It is also the only enemy that cannot be sold in pieces of meat (called "Gib" in English).

• Enforcer: Superior Soldier, which is distinguished by his armored suit and full helmet. It is the only enemy that modulates a type of phrase – in English- ordering to stop. It is armed with a laser rifle, which shoots two semi-lent but powerful bursts, and holds much more damage than a Grunt. It is also recurrent in military scenarios.

• Ogre: First non-human monster found by the player, following the logical sequence of the campaign. It is a large ogre, armed with a chain saw on its right hand and a grenade-lance on the left. His weapon is powerful, capable of eliminating the player in few attacks, even if he is in sufficient height to throw his bombs.

• Scrag (o) Wizard): It is a kind of reptile, which possesses the ability to fly and spit jets of green acid. By challenging gravity, it is usually located in height as ambush, and with your flight you can find the player easily. It is also called “Wizard”, alluding that it would be a kind of sorcerer.

• Knight: Medieval appearance warrior, armed with a short and high-speed sword. Like the Rottweiller, he runs in dissimilar directions to confuse the player's sight. Despite being weak, his attack can be dangerous, especially in large numbers.

• Death Knight: dangerous medieval knight armed with a great sword, with which you can throw fire braces (or magic shots, as you prefer). You can get a lot of damage before you fall, and it's lethal in combat body to body.

• Demon (o) Fiend): Animal diabolical, of great size and strength, with appearance of a large-headed minotaur, and two great claws in his hands. It is very fast, it has a jump attack from great distance, and at the reach of the player can tear with its claws, eliminating it in few strokes.

• Zombie: These living dead walk extremely slowly. However, they have a distance attack in which they throw pieces of their own body, and are immune to conventional weapons, which only get them to fall momentarily. To be destroyed they require a concentrated explosion or physical damage (such as a Shambler blow). Sometimes they appear crucified on the walls, where they are totally harmless.

• Tarbaby (o) Spawn): Gelatinous monster, of slow motion until he sees his enemy, when he acquires a jumping capacity with extreme speed. Attacks hitting the player, and his small size and great speed makes it difficult to get close to him. In addition, the player should try not to have it close at the time of eliminating it, as it unleashes a dangerous explosion when he dies.

• Shalrath (o) Vore): Arachnid of great size and resistance, which wanders in its three feet emitting a grubby lastimer, by which its presence is recognized even remotely. Its attack consists of throwing magical projectiles of concentrated power, capable of pursuing the player in a teledirected way and exploiting the contact. In Qtest (the first test of Quake's technology) he was presented as a levitating priest, dressed in a dark robe allusive to the followers of a sect.

• Shambler: It is the most dangerous monster in the game. This giant – clearly inspired by the Yeti - has extreme resistance to blast damage, and performs powerful electrical attacks away. Body to body is even more lethal, due to its powerful blows, enough an impact with its two arms at the same time to eliminate the player.

• Chton: Final head of episode one, where he has his only appearance during the game. This gigantic demon emerges from a lava well attacking with explosive fireballs, even more harmful than a Lanza-Cohete missile. Immune to the damage of weapons, its weak point is in the electrical trap installed on its head, which the player must act to remove it and open the passage at the exit of the level.

• Shub-Niggurath: Final enemy of the game, freely inspired by the evil female divinity belonging to the terrifying mythology of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. It is presented as a white love creature stained with blood, with great tentacles that moves over itself, and is immune to the damage of any kind of weapon. The difficulty in ending with it lies in handing over the waves of powerful monsters escorting their weak point, a portal that transports the player into the goddess.

Enemies not included in the final version of the game.

On February 24, 1996, ID Software released Qtest, the first public test that would showcase the technology used in the game. In this release three monsters were introduced that, ultimately, did not see the light of day in the final edition of Quake. However, its models and scripts have been used in the many modifications that fans have made to the game itself.

• Vomitus: Giant monster with the form of gelatinous mass, destined to be the most dangerous of all, almost to the status of "Boss" (end of level). He was endowed with the highest resistance to the weapons of the game and, outside his own body-to-body attack, he possessed the ability to vomit Spawns or Tarbabies (which would come to be small versions of himself) against the player, so – from one moment to another – he could be facing five lethal enemies simultaneously. In short, the extreme difficulty presented by the monster made it decide that it would not be included in the final edition of the videogame.

• Dragon: As his name indicates, he is a huge flying animal with the ability to throw fire through the snout. In principle, it was included to roam the open areas of certain levels of the game and intermittently attack the player, not being able to be eliminated by this, so that the action focused mainly on the interiors of the structures.

