Quake II

Quake II

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Developers
	id Software
Publishers
	Activision
Engines
	id Tech 2

Quake
Quake	1996
Quake II	1997
Quake III Arena	1999
Quake 4	2005
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars	2007
Quake Live	2010
Quake II RTX	2019
Quake Enhanced	2021
Quake Champions	2022
Quake II Enhanced	2023

Key points

Engine is open source with modern multi-platform ports available; see Source Ports

Runs well on low-end hardware

Small but hardcore community^{[citation needed]}

Easy to mod

The Steam Version lacks the Soundtrack, but this can be fixed.

General information

Quake Wiki - A detailed wiki for every Quake game made.

Steam Users' Forums - The Steam forums for the Quake series.

FAQ on Steam forums - A starting point for new Quake II players.

Func_Msgboard - The mapper hub, new map releases, technique improvements.

bit7.org/quake - Community site with extensive mirrors section, reviews and details on editions of the game.

Availability

The Steam version (and others) can also be played on Mac OS X and Linux using a source port.

Source Ports

Since the release of the source code various engine overhauls and source ports have been created to enhance or modify the game in different ways. Which one to use is a matter of taste.

• 3.24 This is a simple patch that fixes bugs and adds certain things to the engine such as widescreen-support. Easy to install and use.
• R1Q2 Source port that focuses on the multiplayer aspect of the game.
• KMQuake An enhanced source port. Allows for customization of textures, game interface etc.
• LWJake2 A LWJGL-based source port focusing on compatibility and bugfixes.
• Quetoo Another source port which adds support for Linux and FreeBSD. Only for people who know what they're doing.
• Yamagi Quake II An "enhanced client" focusing mainly on bug- and code-fixes.
• Ultimate Quake II Patch Designed for the Steam version of Quake II but is also compatible with retail versions by changing the install path of the mod. Adds bug-fixes, improved graphics, enables mouse use in menus as well as music through software playback.

Improvements

Patches

3.20. Latest official patch.

• ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake2/q2-3.20-x86-full.exe

3.24. Unofficial patch that focuses on bugfixes and minor tweaks.

• http://www.markshan.com/knightmare/

Game data

Game files location

The files for The Reckoning expansion are in the "xatrix" folder, while the Ground Zero expansion files are in the "rogue" folder.

Video settings

In-game general settings.

In-game graphics settings.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

It is not built in, but forcing it through graphics drivers should work.

Anti-aliasing (AA)

The game doesn't have built in anti-aliasing but forcing it through your graphics control panel should work.

Vertical sync (Vsync)

The game is capped at 90 fps. To fix this, create a text-file in C:\Program Files (x86)\id Software\Quake2\baseq2\ then add the line cl_maxfps "120" (or whatever you want the maximum fps to be) and save it as autoexec.cfg. You can also force V-sync through graphics drivers control panel.

Issues and Fixes

No Music Playback

The music plays directly from the game-CD so the Steam version unfortunately lacks it. Try applying the Ultimate Quake II patch mentioned above.

If you prefer to use the original engine you can download the soundtrack from the Steam forums. Either burn a new CD from the image file or use a CD emulator like DAEMON Tools Lite to mount the image.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Windows 95/Windows NT 4.0	Windows 98/Windows ME/Windows 2000/Windows XP
Processor (CPU)
System memory (RAM)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	25 MB free	400 MB free