Linux Solutions

The article will provide a user with information on vQuake and QuakeWorld. These are Quake releases.

VQuake
Let’s have a look at VQuake. In late 1996, id Software released VQuake, a port of the Quake engine to support hardware accelerated rendering on graphics cards using Rendition Vérité chipset. Aside from the expected benefit of improved performance, VQuake offered numerous visual improvements over the original software-rendered Quake. It boasted full 16-bit color, bilinear filtering (reducing pixelation), improved dynamic lighting and even optional anti-aliasing. VQuake was a proprietary port specifically for the Vérité; consumer 3D acceleration was in its infancy at the time, and there was no standard 3D API for the consumer market. After completing VQuake, John Carmack vowed never to write a proprietary port again, citing his frustration with Rendition’s Speedy3D API.

QuakeWorld
Now, let’s have a look at QuakeWorld . QuakeWorld was released in order to improve the quality of online play. It was relased by id Software released on December 17, 1996. It featured significantly revamped network code including the addition of client-side prediction. The original Quake’s network code would not show the player the results of his actions until the server sent back a reply acknowledging them. For example, if the player attempted to move forward, his client would send the request to move forward to the server, and the server would determine whether the client was actually able to move forward or if he ran into an obstacle, such as a wall or another player.

With the help of client-side prediction, which allowed players to see their own movement immediately without waiting for a response from the server, QuakeWorld’s network code allowed players with high-latency connections to control their character’s movement almost as precisely as when playing in single-player mode. The netcode parameters could be adjusted by the user, so that QuakeWorld performed well for users with high and low latency.

The tradeoff to client-side prediction was that sometimes other players or objects would no longer be quite where they had appeared to be, or, in extreme cases, that the player would be pulled back to a previous position when the client received a late reply from the server which overrode movement the client had already previewed; this was known as “warping”. As a result, some serious players, particularly in the USA, still preferred to play online using the original Quake engine (commonly called NetQuake) rather than QuakeWorld. However, the majority of players, especially those on dial-up connections, preferred the newer network model, and QuakeWorld soon became the dominant form of online play. Following the success of QuakeWorld, client-side prediction has become a standard feature of nearly all real-time online games.

As with all other Quake upgrades, QuakeWorld was released as a free, unsupported add-on to the game and was updated numerous times through 1998.

If a user has read the article then he/she would have learnt about the Quake’s releases vQuake and QuakeWorld.

The article will provide a user with information on custom maps. Please note that there are a large number of custom maps that have been made by users and fans of the game. These maps are continuing to be made today, over ten years since the game’s release. Custom maps are completely new and original maps that are playable by simply loading them into the original game. Custom maps of all gameplay types have been made, but the most custom maps for Quake have been in the single-player and deathmatch genres.

As an example of the dedication that Quake has inspired in its fan community, a group of expert players recorded speedrun demos (replayable recordings of the player’s movement) of Quake levels completed in record time on the Nightmare skill level. The footage was edited into a continuous 19 minutes, 49 seconds demo called Quake done Quick (QdQ) and released on 10 June 1997. Owners of the game could replay this demo in the game engine, watching the run unfold as if they were playing it themselves.

This involved a number of players recording run-throughs of individual levels, using every trick and shortcut they could discover in order to minimize the time it took to complete, usually to a degree that even the original level designers found difficult to comprehend, and in a manner that often bypassed large areas of the level. Stitching a series of the fastest runs together into a coherent whole created a demonstration of the entire game. Recamming is also used with speedruns in order to make the experience more movie-like, with arbitrary control of camera angles, editing, and sound that can be applied with editing software after the runs are first recorded. However, the fastest possible time for a given level will not necessarily result in the fastest time used to contribute to running the entire game. One example is acquiring the grenade launcher in an early level, an act that slows down the time for that level over the best possible, but speeds up the overall game time by allowing the runner to bypass a big area in a later level that they could not otherwise do.

A second attempt, Quake done Quicker (QdQr), reduced the complete time to 16 minutes, 35 seconds (a reduction of 3 minutes, 14 seconds). The culmination of this process of improvement was Quake done Quick with a Vengeance (QdQwav). Released three years to the day after QdQr, this pared down the time taken to complete all four episodes, on Nightmare (hardest) difficulty, to 12 minutes, 23 seconds (a further reduction of 4 minutes, 12 seconds), partly by using techniques that had formerly been shunned in such films as being less aesthetically pleasing. This run was recorded as an in-game demo but interest was such that an .avi video clip was created to allow those without the game to see the run.

