Posted July 31, 2016
high rated
When playing older games, I usually try to play them as close as possible to the way they were when they were released. Especially with older 3D games, this can be a bit difficult. In the case of Doom, for example, there is the wonderful Chocolate Doom source port, which works with all modern machines but behaves and looks just like it did in 1993 on DOS.
With Quake that initially appeared to be a little more difficult, but I am very happy with the final results and wanted to share these for other afficionados of good old "chunky pixels" :)
GOG Quake already includes 3 different versions:
1. A DOSBox emulation of the original software rendered DOS release
2. The official OpenGL version GLQuake
3. WinQuake, a windows port of the DOS version
There is a very good article about the differences between DOS and GLQuake here: https://www.quaddicted.com/engines/software_vs_glquake
The article makes it clear that GLQuake is quite subpar compared to the DOS version. However, like fellow GOGers, I couldn't get Quake to work comfortably using DOSBox. As GOG provides it the performance is rather bad and only gets worse on higher resolutions. The Quake wiki suggests different settings: http://quake.wikia.com/wiki/DOSBox But even then I felt the controls are very sluggish and it just isn't much fun to play, despite the nice classic graphics.
WinQuake on the other hand is nearly identical to the DOS version in look and feel, while working flawlessly on my modern machine, albeit with a slightly washed out look due to being brighter and less contrasted. Still, that is a great choice if all you want is to play the original Quake without any bells and whistles. However, there are more modern choices, all with different features:
Here are comparison screenshots between DOSBox, Winquake and 4 different source ports. All screenshots were taken in 640x480 but resized to 2x size:
DOSBox
WinQuake
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake modified
Quakespasm
Quakespasm modified
DirectQ
engoo
and the source ports in 1920x1080:
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake modified
Quakespasm modified
DirectQ
engoo
The main "issues" with source ports, which of course are largely down to personal preference, usually are:
-texture filtering: As can be seen and described in the article, the DOS version looks crisper, but also noisier, whereas with linear filtering as in GLQuake, the textures look softer, but muddier
-particle effects: In the DOS version, every particle is shown as a simple square, in many source ports they are shown as rounded dots
-enemy animations: in the DOS version animations are made up of only few frames, making them look very choppy. In most source ports the animations are interpolated, resulting in a much more fluid animation
-weapon placement: Depending on the rendering and also resolution, the weapon placement on the bottom of the screen can be pretty different, as is obvious in the screenshots
-brightness/contrast: The DOSBox version looks dark and contrasted. Most source ports, including WinQuake, appear less vibrant, even on the lowest brightness settings. However, this can easily be changed by using the following command in the console (opened by pressing ~ or ^ on your keyboard):
gamma x (where "x" can be any number between 0.5 and 2. The default minimum is 1, higher numbers are even darker.)
and, if the source port includes it,
contrast x (I will give value recommendations per source port)
FitzQuake Mark V (WinQuake) (website)
Recent versions of this engine include a port based on WinQuake. It's nearly identical to that, while adding several features, like support for higher resolutions, MP3 music as well as the CD support, and lots of other features like weapon movement, while always clearly showing which option is the "default" original one. Brightness and contrast can be changed (I prefer gamma 1.2 and contrast 1.6), resulting in the look as shown in the "modified" screenshots.
Animation interpolation can be disabled by typing the following commands in the console (opened by pressing ~ or ^ ingame) or adding them to the autoexec file in the Quake/id1 folder (for example "C:\GOG Games\Quake\id1\autoexec.cfg". If it doesn't exist just create a new textfile and rename it to that):
r_lerpmove 0 (disables interpolation for enemies)
r_lerpmodels 0 (disables interpolation for everything else, for example weapons)
Quakespasm (website)
This seems to be the most popular source port. All issues are present here: Textures are filtered, particles are rounded, enemy animations interpolated and you see much less of the weapon. Luckily, despite not offering many options in the game's settings menu, most of these can be modified easily using the following command variables. Type them into the console or add them to autoexec.cfg as described above:
gl_texturemode 1 (disables texture filtering, 3 enables mipmapping resulting in less "noise" when moving)
r_particles 2 (changes to square particles)
r_lerpmove 0 (disables animation interpolation for enemies)
r_lerpmodels 0 (disables animation interpolation for everything else, e.g. weapons)
To my knowledge, the lower weapon placement can only be adressed by changing the "camera" placement, thus slightly altering the viewpoint, using this command:
scr_ofsx -2.8 (the value can be adjusted, although I found this the most suitable)
Brightness and contrast can be changed from the menu or using commands (I prefered gamma 1.2 and contrast 1.5).
All of this combined results in the look shown in the "Quakespasm modified" screenshots. If it weren't for the weapon placement it would be nearly identical to DOS/WinQuake.
