#1 2016-09-10 00:24:34

Joca64
Member

Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

This past month of August, I was feeling like replaying the Nintendo 64 version of Quake 2, mainly because I couldn't remember any of the game's maps apart from them being completely different from the PC version. Alas, after getting my console from storage and setting it up, I found out it died while in its sleep.
Since the game doesn't seem to work very well on the emulators I tried it with (items and enemies are seen through walls), I searched the web to find out if someone had done a PC port of the game, similarly to the Doom 64 total conversion available. Since all I could uncover were
forum posts of people complaining that said mod was nowhere to be found I got frustrated.
Due to boredom, I started to recreate the big water room from the first map. After completing it, I figured, "I'll just make the next room as well" until I ended up completely making the first map from scratch. Again, struck by boredom, completed the second map, then the third and finally just settled on completing the first planet from the game.

I mostly tested it with kmquake2. HD texture packs may have mixed results as all the texture alignment was done for the default ones.
You can get it here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/472 … /Q2N64.zip

Some pics:
E1M1
E1M2
E1M3
E1M4

#2 2016-09-10 08:20:58

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Cool! I wasn't even aware this N64 version even existed. I hope you end up converting the whole game...

#3 2016-09-10 10:04:48

dwere
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

MaxED started the same kind of recreation not too long ago, except his demo has only one level.

OTOH, it has textures and ambient music from the N64 version.

#4 2016-09-10 11:06:40

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Nice info, dwere. @Joca64, maybe you and MaxED should work together on this?

#5 2016-09-10 11:28:58

Joca64
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

bfg666 wrote:

Cool! I wasn't even aware this N64 version even existed. I hope you end up converting the whole game...

It's a pretty cool version. Surely some maps would end up not looking very good, like the caves area, as I'm not that great with outdoors / natural stuff, but I guess they could end up close enough to the source material. Most significantly, it would require at least some custom coding for the N64 exclusive items and in game stuff, like a trigger to change gravity used in maps up ahead and I'm having trouble finding tutorials on how to do that kind of thing. Q2 modding tutorials seem to have fallen off a cliff.


dwere wrote:

MaxED started the same kind of recreation not too long ago, except his demo has only one level.

OTOH, it has textures and ambient music from the N64 version.

I'd be interested in checking that map out, just to see how different ours are, do you happen to know where I can download it?
I was going to include the original ambient music as well, but then I got scared off because of copyright. There was this tool to extract assets from N64 rom files, but it didnt seem to work on Quake2 or I would have tried that too.

#6 2016-09-10 12:24:13

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Joca64 wrote:

I'm not that great with outdoors / natural stuff

That's where Trenchbroom's vertex editing tool comes in handy, it makes it very easy to build natural shapes.

Joca64 wrote:

I'm having trouble finding tutorials on how to do that kind of thing.

Have you asked the guys at Func_Msgboard? There are very knowledgeable people over there who are willing to help.

#7 2016-09-10 14:06:31

dwere
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

#8 2016-09-10 17:57:26

Joca64
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Hot damn, his version looks much closer to the original, thanks to the textures. I wonder if he's also making the maps from scratch or adapting the ones in the rom somehow.
I guess I should have searched the web better before doing anything x) Still happy with my end result though.

#9 2016-09-10 18:53:30

Qwerty
Guest

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Thank you so much for this, I had dreamed of the day someone would do it.

Quake 2 it's not my favorite, I just love the first one way too much, but for some reason I always wanted to play a PC mod of Quake 2 64. Not sure why, maybe because of the very fact of being unavailable (playing through an emulator -Project64- was a PITA). It reminded me the time I waited years for the release of Half Life Decay, a similar fan project. There's something about these obscure, rare releases that makes you wanna play them.

Of course there is a bit of nostalgia, getting your hands on "new" content for a classic. Also, call me crazy, but I think the small levels are cute, like those 1024 Congestion/Claustrophobia compilations the Doom community produces. Modding is truly one of the great things about gaming!

Again, I really appreciate your generosity in sharing your work, Joca64. It would be great if you decide to continue, here's a cheering to that.

PD: thank you dwere for the links, I wasn't aware of that project either.

#10 2016-09-10 20:53:51

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Joca64 wrote:

Hot damn, his version looks much closer to the original, thanks to the textures. I wonder if he's also making the maps from scratch or adapting the ones in the rom somehow.
I guess I should have searched the web better before doing anything x) Still happy with my end result though.

You should contact MaxED. As I said earlier, you could merge your two projects and work together to make faster progress and avoid redundancy.

#11 2016-09-11 11:31:28

fake
Guest

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

It should be possible to extract BSP's from N64 rom image, but don't ask me how to do it ^^ There is a guy that did this with Quake1 Sega Saturn -> http://richwhitehouse.com/index.php?postid=68

#12 2016-09-12 07:35:08

negke
Moderator

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

It doesn't work like this. Even if you could extract those files, they would have a different version number that PC Quake engines are unable to load.

#13 2016-09-12 09:48:26

Joca64
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

bfg666 wrote:

You should contact MaxED. As I said earlier, you could merge your two projects and work together to make faster progress and avoid redundancy.

