Quake Epsilon is a graphically enhanced build of shareware Quake 1 for Windows/Linux/Mac, which can be upgraded to the full version of Quake along with it's mission packs and several expansions by copying the full-version .pak files into the correct folders. Click 'read more' for installation details etc.
Quake Epsilon Build - modernised quake for Windows/Mac/Linux
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In 2011 I started browsing the latest graphical/sound quake mods, putting together a pretty build using LordHavoc's darkplaces, rygel's ultra textures packs, the reforged packs and a variety of mods, to play quake original.
The hassle comes when you have to browse the quakeone forums, stumbling to find the posts which detail what cvars and what configs/files you have to overwrite etc in order to get each mod to work. I literally spent as much time getting the mods working as playing the game. So I put together a nice-looking build of quake original and it's expansions called epsilon for everybody to get into, without getting into the hassle of config files and searching to find every available mod and getting them to work.
The main quake build also includes the original shareware first quarter of the quake game - it is easily upgraded to the full game by dropping in the pak0.pak and pak1.pak files from the full game's id1 folder (more details below).
There are executables for windows, linux and mac included in this release. However, this runs much faster on windows than it does on Mac or Linux, so I encourage you to run it on that OS if possible.
Version history is at the end of this text.
Four graphics quality levels
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One thing I wanted the epsilon build to do was cater for a wide range of computers.
So there are four tiers of graphics quality that you can change between easily by running a batch file and without downloading anything additional.
Each graphics level caters to a different type of computer ('High' is the default).
Ultra:
Recommended for the bleeding edge of current (~2011) computers. As of 2015 can cause some graphical glitches with newer Nvidia drivers. 2011-year or upwards graphics card, recent cpu recommended. Reflecting surfaces, bump-mapping, environmental effects, multiple particle effects, better flames, high-polyon models, effected reflecting water, ultra quality texturing.
High:
Recommended for most modern machines. For good machines with good graphics cards. Geforce 7800 or upwards, dual-core 3ghz & upwards recommended. Environmental effects, multiple particle effects, better flames, high-polyon models, effected reflecting water, ultra quality texturing.
Medium:
For medium spec computers and laptops with reasonable onboard 3d chipsets. Transparent water, high quality texturing, graphical options optimised for performance, while still retaining the 'modern' feel of the quake epsilon build.
Low:
Recommended for older laptops, graphics cards without shader support, and older machines in general. But it's also designed to be similar to original quake as possible, for those who want a nostalgia trip but with higher-quality textures. Few/no shader effects, 16-bit colour, uses the QRP texture pack, which is less gritty and grimy but more like the original quake, and uses less memory.
Installation and running:
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1. Unzip the quake epsilon zip file to somewhere on your computer.
2. Run quake:
Windows: run (double-click) "quake.bat"
Mac: run (double-click) "quake - mac"
Linux: run (double-click) "quake - linux"
On first run, my script will ask you to choose a graphics quality level (and on linux, will install dependencies). Choose one.
Then go into video config and adjust your resolution and antialiasing to taste.
That's all!
Upgrading from Shareware Quake1 to Full Quake1:
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The epsilon build obviously cannot include the full commercial quake release's pak0.pak and pak1.pak (content) files , for legal reasons (that'd be pra-riracy!), but I've put in the shareware quake pak0.pak (ie. the first quarter of the game) and you can buy full quake off steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/2310/) for about $5-$10 depending on the day.
To upgrade your epsilon build to the full version of quake, copy the pak0.pak and pak1.pak files from your commercial quake installation's "id1" folder to the "id1" folder in your epsilon build, overwriting the pak0.pak in that folder.
If you're using steam the pak0.pak and pak1.pak files will be in your steam/steamapps/common/quake/id1 folder.
For legal reasons, epsilon doesn't include the original NiN soundtrack, but I've included my own Diabolipak music replacement pack which I hope you'll enjoy. You can always find the original soundtrack around if you look for it (this is, unfortunately not included in the steam release of quake).
Performance issues:
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If you have performance issues, first try changing to a lower graphics quality level as per step 2. of the installation procedure.
If that doesn't help, you can try going into quake's options/video config and either reducing your resolution, antialiasing, texture quality or anisotropic filtering settings. You can also try turning on texture compression, but this will only affect performance marginally at this point and may cause problems with textures on some models.
Other issues:
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* NVIDIA graphics drivers may cause texture flickering problems under 'Ultra' mode (due to an incompatibility with darkplace's bump-mapping). This occurs with any version of the darkplaces engine and appears to be related to MD3 files. If this occurs, complain to NVIDIA here: Nvidia.com
* On linux, some setups operate better with the sdl version of darkplaces instead of the glx one. If you find darkplaces isn't running properly, try deleting the glx executable and renaming the sdl version to be the same as the glx one.
* The darkplaces engine which this build runs on, runs faster and looks better (for various reasons) on windows, so if you have the option, play it in windows.