• Serpent: Small creature, able to move and attack faster than a spawn, but very easy to remove. It was practically meant to "fille" the monsters catalog of the game.

Weapons

Weapons in Quake (except the axe) require ammunition, which is scattered throughout the game level, sometimes located in secret locations. Unlike many post-Quake FPS games, the player does not need to reload their weapon, which can fire continuously until the respective ammunition is depleted. Some enemies are particularly weak against a certain type of weapon, and others are resistant to it, which provides a touch of strategy for the player.

• Axe (hacha): basic combat weapon body to body. Without considerable damage, it is intended not to leave the defenseless player in the face of an exhaustion of the ammo.

• Shotgun (gun): primary weapon of remote attack. Its greatest effectiveness occurs when attacking enemies away from the player. Use cartridges.

• Super Shotgun (super shotgun): shotgun cut from two cannons, highly effective to burn, but not to distant enemies. Use cartridges.

• Nailgun (pistle of nails): weapon similar to a Uzi, but with two cannons. Useful to dispatch weak enemies quickly. Use nails.

• Super Nailgun (super nail gun): Nailgun's advanced version, has four cannons that rotate, similar to a Minigun. Effective to remove resistant enemies, being the best option against Shamblers. Use nails.

• Grenade Launcher (lanzagranates): as its name indicates, this gun throws grenades that explode in contact with the enemy, but they can also bounce on the walls facilitating a strategic shot. The grenades that explode near the player will also damage it. Use grenades.

• Rocket Launcher (lanzacohetes): Advanced version of a bazooka, capable of shooting missiles quickly and continuously. The explosion of your missiles is powerful, so the player must avoid shooting the projectile to burn, or the explosive wave will also damage him. It is the best weapon (together with the grenade launcher) to face zombies. Use rockets.

• Thunderbolt or lighting gun (lightning weapon): the most powerful weapon in the game, you can throw a ray of electricity (similar to those of a Shambler) on a continuous basis and it is effective to discard any type of enemy (except zombies) with all ease, but by consuming munition unwisely. It has a limited scope, which makes it useless against distant enemies. In addition, using this weapon under water or another similar element produces a download that involves the instant death of the player and anyone who is swimming nearby. Use power cells

Miscellaneous Game Items

On each map you can find different machinery that the player will use in order to find the exit from each level, or environmental elements with which he must interact. Many of these objects, despite being also considered in the video game Doom (series)|Doom, formed a standard to be followed by future FPS, even to this day. The most recurring are:

• Keys (Llaves). They are devices that allow the player to open doors that require a particular pass or key. They can be Key Card (card) or Skeleton Key (old keys) blue or yellow, which will open the doors that indicate the same color. There are also the Rune Keys, consisting of rock-made symbols that open end portals or trigger game events (e.g., awakening to the fearsome Chton).

• Health Box (Health cases). They are kits that renew the player's health, and can be three types: 15 power points, 25 power points or the Mega Health, which give 100 power points. The character's health has a top of 100, and if it exceeds that limit the health will gradually drop to 100 points.

• Armor (Armature). They are clamps that protect the player while they are not exhausted by the damage they receive. They significantly reduce the impact received and last according to the type in question: green (the weakest), yellow (normal) and red (the player becomes almost invulnerable).

• Quad Damage (Quadruple Day). It is a special rune that allows the player to inflict 4 times the normal damage of the weapon you use, but for a short time. Useful in facing powerful enemies, even more useful in multiplayer mode. Recognisable by the light beam that the player emits when obtaining it.

• Pentagram of Protection (Protection table). The player who touches this symbol becomes invulnerable for a short time, in which it will be absolutely impossible to die, regardless of the kind of damage he suffers. Recognisable by the player's yellow luminosity by using it.

• Ring of Shadows (Sombras ring). It allows the player to become invisible in the sight of his enemies for a short time, who will only attack him if the player opens fire near them, or if he was seen by some monster before playing the ring. It is a clear homage to the book The Lord of the Rings, which recounts the identical skill of the draw. In multiplayer mode, a player using the ring will only be recognizable by his eyes, which produce a strange and frightening effect of eyeballs flying.

• Explosive box (Explosion box): are metal boxes - in large and small size - of highly unstable content. When receiving damage, they cause a considerable explosion, and there are many around it, there is a chain reaction. They can be used strategically by the player, and sometimes they mean a big disadvantage to him, if he is close to them in a shooting.

