Quake 1 + 2 tie-in story line

[Chillo]

Hey all,

I'm not really working on a mod right now, but I was thinking how Quake 2 has nothing to do with Quake 1. I'd like to write a story that would actually tie the two universes together (yes, I know it wouldn't be anything official.)
First of all, unless there's anything already written extensively about the Quake universe, it would be cool to talk about the rising of the Strogg armies. It seems like the Grunts and Enforcers may actually be prototypes of Stroggs, and maybe over time whatever was creating them became a bigger force than Quake's armies i. e. Shamblers, Vores, Fiends, etc.
So the story line would throw the main character, most likely a Slipgater, into the turmoil of two major powers: Quake's old army, and the new Strogg army. It would be a great way of creating a bridge between the two games so that it makes more sense after playing them both consecutively.
So what I'm asking of everyone is to help write this story out, like who the characters would be and what exactly is going on.
Maybe later after everything is in place, we can even work on a expansion pack for Quake that would actually be like a whole new game in between Quake 1 and 2, sort of a "story friendly" version of Quake 2, combining both worlds together.

Tell me what you think

[daemon]

Enforcers seem a lot like Strogg, but Grunts seem more like possessed soldiers. Maybe part of the story could be that Enforcers/Strogg were working in conjunction with Quake's Armies (the possessed soldiers/dogs, knights, and the rest of the demon-like monsters).

If I remember correctly, you never really see the Enforcers with anything besides the soldiers or dogs, so maybe their role was to simply control the possessed somehow. Or possibly the Strogg had some deal with Quake, and were allowed to experiment on the dead soldiers/dogs, thus animating them, maybe even to bolster the Strogg forces as payment for something.

[MeTcHsteekle]

had thread similar kinda, perhaps it shall help?
http://www.quakeone.com/forums/showthre ... e+universe

[Chillo]

I read it over. it seems Quake really doesn't have a story line itself. Perhaps Id actually did write one, but just never bothered releasing the info to the public in order to create some mystery. Regardless, no story line at all for quake 1 gives us many liberties to work with.

I like daemon's idea about the Enforcers being the first form of Strogg. This new episode of Quake would be based partially in where ever the Enforcers originally come from. A more strogg-based level build, with new enemies.

I was thinking, as was said by daemon, that the strogg formed a pact with Quake's armies to take over Earth. But after that plan failed (the death of Shub-Niggurath) All ties between the two armies were cut, and then the Strogg began to take over the show. This also leads to new enemies. The first forms of strogg soldiers that "borrow" living organism's tissue for their own. Since Quake's army of Fiends and Shamblers were most likely the first to encounter Stroggs, there should be Strogg monsters with Shambler and Fiend "parts."

This kind of episode could be compared to the original Doom Episode 2, where there was clear evidence that Barons of Hell did not get along with Cacodemons (the secret level 9.) There'd be dead Stroggs on Quake's turf, and vice-versa.

[Urre]

You guys never read the readme that came with Quake? It does have a very brief story, something about counterstrike this and that, and descriptions for all the monsters. In the description of the grunt, it says that his brain is wired up with syringes that release a form of drug which makes him feel good and content whenever he kills somebody, so it's definitely more of a predecessor to strogg than a posessed soldier.

Although, he looks and feels to me more like a zombified soldier...

[ShoTro]

Yeah, grunts have a bunch of electronics strapped to their private parts that stimulate them when they direct fire or kill. Hence the cod pieces. Sorta strogg like, but the enforcer definitely shows this more.

[MeTcHsteekle]

oh ya i rember that stuff, somthing a bout personalized cerial killers and killesticy seritotin

[Dr. Shadowborg]

From my official Hellsmash QSR webpage:

• Enforcer: Mercenary soldiers recruited by Quake from an outer world that was on the verge of extinction. Apparently, Quake stepped in and "saved" the denzens of this outer world from the massive industrial pollution and has set up shop there ever since. Watch out, because unlike the converted grunts, these guys have 100% of their intelligence left intact. Note that their armor color determines their rank.

