Artifact Quake 2

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Artifact Quake 2 is a tongue-in-cheek deathmatch mode intended to enhance the quality of deathmatch without changing the main intent (getting frags) of the game. Originally, Quake CTF had four runes in it. These granted special powers when picked up. They were Haste, Regeneration, Strength, and Resistance. "Artifact" takes these original four artifacts plus many many others into regular deathmatch. Each artifact grants its own special power, ability, or trait to the lucky player who finds it. It's a very simple concept which is easy to get a quick hang of, but it still offers a wide variety of techniques players can use due to the vast number of artifacts added to the game.

Artifact Quake 2 has a few different methods of play, each determined by what settings the server administrator chooses to run his or her Artifact server on. Following below are descriptions of the various artifacts, commands, and settings for the game.

Artifact Quake 2 Downloads

aq2_4b.zip Artifact Quake 2 beta 4
The fourth and likely final Artifact Quake 2 release. Lots of bugs, lots of twitchy things. It's playable, but I don't think I was able to get it stable enough to work on a dedicated server, unfortunately.

Artifact Quake 2 Commands

The following is a list of commands available to players in AQ2 games.

aq-button	Attempt to use active power of your equipped artifact.
aq-use	Attempt to use active power of your equipped artifact.
aq-drop	Discard/drop your equipped artifact. (Regardless of inventory)
aq-give name	Give yourself the name artifact. (If cheats are allowed)
aq-help	Print a generic help screen, or other help screens as specified.
aq-info	Display information about your equipped artifact.
aq-info name	Display information about the name artifact.
aq-motd	Display the server's connect Message Of The Day.
aq-server	Display server settings.
aq-banlist	Display a list of which artifacts have been banned from the server.

Artifact Quake 2 cvars

There are various variables that Artifact Quake 2 uses to determine the type of game which is to be played. Below is a comprehensive list of variables with a description for each. The number in parentheses following the name of each variable is cvar's default value.

aq_existmax	(16)	This is the maximum number of artifacts that can be on the map at any single given time.
aq_migrate	(256)	This is the amount of time, in seconds, in which artifacts will warp to another spot on the map. This keeps away the possibility of them all accumulating in one inaccessible spot. A zero value will prevent the artifacts from migrating at all.
aq_pickupmax	(1)	This is the maximum number of artifacts each player is allowed to hold. I personally prefer this to always be set to 1, but some people like running games where players can have more than one artifact at once.
aq_mortality	(1)	This determines how artifacts are treated when acquired by the player. Mortal artifacts, a value of "0", work like the old Artifact Quake. Artifacts die with the player, and the world slowly replentishes the vaccum by spawning new artifacts in random spots. Immortal artifacts, a value of "1", work like the CTF runes. When a player holding artifacts is killed, the artifacts pop back out of the player. Ghost artifacts, a value of "2", work like weapons when weaponstay is on. Artifacts die with the players, like mortal artifacts, but when a player picks up and acquires an artifact, the pickup remains on the ground for others to get.
aq_spawnall	(1)	This determines spawntime of artifacts. If "1", all artifacts are spawned at the beginning of the level. If "0", the level starts with no artifacts, and slowly begins spawning new ones.
aq_itype	(0)	This determines whether or not players know what kind of artifact they're picking up before they actually get it. The old Artifact Quake had invisible types because we didn't use any custom models. We have custom models for all artifacts now, but some sysadmin like the idea of players not knowing what they're picking up before they've actually done so. So for a value of "0", all artifacts look different. For a value of "1", all artifacts use the same pickup model.
aq_droptime	(32)	This is the amount of time, in seconds, in which players are required to wait before dropping or discarding an artifact they've picked up. A value of zero allows artifacts to be dropped instantly. A negative value prevents players from ever dropping any artifacts.
aq_allpassive	(1)	This is an obscure, but very important variable. If "1", all the abilities and traits of artifacts in a player's inventory will be active. If "0", only the abilities and traits of a player's equipped artifact will be active, regardless of what other artifacts he or she might have in their inventory.
aq_xrandom	(0)	Artifacts are generally thrown into the level with types selected at random (barring types on the banlist, of course). When this variable is set to 1, any type of artifact spawned will not be spawned again until all other types of artifacts have been spawned. For example consider aq_existmax is 4 and all but four artifacts are banned. With aq_xrandom off, the four artifacs that appear in the level could be any combination of the four not-banned artifacts. With aq_xrandom on the only combination would be one of each of the four artifacts.