• Teleporters (Teleporters). As their name indicates, these devices send the player to some particular part of the map. Sometimes they are of compulsory use to access locked places, sometimes they do their part in the discovery of a secret area, or facilitate the player to return to a specific part of the map saving distance from walk. In multiplayer mode, a player who is transported to the place where another is located means the instant death of the latter (destruction called Tele-frag).

• Wind Tunnels (Windows). In campaign mode, they only appear on the map bearing the same name. Once the player accesses one of these tunnels, a wind current takes him quickly through his journey, and can access other areas. If the tunnel exit throws it vertically, the player will be able to bounce in the wind beam, producing a fun elastic bed effect.

• Spike Traps (Traps of Astillas). They are traps located at certain levels of the game, activated once the player or an enemy crosses ahead of them, quickly shooting against him. They can be laser beams (such as an Enforcer) or nails (such as a Nailgun).

• Water (Water). Element in which the player can move freely is swimming or diving. Remaining a long time under water implies the exhaustion of health and finally death by immersion. It is the only element in which the Piranhas are found.

• Slime (Viscosity). Similar to water, they are acidic substances that damage the player by entering into contact. Sometimes the player will be forced to swim in these liquids to complete the level.

• Lava. This incandescent matter is found in many levels of the game. The contact is almost fatal, being able to remove the character in a couple of seconds. Many traps put on the player involve falling into a well of this substance. Curiously, the monsters of the game are immune to this danger.

Multiplayer mode

Quake includes a multiplayer mode to play over a local area network or the Internet with or against other humans. Network gaming uses a client/server model, where the current game only runs on the server and all players "access" it to participate. Depending on the specific path that the client has to the server, different clients will get different ping times. The lower the latency (ping time), the smoother your in-game movements will be, and the easier it will be to aim correctly and score. Someone playing on the server PC gets a substantial advantage due to virtually zero lag.

Missions and Maps

Expansions

There are two official expansion packs released for Quake.

Expansion packs pick up where the first game left off, include all the same weapons, power-ups, monsters, and gothic architecture/atmosphere, and continue/finish the story of the first game and its protagonist. A third unofficial expansion pack, Abyss of Pandemonium, was developed by the Impel Development Team, published by Perfect Publishing, and released on April 14, 1998; An updated version, version 2.0, titled Abyss of Pandemonium - The Final Mission was released as freeware. In honor of Quake's fifth anniversary, MachineGames, a studio of ZeniMax Media, current owners of Quake, released a new free expansion pack called Episode 5: Dimension of the past online.

Quake Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon

Quake Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon is the first mission pack, released on February 28, 1997. Developed by Hipnotic Interactive, it features three episodes divided into seventeen new one-shot levels. player (three of which are secret), a new multiplayer level episode, a new soundtrack composed by Jeehun Hwang, and gameplay features not originally present in Quake, including rotating structures and breakable walls. Unlike the main Quake game and Mission Pack No. 2, Scourge removes the episode cube, requiring all three episodes to be played sequentially. The three new enemies included are the Centroids, large cybernetic scorpions with nail guns; Gremlins, small goblins that can steal weapons and multiply by feeding on enemy corpses; And Spike Mines, floating orbs that detonate when near the player. The three new weapons include Mjolnir, a large lightning-emitting hammer; The laser cannon, which fires ricochets of energy; And the Proximity Mine Launcher, which fires grenades that stick to surfaces and detonate when an opponent approaches. The three new power-ups include the Conjuring Horn, which summons an enemy to protect the player; The Shield of Empathy, which halves the damage taken by the player between the player and the attacking enemy; And the Wetsuit, which makes the player invulnerable to electricity and allows the player to stay underwater for a longer period of time.

Quake Mission Pack No. 2: Dissolution of Eternity

Quake Mission Pack No. 2: Dissolution of Eternity is the second mission pack, released on March 31, 1997. Developed by Rogue Entertainment, it features two episodes divided into fifteen new one-shot levels. player, a new multiplayer level, a new soundtrack AND several new enemies and bosses. Notably, the pack lacks any secret levels. The eight new enemies include Electric Eels, Ghost Swordsmen, Multi-Grenade Ogres, Hell Spawn, Wraths, Guardians (resurrected Egyptian Egyptian Warriors), Mummies, and statues of various enemies that can come to the fore. life. The four new boss types include Lava Men, Overlords, Great Wraths, and a dragon that guards the 'temporary energy converter'. The two new power-ups include the Anti Grav Belt, which allows the player to jump higher; And the Power Shield, which reduces the damage the player takes. Instead of offering new weapons, the mission pack gives the player four new ammo types for existing weapons, such as "lava nails" for the Nailgun, cluster grenades for the grenade launcher, rockets that split into four in a horizontal line for the Rocket Launcher, and plasma cells for the lightning bolt, as well as a grappling hook to help with moving around the levels..