I left him a message on github. Honestly dont know how much help I can be though, as this is the most complex mapping I've ever done, really x)


negke wrote:

It doesn't work like this. Even if you could extract those files, they would have a different version number that PC Quake engines are unable to load.

I'm guessing the missing entities would also wreck havok.

#14 2016-09-12 10:19:38

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Well at least two pairs of hands work faster than one and you could help him with the less complex parts. MaxED still has only one map done and I'd hate that either of you gets discouraged by the size of the task ahead, because I'd really like to play this version of Q2.

#15 2016-09-12 10:24:00

Joca64
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

bfg666 wrote:

MaxED still has only one map done and I'd hate that either of you gets discouraged by the size of the task ahead, because I'd really like to play this version of Q2.

The github repository actually has the first 3 maps completed now. But yeah, if I can help, I'll try to. Being able to play the full N64 version with mouse+keyboard controls would be great.

#16 2016-09-12 10:56:42

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Yeah. I still have my N64 stashed somewhere but even if it still works, I certainly won't touch another FPS with that horrid gamepad ever again. Or with any other gamepad for that matter. Good to know that MaxED has made progress.

#17 2016-09-12 19:29:29

ArrrCee
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

This is really cool, would love to see the full game available to play some day! Though I bet it would be a lot easier than the PC Quake 2 since it was designed to be played with the tie fighter gamepad. ;)

#18 2016-09-13 00:04:28

bfg666
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Not necessarily. I played Quake64 on that monster of a controller and I don't recall it being any different than the PC version. BTW, you might want to rethink your "TIE fighter gamepad" designation: TIEs are supposed to be the most agile fighters in that galaxy far, far away, not cumbersome disasters-waiting-to-happen.

#19 2016-09-13 19:21:46

ArrrCee
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Ha! Fair enough on the controller comparison, Just trying my hand at some light humor. ;)

The reason I say that about the Quake 2 version could be easier is while Quake 64 is basically the pc game on a cartridge, Quake 2 on N64 is an different/new game. I would think that it was designed specifically for play on the n64 controller?

#20 2016-09-14 07:38:32

Doc_Holliday
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

I've been trying to find Q2 Awakening but to no avail.
Can you guys help?
Thanks in advance

Doc

#21 2016-09-14 08:59:52

MaxED
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Joca64 wrote:

I started to recreate the big water room from the first map.

Heh. I also started with this room :)

I guess I'll have to write some stuff about my project now.

The mapping guidelines I've set for myself:
1. Use Q2 N64 textures, create new textures (either based on N64 ones, or fitting with them) if necessary (in other words, don't use Q2 PC textures).
2. Add more details where necessary (basically I'm aiming for "the way people remember it", not "the way it actually looks" look).
3. More natural looking illumination (e.g. all lights should have some logical source).
4. All map areas should have colored fog.
5. Try to make secret areas look like something build with purpose (e.g. make them look like maintenance areas/machinery compartments/passages to inaccessible areas), as opposed to item closets in the N64 version.

If you are fine with those, I'd be glad if you can join the effort.

The tools I use:
I don't have any map extractor/converter, so I'm also recreating the maps from scratch.
1. Jackhammer to create maps.
2. Arghrad3 to compile lights.
3. Project64 to play the N64 version.
4. 3D Ripper DX to capture both textures and map geometry (to use as a reference while mapping).
5. An .obj converter tool I wrote to make models generated by 3D Ripper more usable in 3d modeling apps (basically it fixes incorrect vertical scale, mirrors the model on X axis so it matches ingame look, adds the .mtl file reference to the .obj file and converts textures from .dds to .tga).

Some additional stuff you may be interested in:
I've created a custom Jackhammer game configuration for this. I can upload it if anyone's interested.
Arghrad3 manual.
Lazarus mod documentation and example maps.

The questions I have:
1. Is there a way to make the sky unaffected by fog in KMQ2?..

Last edited by MaxED (2016-09-14 09:02:07)

#22 2016-09-16 09:28:05

Joca64
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

ArrrCee wrote:

Ha! Fair enough on the controller comparison, Just trying my hand at some light humor. ;)

The reason I say that about the Quake 2 version could be easier is while Quake 64 is basically the pc game on a cartridge, Quake 2 on N64 is an different/new game. I would think that it was designed specifically for play on the n64 controller?

Yeah, it was made with controller in mind, the game doesn't even have crouch, as far as I remember. So it will probably be easier playing it on PC when compared to the original. Hard+ wasn't a thing on the Nintendo 64 version though, so if you play it on skill 4 it can still balance it out a bit.

MaxED wrote:

If you are fine with those, I'd be glad if you can join the effort.

I'll download Jackhammer and mess around with it, see if I can get used to it. Maybe try and replicate the initial room of one of the levels up ahead or something.

Last edited by Joca64 (2016-09-16 15:28:52)

#23 2017-04-08 16:31:50

Avoozl
Member

Re: Quake 2 N64 -> PC, 1st planet only (4 Maps)

Too bad you can't also use the exclusive music, textures, and sky effects present in QII64, but other than that this is great! Aubrey Hodges was the music composer for the 64 version and he is actually okay with people using his games music in their mods.

Board footer