From: eunderli@online.no (Even Sandvik Underlid)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: Quake 1.08
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.games
Date: 24 Jun 1998 21:46:58 -0400
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
Lines: 336
Sender: barrett@relativity.cs.umass.edu
Message-ID: <6msa6i$l3t@relativity.cs.umass.edu>
Reply-To: eunderli@online.no (Even Sandvik Underlid)
Keywords: game, shoot-em-up, commercial
X-Review-Number: Volume 1998 Number 1
NNTP-Posting-Host: relativity.cs.umass.edu
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Path: rcfnews.cs.umass.edu!not-for-mail
PRODUCT NAME
Quake v1.08
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Doom-like 3D shoot-em-up with a highly advanced 3D-engine. Ported
from PC, has been a major hit the last couple of years on that platform.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Name: PXL computers / clickBOOM
Adress: Box 969
31 Adelaide St. East
Toronto M5C 2K3
Canada
E-mail: info@clickboom.com
World Wide Web: http://www.clickboom.com/
LIST PRICE
70 Canadian Dollars
DEMO VERSION
A rolling demo is available from http://www.clickboom.com/ and
http://www.pxlcomputers.com/. It should give you the general idea of what
the game's like and how slowly/fast it runs on your Amiga.
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE
8 MB RAM required. Some add-ons and screen resolutions might
require a few more megabytes.
You'll need a CDRom to install the game, but not afterwards.
Nice to listen to the CD soundtrack, though!
68020 or higher *with FPU*. 68060 or PowerPC board
highly recommended. The PowerPC version will be available for
free download for registered owners, but isn't out yet.
AGA or a graphics board. Graphics board should make the game
run smoother.
Paula or sound board. Some kind of sound board is recommended
for more crisp sound effects.
Serial cable or TCP/IP connection if you want to play with
a friend/enemy of yours. :)
SOFTWARE
AmigaDOS V3.0 or higher.
CyberGraphics or compatible system if you intend to use a
graphics board.
AHI if you want to use a sound board.
COPY PROTECTION
None.
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
Amiga 4000, Cyberstorm MK-1 040-40, 16 MB Fast RAM,
Cybervision 3D.
Maxtor 2.7 GB EIDE internal hard drive.
AmigaDOS 3.0.
CGFX, AHI, MagicMenu 2.21, NewIcons 4, Toolsdaemon 2.1a,
VirusZ II 1.38,
WarpWB 1.2.
INSTALLATION
Quake uses the standard Amiga installer program. Very easy to follow
instructions, but problems can happen when the installer is trying
to copy the two huge files id0.pak and id1.pak - I believe this is a
problem with the standard copy command when prosessing large files.
Also, problems can occur if your MaxTransferRate is set too high. If
the game crashes, try change it in HDToolBox and install it again.
Don't blame me if something goes wrong, though!
REVIEW
Finally it arrived! When getting Quake at my local post office a
week or so ago, I expected to recieve a large box full of all sorts
of crap inside. But there was nothing like that, just a tiny CD
cover with a tiny manual inside. Well, I suppose that's no big loss,
but it's always a pity when something doesn't live up to the
expectations you've made.
After having removed some megabytes of old software, I got enough
room to install the game. I thought there would be some kind of
option to only install parts of the game to hard drive, but no. It
needs to play the CD audio tracks while you are playing the game, so
it's wouldn't really be desirable either. When the installation
finished and I pressed the Quake icon, it crashed. What? I tried a
lot of stuff, and finally found out that it was a problem with the
installer. It didn't copy the files id0.pak and id1.pak since they
were too big, so I had to copy them manually in DOPUS. I believe
this is a problem with the standard 'copy'-command in AmigaOS,
though, not something to blame Clickboom for. They could have
mentioned the problem though.
The game was up and running. Slow. Very, very slow. Very, very, very
slow on my 040/40. On my system, it should give about 7 frames per
second (FPS), fullscreen 320x240, which is in my opinion not enough
to have any real fun playing it. On a 060/50 it's running far
better, though I'd still expect a higher frame rate. Can't complain
though, the coders of the Amiga version have done close to
everything they can to speed it up. It's just my Amiga being old.
