UNOFFICIAL QUAKE 2 FAQ
version 0.3
HTML edition
Maintained by
Slipgate:slipgate@quake2.com
Last updated September 12th, 1997
DISCLAIMER: This FAQ has been written for people who want to know more
about Quake 2, which is currently being created by id Software. The author of
this FAQ can not be held responsible for any inaccuracy or misinformation
presented in this HTML file, as most of what is included here is either
information subject to change, rumor, or supposition based on given factual
information. All information could possibly change by release of Quake 2.
Doom, Doom 2, Quake, Quake 2, as well as their logos and likenesses of their
logos, are all trademarks of id Software. Heretic, Hexen, and Hexen 2 are all
trademarks of Raven Software. Unreal is a trademark of Epic Megagames. Redwood's
Quake Page is copyright 1997, Sean Martin.
Copyright: The Unofficial Quake 2 FAQ is (C) 1997 by Ismail "Slipgate" Saeed.
The FAQ was in the management of Darryl "Nite" Ashton in some prior versions,
however it has since been handed over. You can e-mail Nite for clarification of
this change of management at nite@clara.net.
All rights reserved. You are granted the following rights:
I. To make copies of this FAQ in original form, as long as
(a) the copies are complete and are unaltered by anyone other than
the FAQ maintainer Ismail Saeed;
(b) the copies are in electronic form;
(c) they give credit to the FAQ maintainer Ismail
Saeed;
II. To distribute this work, under the provisions above, as long as
(a) the copies are complete and are unaltered by anyone other than
the FAQ maintainer Ismail Saeed;
(b) no fee is charged;
(c) they credit to the FAQ maintainer Ismail Saeed in any
description;
(d) the distributed form is not in an electronic magazine or within
computer software, excepting situations such as ftp.cdrom.com's sale of its
file repositories, and prior written consent of the maintainer;
(e) the distributed form is the newest version of the FAQ (email the
FAQ Maintainer to find the latest version number);
(f) the distributed form is electronic.
III. Given the fact that as of version 0.3, HTML (hypertext markup language)
and standard text versions are available, the following rules apply:
(a) You may not modify the text edition at all, as per above rules.
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You may change the "BODY" tag of the HTML edition to alter the
colors in which it is presented.
You may alter the FIRST "FONT" tag of the HTML edition to alter the type
style in which it is presented (none of the other "FONT" tags may be altered,
and those are just slight format alterations in any case).
You may not do any alterations aside from the above two to the HTML edition
of the FAQ. Beyond the above two exceptions, the rules to the HTML edition are
the same as the rules to the standard text edition.
IV. Presentation of the FAQ
(a) You may not present the standard text edition as an HTML file.
Please keep it as a standard text file with a TXT file extension. If you want
to use an HTML version, use the HTML edition but adhere to the rules in section
III above.
(b) You may not present the HTML edition as a standard text file.
Please use the standard text edition instead.
You may NOT distribute this FAQ in *any* non-electronic
media.
You may NOT distribute this FAQ in any electronic magazine
without consent.
You may NOT distribute this FAQ within computer software
without consent.
NOTE: These rights are temporary, and may be revoked
upon written, oral, or other notice by the FAQ maintainer (Ismail Saeed). If you
wish to distribute this FAQ within a magazine or electronic magazine, get in
touch with him.
---------------
C O N T E N T S
---------------
[1] Introduction
[1.1] Forward
[1.2] Why this FAQ?
[1.3] Language
[1.4] Places to get this FAQ from
[1.5] Word about Contents
[2] Basic information
[2.1] Storyline
[2.2] Enemies
[2.3] Levels
[2.4] Weapons
[2.5] Music
[2.6] Multiplayer
[2.7] Maneuverability
[2.8] Demos
[2.9] Technical issues
[2.10] Release information
[3] Tech Specifications
[3.1] Graphics
[3.2] Sound
[3.3] CPU Requirements
[4] Quake 2 Resources
[4.1] Web Pages
[4.2] Newsgroups
[4.3] IRC
[5] History
[6] Acknowledgements
----------------
[1] Introduction
----------------
[1.1] Forward
I'm very excited to bring you the first version of the Quake 2
FAQ to be available in both HTML and standard text editions. Since the last
version of the FAQ, there has been some interesting info released from artist
Paul Steed of id Software and from programmer Brian Hook in an enormous well
conducted IRC interview (August 29th, #idSoftware Undernet,
http://www.id.lobosoft.com),
some of it FINAL information that will definitely apply to the game. So, I'm
confident that the FAQ will be a pleasant read this time around.
