QUAKE THREAD

[Ikagura]

Despite the amount of retro FPS themed topics in this forum I'm surprised nobody has made a Quake-focused one so far

I will mostly talk about the original game from 1996 that scrambled PC gaming as a whole but we can also talk about the Strogg-themed (II - IV - Enemy Territory: Quake Wars) or the Arena style games (III - Team Arena - Live). Champions is a bit too recent to me but we can quickly mention it if you want.

(Banner picture taken from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/quake/comments/1kvpz1k/quake_logo_wallpapers_updated/ )

Spoiler: The topics that have inspired me to create that one:

PC - DOOM or Quake?

i dont mean just doom 1 or quake 1, i mean comparing both series as a whole. which do you prefer? ive never really meshed with doom, but quake is my lifeblood. quake 1 is absolutely one of my favorite games of all time, it's so fun and looks so cool and has tons of excellent enemy designs and...

retrogametalk.com

DOOM THREAD

"RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR YOUR GUTS! YOU ARE HUGE! THAT MEANS YOU HAVE HUGE GUTS! RIP AND TEAR!!" Doomguy - 1996 comic

retrogametalk.com

ArenaFPS thread!!!!

Maybe i am the sole user on this forum that still likes to play online ArenaFPS but let's try this anyways Dashers, strafejumpers, bunnyhoppers and crouchsliders of this forum, how are you enjoying your favorite ArenaFPS games? What games are you playing? Quake Champions? Quake Live? Unreal...

retrogametalk.com

Source Ports Thread

Do you play older games with open source engines? I tried OPENMW and it works great on steamdeck.

retrogametalk.com

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

While DOOM is my baby, I dearly love Quake 1 and 2 also. While Quake 1 is generally the better game, I have a real soft spot for Quake 2's OST and keep it in my personal rotation.

 

[Ikagura]

While DOOM is my baby, I dearly love Quake 1 and 2 also. While Quake 1 is generally the better game, I have a real soft spot for Quake 2's OST and keep it in my personal rotation.

I used to not like QII because it was too far removed from Quake I in term of ambience, gameplay and level design.

KMQuake II was also a way to make the game much more bearable as it's even more clunky in the way you can change weapons and progress through the levels in the game than the first. It was more linear than QI yet wasn't fully seamless like a Half-Life, it was a weird middle spot like Duke was as a more advanced FPS than Doom but still having the "2.5D clunkiness" compared to a Quake.

I'm aware that Quake II was meant to be a completely different thing unrelated to Quake but had to take back the name because of the IP being secured already.

Thankfully I've redone it on the Switch with the remaster and I appreciated it more. I also think that Quake II is much closer to a "What if Doom actually had a third mainline game in full 3D on PC" than Quake I was in a way.

Shame that they've dropped the Strogg storyline after IV (it was a nice game but you can feel it wasn't made by id Software).

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

"What if Doom actually had a third mainline game in full 3D on PC" than Quake I was in a way.

I've felt this way too, as Quake 2 leans a bit more into the heavy metal power fantasy that DOOM had with it's music and enemy counts compared to Quake 1's greater focus on ambiance. Quake 1 also generally had lower enemy counts due to PC limitations at the time, with said enemies being more dangerous to compensate which results in a very different game flow.

I've always felt that Scourge of Armagon was something of a prelude to Quake 2, with both it's higher enemy counts and OST. Many of the songs from it feel like they could've come straight from Quake 2.

 

[Ikagura]

I've felt this way too, as Quake 2 leans a bit more into the heavy metal power fantasy that DOOM had with it's music and enemy counts compared to Quake 1's greater focus on ambiance. Quake 1 also generally had lower enemy counts due to PC limitations at the time, with said enemies being more dangerous to compensate which results in a very different game flow.

At first I found it weird how those Ogres were bullet sponges and their "low framerate" animations but I think it fits the eldritchian feeling of the game, as if reality wasn't the same there.

Quake was shining in its technical and speedrunning aspects (although I think that saying it's a glorified tech demo would be disingenuous from some).

I've always felt that Scourge of Armagon was something of a prelude to Quake 2, with both it's higher enemy counts and OST. Many of the songs from it feel like they could've come straight from Quake 2.

Especially when Armagon itself looks like a Stroggified enemy.

Spoiler: Quake II Call of the Machine ending

Then came Call of the Machine which directly references Quake I with a Shambler (either it's a cameo fanservice or the Stroggs are aware of Quake itself).

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[dr grim]

i think that quake could make a better new game than doom actually. lore wise quake could have a really really dark and violent universe to play in.