If a user has read the article then he/she would have learnt about Custom maps.

The article will provide a user with information on Quake Mission Pack 1 : Scourge of Armagon and Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity.

Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon
Let’s have a look at Quake Mission Pack 1 first. Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon is the first official mission packs released on February 28, 1997. It was developed by Hipnotic Interactive. It features fifteen new single player missions, a new multiplayer arena, and gameplay features not originally found in Quake, including rotating structures and breakable walls. New enemies include Centroids, large cybernetic scorpions with nailguns, Gremlins, small goblins that can steal weapons and multiply by feeding on enemy corpses, and Spike Mines, floating orbs that detonate when near the player. New weapons include, Mjolnir, a large lightning emitting hammer, a laser cannon, which shoots bouncing bolts of energy, and a Proximity Mine Launcher, which fires grenades that attach to surfaces and detonate when an opponent comes near.

The storyline follows Armagon, a general of Quake’s forces, planning to invade Earth via a portal known as the ‘rift’. Armagon resembles a giant gremlin with cybernetic legs and a combined rocket launcher/laser cannon for arms.

Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity
Now, Let’s have a look at Quake Mission Pack 2. Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity was the second official mission pack, released on March 31, 1997. Developed by Rogue Entertainment, it featured sixteen new single player levels as well as several new enemies and bosses.

New enemies included Electric Eels, Phantom Swordsmen, Multi-Grenade Ogres (which fire cluster grenades), Hell Spawn, Wrath (floating, robed undead), Guardians (resurrected ancient Egyptian warriors), Mummies, and statues of various enemies that come to life. The bosses were Lava Men, Overlords, large Wraths, and a dragon guarding the “temporal energy converter”. Rather than offering new weapons, the mission pack gave the player new ammo for already existing weapons, such as “lava nails” for the Nailgun, cluster grenades, rockets that split into four in a horizontal line, plasma cells, and a grappling hook to help in moving around the map.

If a user has read the article then he/she would have gained knowledge on Quak Mission Pack 1 and Pack 2.

The article will provide a user with information on Quake gameplay’s multiplayer mode. As we are aware that Quake has two fundamental modes of gameplay:

- Single player
- Multiplayer

We have already discussed Quake gameplay’s single player mode in the previous article. Now, Let’s have a look at Quake gameplay’s multiplayer mode. In multiplayer mode, players on several computers connect to a server (which may be a dedicated machine or on one of the player’s computers), where they can play against each other. Typically in multiplayer mode, when a player dies then he/she can loses any items that were collected. This means that a user has to start collecting the items again. Similarly, items that have been picked up previously respawn after some time, and may be picked up again.

The most popular multiplayer modes are all forms of deathmatch. Deathmatch modes typically consist of either free-for-all, one-on-one duels, or organized teamplay with two or more players per team (or clan). Teamplay is also frequently played with one or another mod. Typically, no monsters are normally present, as they serve no purpose other than to get in the way and give away the player.

The gameplay in Quake was considered unique for its time because of the different ways the player can maneuver through the game. An example will further explain this. bunny hopping or strafe jumping can be used to move faster than normal, while rocket jumping enables the player to reach otherwise-inaccessible areas (or just move faster), at the cost of some self-damage. The player can start and stop moving suddenly, jump unnaturally high, and change direction while moving through the air. Many of these non-realistic behaviors contribute to Quake’s appeal. The nature of the gameplay is often fast and frenzied, and has become considerably faster over the years as players mastered advanced movement techniques.

As Quake did not include any automap, it also requires considerable knowledge of the sometimes confusingly-contorted maps (made more complex by the frequent use of teleporters) as well as careful planning in order to collect needed items and conserve health and ammunition. Strategies include regularly picking up items to prevent one’s opponent from having access to them and controlling certain critical areas of each level. Duels often take place with opponents mostly out of sight of each other, jockeying for position and carefully stocking up on items, with sudden changes in speed of play when one player or the other gains an advantage. Sound also plays a central role in keeping track of other players and even items in the game, so many players use headphones to give the clearest sound and directionality. Teamplay adds even more tactical layers, with different ways to communicate and cooperate.

IF a user has read the article then he/she would have gained knowledge about the Quake gameplay’s multiplayer mode.

