				 UNOFFICIAL QUAKE 2 FAQ
				 ----------------------
				      version 0.3
				 Standard Text edition

			Maintained by Slipgate:slipgate@quake2.com
				Last updated September 12th, 1997

DISCLAIMER: This FAQ has been written for people who want to know more about
Quake 2, which is currently being created by id Software. The author of this FAQ
can not be held responsible for any inaccuracy or misinformation presented in
this text file, as most of what is included here is either information subject
to change, rumor, or supposition based on given factual information.  All
information could possibly change by release of Quake 2.

Doom, Doom 2, Quake, Quake 2, as well as their logos and likenesses of their
logos, are all trademarks of id Software. Heretic, Hexen, and Hexen 2 are all
trademarks of Raven Software. Unreal is a trademark of Epic Megagames. Redwood's
Quake Page is copyright 1997, Sean Martin.

Copyright: The Unofficial Quake 2 FAQ is (C) 1997 by Ismail "Slipgate" Saeed.
The FAQ was in the management of Darryl "Nite" Ashton in some prior versions,
however it has since been handed over.  You can e-mail Nite for clarification of
this change of management at nite@clara.net.

All rights reserved. You are granted the following rights:

I.   To make copies of this FAQ in original form, as long as

      (a) the copies are complete and are unaltered by anyone other than the FAQ
          maintainer Ismail Saeed;

      (b) the copies are in electronic form;

      (c) they give credit to the FAQ maintainer Ismail Saeed;

II.  To distribute this work, under the provisions above, as long as

      (a) the copies are complete and are unaltered by anyone other than the FAQ
          maintainer Ismail Saeed;

      (b) no fee is charged;

      (c) they credit to the FAQ maintainer Ismail Saeed in any description;

      (d) the distributed form is not in an electronic magazine or within
          computer software, excepting situations such as ftp.cdrom.com's sale
	    of its file repositories, and prior written consent of the
	    maintainer);

      (e) the distributed form is the newest version of the FAQ (email the FAQ
          Maintainer to find the latest version number);

      (f) the distributed form is electronic.

III.  Given the fact that as of version 0.3, HTML (hypertext markup language)
      and standard text versions are available, the following rules apply:

      (a) You may not modify the text edition at all, as per above rules.

      (b) You MAY modify the HTML edition as follows:
          * You may change the "BODY" tag of the HTML edition to alter the
            colors in which it is presented.
          * You may alter the FIRST "FONT" tag of the HTML edition to alter the
            type style in which it is presented (none of the other "FONT" tags
            may be altered, and those are just slight format alterations in any
            case).
          * You may not do any alterations aside from the above two to the	HTML
            edition of the FAQ.  Beyond the above two exceptions, the rules to
            the HTML edition are the same as the rules to the standard text
            edition.

IV.  Presentation of the FAQ

       (a) You may not present the standard text edition as an HTML file. Please
           keep it as a standard text file with a TXT file extension.  If you
           want to use an HTML version, use the HTML edition but adhere to the
           rules in section III above.

       (b) You may not present the HTML edition as a standard text file.  Please
          use the standard text edition instead.

    You may NOT distribute this FAQ in *any* non-electronic media.
    You may NOT distribute this FAQ in any electronic magazine without consent.
    You may NOT distribute this FAQ within computer software without consent.

    NOTE: These rights are temporary, and may be revoked upon written, oral, or
other notice by the FAQ maintainer (Ismail Saeed). If you wish to distribute
this FAQ within a magazine or electronic magazine, get in touch with him.


---------------
C O N T E N T S
---------------

	[1] Introduction
		[1.1] Forward
		[1.2] Why this FAQ?
		[1.3] Language
		[1.4] Places to get this FAQ from
		[1.5] Word about Contents
	[2] Basic information
		[2.1] Storyline
		[2.2] Enemies
		[2.3] Levels
		[2.4] Weapons
		[2.5] Music
		[2.6] Multiplayer
		[2.7] Maneuverability
		[2.8] Demos
		[2.9] Technical issues
		[2.10] Release information
	[3] Tech Specifications
		[3.1] Graphics
		[3.2] Sound
		[3.3] CPU Requirements
	[4] Quake 2 Resources
		[4.1] Web Pages
		[4.2] Newsgroups
		[4.3] IRC
	[5] History
	[6] Acknowledgements

----------------
[1] Introduction
----------------

[1.1] Forward

	I'm very excited to bring you the first version of the Quake 2 FAQ to be
available in both HTML and standard text editions.  Since the last version of
the FAQ, there has been some interesting info released from artist Paul Steed of
id Software and from programmer Brian Hook in an enormous well conducted IRC
interview (August 29th, #idSoftware Undernet, http://id.lobosoft.com), some of
it FINAL information that will definitely apply to the game. So, I'm confident
that the FAQ will be a pleasant read this time around.