* There is a common bug associated with quake where you lose some of your runes when you finish an episode. I'm not sure of the workaround for this, or what causes it (I suspect changing difficulty levels after a mission MIGHT trigger it) so just save your game often and preferably into a new save slot at the end of each 'episode' of the main game.
* Switching to low graphics quality and loading a save from when you were using one of the other graphics levels, may result in some odd objects appearing. This will only last till the end of the level.
Additional options:
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* To disable intro demos (running in-game graphics) on load of quake, simply add the following text to the end of your darkplaces executable call in your batch/bash script:
-demo nodemo
("nodemo" can be any name, so long as it's not the name of an actual demo).
Sources & Thanks to:
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Lordhavocs Darkplaces: Icculus.org
Quake shareware: Quakeone.com
Seven's Lava mod: Quakeone.com
Moondrunk/JenK/Beafeater moving sky: Quakeone.com
Mindgrid Audio upgrade (44k versions of original sounds): Gfx.quakeworld.nu
Ooppee's explosive barrels upgrade: Quakeone.com
Seven's Small mod compilation: Quakeone.com
Environment effects (various authors): Quakeone.com
Seven's Pretty water and Vis'd maps: Quakeone.com
Seven's teleport (modified for performance by myself): Quakeone.com
Reflecting overload (various authors): Quakeone.com
Quake Reforged Monster skins (bestiary): Quakeone.com
Quake reforged project health packs (various authors): Quakeone.com
Rygel's texturepacks (my build of this is optimised): Quakeone.com
Diabolipak music replacement: Quakeone.com
Fredrikh Shambler remodel: Fredrikh.deviantart.com
Effect-enabled powerups (various authors): Quakeone.com
Inkub's RTLights: Quakeone.com
Quake Revitalisation Project textures ('low' build level only): Qrp.quakeone.com
Shamblers Castle Hipoly models and skins: Quakeone.com
Smith/Nahuel/Dresk's CSHUD and level intros: Quakeone.com
Fragger's skins: Quakeone.com
MH's .lit lighting pack: Quaketastic.com
Rygel optimised pack DDS conversion ("Disolverpack") (inspired by D1554573R's RGX pack: Quakeone.com)
If you happen to like the music in the compilation, it's available here: xolve.bandcamp.com.
Version history:
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v2.56 - 24/10/2021:
* Some additions and corrections to main texture pack
* Improved (hopefully) batch files for windows
* New .lit and .vis files for travail, dopa, mp3 and beyond belief
* Precursor (qt_pre02.bsp) level for Travail
* HD texture pack for Travail with some fixes by myself
* Updated textures for Travail prequel level, and launch scripts added for that level
* Fixed teleport graphic for Travail
* Seven's 'extended' package for Travail (edited to make walk sounds softer and less intrusive)
* Skull nightspike moved from Travail to MP2 (an enforcer also uses the nightspike in travail, which doesn't look right)
* Better juggernaut2 copied from dopa to travail
* Added Abyss of Pandemonium (Mission Pack 3) 2020 update patches
* Beyond Belief fix patch by Nightfright
* Better ogre texture combo for Beyond Belief
* Fix for Mac launchers to allow music in epsilon and all expansions
v2.54 - 18/12/2016:
Introduction of DOPA epsilon third-party episode - improvements over original:
* 1.5-hour soundtrack based on NiN's free albums 'Ghosts I' and 'The Slip'
* the usual high-quality texturing, models, effects via epsilon build
* better lighting courtesy of BloodVengeance (with some corrections by myself)
Travail:
* Big improvement to lighting
* Corrected laser bolts on enforcers
* Corrected lumas for enforcers, grunts, knights, hellknights
* Corrected some lightmaps
* Changed water type for better performance in some areas
Abyss (MP3):
* Improved lighting, texturing, blood and flame effects.
* Ammo icon corrections.
* Improved hellknight skin
* Correction to missing hires skins if MP2 not installed
Quake original, mission pack 1 and mission pack 2:
* Incorporation of changes from 2.53 into main build (corrections to linux bash scripts)
* MP2: Updated to v1.0 release QRP DOE textures and normal maps (June 2016)
Beyond Belief:
* Map6 fix
* Map1 fix
* Improved textures
* Some lighting improvements
The Myths:
* Update to lighting on map 3
* Improved fiend skin
v2.53 - 23/07/2015:
* Fixed linux scripts for mp1, mp3 so the check is Uppercase .pak OR lowercase .pak, not AND
* Corrected some textual errors in mp1, mp2, mp3 scripts
* Corrected linux 'change grahics quality' script to return to folder (important for first-runs of other scripts which call change-graphics)
* Changed some of the hud graphics to match abyss's slightly buggy weapons-map
v2.52 - 2/08/2014:
* Fixed scripts so they copy settings to darkplaces user folders as well. Also fixed various things with linux and mac scripts and updated linux dependencies script. These changes fix the issue some were having with missing/low-quality textures.
* Linux scripts now auto-detect 32-bit or 64-bit machine and run appropriate executable.
* All scripts now run graphics quality selection on first run. Ditto linux dependency installs.
* Made some minor positive alterations in MP2 (buzzsaw replaced with edited older model for compatibility with lower graphics settings).
