Quake II

QUAKE II LEVELPACKS

These levelpacks were created with Quake Army Knife (QuArK) by Armin Rigo. Deus Ex Machina was sort of an experiment in 3D mapping, and some parts of it were later incorporated into the much more fleshed out Citadel (which was initially released in 2007, with various subsequent updates over the years).

Both levelpacks require Quake II patched to version 3.20 and feature modded content, so please carefully read the included documentation on how to correctly set up the game.

Deus Ex Machina

At the beginning of the Strogg War the Earth forces gambled essentially on two factors: the destruction of the Big Gun and the assassination of the Strogg Leader. While destroying the major planetary defense of Stroggos gave us a considerable tactical advantage, killing the Makron did not sort the expected results. We sought to drive the Strogg Warlords into internal struggles by eliminating their leading mind, however no turmoil happened. Instead of choosing a new Makron, the Warlords revolutionized the political structure of Stroggos, abandoning the old hierarchies and turning their world into a collection of feudal states. That way, they could continue to keep firm control over the strategic locations they were given and were able to organize defensive positions independently. You are part of a small group of TCM marines currently scouting the region of Stroggos we refer to as Ishtar Chasmata. Headquarters have been monitoring this area for some days since evidences of anti-matter experiments were detected. If the Strogg can develop anti-matter weapons the equilibrium of this war could be drastically changed. They could even be able to restore the interplanetary gateway between Stroggos and Earth and launch a terrible counterstrike. We urgently need to know their plans, thus your primary task is to infiltrate the underground arsenal and steal whatever weapons designs or schematics you may find. Once you get the secret information, you’ll need to find a Com Center and transmit your data to the mothership. Intelligence will elaborate further strategy and orders according to your findings. You will be likely sent further deep into Ishtar Chasmata to find the source of that a-m relief and attempt to neutralize it. But beware, it won’t be easy. The local Warlord will surely track your moves. He has a loyal and well-trained army at his disposal, and he’s ready to deal with you with his own hands, if necessary. We wish you the best of luck in accomplishing this mission.

YEAR: 2005 NUMBER OF LEVELS: 8 MOD: YES DIFFICULTY: MODERATE/HARD

EXTERNAL REVIEWS: Sp Map Corner (1 review)

ZIP Archive, 10.09 MB

SCREENSHOTS

Citadel

During routine sensor scanning of the Stroggos surface, a strong energy emission has been picked up, apparently emanating from a mountain region of the planet previously assumed of scarce strategic value. After scouting the area where the emission was detected, we have discovered a large, fortified complex built into a deep valley surrounded by towering peaks. Data in our possession suggest that the site houses a Reactor similar to the one that empowered the Big Gun in Cerberon. Unfortunately, the device happens to be buried deep under the ground, thus rendering an air strike ineffective. It will be your task to infiltrate this notable example of self-sufficient Strogg settlement, codenamed Citadel, in order to locate and destroy that Reactor. A successful mission will bring another critical blow to the Strogg, and probably remove any chance they have to reorganize their war machine. You will be air-dropped by a Viper to a safe area just outside of the Citadel. As usual, your first task will be to establish a communication uplink between the Strogg computers and the command ship: this will enable updated intel support on your field computer during the whole mission. Once the link is established you can move to the Main Complex, but before you can reach the industrialized area where the Reactor is located, you will likely need some sort of pass or authorization: we believe that this can be retrieved in the Robotics Facility, an isolated structure located at the outskirts of a wild region we refer to as the Badlands (faint human life signs have been detected there, so we must assume that the Strogg are still using captured troops as catalyst for their nightmarish cybernetic constructs). Once you have gained the pass you will be able to access the maximum security zone and head toward the Reactor, but be careful: a timed laser grid is active in this area. Of course, there must be some way to deactivate those lethal lasers, however we have no clue about where the grid control is located, so you will have to look for yourself. Much in the same manner we have no precise data about the Reactor and its surroundings, apart from knowing that it lies under the ground, however be prepared for extreme environmental conditions as well as heavy Strogg resistance. We don’t expect energy to go completely down after the destruction of the Reactor: its back-up accumulators will likely sustain the basic infrastructures of the Citadel long enough for you to locate some mean of transport and evacuate the area, before the Reactor core collapses and the ultimate chain reaction takes place, spreading destruction for miles around.