Nexuiz

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Nexuiz

Developer(s)	Alientrap
Publisher(s)	Alientrap
License	GNU General Public License
Engine	DarkPlaces
Version	2.4.2 (May 11, 2008)
Platform(s)	X Window System (running under Linux, UNIX), Windows, Mac OS X 10.4 or newer
Release date	May 31, 2005
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer, Singleplayer
Media	Download
System requirements	800 MHz Processor, 256 MB of RAM, GeForce 2 or equivalent, about 300MB of storage
Input methods	Keyboard and Mouse

Nexuiz is a first-person shooter by Alientrap Software. It is a free game: source code is free software and data is free content. It is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Version 1.0 was released on May 31, 2005. The current version, 2.4.2, was released on May 11, 2008.

Nexuiz uses DarkPlaces, a significantly modified Quake engine.

The logo is based on the Chinese character "力", meaning strength.

1 Overview
2 History
3 Press Coverage
4 Features
5 Screenshots
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Overview

Nexuiz focuses on bringing the FPS genre back to the basics with quick, lethal battles and balanced weaponry. As of the current release there are 9 weapons, 24 official maps and over 240 community created maps, as well as 15 player models.

While Nexuiz is not intended to be an eye-candy laden game, it does feature many advanced effects such as coronas, bloom, Realtime World and Dynamic Lighting and shadowing, shaders (with OpenGL 2.0), offset mapping, and High dynamic range rendering. All these effects can be turned off to make the game run on older hardware.

Nexuiz is primarily multiplayer (though it includes a full single-player campaign, which allows one to play through the various multiplayer game types and maps with bots), and allows for hosting and joining of games. It can also support new gametypes, or whole conversions quickly applied to it (much like Quake). Nexuiz supports most Quake modifications (although with varying functionality). Currently there are a few custom mods and maps used.

[edit] History

Nexuiz development started as a Quake modification in the summer of 2001 by Lee Vermeulen. Soon afterward the project moved to the DarkPlaces Quake engine created by Forest Hale, who later also joined the project. The original design called for a simple deathmatch project with a few levels and one character model to be released the next summer. After four years of development with no budget, Nexuiz 1.0 was released on May 31, 2005, completely under the GNU GPL, and by the end of June had over a quarter million downloads. Development continued after the initial release, with 1.1 released soon after, 1.5 released February 14, 2006, 2.0 released June 14, 2006 and 2.1 September 9, 2006. On February 29, 2008, nearly three years after the initial release, version 2.4 was released and brought major improvements to both the GUI and the graphics engine. This includes all new GUI graphics elements, as well as reflective water and improved particles.

[edit] Press Coverage

In the September 2006 issue of the popular gaming magazine PC Gamer, Nexuiz was included in an article on Internet developers and free games impacting the industry.^{[citation needed]} It also featured on the March 2007 Maximum PC and (version 2.4) was released on the May 2008 PC User cover disks.

[edit] Features

Nexuiz screenshot

Available for the X Window System (on Linux and Unix), Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows
Futuristic, science fiction environment
Multiplayer (with server browser); up to 64 players supported
Bot support
Alternative firemodes
QuakeC server-side programming
Uses the same map format as Quake III Arena—plenty of content-creation tools available
Optional dynamic lighting system similar to the one seen in Doom 3
Advanced model format using skeletal animation
A unique rocket launcher with projectile and firing rates similar to Unreal Tournament's rocket launcher, except instead of being able to launch (multiple) grenades or multiple missiles, it can detonate rockets in mid-air, creating a new element of rocket strategy.