Prime Gaming Titles for December!

[rms]

Here they are, or will be! Also check out Quake Ray Traced mod if you have
a newer card:
"The Original Quake Gets A Full RT Upgrade - And It's Incredible"
https://youtu.be/IhhLcZQ2zD0

Quake
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
Spinch
Doors: Paradox
Banners of Ruin

rms

[Zaghadka]

On Fri, 25 Nov 2022 18:48:42 -0700, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, rms
wrote:

>Here they are, or will be! Also check out Quake Ray Traced mod if you have
>a newer card:
>"The Original Quake Gets A Full RT Upgrade - And It's Incredible"
>https://youtu.be/IhhLcZQ2zD0
>

True! I just set up Quake RTX. Now I'm not sure if I like it or Dark
Places (an enhanced Quake engine) better. They both have their charms.

There is also Tenebrae if you want to complete the set.

http://planetquake.gamespy.com/View9b36.html?view=Quake.Detail&id=233

Install files for RTX vkQuake 1.0.1 here:

https://github.com/sultim-t/vkquake-rt/releases/tag/1.20.2-rt1.0.1

The mod goes looking for a Steam install, so it's the easiest way to set
it up, but all you need is the id1 directory including a folder of ogg
music tracks.

From the manual:

>Manual install:
>
>Original Release (1996):
>1. Create `id1` folder next to `vkQuake.exe`
>1. Copy files from the Quake folder to the folder you created:
> * `id1/PAK0.PAK`
> * `id1/PAK1.PAK`
> * `id1/music` folder
>
>Rerelease (2021):
>1. Create `id1` folder next to `vkQuake.exe`
>1. Copy files from the Quake Rerelease folder to the folder you created:
> * `rerelease/id1/pak0.pak`
> * `rerelease/id1/music` folder
>1. Copy `rerelease/QuakeEX.kpf` next to `vkQuake.exe`

Music is formatted Track02.ogg to Track11.ogg. If you've played with
enhanced Quake before you likely already have them. You also can rip the
CD if you have it. Of course, Track01 is the data track on a data CD with
Redbook audio, so you start at Track02.

Enjoy!

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

[Zaghadka]

On Fri, 25 Nov 2022 22:33:35 -0600, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Zaghadka wrote:

>There is also Tenebrae if you want to complete the set.
>
>http://planetquake.gamespy.com/View9b36.html?view=Quake.Detail&id=233

I am sorry for the crap download link. I didn't realize it was a link to
a downloader instead of an actual download.

My email in my headers is valid. If you are interested in Tenebrae, I
have it archived and can provide a Dropbox link.

[rms]

> If you are interested in Tenebrae,

I did play Tenebrae back in the day, and loved it! I'll check out this
new mod soon, it been ages since I loaded up Quake!

rms

[Spalls Hurgenson]

Same. It was a great example of what fans could do with the Quake
source code. (I still have the installer for v1.02 from 2002 ;-) Shame
it was attached to the Quake gameplay.
It's why I'm not so excited about the ray-traced upgrade.

Look, I liked Quake. It was technically impressive, amazingly
influential, and was a mechanically solid game. Personally, I felt
games like "Duke Nukem 3D" or "Unreal" were better experiences
overall, but then I have an obvious preference for games with stronger
characters and setting than twitch-based arena-shooters.

But it's not really a game that has aged well, and improved lighting
effects can only take you so far. After the initial "Ooh wow the
lighting is slightly more reactive" moment passes, you quickly realize
you are still in the blocky, low-textured world of the original game;
a world that lacks a lot of the interactivity and detail we've come to
expect from modern games.

Again, this isn't to dismiss the base Quake game. I just don't find
that these modernizations really do much to improve upon the original;
you're often better off just playing the game as it was released in
1995.

(well, okay, maybe use GLQuake ;-)

But, as usual, IMHO and YMMVs and other acronyms as needed ;-)

[Spalls Hurgenson]

Not too bad of a selection. Not too great, but not too bad.

"Quake" is, of course, Quake. It's an oldie but goodie and deserves a
place in any collection. It's not the most exciting addition to the
monthly round-up simply because everybody who wants Quake probably
already has it, but still, I'm not going to turn my nose up at another
copy.

"Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" is a bit too saccharine for my taste,
possibly a bit too "walking sim" for others, and it has an unfortunate
control scheme, but it's still a fun game. I was thinking of giving it
a replay; maybe this will make me finally get round to it.

"Door: Paradox" is a nice-looking puzzle game. I'm not sure it has
enough variety to keep me interested until the end, but I can see
spending some time with it.

"Banners of Ruin" has some nice visuals, but it suffers both from
mixed reviews and having card-based mechanics (a personal, and
completely irrational peeve of mine). It looks like it might be a good
game, just not something I'm interested.

Also, there's "Spinch".

It's not a bad line-up; somewhat disappointing for the Holiday season,
I suppose, and not exactly how I'd have liked Amazon to end the year,
but not awful either. Especially since I consider these games a bunch
of free extras that just happens to come with the 'free shipping' and
video streaming that we're really paying for.

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Fri, 25 Nov 2022 18:48:42 -0700, "rms"
<rsqui...@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:

>Here they are, or will be!

<snip>
>Quake
<snip>


I just noticed: Quake is being offered as a game on Epic (you need to
link your Amazon and Epic accounts for it to work).

But seeing Quake on Epic... that just feels weird. It's like seeing
"Burger King" selling a Big Mac. There used to be such a big rivalry
between these games (not so much between the developers but between
the fans, in the obsessive way that only nerds can do it. It felt very
much like a "Star Wars vs. Star Trek" thing).

Not only was their competition between the games themselves, but the
engines. No right-minded Id fan could play a game like "Wheel of Time"
(which used the Unreal engine), and no fan of Epic games would even
think of looking at the Quake-powered "Return to Wolfenstein".

But now, the two games sit happily next to one another on Epic's
storefront. It's unearthly. Is it representative of Peace In Our Time,
or a sign of the Apocalypse?

[Dimensional Traveler]

Why do you assume that Peace In Our Time _isn't_ The Apocalypse?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.