Local Page Links

- Welcome!

- Getting Started

- How to Play

- Client Controls

- What is a Devastator?

- What is a Desecrator?

- Frequently Asked Questions

- About the server



Devastation Files

- Devastation v2.0.4 (4mb)

- Plague Mappack (6mb)

- Classic Devastation Map pack (3mb)

- Full Plague Devastation File Set (314mb)

- Archived Devastation files


Devastation Links

- Devastation Quake 2

- R1ch.Net

- Gametracker.com

- GameSpy


 

Comments? Questions? Bored?
Send me
E-mail.

Welcome to Plague Devastation!

This is a space dedicated to the excellent Quake 2 Mod known as Devastation. It differs from traditional quake by the addition of heavily armed and armored robot-like things called Devastators and mobile cannons called Desecrators that a normal player can become by picking up a powerup. The game mechanics can resemble a David versus Goliath showdown.

Actually more like a swarm of Davids versus a Goliath.

Getting Started

Windows users can click on Full Plage Devastation File Set which will download a 321mb zip file. Extract that file to somewhere on your PC or laptop's hard drive. This will create a folder called \quake2\. Within that folder is an executable called r1q2.exe that will launch a Quake ][ game at the console. Hit escape, select multiplayer, select join network server and select Plage Devastation that I have prepopulated for you in the server address book.

Note: Quake ][ is a game that was released in 1997. The code for the game was relased to the public under the GPL in 2001 and is currently hosted on GitHub. The r1q2.exe executable is a Quake 2 engine mod "focused on speed and security" and written by R1ch so I feel confident in putting this bundle here to downloaded without breaking any copyrights.

But if you are nervous about such things, you can head on over to Quake II on Steam and buy the basic game for $4.99. Then you can still download the bundle from here and get on your way.


How to Play Devastation Quake2

Game Modes:

When you join a game, the server will be running one of the following game modes. You can find out which mode is running at any time by looking at the top of your scoreboard (pressing F1). Listed below are the modes:

FREE FOR ALL = (gamemode 0 & friendly fire ON) - Regular deathmatch. Desecrators and/or Devastators are spawned in random locations and are obtainable by any grunt. Shoot anything and everything that moves.

DEVASTATORS vs. GRUNTS = (gamemode 0 & friendly fire OFF) - Grunts cannot damage damage fellow Grunts, and Devastators cannot damage Devastators. Messagemode2 works between grunts, and also between Devastators, allowing for planned attacks/ambushes etc. Desecrators and/or Devastators are spawned in random locations and are obtainable by any grunt. Desecrators only follow humans, so Devastators should beware.

ANNIHILATION = (gamemode 1) - ALPHA Team vs. BRAVO Team. Desecrators and/or Devastators are spawned in random locations. Each team has their own set of Devastators and/or Desecrators of which only grunts from the corresponding team can obtain. Teams battle it out for the most total frags. Suiciding DOES NOT count against the overall team frag tally.

ELIMINATION = (gamemode 2) - ALPHA Team vs. BRAVO Team. Similar to Action Quake2 teamplay, the game is round (battle) based. When you first join a server, you will be a spectator. From there, you must join a team (if you aren't put on one automatically by the server). Each team has a certain number of Devastators and/or Desecrators allowed for the match. An Equipment menu will appear where players can choose who takes what equipment into battle. Beside each selection is the (number in use/number allowed). IF THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF THAT PARTICULAR ITEM IS IN USE, YOU WILL NOT GET IT NEXT BATTLE. Watch the messages to be sure it didn't say that all of that item is ALREADY IN USE. Selections are as follows:

DevastatorCG - You will spawn into the battle with a Chaingun Devastator.
DevastatorRL - You will spawn into the battle with a Rocket Devastator.
Desecrator - You will spawn into the battle near a Desecrator which will follow and protect you. You'll have some weapons and a little armor to start.
Grunt - THIS IS THE DEFAULT when all else is used or nothing is chosen. You will spawn with a plethora of weapons, and a good amount of armor.

Once there are players on both teams, there is a 20 second pause while players select their equipment from the equipment menu. Equipment can be rechosen at any time during the game by pressing TAB.

After the 20 seconds, a 5 second warning countdown occurs, and then the battle begins. You will be spawned in approximately the same area as your teammates equipped with what you chose from the equipment menu. From there you must locate and destroy the entire opposing team. (Desecrators need not be destroyed, only their owners). Once a team is completely wiped out, the battle is over, and the team with at least one survivor will be the victor. A point will be awarded to the victorious team for each battle won.

When you are killed, you are DEAD for that battle, and you will become a spectator until the battle is over. You cannot talk to anyone that is alive while you're dead. (why? because you could inform your teammates of the location of enemies, since you are a spectator)

Client Controls

ALL Client controls are optional, they can be bound to keys or typed in the console.

id = Toggle Player Identification. Player Identification simply displays on your hud the name (and model/skin) of the player that's currently in your targeting reticle.

vote [flag] [value] = A Clientside vote for the players to decide on what type of game will be played. To initiate a vote, bring down the console (using the ~ key) and type "vote", followed by a flag, followed by a value.

