Carmack: id pondering Quake 1-style reboot

"Strong factions internally" at id Software fancy returning the Quake series to its roots with a reboot of the original, Lovecraftian-y style, John Carmack has revealed.

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"Strong factions internally" at id Software fancy returning the Quake series to its roots and the Lovecraftian-y stylings of the original Quake, id's technical wizard John Carmack has told Eurogamer. However, he makes quite clear, "Nothing is scheduled here, people are not building this."

"We went from the Quake II and the Quake 4 Strogg universe. We are at least tossing around the possibilities of going back to the bizarre, mixed up Cthulhu-ish Quake 1 world and rebooting that direction," Carmack said. "We think that would be a more interesting direction than doing more Strogg stuff after Quake 4."

"We certainly have strong factions internally that want to go do this," he explained. "But we could do something pretty grand like that, that still tweaks the memory right in all of those ways, but is actually cohesive and plays with all of the strengths of the level we're at right now."

The first Quake was a Doom-y shooter set in a moody fantasy dimension with Lovecraftian references, populated by hordes of demons. However, it also had plenty of industrial complexes, soldiers, and military weaponry. The mix-up stemmed from shifting focus during development; originally Quake was to star a Thor-like character with a mighty hammer, and feature RPG elements.

"I looked at the original Quake as this random thing, because we really didn't have our act together very well," Carmack said. "But because it was so seminal about the 3D world and the internet gaming, it's imprinted on so many people. It made such an impact in so many ways. Memory cuts us a lot of slack."

1997's Quake II had a whole new setting, pitting players against the techno-organic Strogg. Quake 4 continued the Strogg story in 2005, after 1999's Quake III: Arena largely did away single-player to focus on multiplayer.

id CEO Todd Hollenshead added, "People shouldn't worry that we're ever going to orphan or abandon Quake. We are huge fans of the game internally."

id's next game will be Rage, which is headed to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 4. Beyond that, id has been teasing Doom 4 but not yet revealed it.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 17, 2011 6:00 AM

    Alice O'Connor posted a new article, Carmack: id pondering Quake 1 reboot.

    "Strong factions internally" at id Software fancy returning the Quake series to its roots with a reboot of the original, Lovecraftian-y game, John Carmack has revealed.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:01 AM

      If they make a quake world as part of it, with the same physics I would have a boner

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:04 AM

        ^ THIS. It would have to be super fast paced, same physics, and all that.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:02 AM

      I say do it, keep the MP similar to the original and include mod tools.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:03 AM

      Yesssssss!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:09 AM

        YES

        I don't have any hopes about them re-creating the MP gameplay, I just want them to get back to that feel/theme. Definitely more interesting than Stroggs.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:23 AM

          They shouldn't strive for recreating, that just leads to disappointment, it would never feel close enough for a large majority of people. That being said hell yes to the general concept and fast paced feel!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:03 AM

      oh fuck yes. for the love of all that's holy please do this. Just 100% graphical update with all the latest tech and keep the gameplay the same

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:05 AM

        It would be interesting to see if it sparked a revival in old school shooters.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 6:07 AM

          God I hope so I'm sick of this one shot one kill sneaky deaky bullshit

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 6:09 AM

          I honestly don't know how it'd do given the current market, but I'd probably buy like 50 copies of the special assrape edition

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 6:35 AM

          Duke Nukem Forever just tried that.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:01 AM

        secret fucking rooms with secret teleporters, slime, lava, nail guns, flickering torches .... SPOOGE

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:08 AM

      I wonder how compatible that would be with the modern "press X to have the game played for you" non-gameplay

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:14 AM

      Yes! YES! YES!!! PLEASE DO THIS!?! I've been saying this for years. I always vastly preferred the original Quake settings and enemies to the Strogg. I really enjoyed the mix of sci-fi and fantasy. I'd play the hell out of this game (no pun intended).

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:16 AM

        Oh man... I almost wish he had never said this because I'm already super excited to play this game and they haven't even started making it yet... (and maybe never will).

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 6:19 AM

          even if it's just a return to the same Lovecraftian style and has similar gameplay elements (i.e. not a 100% gameplay port), I'd be all over this. For example, I don't want none of this iron sights business in Quake 1 remake, but perhaps an improved melee system for the axe (or other melee weapons) would be an interesting addition

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 6:36 AM

            When it comes down to gameplay mechanics... id usually nails that stuff. I just want a return to that environment and see a modern day Shambler rendered in an updated Rage engine and I think I can probably just die in peace right there. :)

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 3:11 PM

            I killed Paul Allen with an ax to the FACE.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:50 AM

        I'm totally with you on this. Screw Stroggs, I have loved the first one's setting more than anything else.
        And please get Trent to do the soundtrack again!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:17 AM

      It would probably be a huge technical undertaking but it would be awesome if this quake reboot could run the old quake mods out of the box.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 7:15 AM

        The old grappling hook would look so funny in a new engine.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:17 AM

      Hopefully it will have a 2 weapon limit and prone.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:19 AM

      It's all about the atmosphere for me - you'd need similar or the same music, similar lighting, similar eerieness. I'm not sure they could do it without Romero and the original gang.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:23 AM

        Bring back Trent if he's still interested, maybe. I think as long as they have competent artists in place, they could just use Quake 1 as the template and go from there. I'm sure id has people working there now who were obsessed with Quake as it was and would want to ensure proper continuity.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:24 AM

      How many GOOD reboots have we had?

