Action Quake 2

Action Quake 2
Developer(s)	The A-Team
Engine	Quake II engine
Platform(s)	BeOS, Linux, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	November 12, 1998 (v1.0c)
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Action Quake 2 (also known as AQ2, Action, Action Quake) is a mod for the computer game Quake II created by The A-Team.^[1] 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.

Overview

In-game screenshot.

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.^[2]

Gameplay

There are two main modes of gameplay in Action Quake 2: Deathmatch (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. 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.

References

1. Caryn "Hellchick" Law. "Urban Terror! Realistic weaponry comes to Quake3:Arena". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
2. Gestalt (2000-03-10). "Minh Le of Counter Strike team: Half-Life mod's designer interviewed". EuroGamer. Retrieved 2016-10-30.

External links

• Action Quake 2 at DMOZ