John Romero - Quake Postmortem

A month-by-month look at the development of a game that changed the industry.

[@pop_ulation]

i love his combined respect and disdain for john carmack, like romero is an older brother that has to admit how cool his younger is.

[@pearljaime2]

What an idiot. Why ask about Daikatana?

[@dudds6699]

I don't think its true disdain.

[@idgam3r418]

Man, the audiences reaction to the older ID Software titles is cold.

[@MortPure]

Russian crowd mostly, that's why. They love the guy. True legend who worked on some of the best games ever made.

[@AttaKru]

absolutely, i would not be able to stand up there

[@Samar3n]

It's Russia, most people don't understand english here, still, we enjoy works of id software very much.

[@Weaksauceization]

I remember when I was a kid, my family was taking me to a local theme park Movie World, one of (if not the) best in Australia. My parents rarely took us out and it was my first theme park so I was pretty stoked. Before we left I was messing around on my sisters computer (she was older, out of home and lived close to the theme park). I hadn't experienced PC games yet but I was curious. On the desktop was a few DOS applications and I asked my sister what those were? I don't know, they were already on the PC when we bought it second hand she said... So I booted one up. For the next hour I was transported to another world and was absolutely engrossed in it. I remember the bizarre nail gun, a medieval castle with traps and acid, and being absolutely horrified when I encountered a Shambler for the first time. We left to the theme park and it was a fantastic day, but all I could think about that entire time was going back to her place and playing Quake.

[@davep8221]

Besides everything else John's done, he needs credit for enabling Deus Ex to be built as Warren Spector imagined.

[@Turboy65]

Quake was the only game I've ever played where I felt like I was visiting an alternate reality. It was like someone had actually visited these places, came back, and made a game that recalled their adventure as well as the technology of the day allowed. For the reboot, I hope they go back to the same idea. Go back to the original visual concepts, just render them as good as can be done in 2021. Base the combat on the same general scenario, and make it more intense when it needs to be. Reboot, enhance, improve, make it more immersive, but keep the otherworldly FEEL of the original. The Grisly Grotto shall always be my favorite off-world map. It had such a FEEL to it.

[@VladQuake]

Check out quake again in VR, it will feel like being there, like when you played it for the first time

[@tsibren]

Completely agree. That's an absolutely great way to describe it. I had the same feeling when first playing Quake back in 96. It was just magical.

[@OpenMawProductions]

It doesn't sound like they're returning to Quake. Seems like the next project will be the third Doom game in the revival series.

[@urgadurga]

Quake really is absolutely one of a kind. I've never seen a setting like that, it all feels so dream-like and the unique soundtrack really adds to it. Genuinely one of the best games ever made, and easily my favorite.

[@JourtCester]

John Romero is just a class act!

[@ShadesMan]

"A hammer no longer fits into Quake." Mission Pack 1 - hold my Mjolnir.

[@Turboy65]

Quake was the Richter Scale 10 FPS game of all time. It changed everything. It was the classic FPS of all classics. Can't wait for the reboot!

[@jeffpro8]

Very good! I've learned a lot about Quake did I didn't know before.

[@englishwithphil42]

О, круто, я сначала даже не понял, что это у нас, когда Джон сказал "Saint Petersburg", я решил, что это тот, что во Флориде. :) Жаль, пропустил живьем.

[@Lattamonsteri]

I had to google that Pixar meeting thingie since it sounder so implausible. I'm finding stories and articles about a meeting where they came up with 4 movie ideas: Toy story, A bug's life, Finding Nemo and Wall-E, but there's loads of other movies that came out before Wall-E. Incredibles, Cars, Rattatouille... Still, it's a pretty efficient lunch meeting :D

[@aleksandrk2814]

This is awesome! Thanks for uploading this documentary, lots of stuff I never knew before!

[@snixelpig]

John is very likable, always has been.

[@perplexedmoth]

Except when he wants to make you his bitch.

[@shallex5744]

@@perplexedmoth you mean especially when

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

The person who designed Q3DM17 should get a frikkin award. To this day that map is still the most awesome deathmatch map. After 22 years I still play Q3 arena nearly every day, and online too :)

[@ssssssssssssssssss50]

Is Q3 still populated? Only found bots matches last days.

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

@@ssssssssssssssssss50 Lot of 1.32 servers, but I play 1.31 defrag. Only a handful of them left. I play on one specific server.

[@Mike.Garcia]

very good thank!

[@elvenkind6072]

Wow, this is the kind of persona I've tried to build up as "myself" during my whole life, only Romero is much more cool :) Love this story, the first 30 min.

[@Solaar_Punk]

Yeah, I remember popping the cd of quake out and the game still playing. You could listen to your own cd instead of the NIN soundtrack or ofc you could also play the cd rom in your cd player and really crank up the volume. I mean who would'nt 😂

[@MetaITurtle]

Oh yeah I remember that too

[@petroidau]

You haven't lived unless you've played Quake to Smurfin' U.S.A cd

[@fool_uto3545]

Good video man

[@rawmaw]

Quake isn't dead. ugh

[@mendez3380]

Yeah that comment also passed me off, AD is really alive

[@valletas]

i dont think he means that its literally dead just niche with is the spot quake is on right now

[@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898]

Legend!

[@AA_OnTheEdge]

still got my qoole cd-rom on my shelf

[@mvargasmoran]

what a fucking legend!

[@purebaldness]

I think it's a little strange how he interpreted "arena shooter" as the free for all gamemode, as opposed to the subgenre of FPS he created.