You may have noticed that the table of contents uses different
ways of emphasizing chapter and section numbers. This is so that people who
have read previous versions of the FAQ can be made quickly aware of what is
new/updated and what isn't, to save reading time.
A slightly different, less specific version of this system was
in place for a couple versions of this FAQ before this one, but the system has
now been upgraded. Read Section [1.5], "Word about
Contents", for info on the way the chapters and sections are "labeled".
Before I sign off with this forward, I'd like to thank Nigel
and Anarchy for both proofreading this FAQ for spelling and grammar errors, and
suggesting additions and removals. I'd also like to thank the archive
maintainers at ftp.cdrom.com and
its mirrors for allowing this FAQ to be distributed on their FTP sites.
Enjoy this release of the FAQ!
[1.2] Why this FAQ?
The Quake 2 FAQ was begun by Darryl Ashton, in addition to the
Quake 2 web and clan rings (
http://webring.quake2.com and http://clanring.quake2.com, respectively). His original
intentions for the FAQ were the same as his original intentions for the web and
clan rings. In his words, "to be ready for the game" when it came out. This
FAQ will be subject to revisions/updates as the information in it becomes
obsoleted. For daily complete news and information on Quake 2, as well as other
cool things both now and in the future, check out
http://www.quake2.com and the
variety of other good sites on Quake 2 available on the web. Also, be sure to
check out the id Software official Quake 2 page
(http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/) AND id's "secret" page
(
http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/secret.html). Check the Quake 2 webring
member list (available from the Webring URL mentioned above), and
[4.1] of this FAQ, for a list of great places on the Web you
can go.
[1.3] Language
The language of the FAQ is pretty specific. Firstly, beyond
just being written in American English (because that is what I speak), there are
some specific terms that may come up in this or future versions of the FAQ, and
I'd like to set out defining them all here to prevent ANY confusion from
occurring.
id - The company producing the game, id Software.
Raven - Raven Software, a licensing partner on the Quake
engine and developer of the hit game using the engine, Hexen 2.
Epic - Epic MegaGames, a company developing a game titled
"Unreal" slated to compete with Quake 2.
Web - The Internet, or the World Wide Web.
WWW - The World Wide Web.
Net - The Internet (see above definition).
BSP - Essentially, a level, or game stage, designed to operate
on the Quake engine, usable by Quake, Quake 2, and any/all other games with the
Quake engine.
WAD - A collection of textures (graphical images) for use in
designing BSPs.
FAQ - A Frequently Asked Questions file, such as you are
reading.
.plan - A .plan file is simply a text file where a person can
express their opinions on anything, and read by using the UNIX FINGER command on
their e-mail address. The majority of the employees at id Software have .plans,
which they use to update the online community as to the progress of Quake 2.
model - a wireframe 3-dimensional model, used to represent
"real objects" in the Quake or other 3-dimensional engines.
MDL - a model (see above definition) specifically for Quake
engine games.
brush - a 3-dimensional solid in the Quake engine, used as
building blocks to make BSPs (see above definition)
entity - a "real object" in the Quake engine, usually
represented via a 3-dimensional model (see above definition)
HUD - heads up display, a less obtrusive way of presenting
information on the game screen without interfering with the gameplay.
console - The drop-down console display present in Quake and
other Quake engine games, used for advanced configuration and command execution
to adjust gameplay.
HTML - HyperText Markup Language. This is how web pages and
the "HTML" edition of the FAQ are presented, and programs such as Netscape
Navigator/Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer (among others) view this
type of file.
[1.4] Places to get this FAQ from
You can retrieve this FAQ from -
Quake2.com * this is the current home of the FAQ *
http://www.quake2.com
On the subject of FTP sites, you can get it from
ftp.cdrom.com and its mirrors,
under the filename "q2faq_v##.zip". The ## signifies the version number of the
FAQ contained in the zip. Version 0.3 is "q2faq_v03.zip." Version 1.2 would be
"q2faq_v12.zip" and so on. The ZIP file will contain the HTML version of the
FAQ as a .HTM file and the standard text version of the FAQ as a .TXT file
(q2faq_v03.htm and q2faq_v03.txt). The latest versions ofthe FAQ can always be
found at
http://www.quake2.com/quake2faq.txt and
http://www.quake2.com/quake2faq.htm, as well as being downloadable from
http://www.quake2.com/q2faq.zip.