Needless to say, after the fall of Shub, and by extension Quake, the Enforcers would probably have been left out in the cold and forced to turn to the cybernetics originally developed by the Gremlins for use by the Centroids and Armagon...

Maybe something like this:

Event - Death of Shub, begin of the fall of Quake's Empire

1 year later - Scourge of Armagon (Enforcers seeing the result of this acquire advanced cybernetic technology and begin research on "Stroggification".)

1 year later - Dissolution of Eternity (end result being nobody except Ranger and the Enforcers remembering this event.)

Shortly thereafter Abyss of Pandemonium / Nehahra / Travail or some other event.

4-5 years after Death of Shub. Chillo's proposed encounter with early strogg on enforcer homeworld. End result is detonation of etheric slipgate device disrupting usage of all Slipgate technology on Enforcer homeworld. Slipgate technology is abandoned by Enforcers / Strogg and sub-etheric disruption is later used to construct the Big Gun.

5 years later - Quake 2

[Chillo]

So then after the Strogg-Quake Alliance disbands, what world do the Enforcers go to? And how far into the future does Quake 1 take place? What new monsters would their be?

Can someone start a time line about what we know so far, starting from the beginning of Quake 1?

[mh]

I normally prefer not to think too much about these things, but you guys are missing one discontinuity here: Slipgates. In Q1 they're new tech, whereas in Q2 & 4 there's only evidence of the Stroggs having them. My hypothesis: Q2 is actually a prequel to Q1, and Slipgates are captured Strogg technology.

[Dr. Shadowborg]

How's this then:

2 years prior to events of Quake - Quake's arrival on Enforcer homeworld. Quake "Rescues" inhabitants from their industrial decay and pollution.

1 year prior to events of Quake - Enforcers have become commonplace in all of quake's regiments. Enforcers send back data and plans to complex cybernetic technology developed by Gremlins to homeworld.

Events of Quake culminating in death of Shub.

Scourge of Armagon
Dissolution of Eternity

Enviromental degradation on Enforcer homeworld due to decay and failure of magics derived from Shub force enforcers to begin looking for new homeworld. Simultanious research on advanced cybernetics is in progress. Extensive usage of surviving "children" of Shub in experiments.

New homeworld selected. Green pleasant world known as Stroggos. Noteworthy architecture includes ancient castles, mysterous metallic temples, egyptian and greek ruins. Invasion is commenced using surviving cybernetic experiments as support.

Resistance on planet is significant until presumed death in action of resistance leader "Sarge" at ruins site.

Large scale slipgate complex built, and continued exploitation and collection of local populace and wildlife for cybernetic experimentation continues.

WARNING! Unauthorized Slipgate Activity detected in isolated district! Immediate dispatch and intercept of intruder is ESSENTIAL!

...

Detonation of Slipgate complex results in massive ecological damage...Additionally, usage of slipgate devices is compromized due to disturbance of dimensional flux...

Surviving forces begin cyberization in order to survive compromized enviroment...

[Entar]

Or, you know, somebody could send an email to some of the people at id software (or John Romero) with some of the ideas here, and ask how they compare to what they were going for. Unfortunately, they'd probably say that the two weren't originally intended to be related, but maybe they are... or maybe they'd change their minds and adopt some of your ideas.

Dr. Shadowborg: So the Enforcers were the original creators of the Strogg then? Did they create the Q1 grunts too (which seem like strogg predecessors a bit)? I do agree that Q2 would have to be a prequel to the original Quake, because of the slipgate technology bit.

[Chillo]

http://www.quake2.com/q2faq.html#II

- A few different interpretations of the Quake 2 story line from Id. Paul Jacques mentions the TCM (Terran Confederation of Man) which is the last remaining force of humans against the Strogg threat.
TCM probably didn't exist during Quake 1, because this was only the first encounter with any form of Strogg. It was formed sometime between the stories of the two games, so here goes:

After defeating the Dragons in Dissolution of Eternity, the threat from outer-realms became clear to mankind. On his way back to earth via slipgate, our Hero's route was intercepted by Enforcers. He finds himself in a strange futuristic alien wasteland littered with the corpses of the hellish monsters he had killed only hours before, as well as the mangled bodies of his comrades.