      Fallout maybe? Yeah, that's was good. Let's go with that. I can't really think of any more.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:31 AM

        FO, Tomb Raider, Castlevania, Doom, Mortal Kombat.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:24 AM

      Ahhg!! Yes! Where were these internal guys at id when they were making the travesty known as Quake 2?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:43 AM

        QUAKE 2 WAS AWESOME SHUT UP!!

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:47 AM

          I know we're in the minority here, but I agree with you. Though not as much of a surreal experience like Quake was.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:37 PM

          Damn straight!!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 7:02 AM

        travesty? really? I cut my FPS teeth on that game.

        many an hour were spent running Q2DM1 and double jumping for the mega health :)

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:13 AM

          If you played Quake then Quake II was horrible because everything seemed to be super slow and too colourful. To me each version of Quake is special in its own way and they remain on my harddisk forever.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 7:38 AM

            [deleted]

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 7:58 AM

            I played both and thought Quake II multiplayer was an improvement in almost every conceivable way

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 9:16 AM

            I started out on Q2 and loved every bit of it. When Q3 came out i hated the gameplay. Eventually i got used to it and enjoyed it immensely though. I have to agree that they all have their strong points and weak points, but i will always enjoy Q2 the most since that is where it began for me.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 11:42 AM

            TDM= QW
            1 vs 1 = Q2
            IMO.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 8:50 AM

          It isn't our fault you were a late bloomer.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 11:58 AM

          Same for me :D

          spent a few days to even comprehend how to do it

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 8:09 AM

        Nevermind the core game, but don't you be putting down the engine that made the godly pleasures of AQ2 possible, son.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:05 AM

        WTF? Quake 2 was awesome. I lost many hours of my life to Q1 and Q2

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:09 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:28 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:59 AM

        It's when they left the cool gothic lovecraft-type theme that it became lame. Quake 3 brought it back. Then it back to the goony Strogg cyborg shit. As with Quake Wars.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:35 PM

        [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:25 AM

      Oh he'll yes

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:30 AM

      Oh man, that would be so awesome. Quake 1's atmosphere and setting is awesome.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:35 AM

      quad yawn.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:37 AM

      This is good and bad. I can't freaking wait, the bad thing is that it won't be out for 5+ years.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:40 AM

      Yes, I've been waiting for them to come to this realization ever since the fail that was quake 4

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:40 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:44 AM

      I would spend upwards of $200 for this title if done correctly.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:44 AM

      I'd love to see something like this. Hopefully it doesn't take 5 years to develop.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:47 AM

      FUCK YEAH!!!! Let the Shambler return!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:53 AM

        Fuck yeah. God, I hope it happens and I hope they don't fuck it up.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:01 AM

          I'd be happy if they just updated the graphics on Quake 1, hell they don't need to change anything.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:49 AM

      That would be awesome.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:52 AM

      As a guy who grew up on the Quake series, this sounds great to me. Especially if multiplayer holds up to the style of previous games.

      Above all else, shooters these days have lost the raw SPEED that Quake games had.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 7:03 AM

        ^^ This

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 7:43 AM

        Totally feel the same way. Quake is my favorite FPS of all time.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:53 AM

      And we'll see it in 2018

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:58 AM

      I would finally purchase a proper gaming rig for this game. I couldn't play it on a console out of principle (even though it has been tried before).

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:03 AM

      please be true

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:14 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:15 AM

      I'm torn about this. On the one hand I'd say - do not touch it, leave it be, on the other depending on what they do with it i'd say hell yes. For me Quake was all about the level design especially with levels like DM3 or DM4 with tons of quirks and shortcuts etc.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:18 AM

      I mean, this is shacknews, one of the oldest quake gaming communities, but hell yes to this news.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:26 AM

      Holy fuck YES. I am literally shaking like a small dog right now.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:34 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:39 AM

      BRING ROMERO IN ON THIS AND I WILL ACHIEVE GAMING NIRVANA

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 7:42 AM

        Nah, leave Romero out of this.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:43 AM

          But ID went downhill after he left/got fired.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 7:44 AM

            Not this again. So did he.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 7:45 AM

            id did not go downhill, their games just lost their soul.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 7:50 AM

            id never left the mid 90's for me. As soon as they made Quake they lost me. I much prefer they make games like Doom that have personality AND awesome gameplay. Not just a solid shooter stuck in a brown box.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 7:58 AM

              Quake had all kinds of personality to me, from then on their games seemed more like tech demo's.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 7:59 AM

              [deleted]

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 8:01 AM

              Doom, the shooter stuck in a red box?

              Quake was 10x more interesting to me than Doom/D2.

              • reply
                June 17, 2011 8:26 AM

                Quake was all about the mods. Quakeworld, TF, ActionQuake, Reaperbots. The game itself was terribly bland and disjointed.

                Doom was a significantly better game, but the mod possibilities were not as deep.

