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Difference between revisions of "Engines"

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The game engine is the program you run to actually play Quake. It loads the game's maps/models/skins/etc., figures out what to draw on the screen, responds to your keyboard/mouse input, sends sounds to your sound device, and communicates over the network.
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==Overview==
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The '''game engine''' (a.k.a. '''Quake engine''' or just '''engine''') is the 'executable' program you run to actually play Quake. It loads the game's maps/models/skins/etc., figures out what to draw on the screen, responds to your keyboard/mouse input, sends sounds to your sound device, and communicates over the network. The game engine normally resides in the root Quake folder and expects to have access to the ID1 subfolder which contains, at the very least, the files needed to play Episode 1 (normally ''pak0.pak'').
  
Wikipedia has a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake_engine Quake engine article] containing technical info about Quake engines, and nice diagrams showing all the engines and how they're related.
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Other common names are "client" or "source port". "Client" is a correct yet overly technical title unless you are talking about a [[QuakeWorld]] client. A "source port" would technically be a port of a Quake engine to another architecture like Linux or a console.
  
==Official engines==
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===Client-server model===
''Instead of messing with these engines, most new Quake users, unless running on very old hardware (pre-1997), should probably start with one of the unofficial engines.''
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Quake engines operate on a client-server model. Depending on the engine, the client and server can be in the same file, or can be separate.
  
===QUAKE.EXE===
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If they're in the same file, then when you run the engine, the server always runs. The client normally runs, too, unless you did something special to launch the engine in a server-only mode (e.g., for other people to connect to for playing over a network). So when you play a single-player game of Quake, the client portion of your engine communicates with the server portion. When you play a multiplayer game over a network, the client portion of your engine instead communicates with a remote server, which naturally will be subject to speed limits and delays inherent in the network.
The first official engine is QUAKE.EXE, sometimes informally referred to as DOS Quake. It is found on the official Quake CD-ROM (for the PC) and in the official shareware distribution. If your computer was built after 1997, you probably have no need for QUAKE.EXE.
 
  
This engine only runs under MS-DOS, because it expects to have direct access to your computer's hardware, which is something modern operating systems like Windows and Linux don't allow. So, to run the official engine, your computer must boot from the Quake CD, or you must boot into DOS or one of the DOS-based versions of Windows (Windows 95/98/Me) and then run QUAKE.EXE from the command line. The DOS-like command console in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista won't work for this, even in Win95 compatibility mode. QUAKE.EXE is able to run within [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox], the free emulator which runs on pretty much any OS, but its performance there is much worse than running in actual DOS, so much worse that it may be unplayable at all but the lowest resolutions, even on relatively fast, modern systems.
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If they're separate programs, then you only run the client, and you tell it where a server is running that you want to connect to. A [[server browser]] can help you locate servers where you can join a game and play with other people.
  
QUAKE.EXE provides software-based graphics rendering only; the graphics hardware will not provide accelerated rendering (using its own CPU), or any texture or lighting features. It's all done in the software. It's still fast, but slows down noticeably at higher resolutions and when there's a lot of action.
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===Networking and graphics===
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Engines generally fall into two categories:
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* "[[NetQuake]]" engines: engines with networking code compatible with that of the original Quake engine.
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* "[[QuakeWorld]]" engines: engines with networking code compatible with that of the original QuakeWorld engine.
  
This engine's multiplayer networking capabilities are limited to serial cable (direct), modem-to-modem (direct), or on a LAN via TCP/IP or IPX (Novell NetWare protocol). LAN play is highly affected by ping & latency between the clients and server. This was greatly improved in the QuakeWorld engine.
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Additionally, all engines use one of two graphics rendering technologies:
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* Software rendering: rendering is done entirely in software, without the help of graphics hardware, as in the original Quake and QuakeWorld engines.
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* OpenGL rendering: rendering is done with the help of graphics hardware, as in the original GLQuake and GLQuakeWorld engines.
  