DirectQ (download links, newest release is "DirectQ 1.9.0 Executable.zip")
Unlike Quakespasm, this source port uses Direct3D, so depending on your system you may get better performance using one or the other. It offers the most menu options out of the source ports I've tested, meaning you can easily adjust many variables to your liking, including brightness and contrast (I preferred gamma 0.6 and contrast 1.5 for the dark, vibrant look, but it doesn't show in the screenshots). Overall it feels slightly different to WinQuake but it's very close. To get closest to the orignal look, these settings need to be used in the video options:
Texture Filter: Point
Mipmap Filter: Off
and in the effects options:
Particles: Square
Animation interpolation can not be changed in the menu, but just as easily as in other ports by typing in a console variable or adding it to autoexec.cfg:
r_lerpframe 0 (disables animation interpolation)
Weapon placement in DirectQ is not identical, but fairly close to the original.
engoo (website)
This engine is based on the software-rendered WinQuake and thus, out of the box, looks and plays very similar, but not as close as Fitzquake Mark V. This one however is unique in that it offers a great number of extra options to mostly alter the look and feel, including color intensity, different presets allowing the game to mimick for example Quake64's look and much more. I can't recommend it for the orignial Quake feel, but this is good for a different kind of "retro"! Unfortunately, issues I have found are that it doesn't save resolution options until the next start, on higher resolutions the particle size is too big and apparently engoo doesn't play the original soundtrack in any way.
One important side note: Coloured lighting / Transparent water
Of the source ports mentioned here, FitzQuake Mark V (although not the WinQuake port!), Quakespasm, DirectQ and engoo support coloured lighting, which Quake originally didn't include. This is a big change, but depending on your opinion it can greatly enhance the atmosphere of the game. To benefit from that I recommend to use this pack of .lit and .vis files for Quake 1 and the addons provided by FitzQuake Mark V: http://quakeone.com/markv/extras/vis_lits_id1_hipnotic_rogue_free_standing_files.zip (simply extract the files into the corresponding maps folders)
All engines offer more and less slightly different experience, so it's really a matter of preference which one suits you best. After having tested several now the clear winner for me is the WinQuake port of FitzQuake Mark V. It looks, plays and feels exactly like the DOS version, runs flawlessly and plays the soundtrack without need for the CD!
I hope this topic is of some help for others. If you have any questions on using these engine or have any further advice I would be glad to hear it :)
With Quake that initially appeared to be a little more difficult, but I am very happy with the final results and wanted to share these for other afficionados of good old "chunky pixels" :)
GOG Quake already includes 3 different versions:
1. A DOSBox emulation of the original software rendered DOS release
2. The official OpenGL version GLQuake
3. WinQuake, a windows port of the DOS version
There is a very good article about the differences between DOS and GLQuake here: https://www.quaddicted.com/engines/software_vs_glquake
The article makes it clear that GLQuake is quite subpar compared to the DOS version. However, like fellow GOGers, I couldn't get Quake to work comfortably using DOSBox. As GOG provides it the performance is rather bad and only gets worse on higher resolutions. The Quake wiki suggests different settings: http://quake.wikia.com/wiki/DOSBox But even then I felt the controls are very sluggish and it just isn't much fun to play, despite the nice classic graphics.
WinQuake on the other hand is nearly identical to the DOS version in look and feel, while working flawlessly on my modern machine, albeit with a slightly washed out look due to being brighter and less contrasted. Still, that is a great choice if all you want is to play the original Quake without any bells and whistles. However, there are more modern choices, all with different features:
Here are comparison screenshots between DOSBox, Winquake and 4 different source ports. All screenshots were taken in 640x480 but resized to 2x size:
DOSBox
WinQuake
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake modified
Quakespasm
Quakespasm modified
DirectQ
engoo
and the source ports in 1920x1080:
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake
FitzQuake Mark V WinQuake modified
Quakespasm modified
DirectQ
engoo
The main "issues" with source ports, which of course are largely down to personal preference, usually are:
-texture filtering: As can be seen and described in the article, the DOS version looks crisper, but also noisier, whereas with linear filtering as in GLQuake, the textures look softer, but muddier
-particle effects: In the DOS version, every particle is shown as a simple square, in many source ports they are shown as rounded dots
-enemy animations: in the DOS version animations are made up of only few frames, making them look very choppy. In most source ports the animations are interpolated, resulting in a much more fluid animation
-weapon placement: Depending on the rendering and also resolution, the weapon placement on the bottom of the screen can be pretty different, as is obvious in the screenshots
-brightness/contrast: The DOSBox version looks dark and contrasted. Most source ports, including WinQuake, appear less vibrant, even on the lowest brightness settings. However, this can easily be changed by using the following command in the console (opened by pressing ~ or ^ on your keyboard):
gamma x (where "x" can be any number between 0.5 and 2. The default minimum is 1, higher numbers are even darker.)