	You may have noticed that the table of contents uses different ways of
emphasizing chapter and section numbers.  This is so that people who have read
previous versions of the FAQ can be made quickly aware of what is new/updated
and what isn't, to save reading time.

	A slightly different, less specific version of this system was in place
for a couple versions of this FAQ before this one, but the system has now been
upgraded.  Read Section [1.5], "Word about Contents", for info on the way the
chapters and sections are "labeled".

	Before I sign off with this forward, I'd like to thank Nigel and Anarchy
for both proofreading this FAQ for spelling and grammar errors, and suggesting
additions and removals.  I'd also like to thank the archive maintainers at
ftp.cdrom.com and its mirrors for allowing this FAQ to be distributed on their
FTP sites.

	Enjoy this release of the FAQ!

[1.2] Why this FAQ?

	The Quake 2 FAQ was begun by Darryl Ashton, in addition to the Quake 2 web
and clan rings (http://webring.quake2.com and http://clanring.quake2.com,
respectively).  His original intentions for the FAQ were the same as his
original intentions for the web and clan rings.  In his words, "to be ready for
the game" when it came out.  This FAQ will be subject to revisions/updates as
the information in it becomes obsoleted.  For daily complete news and
information on Quake 2, as well as other cool things both now and in the future,
check out http://www.quake2.com and the variety of other good sites on Quake 2
available on the web.  Also, be sure to check out the id Software official Quake
2 page (http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/) AND id's "secret" page
(http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/secret.html).  Check the Quake 2 webring
member list (available from the Webring URL mentioned above), and [4.1] of this
FAQ, for a list of great places on the Web you can go.

[1.3] Language

	The language of the FAQ is pretty specific.  Firstly, beyond just being
written in American English (because that is what I speak), there are some
specific terms that may come up in this or future versions of the FAQ, and I'd
like to set out defining them all here to prevent ANY confusion from occurring.

	id - The company producing the game, id Software.
	Raven - Raven Software, a licensing partner on the Quake engine and
		developer of the hit game using the engine, Hexen 2.
	Epic - Epic MegaGames, a company developing a game titled "Unreal" slated
		to compete with Quake 2.
	Web - The Internet, or the World Wide Web.
	WWW - The World Wide Web.
	Net - The Internet (see above definition).
	BSP - Essentially, a level, or game stage, designed to operate on the
		Quake engine, usable by Quake, Quake 2, and any/all other games
		with the Quake engine.
	WAD - A collection of textures (graphical images) for use in designing
		BSPs.
	FAQ - A Frequently Asked Questions file, such as you are reading.
	.plan - A .plan file is simply a text file where a person can express
			their opinions on anything, and read by using the UNIX
			FINGER command on their e-mail address.  The majority of the
			employees at id Software have .plans, which they use to
			update the online community as to the progress of Quake 2.
	model - a wireframe 3-dimensional model, used to represent "real objects"
			in the Quake or other 3-dimensional engines.
	MDL - a model (see above definition) specifically for Quake engine games.
	brush - a 3-dimensional solid in the Quake engine, used as building blocks
			to make BSPs (see above definition)
	entity - a "real object" in the Quake engine, usually represented via a
			3-dimensional model (see above definition)
	HUD - heads up display, a less obtrusive way of presenting information on
			the game screen without interfering with the gameplay.
	console - The drop-down console display present in Quake and other Quake
			engine games, used for advanced configuration and command
			execution to adjust gameplay.
	HTML - HyperText Markup Language.  This is how web pages and the "HTML"
			edition of the FAQ are presented, and programs such as
			Netscape Navigator/Communicator and Microsoft Internet
			Explorer (among others) view this type of file.

[1.4] Places to get this FAQ from

	You can retrieve this FAQ from -

Quake2.com * this is the current home of the FAQ * http://www.quake2.com

	On the subject of FTP sites, you can get it from ftp.cdrom.com and its
mirrors, under the filename "q2faq_v##.zip".  The ## signifies the version
number of the FAQ contained in the zip.  Version 0.3 is "q2faq_v03.zip."
Version 1.2 would be "q2faq_v12.zip" and so on.  The ZIP file will contain the
HTML version of the FAQ as a .HTM file and the standard text version of the FAQ
as a .TXT file (q2faq_v##.htm and q2faq_v##.txt).  The latest versions of the
FAQ can always be found at http://www.quake2.com/quake2faq.txt and
http://www.quake2.com/quake2faq.htm, as well as being downloadable from
http://www.quake2.com/q2faq.zip.