[@teeemm6868]

Yeah and the audience member suggests arena shooter is dead... except it's not. Maybe John didn't want to throw any cred to Valve or Blizzard.

[@purebaldness]

@@teeemm6868 I think when he says it's 'dead', he refers to the fact that it is no longer popular - which is the unfortunate truth. You may be right though regarding John's response.

[@elobiretv]

@@teeemm6868 I'd say it's a pretty dead genre unless you really stretch the definition of it to include stuff like Overwatch. What true arena shooter have we actually had released in the last 5 years?

[@backfru]

After seeing a number of Romero's interviews - it's not too hard to see why he was pushed out of the company. Sure, he had some interesting ideas. But Carmack was definitely the tech and brains behind the entire release. And after Daikatana - well, we can all see what Romero's ideas lead to, in the absence of decent intelligent design programming.

[@SINfromPL]

lmao yeah! the way romero is trashing his own employees who came from modding scene, painting it as a cause why daikatana failed. he is a real weirdo.

[@Slates986]

As an English man I'm so happy russians love these games..it means I can still play them on servers with decent ping ha, love to play against some Americans tho, it's a shame the tech still isn't quite there yet...but it's better than the tribes franchise, another game I love..those servers are mainly hosted by Australians ha

[@humanharddrive1]

the guy talking at 28:40 has no idea what a post-mortem is

[@rikomagicmk3842]

John is a cool guy and I really do appreciate his former work for id Soft, but I feel somewhat sorry for him now. Looks like he is living from the past.

[@catwiesel_81]

I think, when you with a handful of buddies, create one, no, actually two of the most recognizable IPs, and not only create a whole new genre, but also the building blocks for what pc gaming is today, you deserve to be treated like a god, and should not have to lift another finger, unless you want to. and I hope he enjoys doing the interviews and talks, and actually, I think its kinda important to record those stories for history, so there is that. And I hope he doesnt need to do this for money, or because he has nothing else...

[@HeathenDance]

Well, to be honest, until 2016, when the new Doom was released, Id Soft itself was also living from the past, to an extent.

[@rikomagicmk3842]

@@catwiesel_81 Yeah, that is what I do not know... If he does not to do this for money.

[@blyaticon8190]

@@catwiesel_81 Well as far as i understood this one company offered 100 Mil for Quake so if they got more deals like that he should be able to still live from the money from that time

[@SlimeBlueMS]

@@blyaticon8190 John Romero gained exactly $0.00 from Quake. Check it out he never got paid for any of his work

[@Solaar_Punk]

Rubbish about quake being dead. Even doom isn't dead

[@thiagovidal6137]

Yes... I hope id tryes and ressurrects the true Quake. The true successor of Quake 1 we've never got. Quake Champions made sense and seemed like the logical step, considering how predominant Quake multiplayer always was, let alone Quake 3 Arena litterally being what Quake Champions tried to be.. but I think the time for this type of arena shooters are pretty much gone right now. I hope Quake gets a come back in the same way Doom and Wolfenstein did.

[@mr.nihilistic]

@@thiagovidal6137 quake would have have to changes its mp to a faster ttk, while every gun is projectile based, the rockets would have to do major splash damage and a direct hit would kill someone but the rcckets dont spawn as much as well the lgt or rail

[@karlmehltretter2677]

Doom franchise was handled better. Quake 2 was different game just with the name, Quake 3 was multiplayer only. Also sprites of Doom have somehow aged better for retro showing on KZbin.

[@RagnaroK81X]

They can only be better!

[@parab00m]

33:55 cooke! 0_o

[@tonypepporoni1271]

likely not something i should say but good god this audience is french, i am just impressed at how french this audience is, oh yeah and plenty of stuff i did not know about nyes

[@tonypepporoni1271]

@@valletas Oh cool, yourself?

[@tonypepporoni1271]

@@valletas fruit man Or the backround enjoyer? Don't have to answer

[@SlimeBlueMS]

Highly racist, considering none of the audience is French

[@tonypepporoni1271]

@@SlimeBlueMS Yk that only applies to race usually right, I think the word you're looking for is predjudice. Plus I mean more in behaviour than language when it comes to stereotype, because it seems like they all have the iconic um.

[@alex_mmc]

bruh they're russians

[@arsacode6145]

That first question... damn dude, chill out!

[@SINfromPL]

it was a perfect non-sugarcoating romero-nonworshipping question.

[@danwroy]

I hear he was arrogant once

[@ryonagana]

he is.. he wants to make you his bitch

[@andrewomahony9260]

Daikatana > Cyberpunk 2077

[@rodrigopetunio]

All day every day!

[@SianaGearz]

Same studio, same building, as John Romero was working on Daikatana, Tom Hall was working on Anachronox. It's a cyberpunk RPG and it is actually better than Daikatana and CP2077. But you never heard of it? Since they were both based on Quake 2 engine, Daikatana being a higher profile project with more to lose, was stealing the devs from Anachronox team, and caused a several year delay in production. By the time Anachronox came out, it looked dated. One could say, a little anachronistic. I'll show myself out. It is really good though, a lot of unique ideas and narrative.

[@andrewomahony9260]

@@SianaGearz I knew a few people who played "Anachronox", and they said the same. I read up on the game and the sparse behind the scenes snippets, and from what I gather, Tom Hall simply hired better people (Brian Eiserloh seemed to have a huge role in getting that project solidly data-driven). Romero on the other hand hired mod makers who had no experience in AAA products with publisher and time pressure.