DF Retro: Quake - The Game, The Technology, The Ports, The Legacy

DF Retro strikes back with one of its most ambitious episodes ever! Join John Linneman for an hour's worth of background story, analysis and performance testing on a range of PC graphics hardware, plus the full breakdown on the console ports - and the legacy of what is one of the biggest releases in gaming... ever.

00:00 - Introduction
01:33 - Chapter 1 - The Next Game from id Software
04:33 - Quake Releases
08:58 - Chapter 2 - The Four Pillars of Quake
13:18 - Chapter 3 - The Quake Engine
20:30 - Chapter 4 - 3D Accelerated Quake
21:24 - VQuake on Rendition Verite
27:30 - GLQuake on 3DFX Voodoo Graphics
29:00 - Software vs VQuake vs GLQuake
35:03 - GLQuake on the PowerVR PCX2
36:42 - GLQuake on the Nvidia Riva 128
37:45 - GLQuake on the 3D Labs Permedia 2
38:40 - GLQuake on the 3DFX Voodoo 2
40:25 - Chapter 5 - Quake on Consoles
41:16 - Quake on Nintendo 64
45:40 - Quake on Sega Saturn
51:15 - Aftershock

[nicklong]

I feel like John Carmack himself should watch this video. It would make him proud.

[AndyGaskin]

The excitement of this gaming era can't be overstated. Art, technology, culture, and community seemed to travel at warp speed with mind-boggling advancement almost every week.

[simonrockstream]

These videos are seriously the best there is on YouTube, these are legitimate documentaries of video game history and have serious value. You are doing amazing work, and I seriously hope you will continue making these kinds of videos. Discussing, analysing and talking about important games and the impact they've had.

[SynthMusicWorld]

Back around 1996 or so, when I was working at Intel in Oregon, testing some of the first 3D video cards ever, we played a hell of a lot of Quake, to see how the OpenGL support of the cards worked in the game. Good times.

[HuGiv]

I want to give a huge congratulations for the Digital Foundry team, no doubt now one of the greatest teams covering gaming of all time.

Sensational job Richard, bringing John & Alex was a master stroke & the rest of the crew too.

Simply outstanding.

Happy birthday DF Retro!

[benhope]

Does anyone else prefer the look of the software renderer? The grittiness of it fits the look so well!

[bliglum]

Quake is still more fast and fun than many FPS's to this day.

[Kiryutka]

When I first saw Doom I was blown away. I remember thinking "nothing will ever top this". Then a couple of years later I saw Quake. My jaw was on the floor. These games changed my life forever. I hope iD's next project will be a SP Quake game. I would be soooo happy.

[phanboyiv]

I'm relatively certain that Quake is singlehandedly responsible for the invention of machinima, as well.

[FreakinTheComments]

Quake's Soundtrack is by far some of Trent Reznor's best work. It's haunted, unnerving soundscapes transforms Quake into something dreary, uncomfortable, & thrilling. Production-wise, it sounds like an extension of the ideas found in Nine Inch Nail's "The Downward Spiral" & that era of NIN's discography, though it's by far more surreal & abstract than anything else the band put out at the time.

If you're even remotely into NIN, Reznor, or ambient music, please give it a proper listen either by playing Quake or streaming the album.

[jonathantodd]

I love the atmosphere of Quake 1 and am sad that none of the other games picked up on it

[Jamic]

This is classic DF. This video will become a timeless classic and will be enjoyed by many for years to come. A fantastic addition to the DF archive.

[EposVox]

Another absolutely stellar episode, John (& Audi!). Fantastic job, thank you for your hard work and artistry.

[moosemaimer]

"I ain't afraid of no Quake!"
Oh Duke... if only you had known.

[M.W.H.]

DF team is a godsend to the gaming community. Everytime i feel my generation of gamers is fading away they give us a reminder that we were, we are and will always be a part of some of gamings greatest moments.

To my fellow old gamers and to my dearest late friend.. Game is not Over.

[cmdrdrdeath]

This is the version of Quake I want raytracing for. I liked it a lot more than Quake 2

This video is a masterpiece, especially for someone who grew up on a Quake.

[KokLiangLim]

The nostalgia man, really hits hard. Still remember playing on Pentium Pro 200mhz, with friends, over dial up....

[guspaz]

There was another contemporary 3D accelerated quake that was missed in this comparison: Quake RAVE, which used the low-level layer of Apple's QuickDraw 3D called the Rendering Acceleration Virtual Engine (RAVE). It was platform-specific and never gained much traction, being replaced by OpenGL and dropped entirely in OS X.

[HorseheadNebula]

One of the biggest improvements I've noticed is that the shots of John with his OLED as the background are much better looking. Great color balance between John and the BG.