Official distributions:
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QuakeWorld-style networking code and OpenGL-style rendering are standard nowadays in pretty much every first-person shooter, but at the time Quake was released in 1996, both were new technologies.
* v1.06 of QUAKE.EXE (Oct. 1996) is contained in a [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake/quake106.zip quake106.zip], which contains an installer script which needs to be run in order to unpack all the files. This zip contains the full shareware distribution of Quake; it includes documentation and all the Episode 1 files (ID1\pak0.pak), not just the engine.
 
* v1.08 of QUAKE.EXE (Oct. 1997) fixes some minor bugs in 1.06, and is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake/quake108.zip quake108.zip]. This zip contains the updated QUAKE.EXE engine only.
 
  
===WinQuake===
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You will probably want to use an engine with OpenGL support, if your hardware is compatible (pretty much any computer built after 1997 will be). And you will probably want to use a QuakeWorld engine for playing over the Internet. However, for single-player games, especially when you're just getting started, a NetQuake engine may be ideal, for the simple reason that QuakeWorld engines often don't support single-player games.
id Software released a replacement for QUAKE.EXE called WinQuake (WINQUAKE.EXE). Instead of being for DOS, it is for any version of Windows (95/98/Me/NT/XP/2003/Vista). It's the first, most basic and most widely compatible Quake engine for Windows.
 
  
WinQuake accesses your computer's hardware through Windows APIs. It includes support for DirectX 3.0 and up, and VESA VBE video modes, if available. It looks and runs just like the DOS engine but has more video modes which you can access via the Options menu in the game. It also lets you choose between running full-screen or in a window. It removes support for serial and modem-to-modem networking.
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===More information===
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Wikipedia has a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake_engine Quake engine article] containing more technical info about Quake engines, and nice diagrams showing all the engines and how they're related.
  
Official distribution:
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==Official engines==
* v1.00 of WinQuake (Quake 1.09; March 1997) is contained, along with support files, in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake/wq100.zip wq100.zip].
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''Instead of messing with these engines, most new Quake users, unless running on very old hardware (pre-1997), should probably start with one of the unofficial engines.''
  
===GLQuake===
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These three are NetQuake engines:
One of Quake's original developers created GLQuake, which provides hardware-accelerated graphics using OpenGL APIs. It's known to be buggy.
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* ''[[QUAKE.EXE]]'' aka DOS Quake — for DOS or Win95/98/Me only; software rendering
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* [[WinQuake]] — Win32 (Win95 through 7) version of ''QUAKE.EXE''; software rendering
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* [[GLQuake]] — Win32 (Win95 through 7) and Linux 2.0 version of ''QUAKE.EXE''; OpenGL rendering
  
GLQuake has one big usability problem: The game's built-in brightness/gamma setting doesn't do anything, and the visuals tend to be way too dark unless you first run a program to increase your display adapter's gamma setting (which then makes everything else appear too bright). This isn't a showstopper, but it can be inconvenient. Also, the video mode can only be changed at the command line, not in-game.
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And then there's the original QuakeWorld engine:
 
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* [[QuakeWorld]] — Win32 (Win95 through Vista), Linux 2.0, BSDI 3.0, Solaris 2.5.1; software or OpenGL rendering (clients for both are distributed together)
GLQuake is official, but is not supported by id Software. It runs any version of Windows (Win95 and up), or Linux. It is said to require the 'registered' Quake (that is, with ID1\pak1.pak present), but it will actually run on the shareware version, possibly with quirky startup behavior.
 
 
 
Official distributions:
 
* v0.97 of GLQuake (Quake 1.09; November 1997) is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/glq1114.exe glq1114.exe]. This is an installer app for DOS or Windows. It will prompt you whether to install a 3dfx driver; don't do this unless you want the engine to be dependent on having a 3dfx-based graphics card's Glide drivers already installed.
 