VQuake

In late 1996, id Software released VQuake, an official port of the Quake engine to support hardware accelerated rendering on graphics cards using the Rendition Vérité chipset. Aside from the expected benefit of improved performance, VQuake offered numerous visual improvements over the original Quake. It features full 16-bit color, bilinear filtering (pixilation reduction), improved dynamic lighting, optional anti-aliasing, and improved source code clarity. As its name implied, VQuake was a proprietary port specifically for the Vérité chipset; Consumer 3D acceleration was in its infancy at the time, 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.

QuakeWorld

Go to Article: QuakeWorld

To improve the quality of online play, Id Software released QuakeWorld on December 17, 1996, a version of Quake that included vastly improved netcode, including the addition of client-side prediction. The original Quake netcode would not show the player the results of their actions until the server sent back a response acknowledging them. For example, if the player tried to advance, his client would send the request to advance to the server, and the server would determine if the client was actually able to advance, 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 the motion to the player. This was fine for playing on a LAN, with high bandwidth, but the latency over a dial-up Internet connection is much higher 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 meant that the amount of lag would vary from moment to moment.

GLQuake

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 (Software Mode), rather than having the computer's CPU on each pixel. In addition to higher frame rates for most gamers, GLQuake provides higher resolution modes and texture filtering. GLQuake also experimented with reflections, transparent water, and even rudimentary shadows. GLQuake comes with a driver that allows the OpenGL subset used by the game to work on the 3Dfx Voodoo graphics card, the only consumer-grade card at the moment capable of running GLQuake. Previously, John Carmack had experimented with a version of Quake specifically written for the Rendition Vérité chip used in Creative Labs' 3D Blaster PCI card. This version had met with only limited success, and Carmack decided to write for generic APIs in the future. rather than adaptation of specific hardware.

WinQuake

On March 11, 1997, id Software released WinQuake, a version of the engine that did not use OpenGL (but used Software mode) designed to run under Microsoft Windows; The original Quake had been written for DOS, allowing Windows 95 to launch, but it could not run under Windows NT-based operating systems because it required direct access to the hardware. WinQuake accessed hardware through Win32-based APIs such as DirectSound, DirectInput, and DirectDraw that were supported in Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, and later. Like GLQuake, WinQuake also supports higher resolution video modes. This removed the last barrier to the game's widespread popularity. In 1998, LBE Systems and Laser-Tron released Quake: Arcade Tournament Edition in arcades in limited numbers.

Dimension of the Past

On June 24, 2016, to celebrate Quake's 20th anniversary, MachineGames developed a mission pack. It features 10 new single player levels and one new multiplayer level, but does not use new additions from Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity. Considered the episode that takes place between the main game and the expansion.

Aftermath

After the departure of Sandy Petersen and the remaining ID Software employees decided to substantially change the direction of the theme for Quake II, making the design more technological and futuristic, rather than keeping the focus on Lovecraftian fantasy. Quake 4 followed the design themes of Quake II, while Quake III Arena mixed these styles, meaning it had a parallel setting that housed various "id all-stars" from various games as playable characters. The mixed tweaks came about because Quake II originally started out as a standalone game line although id designers were forced to resort to the project moniker of "Quake II" due to their failure to obtain rights to the title they wanted. Since any sequel to the original Quake had already been banned. In June 2011, John Carmack made an odd comment that id Software was considering a remake for the "...mixed up the "Cthulhu-ish" from Quake 1 and rebooted at that address". There was also another game released called 'Quake Live' which is the latest game in the series. At E3 2016, Quake Champions was announced at the Bethesda press conference. The game will be a multiplayer shooter in the style of Quake 3 Arena and will be released exclusively for Windows.

Vulkan rendering API

On July 20, 2016, Axel Gneiting, an id Tech employee responsible for implementing the Vulkan processing path to the id Tech 6 engine used in Doom (2016), released a port of the Vulkan api for Quake 1 called vkQuake under the GPLv2 license.

Technology

When a client connects to the server, the server sends it the current status of all the entities that make up the game: missiles, other players, and static objects. While the game is running, the client machine supplies the server with the address the player is looking at, the server computes this address and executes the game logic, sending the client a delta update of entity changes. In each frame you have to send all the objects that have changed with their new values... as well as those that have not changed with the minimum information. As an optimization measure, only those entities that will fall within the client's display cutoff are actually sent, so that data about entities that are not going to be seen by the client does not have to travel across the network anyway.

