Quake II

Quake II

Developers   id Software Mac OS Logicware

Publishers   Activision

Engines   id Tech 2

Release dates Windows December 9, 1997 Mac OS 1997 Linux May 20, 1999

Quake

Quake	1996
Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon
Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity
Quake II	1997
Quake II: The Reckoning
Quake II: Ground Zero
Netpack I: Extremities
Quake III Arena	1999
Quake III: Team Arena
Quake 4	2005
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars	2007
Quake Live	2010

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 Community Discussions

Steam Users' Forums for game series

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

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

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys
Steam		Does not come with the game soundtrack; see No Music Playback
GamersGate
Retail

This game can also be played on OS X and Linux using a source port.

Downloadable content (DLC) and expansions

Name	Notes
Quake II Mission Pack: Ground Zero	Available on Steam
Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning	Available on Steam

Essential 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/

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.
• Fruitz of Dojo Quake II - A Cocoa port of the engine, it allows Quake II to be played on modern Macs.
• KMQuake II - 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.
• R1Q2 - Source port that focuses on the multiplayer aspect of the game.
• 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.
• Yamagi Quake II - An "enhanced client" focusing mainly on bug- and code-fixes.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\baseq2
Mac OS

Save game data location

	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\baseq2\save
Mac OS

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud
GameSave Manager

Video settings

In-game general settings.

In-game graphics settings.

Graphics option	Option	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			A source port is required. See Source ports.
Multi-monitor			A source port is required. See Source ports.
Field of view (FOV)		A source port is required. See Source ports.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)		See Anti-aliasing (AA).
Vertical sync (Vsync)		See Vertical sync (Vsync).
Oculus Rift		Use Quake2VR (beta).
High frame rate		See Vertical Sync (Vsync)

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.

Input settings

Keyboard and mouse	Native	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse input in menus		A source port is required. See Source ports.
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller Y-axis inversion

Audio settings

Audio options	Native	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		A3D, EAX (via IAS patch)

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	CC	Notes
English

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
LAN play		16
Online play		16
LAN co-op		4
Online co-op		4

All official maps are designed for at most 16 players. However, dedicated servers can be set to have the max player limit at 256

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
UDP (outbound)	27910

Issues fixed

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 WinCDEmu to mount the image.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
OpenGL	1.1
Software renderer
64-bit executable		A source port is required. See Source ports.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95, NT 4.0	98, ME, 2000, XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 90 MHz	Intel Pentium 133 MHz
System memory (RAM)	16 MB	24 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	25 MB	400 MB

Linux
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Linux kernel v2.0.24
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 90 MHz	Intel Pentium 133 MHz
System memory (RAM)	16 MB	24 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	25 MB	400 MB