Tag Archives: lightmapping

UQE Quake v1.10 Released!

There has been numerous times where I started work on a fixed-up version of Quake, but never got around to finish it. Sometimes life has a way to get in the way of things. This time around I stuck it out and got it finished! I’ve worked on Quake development the day its sources got released back in 2000, but eventually ended up working on Hexen II instead. With UQE Hexen II now done, I decided to start work on UQE Quake and get all the great fixes I did on UQE Hexen II back-ported to the new UQE Quake project.

The UQE project is a very personal one where the goal is to fix the engine just enough to enable me to once again enjoy one of my most favourite games of all time without having to use DOS emulation software or an older version of Windows because of compatibility issues with modern day hardware, drivers and operating systems. Its been a long time coming indeed!

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Quake2 BSP Rendering using Microsoft XNA

The past few months I’ve been working on/off on a project that loads and renders Quake2 (idTech2) BSP files using the .NET language called C# for the program logic and XNA for input and rendering purposes. Initially the idea was to use XNA and build from the ground up game technology to run our titles on using technologies I’m familiar with in the form of the Quake and idTech2 engines. Initially the idea was to try and swat two flies at once by developing tech that could carry our game titles on as well as have a clean replacement for our “Ultimate Quake Engine” (UQE) project.

This is the utopia, but it is not possible to accomplish this in a decent timeframe.
On the one hand you want to build technology that is competitive regarding capabilities to other engines or renderers out there, but on the other hand you want to remain faithful to what the technology should be able to do regarding the UQE project. Ultimately its impossible to build a single technology that looks into both directions without having a dated or bloated design. We decided the best was to go, as Corvus Games, is to utilize XNA for simpler arcade-like titles and for larger titles license a commercial engine like Torque3D and the likes.

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Emulating Quake

Lets start by saying that those two words used in my subject has unleashed quite some interesting responses.. in far more ways than I expected. Given the facts from all sides, this is what is happening and what is possible through this.

First question would probably be: “Why Quake?”
Its very simple actually. Quake is the most simple of the modern-day polygon-based FPS games out there, with the least or none extra logic that is not the gameplay itself in making a simple FPS game.

Your second question would probably be: “Why emulate/re-write Quake?”
To set the record straight, its an emulation of Quake “The Game” and not a re-write of Quake “The Engine”. Infact, the old engine is so outdated right now and has such a lot of porting problems and design flaws in it, it will be just as hard fixing it as it will be re-writing it.

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