Quake adds accessibility features 26 years after its original release

[Daniel Sims]

Why it matters: Ever since Bethesda re-released id Software's seminal 1996 first-person shooter last year, the game has kept receiving new features and levels. The latest patch should make playing Quake easier for hearing and visually impaired users while adding more content.

The new patch for the original Quake primarily adds optional settings to make the text more readable and some voice-to-text functionality. Now, users can adjust the font, contrast, how long text stays on the screen, and how many lines appear. The game can also directly read chat text aloud with a synthetic voice and transcribe voice chat. A new screen flash slider should make Quake safer for players susceptible to flashing lights.

It's worth mentioning that installing this Quake update turns all the accessibility features on by default. A notification will inform players about them upon starting the game.

In addition to the accessibility features, the update includes plenty of changes to multiplayer mode and the horde mode MachineGames added in December. After some player feedback, Horde mode has gotten three new maps and rebalanced difficulty settings. The original campaign's levels now support deathmatch multiplayer bots, and their behavior has received significant adjustments.

Bethesda has also released the QuakeC source code. Modders have spent decades building upon Quake, but this new release gives them access to everything the remaster added, ensuring more user-generated Quake content for years to come.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/94324-quake-adds-accessibility-features-26-years-after-original.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I'm shocked people still play this.

Quake 2 is better, but I noticed QUAKE 2 RTX has significant lag even on a 3090.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

I'm shocked people still play this.

Quake 2 is better, but I noticed QUAKE 2 RTX has significant lag even on a 3090.

Prettier and newer doesn't not automatically equate to better. I got the original Quake for free awhile back and had never played it before I had played Quake 2. So, I gave a shot just for nostalgia. To see where it all began.

To hear that Quake 2 RTX lags on a 3090 blows my mind. That's supposed to be a flagship model for a really old game. Maybe it's not the 3090's fault as much as it is the programming in the software itself. But I'm just guessing.

 

[mbk34]

Surely this should be ported to Unreal Engine 5???
That way, not only could you blow things apart, but you could also see what they had for lunch.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

I'm shocked people still play this.

Quake 2 is better, but I noticed QUAKE 2 RTX has significant lag even on a 3090.

The Quake mods can be VERY fun. There is one that is Egyptian that we use to play non-stop. It was great. I forget what it was called.

 

[RudyBob]

I'm glad that they are trying to help the impaired

 

[RudyBob]

The Quake mods can be VERY fun. There is one that is Egyptian that we use to play non-stop. It was great. I forget what it was called.

There was a DM Doom level we played all the time. I wish I knew what it was called. So, I know what you mean

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

I'm shocked people still play this.

Quake 2 is better, but I noticed QUAKE 2 RTX has significant lag even on a 3090.

To each their own... did you play Quake when it came out? I liked both of them but prefer Quake 1. Quake 2 felt more like Doom to me, at least with the story and tech theme. If you know the history then you'd know neither game turned out the way the developers originally intended. But as fans we love what they turned out to be. And while Quake 3 Arena was good in its own way, it wasn't Quake as far as I was concerned. Quake 4 wasn't even really worth talking about, unfortunately.

What I'm amazed of is how Quake is STILL getting fan love so many years later. There aren't many games that get that dedication, especially in the sheer quantity that it is seeing compared to other old games.