Programming information
Matt Walsh made all of the Quake-C programming changes consisting of a combination of srcinal code and ideas submitted/borrowed from other Quake-C authors. He discovered id's srcinal code that checked whether the player was in the water dominated the performance profile. He changed the code so this expensive check was made half the time, causing this routine to disappear from the profiling data completely with no perceptible changes. Walsh also fixed a few bugs id had left in, such as some of the code to play the unlocking sound for certain doors.
Code for the Shrak monster itself was a bit tricky. Shrak is killed in 2 stages. The first stage is basic; hit Shrak with enough damage from any angle until he splits open revealing his heart. But then his heart must be hit directly with the inflator gun. The geometrical calculations to determine if this had happened were not straightforward, because bounding boxes inQuaketranslate but do not rotate —the rotation of characters is strictly an aesthetic feature. This was one of the first FPS implementations of a character that reacts differently to attacks based on the point of impact.
Sound
Sound
Nearly every sound was re-engineered inShrak . Many of them were done by Walsh, inspired by the 'shaped raw
sound' techniques used by sound engineers of early sci-fi movies such as Star Wars. One of the most useful techniques discovered was to reduce the speed of the sound. Attentive players will notice that they can hear "When Twilight Falls on NGC 891" by Martin Segundo and his Scintilla Strings as performed in the movie Dark Star . The
last 4 notes of "When the Levee Breaks" as performed by Walsh on keyboard can also be discerned when picking up certain weapons.
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Incompatibilities
Incompatibilities
The structure of aQuakemap (or BSP) is such that all texture resources for that level are contained in a WAD2 file
(to prevent confusion with Doom's WAD file format). Consequently, any levels made with the srcinal Quake's
textures contain id Software's intellectual property. These could not be distributed without id's consent and compensation. Because Quantum Axcess was unwilling or unable to pay id Software for the rights to use its textures within the levels, they came up with a workaround:Shrak 's maps contain none of id's intellectual property, but an application included on the CD-ROM processesShrak 's PAK files and adds id's textures to them, and exploits this legal loophole. Following Malice's release, id Software changedQuake's licensing structure to prevent this from
happening. Impel Production's unofficial third mission pack, Abyss of Pandemoniumshows the results of this: all textures are cleverly designed lookalikes to avoid potential legal liability.
The provided third-party texture combining application does not work outside of Windows 95, 98, or Millennium Edition, or a DOS-compatible environment. Linux users have presumably been out of luck since the beginning, and Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP users are unable to play the game without going to some trouble. One workaround for this is to create a small partition on a hard drive, installQuaketo it, boot the PC from a custom boot disk with a DOS install and CD-ROM support, installShrak , and then recopy these files to the volume whereQuakeis installed. It is
also possible to use DOSBox to run the executable from the command-line.
There is also an updated version of the combining application available on the FAQ page of theShrak homepage,
along with instructions for completing the installation.
External links
External links
• Gamespot Review[1] • Shrak Homepage[2] • Matt Walsh's Shrak Page[3]
References
References
[1] http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/shrakforquake/ [2] http://www.shrak.com/shrak.html
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Smokin' Guns
Smokin' Guns
Smokin' Guns Smokin' Guns Developer(s)Developer(s) Smokin' Guns Productions and Iron Claw Interactive
Version
Version 1.0 (Standalone)
Platform(s)
Platform(s) Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release date(s)
Release date(s) January 1, 2009
Genre(s)
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s)
Mode(s) Multiplayer
Media
Media Internet download
System requirements
System requirements1 GHz Processor, 256MB RAM, 400MB Hard Disk Space, 64MB OpenGL Video Card
Smokin' Guns
Smokin' Guns(SGSG) is a first-person shooter video game. Smokin' Guns is intended to be a semi-realistic simulation of the "Old West's" atmosphere and was developed on id Software'sQuake III ArenaEngine. Gameplay as well as locations are inspired by Western movies[1], particularly from the Italowestern respectively Spaghetti Western genre.
Smokin' Guns’s codebase is free and open source software, distributed under the terms of the GPL; it is built upon ioquake3, an upgrade of the srcinal Quake III engine. The artwork and other media are licensed under a proprietary non free license.
Gameplay
Gameplay
Smokin' GunsSmokin' Gunsis a semi-realistic simulation of the "Old West's" atmosphere.[2]The game is a so called total
conversion which was developed on the Quake3 engine. It includes new weapons created with historically correct information about damage, rate of fire, reload time, etc. Moreover, it includes new gametypes and maps inspired mostly by movies as well as a custom soundtrack.
The game differs in many aspects from similar games which are based on Quake3:
• It is not possible to regenerate health. All damage taken remains until a player finally dies and is revived. • Weapons have to be bought with money which is given as a rewa rd ("bounty") for defeating opponents. The
amount of money depends on the rank of both players involved.
• Defeated players lose their weapons and other equipment which can be pic ked up by others. The re are only very few weapons lying around in maps (in contrast to normal Quake3).
• Money pick-ups can be found in several maps (Depending on gametype).[3]
• It is possible to play in Akimbo-Mode, that is, with two pistols in parallel. The pistols do not necessarily have to be of the same type.
Gamemodes
Gamemodes
The following game modes are included inSmokin' GunsSmokin' Guns:[4]
• Bank Robbery: The goal of this game type is robbing the bank. One team has to attack the bank and steal the "money bag". The robber's team is equipped with two sticks of dynamite each, which allows them to blow a hole in the building and proceed to the money.[5]After grabbing the money, they have to head back to the escape point with it to win. The second team is protecting the bank and will try to prevent the other team from getting in. While a robbery might be more difficult to pull off, it will be more profitable than defeating the defending team.
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• Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch: This mode resembles the classic Deathmatch gameplay. Players spawn at random areas of the level and must compete against other players in a wild west shootout. The winner is the one who defeats the most opponents in a set time or kill limit. The levels have money and weapons that the player may pick up, and more money is awarded when the player defeats an opponent. This allows the player to purchase new and better weapons. In Team Deathmatch mode, the players are divided into two teams. The winning team is the one who defeats the most opponents in a set time limit. Levels remain the same as normal Deathmatch mode.
• Duel: The duel mode resembles classical western shoot-outs using only pistols. This game type is suitable for 2, 3 or 4 players and also for 2 player teams. The duel maps are huge maps divided into several parts. Separate Duels can be performed in each part of the map (up to 16 players are supported per map). The details of the duel are as follows: The combatants stand opposite each other while a musical clock starts to play. When the music stops the duel begins. The holstered pistols have to be drawn, it will take a few seconds until one can aim precisely (this will be indicated by the crosshair gradually fading in). During this time the player can decide whether he wants to face his opponent (with poorer chances to hit) or seek cover. The winner of the duel gets money and usually stays on the map part he "won" where he will meet the next challenger.
• Round Teamplay: This mode is a cro ss between Bank Robbery and Deathmatch. Players are divided into two teams. A point is awarded to the team who defeats the opposing team. The winning team is the first to reach the set amount of points or has the most points in a set time limit.