Bethesda is continuing to get its ducks in a row, with the announcement today that it will be re-releasing Quake 4 to retail. The Xbox 360 launch title will come from its new publisher on June 19 for $19.99.

Read more: Bethesda's id acquisition at play »

Valve wants the share the QuakeCon love with Team Fortress 2 players. As part of the QuakeCon sale on Steam, each of the classes--soldier, engineer, heavy, and sniper--gets a new toy inspired by Bethesda-related titles.

These items are all bonuses, awarded for either owning or pre-ordering the specific they're drawn from. If any of them sound like things you'd like to add to your Team Fortress 2 player, act quick. QuakeCon ends this Sunday, and the promotion cuts off Monday morning, August 8 at 10am PDT. Sorry, no hats; however, there is an "Anger hood" from Brink and an "Iron helmet" from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I guess that sort of counts.

Read more: Quake's rocket launcher and more loot »

Yesterday tolled the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of Quake, id Software's seminal 3D first-person shooter. Celebrating the event, id's sister company Bethesda has dug up Quake treasures to share with the world.

John Carmack, id co-founder and technical wizard, offered a few thoughts on Quake. He recalls struggles with developing the 3D engine, the novelty of free mouse movement, online multiplayer, 3D acceleration, and the importance and impact of modding. Notably, one of his defining Quake memories is quite unexpected, approached with Carmack's characteristic criticism: Read more »

Fifteen years ago, the site which would become Shacknews was eagerly awaiting the June 22, 1996, launch of id Software's Quake. Now, fans of the seminal FPS around the world have joined together to celebrate its latest anniversary with a whole host of virtual festivities.

The fan-organised Quake Expo 2011 kicked off on Sunday and runs until June 25. At virtual 'booths' you'll find a 1v1 NetQuake deathmatch tournament, mod releases, a fan-made art book, Quake Live commentaries, contests for fanfic, speedmapping terrain speedmapping, and heaps more. Read more »

I recently spoke with Jason Kim, senior producer at id Software, currently working on Rage. In relating some of the higher level thinking behind the decision to do a new IP as the big game out of the gate for id tech 5, Kim talked about how the studio has evolved.

Our studio has grown a lot, not just in size but also in design and art process, and even a technology standpoint. John has admitted he can't do everything on his own. There are a lot of smart guys that are required to be able to make a game these days. He can't just lock himself up in a room, come out with an engine, and say okay, make a game with this. Read more »

Following the release of the 1.4.2 patch, a new Quake 4 multiplayer demo is now available. The demo uses the game code from that patch, and includes three levels. A Linux version is available as well.

Following an extensive period of public testing, id Software and Raven have released a new Quake 4 patch, updating the sci-fi shooter to version 1.4.2. An update from v.1.3 is available as well. The patch offers many changes based on community feedback. Version 1.4.2 Update -------------------- * player lean, player models lean in the direction of movement use g_playerLean to scale or disable the effect (client side) * fix wallhugging on ramps fix also makes ramps slightly faster * horizontal speed fully maintained when crouch sliding and hitting a ramp previous version had a little dip 1.4.1 had a bug that caused a sharp speed drop (this is also fixed) * RG ammo box 10->7 change was initiallly advertised in 1.4.1 but didn't make it in * si_fps limited to 90fps for q4mp/, now declared in gamecode so mods can change their max * predict weapon changes for the local client. more responsive on high ping (can be turned off with net_clientPredictWeaponSwitch 0) * revert the projectile code to 1.4.0, not trying to predict projectiles anymore the prediction code of 1.4.1 can be enabled with g_predictProjectiles 1 (client side) (was causing too many bad artifacts) * reworked the hit sounds / hit feedback propagation. fixed skipping problems * change network demo extension to include the protocol number for Quake 4 1.4.2, the extension is .ndmo85 * fix network demos not setting the si_fps value properly * fix client prediction being irregular when connected to a TV repeater * added r_skipSky for a cheap black sky * fix a crash in single player (sound related) * fix several SMP-related crashes * fix a crash in autodownload server * hud_showSpeed cvar (shows current horizontal speed) * hud_showInput cvar (shows the input state to learn how to make particular moves) * s_useOcclusion no longer cheat protected (can be changed by network clients now) * no gauntlet spinup time, damage is immediate now * bse_rateLimit defaults to 3, showing all shotgun pellet impacts * added g_nailTrail, g_grenadeTrail, g_rocketTrail, g_railTrail, g_napalmTrail to disable weapon trails * updated reference netdemo included for performance tests: id_perftest.ndmo85

id Software sends along an updated beta release of an upcoming Quake 4 patch, now at v1.4.1. It offers a number of game and engine changes over 1.4.0. There is also a beta SDK.

PlanetQuake3.net returns from GDC with an article format id Software interview. id's Marty Stratton and Steve Nix were asked about engine licensing, digital distribution, piracy, the company itself, console development and QuakeCon.

A new beta Quake 4 patch is now available, updating the Raven Software shooter to version 1.4. This update features things like refined hitboxes, optimized sound and network code, configurable fps caps, weapon balancing, and server direct autodownloading among other things. There's also Q4TV spectator support. Feedback can be emailed to q4bugs@idsoftware.com.

Over at the id Software website you can find a zip file containing all 34 maps submitted to the Quake 4 Community Map Pak contest. These maps will be narrowed down to 8-12 maps for the map pack following a voting process.

The id Software website has been updated, offering information on a Quake 4 mapping contest. The levels, which you can send to id until January 31st, will be judged on "playability, performance, atmosphere, originality, technical quality, gametype flexibility and file size efficiency." Winners will be included in an official community map pack for the game.

The .plan file (yes someone is still using those) of id Software's Timothee Besset notes that a new build of the Quake 4 Linux binaries is now available. The 1.32 release addresses installer and SMP issues found after the release of 1.3. You can find the updated files on FileShack.

Activision sends along the newest Quake 4 patch, adding new content and features to Raven's first person shooter sequel. If you already have version 1.2 installed you can grab this incremental patch. Updated Linux binaries are available as well.

- New gametype - DeadZone - New multiplayer weapon - Napalm Launcher - 8 new professionally made maps - 4 revized maps for additional DeadZone support - "Buy" mode server option that allows you to purchase weapons and equipment.

Ritualistic and PlanetQuake4.net both have previews of the upcoming Quake 4 1.3 patch, revealing that Ritual Entertainment has created new maps and two new game modes for Raven's shooter. One new game mode is DeadZone, where the players have to hold zones in a map to earn points. The other is a gameplay modifier called Item Buying, which adds a buy menu similar to what you see in Counter-Strike. Ritualistic's article also offers a description of 5 new maps being included with the patch.

(DeadZone) is a completely new gametype in Quake 4, based on holding key areas of the map called "DeadZones" to gain points. In order to do this, players must pick up DeadZone powerups from around the map, and then take them into the areas marked with a transparent scrolling border. Like all powerups in the game, the DeadZone powerup wears out with time, so as a team players must continually bring powerups into the zones in order to hold them. If more than one player on a team brings in powerup, the hold on the zone is stronger, with points accumulating twice as fast. If a player from both team enters a zone with a powerup, the two cancel each other out. In short, DeadZone is a new mode that relies on good teamwork to succeed.