	On the subject of other websites mirroring the FAQ, I've gotten e-mails
from people before saying they distribute the FAQ, but it is either not
distributed there, or it isn't the latest version, or I lose the e-mail before I
get a chance to check.  As it is, I'm still not aware of sites that mirror the
latest version of the FAQ.  Please e-mail me if you mirror the LATEST version of
the FAQ, locally (not just a link to the copy on Quake2.com). My address is
slipgate@quake2.com.

	You are allowed to mirror this FAQ, as long as its the latest version to
your knowledge (as per the whole legal stuff written up towards the beginning).
Just a little rundown: As long as no charge is required and that it is the
LATEST version of the FAQ to the knowledge of the distributor, it's fine. If
anyone else distributing this FAQ would like to become listed here, e-mail me,
please! :)

[1.5]	Word about Contents

		The chapters below are marked using the following criteria:
If a section number of a chapter is enclosed with [ ] (straight brackets) then
the information in that chapter has been updated/revised since the last version
of the FAQ.  If a section number is enclosed with < > (less than and greater
than signs) then the information in that section has not changed since the last
version.  If a section number is enclosed with { } (bent brackets) then the
information in that section has not changed in this or the last version.  If a
chapter number is enclosed with [ ] (straight brackets), then one or more,
possibly all, sections of that chapter have been updated/revised since the last
version.  If the chapter number is enclosed with less than/greater than signs,
then nothing in that chapter has changed since the last version.  This system is
so that as new versions of the FAQ come it doesn't become necessary to re-read
the entire FAQ to see the new information.


---------------------
[2] Basic information
---------------------

[2.1] Storyline

	Quake 2 will have NO story relation to Quake 1.  id has made this clear on
multiple occasions.  The only reason they are using the name Quake 2 is because
they tried 5 other names they felt were more appropriate and ran into copyright
problems on all of them, so they finally resorted to "Quake 2."

	Quake 2 will have both male and female characters you can play (you select
one of them).  The female character will be "tough yet sexy" and the male player
will be tough (and bald, thanks to Cardiac for reminding me to mention that). It
will also have an introduction cinematic that artist Paul Steed modeled in
programs such as 3DS4, which looks quite promising and tells the opening story
for the game.

	The summarized version of the storyline written by id is quoted verbatim
below.  Any misspellings are the misspellings made by id, not by the author of
this FAQ.  This was gotten off the Activision Quake 2 page
(http://www.activision.com/E3/quakeII/index.html) left over from E3.

	"After years of waging war against the alien aggressors, the Earth is on
the verge of being completely obliterated. A last effort to bring the mass
destruction to an end is underway. Launched from a giant space carrier, you are
part of a secret assault force sent through an interplanetary gateway in
single-manned pods. Shortly after landing on the alien surface you learn that
hundreds of your men have been slashed to just a few. Now, you must do what
entire armies could not: fight your way through heavily fortified military
installations, lower the city's defenses, and shut down their war machine. Only
then, can Earth even hope to launch an air assault. Only then, will the fate of
all humanity be known."

	If an updated or more specific storyline is released from id and dubbed
"official" this section will get updated with it.  Some sites are running
"make your own Quake 2 storyline" contests, since these plots aren't the ones
actually going into the game I won't have them up here.

[2.2] Enemies

	Monster artificial intelligence and interactivity has been greatly
enhanced since Quake.  Monsters can now duck, move around the level themselves,
have eyesight affected by the brightness of an area instead of "seeing
everything", and have body specific damage as well as damage "showing" as you
continue to attack a monster.  Several monsters will be able to move just as
fast as the player.  Also, id has stated on some occasions that a monster will
actually relentlessly follow you around a level without getting lost.

	They have female and male monsters at this point, which is a first for an
id game.  The monsters of Quake 2 take on an alien or cybernetic nature, as
opposed to the more medieval Quake monsters.  As stated in section [2.1], there
is NO story relation between Quake 2 and Quake 1.  Monster corpses get
surrounded by buzzing flies soon after dying. This is one of the more intriguing
new effects.

	When hit or killed, the monsters convulse.  Sometimes, they try to get up
again after falling down before they finally die. The typical monster will have
the following animations:

- Stand
- Attack
- Walk
- Run
- Pain
- Defense
- Duck
- Death

	There are several monsters planned.  Some enemies already mentioned and
seen also in screenshots are:

- Tank:
	Tank is a huge monster covered in metal. He has a rocket launcher on his
right shoulder, a machine gun on his left arm, and a laser on his right arm. He
also has a ground attack where he slams his fists into the ground and sends
everything flying. Info from American McGee, id Software designer.
     