  
 
===Mac OS engines===
 
===Mac OS engines===
 
* Quake for Mac is the official port of GLQuake 0.97 / Quake 1.09 for the classic Mac OS (not OS X). It was released on CD-ROM in 1997 by MacSoft, now owned by Atari. For multiplayer play, it supports TCP/IP or IPX via AppleTalk or Ethernet. It is commercial software, not free.
 
* Quake for Mac is the official port of GLQuake 0.97 / Quake 1.09 for the classic Mac OS (not OS X). It was released on CD-ROM in 1997 by MacSoft, now owned by Atari. For multiplayer play, it supports TCP/IP or IPX via AppleTalk or Ethernet. It is commercial software, not free.
* Quake 1.1 is an unofficial port of both the OpenGL and original software renderer versions of both Quake and QuakeWorld for Mac OS X. It is available for free from the developers, Fruitz of Dojo: http://www.fruitz-of-dojo.de/php/download.php4?dlnr=2
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* Quake 1.1 is an unofficial port of both the OpenGL and original software renderer versions of both Quake and QuakeWorld for Mac OS X. It is available for free from the developers, [http://www.fruitz-of-dojo.de/php/download.php4?dlnr=2 Fruitz of Dojo].
  
 
===Unix engines===
 
===Unix engines===
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There were a few official, unsupported distributions released around the same time as GLQuake in late 1997:
 
There were a few official, unsupported distributions released around the same time as GLQuake in late 1997:
* Quake & QuakeWorld 1.09 for Solaris 2.5.2 is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/unix/quake1.09-sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1.tar.Z quake1.09-sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1.tar.Z].
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* Quake & QuakeWorld 1.09 for Solaris 2.5.2 is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/unix/quake1.09-sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1.tar.Z ''quake1.09-sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1.tar.Z''].
* GLQuake 0.97 for Linux 2.0 is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/unix/glquake-0.97-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz glquake-0.97-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz].
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* SVGALib Quake for GNU/Linux is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/unix/quake.x11-1.0-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz ''quake.x11-1.0-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz'']. It runs in an X11 window and requires libc 5.2.18, X11R5, and kernel 2.0.24 or later.
* SVGALib Quake for Linux is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/unix/quake.x11-1.0-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz quake.x11-1.0-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz]. It runs in an X11 window and requires libc 5.2.18, X11R5, and kernel 2.0.24 or later.
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* GLQuake 0.97 for GNU/Linux is in [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/unsup/unix/glquake-0.97-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz ''glquake-0.97-i386-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz''].
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* SDLQuake 1.0.9 is in [http://www.libsdl.org/projects/quake/ ''libsdl.org/projects/'']. Software-rendering port. Requires libSDL 1.0.1.
  
You probably don't want any of these old distributions; your OS's current package or port archive is the place to look for something that will work with a modern system.
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You probably don't want any of these old distributions; your OS's current package or port archive is the place to look for an unofficial engine that will work with a modern system.
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%%%
  
 
==Unofficial engines==
 
==Unofficial engines==
 
Other engine mods are made by customizing the original id Quake source code. Nearly all of them are based on GLQuake. There quite a few and each one has there different features, fixes, additions, and changes to the original source. Some require very little to do on your part to make them work with Quake. Some of them may not work with your hardware, even if your hardware is very new.
 
Other engine mods are made by customizing the original id Quake source code. Nearly all of them are based on GLQuake. There quite a few and each one has there different features, fixes, additions, and changes to the original source. Some require very little to do on your part to make them work with Quake. Some of them may not work with your hardware, even if your hardware is very new.
  
''TODO: This section will help people step by step to get, install, and run these Quake engine replacements.''
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{{todo|todo=This section will help people step by step to get, install, and run these Quake engine replacements.}}
  
 
===Unofficial engine list===
 
===Unofficial engine list===
 
* [http://user.tninet.se/xir870k/ Enhanced Winquake/glQuake/NehQuake (BJP)]
 
* [http://user.tninet.se/xir870k/ Enhanced Winquake/glQuake/NehQuake (BJP)]
* [http://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/ DarkPlaces]
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* '''[[DarkPlaces]]''' ([http://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/ website])
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* '''[[DirectQ]]''' ([http://mhquake.blogspot.com/ website]) - Direct3D port
 
* [http://ezquake.sourceforge.net/ ezQuake] - a QuakeWorld engine with limited single-player support.
 