              • reply
                June 17, 2011 8:26 AM

                I was "out" of the shooter game until HL1. That game had personality. Quake did not

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 8:23 AM

              Colors != personality.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 8:02 AM

            iD didn't go downhill. Gaming went uphill and they stagnated where they were, except for graphics.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 9:02 AM

              Obligatory - id has never spelled their name lowercase i, uppercase d.

              • reply
                June 17, 2011 9:17 AM

                hmm, seems like there was something about it at first that they changed, I'll have to go flip through my MoD book to be sure...

                • reply
                  June 17, 2011 10:51 AM

                  It changed from full uppercase to full lowercase. It has never been "iD."

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 9:50 AM

            To use a Chicago Bears analogy - it's like Buddy Ryan and Mike Ditka; they only work well together, not apart from eachother. If they came together and made up it would be the kick ass game of the year.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 7:45 AM

          boooo!

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 11:10 AM

          DESIGN IS LAW!

      • gmd legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury mega
        reply
        June 17, 2011 7:59 AM

        Not without his buddy Superfly

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 8:08 AM

        I'm fairly sure many talented people have left id software and accomplished far greater than Romero ever did but just because the guy was outspoken he gets a ridiculously absurd amount of credit.

        If it were up to Romero for instance, Quake 1 wouldn't have been anything like it actually was. It would have been far closer to Daikatana. The thor like character with a mighty hammer mentioned in the article was basically replaced by the protagonist in Daikatana with a sword. I think, but can't recall for sure, but there were RPG elements in Daikatana as well. Daikatana was essentially Romero's vision of Quake.

        I'm not saying Romero has no talent or doesn't have a lot of great ideas. I'm pretty sure he made some of the best maps in both Doom and Quake. He just doesn't deserve to be on some pedestal.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 9:03 AM

          there's quite a lot of things wrong in your post:

          -romero built ionstorm. without both studios there would never have been a game like deus ex.
          to say he didnt accomplish anything is ignorant of what he did and what he does. daikatana was a turd (with the exception of the mp which was great) but not only didn't he really contribute barely anything to it beyond his name he also took all the shit for it. so if you want to hate him for daikatana you have to keep in mind that it was him that allowed specter to build deusex.
          he failed on his ambition and on the lack of his management skills but everything he and carmack spat over came through. romero wanted to build a bigger studio with more people and more products as he knew it was the way the industry was developing. carmack did not. in the end id was bought and they are doing what romero wanted to do a decade ago.

          he was quite ahead of his time when he decided to make mobile games and produced some good stuff like hyperspace delivery boy. now he is making moneyhats in casual gaming with stuff like ravewoods fair on facebook.


          -romero just like hall pushed for a more complex gamedesign in doom (look at halls doom bible).

          he wanted it in quake as well. in the end just like in doom they scratched it pushed it out because the game was already quite late. he designed like 60% of the the maps (the best ones i might add). its his accomplishment as much as anyone else on the team despite him wanting a slightly different route.

          there was an interview where carmack didnt even agree that stuff like shooting marks on the wall or the ability to crouch should be in any game because they were non-essential (it was over duke3d). carmack needed some counterweight that romero always supplied and people put both on a pedestal because those two were the driving forces behind doom and quake.

          i love carmack and id but i really believe that id software might have been a better game developer if they didnt get rid of romero.



          • reply
            June 17, 2011 9:25 AM

            A-FUCKING-MEN!

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 9:52 AM

            Actually nothing was wrong with my post.

            I never said Romero didn't accomplish anything.

            If you seriously want to act like Romero deserves a large amount of credit for hiring Warren Spector and the success of Deus Ex, while almost no fault for Daikatana and the entire collapse of the company he built, then there's really no reason to even bother debating it.

            I actually agree with your end statement. I think id software would have been a better studio if Romero had stayed. He just gets far more credit than he has proven he deserves.


            • reply
              June 17, 2011 10:08 AM

              i actually made the opposite argument, if you want to shit of him for daikatana you have to praise him for making deus ex possible. furthermore what i disagree on is your assumption he gets more credit for doom and quake based on what he did later on. which is absurd. he was the lead designer of doom and quake, he wrote the design papers, made the bulk of the maps, wrote the mapping tools etc
              he and hall did have other, maybe greater plans for doom and quake but he pretty much shaped both games with his design.

              he receives the praise he deserves, making daikatana out to be what romero is solely to be judged on you are being wilfully ignorant of why people praise him.

              if you want to criticize him for being a loudspeaker or whatever you are right but then again he was practically the whole pr department of id software back then while helping out lots of other companies to get on their feet with hexen or heretic for example.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 6:31 PM

              WTF, why isn't anyone mentioning Anachronox coming from Ion Storm? That game rocks.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 10:13 AM

            well said!

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 6:32 PM

            he doesn't make anything from ravenwood fair, he was just a consultant for lolapps

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 12:59 PM

          but dude.... his HAIR....

