I would like to have Quake launch in software mode by default, without going to "more"..."other"..."Quake (software mode). I love the more retro feel when it's NOT using nGlide 3DFX.

Is there a way to reconfigure GOG to do that?

I'm not sure about the GOG version of the game, but the disc version of Quake has 3 different executable files.

quake.exe - runs in software mode

glquake.exe - runs in open gl mode (my version doesn't use nGlide 3DFX, but I'm guessing that's included in the GOG version to improve compatibility)

winquake.exe - runs in software mode in windows instead of dos

Do you have those files?

You most likely need to change the quake shortcut to replace the text: glquake.exe with quake.exe

Leave any references to dosbox unchanged.

Alternatively, you could probably use winquake as is without dosbox. Just change your shortcut and replace glquake.exe with winquake.exe

Hope that helps.

Thank you. That's a very helpful reply. I was ideally wanting to actually launch Quake in software mode directly from the GOG play button.

I have now created a desktop shortcut to "quake.exe" and that is a good workaround.

Thank you for your help.

I'm not sure what the GOG play button is. I'm guessing it's part of GOG Galaxy. I haven't used GOG Galaxy before. I imagine it's possible to change shortcuts inside GOG Galaxy, but I'm not sure how.

Anyway, just make sure your shortcut points to the quake installation directory where the quake.exe file is.

If you want that classic software mode look but better support for widescreen resolution, mouse look, etc you could also try the source port called quakespasm. It still requires the Quake files, it just replaces the rendering engine.

GOG already did it (see attached), the only little f@ck up they made is that only 3 out of 4 desktop shortcuts created, tested on Win7(x64) OS, standalone installer.

Quake folder consists of:
1. quake.exe (aka "DOS Quake") works in Software mode, can't be run under Windows, instead runs in DOSBox (ver. 0.74) but it requires a bit of tweaking for smoother performance, open "dosbox_quake.conf" in text editor and change values in "cycles" (higher value or just put "max" into it), "memsize=2048" might also help a bit and "aspect=true" might fix incorrect screen positioning in upper corner

however that's not all, you'll also need to update "dosbox_quake_single.conf" as seen below (also see attached)
"quake.exe -hipnotic -game hipnotic" > this will add footsteps sounds as it used to be
"quake.exe -rogue -game rogue" > this will solve the issue with incorrect ammo cvars (e.g. lava nails, shotgun shells)

2. Winquake.exe (official source port of Quake to Windows by id Software) works in Software mode, there is no shortcut, but you may create it by yourself and run it under Windows nonetheless (not all versions will work though)

3. glquake.exe (GLQuake is a source port of Quake that uses the OpenGL), old ver. 0.95 which can be easily upgraded to latest official ver. 0.98, all you need to do is to place newer "glquake.exe" into Quake root folder, delete folder ../id1/glquake and run it (it will meshes) and "opengl32.dll" file as well.

Still you can run GLQuake in "software"-like mode, just open ../id1/autoexec.cfg and add line:
"gl_texturemode GL_NEAREST_MIPMAP_LINEAR"

for easier picture mode (keyboard key "p" in this particular example) toggle i would also add:
alias pixel_on "gl_texturemode GL_NEAREST_MIPMAP_LINEAR; bind p pixel_off"
alias pixel_off "gl_texturemode GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR; bind p pixel_on"
bind p pixel_on

Please note that GOG version emulates 3dfx Voodoo 2 chipset though nGlide software (run "nglide_config.exe" and adjust gamma and resolution to your liking, turning 3dfx logo off will save a lot of loading time)

I recommend to run all 3 source ports in 4:3 resolution in 640x480 (for GLQuake use command line parameters "glquake.exe" -width 640 -height 480 -bpp 32" for soft colors), any higher resolution will scale down text fonts in menu and status bar

4. use FitzQuake Mark V at http://quakeone.com/markv/
dx9_mark_v.exe (FitzQuake Mark V in DirectX 9) - best performance and quality ever
mark_v.exe (FitzQuake Mark V in OpenGL) - may not run best on all systems
mark_v_winquake.exe (FitzQuake Mark V' own version of WinQuake) - runs smoother than original WinQuake, status bar can be scaled to fit 320x240 or 640x480.

P.S. Quakespasm doesn't support crosshair 2 (little dot) by default, Mark V doesn't support .OGG files by default (can be edited in HEX-editor as workaround)

"Thank a lot for this tip, turns out Mark V DOES play OGG if you just open the .exe in a hex editor and search and replace all instances of .mp3 ASCII text with .ogg."
http://celephais.net/board/view_thread.php?id=61375&start=1760

Ah yes, spotted that. Thank you. That is indeed the shortcut I'm using (after copying it to the desktop).

:-)

That works perfect. After this change, just start the game from the GOG Galaxy level (PLAY button).

I replaced the values and get no footstep sound.
Where there ever any in the original Quake anyway?

Quake.exe -hipnotic -game hipnotic (original Quake, no footsteps, that was my mistake)

glQuake.exe -hipnotic -game hipnotic (glQuake, footsteps are there)

Sorry for confusion.

The second option only seems to launch the Scourge Of Armagon expansion
but there are still no footsteps to be heard

There are footsteps in MP1 for Quake, I specifically tested DOS Quake, WinQuake and glQuake from freshly installed version of Quake: The Offering.

All you need to do is set crosshair to 2.

I made a small post for everyone to rejoice:
https://www.gog.com/forum/quake_series/quake_scourge_of_armagon_by_hipnotic_real_footsteps_sounds

Nice article