On the subject of other websites mirroring the FAQ, I've
gotten e-mails from people before saying they distribute the FAQ, but it is
either not distributed there, or it isn't the latest version, or I lose the
e-mail before I get a chance to check. As it is, I'm still not aware of sites
that mirror the latest version of the FAQ. Please e-mail me if you mirror the
LATEST version of the FAQ, locally (not just a link to the copy on Quake2.com).
My address is slipgate@quake2.com.
You are allowed to mirror this FAQ, as long as its the latest
version to your knowledge (as per the whole legal stuff written up towards the
beginning). Just a little rundown: As long as no charge is required and that it
is the LATEST version of the FAQ to the knowledge of the distributor, it's fine.
If anyone else distributing this FAQ would like to become listed here, e-mail
me, please! :)
[1.5] Word about Contents
The chapters below are marked using the following criteria:
If a section number of a chapter is enclosed with [ ] (straight brackets) then
the information in that chapter has been updated/revised since the last version
of the FAQ. If a section number is enclosed with < > (less than and
greater than signs) then the information in that section has not changed since
the last version. If a section number is enclosed with { } (bent brackets) then
the information in that section has not changed in this or the last version. If
a chapter number is enclosed with [ ] (straight brackets), then one or more,
possibly all, sections of that chapter have been updated/revised since the last
version. If the chapter number is enclosed with less than/greater than signs,
then nothing in that chapter has changed since the last version. This system is
so that as new versions of the FAQ come it doesn't become necessary to re-read
the entire FAQ to see the new information.
---------------------
[2] Basic information
---------------------
[2.1] Storyline
Quake 2 will have NO story relation to Quake 1. id has made
this clear on multiple occasions. The only reason they are using the name Quake
2 is because they tried 5 other names they felt were more appropriate and ran
into copyright problems on all of them, so they finally resorted to "Quake
2."
Quake 2 will have both male and female characters you can play
(you select one of them). The female character will be "tough yet sexy" and the
male player will be tough (and bald, thanks to Cardiac for reminding me to
mention that). It will also have an introduction cinematic that artist Paul
Steed modeled in programs such as 3DS4, which looks quite promising and tells
the opening story for the game.
The summarized version of the storyline written by id is
quoted verbatim below. Any misspellings are the mispellings made by id, not by
the author of this FAQ. This was gotten off the Activision Quake 2 page
(
http://www.activision.com/E3/quakeII/index.html) left over from E3.
"After years of waging war against the alien aggressors, the Earth
is on the verge of being completely obliterated. A last effort to bring the mass
destruction to an end is underway. Launched from a giant space carrier, you are
part of a secret assault force sent through an interplanetary gateway in
single-manned pods. Shortly after landing on the alien surface you learn that
hundreds of your men have been slashed to just a few. Now, you must do what
entire armies could not: fight your way through heavily fortified military
installations, lower the city's defenses, and shut down their war machine. Only
then, can Earth even hope to launch an air assault. Only then, will the fate of
all humanity be known."
If an updated or more specific storyline is released from id
and dubbed "official" this section will get updated with it. Some sites are
running "make your own Quake 2 storyline" contests, since these plots aren't the
ones actually going into the game I won't have them up here.
[2.2] Enemies
Monster artificial intelligence and interactivity has been
greatly enhanced since Quake. Monsters can now duck, move around the level
themselves, have eyesight affected by the brightness of an area instead of
"seeing everything", and have body specific damage as well as damage "showing"
as you continue to attack a monster. Several monsters will be able to move just
as fast as the player. Also, id has stated on some occasions that a monster
will actually relentlessly follow you around a level without getting lost.
They have female and male monsters at this point, which is a
first for an id game. The monsters of Quake 2 take on an alien or cybernetic
nature, as opposed to the more medieval Quake monsters. As stated in section
[2.1], there is NO story relation between Quake 2 and Quake
1. Monster corpses get surrounded by buzzing flies soon after dying. This is
one of the more intriguing new effects.
When hit or killed, the monsters convulse. Sometimes, they
try to get up again after falling down before they finally die. The typical
monster will have the following animations:
Stand
Attack
Walk
Run
Pain
Defense
Duck
Death
There are several monsters planned. Some enemies already
mentioned and seen also in screenshots are:
Tank:
Tank is a huge monster covered in metal. He has a rocket
launcher on his right shoulder, a machine gun on his left arm, and a laser on
his right arm. He also has a ground attack where he slams his fists into the
ground and sends everything flying. Info from American McGee, id Software
designer.
