User blog:Deathstalker666/QuakeWikia Server

Just a useful feature list to keep everyone up to date on what the server is looking like. I originally had it sorted by mods I was and wasn't using, but found too many of them I was deviating from the intended design, or just was picking and choosing small parts of convoluted mods. Needless to say, I wished for something with a bit more organization. So here we are, a nice list just clarifying what the features of the server are.

Note that I am trying to make sure server incompatibilities have nothing to do with me. So while there are known issues, I can verify most of them were existent in the mods where I ripped the code from.

I have tried using PAK Explorer to make transferring the files a bit easier, but the problem is that detection of files has been less than reliable. It seems to pick and choose what works and doesn't work, so that it ends up failing at random points. Raw files aren't as user friendly to install or transfer over, but at least when placed in a directory we can be assured they work.

See credits at the bottom for the base I worked with. Many mods were slightly altered, merged together, or just had large portions changed around to fit the design mentality.

Sadly, while I can freely design the server for personal use, many portions of the modification cannot be distributed due to copyright. This means I am not providing download links; the server is built on a "as have" basis. If you have all the original content (see Credits), we can play on the server. Commercial levels are not necessary needed, but do help the experience so you can play the full 9 episode campaign.

Randomizer
The biggest feature of our server is a mass randomization feature. No longer is every playthrough the same, in fact each time you die the level will be reset to be an entirely different experience. This means it is much harder for the game to get stagnant, since you never know exactly what you will get. A big focus of the server since the introduction of the randomizer has been with adding as much content as we can to it, providing a large variety of opponents for the player to face.

Monster Randomizer= By far, the largest randomizer we have and the one that has the most custom resources is the Monster Randomizer. Every vanilla enemy in the game now has a chance of being replaced with another random opponent.

Note that the randomization can have some side effects. Most notable is that bounding boxes are a thing; there are cases where an opponent can get stuck because a Monster with a smaller bounding box was originally intended to be located in that spot. I could cut down on randomization so that it cannot make an enemy larger than the intended bounding box, but the problem is that most opponents will work perfectly fine. I think the occasional stuck enemy is better than a more stable but less chaotic form of randomization.

Reskinned opponents such as the Yeti and Blazing Fiend exist at a rarer chance than totally new opponents like the Snakeman or Psionic Slug. This means we now have some rare treasures to find and face within the randomizer.

Ammo Randomizer= Randomizing Weapons without randomizing Ammo could lead to some balance issues. Now with randomized Ammo, you always have the potential of finding some resources for the gun you are using.

Powerup Randomizer= Even the rare artifacts you find in a level are not immune to randomization. You may go to pick up a Pentagram of Protection, only to realize it is a shoddy Biosuit. Any Custom Powerups can also be found here.

General Changes
Outside of the addition of the randomizer, which is the main focus of this modification, we have included a wide number of additional changes to make gameplay flow all the more.

Level Changes

 * Vanilla levels now go directly to secret levels, regardless of exit, which means they can't be skipped as easily. They also just jump immediately to the next episode so we don't need to worry about the starting map. The latter was done to prevent players from swapping difficulties. We want Nightmare on the server, nothing easier.
 * A nine Episode custom campaign is included, made from chaining together various 1996 custom levels. Three episodes are included in each Hub, along with a fourth exit leading to the next Hub. The Hubs cycle, meaning the last Hub returns to the first.
 * Aftershock for Quake has been fixed up to work with GLQuake alongside the vanilla levels; it now serves as Hub 1 due to the small size of each episode. The Introduction level features numerous small easter eggs.
 * Numerous changes have been made to the level names. Each level has been given a proper name, has been checked for spacing to ensure the Secrets counter is visible, and overall formatting has been improved where needed.

General Gameplay Changes

 * For further balance, since most levels are separate entities entirely, every level essentially resets the player's inventory like Introduction would. This means that Runes should not be removed, but that other resources will not be carried over between levels.
 * Secrets are now mandatory. This was done to prevent players from speed-running to the exit, plus prevent the level from ending prematurely since most of us are completionists.
 * Spectator mode is now a thing. Upon death, you shall be sent to spectator mode, where you can watch the living players try to survive the hostile world. Will they save you by making it to the next level, allowing you to respawn, or will they die in battle as well? Even if the level doesn't have Cooperative support, it isn't a problem, it doesn't subtract from the frag count. Only when the frag count goes negative, which happens upon any other death, will the player get forced into spectator mode.

Environment Changes

 * Drowning doesn't hurt Armor, but damages health directly. Not the biggest of changes, but felt it was useful just for practicality.
 * Water slows down the velocity of projectiles. This is only really noticeable with the Grenade Launcher, which is practical and feels like it belongs in the game.
 * Anything can go through Teleporters, including projectiles. Just adds a bit more variety, experimentation, and strategy by using map mechanics to your advantage.
 * Anything can also go through a Wind Tunnel, especially Grenade Launcher projectiles.
 * Nails now can stick to walls or bounce off them. Quite interesting to use them strategically around a wall, plus it makes Nail Traps a bit more chaotic. Note Scrags fire essentially fire Nails according to the code, so now they fire projectiles that can bounce and be even more lethal.
 * You can push around Radioactive Containers. Not the biggest of things, but could be used in some strategic circumstance, and makes things that much more interactive.