- Gunner:
	A humanoid in metallic armor. He has a machine gun grafted onto his right
arm.  Info on this monster is sketchy, except he IS able to duck shots.

- Hover:
	Can't say much about this creature besides the fact that pictures of it
are on http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/ and quake2.com.  It has fan-like
"wings."

- Infantry:
	This guy is supposed to be a common type of enemy that you'll see a lot
of..... it bears a noncoincidental resemblance to id Software artist Paul Steed.

[2.3] Levels

	Like Hexen and Hexen 2 (by Raven), Quake 2 will allow you to move between
"units" of levels, each unit consisting of a group of levels from the game.  You
can move back and forth between the levels of a unit, and you usually do have to
in order to complete the unit.  Currently there are supposedly going to be 3
units, and 40 levels.  Neither of those figures comes straight from id, so they
could entirely be wrong.

	Quake levels would need to be converted to Quake 2 because of palette
differences and also differences in enemies and other entities in between games,
although basic architecture of BSP files should function.

	Quake 2 levels can be 8K (8000) units in all 3 dimensions.  Quake 1 levels
also had this capacity, but it was never used.  New versions of the compiling
tools, such as QBSP, VIS, and LIGHT (QRAD actually) will be released that
support Quake 2's ability to have colored light and the other massive
improvements in Quake 2.  In accordance with the story, levels are all themed
after the idea of being in/on different installations of areas of an alien
planet.

	Also, in Quake 2 levels with triggers that affect other levels rather than
the level you were in are possible, unlike Quake.  This information comes from
John Carmack, however, he has not yet specified to the user community exactly
how this would work, so we are left to speculation as of yet.

[2.4] Weapons

	Like Duke Nukem 3D and unlike previous id games, the weapon display will
show the weapon towards the right tilted inwards as if a right handed person is
carrying the weapon, instead of pointing straight out of the center of the
display.

	There are no melee weapons planned as of yet  The list of currently
complete weapons was provided by Paul Steed, id Software artist, at a modeling
seminar during QuakeCon '97 held in Plano, Texas, from July 16 to July 20, 1997.
Here is the list Paul ratted off there:

-blaster
-machine gun
-assault shotgun
-double-barreled shotgun
-hyper blaster
-disintegrator
-rail gun
-chain gun
-BFG (Paul calls it the PS3000... guess what PS stands for :) )
-grenade launcher
-rocket launcher
-hand grenade
-flare gun

	Unfortunately, id will not be able to make what weapon a player is using
visible in a multiplayer game.  In Quake and DOOM, a generic "GUN" graphic was
shown for the player's weapon.  This is still the case for Quake 2.  id was
ATTEMPTING to make what weapon a player is using visible in their hands, unlike
Quake and DOOM, but due to time constraints (to get the game out by Christmas)
they can't do this.  They have hinted that it may show up in a "Quake 2 Mission
Pack" released later after the game.  Note for those who may get confused: A
player WILL be able to see what weapon they are holding.  This only applies to
seeing what weapon other players in a multiplayer game are using.

[2.5] Music

	Ozzy Osbourne will contribute tracks to Quake 2's soundtrack, as will
Sonic Mayhem (http://www.sonicmayhem.com).  Sonic Mayhem is the main composer of
the soundtrack, however, and have released MP3 music samples of two tracks of
their work on the soundtrack, available on quake2.com and sonicmayhem.com.  Nine
Inch Nails, who did the Quake soundtrack, may be able to contribute some tracks
this time around, but due to being busy with doing the soundtrack for Crow 3
(movie) they will likely have a small to nonexistent role this time around.

	Unlike Hexen 2 and some other upcoming games, Quake 2 will have NO support
for MIDI or any other forms of music besides CD audio, and id has repeatedly
stated this on many occasions.

[2.6] Multiplayer

	First, on a playing note:  Cooperative and Deathmatch multiplayer modes
will of course be available.  A style of teamplay deathmatch that became so
popular for Quake after it was coded as a modification to Quake, "Capture the
Flag" will also be included as a standard multiplayer mode in Quake 2.  Dave
"Zoid" Kirsch, the man held largely responsible for coding the Capture the Flag
Quake modification, has been hired by id to include "CTF" in Quake 2.