Gunner:
A humanoid in metallic armor. He has a machine gun grafted
onto his right arm. Info on this monster is sketchy, except he IS able to duck
shots.
Hover:
Can't say much about this creature besides the fact that
pictures of it are on
http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/. It has fan-like "wings."
Infantry:
This guy is supposed to be a common type of enemy that you'll
see a lot of..... it bears a noncoincidental resemblance to id Software artist
Paul Steed.
[2.3] Levels
Like Hexen and Hexen 2 (by Raven), Quake 2 will allow you to
move between "units" of levels, each unit consisting of a group of levels from
the game. You can move back and forth between the levels of a unit, and you
usually do have to in order to complete the unit. Currently there are
supposedly going to be 8 units, and 30 or more levels.
Quake levels would need to be converted to Quake 2 because of
palette differences and also differences in enemies and other entities in
between games, although basic architecture of BSP files should function.
Quake 2 levels can be 8K (8000) units in all 3 dimensions.
Quake 1 levels also had this capacity, but it was never used. New versions of
the compiling tools, such as QBSP, VIS, and LIGHT (QRAD actually) will be
released that support Quake 2's ability to have colored light and the other
massive improvements in Quake 2. In accordance with the story, levels are all
themed after the idea of being in/on different installations of areas of an
alien planet.
Also, in Quake 2 levels with triggers that affect other levels
rather than the level you were in are possible, unlike Quake. This information
comes from John Carmack, however, he has not yet specified to the user community
exactly how this would work, so we are left to speculation as of yet.
[2.4] Weapons
Like Duke Nukem 3D and unlike previous id games, the weapon
display will show the weapon towards the right tilted inwards as if a right
handed person is carrying the weapon, instead of pointing straight out of the
center of the display.
There are no melee weapons planned as of yet The list of
currently complete weapons was provided by Paul Steed, id Software artist, at a
modeling seminar during QuakeCon '97 held in Plano, Texas, from July 16 to July
20, 1997. Here is the list Paul ratted off there:
blaster
machine gun
assault shotgun
double-barreled shotgun
hyper blaster
disintegrator
rail gun
chain gun
BFG (Paul calls it the PS3000... guess what PS stands for :) )
grenade launcher
rocket launcher
hand grenade
flare gun
Unfortunately, id will not be able to make what weapon a
player is using visible in a multiplayer game. In Quake and DOOM, a generic
"GUN" graphic was shown for the player's weapon. This is still the case for
Quake 2. id was ATTEMPTING to make what weapon a player is using visible in
their hands, unlike Quake and DOOM, but due to time constraints (to get the game
out by Christmas) they can't do this. They have hinted that it may show up in a
"Quake 2 Mission Pack" released later after the game. Note for those who may
get confused: A player WILL be able to see what weapon they are holding. This
only applies to seeing what weapon other players in a multiplayer game are
using.
[2.5] Music
Ozzy Osbourne will contribute tracks to Quake 2's soundtrack,
as will Sonic Mayhem (
http://www.sonicmayhem.com). Sonic Mayhem is the main composer of the
soundtrack, however, and have released MP3 music samples of two tracks of their
work on the soundtrack, available on quake2.com and
sonicmayhem.com. Nine Inch Nails, who did the Quake soundtrack, may be able
to contribute some tracks this time around, but due to being busy with doing the
soundtrack for Crow 3 (movie) they will likely have a small to nonexistent role
this time around.
Unlike Hexen 2 and some other upcoming games, Quake 2 will
have NO support for MIDI or any other forms of music besides CD audio, and id
has repeatedly stated this on many occasions.
[2.6] Multiplayer
First, on a playing note: Cooperative and Deathmatch
multiplayer modes will of course be available. A style of teamplay deathmatch
that became so popular for Quake after it was coded as a modification to Quake,
"Capture the Flag" will also be included as a standard multiplayer mode in Quake
2. Dave "Zoid" Kirsch, the man held largely responsible for coding the Capture
the Flag Quake modification, has been hired by id to include "CTF" in Quake
2.
Now, on a technical note: Quake 2's base network code is based
on things John Carmack learned while coding QuakeWorld. For now, the client
prediction that was in QuakeWorld is being taken out, they may or may not put it
back in prior to release. Some people see this as a step back, and some people
say "Thank God." For those who see this as a step back, remember that most of
what actually improved play in QuakeWorld was the reduced packet size and
pushlatency improvements, which will be present in Quake 2 anyway. If anything,
client side prediction is the one PROBLEM with Quakeworld.