The game is actually played on the server, and the clients are mere spectators of the result.

Later, when the clients have all the frame data, the program is limited to collecting the polygon information, and passing it to the OpenGL libraries (or to the software renderers in the original versions) that are in charge of drawing these polygons on screen with the given textures.

Currently, this model is being diverted to one with more calculations in the client, since it has been found that given the poor quality of computer networks it is very difficult for this system to work without sudden jumps due to packet delays of data. To do this, an attempt is being made to add prediction capabilities to the client so that it can "anticipate" the message from the server and perform many of the things that the server is expected to request. This technique is called motion prediction.

Modifications

Modules are called mods that allow you to change the appearance or nature of games running on the Quake engine. Originally the "Mods" they were limited to modifying game logic, graphics and sound, but after the release of the Quake source code, it became possible to modify the game engine as well. Most of the "Mods" they start from the original game designs, and use them to create another gaming experience. They can add new ways to play (such as Capture the Flag, Fortress Assault, or RPG) or add small modifications like a new weapon or sounds of different taste. A small minority modifies the entire gaming experience, they are the "Total Conversion" where the game of "Mods" It is of another genre from the original game.

The first major Quake mod was Threewave Capture the Flag (CTF), primarily developed by Dave 'Zoid' Kirsch. It is based on the typical game in which two teams (red and blue) must compete trying to capture the flag of the opposing team, although some maps were prepared to support up to four different teams (red, blue, green and yellow). Capture the Flag became a standard game mode included in most multiplayer games released after Quake, aside from the Deathmatch mode first introduced by Doom.

The popular Fortress Raiding mod TeamFortress for QuakeWorld consists of a Capture the Flag game mode, but with a class system for the players. The players adopt a role (the class) and thus obtain some abilities (and restrictions) specific to that role they play. For example, the run-of-the-mill Soldier class has medium armor, medium speed, and a balanced selection of weapons and grenades, while the Scout class is weakly protected, very fast, has a detector for nearby enemies, but has very weak offensive weapons.

Mapping

Along with the great capacity to modify the game parameters, there is the possibility of creating maps (game scenarios) to be used directly as individual missions or united to form a campaign, or multiplayer scenarios in which They develop so-called deathmatches (fights between players), either online or against bots (virtual players controlled by artificial intelligence).

In the beginning, creating maps for Quake was the task of people specialized in the subject, since there was no software to simplify this task at that time. Subsequently, various programmers created utilities that allowed the mass public to give free rein to their imagination, without the need for specialized computer knowledge.

In this sense, many programs gained popularity among fans, such as Quark (Quake Army Knife). However, the best known of all is Worldcraft, created by Ben Morris in September 1996. This map editor became one of the favorites of fans not only for being one of the first to see the light, but also for its simplicity, intuitive interface, compatibility with custom elements and speed of compilation. This program achieved such a level of genius that in July 1997 its creator was hired by the video game company Valve – also acquiring the intellectual rights over the editor – to develop the official map editor for its massively famous game Half- Life, now renamed Hammer (Worldcraft in its version 3.0). Despite the fact that this new version of the editor was no longer compatible with Quake, independent programmers released a patch that allows this game to be adapted with all the improvements that were introduced to the former Worldcraft.

Along with this famous program, it is also worth highlighting the great utility that the graphic editor Wally has up to now. This program allows you to create textures for Quake (along with other games, such as Half-Life itself), being able to support the direct creation of graphics in the purest Paint style, as well as the option to import image files (in numerous formats, including tga) that the same editor is responsible for translating into the Quake color palette. With this -considering the coloring limitations of the engine- map creators can include famous pictures, advertising posters, walls or realistic decorations in their settings, even implementing their own photographs that will be visible in the game.

Finally, within the Quake edition we can mention programs like Qped II, which presents a wide range of utilities, such as compiling jobs into .pak files (basic game packs, which contain everything from settings to maps), look at the three-dimensional models of the characters and extract the textures of the maps, greatly simplifying the work of any fan of Quake editing.

History

Pre-launch

A little-known detail of PC gaming history: Quake was first mentioned in id Software's first game, Commander Keen for PC, which was released in December 1990. The following text (the original was in English, a translated version is presented here) was included in the file preview.ck1, which is dated December 10, 1990:

MUY PRONTO BY SOFTWARE ID

As next to our Commander Keen trilogy, Id Software is working on The Fight for Justice: a new approach to fantasy games. You will begin not as a weak without food, you will begin as Quake, the strongest and most dangerous person on the continent. You will begin with the Thunder Hammer, the Regeneration Ring and a transdimensional artifact. Here's the fun. Lucas for Justice, a secret organization dedicated to making the evil of the earth disappear! It's an exciting play of interpretation.

