Quake II
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| Quake II {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | id Software {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
| Release date(s) | December 6, 1997 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | FPS |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Macintosh, N64, PC (BeOS/Linux/Windows), PlayStation {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Quake II, released on December 6 1997, is a first person shooter game developed by id Software and distributed by Activision. It is, to an extent, a "sequel" to Quake. The main theme was done by Rob Zombie and the rest of the soundtrack was provided by Sonic Mayhem.
Contents |
Overview
The action takes place in a science-fiction environment. In the single-player game, the player is a human soldier taking part in Operation Overlord, a desperate attempt to protect Earth from alien invasion by launching a counter-attack on the home planet of the hostile cybernetic Strogg civilization. Most of the other soldiers are captured or killed almost as soon as they enter the planet's atmosphere, so it falls upon the player to penetrate the Strogg capital city alone and ultimately to assassinate the Strogg leader, Makron.
Unlike Quake, where hardware accelerated graphics controllers were supported only with later patches, Quake II came with OpenGL support out of the box.
The latest version is 3.20. This update includes numerous bug fixes and new maps designed for multiple players deathmatch. Version 3.21, available on id Software's FTP server, has no improved functionality over version 3.20. It's simply a slight repackaging to make compiling for Linux easier.
Quake II uses an improved client server network model introduced in Quake.
Open source
The game code of Quake II, which defines all the functionality for weapons, entities and game mechanics, can be changed in any way because id Software published the source code of their own implementation that shipped with the game. Quake II uses the shared library functionality of the operating system to load the game library at run-time - this is how mod authors are able to alter the game and provide different gameplay mechanics, new weapons and much more.
The full source code to Quake II version 3.19 was released under the terms of the GPL on December 21 2001. Version 3.21 followed later.
Since the release of the Quake II source code, several Third-party update projects to the game engine have begun; the most prominent of these is known as Quake2maX, followed in popularity, if not improved features, by Quake II Evolved. Generally, such source upgrades improve things like the maximum resolution the game may be run at, the quality of the lighting engine, adding things like shaders or decals in order to generally update the look of the game and prolong its lifetime. The source release also revealed several critical security flaws which can result in remote compromise of both the Quake II client and server. As id Software no longer maintains Quake II the use of a modified engine such as R1Q2 is recommended over the 3.20 release.
In July, 2003, Vertigo Software released a port of Quake II for the Microsoft .NET platform, using [[Managed Extensions for C++|Managed C++]] [1]. It became a poster application for the language, showcasing the powerful interoperability between .NET and unmanaged C++ code. It remains one of the top downloads on the [[Visual C++]] website.
Missions for PC version of Quake 2
The game is composed of ten units, each with its own set of objectives.
- Base Unit - The drop-pod you travelled in crash landed in a base a distance from the capital of Stroggos. Your mission is to establish a communications uplink to command by reaching the Comm. Base.
- Warehouse Unit - In this area, the Strogg are receiving supplies from their ammo depot. Shut down the key components of the depot, and destroy the logistical train responsible for supply shipment.
- Jail Unit - This is made up of the detention centers, torture chambers, and jailhouses in the Stroggos mainland. It also houses the core of the laser security grid protecting the industrial region. You will encounter the first boss here as you reach the end of this unit.
- Mines Unit - The only way to reach the industrial area is through the mines. Navigate through the mines and gain entrance to the factory. Be careful; they are very unstable, and prone to earthquakes. You'll also need to lower the toxicity before you can penetrate the mines.
- Factory Unit - The industrial area contains a processing fusion plant that serves as a key component for the construction of the Strogg army, using unlucky humans as a catalyst. As long as this thing remains in operation, the army will keep rebuilding itself. Shut down the plant.
- Power Unit - In this area is the nuclear power plant for the Strogg, and you can see the humongous anti-spacecraft artillery that is the Big Gun. Big Gun is the main cause of the destruction of the rest of your fleet, and you have to shut it down. Terminate the power plant by lowering the coolant, and pumping toxic waste in as a "substitute".
- Big Gun Unit - Lock down the Big Gun's systems and leave before the plant explodes, causing widespread damage for miles.
- Hangar Unit - The black hole generator provides gateways for the Strogg army to invade different sectors in this galaxy. It must be destroyed. Obtain the Tank Commander's Head inside the Machine Shop to gain further access into the facility. Then, close the main hangar door, destroy the launch control computers, and plant an airstrike marker at the black hole generator, allowing bombers to take the generator out.
- Palace Unit - The communications laser in the palace serves as the final means of keeping the Stroggos mainland in array. Unfortunately, it happens to be guarded by four layers of airtight security. Only the finest of the Makron's warriors guard this palace. No one has even been close to getting inside this maze. Will you be the first? Shut down this laser and terminate the Makron with extreme prejudice.
- Boss Levels - The Makron has sought refuge in his astral chambers, far above Stroggos. Only when he dies will the Strogg be crippled. Good luck - you'll need it.
Expansions
There are three official expansions:
- The Reckoning - released on May 30 1998, developed by Xatrix Entertainment and published by Activision.
- Ground Zero - released on September 11 1998, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Activision.
- Netpack I: Extremities - released on November 26 1998 - a collection of some of the best custom maps, models, and mods developed by the online community, compiled by id Software and published by Activision. However, everything on the CD is also available for free.
Unofficial expansions include:
- Juggernaut - released in 1998, developed by Canopy Games and published by HeadGames.
- Zaero - developed by team-evolve
- Oblivion - developed by Lethargy Software this mission-pack still needs patching, but the project seems to be abandoned. You can read more about Oblivion in this forum thread.
