System Requirements
Release Notes
I. The Basics of Play
A. Goal of the Game
B. Skill
C. Moving Around
D. Exploring the World
E. Environmental Hazards
II. Controls
A. Keyboard Commands
B. Main Menu
C. The Console
III. The Game
A. The Screen
B. Firepower
C. Special Items
D. The Enemy
E. Ending A Level
FAQS
Known Bugs
Reporting Bugs
In order to play with Quake II Test you will need at least the following
computer system:
P90 w/16mb of RAM (P133 recommended)
24mb of RAM required when running GL
40mb of HD space
Latest version of Glide (2.4x) required in order to use 3Dfx with this
test.
The Glide drivers can be found at www.3dfx.com
This demo is not intended to represent the final state of Quake 2, but
to
help us uncover architectural problems. There will be another demo
available
before the game hits store shelves that should be an accurate representation
of the final product.
Some of the significant issues with the current demo are:
User control. Currently, the user input is only sampled at 10hz,
which
means that you can miss fast button presses, and it will generally
feel a
little sluggish. Movement underwater and on slopes is in a temporary
state.
There are also some problems with the player getting stuck in certain
circumstances that need to be resolved.
Gameplay tuning. Most of the work remaining to us is the fine
tuning of
weapons and monsters for best effect. The current state is not
representative of the final state.
Networking. Multiplayer games are disabled in this test.
We have not
finished the rules or compressed the communication.
Optimization. We have a few more data and code optimizations to
implement
that will result in some speed ups. Probably about 5% to 10%
during actual
gameplay.
Data. In the interest of keeping the demo download size reasonable,
the
high quality sound files and cinematics are not included for testing.
The
map files have some known T junctions in them, which can cause single
pixel
dots to show through in places until we fix that.
User extensibility. This demo is explicitly NOT user extendable.
There is
still a little bit of cleanup to be done before we can release the
game dll
source code, and the retail game will be required to use modified data.
Demo loading. When starting the game it may take a while for the demo to
load.
During this time you might suspect that you machine has hung. This
is probably
not the case.
The in-game demo will only play one time and then end in an error.
I. THE BASICS OF PLAY
A. GOAL OF THE GAME
The basic goal in Quake II is to stay alive and
complete your missions.
When entering a new level your personal computer
(press F1) is updated
with information about the tasks you must complete
in order to progress
through the game. You are presented with a mission
objective and
instructions on how to achieve your objective(s).
You are also given counters for your KILLS, GOALS,
and, SECRETS. These are
displayed on the personal computer. Whenever new
information is added an
icon will appear at the bottom of the main screen.
The overall goal for the Quake II test is to establish
a communication
uplink to your command ship. Your instructions on
how to achieve this
goal will change as you progress through the levels.
B. SKILL
Before starting the game you may select a difficulty
level from the
GAME menu.
EASY: This is
for those of you who are slow and inept.
MEDIUM: For those of you
who have it somewhat together.
HARD: This is
how we think you should play the game.
NIGHTMARE: Designed to please the masochist
in all of us.
SKILL SETTINGS ARE NON-FUNCTIONAL IN THE QUAKE II
TEST. THEY WILL BE
AVAILABLE IN FUTURE RELEASES.
C. MOVING AROUND
The keys listed below can
be changed in the Customize Controls Menu.
Walking
Use the four arrow keys or the mouse. To walk steadily
forward,
hold down the Forward key (up arrow or left button
on the mouse). Turn
left or right with the left or right arrow keys,
or by sliding your mouse
in the desired direction.
Running
Hold down the left Shift key to increase your speed.
If you
prefer to always run during the game, open the Main
Menu, then the
Controls menu, and select "Always Run".
Shooting
Tap the CTRL key or the RIGHT mouse button to fire.
Hold shoot
down to keep firing.
Jumping
Tap the SPACE bar to jump. You jump farther if you're
moving
forward at the same time, and you jump higher if
you're moving up a slope
at the same time. You'll be surprised at the spots
you can reach in a
jump. You can even avoid some attacks this way.
Ducking
Press and hold down the "C" key to duck and crawl
("C" while
moving forward). When you release the "C"
key, you will return to an
upright position. It is also possible to avoid rockets
in this manner.
Climbing Ladders
When you encounter a ladder press and hold down
the jump key (SPACE bar)
to climb.
Swimming
While underwater, aim yourself in the direction
you wish to go
and press the forward key to go in that direction.
Unfortunately, as in
real life, you may lose your bearing while underwater.