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 8:30 AM

        Romero was really the driving force behind quake level design and if you look at the quality of the maps he made in contrast to willits,petersen and mcgee you would have to be blind to not appreciate his work. just like in doom the best episodes/maps were his.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 8:37 AM

          100% agreed. I think it's time the John's get past their little spat (how many years ago was that? seriously) and make an amazing game together again.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 8:43 AM

            i don't think its going to happen, romero is making moneyhats with casual games. his last facebook product has a playerbase of 25 million players.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 8:46 AM

            Carmack wasn't the only one that disliked Romero.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 9:00 AM

              well those guys can all just suck it down!

              kidding

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 3:01 PM

          exactly

      • reply
        June 18, 2011 2:03 AM

        R{UNITE TEH CARMACK WITH TEH ROMERO!}/R

      • reply
        June 18, 2011 2:07 AM

        Srsly though, Carmack and Romero together were win. I think some people here are looking at the equation incorrectly. The idea is that together they make better games as a team than they EVER did apart.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:44 AM

      Fuck, yes please. This could be amazing, and sweep away some of the bullshit convention of modern gameplay like health regen and two weapons.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:16 AM

        Yes! But Trent NEEDS to do the sound effects and the sound again. This was a huge part of the game.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:46 AM

      I hope they make a few concessions to modern gaming, like regenerating health, and max 2 weapons

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:54 AM

      I never got how they went from Lovecraftian to whatever the hell it was in 2..generic aliens. The nightmarish horror stuff in the first one was inspired.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:54 AM

      "I ain't scared of no Quake."

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:00 AM

      YES!!!!! I want this to happen so bad!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:01 AM

      I remember Quake 1 as a game that had some really cool elements and ideas, but as a whole seemed bizarre and didn't make a lot of sense. Still, I am intrigued what they might do if they do reboot it - it could be very cool.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:01 AM

      Feek YEAH

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:04 AM

      please jeebus let this be true. or at least quake 5 with RA5 and CTF ready to go. the recent FPS disasters has led me to a dark place in gaming :(

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:05 AM

      I should resurrect a post I made last year:


      Give me some torchlit Lovecraftian cross-dimensional high-explosive action. Iron and stone, fire and blood. Please make it fast, keep the mechanics simple, and use all three dimensions in the level design... the environments shouldn't make any concessions to realism.

      http://www.veoh.com/watch/v18005455TgFtb7PT

      There's something special about the broke-ass inconsistent themes of Quake. I can't think of anything else with a similar atmosphere.

      Also see http://www.lunaran.com/page.php?id=200

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 3:31 PM

        That last article articulates my thoughts exactly. That is why quake is one of my favorite games and why I liked Half-life 1 more than 2.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:57 PM

        Excellent post on why Q1 was awesome.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:05 AM

      Please make it so.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:13 AM

      Still dig that game's music.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:13 AM

      This is excellent news. Quake 1's universe has always been my favorite out of all the quakes. I'm really looking forward to some next gen Quake MP.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 8:43 AM

        my favorite was the one in the catalog that came with Commander Keen. "no more whack, whack, here's some gold"

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:24 AM

      One of my favorite FPS titles of all time going back to its roots? Count me in!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:37 AM

      If they do this and preserve the ultra fast paced action (like they should), I can't imagine it playing all that well on a console. Quake is too hectic for a gamepad.

      Of course, you're thinking "Who plays Quake with a gamepad???", but that has to factor into their decision on the business side of things.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:39 AM

      HIJACK Am I the only one loving gaming's trend of returning to roots? Platformers are 3D games set on 2D planes, Doom 4 will hearken back to the fast-paced frenetic style of Doom 2, and now id's also seriously considering a throwback to the mismash design and blistering speed of Quake.

      There are plenty of other examples I can't really think of, and obviously not everyone in the industry is following along. But I'm enjoying the effort, as the mid-90s was my favorite gaming era. Developers were focused on gameplay and fun, not flashy graphics and nickle-and-dime DLC packs.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:16 AM

        I really enjoy that things like Terraria are still being made, and can be successful and profitable. Portable gaming also helps make it possible for things like Phoenix Wright back a genre.

        There are some genres that are pretty much totally missing though nowadays. No one will probably ever make a text-heavy RPG again since everything needs to be voiced. X-Com will apparently never get made again, nor will things like Rainbow Six or SWAT4. Beat-em-ups rarely get made anymore, God Hand and Viewtiful Joe are the last ones I can think of (although I guess Guardian Heroes remake counts, I don't have a 360 though :( ). X-Wing is dead.

        There are still things I have hope for. Policenauts and Snatcher? These games are begging to be made again on a touchscreen device, adventure games as well.

