Quake II (PC, Xbox 360)

Quake II
Also known as: Quake 2 Developers: id Software, Xatrix Entertainment (The Reckoning), Rogue Entertainment (Ground Zero), Nvidia Lightspeed Studios (RTX remaster) Publishers: Activision (Original), Bethesda Softworks (Current), Nvidia (RTX rematser) Platforms: Windows, Mac OS Classic, Linux, Xbox 360 (As apart of Quake 4) Released internationally: December 7, 1997, June 6, 2019 (RTX remaster) This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused items. This game has unused sounds. This game has revisional differences. This game has a development article This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

Quake II is a sequel to Quake in name only. Instead of running through castles and blowing up knights, you run through orange-tinted futuristic buildings and blow up the best Borg wannabes late 1997-era technology could render. On paper it sounds pretty different, but in reality it isn't.

This game's storyline was followed up with Quake 4, which also included a port of Quake II in the Xbox 360 version as well.

To do: Document the RTX version. See if there is any stuff not used in that version. Also look for differences/unique content with the version included in Quake 4. Cover expansions (Mission Pack: The Reckoning, Mission Pack: Ground Zero and Internet Pack I: Extremities). Some images here need to be replaced, especially in the "Enemies" section. The 2023 remaster re-implements previously unused content, update article to reflect this. Look at the id Vault in the Remaster. There is more stuff that needs to be covered.

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Development Info

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Unused Weapons

FlareG (Flaregun)

A model for a weapon named “FlareG” can be found in the game's files. When the model is opened up, it shows some sort of weapon with extremely incomplete textures. There doesn't seem to be any place where a flare gun would fit outside of possibly the Outlands level, where the player must signal an airstrike. Possibly because of the few uses it has, it was cut before it could get a proper texture job.

The official Threewave CTF mod that ships with the official Quake2 patches finishes the skin and retools the cancelled weapon's art to serve as a grappling hook.

The Flare Gun would later be included in the Quake II RTX remaster.

Disintegrator

Models for something called the “Disintegrator” can be found in the weapon models folder. When opened in a model viewer, it is the BFG 10K. The only difference between it and the regular BFG is that there is no pulling back the grip animation after firing it. According to 2023 remaster developer Sponge, speaking in the Quake Mapping Discord:

"The Disintegrator was just a rapid fire-ish weapon that as it did damage it made the enemies more transparent with a noise stipple effect (software renderer) until they disappeared."^{Source needed}

A new implementation of the weapon was created for the Ground Zero expansion pack, and it's even placed in maps, but they are disabled via the KILL_DISRUPTOR ifdef in the code with a simple explanation in the code.

// ROGUE- id killed this weapon

The Disintegrator/Disruptor concept was eventually resurrected for the 2023 remaster's new Call of the Machine campaign, with a new model.

Unused Blaster World Model

There is an unused world model for the Blaster. This suggests that you had to pick it up at one time instead of always spawning with it when you start. However, the texturing is very early, suggesting the idea of picking it up was cut early on. However, the model was finished later on, for the 3.20 patch that added weapon models for characters in multiplayer.

Unused Items

Nuke Ammo

A model for ammo called “Nuke” can be found in the item models folder. There doesn't seem to be any sort of weapon it could fit for.

According to the "Id Vault" in the 2023 remaster, this item existed in the Quake 1-engine versions of the game as a grenade with a loud timer and a large explosion radius.

Mines

An ammo model with very early textures named “mines” can be found. This was an early weapon concept found in the prototype, however, it has no use, and appears exactly as it does in the final release aside from having no entry in the item table or anywhere in the code suggesting that it was scrapped just after Q2Test was released. In Q2Test, Mines have an ammo & a weapon table entry, however the Weapon logic function for it is empty, leading to it locking up your weapon logic entirely.

Power Screen

An unused item named “Power Screen” can be placed in custom levels by level makers. It is a player usable version of the green screen the Brain enemy has. It was likely removed because the Power Shield does the same thing, but covers the player's whole body.

Unused Animations

To do: Replace with gifs!

While there are no unused enemies, there are unused enemy animations that point to them being a bit more dynamic at one time.

Berserker Duck

An animation of a Berserker ducking is in its model file, but unused. It is used in the Nintendo 64 port where it will duck if being fired at by the Hyperblaster or Rocket Launcher.

