h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a minor point, not that anyone except our fellow game-heads will actually care. Half-Life uses a modified version of the Quake(tm) engine rather than the Quake 2(tm) engine as stated. Valve tweaked it to use colour lighting, 16 bit textures, etc.

I didnt know that it used quake at all but thats just me for ya. For some reason i dont like Half life. Just a tip try action quake 2 It rocks! www.actionquake.com.

psycho monkey dragged through a vortex backwards

ps.How many game zealots is there in h2g2 and has anyone else got a GBA?

No, it's definitely a modified version of the Quake I engine.

And it has a far bigger following than Quake II ever had even now, three years after launch...

...it's all thanks to Counter-Strike...

its a modified version of the quake 2 engine, which is in turn a modified version of the quake engine.

So in a sense, you're all right

No, no I am right. It's a modified version of the original Quake version. They had to use that because Half-Life was set to be released so soon after Quake II that ID wouldn't license the Quake II software.

http://www.uiah.fi/~taharvia/halflife/history.htm

^^ look about half way down.

Ah, looks like you might be right

I knew they'd started making the game using the quake engine, but I thought they switched part way through the development

If you compare the HL and Q2 source you'll notice they handle different rendering APIs completely differently... anyway, yeah.

Actually the fact that they based it on Q1 is one of the main reasons that HL is such a fast game on most modern systems - but also one of the reasons that big levels don't work very well on it. Likewise lack of support SFX - fog, rain, etc - is one of the main problems with its Q1 origins.

I remember looking at the Q2 source a long time ago...
despite thinking I was a pretty good programmer I didn't have a clue what was going on

Haven't seen the half-life one, though

Yeah, well, I managed to modify the code enough to change the health and armour numbers into horizontal meter bars. Which was pretty cool. But when it comes to actual gameplay client-server stuff, it's all kinda like banging your head against the wall.

heh, well, maybe when I've finished my degree in computer science I'll have more of an idea

Hey, you produce trance tracks? cool
*checks your website out*
I do some electronic music too

Yeah... well, I try. I really don't have the time for anything at the moment - things are kinda frenetic with schoolwork and stuff.

BTW, check out the Quake Army Knife - http://www.planetquake.com/quark We can always use new Python/Delphi coders, if you want.

(It's freeware, so hopefully the above doesn't constitute a commercial link...)

*Looks at dodgy photos on your website*

Um... you're an Australian, right?

dodgy photos?

nope, just went to Portugal for christmas

and I don't know perl or delphi

python or delphi, even

yeah, well, even if you don't want to join the coding team it's still a pretty powerful editor. Check it out - you never know, you might like it!