Quake

Quake

Quake (1996) by id Software is a groundbreaking first-person shooter featuring fast-paced single-player and multiplayer action in a dark, gothic 3D world. Batocera supports two engines: libretro: TyrQuake (RetroArch core) and vkQuake (standalone Vulkan-based source port with enhanced graphics). This system scrapes metadata for the “ports” group(s) and loads the quake set from the currently selected theme, if available. Grouped with the “ports” group of systems.

Quick reference

Emulators: RetroArch (TyrQuake), vkQuake
Folder: roms/quake/
Accepted ROM formats: .quake

BIOS

No Quake emulator in Batocera needs a BIOS file to run.

ROMs

You need the original Quake game data files. You can purchase the game from Steam or GOG.com. Copy the id1 folder and its contents into /userdata/roms/quake/. Then create an empty file with a .quake extension in /userdata/roms/quake/.

Make sure all data files and folder names are lowercase, e.g. id1, not ID1 and pak0.pak, not PAK0.PAK. Some distributions (e.g. GOG.com) use uppercase file names.

Directory structure

/userdata/roms/quake/
               ├── id1/
               |    ├── pak0.pak
               |    └── pak1.pak
               └── Quake.quake

Mission Packs

Mission Pack 1 (Scourge of Armagon) and Mission Pack 2 (Dissolution of Eternity) are supported automatically. Place their game files in the corresponding directories and create a launch file:

/userdata/roms/quake/
               ├── id1/
               |    ├── pak0.pak
               |    └── pak1.pak
               ├── hipnotic/
               |    └── pak0.pak
               ├── rogue/
               |    └── pak0.pak
               ├── Quake.quake
               ├── Quake Mission Pack 1 - Scourge of Armagon.quake
               └── Quake Mission Pack 2 - Dissolution of Eternity.quake

The mission packs are auto-detected based on the launch file name — vkQuake checks for “scourge” or “dissolution” in the file name.

Music

The original Quake had a soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails. The Steam version does not include the soundtrack files (the 2021 re-release music should work out of the box). GOG-provided files may need conversion. Place music files in the music subfolder of each game directory:

/userdata/roms/quake/id1/music/ for the base game
/userdata/roms/quake/hipnotic/music/ for Mission Pack 1
/userdata/roms/quake/rogue/music/ for Mission Pack 2

Files must be named trackNN.ogg or trackNN.mp3 (e.g. track02.ogg).

Saves

Save location saves/quake/

Emulators

RetroArch

RetroArch is a ubiquitous frontend that can run multiple “cores”. RetroArch offers a Quick Menu accessed by pressing [HOTKEY] + South button (B SNES) which can be used to alter various settings. Standardized features available to all libretro cores: quake.videomode, quake.ratio, quake.smooth, quake.shaders, quake.pixel_perfect, quake.decoration, quake.game_translation

libretro: TyrQuake

TyrQuake is a conservative Quake source port focused on accuracy and bug fixes.

vkQuake

vkQuake is a Vulkan-based Quake source port with enhanced graphics, higher resolutions and modern rendering features. Requires Vulkan support on your system. Standardized features available: quake.videomode, quake.padtokeyboard, quake.bezel, quake.bezel_stretch, quake.hud, quake.hud_corner, quake.bezel.tattoo, quake.bezel.tattoo_corner, quake.bezel.tattoo_file, quake.bezel.resize_tattoo

Controls

Here are the default Quake controls shown on a Batocera Retropad. Controls depend on the emulator used — vkQuake uses pad-to-keyboard mapping, while TyrQuake uses RetroArch's built-in controller support.

Troubleshooting

My game does not launch

Make sure the id1 folder exists and contains the .pak files.
Ensure all file names are lowercase.
vkQuake requires Vulkan support — if your system does not support Vulkan, use the TyrQuake libretro core instead.

Further troubleshooting

For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.

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