On the subject of modems, a lot of people are worried by the
"rumor" that Quake 2 won't support modem to modem. The lowdown on modem to
modem in Quake 2 is this: There is going to be no native modem support, because
as id learned with Quake, native modem support would be flaky and not perform as
well as using a Dial-Up Networking connections between the two playing
computers. Quake 2 will not run under DOS or Windows 3.1, the initial target
platform is Windows 95 and Windows NT, so they will have the advantage of making
use of Windows stuff directly. To play modem to modem matches in Quake 2, you
need Dial Up Networking 1.1 or higher installed. You can download an upgrade to
1.2 from http://www.microsoft.com. Here are the instructions, provided
courtesy of HexenWorld (
http://www.hexenworld.com) and Mike Gummelt of Raven Software (these
instructions apply to Hexen 2 as well).
---------------
1. Double-click on "My Computer" (on your desktop)
2. Double-click on "Dial Up Networking"- should be the last thing listed. The
Dial-Up Networking Windows Wizard will guide you through the setup.
3. Now you should be in the Dial-Up networking window. The only thing in there
(probably) is "Make New Connection". If you're going to call someone who's got a
Dial-Up Server running, double click this. Otherwise, if you intend to be the
server, go up to the menu- and select "Dial-Up Server" from the bottom of the
"Connections" menu.
Here's the following steps for the Server and Caller:
SERVER:
4. Select "Dial-Up Server" from the bottom of the "Connections" menu. A dialog
box will come up. Select "Allow caller access".
5. Click on the button "Server Type". Leave the server type "default" just to
keep things simple for now. If you want to require a password (for example, you
plan on leaving the server up for a while and don't want just anyone coming in),
then leave "Require encrypted password" checked. Otherwise, don't use one. If
you are going to use one, be sure to tell the person calling!
6. If you use a password, hit the "Change Password" button on the first dialog
box, and type in your password there. Then hit OK.
7. Once you're done with all that, just hit "OK" and it will start a server if
your modem is on, connected, etc, and you're not already on-line.
Now the caller is ready to join:
CALLER:
4. Double-click on "Make New Connection". In the dialog box that appears, type
in the name of this connection. Usually I use the name of the person I'm calling
since I will be using this for other types of connections, not just Hexen 2. Hit
"next"
5. Enter the area code and phone number of the person you'll be calling in the
next two boxes displayed. Hit "next".
6. Now it will tell you it's done. Click ONCE on the "Finish" button to save
this connection, but NOT actually try to connect. DOUBLE-CLICK on "Finish" to
save AND connect. If you accidently single- click, the connection will be saved
where you saw "Make New Connection"- just double-click it to connect.
7. Once you're ready to connect, it will ask you for a username and password.
Username can be whatever you want, password is the password the Dial-Up Server
specifies. Be sure to ask him/her what password he'll be using before you
connect!
8. If you don't need to use the 1(201) (1 + area code) before the number you're
calling, hit "Dial Properties" and un-check the box next to "Dial as a long
distance call", then hit OK.
9. Now you're ready, just hit "Connect". Your computer will call the number you
specified, and (assuming he/she started a Dial-Up Server) it will connect and
verify the password. When it shrinks away to the toolbar, you're connected!
NOW! Both of you start Quake 2. Have one person go to Multiplayer and "Start New
Game" as an IPX server. The other person should, once the Quake 2 IPX server is
up (give your friend's computer a couple minutes to load the map and start the
server)- go to "Multiplayer" and "Join a Game". Select IPX and then select
"Search for Local Games". Your friend's server should show up. Just select it
and play!
The only thing I'm not sure about is if it's an IPX or TCP/IP server you should
start- I believe it's IPX, but if I'm wrong, I'll find out and post a
correction.
Hope this helps!
---------------
The above quoted from Mike Gummelt of Raven Software.
[2.7] Maneuverability
Like Hexen 2, Quake 2 will have ducking and crawling. It will
otherwise have all the mobility Quake featured (jumping, running, sidestepping,
etc.). On an interesting note, a new variation of the Quake "rocket jump" trick
known as "barrel rocket jumping" is now possible. Rocket jumping (which is also
in Quake 2) involves pointing your rocket launcher weapon at the floor beneath
you and firing while simultaneously jumping. By a fluke in the coding of the
game, you get propelled at nearly (possibly well over) 3 times your normal
jumping height.