	Now, on a technical note: Quake 2's base network code is based on things
John Carmack learned while coding QuakeWorld.  For now, the client prediction
that was in QuakeWorld is being taken out, they may or may not put it back in
prior to release.  Some people see this as a step back, and some people say
"Thank God."  For those who see this as a step back, remember that most of what
actually improved play in QuakeWorld was the reduced packet size and pushlatency
improvements, which will be present in Quake 2 anyway.  If anything, client side
prediction is the one PROBLEM with Quakeworld.

	On the subject of modems, a lot of people are worried by the "rumor" that
Quake 2 won't support modem to modem.  The lowdown on modem to modem in Quake 2
is this: There is going to be no native modem support, because as id learned
with Quake, native modem support would be flaky and not perform as well as using
a Dial-Up Networking connections between the two playing computers.  Quake 2
will not run under DOS or Windows 3.1, the initial target platform is Windows 95
and Windows NT, so they will have the advantage of making use of Windows stuff
directly.  To play modem to modem matches in Quake 2, you need Dial Up
Networking 1.1 or higher installed.  You can download an upgrade to 1.2 from
http://www.microsoft.com.  Here are the instructions, provided courtesy of
HexenWorld (http://www.hexenworld.com) and Mike Gummelt of Raven Software (these
instructions apply to Hexen 2 as well).

---------------
1. Double-click on "My Computer" (on your desktop)

2. Double-click on "Dial Up Networking"- should be the last thing listed. The
Dial-Up Networking Windows Wizard will guide you through the setup.

3. Now you should be in the Dial-Up networking window. The only thing in there
(probably) is "Make New Connection". If you're going to call someone who's got a
Dial-Up Server running, double click this. Otherwise, if you intend to be the
server, go up to the menu- and select "Dial-Up Server" from the bottom of the
"Connections" menu.

Here's the following steps for the Server and Caller:

SERVER:
4. Select "Dial-Up Server" from the bottom of the "Connections" menu. A dialog
box will come up. Select "Allow caller access".

5. Click on the button "Server Type". Leave the server type "default" just to
keep things simple for now. If you want to require a password (for example, you
plan on leaving the server up for a while and don't want just anyone coming in),
then leave "Require encrypted password" checked. Otherwise, don't use one. If
you are going to use one, be sure to tell the person calling!

6. If you use a password, hit the "Change Password" button on the first dialog
box, and type in your password there. Then hit OK.

7. Once you're done with all that, just hit "OK" and it will start a server if
your modem is on, connected, etc, and you're not already on-line.

Now the caller is ready to join:

CALLER:
4. Double-click on "Make New Connection". In the dialog box that appears, type
in the name of this connection. Usually I use the name of the person I'm calling
since I will be using this for other types of connections, not just Hexen 2. Hit
"next"

5. Enter the area code and phone number of the person you'll be calling in the
next two boxes displayed. Hit "next".

6. Now it will tell you it's done. Click ONCE on the "Finish" button to save
this connection, but NOT actually try to connect.  DOUBLE-CLICK on "Finish" to
save AND connect. If you accidently single- click, the connection will be saved
where you saw "Make New Connection"- just double-click it to connect.

7. Once you're ready to connect, it will ask you for a username and password.
Username can be whatever you want, password is the password the Dial-Up Server
specifies. Be sure to ask him/her what password he'll be using before you
connect!

8. If you don't need to use the 1(201) (1 + area code) before the number you're
calling, hit "Dial Properties" and un-check the box next to "Dial as a long
distance call", then hit OK.

9. Now you're ready, just hit "Connect". Your computer will call the number you
specified, and (assuming he/she started a Dial-Up Server) it will connect and
verify the password. When it shrinks away to the toolbar, you're connected!

NOW! Both of you start Quake 2. Have one person go to Multiplayer and "Start New
Game" as an IPX server. The other person should, once the Quake 2 IPX server is
up (give your friend's computer a couple minutes to load the map and start the
server)- go to "Multiplayer" and "Join a Game". Select IPX and then select
"Search for Local Games". Your friend's server should show up. Just select it
and play!

The only thing I'm not sure about is if it's an IPX or TCP/IP server you should
start- I believe it's IPX, but if I'm wrong, I'll find out and post a
correction.

Hope this helps!
---------------
The above quoted from Mike Gummelt of Raven Software.

[2.7] Maneuverability

	Like Hexen 2, Quake 2 will have ducking and crawling.  It will otherwise
have all the mobility Quake featured (jumping, running, sidestepping, etc.). On
an interesting note, a new variation of the Quake "rocket jump" trick known as
"barrel rocket jumping" is now possible.  Rocket jumping (which is also in Quake
2) involves pointing your rocket launcher weapon at the floor beneath you and
firing while simultaneously jumping.  By a fluke in the coding of the game, you
get propelled at nearly (possibly well over) 3 times your normal jumping height.