Have you tried playing Quake on a 486 DX 50 MHz setup? It should be
roughly comparable to my Amiga.
'Odd' and 'Oddx2' is the name of two special view modes in the Amiga
version of Quake. They speed up the game considerably, but at least
on my monitor it's completely unplayable. It puts tiny stripes all
over the screen so that the game engine don't have to calculate all
the stuff it usually does. I'd much rather play with a smaller
window or yet better - upgrade my Amiga. It costs, but it's worth it
if you can afford it. Applications and other games will also be
speeded up. If you are curious about upgrade, I suggest you go for a
68060 or better still - a 040/060 + PowerPC combo. That is, if you
can wait a couple of months for the PowerPC patch. It's not out yet,
but it should enable us to play Quake in its' full 30-100 FPS glory
with a good graphics board. Clickboom uses the slogan "The Amiga
Survived - You Won't" in their advertisements. It should be replaced
by something like "Violence Was Never Meant To Be Comfortable"
unless they intend to bring out the free PowerPC update SOON!
When using any graphics board that has 16 bit modes, you should be
able to view Quake in it's full 65000+ colour glory. This looks
quite a bit clearer, and better still it's not a feature of the
original PC version. :) It won't slow down the game considerably,
so I prefer to use it even if there's a tiny loss of speed.
The game itself is divided in episodes, and each episode includes a
certain amount of levels. These are well-constructed, and require a
bit of thinking. The most common way of controlling the game is by
using the arrow keys, which is in my opinion also the most
comfortable way. There's also support for mouse.
You blast the monsters to pieces, pick up weapons, power-ups,
different kinds of protective equipment and ammo. It all sounds very
much like Doom, and it is. Just more complex, bigger and more
challenging. Not too forget more beatiful. If I were to rate the
graphics in the typical games magazine way, it would get 9/10 -
maybe even 10/10.
I'm one of those people not always noticing the sound in computer
game. You know - it's there and it's often well made - but I might
just as well listen to a David Bowie CD or something - while playing
most games. Quake made me think different. It plays quality
background sound effects and music by Nine Inch Nails direct from
the CDRom - if you have the original Quake CD there. Feel free to
replace the CD with something else you like, but I doubt you can get
anything that fits the game as well as the original soundtrack. It's
simply brilliant. There's also sound from your weapons, yourself and
things happening around you. This is being played by the Paula
(original sound chip in the Amiga) unless you have a sound board
mounted. You can select the frequency of which the samples are
supposed to be played in, this might affect the game speed a bit.
Be aware that Quake can sometimes become too scary when the sound is
played loud.
If you ever grow tired of Quake itself, there's a whole truckload of
addons and total convertions out there just waiting to be played by
someone. Do you remember Giana Sisters on the C64 and Amiga? Now
you can relive those days in total 3D - some (probably mad) guy
decided to convert the whole game into Quake levels. When I first
heard about it, I'd expected something along the lines of Mario 64.
But no, this is a 2D platform game with zooming and adjustment of
your viewing perspective instead. It's all very cool, and it doesn't
resemble Quake at all. Yet, it's freely downloadable, and you'll
need a registered copy of Quake to play it.
Grew up after the golden Giana Sisters times? Maybe you're more of an
Destruction Derby or Need for Speed fan? Quake has got it all: Quake
Rally is a 3D car racing game with weapons and lot's of beautiful
landscapes/cars to trash. Just as all the other games running on the
Quake engine, it works with the Amiga version. A bit strange control
method maybe, but you'll most likely get used to it.
I could continue and write mini reviews of all the Quake add-ons,
but I'm not going to do that. Instead, try to search for something
like "Quake total conversions" in your favourite search engine, and
chances are you'll be able to download Giana Quake, Alien Quake and
hundreds of others. Some are being commercially released, and if
your local Amiga dealer is following the trends of the Amiga market,
he might stock Malice and X-Men now. Otherwise, try and ask for it
in a PC shop. If it's hard to install, try searching the Aminet for
an Amiga installer script. There are a few available.
