Quake - Arcane Dimensions - Setup Guide
I'm proposing to you two guides, one for nostalgic hardcore gamers who just want the real original Quake experience, and one for those who want something a bit more... shiny.😊
1/ THE ORIGINAL QUAKE EXPERIENCE - QUAKESPASM LAUNCHER GUIDE
It's not hard at all, but takes a few more steps than installing Doom mods though.
There are actually as many different ways as there are engines, but we're going to choose Quakespasm for this review, because it's the most compatible, the most stable, and the one which requires the less resources. (compared to FTE, which is great too though!)
 |
| Don't worry, the setup process won't be as painful as that!😅 |
1) First, install "Quake: the Offering". Get it on GOG.
I really recommend the GOG version as it's the easiest and most stable one if you want an all-in-one installer which makes Quake works perfectly on modern computers. Then again, this is irrelevant since you're going to use a custom launcher. 😝
2) Download Arcane Dimensions v1.70 (ad_v1_70final.zip) AND the bug-fix patch (ad_v1_70patch1.zip).
3) Create a new folder called "ad" in your Quake folder
4) Copy the contents of "ad_v1_70final.zip" into the "ad" folder, and THEN do the same with "ad_v1_70patch1.zip".
5) Download Quakespasm engine. Make sure to pick the one which is suitable for your system. (windows 32bits, 64bits, Linux, etc.)
Note: for the latest version of Arcane Dimensions v1.70, it's highly recommended to get the latest version too of Quakespasm!
6) Extract the files from the Quakespasm zip file into the main Quake folder.(for me: "C:\Games\Quake")
7) Right-click on quakespasm.exe and create a shortcut.
Personally, I renamed it simply "quakespasm + arcane dimensions".
8) Right-click on the shortcut you just created and add " -game ad" after the directory.
For me, it looks like "C:\Games\Quake\quakespasm.exe -game ad".
9) That's it, you can finally play Arcane Dimensions mod by simply double-clicking the shortcut you just created!🤗
(of course, you can still play also the original unmodded Quake if you want to! Just double-click on quakespasm.exe if you want to!😁)
Note!
Quakespasm is the launcher you should use if you want to be the closest to the real original Quake experience.
Also, Arcane Dimensions was DESIGNED to be played with Quakespasm, so the developers themselves said.
I got a few graphic artifacts with FTE, whatever settings I chose. No problems whatsoever with Quakespasm.
OPTIONAL
- DISABLE TEXTURE FILTER -
There aren't many options with the Quakespasm engine, but personally, I can't stand ANY texture filters...So, if you want the retro unfiltered look you can see in my screenshots, open the console while in-game with ², and type(without the brackets) "gl_texturemode 3" to disable texture filtering.
If you want to re-enable texture filtering, type "gl_texturemode 4".
- ENABLE CROSSHAIR -
- I really prefer to play with the crosshair on! How about you?If you do, open the console with ² and type "crosshair 1".
If you think the crosshair is too small, type "scr_crosshairscale 2"!
(Try changing the value to make it bigger if you want.)
- ADD MUSIC -
Yep! For some mysterious copyright-related reason(that's what I understood, at least), the GOG version doesn't have music!
So, you'll have to download it yourself! (click on the links!)
Once you have these files, you have to unzip them inside the "id1" folder!
Normally, with both Quakespasm and FTE, you don't need the "tracklist.cfg" file.
So, just copy the "music" folder inside "\Quake\id1".
Mission Pack 1: copy the "hipnotic" folder inside "\Quake\hypnotic".
Normally, with both Quakespasm and FTE, you don't need the "tracklist.cfg" file.
So, just copy the "music" folder inside "\Quake\id1".
Mission Pack 1: copy the "hipnotic" folder inside "\Quake\hypnotic".
Mission Pack 2: copy the "rogue" folder inside "\Quake\rogue".
Finally, keep in mind that you can add your own music if you want! I did... lol
Just take songs of your choice and rename them track02.ogg, track03.ogg, and so on!(NOT track01.ogg, because the soundtrack started on the CD with the second track, as it was the case with most games back then!)
Don't forget to backup the original music files before replacing them though!
Finally, keep in mind that you can add your own music if you want! I did... lol
Just take songs of your choice and rename them track02.ogg, track03.ogg, and so on!(NOT track01.ogg, because the soundtrack started on the CD with the second track, as it was the case with most games back then!)
Don't forget to backup the original music files before replacing them though!
- ALTERNATIVE GUN MODELS -
Sometimes, I like to use this mod.
I think that some of them actually look better than the vanilla models.
I'll be using this in a few screenshots, just to show you. 😉
But I understand that most of you want to preserve the original feeling of the game.
Anyway!
This is how Arcane Dimensions looks with Quakespasm:
Anyway!
This is how Arcane Dimensions looks with Quakespasm:
 |
| This level is called "The Horde of Zendar", and it's my favorite of all. You'll notice a disproportionate amount of Zendar screenshots in the mod review! ha ha |
2/ THE 2018 EXPERIENCE - FTE LAUNCHER GUIDE
What's that, you said? Ooooh so you have a NASA computer and you want the fancy graphics, huh? Well, you GOT IT.😎
We're going to install FTE launcher then.
It's the most powerful engine of all the Quake engines I tried. On the other hand, it can also be configured so that it looks and play like the original game, which is why I think it's really the best.
Well, once again, there are several ways to do this, but I'm going to explain the way I did it, which is quite simple, I think.