        Overall, despite the enormous glut of FPS, there are still some fun creative games that manage to squeak by.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 9:43 AM

          Beat-em-ups got absorbed into the ARPG genre. God of War is definitely descended from that genre.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 9:44 AM

            Also, you can still find a number of text heavy RPGs, just on handhelds instead of home consoles.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 3:24 PM

        Don't forget fighting games have pretty much gone 2D

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:41 AM

      i'm not sure i want them to. look at what made quake great and how fps have evolved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcwOniYIr0s the high pace action doesnt really fit the modern id formula anymore and if you listen to what tim willits said about the already slowed down and simplified map design and gameplay of quake3 in comparison to quakeworld you get the impression there is no future for the things that made quake great. (he called the design his biggest mistake as it was too complex and beginner unfriendly, apparently quake3 did sell pretty badly back in the day).

      i'm sure the visual technowizard/lovecraft design will be great and its fuckload better than the generic strogg shit but the core gameplay of what makes quake great even today is a feat that can't survive in a modern aaa title. the audience does not exist for it and nobody would risk a 20 million dollar project for it.

      i'm waiting for doom4 to see if they can find their way back but if doom3 and rage are any indication i don't want them to sully the legacy of quake 1.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:44 AM

      will the demo remain at a healthy 9MB?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:34 AM

        What's a demo?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:40 AM

        The Quake Demo and the Duke3D.exe demo were my favorite demo discs ever.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 10:12 AM

          man i can recall the stories of buying my doom shareware (one really seedy porn ridden kiosk with a clerk i could smell from a distance), getting my quake shareware of the net (the disks where shipped to me from munich because i had no access to the internet) and buying my duke shareware cd at an obscene price in a dubious computer store.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 1:24 PM

            Ahh, yes, I remember those seedy shareware racks :)

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 10:23 AM

        anonymous ftp squatting time!!!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 10:38 AM

        How many people here had it on seven floppy diskettes like myself?

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 10:55 AM

          Haha yeah i remember download the demo from a BBS.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 11:04 AM

            Haha and it took a couple of days too iirc!

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 3:26 PM

            Yeah, I followed Quake development since the first day it was announced. I used to read .plan's every freaking day. I downloaded that demo as soon as I could get my hands on it and pre-ordered the game through prompt in the demo. I still have that original disk actually (which now requires about 5 patches and additions just to run correctly :) ). But.. holy shit.. the first time I saw GLQuake running on my 3dFX... it's the closest games have ever come to porn for me. I know people talk about creaming their pants when they see an awesome new game.. but that time.. I think I was seriously close.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:49 AM

      The only way this works is with Romero.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:03 AM

        I'll give it to you. Although Daikatana was extremely bad, Quake and Doom wouldnt be the same without him.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:51 AM

      The last thing id needs to return to is a spooky, hellspawn, monster-closet shooter. Keep innovating with new IP... not old, tired IP. Everything that was good about Quake 1 is no longer relevant today.

      Quake was good for a few reasons, just off the top of my head:

      1) It was the first. As in, the first 3D shooter done well. Plus it had 3D card support.
      2) It was multiplayer.
      3) It was highly mod-able. Actually, the mods are what made it good.

      Not a single one of these points is relavent today. Every game is 3D with 3D card support. Every shooter has multiplayer. And most engines, if modable, require too many resources to mod effectively for small teams. Nothing about Quake's single player was interesting enough that it warrents a reboot.

      If id wants to make a Lovecraft game, fine (but please don't). Just don't call it Quake.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 8:56 AM

        ^ Analysis correct. Really at this stage the only difference between a Quake reboot vs the Doom reboot would be 'more demon like' monsters vs 'more lovecraftian like' monsters....

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        June 17, 2011 8:58 AM

        Who needs monster closets when there are slipgates? I think it can be done better with an algorithm for populating the level dynamically, guided by waypoints and skill settings, as well as player feedback logging. I'd love to see the setting and weapons in a larger environment. Not sandbox, but large enough to contain a huge castle, manse, grotto, etc.

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        June 17, 2011 10:52 AM

        Not relevant? so you think a quake reboot involving very fast FPS gameplay would not be relevant? why does every modern FPS have to have cover systems and iron sights? The core of Quake 1 gameplay is still very very good.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 11:06 AM

          I don't think that style of play is relevant anymore. Sales numbers support it, and player numbers support it. Halo is about as close as you can get to a popular version of Quake today. And even then, its more like a distant cousin.

          If we're talking strictly multiplayer gameplay... I think that fast paced, map-control, non-regen health type of death-match gameplay has run its course. Unreal Tournament took it about as far as it could go. Maybe if they put a deep meta-game progression system on top of it, like CoD or something, they could get a following... but as-is, Quake era gameplay... I don't think it will pull enough people to sustain a community.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 3:20 PM

        [deleted]

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        June 17, 2011 3:33 PM

        I think you are missing the point and not giving id the credit they deserve. I've seen Rage running at PAX East and the game looks friggin' amazing (it will be the best shooter this year if not for many years). id has come a long way since Quake. If they can take the knowledge and engine they have now and re-capture some of the atmosphere and off-the-wall monster design from the original Quake?! If they do that right.. Holy Shit... it could be AMAZING!!!

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        June 17, 2011 3:39 PM

        It was also stupidly fun. I haven't played any FPS as long as I have quake. I can still go back and play it and enjoy it, and not for nostalgia. The gameplay is just that good.

        I find these so-called "modern FPS" games a giant bore.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 8:55 AM

        ^ interview with John Romero about Quake

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:52 AM

        that was a great video, thanks for sharing

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 12:54 PM

        thats an interesting interview. i had no idea that amercian mcgee bailed on them.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 8:52 AM

      Ooh that sounds good. Best idea to bring back Quake imo.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 9:02 AM

      OMG I have been saying this FOREVER!!

      plz plz PLEASEEEE do this ID!

      no more strogg, bring back the shamblers and fiends!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 9:20 AM

      I would love this, but even if it were in development right now it would be years away. Since it's just an idea its hard to get excited.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 9:22 AM

      With this many reply's yes please?