Use the jump key
(SPACE bar) to kick straight up towards the surface.
Once on the surface,
tread water by holding down jump. To get out of
the drink, swim toward the
shore and you can either jump up onto the land or
walk straight out if it
is shallow enough. There is always a way out
but you may have to submerge
even deeper in order to find it.
Looking Up and Down
The letters "A" and "Z" allow you to look up and
down, respectively.
Strafing
Hold down either "Alt" key while the left or right
arrow key
is pressed and you will side-step in that particular
direction. This
is perfect for avoiding incoming missiles, rockets
or gun blasts from
enemy Strogg.
Picking Up Objects
To pick up items, weapons, and power-ups, simply
walk
over them. If you are unable to pick something up,
it means you already
have the maximum possible for that object.
Selecting Items in Inventory
Hit the TAB key to access your inventory
display. Use the square "[ ]" bracket keys to cycle
through items in your
inventory. Press the Enter key to use a highlighted
item.
Buttons and Floorplates
Buttons on walls or posts will activate with a
touch, and floorplates must be stepped on. Use your
discretion - if
you see a distinctive-looking button in a spot you
cannot reach, it's
probably a shootable one - fire at it to activate.
Doors
As with most places on Earth, the majority of doors
here open at
your approach. If one doesn't, then seek a button,
floorplate, or key.
Secret Doors
Some doors are camouflaged. Almost all secret doors
open
when they are shot, so keep an eye out for these.
The rest are opened
by hidden pressure plates, buttons, or levers.
Platforms
Most platforms only go up and down, while some follow
tracks around rooms or levels (i.e. horizontally).
Normally, when
you step onto a platform it rises to its full height
and lowers when
you step off (and watch your head going up!). Some
platforms drop when
you step atop them, and some don't work until you
activate them via a
button, pressure plate, or shootable target.
Pressure Plates and Motion Detectors
These can be invisible or
visible sensors which open doors, unleash traps,
warn monsters,
and so forth.
Uncovering Secrets
Secret areas on Stroggos are hidden in various
ways (those aliens are sneaky MF'ers). In order
to uncover these,
you might need to shoot a button, kill a cyborg,
walk through a secret
motion detector, etc. All secrets are indicated
by clues, so don't
waste your time hacking on every wall or shooting
every object in the
room. Use your brain, your eyes, and your ears for
something odd…then
act on it.
Explosions
Harmful radioactive containers are scattered
throughout some military
bases so watch your gunfire near these.
Also, make sure you're not
leaning up against one during a bullet
exchange with the enemy or you
may end up in 46 little body bags. Keen
Marines know when to use these
explosives to their advantage - aim
for one when aliens are around them,
or a radioactive container may blow
open a hole in the wall or floor
as an escape route.
Water
The water on Stroggos is safe enough
to enter without needing a
bio-suit, but remember to come up for
air periodically for a deep
breath.
Slime
Toxic waste will harm you instantly and keeps
on tearing at your flesh
the longer you stay submerged. Unless you
have a bio-suit, stay clear
from the slime.
Traps
The Strogg may be ugly as sin, but they
are not a stupid race. Their
planet is full of traps, so be on the
look-out for laser shooters,
aliens in ambush, trapdoors, and so
forth. Don't be paranoid - just
be aware of their existence.
II. CONTROLS
A. KEYBOARD COMMANDS
You can use the key configuration option from the
Controls Menu
(Press F4) to customize the keyboard however you
like, except for
the Function Keys, Escape Key, and the ~ (tidle)
Key.
FUNCTION KEYS
Personal Computer
F1
Save Game
F2
Load Game
F3
Key Config Menu
F4
Multiplayer Menu
F5
Quick Save
F6
Quick Load
F9
Quit To Operating System F10
Screenshot
F12
WEAPONS
Blaster
1
Shotgun
2
Super Shotgun
3
Machine Gun
4
Chaingun
5 NOT IN DEMO
Grenade Launcher
6
Rocket Launcher
7
Hyper Blaster
8 NOT IN DEMO
Rail Gun
9 NOT IN DEMO
BFG
0 NOT IN DEMO
ITEMS
Hand Grenade
g
Quad Damage
q
Rebreather
b
Silencer
s NOT IN DEMO
Environment Suit
e
Invulnerability
i NOT IN DEMO
MOVEMENT
Move / Turn
Arrow Keys
Jump / Swim
Space Bar
Run
SHIFT
Strafe Left
, or <
Strafe Right
. or >
Strafe *
ALT
Crouch
C
OTHER CONTROLS
Inventory
TAB
Main Menu
ESC
Console
~ (tilde)
Look Up
A or Page Up
Look Down
Z or Page Down
B. THE MAIN MENU
Hit the ESC key to bring up the Main Menu. While
in the menu, the game
is paused. Use the arrow keys to move the Quake
II icon up and down the
menu. Place the icon at the desired option and hit
the Enter Key. To
return to a previous menu, hit the ESC key again.