"Barrel rocket jumping" involves standing on top of one of the
explosive barrels in Quake 2 and performing a rocket jump from there. The
explosion of the barrel coupled with the explosion of your rocket and the force
of your jump does what programmer John Cash calls "catching some air."
Quake 2 will have no USE key, just like Quake.
[2.8] Demos
Demos will be recordable by people participating in a game OR
people running a game (client side or server side), as opposed to Quake's server
side only demos.
Also, demos will be able to take shape as cut scenes
(reportedly, this info isn't straight from id).
[2.9] Technical issues
One of the most popular things about Quake was its
editability. Quake 2 is going to be even MORE editable than Quake was. New
things to the engine include colored light on capable accelerator cards (which
will allow for a greater creativity with level design), and the scrapping of
QuakeC for a DLL. A DLL is a dynamic link library, which is a compiled set of
code for Windows platforms. The fact that the "coding" for Quake 2 is changing
to something native to Windows means it'll run even faster on Windows than it
would before, and that now, REAL CODE is being used instead of a
pseudo-developed programming language like QuakeC. A number of free compilers,
such as DJGPP, G++, and LCC are available, so this shouldn't shut out any people
who want to code Quake 2 modifications. As with Quake, the game "code" to the
DLL (game.dll) will be released for us to mess with.
Two facts mentioned in Chapter 3 are that
colored lighting is available in GL accelerated mode, and water will be
transparent/translucent in GL or standard mode, like Hexen 2 but unlike the
original game.
Also, brush rotation, which was in Quake Mission Pack 1 and
Raven's Hexen 2 but not in the original game, will be available and implemented
in Quake 2.
On the issue of operating systems, Windows 95 and NT are the
initial target audience and the game will run on those systems out of the box.
Ports to other competent operating systems like Linux et al. will be later
released.
For models, models are being canonized from seperate pieces.
For example, two enemies might have the same chicken-like legs. Also, the models
assume a framerate of 10 frames per second and the rest is filled in by the
"frame interpolation" as mentioned in Chapter 3. Despite the
fact that the models may be "collections" of several models, it doesn't change
the fact that they are considered as basically a collection of vertices.
The bug of light from rocket explosions showing through walls
won't be fixed because id can't do it in the timeframe they have, nor is it easy
to do. Here's a quote from a Brian Hook interview conducted on IRC in Undernet
#idSoftware on August 29, 1997 (website of the channel can be found at
http://id.lobosoft.com):
Brian Hook: The second thing I want to discuss is "lights
shining through walls". I can not BELIEVE the number of people who simply think
we're lazy or too stupid to get this happening. *fume* The problem is this --
yes, we can backface cull the lights and not show them on opposite sides of a
wall, however backface culling will NOT prevent lights from splashing across a
floor. In those instances the lights wouldn't poke through the wall, but it
would flood under the wall and show up on the floor, which actually looks WORSE.
There have been some efforts to reduce the "light through walls" phenomena, but
right now it's essentially a part of the engine that would be very difficult to
fix.
Screenshots in GL accelerated mode will be TGA format and
screenshots in standard 256 color mode will be PCX format. Momentum will work
the same as in Quake (automatic acceleration, no coefficient of friction).
Quake 2 will use DirectX (except Direct3D) if it is present. The DLL source
will be released but that is the only documentation id will provide to it,
people can document it themselves. The DLL is server side. (All the
information in this paragraph is from the aforementioned Brian Hook
interview).
[2.10] Release information
id has long stated that the game will be out by Christmas,
possibly November but likely December. Also, in a recent interview (conducted
August 29, 1997) on IRC, Brian Hook, an id programmer, stated "It would be
absolutely suicidally stupid of us to release a game after Christmas." when
asked if id has debated pushing back the release date to complete
features/additions they have stated as "not having time for" or "doing if we
find the time."
There will be NO SHAREWARE version of Quake 2. It isn't split
into episodes, but as discussed elsewhere, units. In "units" you go back and
forth between levels, completing tasks so that something becomes
possible/accessible in another level of that unit. There will be a 2 or 3 level
beta release prior to the full release of the game, being dubbed "Q2Test." This
beta release is said to be so that id can see how the engine performs on end
users' systems so that final optimizations and bug fixes can be done before the
shelf version hits.
