Action Quake 2
Encyclopedia
Action Quake 2 is a mod
for the computer game Quake II
created by The A-Team. Although originally released in 1998, it still has a small player base mainly in South America
, Scandinavia
and especially in Finland
, with active servers on several continents as of 2008. AQ2 was developed to recreate the look and feel of an action movie, having a fast pace and a semi-realistic damage system. It features many maps
recreating realistic settings, such as city streets and office buildings, with a balanced range of weapons and equipment inspired by action movies.
Action Quake 2 is essentially a version of deathmatch
and team deathmatch in which most of the classic elements have been modified to some degree. Damage to extremities such as a shot to the leg with any weapon will cause damage and bleeding, along with crippling the player's movement until they bandage themselves.
With a then unique style of play, realistic weapons and fast pace, AQ2 became one of the most popular Quake II mods. The mod caught the attention of id Software
in June 1998, who wished to include it in their upcoming Quake II: Internet Pack No. 1 (Netpack 1): Extremities, a commercial add-on product for Quake II. This expansion CD was released in the U.S. on November 26, 1998, included was the final version 1.0c of Action Quake, along with 11 other publicly available mods, a collection of Quake 2 deathmatch maps, and player skins. Members of the development team would later go on to work on titles such as Action Half-Life
and Counter-Strike
.
(Free For All) and Teamplay. In Deathmatch, spawn points
are distributed over most of the map, and players battle out in a free-for-all fashion in an attempt to get the most kills possible. The map changes when one of two conditions is met: either the timelimit is reached (and whoever has the most frags
"wins"), or the fraglimit is reached (and whoever reaches it "wins"). By default each player spawns with only the MK23 pistol (with no extra ammo), and a Combat Knife (see below regarding equipment). Additional equipment can be picked up throughout the map, but in Action Quake 2 DM all weapons other than pistols, knives, and grenades are "unique", meaning that only one exists on that map at any time. Staying alive is rewarded with more frags for each player killed.
In Teamplay, players are split into two teams and play is round based. Players select one primary weapon and one item to use, in addition to the default pistol and knife. The teams spawn on opposite sides of the map, and are then let loose to kill each other. If one team eliminates the other, they win the round.
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
for the computer game Quake II
Quake II
Quake II, released on December 9, 1997, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Id Software and distributed by Activision. It is not a sequel to Quake; it merely uses the name of the former game due to Id's difficulties in coming up with alternative names.The soundtrack for Quake II...
created by The A-Team. Although originally released in 1998, it still has a small player base mainly in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and especially in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, with active servers on several continents as of 2008. AQ2 was developed to recreate the look and feel of an action movie, having a fast pace and a semi-realistic damage system. It features many maps
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
recreating realistic settings, such as city streets and office buildings, with a balanced range of weapons and equipment inspired by action movies.
Action Quake 2 is essentially a version of deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
and team deathmatch in which most of the classic elements have been modified to some degree. Damage to extremities such as a shot to the leg with any weapon will cause damage and bleeding, along with crippling the player's movement until they bandage themselves.
Overview
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
in June 1998, who wished to include it in their upcoming Quake II: Internet Pack No. 1 (Netpack 1): Extremities, a commercial add-on product for Quake II. This expansion CD was released in the U.S. on November 26, 1998, included was the final version 1.0c of Action Quake, along with 11 other publicly available mods, a collection of Quake 2 deathmatch maps, and player skins. Members of the development team would later go on to work on titles such as Action Half-Life
Action Half-Life
Action Half-Life is a mod for the award-winning first-person shooter computer game Half-Life. It strives to simulate action movies, especially those directed by John Woo.-Development:...
and Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
.
Gameplay
There are two main modes of gameplay in Action Quake 2: DeathmatchDeathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
(Free For All) and Teamplay. In Deathmatch, spawn points
Spawning (computer gaming)
In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character or item. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction....
are distributed over most of the map, and players battle out in a free-for-all fashion in an attempt to get the most kills possible. The map changes when one of two conditions is met: either the timelimit is reached (and whoever has the most frags
Frag (video gaming)
Frag is a computer and video game term originating from the word fragging, a term indicating to kill an unpopular superior officer with a fragmentation grenade. A frag is roughly equivalent to "kill", with the typical main difference that the player being "fragged" can instantly respawn in most...
"wins"), or the fraglimit is reached (and whoever reaches it "wins"). By default each player spawns with only the MK23 pistol (with no extra ammo), and a Combat Knife (see below regarding equipment). Additional equipment can be picked up throughout the map, but in Action Quake 2 DM all weapons other than pistols, knives, and grenades are "unique", meaning that only one exists on that map at any time. Staying alive is rewarded with more frags for each player killed.
In Teamplay, players are split into two teams and play is round based. Players select one primary weapon and one item to use, in addition to the default pistol and knife. The teams spawn on opposite sides of the map, and are then let loose to kill each other. If one team eliminates the other, they win the round.