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      June 17, 2011 9:45 AM

      I want to throw in my own ON MY FACE PLEASE. Quake 1 was magical. The single player would need a drastic overhaul to be modernized but I think id could manage to do a good job and please most fans (except, as always, the hardcore purists).

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      June 17, 2011 9:46 AM

      Grab Romero and do it up dammit. This would be shithot

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      June 17, 2011 9:54 AM

      Oh dear god please do this.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 9:54 AM

      2/10, dated gameplay mechanics, unrealistic physics, drab color palette, 2011 gamers deserve more

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 10:11 AM

        That's Shacknews reviewed, now what about Quake?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 10:54 AM

        Dead to me.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:07 AM

        I hear there is a new Call of Duty game in development, perhaps that would be more your taste?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:16 AM

        Also, it takes an objective view on monsters as just things you kill. What is this game teaching our children about morals??!? I am outraged.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:57 AM

        Like QTE's, chest-high wall cover system, iron sights and regenerating health.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 1:17 PM

          I remember watching a PATV and Gabe (forgot his real name...the art guy) actually said he wouldn't play a game without a cover system. I think I just stopped it and face-palmed.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 10:17 AM

      i loved the original setting so much, this is great news. Although i think it would be very very difficult to get it quite right. But i want to kill me some shamblers!!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 10:20 AM

      I don't know that a return to the mish-mash is wise, but if it's a return to the Cthulhu side of Quake 1, I say go for it. In that case, the one they'd *really* want to bring back is Sandy Petersen, right? : )

      Bonus points if there's a mode with bi/tri/anisotropic filtering disabled so you can make it look like the original software renderer!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 10:53 AM

      MY DICK JUST EXPLODED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 10:53 AM

      Hell yes. I loved quake wars but the strogg really suck. I want castles, weird steampunk versions of modern weapons, and lovecraft.

      Also, the guy that did level design for this mod now works at id:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SInxOqGe0Y&feature=related

      I found it extremely fun, I go back and play through it semi-regularly.
      http://www.moddb.com/mods/shamblers-castle

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 10:59 AM

      As long as it has co-op like the original (unlike duke nukem forever. . .)

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:00 AM

      FUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKK YYYEAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:08 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:41 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        June 18, 2011 9:37 AM

        Yeah :( Thats the worse part about Id :(

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:41 AM

      oh shit yes!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:46 AM

      The sad truth: if it isn't a 1:1 copy of Q1, people will bitch, and if it is a 1:1 copy, people will bitch.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:49 AM

        It will be both.

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        June 17, 2011 11:52 AM

        Yeah, there is no way they can win with this. And the people hoping for the same style of fast paced MP are going to be horribly disappointed. That shit would never fly on the console and this will be a multiplatform game if it happens at all.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:18 PM

        I won't bitch. I'll be happy either way. Unless its a two weapon limit and has a cover system and QTEs and regenerating health. Then I will bitch.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:21 PM

        If it's a 1:1 copy of Q1 and it revitalizes the Q1 dm scene I'll be happy. If it's not a 1:1 copy and it's still fast paced death match that is fun as hell I'll be happy.

        If it's a dumbed down version of Q1 so people that don't like super fast paced twitch FPS can play it I'll be sad.

        That group of people has enough FPS already. Where are my quakeworld FPS at.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 1:26 PM

          Well it is a "reboot" not necessarily a "remake".

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 1:34 PM

          Was the HL remake of Q1 DM ("Deathmatch Classic") a success?
          http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Deathmatch_Classic
          I never played it, but I'm not sure if it was popular or not. I got the impression it didn't really catch on. 'Course, at the time it was competing with CS and TFC...

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 2:58 PM

            I think it also had the issue of not quite nailing the physics and I think they may have disabled bunnyhopping eventually or made it less effective.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 2:59 PM

            I used to make maps for it - it had a small community but it lived a long time.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:26 PM

        I think reboot implies that it would NOT be a copy.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:57 AM

      Didn't quake have a low grav level? I loves me some bouncy low-grav, sign me up!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:57 AM

        Ziggurat Vertigo

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 12:29 PM

          That was fun in deathmatch, too.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 12:36 PM

          That level is where I transitioned from a keyboard gamer to a keyboard+mouse gamer. Grappling hook + zero gravity = AWESOME.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 12:46 PM

            The grappling hook introduced into Quake is still one of the coolest game mechanics. I loved using it in CTF or on someone.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 3:37 PM

              Yeah, seriously. That grappling hook was so amazingly fun... it's kind of odd that it really hasn't been used effectively in any other game since. They put it in Quake 2 and it was still fun there. But... Quakeworld Thunderwalker CTF with grappling hook.... forgetaboutit... probably the closest I've come to gaming nirvana in my life.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 12:37 PM

          Which was just not a replacement for The Vomitorium in RoTT.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 12:35 PM

      Oh man, so much of my youth wasted on Quake and QuakeWorld.