The article will provide a user with information on Linux Quake gameplay in a single player mode. The game engine was developed for Quake, the Quake engine, popularized several major advances in the 3D game genre.

Quake has two fundamental modes of gameplay:
- Single player
- Multiplayer

In this article, we will look at Quake gameplay’s single player mode. In single-player mode, players explore and navigate to the exit of each level, facing many challenging monsters and a few secret areas along the way. Usually there are buttons to press or keys to collect in order to open doors before the exit can be reached. Once reaching the exit, the game takes the player to the next level.
Before the start level, there is a set of three pathways with easy, medium, and hard skill levels; in order to reach the Nightmare skill level (described in the game manual as so bad that it was hidden, so people won’t wander in by accident), the player must drop through the water before the Episode 4 entrance and jump into a secret passage.

Quake’s single-player campaign is organized into four individual episodes of about eight levels each (each including a secret level, one of which is a “low gravity” level Ziggurat Vertigo in Episode 1, Dimension of the Doomed that challenges the player’s abilities in a different way). As items are collected, they are carried to the next level, each usually more challenging than the last.

If the player dies, he must restart at the beginning of the level. However, games may be saved at any time. Upon completing each episode, the player is returned to the hub Start level, where he can then enter the next episode. Each episode starts the player from scratch, without any previously collected items. The ultimate objective at the end of an episode is to recover a magic rune.

If a user has read the article then he/she would have learnt about Linux Quake gameplay in a single mode.

The article will provide a reader with information on Linux games.

Mad Skills Motocross
The game adds simple, impressive visuals, 5 powerups, 50 tracks, and the ability to make own tracks. THe latest version of the game will have multiplayer support, allowing head-to-head competition.

Machinarium
The game is of interest for those players who like playing puzzles. The setting of the game is rich and visually appealing, complete with a likable robot protagonist. The background scenery looks hand- drawn and inert, but much of it is interactive and necessary to complete the puzzles.

And Yet It Moves
The game is an imaginative game and it involves a character who appears to be made out of paper, running through a topsy-turvy world that the player can rotate either clockwise or counter-clockwise. One wrong turn can leave a players character in pieces, making the game a mix of platform action and strategy.

Tiny and Big
The game is is weird, creepy and enjoyable. The world feels like a living graphic novel, complete with dialog balloons, and the playable character has an assortment of odd gadgets, including a grappling hook and a ray gun. With the grappling hook, he can pull in-game objects in any direction, and the ray gun can slice those same objects. In most cases, it is necessary to use a combination of both tools to manipulate the environment and advance forward in the game. Tiny and Big uses a realistic physics engine and hand-drawn graphics for comic book authenticity.

If a reader has read this article then he/she would have learnt about the linux games.

The first ever game to be sold with the source code included, Finity Flight: Fight Back, from Curved Infinity Games is to be released shortly.

The Finity Flight: Fight Back (FF:FB) game is released via the MirthKit platform, and is an expansion pack for Finity Flight, and is what the developers claim to be the “first direct hybridization of commercialism and open source philosophy”. What this means is that the game will be sold for a little under $12 and comes complete with the full source code.

The developers say that our “increasing volatile” world of theft countermeasure, FB:FB is a unique development in gaming. Mirthkit firmly believe that this game represents the future of gaming, where it will be viewed as a service, as opposed to being viewed as “information property”.

Mirthkit believe that FF:FB is proof of this new view, claiming that “because gaming is a media, the people will always want more and more”.

Because the game is open, the company feel that it has the benefit of increasing the amount of developer information that is publicly available, which in turn improves the techniques of the game developer community as a whole.

The game itself sounds ok – if a little tired, concept-wise. “Finity Flight: Fight Back takes place shortly after the events of the original Finity Flight. All alone, you’ve repelled the invaders of earth, but instead of simply waiting for them to come back in greater numbers, you are taking the fight to their home turf.”

The expansion pack takes place in space, and adds 15 new levels, four new end-level-bosses, four new types of bad guy to kill, and a load of new unlockable features. Not bad for $11.99.

Mirthkit is a multi-platform online game arcade which provides a complete game-making and publishing package that is free to anyone who wants it. This package allows developers to find new games, as well as modify and sell on anything you come up with.

For those who don’t know, Curved Infinity Games are a Virginia based company who are trying to improve the sustainability of independent game development. Go to their website for more info.