-----------------------
[3] Tech Specifications
-----------------------
[3.1] Graphics
Quake 2 will have GL accelerated mode (akin to "GLQuake2") and
standard mode (akin to "Quake2") and possibly Verite mode built in, to avoid the
need of downloading GLQUAKE2.EXE and VQUAKE2.EXE executables later on. Also, GL
mode will offer colored light (that will show as white instead in standard mode)
and a host of other benefits, but standard mode will still look good. In both
standard or GL accelerated mode, water will be transparent/translucent, like
Hexen 2 and GLQuake but unlike the original game.
Frame interpolation is being used on models, which means that
as a monster animates, the animation will generate as many inbetween frames as
possible during the animation for your computer, so that the animation looks as
smooth as it possibly can on your computer instead of being a series of visible
steps. The models assume 10 frames per second and the interpolation fills in the
rest. Also, as previously mentioned in [2.10], models are
being canonized from seperate pieces, so two enemies might have the same or
similar chicken-like legs etc.
On resolutions, 320x200 (which was the standard lowest
resolution in Quake and Hexen 2) has been removed, and 960x720 has been added.
The new lowest resolution is 320x240.
[3.2] Sound
Since Quake 2 will run in Win95/WinNT, the programmers won't
have any problems with adding every single sound card to the code - they'll
leave the sound job to your windows driver for your sound card. Unlike Hexen 2
or other games, the only way music will be presented is CD audio. Sonic Mayhem
(http://www.sonicmayhem.com) is doing the majority of the CD
soundtrack, and have released two samples in MP3 music format from their work,
gettable on quake2.com or
sonicmayhem.com. Ozzy
Osbourne may do some CD tracks, and possibly some of the player/environment
sounds. Also, 22 KHZ and 11 KHZ sound will be available, so you can select what
sound quality you want to play with at expense of a bit of speed.
Radiosity sound was being attempted but at this point doesn't
look like it will be included according to programmer Brian Hook during the
Undernet #idSoftware August 29, 1997 interview. The website to the IRC channel
is http://id.lobosoft.com, and
the log is available (as of this writing) at
http://www.quake2.com/bhook.txt.
[3.3] CPU requirements
The current minimum requirements for Quake 2 is a Pentium with
100 megahertz and 16 megabytes of RAM. It will also NOT be MMX enhanced. MMX
may benefit the game but there will just be no specific "MMX only" features. In
addition, processors that don't run Quake as well as Intel processors (such as
Cyrix or AMD) will have the same performance issues with Quake 2.
---------------------
[4] Quake 2 resources
---------------------
[4.1] Web Pages
id Software's Quake 2 page:
http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/
Quake2.com: http://www.quake2.com
The Quake 2 Webring:
http://webring.quake2.com
Activision's Quake 2 page:
http://www.activision.com/E3/quakeII/index.html
Tin's Quake 2 Nutshell:
http://www.lightlink.com/jkramer/q2/
The Nebula:
http://www.thenebula.com
Quake 2 Cheese:
http://www.area255.com
The Sentinel:
http://quake2.stomped.com
Quake 2!: http://freespace.virgin.net/aaron.eldridge/q2.htm
Further sites devoted to the game can be seen from the webring
member list on
http://webring.quake2.com. If you have or know a Quake 2 page you'd like
listed here in the FAQ, e-mail me at
slipgate@quake2.com. I'm not particular as long as it is a Quake 2
page.
[4.2] Newsgroups
alt.games.quake2 is a
newsgroup for Quake 2 discussion. Its not overly used, but it is used and I
recommend you stop by. It is unfortunate that like all alt.* newsgroups it is
the subject of "spam" or mass marketing posts on occasion.
Also, some Quake 2 sites have messageboards to discuss Quake 2
that are frequently used. 2 such sites are The Sentinel
(http://quake2.stomped.com),
and Quake2.com (http://www.quake2.com). People are welcome to use these
messageboards in addition to the newsgroup.
[4.3] IRC
Undernet #quake2 is the channel used to discuss Quake 2 by the
masses, and Christian "Disruptor" Antkow sometimes sheds a little fact or piece
of info on 3DNet #quake (to attach to 3DNet, connect to irc.3dnet.net). A note
about Undernet #quake2: It has plenty of operators, so they aren't taking any
more, if you are looking to become one, I'm sorry. I was an operator until
recently, but due to time constraints I resigned.
Also, there is an irc.quake2.com, we welcome you to stop by
channel #quake2 there whenever you feel like it.