Flags:

gamemode = Specifies the type of game to be played. (legal values 0,1,2)
ff = Specifies Friendly fire on or off. (legal values 0,1)
devcg = Specifies how many DevastatorCGs will be available on the level. (legal values 0-16)
devrl = Specifies how many DevastatorRLs will be available on the level. (legal values 0-16)
des = Specifies how many Desecrators will be available on the level. (legal values 0-8)

console example 1

vote gamemode 0 ff 0 devcg 2 devrl 0

This command will initiate a vote to change the gamemode to 0 with friendly fire off (Devs. vs. Grunts), as well as having NO DevastatorRLs and 2 DevastatorCGs available on the level.

console example 2

vote devcg 3 devrl 4 des 3

This command will initiate a vote to have 3 DevastatorCGs, 4 DevastatorRLs, and 3 Desecrators available on the level.

Once a vote is initiated by a player, every other player has 30 seconds to type "yes" or "no" in the console to acknowledge the vote. A vote must have 50% of all the total players to pass. After the 30 seconds another vote may be initiated.

yes = Agrees with the currently initiated vote.

no = Disagree with the current initiated vote.

Teamplay messagemode2 chat symbols - (For Annihilation & Elimination modes ONLY)

Within messagemode2 (say_team) chat phrases players can automatically send status information about themselves by included special symbols within the phrase. Here's a listing of the symbols:

%A = Your current Armor count.
%H = Your current Health count.
%W = Your current weapon.
%E = Your current equipment (Grunt, DevastatorCG, DevastatorRL, Desecrator Operator).
%L = Your Current location (the current closet item).
%N = Who you're currently targeting with id (you must toggle id on).

So an example would be to type in the console:

say_team "My status is %h/%a, I am near a(n) %N, as a %E"

Could be interpreted as:

say_team "My status is 100/25, I am near a(n) Mega Health, as a Desecrator Operator"

pickupDev

A toggle that when set to on, the player will not pick up and become a Devastator lying in the field. This is useful for those who enjoy playing strictly as a grunt, and like Devastator hunting. Default = off.

pickupDes

Similar to pickupDev, a toggle that when set to on, the player will not pick up and activate a Desecrator. This is useful for those who strictly as a grunt, and enjoy the joyous world of Desecrator hunting. Default = off.

warnings

A toggle that when set to off will Disable the annoying text messages that appear on the hud, such as "Cannot use Desecrator with a Devastator". This is useful for people who already know the rules of the game, and don't require textual cues.

What is a Devastator?

A Devastator is a human controlled, slow moving, heavy assault vehicle with 2 very...big...guns. There are two types of Devastators so far: DevastatorCG and DevastatorRL. Details on both are as follows:

Armor - Designed for assault/support, the thick hull of a Devastator is capable of sustaining 5-7 times the damage a normal quake player can.

Dual Chainguns - (DevastatorCG) - The chainguns on the DevastatorCG were designed for anti-vehicular combat, meaning they'll put a world of hurt on non-vehicles (i.e. you!). They deal nearly 1.5 times as much damage per bullet than a regular chaingun, and have a limitless supply of ammo, so one can rack up the frags very quickly.

Dual Rocket Launchers - (DevastatorRL) - The missile racks on the DevastatorRL here originally intended for anti-aircraft firepower. Unfortunately, now they'll be pointed at you. Firing in volleys of two, the rockets travel at about twice the velocity of the handheld RL's projectiles.

Amphibious - The Devastator also has a built in life support system, so a player can't drown while in it.

Critcal Damage Indicator - When the Devastator has sustained a considerable amount of damage, a warning light will appear on the HUD (heads up display) and an alarm will sound for every hit sustained thereafter.

So how do I get into these things?
Devastators will spawn at the start of each map at random location. (In Elimination mode, you will chose to be one in the equipment menu.) They will appear as a revolving Devastator torsos and will remain there for 60 seconds then spawn at another random location, unless it is picked up.

These things are WAY too powerful, no fair! Well OF COURSE they have drawbacks! READ!

Slow - Most importantly is their speed. The Devastators trudge along at roughly half the normal player's speed. So if those little quake runts find cover, you can kiss them goodbye for a while.

Size - Armor stacked to that magnitude tends to make for a bigger target. A Devastator is nearly twice as thick and slightly taller than a normal player. In other words, there's not too many things to hide behind, besides walls.

Mass - Carrying all that armor and firepower obviously makes a Devastator extremely heavy. Consequently, with each step taken a loud and resounding footstep will be heard from afar. Also, the shear weight of a Devastator restricts jumping severely.

No Pickups - Once inside a Devastator, the player cannot collect any items. That's right, no health, no armor, no weapons, no powerups, NOTHING. So whatever damage is done will never be repaired. So if you're face to face with one, get a shot off while you can, it adds up!