	"Barrel rocket jumping" involves standing on top of one of the explosive
barrels in Quake 2 and performing a rocket jump from there.  The explosion of
the barrel coupled with the explosion of your rocket and the force of your jump
does what programmer John Cash calls "catching some air."

	Quake 2 will have no USE key, just like Quake.

[2.8] Demos

	Demos will be recordable by people participating in a game OR people
running a game (client side or server side), as opposed to Quake's server side
only demos.

	Also, demos will be able to take shape as cut scenes (reportedly, this
info isn't straight from id).
 
[2.9] Technical issues

	One of the most popular things about Quake was its editability.  Quake 2
is going to be even MORE editable than Quake was.  New things to the engine
include colored light on capable accelerator cards (which will allow for a
greater creativity with level design), and the scrapping of QuakeC for a DLL. A
DLL is a dynamic link library, which is a compiled set of code for Windows platforms.  The fact that the "coding" for Quake 2 is changing to something
native to Windows means it'll run even faster on Windows than it would before,
and that now, REAL CODE is being used instead of a pseudo-developed programming
language like QuakeC.  A number of free compilers, such as DJGPP, G++, and LCC
are available, so this shouldn't shut out any people who want to code Quake 2
modifications.  As with Quake, the game "code" to the DLL (game.dll) will be
released for us to mess with.

	Two facts mentioned in Chapter 3 are that colored lighting is available in
GL accelerated mode, and water will be transparent/translucent in GL or standard
mode, like Hexen 2 but unlike the original game.

	Also, brush rotation, which was in Quake Mission Pack 1 and Raven's Hexen
2 but not in the original game, will be available and implemented in Quake 2.

	On the issue of operating systems, Windows 95 and NT are the initial
target audience and the game will run on those systems out of the box.  Ports to
other competent operating systems like Linux et al. will be later released.

	For models, models are being canonized from seperate pieces.  For example,
two enemies might have the same chicken-like legs. Also, the models assume a
framerate of 10 frames per second and the rest is filled in by the "frame
interpolation" as mentioned in Chapter 3.  Despite the fact that the models may
be "collections" of several models, it doesn't change the fact that they are
considered as basically a collection of vertices.

	The bug of light from rocket explosions showing through walls won't be
fixed because id can't do it in the timeframe they have, nor is it easy to do.
Here's a quote from a Brian Hook interview conducted on IRC in Undernet
#idSoftware on August 29, 1997 (website of the channel can be found at
http://id.lobosoft.com):

	Brian Hook: The second thing I want to discuss is "lights shining through
walls".  I can not BELIEVE the number of people who simply think we're lazy or
too stupid to get this happening. *fume* The problem is this -- yes, we can
backface cull the lights and not show them on opposite sides of a wall, however
backface culling will NOT prevent lights from splashing across a floor. In those
instances the lights wouldn't poke through the wall, but it would flood under
the wall and show up on the floor, which actually looks WORSE. There have been
some efforts to reduce the "light through walls" phenomena, but right now it's
essentially a part of the engine that would be very difficult to fix.

	Screenshots in GL accelerated mode will be TGA format and screenshots in
standard 256 color mode will be PCX format.  Momentum will work the same as in
Quake (automatic acceleration, no coefficient of friction).  Quake 2 will use
DirectX (except Direct3D) if it is present.  The DLL source will be released but
that is the only documentation id will provide to it, people can document it
themselves.  The DLL is server side.  (All the information in this paragraph is
from the aforementioned Brian Hook interview).

[2.10] Release information

	id has long stated that the game will be out by Christmas, possibly
November but likely December.  Also, in a recent interview (conducted August 29,
1997) on IRC, Brian Hook, an id programmer, stated "It would be absolutely
suicidally stupid of us to release a game after Christmas." when asked if id has
debated pushing back the release date to complete features/additions they have
stated as "not having time for" or "doing if we find the time."

	There will be NO SHAREWARE version of Quake 2.  It isn't split into
episodes, but as discussed elsewhere, units.  In "units" you go back and forth
between levels, completing tasks so that something becomes possible/accessible
in another level of that unit.  There will be a 2 or 3 level beta release prior
to the full release of the game, being dubbed "Q2Test."  This beta release is
said to be so that id can see how the engine performs on end users' systems so
that final optimizations and bug fixes can be done before the shelf version
hits.


