Vores and Spawns are sooo coool 

i think it's a nice idea of you guys, but i have to say, i don't think it would work as you'd miss out on a lot of gameplay without enforcers, hknights and vores...

esp enforcers w/rt base maps... enforcers make up about 33 to 50% of a base map's monster count. :S 

I know. Vores and Hell Knights are my favorites.

Hell Knights could be replaced by a Quoth class, Vores by Droles?!?

I and others have been watching this game fade away for no particularly good reasons. Only the ID site sells Quake new and the store has been down for 7 days and last time it was down, it was down for about a year.

Some of us feel if Quake could be available legally and expose news players to a cross section of what it has to offer, that this would be reversed.

There are several sites in Quake that have turned to illegally distributing Quake to continue their communities; our site is not one that will be taking that route.

In fact, there was a big debate over those illegal distributions on our site very recently.

It's worth reading that to see the feelings and perspectives. Some feel that illegally downloading Quake is ok and justified, others do not and some of us are against it but have express frustration with the current unavailability of Quake.

This is a quality read, at our forum we don't interfere with debate (much like this one:

http://www.quakeone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179 

i could live without fish, spawn and shub... but quake without helknights? vores?
and enforcers, what necros said. and not only old-school base maps use enforcers. sm28, could ...

also, the best maps for quake newbs to play are the original ones from id. the original episodes. those are so good (as well as stuff like beyond belief). people should not miss them, they are not optional, they are part of quake. integral to this work of art. the quake experience is not complete without them.

the best solution is for people just to get pak1.pak, I think you can still buy quake on ebay... and flea markets... steal it from your older sister... beam it down... assimilate it... ask a friend who has the CD for a copy ...

that´s the cold hard truth. we are in a situation where it is not so easy to get pak1.pak. I would prefer if I could buy the CD at the local media markt for 5 euros. I´d buy 5!!! sadly, that isn´t the case. and any more than 7,50 is not a realistic price. and not everybody has a credit card. so much for online shops.

but anything based on shareware quake is less than half the deal. the monsters, the three episodes, the dm maps are integral.

so what is the new age? players using shareware quake? are you kidding? would you want a bicycle with one wheel? and new wheels unavailable? imagine all cyclists using that, mounting new gadgets onto it, and pretending it was normal. no. the truth is, you find some buddies who have a source for wheels. whatever that may be. such is life.

but sure, your idea #1 has at least something going for it. I think you should present it more as a challenge to mappers, "using only shareware content". Nice theme for a speedmapping session. That way, it could work.

idea #2 (hub map): it´s been done before, check out the original 100 brush contest pack. but it´s just sooo easy and quake loads maps so fast, to enter "map xxx" in the console, look around and say "oh, this was this". Joequake even has a map menu. And hint, hint: There is a "teleporter hub" map in the standard quake, without screenshots OK, but the id maps are so short that it´s enough to link to the first map of every episode.

Better idea: Take screenshots of all maps, and make a list on a website using the shots, full name and short description. much easier than mapping.

idea #3: best map packs are problematic, because everyone will have different "best maps". it would be unfair. I´d really just link to underworldfan´s review site and the quaddicted archive. and celephais.net.

good luck man. 

... most players want Quake for multiplayer.

And the new servers will be running 100% custom DM maps. The play is identical to the registered version. All the multiplayer components are in pak0.pak.

It's going to be slamdunk from that aspect, because as a legal set of downloads, it can be talked about freely, etc. The new engines like JoeQuake/Qrack offer the eye candy (<- hate that word) that would offer it appeal.

Most of the multiplayer types don't care about single player, but that might be different if it were available in combination with the main download.

The stereotype of Quake is the standard old maps. 

I'm sure yuo can find it somewhere if you really want to buy it even if you might have to buy it bundled with q2 and q3, soon there will probably q1-q4 packs... 

New age mapping! I was half expecting some sort of innovative hardware-software combo using an electronic harp to make Quake maps.

Too bad, really >:( 

Sorry there, chief! 

Sadly, I have to agree with the discussion. Although I think that 33-50% is more like 50-60%, and on some maps (like your favourite...) it's closer to 80%.

I think that eBay is the best thing to happen to the new generation of Quake lovers... I managed to get 2 copies there (the 2nd copy came with both mission packs) fairly cheaply... 

I agree. Really enforcers, vores and hell knights are 3 of the most fun bad guys in Quake. And pretty essential to most types of maps.