Overheat - (DevastatorCG) The DevastatorCG's chainguns tend to heat up after several seconds of continous firing. Firing for too long results in an overheat where the weapon will automatically shut itself down while it cools, during which it will not fire.

Slow firing rate - (DevastatorRL) While the DevastatorRL's missile rack fires extremely fast rockets, the rate at which it fires is significantly slower than the handheld RL. This will give some people the chance to escape between volleys.

Destroying a Devastator
Upon destruction, the player who delivered the killing blow to the Devastator will be awarded with 5 frags a grunt, 2 frags to a Desecrator activator, or 2 frags to a Devastator. The Devastator item will be dropped at the site of the destroyed Devastator. So if you want one, blow it up, and grab that Devastator! NOTE: In Elimination (gamemode 2), the Devastator item will NOT emerged from a destroyed Devastator.

Suiciding (self destructing) - Self inflicted deaths while in a Devastator (i.e. falling, getting crushed, typing "kill" in the console, etc.) will result in -5 frags to the user and team.

 

What is a Desecrator?

Basically a mini tank. It will follow its activator and target any enemy within a certain range of itself.

After it targets an enemy, it will pause while it "charges up" its weapon. If at the end of the charge up the target is still in range and in the Desecrators line of sight...well, there won't be much left of him/her. The impact also explodes cause massive damage to the area around the target. A frag will be awarded to the activator if a grunt is killed by the blast, and 2 frags will be awarded for Devastators or Desecrators that are vaporized.

While the Desecrator is extremely powerful and well armored, like the Devastators, it has faults. Read on.

Mainly the fact that it is VERY dumb. It won't be able to figure its way around corners or other types of turns. The activator will have to literally "guide" its every movement to get it to follow closely. Also, Desecrators take a 3 costly seconds to reload after firing a shot. This gives a lot of time for grunts to scramble for cover. And finally the Desecrator cannot climb ladders, limiting its mobility on certain stages.

As a note to activators, you REALLY don't wanna be in the way of a shot when it fires. As a note to everyone else, you REALLY don't want to be standing in the shadow of a falling Desecrator.

When the Desecrator is destroyed, 5 frags are awarded to a grunt, or 2 frags Devastators or other Desecrator activators. Be warned, Desecrators take a BEATING.

What happens when the activator is killed? The Desecrator will collapse and become available to any user for pickup. And no, the activator cannot be a Devastator. So many times it's quicker and easier to kill the activator than the machine itself. NOTE: In Elimination (gamemode 2), the Desecrator will become available to any grunt on the same team.

 

FAQ

Q: Is there a way out of the Devastator once I'm in it?
A: Yes, die.

Q: I can't kill these things, this sucks!
A: Stop trying to fight them toe-to-toe and play the shoot and scoot game. Use your environment! Only rush them when you can SEE they've been damaged.

Q: The Desecrator is WAY too powerful!
A: Well, if you run right at it, of course you're gonna die. Again, use your environment! Remember it's only as strong as the guy who's using it. Play a peek-a-boo game with it, and it's as good as dead.

Q: I can't find any anything anywhere!
A: Make sure you're not running a single player mode game (see below), if in multiplayer either
people have control of all the Devastators or Desecrators already, or wait 60 secs and look again. They might've been in the lava, they respawn every 60 seconds.

Q: I can't see the models, they all look like humans.
A: Fool, re-download the mod. www.planetquake.com/devastation.

Q: I can't run Devastation Quake2 in single player mode?
A: No, Devastation Quake2 IS NOT a single player mod. Neither Devastators nor Desecrators will spawn, and there will be no monsters. Run a multiplayer server if you want to run around alone.

Q: Sometimes the game crashes in software mode with no error.
A: The Devastator models cause an instability in Quake2 when running in SOFTWARE MODE. The fix is to buy a 3D card and run it in GL Mode. Granted you CAN still run it in software mode, but a crash is imminent. Some people have luck with it though.

Q: In modem play sometimes I "overflow".
A: If you're running in software mode the problem might be related to the question above. If not your, or the server's connection sucks.

Q: How come this mod sucks?
A: Cuz you're a dumbass.


The Plague Devastation server.

The Plague dedicated Devastation server started as a dedicated server on an old desktop at my job at the time. It fell dormant when I moved jobs until I built my own server to run out of my house on the end of a DSL line. It didn't become a serious thing (if you can call this game serious) until I built a dedicated box to host it at a colocation facility. At the time the server that Plague DevQ2 ran on was based around an Athlon XP1600+ (1.4GHz) processor with 768 megs of RAM and four SCSI hard drives in a RAID-5 array. To see more about the server, head over to the Plague page of the PC mods section of Rainwalk.net.

 

Plague now lives as a Windows Server 2016 VM on an ESX 6.7 cluster with two 2.4GHz Xeon E5-2665 cores and 4 GB of RAM

All images used with permission of Section8 of Devastation Q2.