-----------------------
[3] Tech Specifications
-----------------------

[3.1] Graphics

	Quake 2 will have GL accelerated mode (akin to "GLQuake2") and standard
mode (akin to "Quake2") and possibly Verite mode built in, to avoid the need of
downloading GLQUAKE2.EXE and VQUAKE2.EXE executables later on.  Also, GL mode
will offer colored light (that will show as white instead in standard mode) and
a host of other benefits, but standard mode will still look good.  In both
standard or GL accelerated mode, water will be transparent/translucent, like
Hexen 2 and GLQuake but unlike the original game.

	Frame interpolation is being used on models, which means that as a monster
animates, the animation will generate as many inbetween frames as possible
during the animation for your computer, so that the animation looks as smooth as
it possibly can on your computer instead of being a series of visible steps. The
models assume 10 frames per second and the interpolation fills in the rest.
Also, as previously mentioned in [2.10], models are being canonized from
seperate pieces, so two enemies might have the same or similar chicken-like legs
etc.

	On resolutions, 320x200 (which was the standard lowest resolution in Quake
and Hexen 2) has been removed, and 960x720 has been added.  The new lowest
resolution is 320x240.

[3.2] Sound

	Since Quake 2 will run in Win95/WinNT, the programmers won't have any
problems with adding every single sound card to the code - they'll leave the
sound job to your windows driver for your sound card.  Unlike Hexen 2 or other
games, the only way music will be presented is CD audio.  Sonic Mayhem
(http://www.sonicmayhem.com) is doing the majority of the CD soundtrack, and
have released two samples in MP3 music format from their work, gettable on
quake2.com or sonicmayhem.com.  Ozzy Osbourne may do some CD tracks, and
possibly some of the player/environment sounds.  Also, 22 KHZ and 11 KHZ sound
will be available, so you can select what sound quality you want to play with at
expense of a bit of speed.

	Radiosity sound was being attempted but at this point doesn't look like
it will be included according to programmer Brian Hook during the Undernet
#idSoftware August 29, 1997 interview.  The website to the IRC channel is
http://id.lobosoft.com, and the log is available (as of this writing) at
http://www.quake2.com/bhook.txt.

[3.3] CPU requirements

	The current minimum requirements for Quake 2 is a Pentium with 100
megahertz and 16 megabytes of RAM. It will also NOT be MMX enhanced.  MMX may
benefit the game but there will just be no specific "MMX only" features.  In
addition, processors that don't run Quake as well as Intel processors (such as
Cyrix or AMD) will have the same performance issues with Quake 2.


---------------------
[4] Quake 2 resources
---------------------

[4.1] Web Pages

id Software's Quake 2 page: http://www.idsoftware.com/quake2/
Quake2.com: http://www.quake2.com
The Quake 2 Webring: http://webring.quake2.com
Activision's Quake 2 page: http://www.activision.com/E3/quakeII/index.html
Tin's Quake 2 Nutshell: http://www.lightlink.com/jkramer/q2/
The Nebula: http://www.thenebula.com
Quake 2 Cheese: http://www.area255.com
The Sentinel: http://quake2.stomped.com
Quake 2!: http://freespace.virgin.net/aaron.eldridge/q2.htm

	Further sites devoted to the game can be seen from the webring member
list on http://webring.quake2.com.  If you have or know a Quake 2 page you'd
like listed here in the FAQ, e-mail me at slipgate@quake2.com.  I'm not
particular as long as it is a Quake 2 page.

[4.2] Newsgroups

	alt.games.quake2 is a newsgroup for Quake 2 discussion.  Its not overly
used, but it is used and I recommend you stop by.  It is unfortunate that like
all alt.* newsgroups it is the subject of "spam" or mass marketing posts on
occasion.

	Also, some Quake 2 sites have messageboards to discuss Quake 2 that are
frequently used.  3 such sites are The Sentinel (http://quake2.stomped.com),
3Dx (http://www.3dx.org, under the Quake 2 section), and Quake2.com
(http://www.quake2.com).  People are welcome to use these messageboards in
addition to the newsgroup.

[4.3] IRC

	Undernet #quake2 is the channel used to discuss Quake 2 by the masses, and
Christian "Disruptor" Antkow sometimes sheds a little fact or piece of info on
3DNet #quake (to attach to 3DNet, connect to irc.3dnet.net).  A note about
Undernet #quake2: It has plenty of operators, so they aren't taking any more, if
you are looking to become one, I'm sorry.  I was an operator until recently, but
due to time constraints I resigned.

	Also, there is an irc.quake2.com, we welcome you to stop by channel
#quake2 there whenever you feel like it.


