Quake Shrine

Play some Quake right now or you're a borepack!!

What is Quake

For those of you who have had the misfortune of not having heard of Quake yet, it is the groundbreaking first person shooter developed by iD Software and released in 1996, with the multiplayer only release QuakeWorld coming out a year later. Quake is the origin for 3D FPS games, the arena shooter genre, esports, and after going open source in 1999 it has revolutionized video game modding and is still the foundation for indie games today like WRATH: Aeon of Ruin. It is an often forgotten title in the modern day with most internet history focusing on its predecesor Doom from 1993. Despite this Quake still manages to have a dedicated fanbase of players, fans, mappers, and modders to this day.

Competitive QuakeWorld

QuakeWorld is a modification for Quake that was developed with internet multiplayer in mind back in 1996. Most people had dial up back then and all of the multiplayer that came with vanilla Quake was mostly tested for LAN. That version is now colloquially referred to as NetQuake. Due to the changes in netcode introduced in QuakeWorld exploits of the physics system for the game became possible which was the birthplace of bunnyhopping in video games.

QuakeWorld today is maintined by the community since the source code for Quake was made Free and Open under the GPL v2 license in 1999. Today most QuakeWorld players use ezQuake which makes your visuals super customizable and catered to your needs, it also provides many more game modes that didn't exist back in the 90's as well as general niceties and improvements for competitive play. Here's a side by side of vanilla looking Quake vs my Quake config for competitive QuakeWorld.

Quake Modding

As I've alluded to before since Quake is Free and Open Source Software that means the community has gone totally wild with modding. I could fill an entire website with information about modding, but luckily the Quake Wiki has already done that for me. Instead I want to use this space to share some of the coolest mods from Quake's history. Some of which I'm sure you've heard of. All of the mods titles will link the the mod's page if you want to check them out. (Which you totally should do btw.)

Team Fortress

Team Fortress is probably the most well known mod on this list and also the oldest. It became incredibly popular among QuakeWorld players in the late 90s and it's success led to the team getting hired by valve to port the mod to their GoldSrc engine. The GoldSrc engine itself being built on top of the QuakeWorld engine led to Team Fortress Classic releasing in 1999. Of course the team fortress franchise is most well known for its sequel installment, this Quake mod is still enjoyed by dedicated fans to this very day. It's a special piece of gaming history and worth checking out if you're ever bored on a weekend.

Quake 1.5

Quake 1.5 is my absolute favorite Quake mod of all time. Probably seems dumb since its just Quake with more features but its just incredible. Quake 1.5 started as a weapons update mod in the vein of mods like Brutal Doom. However, over time Quake1.5 became a full reimagining of what Quake could have been. There are new levels, bosses, weapons, enemies, and tons of GIBS!! Quake is also very well known for it's lackluster final boss but this mod has packed a finale that rivals modern games in scope. It is peak Quake and should be played by anyone who calls themselves a boomer shooter fan.

Arcane Dimensions

Arcane dimensions is a singleplayer Quake mod that features 30+ new levels, new enemies, weapons, and more. It was a long time community effort to bring modern level design techiniques and gameplay to the Quake engine. This mod is absolutely stunning to look at and still blows my mind that it is running on an engine that is nearly 30 years old. Truly a work of art and a labor of love.

Block Quake

Block Quake is a total asset conversion for Quake made by a single developer. I grew up playing lego games so when this mod came out I immediately knew I had to try it out. It does not dissapoint, all of the models are top notch and the redone sound design matches the new vibe perfectly. While it doesn't add anything new to the gameplay, since it is an asset conversion you can use this mod alongside other mods like arcane dimensions to get that lego look in the original or community made maps.