Monster Changes

 * Backpacks explode, meaning dead Grunts and Ogres can create hazards in firefights. A bit of additional danger. Also included is a custom obituary dedicated to just how lethal these things have turned out to be.
 * Enemies can now remove most items from play just by picking them up. Best not to let them wander or you may find yourself short on Ammo.
 * Enemies that drop into fluids like Water that have leaping abilities (Spiders, Fiends), if alert to the player, will continue to try to reach the player by jumping.
 * Enemies that pick up a Pentagram of Protection can use them, so be VERY careful not to have one do this.
 * Crucified Zombies can be gibbed. All Monsters have solid corpses that can be hacked apart to create a gibbed head. Gibbed heads can be kicked around the world or destroyed. All useful features to just make the world that much more interactive.
 * For the purposes of this mod, Zombies are considered Hazards that can potentially be killed instead of Monsters that should be killed. This means they are not included in the randomizer, nor are they part of the counter. This is useful to prevent situations where 100% completion would not be possible due to the lack of explosive weaponry or Quad Damages.
 * Ogres are more accurate.
 * Added a custom obituary for Chthon since there was none included in the vanilla game.
 * Added the Rotfish fix. Now most levels are able to be properly completed.
 * Changed the final frame for Shub-Niggurath to look more like a victory screen.

Powerup Changes

 * Every Powerup included in the randomizer also has a "Lava Immunity" bonus effect that lasts 30 seconds. No longer is a Secret impossible to acquire because the randomizer didn't give you a Pentagram of Protection.
 * When players die, they no longer drop Backpacks. Every bit of Ammo counts.
 * Quad Damages work like Doom berserk packs. They only amplify your Axe, making it harder to clear out areas. Useful since we generally know the Secrets and the game is too generous with Quad Damages. To remove confusion, I have renamed the Quad Damage, it is now the "Berserk Pack".
 * All Armor types have been significantly nerfed. A Red Armor only has 100 points, while weaker types are even lower. Absorption rate is also based on armor values, meaning it gets worse with the armor. Should balance out more with players knowing where all the Secrets are.

Weapon Changes

 * The Rocket Launcher fires Rottweilers. This way we can have a proper Quakewikia server where we fire barking dogs at Shrek. Wouldn't be a Quakewikia server without this feature.
 * The Sniper Rifle has been added and is part of everyone's inventory, a bit of a hybrid of both found on the Wikia, primarily being based off the non-TF version. Got the Nail projectiles to properly bounce off walls, also got the Sniper Rifle to be selectable by Mousewheel. The player starts with no extra Nails, but can find some in the level to use it. Is designed to be bound to the 9th key. Works well for a bit of stealth gameplay. Also made the Quad Damage changes compatible since it is managing an entirely separate form of damage. Added a proper death message (in the rare event someone kills someone else with it). Like the Team Fortress version, the Rifle can only be fired when stationary, meaning it is a horrible idea against Fiends. Features the zooming mechanics of TF, but with additional zooming sounds and more reliability for retaining FOV. Added an exception for Zombies to prevent them from being killed by it.

Credits
* id Software - Quake - Obviously. * Shrek - Most sounds by DominusMortem. * Snakeman by Tan Sian Yue. * Willy the Spider by Stan C. * Original Hell Scrag idea, sounds, and model by Toby Reed. * Original Psionic Slug code, sounds, and model by Jim Rowley. * Tar Fiend skin by J Diamond, head skin by KeyTrap. * Blazing Fiend and Yeti (regular and gibbed head skins) by Eric. * Original Laser Gun idea, sounds, and model by Jack the Stripper. * Anomaly sounds by KFC. * Sniper Rifle zooming sounds by NecroBoi. * All levels we touch by their respective authors.

* ASMOQC11 - AsmodeusB - Ability for Monsters to pick up resources. * BERSERK - Peter - Nerf for Quad Damage. * CSPIKE10 - Charlie Zimmerman - Nail projectile mechanics. * Doggie Rocket - Adam - Rocket Launcher projectile. * exploding backpack - foobar - the code to make a backpack explode. * GIBBIN3 - Jason Carter - the best solid monster modification I have found; has good bounding boxes and includes head support. * Globe - Stan Smith - Idea of using a bubble for a UI crosshair. * Godel Quake C Mods - David Wiedenmann - Original base of this mod with a large amount nerfed or removed. Only small things like killing Crucified Zombies remain. * Grenade Fest 2, Ogre's Revenge - Rob Albin - Code for Monsters jumping out of Water, as well as code for infinite distance Fiend leaps for the Blazing Fiend. * MORNING STAR - Mike - Chthon death message. * Quake 1.06 fish bug fix - Karel Suhajda - Rotfish fix. * Realistic Armor - Reptilian - Armor nerf. * Realistic Weapons - Cameron Newham - Water slowing grenades. * ServerModules - Johannes Plass - Base for spectator mode mechanics. Level swapper so any order can be set. * SG - Shannon Greene - Drowning injures health directly. Head physics. Teleporter for all entities. * Smart Weapon Patch - SoniC - Sniper Rifle. * SHUBFIX - Unknown - Changes ending victory screen animation. * TeamFortress - Robin Walker/ John Cook - Sniper Rifle can only fire when stationary, longer waiting time, sounds, zooming mechanic basics, crosshair code. * Ultimate Quake - Michael Gummelt - Ogre accuracy and the idea for movable Radioactive Containers.