To exit back to
the game from the Main Menu, hit ESC.
GAME
Allows you to set difficulty, start a new game, load a previously
saved game, save the current game, and start or join a network
game.
DIFFICULTY
Allows you to choose EASY, MEDIUM, HARD or NIGHTMARE skill level.
THIS FEATURE IS DISABLED IN THE DEMO.
START GAME
Starts a new game on the first level.
LOAD
This will bring up a list of currently saved game. Highlight
the game you wish to play and hit the ENTER key.
SAVE
This will bring up a list of currently saved games. Highlight a
slot and hit the ENTER key. Your game will be saved into this
slot. You cannot save your game if you are dead.
NETWORK OPTIONS ARE DISABLED IN THE QUAKE II
TEST. THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE
IN FUTURE RELEASES.
VIDEO
DRIVER
The video menu currently allows you to select one of four
rendering subsystems: software, system OpenGL, 3Dfx OpenGL,
and PowerVR OpenGL. The software driver is available on all
systems. The system OpenGL driver allows Quake2 to render
scenes using the default OpenGL driver installed in the system.
Typically this will be selected under Windows NT when using a
2D/3D accelerator such as an Intergraph Realizm or accelerators
based on the Nvidia RIVA128, ATI Rage Pro, and Rendition V2200.
It is not recommended to use the OpenGL subsystem on systems
that do not have hardware acceleration of OpenGL installed.
The 3Dfx OpenGL driver should be used on systems that possess a
3Dfx Voodoo and Voodoo Rush accelerator, including the Canopus
Pure3D, Diamond Monster3D, Orchid Righteous 3D, and the Hercules
Stingray 128. The PowerVR OpenGL subsystem should be used on
those systems that are running Win95 with a PowerVR PCX2 board
installed, such as the Matrox M3D.
Future
versions of Quake2 may support other rendering subsystems.
At this time Quake2 does not support the Microsoft Direct3D
proprietary API.
VIDEO MODE
Quake2 supports the following video modes:
*
320x240
* 400x300
* 512x384
* 640x480
* 800x600
* 960x720
* 1024x768
* 1152x864
* 1280x960
* 1600x1200
Availability
of video modes will be limited by the type of
graphics adapter installed and available system and video RAM.
For example, boards based on the 3Dfx Voodoo chipset typically
only support video modes of 512x384 and 640x480.
SCREEN SIZE
The screen size slider controls the size of the visible area on
the screen. Reducing the screen size will usually result in
higher performance.
BRIGHTNESS
The brightness slider controls the brightness of the screen. Its
effects are immediate in the software driver, but do not take
effect until "Apply" is selected when using any of the OpenGL
subsystems.
FULLSCREEN
This selects
fullscreen vs. windowed rendering. On 3Dfx Voodoo
graphics
rendering to a window is not supported. Fullscreen mode
availability
is dependent upon the type of graphics adapter
installed.
On many graphics adapters, modes such as 400x300 and
512x384
are not available with fullscreen rendering. Fullscreen
software
rendering requires the presence of Microsoft DirectX.
With the
OpenGL subsystem fullscreen rendering will use whatever
color
depth the desktop is currently set to.
TEXTURE QUALITY (OpenGL ONLY)
The texture
quality slider determines the overall crispness of
textures
with OpenGL renderers. Better quality often results
in lower
performance.
8-Bit TEXTURES (Open GL ONLY)
Support
for 8-bit paletted textures is available on some graphics
chipsets
such as the 3Dfx Voodoo. Enabling 8-bit textures results
in a slight
loss of visual quality in exchange for better overall
performance.
STIPPLE ALPHA (SOFTWARE ONLY)
Enabling stipple alpha results in faster performance when
rendering transparent surfaces such as windows, water, and
lava, but also results in reduced image quality when rendering
transparent surfaces.
APPLY
Selecting
this option "applies" the given video configuration,
which
means that the selected options are made current if possible.
A NOTE ABOUT VIDEO OPTIONS
Some video options available
in Quake II are not supported by your
particular hardware. If
you select an unsupported video option Quake
II will return to the previous
video settings or a default software
mode and drop down the console
to report the error.