The slipgate behind him is badly damaged. It seems as if teleporting him to this place was the last effort that it was capable of. Suddenly, behind piles of rubble, enforcer-like warriors have him surrounded on all sides. They are, however, no match for our protagonist.

From the horizons, floating machines with search lights appear, quickly making their way to the scene of carnage. Rather than attacking the player, they pick up all the bodies, (even the old rotten ones) and place them inside their humming mechanical constructs.

The player tries to shoot them down, but the bullets ricochet off, and the hovering giants pay no mind to his attacks.
Alone again in this new disturbing dimension, the player begins to explore the surroundings. In the distance, there are actually signs that this planet used to be inhabitable. Mountains and blue skies far in the distance are covered in what looks like ancient ruins from a long-reigning civilization. But whatever the hell lives on this world now made short work of the natives.

Our hero follows the trail of the floating machines. Hundreds of them seem to all be flocking towards the same place. Past the mountains, there is an enormous, black metallic structure.

A factory of some sort....

[Dr. Shadowborg]

Dr. Shadowborg: So the Enforcers were the original creators of the Strogg then? Did they create the Q1 grunts too (which seem like strogg predecessors a bit)? I do agree that Q2 would have to be a prequel to the original Quake, because of the slipgate technology bit.

All of the following is in my own opinion:

In my mind, the grunts were captured earth military personnel that were lobotomized / driven insane, then rewired / reprogrammed into the infamous "customized serial killers". It's entirely possible that either the Enforcers or maybe even the Gremlins were responsible for them in my book. As for the enforcers being the creators of the Strogg, it would be more like the enforcers ended up BECOMING the Strogg. Remember that the Strogg are a race that cannibalize and assimilate other species and their technology.

As for the Strogg having slipgate technology, I'm not all that convinced. Personally, I don't think they actually DO have slipgates but rather the more limited teleporters, supporting evidence for this being that slipgates not only transport people and things from place to place, but can also transport between dimensions thoughout space and time.

Surely if the Strogg had actually posessed such technology, they would not have resorted to sending attack fleets through space, but rather have simply just gated in entire armies of Strogg to set up bases and assimilation centres. In which case, we most likely would not have ended up with corny drop pods and the cliche lone surviving marine kicking ass, but instead the cliche marine (who may or may not be the lone survivor) smashing his way deeper and deeper into enemy held installations and taking a slipgate all the way back to Stroggos in order to make his grevances known to the Makron personally. (Or alternately, a whole battalion of marines with a really, really big ass assault landing ship that may, or may not resemble a blimp being sent through said previously captured and or reverse engineered slipgate portal. =P)

So in short summary of how I view Teleporters vs. Slipgates:

Teleporters - Limited, typically short range site to site transporters. Incapable of interdimensional or temporial transport. (This is Quake, not Doom. =P) Just about everybody probably has these, be they Strogg, or the Lovecraftians of Quake. (Though I suspect the lovecraftians being waaaay older than the Strogg, are more prone to using the Slipgates instead, even when unnecessary.)

Slipgates - Similar to Teleporters, but far, far more complex and with greater capabilities, though somewhat less reliable and unpredictable. Can transport between different places, dimensions, and timelines. (See Dissolution of Eternity for temporial slipgates.)

[Entar]

Surely if the Strogg had actually posessed such technology, they would not have resorted to sending attack fleets through space, but rather have simply just gated in entire armies of Strogg to set up bases and assimilation centres.

Slipgates don't just teleport you to anywhere, they teleport you to another slipgate, as seen in Quake (on the first level of every episode, you start from a slipgate). So to get to another planet, Strogg would have to go through space, because there aren't any slipgates for them to teleport to directly.