Quake is fantastic. Not only the game itself, but the highly
programmable and configurable 3D-engine it runs on. Even if you
don't have an beefy Amiga, you might like to play around with its'
features and just look at the add-ons and conversions. Maybe play
Quake in 2x2, 50% screen size? It's still no worse looking than
some of the early Amiga Doom/Quake clones. And the game itself
rocks. Simply rocks.
DOCUMENTATION
The printed documentation consists of a few small pages. In my
opinion it should have contained explanations of all
startup-parameters as well, but this is included as a text file
instead. A few Amiga specific notes has been included in the printed
manual. The game itself should be pretty staight forward, though.
Try getting hold of the Quake Survival Guide from ID Software if you
a few tips to get you started. Clickboom carry it.
LIKES
This is definately one of the most important games of recent years.
It's action packed and the levels, weapons and enemies are well
designed and most likely thought through.
Gobsmacking graphics, especially when running high resolutions.
Tons of total conversions available. Some for free, some
commercially available. When you pay for Quake you also pay to use
hundreds of other games based on the engine. Best of all: They all
work on the Amiga version.
Probably the best sound effects I've heard on any computer game
before.
The fact that there's an Amiga version available at all. It's not
long since people claimed that it was impossible.
Not just fancy graphics and 2 player link-up modes as some people
say - it's a fantastic game as well. At least if you haven't played
through all the other Doom clones available.
Obviously, the game multitasks. However, not many Amiga games are
able to run in a window on your Workbench - smoothly. Quake does.
Support for anything you'd care to mention that's available on the
Amiga.
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
Even the once mighty 68060 prosessor is far too slow for anything
better than 320x240 resolutions. Even though of this, Clickboom
still haven't finished the PowerPC version!
Some kind of support for 3D boards would be great. When the first
decent 3D board for the Amiga arrive, Clickboom should release a
patch as soon as possible.
The box says that it needs a Pentium PC. Come on, does it really cost
that much to print a few thousand stickers, Clickboom?
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
Doom 1 and 2: The 3D engine in Quake is far superior, though it also
requires a lot more CPU-power to run smoothly. Quake is darker - more
moody - and it looks a lot better. The sound is better in Quake and
the add-ons tend to change more parts of the game than the old Doom
add-ons.
Alien Breed 3D 1 and 2: The gameplay of the original Alien Breed is
still special, but different from Quake. Get 'em both. Alien Breed 2
has a quite advanced 3D engine, but doesn't support higher
resolutions as Quake does. Gameplay wise, I dislike AB3D 2.
Quake 2: Not out on the Amiga (yet). However, some PC mags have
stated that the original Quake still has superior gameplay and
challenges.
Genetic Species: Fast, looks excellent. However, the 3D-engine is far
less advanced than the one in Quake - and it seems the game itself
isn't quite as taxing as Quake. It's hard to beat the master!
BUGS
Nothing serious that I've discovered, at least.
VENDOR SUPPORT
Good, though some people might find it annoying having to send of a
registration card and waiting a while before being able to get help.
Besides, you'll have to take good care of the serial number that's
printed on your remaining portion of the registration card.
Patches, updates and PowerPC-support should be freely downloadable,
which is a good thing.
WARRANTTY
I don't have a clue about this, honestly.
CONCLUSIONS
At the moment, there's no other 3D-blasters to touch Quake
technically. The two player mode is brilliant - PC owners have been
playing this for years. Basicly - get Quake. Even if you have the PC
version - link your old clone up to your Amiga and play death
matches or whatever. It's worth it - you'll be able to play lots and
lots of other games that require the Quake engine when you are
finally tired of the game itself. Oh, even if you don't like this
kind of games, get Quake and I'm sure we'll see Clickboom porting
other excellent PC titles later!
BUY QUAKE NOW!
- Even Sandvik Underlid
eunderli@online.no
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