Getting Started
This section aims to cover all of the problems commonly experienced by those just starting their RISC OS Quake playing careers. Read it all before mailing questions to us but if you're really, really stuck then mail me at alasdair@acornarcade.com.
Buying the Game
First off, you'll need a StrongARM RiscPC. ArcQuake will display on any RiscPC/A7000(+) but it's too slow to be playable.
Okay, so you can play the unregistered shareware version for free but lots of the patches and levels reviewed on this site won't work properly with it. So, assuming you want to get the full game, there's two options:
- Buy R-Comp Interactive's Quake port (including Q!Zone and Malice)
- Download the freeware !ArcQuake and buy the PC game CDs from somewhere
We'd recommend that you buy the R-Comp version because, although it doesn't yet include Martin Pipers rockin' engine, it does include Q!Zone and Malice for only a tenner or so more than what you'll pay for the PC CDs on their own anyway. Plus, installation is a doddle with the R-Comp route.
Making !ArcQuake work
Okay, so you've gone for the cheaper route, you can download the RISC OS player from here (482KB). Then you'll need the .pak files, these contain all the level data and textures which the game needs to run. First off, obtain a copy of the PC version CD ROM or the shareware install files from id software (we don't care where you get it from, if you chose to pirate it, it's on your neck).
Once you have the files, you'll need to send a quid in the post to Stuart Halliday (of Cybervilliage fame) for the decompression app. See his website for more details. This comes with instructions to help you to find the appropriate files then string them together to produce a usable copy of the pak file. Once done, place the two files (PAK0/PAK and PAK1/PAK) into your !ArcQuake.id1 directory.
Now you're ready to roll, just double click on !ArcQuake, check the game options from the icon bar and away you go! Happy Quakeing!
Screen Mode Issues
As with most games of this genre, options exist to change the screen resolution (size) in which the game operates. The bigger the resolution, the better. However, at present, the RISC OS players are only really playable at a maximum of about 360 by 256. If you don't have this mode in your monitor definition file, download it from here and add it now, it's also good for Doom.
Making the QuakeC Patches work
Unless otherwise stated, to install patches downloaded from this site with either RCI's port or the original ArcQuake, simply extract the contents of the .zip file using SparkPlug or similar to a new directory inside !(Arc)Quake with the name of the patch then start Quake with the command line parameter (ie: add it to the !Run file inside the !(Arc)Quake dir) -game [patch dir name]. For instructions on the use of these patches, please refer to the appropriate text files within the download.
Making the levels work
Once downloaded, decompress the contents of the zip file to !(Arc)Quake.id1.maps. Then, load the game and if it's a single player map, go to new game then type map [mapfilename] in the console (accessed by pressing the ` key in the top left corner of the keyboard below the escape key). This should land you in the new map, do the same for multiplayer maps but make sure you go through the multiplayer options in the menus to turn off the cheats!