AUDIO
This menu will allow you
to adjust the volume of the in game
sound effects, set the quality
of the sound effects, and turn
CD music on or off.
THE QUAKE II DEMO
DOES NOT INCLUDE HIGH QUALITY
SOUNDS. FUTURE RELEASES
WILL.
CONTROLS
Here you can adjust your
mouse options, customize your keyboard
settings, and restore all
your control settings to their defaults.
MOUSE SPEED
Allows you to adjust your
mouse movement speed. The higher you
set this the faster your
character will turn in relation to
mouse movement.
ALWAYS RUN
You can set this to YES
if you do not want to hold down the RUN
button in order to move
quickly.
INVERT MOUSE
This gives your mouse "airplane-style"
controls. This means
that pushing the mouse forward
"noses down", and pulling it
back "noses up". Some
people prefer this control technique.
LOOKSPRING
Returns your view immediately
to straight ahead when you
release the look up / down
key. Otherwise, you must move
forward for a step or two
before your view snaps back.
Lookspring does not work
while you are underwater.
LOOKSTRAFE
If you are using the look
up / down key, then this option
causes you to sidestep instead
of turn when you try to move
left or right.
FREELOOK
With this option enabled
you no longer have to press the
MLOOK key to look up and down while using the mouse.
C. CONSOLE
Tap the ~ (tilde) key to
bring down the console. As with the Main
Menu, when the console is
down, a single player game is paused. A wide
variety of esoteric commands
can be entered at the console.
III. THE GAME
A. THE SCREEN
The large top part of the screen is the view
area, in which you see
monsters and architecture. You can enlarge
the viewing area by hitting
the + key. The - key shrinks the view area.
Health Display
This displays the amount
of life you have remaining. It also shows
a picture of your face which
can give you a rough idea of how much
damage you have sustained.
Your face can also indicate the direction
from which damage is being
inflicted.
Ammo Display
The type and amount of ammo
remaining is displayed here.
Armor Display
The amount of armor you
have remaining is displayed here. The armor
type is represented by an
icon to the side of this Display. If you are
completely out of armor
this display will disappear.
Selected Item Display
This displays the item that
is ready to be used. Use the bracket keys
to move through the list
and press the ENTER key to activate it.
Active Power Up Display
If you select a power up
that has a duration Quake II will display it
on the screen with a count
down to show the time remaining.
Personal Computer
When your personal computer
receives new information an icon will
appear at the bottom center
of the game screen. Press the F1 key to
pull up your personal computer.
It will display your current mission
objectives, secondary objective
and your current kills, secrets, and
objectives solved. Some
levels will require you to leave and then
re-enter in order to attain
all kills, secrets, and goals.
Inventory
Press the tab key to pull down
your inventory screen. Use the bracket
keys to navigate through the list
and press the ENTER key to active
the currently selected item. The
inventory displays the item name, the
hot key for using it, and the
amounts you have of each item.
Blaster
The common rechargeable
energy side-arm as used on Earth. As you know,
the Blaster is not much,
but it's good enough to gore a guard or
tickle a tank.
Shotgun
This mighty sprayer carries
a lot of ammo but is virtually useless at
a distance. If possible,
get in nice and close to use the Shotgun
instead of your Blaster
to add some lead freckles on the Strogg's ugly
faces. Remember, it requires
shells and takes some time to reload.
Super Shotgun
This is the uncompromising
big brother to the Shotgun, intended for
a close encounter of the
dangerous kind. It eats more shells than the
Shotgun, but the show is
well worth the price of admission.
Machine Gun
Perfect for putting guards
in their place - in hell. Although this
effective weapon is easy
to use, its light weight causes considerable
kickback and it may force
your gun up, ruining your aim.
Grenade Launcher
Fast, easy-to-aim explosives
designed for long-range use in mind.
Not recommended for smaller,
confined areas or you may also blow
up 'real good'.
Hand Grenade
Just twist open the cap
and toss it. Treat this like a really
dangerous baseball, and
lob it in the direction you choose. Just
remember to let go at some
point. The longer you hold down the
fire key, the further you
will toss the grenade.
Rocket Launcher
A slow but deliciously lethal
weapon of choice. Period.
Ammo
There are four major ammo
types: shells, bullets, grenades, and
rockets. With the exception
of the laser blaster, you must have
ammunition to use a weapon.
Each ammo type has a maximum you can
carry.
Armor
There are three armor types:
Flak Jacket, Combat Suit, and Body Armor.