* [http://ezquake.sourceforge.net/ ezQuake] - a QuakeWorld engine with limited single-player support.
* [http://www.celephais.net/fitzquake/ FitzQuake] - probably the most widely compatible OpenGL engine for Windows.
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* '''[[FitzQuake]]''' - probably the most widely compatible OpenGL NetQuake engine for Windows; SDL port available for Linux & Mac OS X.
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* '''[[FTE]]''' ([http://fte.triptohell.info/ website] - Advanced features engine
 
* [http://joequake.runecentral.com/ JoeQuake]
 
* [http://joequake.runecentral.com/ JoeQuake]
* [http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=100308 Makaqu]
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* [http://code.google.com/p/makaqu/ Makaqu] - software-rendered NetQuake engine with advanced features.
* [http://mhquake.blogspot.com/ MHQuake]
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* [http://www.nquake.com/ nQuake] (f.k.a. eQuake and fQuake) - a preconfigured distribution of ezQuake + bots, demos, & minor enhancements
* [http://quakeone.com/proquake/ Proquake]
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* '''[[ProQuake 4]]''' ([http://quakeone.com/proquake/ website])
 
* [http://fragmachine.quakedev.com/ Q2K4]
 
* [http://fragmachine.quakedev.com/ Q2K4]
* [http://www.flyingsaucepan.com/QMB/ QMB]
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* [http://www.gluonporridge.net/QMB/ QMB]
 
* [http://www.quakeone.com/qrack/ Qrack]
 
* [http://www.quakeone.com/qrack/ Qrack]
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* '''[[QuakeSpasm]]''' [http://quakespasm.sourceforge.net/ QuakeSpasm]
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* '''[[Quore]]''' ([http://quore.free.fr/ website])
 
* [http://telejano.berlios.de/ Telejano]
 
* [http://telejano.berlios.de/ Telejano]
 
* [http://tenebrae.sourceforge.net/ Tenebrae]
 
* [http://tenebrae.sourceforge.net/ Tenebrae]
 
* [http://planetquake.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Quake.Detail&id=184 TomazQuake]
 
* [http://planetquake.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Quake.Detail&id=184 TomazQuake]
* [http://tyrann.planetquake.gamespy.com/ Tyr-glquake]
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* [http://disenchant.net TyrQuake]
 
* [http://entar.quakedev.com/ Vengeance r2]
 
* [http://entar.quakedev.com/ Vengeance r2]
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* [https://www.moddb.com/games/quake-wrapper Xash3D (Quake Wrapper)]
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* [http://quakeone.com/mh/ Direct3D 8 ports of several engines]
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 +
A comprehensive overview of unofficial engines for Linux can be found in the [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Quake-HOWTO-3.html Game Engines section] of the [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/ Linux Quake HOWTO] by Stevenaaus.

Revision as of 03:54, 4 December 2018

Overview

The game engine (a.k.a. Quake engine or just engine) is the 'executable' program you run to actually play Quake. It loads the game's maps/models/skins/etc., figures out what to draw on the screen, responds to your keyboard/mouse input, sends sounds to your sound device, and communicates over the network. The game engine normally resides in the root Quake folder and expects to have access to the ID1 subfolder which contains, at the very least, the files needed to play Episode 1 (normally pak0.pak).

Other common names are "client" or "source port". "Client" is a correct yet overly technical title unless you are talking about a QuakeWorld client. A "source port" would technically be a port of a Quake engine to another architecture like Linux or a console.

Client-server model

Quake engines operate on a client-server model. Depending on the engine, the client and server can be in the same file, or can be separate.