 

[Ikagura]

Reminds me of Jazzpunk's Wedding Qake

i think that quake could make a better new game than doom actually. lore wise quake could have a really really dark and violent universe to play in.

While I think they went too far with the lore in Doom Eternal and the Dark Ages and that for a retro FPS the story shouldn't matter that much I believe it could easily have one of the greatest ambience of all FPS if there was a proper single player sequel (not another like Quake Champions).

The Stroggs are a great antagonist as well yet I feel like keeping some mystery behind without having to explain their origin would be better.

 

[skramz]

QUAD DAMAGE RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

[Ikagura]

I'm less fan of Quake 2 yet I still appreciate its enemies and monsters.
Thankfully there are mods for it:
Q2M

And Oops! All Stroggs!!

https://www.moddb.com/mods/oops-all-stroggs

Post automatically merged: Jan 10, 2026

QUAD DAMAGE RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

My favourite is Quake 3 Arena's sfx

 

[Yousef Yousef]

Qauke is seldom out of rotation whenever I’m going through a lot of early 3d shooters, it’s amongst the best like max Payne and FEAR

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[Ikagura]

I'm less fan of Quake 2 yet I still appreciate its enemies and monsters.
Thankfully there are mods for it:
Q2M

And Oops! All Stroggs!!

https://www.moddb.com/mods/oops-all-stroggs

View attachment 143544

I'm still sad that those two mods aren't compatible.

Quake 1 but with the Quake 2 weapons and enemies would've been perfect imo.

Qauke is seldom out of rotation whenever I’m going through a lot of early 3d shooters, it’s amongst the best like max Payne and FEAR

I'll digress but I really wanna do Max Payne someday.

When I first tried Quake 3 Arena back in '15 I loved the visuals despite the game being over a decade old.

There's something about the Dreamcast era ('98 - '01) that didn't age a bit.

 

[ThunderBoy]

Recently I discover the Quake Combat+

A mod of the original Quake game....
AND IT'S GORGEOUS!!

 

[Mopeybloke]

@ThunderBoy That skybox is called moonrise_ It's also in the Arcane Dimensions hub and many other maps. I've joked a bit that it's now Quake's main character.

Anyway, if you play Quake, don't skip the custom maps and mods that have come out over the years.
The mods/map packs I recommend most are:

• Arcane Dimensions
• Alkaline
• Re:Mobilize
• Deathmatch Dimensions *
• Terra *
• Honey *
• Epochs of Enmity *
• Ritual *

*these are playable on the remaster (well).

Some vanilla maps you can easily play on the official remaster:

• Ceremonial Circles
• Slip Tripping
• The Grim Outpost
• Dead Memories
• A verdant dawn
• A quick one before Azathoth devours Fodrian
• Dismal Signal
• Day of the lords
• Rising Action
• Castle Puzzlefort
• Citadel of Fire
• Deepest Oblivion
• Head Reattachment Trauma

 

[Ikagura]

Recently I discover the Quake Combat+

A mod of the original Quake game....
AND IT'S GORGEOUS!!

That looks like Quake 1.5.

 

[Mopeybloke]

I think that mod is based on 1.5.

 

[ThunderBoy]

That looks like Quake 1.5.

Yeah, Its Quake 1.5 Combat+ Dark Places or something like that

But I found it as Quake Combat+

 

[Ikagura]

I think that mod is based on 1.5.

Yeah, Its Quake 1.5 Combat+ Dark Places or something like that

But I found it as Quake Combat+

If I fee like redoing Quake 1.5 I'd do Quake Combat+.

Also I've downloaded Slayer's Testament just to test it out.

 

[Spyrone]

Anybody play the Brutalist Jam 3 yet? Would've checked it out myself but my computer killed itself six days before Christmas and I've yet to get a replacement. It looks gorgeous from what I can tell.

 

[Ikagura]

Anybody play the Brutalist Jam 3 yet? Would've checked it out myself but my computer killed itself six days before Christmas and I've yet to get a replacement. It looks gorgeous from what I can tell.

I did but since I have many games to play I put it on hold.

The mere fact it doesn't require Quake (since it uses LibreQuake) is already a good excuse to incite people to try it.

 

[Mopeybloke]

Anybody play the Brutalist Jam 3 yet? Would've checked it out myself but my computer killed itself six days before Christmas and I've yet to get a replacement. It looks gorgeous from what I can tell.

I played a bit of it. Actually playtested a few maps before they came out, but I felt like I didn't have the time to play this huge jam this early 2026. Hardcore Mazu has a map on it, and it's probably hours long.