Although Trinca's map doesn't seem to use many of them.

I think I have another idea that will work, I am going to run a program against a mass number of maps and see what maps have the LEAST or NONE of these characters.

Then I'll take a look at the results.

There HAVE to be some existing maps that do not use many or any of these monsters.

Granted, it will be few. Also, I'm going to check with some QuakeC gurus about an entity translation progs.dat or maybe investigating the use of OpenQuartz.

My goal is just for there to be a few quality maps compatible someway, somehow with shareware to give those users a taste of some good single player experience.

Something Necros said gave me the idea, so this thread wasn't a loss ;)

Something good DID come from it. 

Hellknights and Vores are essential to ramping up the difficulty level ever so gradually in your map. You're doing away with a vital aspect of the level design balance by restricting the mapper from using them.

Especially vores because you probably have to do the most "thinking" when it comes to an encounter in a fairly small space with a vore. 

If you've found a way to get shareware Quake to run with custom maps and progs.dat, then just create a mod that replaces Enforcers with Grunts, Death Knights with Knights, Vores with...uh...Fiends? Etc. etc. and distribute that to swQuakers. Easiest thing in the world. 

well Baker, if you are targetting Free Quake at multiplayer users, then why were you asking about SP maps using only shareware content?

*scratches head* 

Asaki ... I'm investigating that. Good replacement suggestions, btw.

Nico ... please read all of my recent posts in their entirety ... Thanks in advance! 

is ID charging for rights to q1 content? 

I've thought about starting an effort to petition ID about the pak1.pak problem, maybe you've already seen my comments on other boards about that?

Do you think that is something that would be a worthwhile effort?

See, the thing is, if ID would do special limited licensing of pak1.pak that was wide enough that sp-developers/multiplayer could continue ...

But I don't see ID software making any large bucks out of licensing Quake 1? Would they care about $1000 to $5000?

I dunno ... the workarounds all suck. 

HKs have so much health and for some reason mappers have decided you always encounter them with the supershotgun and it's then shoot-back up-shoot-back up ... yawn. They have so much health it's stupid.

And vores are generally placed so that you pop your head out from behind a corner, shoot some nails or rockets or grenades, go back, wait for the ball to explode on a wall, come out again... and repeat and repeat.

These monsters tend to be better when placed on areas where you have to constantly move and use your brain to avoid their attacks, but it is rarely done so even by the most distinguished mappers. ?!

Enforcers, on the other hand, are generally fun. :) They don't have too much hitpoints so it doesn't become boring, they give some ammo and you can somewhat dodge their projectiles, but they're so fast that it ain't easy. They tend to shoot their own a lot too. :P


If I'd recommend free things, I'd say develop something from Quoth. It's got top-notch monsters and textures, both visually and gameplaywise. I talked about this way back but everybody was like "fuck you". 

how much more do you need than a player model, some weapon and armor models, and of course new sounds. 

i hope didn't tell you to go fuck yourself last time, as that's a really good idea. Take something like Quoth, and expand it to something that can be downloaded stand-alone.

If it was good enough it could give a real boost to the SP Quake community.

I'd definitely be up for helping out in a project like this in some way, be it mapping or graphics stuff.

We need to know if this is feasible though. How much needs to be redone? Is there much coding involved? What project should be worked on? I agree Quoth is a good one. The Quoth boys would have to give the thumbs up, of course.

Well worth thinking about... 

I think the Quoth characters would make an excellent basis for replacement characters in monster translator code.

I'll probably revisit this as things progress.

A monster translator progs.dat could make any standalone map feasible.

But ... a great deal of work would have to be done :( 

"I talked about this way back but everybody was like "fuck you".

HEhe, it does seem like these sorts of things take a tremendous amount of "activation energy".

I quit playing Quake in early 2004 and figured it would not be around for much longer.

When I returned, ironically some seeds I had planted had grown in big, strong oak trees.

Patience is a virtue ;) 

These monsters tend to be better when placed on areas where you have to constantly move and use your brain to avoid their attacks, but it is rarely done so even by the most distinguished mappers. ?!

iirc, the last map vondur made (i think it was vondur?) had a nice end combat with some vores in an area with little cover. that was quite fun :) 

... I walk right up to them, point blank, and let them share the splash damage of their own attacks. 

I walk right up to them, point blank, and let them share the splash damage of their own attacks. 

if there was a noir version quake ever, that would have to be part of the voiceover.