The Let's Play Archive

Quake

by Wugga

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Original Thread: Let's bunnyhop through Nightmare - It's Quake + Mission packs!

 

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Introduction



Welcome to Let's Play Quake. Thanks to Entorwellian who let me do this LP.

Useless background information
Quake was made in 1996 by id software. It was the first "fully" 3d shooter game, with 3d enemy models and stuff like that. The explosions are still 2d though, but I don't like to nitpick. The designers got into a quarrel at some point, after which they proceeded to make terrible games like Daikatana. The music and sound effects were composed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

What's this game about?
Do you live in a barrel, son? Fucking get yourself a copy! The plot is, err, government experience gone wrong save the earth blah blah let's consult wikipedia:

Wikipedia posted:

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

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

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


... so yeah. We don't really need to know any of that, do we? All you need to know this is the greatest shooter in existence, partly due to the physics engine. I'm sure it plays a major role in the fact this game remains a popular online shooter. You'll be seeing me abuse the physics a lot, so prepare yourself for lots of bunny jumping and the associated grunting sound!

What version are you playing?
I'm using ezquake 1.8. It's essentially a multiplayer client with single player included. It has some nifty effects and eyecandy stuff I'm including in this LP, unless people don't want them. Also ezquake has independent physics, which means the physics engine won't get fucked when my fps exceeds 77. The original had some trouble with that. In plain English, that means NEAT FUCKING JUMPS AND LOTS OF THEM.

You better not play on easy, you fucking pussy!
Don't worry, this'll be a 100% Nightmare run. All enemies will be obliterated and all secrets discovered. I've played the game since 1998 or so I won't be having any trouble. Conditions are encouraged, but keep it sensible.


That's not all, though. There are two mission packs as well:

Mission Pack 1:Scourge of Armagon




Wikipedia posted:


Quake Mission Pack #1: Scourge of Armagon is the first official mission pack for id Software's first person shooter, Quake. Developed by Hipnotic Interactive, later renamed Ritual Entertainment, Scourge featured 15 new single player missions, a new multiplayer arena, as well as three new enemies, weapons and power-ups, and a more conventional soundtrack by Jehun Hwang combining electronica, orchestral, and heavy metal styles. New gameplay features not originally found in Quake include rotating structures (e.g. fans, revolving doors) and breakable walls.

In other words, maps are done by SOME GUYS (including the Levelord, who is one of the greatest map makers ever), we get three new weapons of which I'm using ONE, and the music is absolute SHIT. Don't worry, the maps are good and that's what counts. New weapons include Laser Cannon (good), Proximity Gun (useless), and Mjoelnir (waste of cells). Also some new enemies that bring my piss to a boil. Items include wetsuit (Underwater shaft ), Empathy Shields (50% damage goes to enemy ) and Horn of Conjuring (fighting alonside Shamblers )

Also I'm fairly sure Quake 2 was inspired by new gameplay mechanics like revolving doors, footsteps and other stuff found in this game.


And finally, the worst of the lot:

Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity




This game fucking sucks.

Wikipedia posted:

Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity is the second official mission pack for id Software's first person shooter, Quake. Developed by Rogue Entertainment, Dissolution of Eternity featured 16 new single player levels, as well as new enemies, weapons and power-ups. Like the first mission pack, it features the music of Jeehun Hwang with a combination of orchestral, heavy metal, and Mayan musical styles.

Dissolution is generally considered the more inferior of the two missionpacks, with players often citing the difference in quality of level design, despite having a variety of styles such as Greco-Roman, Mayan, and Egyptian. Some reviews frowned upon the weapon modifications, particularly the lava nails and multi-rockets as they simply made more moderately difficult enemies easy, due to it taking fewer shots to kill without introducing something new in the attack method.

I.e. an utter train wreck. The new weapons are stupid rehashes taken from free fan-made mods, new enemies have a new colour scheme and the level design is really awkward and includes loads of back tracking. Awesome, huh?

Videos

Original Quake

Episode 1: Dimension of the Doomed

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