* Added extra chain-shotgun detail in Travail.
* Added more detail to grenling in Abyss of Pandemonium - was looking a bit weak
* Better teleport texture in Beyond Belief (Sterne's)
* Doubled the framerate on the initial 'start' map for quake, and improved performance with teleports in general (modified the shader).
* Put in Ironwarfare's new textures replacements in MP3 - some new replaced HD textures.
* Added DXT dependency for linux distros without it.
* Updated water shader and modified it to suit my taste
* Fixed #-prefixed textures in rygel disolverpack (can't be loaded by darkplaces while formatted as dds) - effects visible in medium and low quality modes
v2.5 - 20/06/2014:
* Changed Rygel pack to DDS textures (inspired by d1554573r), resulting in 400% faster level load speed (down from 48 seconds on an average computer to 12 seconds), better quality map textures (compared with originals using darkplaces texture compression), slightly faster game speed and faster download time.
* Turned off texture compression as default to get rid of that annoying thing with black textures on some models on some graphics cards. No performance difference now that DDS textures being used for map textures.
* Some fixes for various bits and pieces.
* Added libjpeg dependency fetcher script for linux.
* Corrected bash scripts for linux and mac so they can be run from the GUI window.
v2 - 7/05/2012:
Top level changes:
* Consolidated four builds into one, wrote batch/bash scripts for users to switch graphics quality levels (which swap graphics packages in and out and change game settings).
* Optimised rygel texture pack and qrp texture packs, fixed missing textures, improving performance (~10fps on my machine) and reducing download and loading times.
* Wrote bash scripts for running on Mac/Linux, retained executable permission status of darkplaces in package (thanks to LordHavoc and Andlinux).
* Added high poly packages for 'ultra' and 'high' graphics quality levels
* Consolidated build size is now about 2.2GB, about 2/3 the size of the original 'ultra' build and 1/4 the size of all of the previous builds put together.
Lower level changes:
* Changed TGA's to PNG's (when alpha's present) or jpeg in most packages to reduce size.
* Optimised performance settings and packages for each graphics level
* Separated normal textures out (not used in Low quality level) from other packages.
* Optimised SMC effects enabled for each quality level
* Optimised lighting settings for 'Low' quality level ('high' lighting).
* New sky for some levels (moondrunk/jenk/beafeater, me)
* Better teleport and slime textures for rygels pack (edited by me)
* Re-zipped pk3s using store. Faster loading, negligible size difference, better overall compression for downloadable zip (equates to 'solid' archiving for individual archives).
* Removed lightbeam support from reflecting overload. Until such point in time as computers quadruple their single core processing speed or darkplaces becomes multiprocessor-secure.
* A myriad of other fixes
Additional notes can be found in the id1/readmes folder, and inside some of the .pk3 files, as well as details for many of the mods used.
Moddb.com
Soulstudios.co.nz
Google drive link:
Drive.google.com
Thank you for updating for the 25th anniversary
You're welcome.
Will this work with the engine included in the 2021 remaster?
Should, but haven't tried.
Hi Guy's I love this version of Quake. I've played the newest remake too. Graphic wise your version walks all over Bethseda's, one small problem, if you added a music pak with killer tunes, you will wipe the floor clean.
There is a music pak in there.
You can always find the original NiN soundtrack on the net if you want an alternate one.
LyokoDesura No they use the darkplaces engine. Bethseda Makes the 2021 remake, Microsoft Franchise.
Read the info at the top.
Thank you to the folks behind this mod im blessed to have this.
Hello, I have rendering issues with Epsilon 2.56 on Linux that I have not on Windows version:
Github.com
smoke is intense in Windows version and very light in Linux version, missing textures on Linux version in Ultra mode.
That's the new darkplace engine github you're posting on. this uses the old darkplaces version. Likely a linux bug, but I don't know.
You could try this engine instead:
Moddb.com
Which should be compatible with epsilon, but I haven't tested.
Just curious if you'll be doing a mod for Dimension of the Machine?
Hello, is an update planned to make this mod compatible with recent Darkplaces version or Zyrcon engine?
Because the old Darkplaces version used in this mod give me error messages during playing like:
vertex shader compile log:
0:111(1): error: #extension directive is not allowed in the middle of a shader
(line offset for any above warnings/errors: 42)
GLSL shader glsl/default.glsl lightsource diffuse cubefilter specular shadowmap2d shadowmappcf shadowmapvsdct failed! some features may not work properly.
vertex shader compile log:
0:111(1): error: #extension directive is not allowed in the middle of a shader
(line offset for any above warnings/errors: 42)
GLSL shader glsl/default.glsl lightsource diffuse cubefilter shadowmap2d shadowmappcf shadowmapvsdct failed! some features may not work properly.
These messages appear on the screen while I'm playing, it's very annoying.
I played this a few years back and was blown away by how good it was. My only minor gripe was that the dynamic lights and shadows made some areas too dark to see in. Is there a flashlight addon for this (similar to the one in Quake 1.5)