Quake II

Quake II (1997) by id Software is a first-person shooter set in a sci-fi universe where Earth's military launches a counterattack against the alien Strogg. Batocera supports three engines: libretro: vitaQuake 2 (RetroArch core), vkQuake2 (Vulkan-based source port) and Yamagi Quake II (enhanced client). This system scrapes metadata for the “ports” group(s) and loads the quake2 set from the currently selected theme, if available. Grouped with the “ports” group of systems.

Quick reference

BIOS

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

ROMs

You need the original Quake II game data files. You can purchase the game from Steam or GOG.com. Copy the baseq2 directory and its contents into /userdata/roms/quake2/. Then create an empty file with a .quake2 extension in /userdata/roms/quake2/.

Make sure all data files and folder names are lowercase, e.g. baseq2, not BASEQ2 and pak0.pak, not PAK0.PAK.

Neither Yamagi Quake II nor vkQuake2 support the .zip or .7zip extensions. Only the libretro vitaQuake 2 core supports these formats.

Directory structure

/userdata/roms/quake2/
               ├── baseq2/
               |    ├── pak0.pak
               |    ├── pak1.pak
               |    └── pak2.pak
               └── Quake II.quake2

Mission Packs

Copy the necessary data files to the corresponding directories:

Mission Pack Directory Launch file keyword
The Reckoning (MP1) xatrix/ “reckoning”
Ground Zero (MP2) rogue/ “zero”
Quake II: Zaero zaero/ “zaero”
Slight Mechanical Destruction smd/ “destruction”

All ports can run xatrix, rogue and zaero. vkQuake2 additionally supports smd and the Capture the Flag mod using the ctf directory. 

/userdata/roms/quake2/
               ├── baseq2/
               |    └── pak0.pak (+ other paks)
               ├── xatrix/
               |    └── pak0.pak
               ├── rogue/
               |    └── pak0.pak
               ├── zaero/
               |    └── pak0.pak
               ├── Quake II.quake2
               ├── Quake II - The Reckoning.quake2
               ├── Quake II - Ground Zero.quake2
               └── Quake II - Zaero.quake2

Mission packs are auto-detected by vkQuake2 based on keywords in the launch file name.

Saves

Save location saves/quake2/

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: quake2.videomode, quake2.ratio, quake2.smooth, quake2.shaders, quake2.pixel_perfect, quake2.decoration, quake2.game_translation

libretro: vitaQuake 2

vitaQuake 2 is a Quake II libretro core. It is the only engine that supports the .zip and .7zip extensions.

vkQuake2

vkQuake2 is a Vulkan-based Quake II source port with enhanced graphics. Requires Vulkan support. Standardized features available: quake2.videomode, quake2.padtokeyboard, quake2.bezel, quake2.bezel_stretch, quake2.hud, quake2.hud_corner, quake2.bezel.tattoo, quake2.bezel.tattoo_corner, quake2.bezel.tattoo_file, quake2.bezel.resize_tattoo

Yamagi Quake II

Yamagi Quake II is a mature, enhanced Quake II client focused on stability and correctness. Standardized features available: quake2.videomode, quake2.padtokeyboard

Controls

Here are the default Quake II controls for vkQuake2/yQuake2 (pad-to-keyboard) shown on a Batocera Retropad:

Gamepad button Action
Left analog stick Move / Strafe
Right analog stick Look
D-pad Move / Menu navigation
A (South) Jump
B (East) Use item
X (West) Next weapon
Y (North) Crouch
L1 Previous item
R1 Next item
L2 Run
R2 Fire
L3 Inventory
R3 Help computer
START Drop item
SELECT Menu / Back

Troubleshooting

My game does not launch

  • Make sure the baseq2 folder exists and contains the .pak files.
  • Ensure all file names are lowercase.
  • vkQuake2 requires Vulkan support — if your system does not support Vulkan, use the vitaQuake 2 libretro core or Yamagi Quake II instead.

Further troubleshooting

For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.

  • systems/quake2.txt
  • Last modified: 5 weeks ago
  • by wizzard