And you won't just wander through the screen. The Fight for Justice You'll have funds moving totally animated. All the people you meet will have their own lives, personalities and goals. A version for VGA with 256 colors will be available (screens of 256 colors with soft scrolls, imagine that)!

And the depth of the game will be very intense. No more "toc toc here is a bit of gold". There will be interesting puzzles and decisions will not be simple "yes/no" but rather complex correlations of people and events.

The Fight for Justice will be the best PC game so far.

Quake was chosen as the title id Software was working on shortly after the release of Doom 2. Early reports described Quake as a Thor-like character who wields a giant hammer and is capable of knocking people down by throwing the hammer (along with real-time inverse kinematics). The first screenshots showed medieval environments and dragons. The plan was for the game to have more RPG elements. However, work on the engine was very slow, as Carmack was not only developing a fully 3D engine, but also a system for TCP/IP networks (Carmack later said that he should have developed two separate projects for each of those things).. Ultimately, the game was a far cry from its original intentions, and featured gameplay similar to Doom 2. Loved by the gaming community, it soon dethroned previous FPS titles and revolutionized the way multiplayer games were developed.. The most important magazines of the time coincided in declaring that Quake marked "year zero" in regards to computer-assisted games.

Death Match Test

Prior to the release of Quake, on February 24, 1996, ID Software released a Test only tested for DeathMatch called Qtest1 to demonstrate the magnificent 3D graphics engine. That Qtest1 you can see those primitive ideas of the weaponry of this rare version. The Shotgun, the SuperShotgun, or the RocketLauncher are intact as you know them in their final version, but the rarities are the Nailgun and the SuperNailgun. The classic DM levels: (DM1, DM2, DM3) here called: Test1, Test2, Test3. The Hud (status bar) with a unique design, Same enemies but with a different skin and various changes like the ogres casting Nails, the shalrath was a different model that walked on two feet instead of 3 of a spider, even 3 new enemies Vomitus (Monster who vomits tarbabys) Dragon (similar to Dissolution Of Eternity) Serpent (mostly like a flying snake).

Quake Pre-Release

A month before the final release of Quake, a pre-release came out, almost everything was the same except for the last level which was different and the shalrath were throwing lava balls.

QuakeWorld

To improve the quality of online play, id Software released QuakeWorld in 1996, a version of Quake that included significantly improved network code including motion prediction. The original Quake netcode was designed to be played on a LAN - a high-bandwidth, low-latency connection. Playing Quake over the Internet over a dial-up connection was excruciatingly slow, with bewildering hangups and delays while the client waited for the server, and vice versa.

With the help of motion prediction, QuakeWorld's netcode was much better suited for dial-up players with high ping times. The netcode parameters could be adjusted by the user, so QuakeWorld performed well for low latency users (also known as Low Ping Bastards or LPB's) as well as players with low latency. high latency (sometimes called High Ping Weenies or HPB's). The popular Team Fortress mod is based entirely on the QuakeWorld platform.

Conversions

In 1996 the Quake to Linux port appeared which included some code theft and some patches submitted to id Software before it became an official port. 1997 saw a few more conversion efforts, with a conversion to IRIX, called SGI Quake (link) (broken link available at Internet Archive; see history, first and last version). Performed by Ed Hutchins at SGI O2. SGI Quake had OpenGL and software rendering systems. Also in 1997 appeared a port to MacOS, performed by MacSoft, and a port to Solaris on Sparc. Many more conversions were made after the source code was released.

On August 4, 2007, Quake was released through the digital video game distribution platform Steam, along with a collection of other classic id Software titles.

Source code

Source code for the Quake and QuakeWorld engines were licensed under the GPL in 1999. Maps, objects, textures, sounds, and other creative works by id Software they remained under their original license. The shareware version of Quake is still freely redistributable and usable by GPL-released engine code. You must purchase an original copy of Quake to get the registered version of the game which includes more single player episodes and deathmatch maps.

Legacy

Building on the success of the first Quake, id subsequently published Quake II, Quake III Arena and Quake IV, the latter being developed by Raven Software using the Id Tech 4 engine.

It is also interesting to note that Quake is the game responsible for the appearance of the machinima phenomenon in which movies are made using game engines thanks to Quake demos edited as Ranger Gone Bad and Blahbalicious.

Jumping into Quake

In Quake there are several ways to make your character move by jumping. Some of them take advantage of software bugs in the physics engine, instead of using the game's features. It should be noted that some of these "characteristics" they have been included in some later first-person shooters, specifically those using the Quake engine, such as Half-Life.