      ;(

      Yes please id!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 12:41 PM

      if they can nail the feel of the old engine, then fuck yes. if they bastardize the speed somehow then it will suck.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:05 PM

        I'm thinking they're seeing big wins from having RAGE run at 60hz and remembering how good quake1 was. Their tech allows them good enough graphics at crazy speeds. Quake1 style maps could look shockingly good and run stupid fast on idTech5

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 1:09 PM

          the hardcore fans would just turn the graphics off anyways

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 1:22 PM

            yah r_picmip 10

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 2:56 PM

            Maybe make player characters have like a flaming aura or perhaps a glowing pentagram underneath them in multiplayer. You could do something to make players more visible for people who don't turn graphics settings all the way down while still allowing people who want to do that to do it.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 6:34 PM

            I only play text adventures

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 12:52 PM

      bunny hopping in excitement

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 1:09 PM

      Don't do a reboot... just do a new story for the quake universe? Why not....

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:12 PM

        the strogg have been pretty chill lately, just off makin shit out of other shit. they likely need to reboot one thing: THE BIG GUN from quake 2. :D

        quake 4 SP was fun as hell.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 1:42 PM

          I liked the Quake 4 stuff I tried... it wasn't perfect by it was decent

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 1:11 PM

      FUCK YEA DM3 CLAN ARENA FOR 10 HOURS STRAIGHT

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 1:38 PM

      There was like absolutely nothing to Quake 1 in terms of storyline or gameplay. Why would you return to something that really has no breadth? For that matter, why is everyone going ape shit over a game they haven't set eyes on in close to two decades and only remember through nostalgia?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:43 PM

        if you don't know you just don't get it

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        June 17, 2011 1:58 PM

        your right about the story line, but the gameplay in SP was great and really tense. The game had an amazing atmosphere and the setting was actually really unusual when you look back at it now. A sureal combination of dark fantasy with futuristic gothic stylings, really cool stuff. I think it was kind of accidental if you look at what they original intention for the game was, but it still ended up being pretty amazing. Much more interesting than the strogg based sequels.

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 3:43 PM

          you mean original intention as in guys with hammers and kung-fo?

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 2:27 PM

        really what they mean is a lovecraftian-ish dungeon setting with rocket launchers

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 3:46 PM

        The lack of a story is what made the game great. The minimalist approach leaves a lot up to my imagination instead of having some boring cliche shoved down my throat.

        I still play the game from time to time so it's not nostalgia. Change just enough to make it new and it will breathe new life into it.

        • reply
          June 18, 2011 1:51 AM

          You never played Tribes 2 then.

          • reply
            June 18, 2011 11:39 AM

            I did and as much as I wanted to, I didn't like it at all. Completely different game from quake.

      • reply
        June 19, 2011 9:36 AM

        I played Q1 today. It's fucking awesome even now. Yeah, so the graphics have aged a lot, but the gameplay is still really good fun, and the theme and monsters are varied and not constrained by modern day story telling bullcrap. You have guns and the enemy have guts, that's about all there is to it. What more do you need?

        Plus the game has TONS of add-on content. Thousands of maps (hundreds of good ones), many mods (and Quake 1 is where modding really took off, so many game types such as CTF and Team Fortress started from Quake mods.) If you don't care about the graphics (which aren't that bad on many recent maps when you use a modern engine) then playing coop on maps you've never tried before can be a lot of fun.

        If id made a new Quake with the same theme as Q1 that was even half as fun, it would probably be the most awesome game of whatever year it launches.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 1:40 PM

      Make it fast. Make it rude. Make it Quake :-)

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 1:44 PM

      QUAKE ONE NOW MOTHERFUCKERS!!! push 210 FPS!!!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 1:44 PM

      Well, sounds dandy and all, but the last time internal factions at id wanted to remake a game it resulted in an absolute turd. But at least they got rid of the anti-talent Paul Steed.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:46 PM

        What's Paul Steed have to do with any of this?

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 1:59 PM

          He was fired over going against the internal faction that wanted to make Doom 3.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 2:03 PM

            I still see no problem. Wasn't Carmack on Paul Steed's side as well? I guess that makes Carmack an asshole too.

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 2:56 PM

            Actually, Steed was on the side that wanted to make Doom 3, and was fired by the owners who didn't (but not because Steed was on the side who did; it was for other reasons).

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 1:55 PM

        You are a sad little bitter man

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 2:25 PM

        I enjoyed Doom 3.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 2:31 PM

        DooM3 was fantastic.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 3:51 PM

        You just made want to go back and play Doom 3 for 10th fucking time.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 5:34 PM

        What is with all the Doom 3 hate? Christ. I loved the shit out of it.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 2:33 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 2:39 PM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 2:49 PM

          Internal politics at Id between ramero and others. Ramero wanted a swords based fantasy gothic game. Others wanted a q2 esque environment

          • reply
            June 17, 2011 2:54 PM

            And originally Quake 2 was going to be a new game altogether. But they said fuck it and went with Quake 2.

            • reply
              June 17, 2011 5:31 PM

              They couldn't get the rights to the name they wanted, so they stuck with the internal name which was Quake 2.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 2:35 PM

      I haven't played pure old school DM is so long.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 2:48 PM

        Well, you can play classic q1 dm in the hl2 engine...