First, I'm going to assume that you got the game already, either from GOG or any other source. Instead of reinstalling the game once more, we're going to take two files from the folder you just installed. Let me explain.
1) If it's not installed already, install Quake.
2) Create another folder and call it however you want.
I lack imagination, so I just called it "Quake - FTE - Arcane Dimensions". lol
3) Download FTE launcher. Personally, I picked the "AfterQuake package", win64.
4) Extract it in the folder you just created.
5) Download Arcane Dimensions v1.70 (ad_v1_70final.zip) AND the bug-fix patch (ad_v1_70patch1.zip).
6) Create a new folder called "ad" in ""Quake - FTE - Arcane Dimensions" folder
7) Copy the contents of "ad_v1_70final.zip" into the "ad" folder, and THEN do the same with "ad_v1_70patch1.zip".
8 - MOST IMPORTANT) Go back to the original Quake folder. Look into the folder "id1" (for me, "C:\Games\Quake\id1"), and select both PAK0.PAK and PAK1.PAK, and copy them inside the "id1" folder of "Quake - FTE - Arcane Dimensions".
9) Right-click on fteqw64.exe and create a shortcut.
I renamed it simply "fteqw64 + arcane dimensions".
10) Right-click on the shortcut you just created and add " -game ad" after the directory.
For me, it looks like ""C:\Games\Quake - FTE - Arcane Dimensions\fteqw64.exe" -game ad".
11) That's it, you can launch Arcane Dimensions mod by double-clicking "fteqw64 + arcane dimensions" shortcut.🤗
 |
| The Forgotten Sepulcher map looks quite stunning with FTE engine. Unfortunately, it'll also bring your computer to its knees! |
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE
FTE
will ask you every time if you want to download Afterquake textures,
plugins, and stuff. You can perfectly ignore this and press "Escape" to
go to the regular Quake menu, and then configure the game any way you
want.Just in case you wonder, yes, it's perfectly possible to simply install Quake, and unzip FTE inside it, but I assumed that maybe you would want to create two different folders.
Also, now that you know that you don't need to install Quake, but only need the "PAK0.PAK" and "PAK1.PAK" files, I HIGHLY recommend you to save these files somewhere, you might need them later if you want to create a new Quake folder with a different mod.
You'll be able to play without having to re-install Quake all the time.
These two files are all you need. 😉
Now, FTE has COUNTLESS options, unlike Quakespasm, so I don't dare to delve into this, and it'll really depend on your taste.
It can bring your computer to its knees though, so be careful to not overdo it.😅
But in case you're interested, I did download the "minimum" and "slim" AfterQuake packages, EXCEPT the replacement menus. I think I tried it once in the past and didn't like it at all.
What else?
- Video Options => Renderer => OpenGL (I tried all of them, and didn't notice any FPS differences... The only thing which was different was the lighting with Directx11 renderers... Vulkan is experimental but it worked perfectly)
- Texture Options => 2D filter mode => linear (I prefer my crosshair to look smooth!)
- Texture Options => 3D filter mode => nearest (it disables the texture filtering, but strangely, I have to re-enable it every time I start the game!🤔)
- Texture Options => Anisotropy => OFF if I use the "nearest" filter mode, and 16x if I use "linear".
- Lighting Options => Lighting Mode => Standard ("Realtime" looks GORGEOUS but unfortunately, depending on the level you're playing, it's so dark that's it's literally unplayable. So I use "Realtime" only to take pretty screenshots... lol... Edit: you can try to enable the HDR to counter this, but it looks too bright eventually. The best thing you can do is tweak the contrast and gamma, but it won't change the fact that some areas will always be pitch black.😞)
Anyway, again, it's a very personal thing, so I'll let you find your own preferences!
- OPTIONAL -
 |
 |
 |
If you want to push it even further, you can download these HD texture packs, but I warn you, at this point, it doesn't even feel like the original Quake anymore!
- ADD MUSIC -
Same as with Quakespasm. Read above. 😉
- NO QUICKSAVES? -
I tried all kinds of tricks like adding "bind F6 "echo Quicksaving...; wait; save quick"" to config.cfg but NOTHING worked.😭
If you have the solution, please contact me and I'll edit this guide.
MY PERSONAL PREFERENCES?
After having thoroughly tested almost every graphic and sound mod out there, I came to the conclusion that the best configuration for Quake is this:
- FTE launcher
- OpenGL or Vulkan renderer (again, I didn't notice any differences)
- Real-time lighting(Standard lighting when levels are too dark)
- NO HD textures/models (I personally think it looks MUCH worse)
- NO texture filter (3D filter mode => nearest)
- SOMETIMES I like to use the alternative gun models, because they fit well the quake universe.
- SOMETIMES I like to use different particles, but I'm fine with the default ones.
And that's it, really!
And this is how it looks in the end😍:
 |
| Gorgeous Real-time lighting in action! Believe it or not, I actually really lowered the contrast, and yet it's still quite extreme, eh? It results in extremely dark areas, unfortunately. I think that the bloom was enabled when I took this screenshot. Usually I disable it now though, as it's too extreme. |
Compare it with Quakespasm and choose your favorite! =>
 |
| Not gonna lie, it's easier to play this way. It looks more like the original Quake, isn't too dark, colors are a bit more washed out, but it's easier on the eyes. |
Again, keep in mind that FTE CAN be made to look like Quakespasm.
The opposite isn't true.
No comments