Quake 4 for GNU/Linux- A basic shooting game with simple gameplay mechanics.
The system requirements include a GNU/Linux system, Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or Athlon XP 2000+ processor, 512MB RAM, glibc >= 2.2.4, and kernel 2.4, 2.6 is recommended. For 3D acceleration, you will need SDL >= 1.2, the latest OpenGL drivers, and any of the following: ATI Radeon, Nvidia GeForce 3+, or Nvidia GeForce 6+.
For audio, a sound card with OSS or Alsa support is required, along with stereo and surround sound. Alsa >= 1.0.6 is needed for alsa sound backend.
In terms of multiplayer, Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play are both supported. Note that internet play requires a broadband connection.
To install Quake 4, you must copy the asset files from the install CDs to your q4base/directory (md5 sums provided as reference), either before or after running the installer. If you have the DVD release, all the files are in the same directory, otherwise they are spread out on each CD.
It is important to note that the Linux version of Quake 4 is not supported by Activision Customer Support. Additionally, the German version of the game uses a completely different set of assets.
The game can be started with the command "quake4" and the dedicated server can be started with "quake4-dedicated".
One limitation of this release is that the internal server browser in 1.0.0.0 / build 2147 will only show a maximum of 1000 servers. Third party browsers like xqf can retrieve and filter the complete list.
All in all, Quake 4 for GNU/Linux is a great addition to any gamer's library, provided you have the necessary requirements and a licensed copy for Windows.
Version 1.42: N/A