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:34 PM

      Hell yeah, I would love a Quake 1 reboot done internally.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:39 PM

      i have a feeling they aren't going to resurrect the quake world multpilayer experience, they've already established quake live and i think they said they're done with doing multilayer focused games. Co-op would be cool though.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:39 PM

      It'd be cool if they Retcon'd it into the Strogg stuff a little. Like maybe the slipgate was supposed to take you to Stroggos, but yeah that doesn't work out.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:40 PM

      The only bad thing about this potential news... is how freaking long I'm going to have to wait until I can play this!!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:40 PM

      pretty please don't let this be ruined by console focus. quake 1 reboot needs strong focus on fastpaced multiplayer. quakeworld is where the major ideas for competitive arena shooter came from.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:38 PM

        You will be disappointed then as I bet it will be a purely single player game. The wont be able to sell a quake world style multiplayer to the console noobers.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:46 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:47 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:49 PM

      Is this their way of saying they're unhappy with how Rage turned out?

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:54 PM

      Best game intro music EVER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv5Jvr2Fp48

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 3:58 PM

      i remember playing the Quake 1 on my Pentium 60Mhz without a hardware accelerator, good times

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 4:23 PM

      Will need to have Reznor doing sounds and possibly music again...

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 5:58 PM

      dnf killed any chance of a quake remake, we are going to get a modern day shooter, aim down the sights, health regen title.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 6:07 PM

        Yeah, but maybe people will wise up and stop doing that shit. I'd love to see a Quake1 remake that had no health regen, and if you die you start the level over from the beginning. The maps wouldn't have to be huge, but every playthrough would basically be a mechanics enforced speed-run.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 6:11 PM

      If they do this right it could be freaking amazing.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:28 PM

      I hope they reboot Quake, it's still my favorite FPS of all time, nothing will ever top the online competitive quake/quake 3 scene IMO. clan knightmare, represent

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 7:31 PM

      I would love a remake but it wont happen, after Duke got destroyed for it's old school mechanics mixed with new.

      Anyone who thinks they could release a 100% pure old school game with super fast hadrcore multiplayer on a console oriented industry is dreaming.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:28 PM

        I don't think they said anything about keeping the old school mechanics, or keeping it 100% old school for that matter. Pretty sure they'd do new levels and use the same concept that made Q1 so unique - hence the term REBOOT and not "remake" or "re-release"

        • reply
          June 17, 2011 11:43 PM

          Quake is one of the strongest arguments against the new way of doings things. If they make a Halo-ified Quake there is no hope for a return to classic speed shooting.

          • reply
            June 18, 2011 9:32 AM

            Quake non-GL at 320x200 with sv_maxspeed 600 FFS!!!!

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 9:20 PM

      Just played blood on dosbox and SHIT THAT NEEDS A REMAKE!!!!

      Remember huffing bundles of dynamite and they scream the loudest fucking scream ever?

      Before you light em up, they are hungarian or whatever, after they are in so much pain they scream IN ENGLISH!

      So bloody, so violent, and very funny. On the first level there is a secret where you move a bush and in there is a grave with a raven and it says draven on it. Funny, that's the crow. Even new shows and games will do that. \

      Whoever has the rights, make a blood remake.. for the love of god!!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 9:21 PM

        Monks, I meant the monks!

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 10:18 PM

        Yes! This is definitely one of THE games that needs some sort of reboot or successor. This game was crazy, so much fun in multiplayer as well.

      • reply
        June 17, 2011 11:59 PM

        Was Blood 2 any good? The demo seemed nothing like the original so I never bothered.

      • reply
        June 18, 2011 10:39 AM

        Holy bomb shit, me too! I didn't play that game in f*cking years and less than 3 days ago I decided to try it out again. Blood reboot FTW.

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 9:35 PM

      this could be cool

    • reply
      June 17, 2011 11:27 PM

      I would pay $245 for this.

    • reply
      June 18, 2011 4:41 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 18, 2011 9:30 AM

      YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quakeguy with mothern engine shotgunning Lovecraftian badasses. YES!!!!

    • reply
      June 18, 2011 10:35 AM

      "Modernized" console port inbound.

    • reply
      June 18, 2011 11:30 AM

      The only really major changes I'd want in the multiplayer would be some beefier shotguns perhaps (Quake's shotguns were a bit weak coming from a DOOM/DOOM2 background)...and some more weapons (but the old ones too...so you could still have the more traditional setup on some maps).

      Single player they could do all kinds of crazy stuff with...but I would really want the multiplayer game to be the ultimate balls-to-the-wall crazy instense fast over-the-top violent oldschool DM in the style of QW with bunnyhopping and all.

    • reply
      June 19, 2011 6:13 AM

      I've thought about this before and would love a reboot of quake 1 with similar art style and gameplay. Would be awesome if done right!

    • reply
      June 19, 2011 9:39 AM

      Carmack: If you do go ahead with a Quake remake, please develop it internally! Quake is too amazing to give to another studio.

    • reply
      June 20, 2011 7:46 AM

      [deleted]

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