-----------
[5] History
-----------
The versions of the FAQ, and changes made in each, to date,
are listed below. The topmost version is the current version you are
reading.
v0.3, September 12, 1997 - Major revamp and update of FAQ,
too much to go into. Now, HTML and standard text editions are available. First
version to be uploaded to
ftp.cdrom.com.
v0.2d, August 12, 1997 - Updated [1.1] Forward. Removed [1.5]
since it was equivalent to [5.1] in content and approach, and redundancy is
useless. [2.1], [2.3], [2.4], and [2.5] all updated with new info from id/or
Sonic Mayhem. [3.2] Sound updated with info I forgot to mention, and some new
info. [5.1] Web pages, [5.3] Newsgroups and [5.4] IRC updated.
v0.2c, August 10, 1997 - Updated disclaimer, [1.2] Why this
FAQ, [1.5] Other interesting places to go, [2.5] Music, [3.2] Sound, and
[5.1] Web Pages.
v0.2b, August 6, 1997 - Updated [1.1> Forward, [1.3] Language,
[1.5] Other interesting places to go, [2.4] Levels, [2.5] Music, [2.6]
Multiplayer, [3.2] Sound, [4.1] When?, all of Chapter 5, corrected spelling
errors. Edited disclaimer.
v0.2, August 5, 1997 - FAQ goes under new management. Total
rewrite, too much to bother mentioning.
v0.1i, June 12, 1997 - Updated plot story added [2.8] Weapons
and Enemies Updated. Updated [2.1] What id released. Updated [2.5] Music and
Updated [2.4] Levels Updated [2.7] Misc
v0.1h, May 30, 1997 - Numerous changes, too many to list.
v0.1g, May 22, 1997 - Modified [2.6] Multiplayer and [2.7]
Misc.
v0.1f, May 13, 1997 - Modified [5.4] and [5.3] again, and
added [5.5].
v0.1e, May 9, 1997 - Modified [3.3] CPU Requirements. Also
started adding dates to updates, as requested by FA-Oppressor.
v0.1d, Unknown - Added [2.4] to [2.7], also changed
title of [3] to Tech Specifications, so it doesn't clash with Quake2's
History.
v0.1c, Unknown - Added [4] Release Information.
Therefore, I've moved Quake Resources forward to [5]. Modified [5.4] IRC and
[5.3] Newsgroups.
v0.1b, Unknown - Added [3.4] Rumours.
v0.1a, Unknown - Added [2.3] Enemies.
v0.1, Unknown - First pre-Quake2 public release.
-----------
[6] Credits
-----------
This version of the FAQ wouldn't be up to snuff if it weren't
for the following people:
Brian Hook, id Software programmer, gave us a lot of
information on the graphics and about issues in Quake that will not be resolved
in Quake 2, and in general a lot of other cool information. Also for the
resolution info at the end of [3.1].
The Undernet #idSoftware ops, who ran an excellent interview
with Brian Hook during which a lot of the information he has presented was
revealed. The interview happened August 29, 1997, at 8 pm EDT. Go to the
website of the channel at
http://id.lobosoft.com.
Derrick McKay for reminding me that the Quake 2 characters are
right handed instead of guns pointing out of their stomachs.
Paul Steed, id Software artist and the uber-stud. He's
released so much information by way of his humurous (and sometimes offensive :)
) .plan updates, including a FAQ of questions he had received in e-mail one
time. A great deal of the graphic info, and all the info on what weapons are
available so far, are due to him.
Kevin Cloud, Quake 2 artist and project leader, for various
innumerable contributions.
John Carmack, the head honcho programmer and guy who makes all
these 3D engines we love, has provided info on a lot of the more technical
aspects, such as the size of the map grid, the transparency and translucency of
water, and all sorts of other little goodies.
HexenWorld's staff and Mike Gummelt of Raven Software for the
instructions on modem to modem play.
Nigel and Anarchy for both proofreading this FAQ, pointing out
spelling and grammar errors and suggesting rewordings of certain vague
sections.
Cardiac, for reminding me to remind you all that there's no
melee weapon planned yet for Quake 2.
The guys at
ftp.cdrom.com and its mirrors, for being willing to take this FAQ into their
large repositories of worthy files.
Darryl Ashton for starting this FAQ in the first place (at the
time, I hadn't thought of writing a FAQ).
And anyone else I've forgotten to thank..... it's been so many
people. Thank you all, your all so cool.