and, if the source port includes it,
contrast x (I will give value recommendations per source port)
FitzQuake Mark V (WinQuake) (website)
Recent versions of this engine include a port based on WinQuake. It's nearly identical to that, while adding several features, like support for higher resolutions, MP3 music as well as the CD support, and lots of other features like weapon movement, while always clearly showing which option is the "default" original one. Brightness and contrast can be changed (I prefer gamma 1.2 and contrast 1.6), resulting in the look as shown in the "modified" screenshots.
Animation interpolation can be disabled by typing the following commands in the console (opened by pressing ~ or ^ ingame) or adding them to the autoexec file in the Quake/id1 folder (for example "C:\GOG Games\Quake\id1\autoexec.cfg". If it doesn't exist just create a new textfile and rename it to that):
r_lerpmove 0 (disables interpolation for enemies)
r_lerpmodels 0 (disables interpolation for everything else, for example weapons)
Quakespasm (website)
This seems to be the most popular source port. All issues are present here: Textures are filtered, particles are rounded, enemy animations interpolated and you see much less of the weapon. Luckily, despite not offering many options in the game's settings menu, most of these can be modified easily using the following command variables. Type them into the console or add them to autoexec.cfg as described above:
gl_texturemode 1 (disables texture filtering, 3 enables mipmapping resulting in less "noise" when moving)
r_particles 2 (changes to square particles)
r_lerpmove 0 (disables animation interpolation for enemies)
r_lerpmodels 0 (disables animation interpolation for everything else, e.g. weapons)
To my knowledge, the lower weapon placement can only be adressed by changing the "camera" placement, thus slightly altering the viewpoint, using this command:
scr_ofsx -2.8 (the value can be adjusted, although I found this the most suitable)
Brightness and contrast can be changed from the menu or using commands (I prefered gamma 1.2 and contrast 1.5).
All of this combined results in the look shown in the "Quakespasm modified" screenshots. If it weren't for the weapon placement it would be nearly identical to DOS/WinQuake.
DirectQ (download links, newest release is "DirectQ 1.9.0 Executable.zip")
Unlike Quakespasm, this source port uses Direct3D, so depending on your system you may get better performance using one or the other. It offers the most menu options out of the source ports I've tested, meaning you can easily adjust many variables to your liking, including brightness and contrast (I preferred gamma 0.6 and contrast 1.5 for the dark, vibrant look, but it doesn't show in the screenshots). Overall it feels slightly different to WinQuake but it's very close. To get closest to the orignal look, these settings need to be used in the video options:
Texture Filter: Point
Mipmap Filter: Off
and in the effects options:
Particles: Square
Animation interpolation can not be changed in the menu, but just as easily as in other ports by typing in a console variable or adding it to autoexec.cfg:
r_lerpframe 0 (disables animation interpolation)
Weapon placement in DirectQ is not identical, but fairly close to the original.
engoo (website)
This engine is based on the software-rendered WinQuake and thus, out of the box, looks and plays very similar, but not as close as Fitzquake Mark V. This one however is unique in that it offers a great number of extra options to mostly alter the look and feel, including color intensity, different presets allowing the game to mimick for example Quake64's look and much more. I can't recommend it for the orignial Quake feel, but this is good for a different kind of "retro"! Unfortunately, issues I have found are that it doesn't save resolution options until the next start, on higher resolutions the particle size is too big and apparently engoo doesn't play the original soundtrack in any way.
One important side note: Coloured lighting / Transparent water
Of the source ports mentioned here, FitzQuake Mark V (although not the WinQuake port!), Quakespasm, DirectQ and engoo support coloured lighting, which Quake originally didn't include. This is a big change, but depending on your opinion it can greatly enhance the atmosphere of the game. To benefit from that I recommend to use this pack of .lit and .vis files for Quake 1 and the addons provided by FitzQuake Mark V: http://quakeone.com/markv/extras/vis_lits_id1_hipnotic_rogue_free_standing_files.zip (simply extract the files into the corresponding maps folders)
All engines offer more and less slightly different experience, so it's really a matter of preference which one suits you best. After having tested several now the clear winner for me is the WinQuake port of FitzQuake Mark V. It looks, plays and feels exactly like the DOS version, runs flawlessly and plays the soundtrack without need for the CD!
I hope this topic is of some help for others. If you have any questions on using these engine or have any further advice I would be glad to hear it :)
Post edited August 07, 2018 by Syrion