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Description
An enemy with the codename 'Quake', which is believed to come from
another dimension, is using teleporter gates to invade Earth. The
player takes the role of a nameless soldier who arrives at his base
only to find out Quake has overrun it and killed everyone. Somewhere in
the base there must be a teleporter to Quake's realm. The mission is
clear: take the fight to the enemy, overcoming countless hordes of
monsters, and exact revenge.
id Software's followup to Doom and Doom II,
"Quake" is a first-person shooter. Its main technological innovation is
the use of a true 3D engine - the levels themselves as well as the
enemies are polygonal. This not only allows for more natural level
designs and character animations, but also for more realistic lighting
and the inclusion of simulated physics that have an effect on gameplay:
grenades can bounce off walls and around corners, for example.
In
single-player mode, gameplay consists mainly of proceeding through the
levels (spread over four distinct episodes) in search of an exit,
killing everything that moves. Interaction with the game world is
reduced to a minimum: since there is no use key, buttons are pressed by
running into or shooting at them. As in id's earlier games, many
secrets are waiting to be discovered, including a few hidden levels.
Unlike
Doom's rather straightforward design that couples futuristic
environments with demonic imagery, the theme of Quake's levels, enemies
and weapons is not so easily pinpointed. While each episode begins in a
futuristic military base (with a technological 'slipgate' as the level
exit), later levels take place in environments inspired by medieval
fantasy and gothic horror (castles, dungeons and caverns) and the
player passes through magical portals to advance. In a departure from
Doom's colorful environments, all Quake levels are dominated by earth
colors.
The enemies conform to the mishmash of designs: there
are human opponents armed with shotguns and energy weapons in the early
levels, while the later levels include medieval knights, ghosts,
zombies, ogres (armed with grenade launchers and chainsaws) and some
more unearthly beasts. The player's weapons, while relatively modern,
all have a low-tech feel. Besides a (bloodstained) axe, there are
shotguns, nailguns, rocket and grenade launchers and the Thunderbolt,
which discharges electrical energy.
Quake was one of the first
games playable natively over the Internet in addition to LANs. The
single-player levels can be played cooperatively, but the game is most
famous for its deathmatch mode. One-on-one duels, team play and
free-for-all competition are possible. The emphasis is on fast reaction
and skillful maneuvering through the levels. All of the single-player
maps can be used as arenas, but the game also comes with six maps
especially designed for deathmatch.
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