Berserker Slam

An animation of the Berserker jumping and hitting the ground with its left arm can be found in its model file. The animation suggests that it would be able to jump and hit the player at the same time at one point in development.

This behavior was fully restored and implemented in the 2023 remaster, where Berserkers will happily slam dunk the player into the afterlife at the first opportunity.

Enforcer Defend

An unused animation of the Enforcer moving his Chain Gun to his face in order to block something can be found. It was probably deemed pointless because he can already duck to avoid projectiles.

Technician

An animation showing the Technician's claws coming out exists. This is never played in the final version; all Technicians already have their claws out as soon as the map starts.

This animation was implemented in the 2023 remaster - Technicians will get their claws out upon waking up.

Unused Entities

misc_actor

To do: Create a video demonstrating these guys, I have a sample map from a long time ago but yamagi appears to have dropped the misc_actor entity and I don't have a vanilla installation.

An unused marine entity that performs scripted actions. By default, they have a glitchy red skin, and are given a random name from a short list. Shooting one triggers a chat message yelling at the player for their bad aim. In order to be used, they need to be linked to a path of nodes and then triggered, which causes them to very slowly follow the path without proper walking animations. When they reach a node, they can either continue onto another node immediately or perform a task like attacking a designated target with their Machine Gun, or make a jump with configurable height and length.

Unused Sounds

player/male/bump1

A sound called bump1 can be found in the \player\male folder. It sounds like the player brushing up against something while making a noise. There is no female equivalent, showing it was scrapped before they made the female sound set.

misc/bigtele

This is an alternative version of a used sound. Oddly, this is named with a .map extension.

world/dr_short

Shorter version of world/dr_long.wav, unused.

world/lashum1

A delayed laser humming noise.

world/mach2

This rattly machinery noise would probably be used for a small train.

items/protect3

The longer protection noise from Quake isn't used.

makron/voice2

Unused Makron chatter.

world/voice10

Unused radio chatter. "All personnel copying this transmission, rendezvous at designated points Alpha, Bravo, Charlie."

This was later used in "The Reckoning", however.

berserk/xfire

This sound exists in the Berserk folder, who only has a melee attack and doesn't fire anything.

world/xianbeats

Might have been intended for the Christian Antkow Easter egg in Boss2, or another Easter egg altogether. A different song is used instead.

Unused Graphics

Blaster Ammo Icon

An ammo icon for the Blaster can be found in the \pics folder. It seems at one time, the Blaster was going to have its ammo visible, but why is unknown. Maybe it had to recharge its ammo or you needed to pickup ammo at one time.

Fixme

An icon that consists of a yellow ? over a red background can be found with the file name “i_fixme”. It is very likely to have been a placeholder for an item's inventory icon until the final graphic was finished. It's not unused though - you'll see it when you pick up John Carmack's head from a secret Easter egg area.

Power Screen

The Power Screen is an alternative power armor which only protects your front instead of all around you - this is exactly the same as the protection that the "Brain" enemy has. It is fully programmed and functional, but never used in single player or any official multiplayer maps.

Explosion Sprites

Sprites for explosions can be found in the \sprites folder. These are unused, as the final game uses models for explosions. Two of them are used in Q2test, though.

• 

  Explosion sprite 1

• 

  Explosion sprite 2

• 

  Explosion sprite 3

• 

  Flash sprite

Unused Behavior

The sparks from a BFG's ball's lasers are supposed to be have colors, but no color value is set and they default to black. The explosion of the BFG ball contains a line of code to half damage to its owner, but also contains code that makes the owner completely immune to this explosion causing this coded halved damage to be unused.

(Source: https://youtu.be/2KL89T9T9UA)

Revisional Difereences

Icon

Before Quake2.exe gained an icon of its own, it installed a Q2.ico file with it. Later retail releases (updated to at least the v3.14 point release) has since updated the icon.

v3.05	v3.14

Xbox 360 Version

To do: Add comparison screenshots of the original release and the Xbox 360 port's staring areas.

The port of Quake II included with Quake 4 has some changes from the original release such as 1080p60 support and slightly enhanced graphics.

Quake II RTX

To do: Likely more changes.

In 2019, nVIDIA released a version of Quake II with raytracing.