Rocket jump

To perform a rocket jump (abbreviated RJ), the player uses a rocket launcher, aims down near their feet, jumps, and immediately fires a rocket. The rocket blast propels the player to incredible heights and distances. The true effect of the rocket jump can only be seen when the player is not on the ground (that is, they have jumped before launching the rocket). If the player was on the ground when the explosion occurs the result is that the player is not propelled as far and also takes quite a bit of damage from the blast wave.

The rocket jump can be performed in any Quake game. Players rocket jump to reach items faster, save themselves from lava, avoid opponents, or to find camping spots. Some players even use the grenade launcher (or the BFG in Quake II) to create explosions that intensify the rocket jump. Using grenades to assist in flight is called grenade jumping.

Incredibly high rocket jumps can be performed if the player is in possession of the Quad Damage (which deals four times the damage) and the Pentagram of Protection (which provides invulnerability).

Strafe jump

Strafe jumping allows the player to move faster and jump farther. It is performed by jumping while moving forward (or backward) and moving sideways to the right or left (strafing). strafe jumping can be performed in Quake, Quake II, Quake III Arena and Quake IV. It is a fault related to air acceleration. idSoftware did not want to integrate it into Doom 3.

To increase your speed with the strafe jumping you must first be moving forward or backward. So, you simultaneously jump and pan in one direction, and rotate your view slightly in the same direction (to rotate your avatar in-game). Alternating between left and right panning results in almost straight line movement at high speed, and has become an occasional technique used in Quake matchups.

One place where strafe jumping can be useful is on the Quake dm2 map, where you can strafe jump to catch the red armor through the lava. Normally, the player must press a nearby switch to span a bridge over the lava, since lava is exactly one unit longer than the player can normally jump. However, with the speed boost provided by the strafe jump, an experienced player can jump what is supposedly an impossible distance. But the strafe jump is of limited use in deathmatch mode, as it is less safe than running and jumping and much less effective than rocket jumping.

Circle jump

Circle jumping makes use of the fact that players can control their movement while in the air. Basically, a circle jump is simply a 180 degree turn while in the air. This jump is mainly used in QuakeWorld, but can be done in normal Quake, although it is much more difficult.

A different version of the circle jump is used in Quake II where players jump in an arc by manipulating their eyesight to jump greater distances.

Double Jump

A double jump is a glitch that allows the player to jump twice in mid-air in a row. To perform a double jump the player must have jumped directly from an edge and then jump again. Double jumping can only be performed in Quake II in the latest versions, and in QuakeWorld mods that support jawnmode. On the Q2DM1 map, you can perform this jump where you pick up the megahealth. You can reach the site from the backpack by double jumping and then jumping normally for the megahealth.

The double jump has been intentionally included in later games, including Unreal Tournament.

Bunnyhopping

Bunnyhopping is a method of increasing movement speed through continuous jumping. It works by using a bug in the Quake engine. Players are usually limited to a maximum speed while walking on the ground. However, this imposed limit has no effect while the player is airborne. Additionally, turning while moving causes the player entity to gain acceleration. These two facts allow you to maintain and increase your airspeed on successive jumps while turning smoothly. When you start walking on the ground again you decelerate to full running speed.

The ruling is that the act of jumping is not considered "touching the ground". To be more precise, it's possible to initiate the next jump while you're still airborne, and therefore the player's not-on-the-ground state never goes off. If the player continuously jumps the engine will not register that the player hits the ground, and the player's movement will be governed by air acceleration (no limits on its maximum speed).

To start a bunnyhopping, perform a strafe jump and jump continuously while moving forward. You will begin to accelerate beyond normal running speed. The secret to holding a bunny hop is to hit the jump button (usually the space bar) while you're still in the air. The game will make you jump as soon as you land, and therefore you will maintain your airspeed and will not be considered out of the not-on-the-ground state. Bunnyhopping is possible in QuakeWorld, Quake II and Quake III Arena.

In QuakeWorld you can use air control to turn corners very fast, it's similar to circle jump. Instead of running around the corner on the ground slowly, the player jumps and uses their movement keys to rotate a quarter circle around the corner in mid-air. In Quake II there is practically no air control, so you can only move forward. It is also useful in QuakeWorld when performing a speed jump (see below) to maintain your movement speed.