Each one provides a certain
amount of protection against both normal
attacks and energy weapon
attacks. Your current armor type will be
displayed on your status
bar. If you take enough hits, your armor
strength will deplete down
to nothing, so seek out unused breast
plates. If you pick up armor
that is as good as or worse than your
current armor, it is salvaged
to improve your current armor level.
Armor Shards
Special remnant of armors,
which add a bit more durability to your
existing protection.
Health
There are two types of standard
health kits to ingest: First Aid
and Medkits.
Stimpacks
These provide an additional
boost to your health.
Bandolier
Also increases potential
inventory for each ammo type, except for
explosives such as grenades
and rockets.
Underwater Breather
Provides oxygen when submerged
in liquids.
Quad Damage
Temporarily multiplies all
your weapon's strengths by four times.
Let the gibbing begin!
Adrenaline Pack
This adds an additional
two health to your overall achievable health
level.
Name: Light Guard
Description: Weakest of the three processed humans,
armed solely with
a simple blaster.
Name: Shotgun Guard
Description: These loyal troops are equipped with
an automatic scatter gun
prosthetic.
Name: Machine-gun Guard
Description: Bigger, meaner, and deadlier than above…with
a machine-gun
for a right arm.
Name: Enforcer
Description: Strong, muscle-bound warrior who dishes
out chain gun speed
damage. If he gets close enough he will try to whack
you over the head
with his gun.
Name: Gunner
Description: The fighting elite for the Strogg,
outfitted with a powerful
machine gun and an automatic grenade launcher.
Name: Berserker
Description: He has a metal spike as one arm, a
hammer as another, plus
two crazy-fast legs.
Name: Parasite
Description: Four-legged beast with a weapon on
its back. Once fired, it
attaches itself and literally sucks the life from
you.
Name: Flyer
Description: A small two-winged monster, comprised
of a controlling brain
and a cyborg body that allows it to levitate.
Name: Tank
Description: Tanks are armed with three weapons
that they use at random:
an arm-mounted machine gun, an arm-mounted laser
blaster, a
shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.
Once you finish a level, you'll find an elevator
or passageway that takes
you to the next level. You start the next
level with the same armor,
ammo, health, and weapons you had at the end
of the previous one. If you
were using a power-up as you ended the previous
level it will now be
deactivated. In some cases you can return
to a previous level.
Q. I'm stuck. How do I get through the level?
A. Take a stroll around and look for a place you haven't been yet.
Sometimes
you have to kill a particular monster in order to progress, so exterminate
them all!
Q. How can I find all the secrets?
A. Don't worry about it. You never have to find a secret to finish
a level.
Also, some secrets are intentionally hard to find.
Q. I've cleared out the whole level, but my monster kill score isn't
100%.
Where are they hiding?
A. Some monsters hide inside secrets, or are released by them.
You won't be
able to kill those monsters until you find their secrets. You
also may have to leave
the level and then return to release all the monsters.
Q. Did I really see two monsters fighting each other?
A. Probably. Some monsters hate one another almost as much as
they hate you.
You can use this to your advantage (exercise left up to the reader).
Occasionally your character may become stuck in a wall. Go to the console
by
hitting the ~ (tilde) key and type NOCLIP. Move away from the wall
and type
NOCLIP again.
Monster AI is still in development. Some monsters may seem to be ignoring
you
until you actually shoot them. This is because as small aliens they
refused
to eat their humans and as a result suffered brain damage. We will
be taking
measures to ensure that all aliens receive a proper diet before the
final release.
Door and plat sounds may malfunction occasionally.
Some areas may cause you to get a "packet overflow" message.
Auto-restart load games sometimes load you one level back from the level
you should be started on.
A quick saved game can only be loaded from the quick load menu.
A normal saved game can only be loaded from the normal load game menu.
The in-game demo will only play one time and then end in an error.
Bug Reporting for Quake II Compatibility Test:
We have prepared a form to make submitting bugs easy for the player.
This
will ensure that we get the information we need to accurately identify
and
fix these problems.
To submit a bug report, just point your web browser to:
http://www.idsoftware.com/contact/q2feedback.html
or
http://www.activision.com/games/action/quake2/q2feedback.html
or
http://www.stomped.com/q2feedback.html
or
http://www.bluesnews.com/ or
http://www.gamecenter.com/Quake2/q2feedback.html
Once there, all you have to do is fill in the blanks and hit the button
at
the bottom of the page to submit your report. Please be as thorough
as
possible in filling out the form. Also, please note that someone
may contact
you for more information if needed.
Thanks for your help!