Not a true sequel
Image:Quake II, base1 screenshot.jpg Despite the title, Quake II is a sequel to the original Quake by name only. Aside from somewhat similar weapons and items (notably the Quad Damage pickup), the scenario, enemies and theme is entirely separate and as of this time does not fall into continuity with Quake. id had initially wanted to set it separately from Quake, but due to legal reasons (most of their suggested names were already taken), they were forced to stick with the working title.
Quake II was also adopted as a name to leverage the popularity of Quake.
Paul Jaquays, as quoted from PlanetQuake's Quake II FAQ, puts it as such:
"I've had a request (which means that there's a lot more of you out there who don't write) to explain why I'm saying that Quake 2 is not a sequel to Quake. The word sequel implies a continuation of what has gone before. In this case, a continuation of the battle against Quake, the mythical overlord of evil, by soldiers fighting in an undefined army in undefined places. Although many of the features of Quake 2 will be similar to Quake players (such as a 3D environment, some weapons that function similar to those of Quake, lava, slime and use of game's logo in certain special game powerups), it is not a continuation of the Quake story.
With Quake II, id has chosen to follow a different story line (and they did this before I got here). Instead of a vague "Kill the minions of Quake" sort of imperative, we have created a brand new story with a solid, homogenous, entirely futuristic, totally militaristic story line. In Quake 2, you are a soldier in the TCM (Terran Confederation of Man) army, a combined force put together from the surviving armies of nations on the planet Earth and those of Earth's colonies on the Moon and the new independent nation of Ares on the planet Mars. Humanity is committed to what we hope will be the terminal battle of an ongoing war to not only repell alien invaders from our system, but to destroy their ability to make war of any kind. The battle (in this episode) takes place on the planet Stroggos, the alien homeworld, the core of their barbaric "civilization." Levels are designed to be played in a logical, sequential progression. And here, your mission doesn't end until the big guy, the core of the problem goes down for the long dirtnap.
OK, now WHY are we calling it Quake 2, when it's not really a sequel to Quake? Several reasons. Trademarking. The names we were going for, the ones that to our thinking, really expressed the concept and theme of the game were owned by someone else (when it appears that you may have money to actually cover real or imagined damages, "foxxing" really gets ugly. They don't just tell you to cease and desist). We kept putting forward names to our copyright attorneys and they kept telling us "You're not safe from liability with that one." The deadline for having our real and true name in time for E3 came, and our hands weren't grasping that one great name. And there it was waiting for us like an old lover ... our working title ... Quake 2. It knew we'd come home to it at last. It should have been obvious. We've built up a great deal of name recognition with Quake. We shouldn't just throw that away."
Ports
Ports of Quake II were released on 1999 on the Nintendo 64 (ported by Raster Productions L.L.C. ) and PlayStation (ported by HammerHead Ltd.) console platforms. In both cases, the core gameplay was largely identical; however, changes were made to the game sequence, and split-screen multiplayer replaced network or internet play. In 2002, the game was ported to the Amiga PowerPC platform by Hyperion Entertainment. There was also an unofficial port for the Sega Dreamcast via homebrew coders.
Quake II: Colossus (Quake II with both official addons) was also ported to Linux by id Software and published by Macmillan Computer Publishing in 1999. Be Incorporated officially ported Quake II: Colossus to the BeOS to test their OpenGL acceleration in 1999, and provided the game files for free download at a later date - a Windows, Macintosh or Linux install CD was required to install the game, with the official addons being optional.
PlayStation version
Several of the PC version's objective-based levels (units) were omitted, as well as a handful of enemy types. A new enemy (a gigantic human-spider cyborg with twin railgun arms) was added, and many short air lock-like corridors were added to maps to provide loading pauses inside what were contiguous areas in the PC version. An advantage over other console ports is that it used the PlayStation mouse option, making the gameplay closer to the PC version.
The music of this port is a combination of the Quake II Original music score and some tracks from the PC version's mission pack.
The PlayStation version is limited to a far a lower resolution than the PC original giving it grainier look. Coloured lightmaps for levels and enemies, and yellow highlights for gunfire and explosions, are carried across from the PC version, with the addition of (somewhat excessive) lens flare effects located around the light sources on the original lightmaps. There is no skybox; instead a flat gourad-textured purple sky is drawn around the top of the level.
Nintendo 64 version
This version, unlike the PlayStation version, had completely different levels and multiplayer maps which had never been seen before. This version also had new lighting effects, mostly seen on gun fire, and also used the expansion pack to offer extra graphical detail.
See also
External links
Official websites
- id Software's official Quake II site
- Demo, patches and other resources on id Software's FTP
- Source code of the engine version 3.21
Information
- Quake II console commands
- Optimizer's site Useful files for playing Quake II online
- Quake 2 Mods and Tutorials - at the Mod DB
- Q2Database Q2database for Quake II Players
User Created Maps
- Ten-Four A site where *all* user created Quake 2 single player maps are reviewed
- DeaconsTOMB Quake 2 Map Downloads
Game Archive and Review sites
Game mods
- Action Quake 2
- Action quake 2 ePP
- Awakening
- Awakening II: The Resurrection
- Chaotic Dreams
- D-Day: Normandy
- Dirty
- Gloom
- Jailbreak
- JumpMod
- King of the Server 2000
- Lithium
- LOX: Lethal Orifice eXamination
- NightHunters
- Railwarz
- Rocket Arena
- Rocket Arena ePP
- Superheroes II
- The Transformers: Quake 2
- Weapons of Destruction
- Server-side extension of baseq2/Xatrix DM games
Modified engines
- R1Q2
- EGL
- Quake2maX
- NoCheat
- q^2
- Q2Pro
- Jake2 (Quake II engine ported to Java)
- Quake II Evolved
- Quake II AbSIRD (Renders Quake II in Single Image Random Dot Stereogram imagery)
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