Speed jump

The speed jump is another jump that allows the player to move more quickly and, like the rocket jump, makes use of explosive forces. To perform a speed jump, the player picks up the rocket launcher, stands near a wall, fires the rocket towards the wall, quickly turns to face the wall, and jumps forward with the help of the blast wave. of the rocket. Many players top this off with a strafe jump or bunnyhopping to maintain the speed gained through this action. Players use this extreme speed boost to surprise their opponents or complete single player levels in record times. This jump was developed by the QuakeWorld community and can be done in Quake II as well. However, since you can't control your movement in the air in Quake II, you can't turn corners.

Plasma jump

This jump is from the Quake III Arena. It is also possible to perform it in QuakeWorld under jawnmode using the Super Nailgun. Fire the SNG from under you while very close to a wall and jump to 'climb' it. By the wall.

Quad Damage

In the game Quake the quad provides four times the firepower. This allows you to dismember your enemies much easier. In Quake 3 the quad was reduced to only 3 times the normal firepower, becoming a misuse of the name.

Speed runs

A group of experienced Quake players recorded demos of Quake levels completing it at new timestamps and edited them into a continuous 19 minute 49 second Quake speed demo called Quake done Quick (QdQ, Quake done Quick). The record was later improved in Quake done Quicker (QdQr, Quake done Quicker) until 16:35 and finally the incredible Quake done Quick with a Vengeance (QdQwav, Quake made Quick with a Vengeance, the titles paraphrase the original titles of the Die Hard trilogy) until 12:23 in the Nightmare level (Nightmare, the most difficult of all). Similar speed runs have been performed for the Quake, Quake II, Doom Ultimate Doom (16:05), Doom II (21:16) and Half- Life (31:00).

Curiosities

• The first game that allowed PC and Amiga players to play with each other.

• Trent Reznor, founder musician of the Nine Inch Nails band, participated in the composition of the soundtrack and sound effects of the first version. In the nail boxes that the player accesses during the game, you can see the band logo, "NIY".

QuakeCon

The popular American LAN party QuakeCon also has its roots in gaming. This convention for gamers was originally designed so that fans could come together each year and compete on a local area network on equal terms without the delays of Internet connections and packet drops that hinder gameplay.

Reception

Sales

According to David Kushner in Masters of Doom, id Software released a retail shareware version of Quake prior to the game's full distribution by GT Interactive. These shareware copies can be converted to full versions via passwords purchased over the phone. However, Kushner wrote that "players wasted no time hacking the shareware to unlock the full version of the game for free." This problem, combined with the scale of the operation, led id Software to cancel the plan. As a result, the company was left with 150,000 unsold shareware copies in stock. Company damaged Quake' GT Interactive's initial sales caused its retail sale and it missed the holiday shopping season. Upon the game's full release, Kushner commented that its early "sales were good, with 250,000 units sold, but not a phenomenon like Doom II".

In the United States, Quake ranked sixth on the monthly computer game sales charts, according to PC Data for November and December 1996. Its shareware edition was the number six best-selling computer game of the year 1996 overall, while its retail SKU ranked 20th. It remained in PC Data's monthly Top 10 from January to April 1997, but was absent in May. During its first 12 months, Quake sold 373,000 copies at retail and earned $18 million in the United States, according to PC Data. Its final retail sales for 1997 were 273,936 copies, making it the 16th-largest seller of computer games in the country for the year..

Sales of Quake reached 550,000 units in the United States alone in December 1999. Worldwide, it sold 1.1 million units by that date.

Criticism

Reception
Reviews Evaluator Rating GameRankings (PC) 93.22% (N64) 76.14% (SAT) 64.50% Metacritic (PC) 94/100 (N64) 74/100 Criticism scores Publication Rating AllGame GameSpot (PC) 9.3/10 Next Generation (PC)

Quake was critically acclaimed on the PC. Critics from review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the original PC version a 93.22% and 94/100, the Nintendo 64 port a 76.14% and 74/100, and the Sega Saturn version a 64.50%. A Next Generation reviewer praised the game's realistic 3D physics and truly unnerving sound effects. GamePro's Major Mike said Quake had been over-hyped, however it is excellent, particularly its use of its advanced 3D engine.. He also praised the sound effects, atmospheric music, and graphics, though criticized that the polygons used to build the enemies are too obvious at close range.

Less than a month after Quake's release (and a month before they actually reviewed the game), Next Generation listed it as number 9 on their "100 Greatest Games of All Time", saying that it is similar to Doom but supports a maximum of eight players instead of four. In 1996, Computer Gaming World listed "telefragged" as #1 on their list of "The 15 Best Ways to Die in Computer Games". In 1997, the Game Developers Choice Awards gave Quake three notable awards for best sound effects, best music or soundtrack and best online/internet game.