-----------
[5] History
-----------

	The versions of the FAQ, and changes made in each, to date, are listed
	below.  The topmost version is the current version you are reading.

	v0.3,  September 12, 1997 - Major revamp and update of FAQ, too much to
		go into.  Now, HTML and standard text editions are available. First
		version to be uploaded to ftp.cdrom.com.
	v0.2d, August 12, 1997 - Updated [1.1] Forward.  Removed [1.5] since it
		was equivalent to [5.1] in content and approach, and redundancy is
		useless.  [2.1], [2.3], [2.4], and [2.5] all updated with new info
		from id/or Sonic Mayhem.  [3.2] Sound updated with info I forgot
		to mention, and some new info.  [5.1] Web pages, [5.3] Newsgroups
		and [5.4] IRC updated.
	v0.2c, August 10, 1997 - Updated disclaimer, [1.2] Why this FAQ, [1.5]
		Other interesting places to go, [2.5] Music, [3.2] Sound, and
		[5.1] Web Pages.
	v0.2b, August 6, 1997 - Updated [1.1] Forward, [1.3] Language, [1.5]
		Other interesting places to go, [2.4 Levels, [2.5] Music, [2.6]
		Multiplayer, [3.2] Sound, [4.1] When?, all of Chapter 5, corrected
		spelling errors.  Edited disclaimer.
	v0.2,  August 5, 1997 - FAQ goes under new management.  Total rewrite,
		too much to bother mentioning.
	v0.1i, June 12, 1997 - Updated plot story added [2.8] Weapons and Enemies
		Updated. Updated [2.1] What id released. Updated [2.5] Music and
		Updated [2.4] Levels Updated [2.7] Misc
	v0.1h, May 30, 1997  - Numerous changes, too many to list.
	v0.1g, May 22, 1997  - Modified [2.6] Multiplayer and [2.7] Misc.
	v0.1f, May 13, 1997  - Modified [5.4] and [5.3] again, and added [5.5].
	v0.1e, May 9, 1997   - Modified [3.3] CPU Requirements.  Also started
		adding dates to updates, as requested by FA-Oppressor.
	v0.1d, Unknown       - Added [2.4] to [2.7], also changed title of [3] to
		Tech Specifications, so it doesn't clash with Quake2's History.
      v0.1c, Unknown       - Added [4] Release Information. Therefore, I've
		moved Quake Resources forward to [5]. Modified [5.4] IRC and [5.3]
		Newsgroups.
	v0.1b, Unknown       - Added [3.4] Rumours.
	v0.1a, Unknown       - Added [2.3] Enemies.
	v0.1,  Unknown       - First pre-Quake2 public release.


-----------
[6] Credits
-----------

	This version of the FAQ wouldn't be up to snuff if it weren't for the
following people:

	Brian Hook, id Software programmer, gave us a lot of information on the
graphics and about issues in Quake that will not be resolved in Quake 2, and in
general a lot of other cool information.  Also for the resolution info at the
end of [3.1].

	The Undernet #idSoftware ops, who ran an excellent interview with Brian
Hook during which a lot of the information he has presented was revealed.  The
interview happened August 29, 1997, at 8 pm EDT.  Go to the website of the
channel at http://id.lobosoft.com.

	Derrick McKay for reminding me that the Quake 2 characters are right
handed instead of guns pointing out of their stomachs.

	Paul Steed, id Software artist and the uber-stud.  He's released so much
information by way of his humurous (and sometimes offensive :) ) .plan updates,
including a FAQ of questions he had received in e-mail one time.  A great deal
of the graphic info, and all the info on what weapons are available so far, are
due to him.

	Kevin Cloud, Quake 2 artist and project leader, for varous innumerable
contributions.

	John Carmack, the head honcho programmer and guy who makes all these 3D
engines we love, has provided info on a lot of the more technical aspects, such
as the size of the map grid, the transparency and translucency of water, and all
sorts of other little goodies.

	HexenWorld's staff and Mike Gummelt of Raven Software for the instructions
on modem to modem play.

	Nigel and Anarchy for both proofreading this FAQ, pointing out spelling
and grammar errors and suggesting rewordings of certain vague sections.

	Cardiac, for reminding me to remind you all that there's no melee weapon
planned yet for Quake 2.

	The guys at ftp.cdrom.com and its mirrors, for being willing to take this
FAQ into their large repositories of worthy files.

	Darryl Ashton for starting this FAQ in the first place (at the time, I
hadn't thought of writing a FAQ).

	And anyone else I've forgotten to thank..... it's been so many people.
Thank you all, your all so cool.