If they're in the same file, then when you run the engine, the server always runs. The client normally runs, too, unless you did something special to launch the engine in a server-only mode (e.g., for other people to connect to for playing over a network). So when you play a single-player game of Quake, the client portion of your engine communicates with the server portion. When you play a multiplayer game over a network, the client portion of your engine instead communicates with a remote server, which naturally will be subject to speed limits and delays inherent in the network.

If they're separate programs, then you only run the client, and you tell it where a server is running that you want to connect to. A server browser can help you locate servers where you can join a game and play with other people.

Networking and graphics

Engines generally fall into two categories:

  • "NetQuake" engines: engines with networking code compatible with that of the original Quake engine.
  • "QuakeWorld" engines: engines with networking code compatible with that of the original QuakeWorld engine.

Additionally, all engines use one of two graphics rendering technologies:

  • Software rendering: rendering is done entirely in software, without the help of graphics hardware, as in the original Quake and QuakeWorld engines.
  • OpenGL rendering: rendering is done with the help of graphics hardware, as in the original GLQuake and GLQuakeWorld engines.

QuakeWorld-style networking code and OpenGL-style rendering are standard nowadays in pretty much every first-person shooter, but at the time Quake was released in 1996, both were new technologies.

You will probably want to use an engine with OpenGL support, if your hardware is compatible (pretty much any computer built after 1997 will be). And you will probably want to use a QuakeWorld engine for playing over the Internet. However, for single-player games, especially when you're just getting started, a NetQuake engine may be ideal, for the simple reason that QuakeWorld engines often don't support single-player games.

More information

Wikipedia has a Quake engine article containing more technical info about Quake engines, and nice diagrams showing all the engines and how they're related.

Official engines

Instead of messing with these engines, most new Quake users, unless running on very old hardware (pre-1997), should probably start with one of the unofficial engines.

These three are NetQuake engines:

  • QUAKE.EXE aka DOS Quake — for DOS or Win95/98/Me only; software rendering
  • WinQuake — Win32 (Win95 through 7) version of QUAKE.EXE; software rendering
  • GLQuake — Win32 (Win95 through 7) and Linux 2.0 version of QUAKE.EXE; OpenGL rendering

And then there's the original QuakeWorld engine:

  • QuakeWorld — Win32 (Win95 through Vista), Linux 2.0, BSDI 3.0, Solaris 2.5.1; software or OpenGL rendering (clients for both are distributed together)

Mac OS engines

  • Quake for Mac is the official port of GLQuake 0.97 / Quake 1.09 for the classic Mac OS (not OS X). It was released on CD-ROM in 1997 by MacSoft, now owned by Atari. For multiplayer play, it supports TCP/IP or IPX via AppleTalk or Ethernet. It is commercial software, not free.
  • Quake 1.1 is an unofficial port of both the OpenGL and original software renderer versions of both Quake and QuakeWorld for Mac OS X. It is available for free from the developers, Fruitz of Dojo.

Unix engines

Quake ports exist for various Unix-like operating systems, such as those based on the GNU/Linux kernel. If you need one of these, check with your particular OS's software package or port archives; chances are, someone has already made it easy for you to install and at least run a port of the basic Quake engine, if not an OpenGL one.

There were a few official, unsupported distributions released around the same time as GLQuake in late 1997:

You probably don't want any of these old distributions; your OS's current package or port archive is the place to look for an unofficial engine that will work with a modern system. %%%

Unofficial engines

Other engine mods are made by customizing the original id Quake source code. Nearly all of them are based on GLQuake. There quite a few and each one has there different features, fixes, additions, and changes to the original source. Some require very little to do on your part to make them work with Quake. Some of them may not work with your hardware, even if your hardware is very new.

Unspecified user added a To-Do; This section will help people step by step to get, install, and run these Quake engine replacements..

Unofficial engine list

A comprehensive overview of unofficial engines for Linux can be found in the Game Engines section of the Linux Quake HOWTO by Stevenaaus.