Subject: REVIEW: Quake 1.08
From: [email-masked] (Even Sandvik Underlid)
Date: 24 Jun 1998 21:46:58 -0400
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

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: 	[email-masked]
	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
  [email-masked]

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