Artifact Quake 2 Artifacts

Name	Characteristic
Action Movie Arsenal	All weapons are given upon pickup. All ammunition recharges slowly.
Berserker Artifact	You deal 6x damage, but soak up 3x damage.
Blink Artifact	Press "The Button" to randomly teleport. Doesn't always work.
Camouflage Artifact	You're fully invisible as long as you don't move or shoot. If you do either of these, you're simply very transparent.
Cloaking Artifact	Walk around as a hard-to-see pair of eyes. When firing or when damaged, cloaking is reduced to faint transparency. Weapons are silenced, standard pickups make no sound for you, and if you're careful you shall make no footsteps.
Death Spots	Press "The Button" to create a death spot and lose 10 health. The first person to touch a death spot, dies. Death spots explode on their own after a while. You may have a maximum of 5 Death Spots out at once.
Artifact of Divine Wind	Press "The Button" to begin a three click countdown, after which you explode with enough force to vaporize anybody in visible range. No frags are lost for this method of suicide. If you die by other means, you'll explode, but with not quite AS much force as it could be.
DUAL Recall Artifact	Press "The Button" the first time to teleport back to where the artifact was picked up. Press "The Button" at any other time to teleport to where you last teleported from.
Artifact Electric	Electrification! Any enemy within a certain radius to you will be zapped, providing you can spare some cells to power it. Water BAD!
Environmental Protection Artifact	Slime and lava regenerate your health. Water regenerates health slowly. If stuck in liquid, press "The Button" to jump out. You've also got immunity to to falling damage, crushing damage, ice traps, death spots, radiation, death orbs, artifact electric attacks, and so on.
Artifact of Fire Walking	When running, a harmful trail of fire is left on the ground where you've passed. Helps in keeping people from chasing you.
Flight Artifact	Fly around as you please. Pretty self-explanatory.
Floating Spiky Death Cloud	A big spiked cloud floats above your head, dropping little pieces of harmful chaff on the ground.
Artifact of Good Health	Your upper limit on health is 666. Feel free to grab just about as many health boxes as you like. Or perhaps an adrenaline...
Gravity Well	Press "The Button" first to drop a Gravity Well. Gravity Wells suck players and flying items inward. Gravity wells damage anything that gets too close. Press "The Button" when Gravity Well is deployed to recall it. If you are killed, Gravity Well will dissapear after about 30 seconds.
Haste Artifact	Rate of fire is dramatically increased. Hyperblaster shots move faster. Press "The Button" to perform a super jump.
Holo-Artifact	Press "The Button" to drop a holographic decoy image of yourself. Each image dissapears in about 30 seconds. You may have a maximum of 5 of these out at once.
Ice Traps	Press "The Button" to set an ice trap. The first enemy to run into an ice trap will be frozen for 12 seconds. Said enemy is unfrozen in a few seconds or when killed.
Impact Artifact	Run head-on into an enemy to slam them up against, whatever. Hurts a lot.
Orb of Death	A menacing orb rotates around you, severely bashing anybody who comes in contact (except yourself). If you die, it'll bounce around aimlessly for a bit by means of Artificial Stupidity.
Phased Artifact	Walk through some walls, but hard to control.
Phoenix Artifact	Three extra lives are granted. Instead of respawning elsewhere after death, you respawn where you died with health fully restored, inventory and weapons intact, and 10 seconds of lovely Quad power.
Artifact of Radioactivity	Press "The Button" to set a radiation point, which in 5 seconds will emit high amounts of radiation for 45 seconds. Anything in that area will be damaged while in visible range of said point. A radiation point cannot be set in view of another radiation point. If you're killed, a radiation point is automatically set where you fell.
Recall Artifact	Press "The Button" a first time to set recall point. Press "The Button" while on the recall point to erase it. Press "The Button" anywhere else to teleport to the recall point.
Regeneration Artifact	Your health regenerates at 5 units per 1.5 seconds. If you've got armour, it too regenerates at 5 units per 1.5 seconds.
Repulsion Artifact	Automatically repel players and various floating objects.
Resistance Artifact	All damage you take is halved.
Shielding Artifact	Press "The Button", and invincibility is granted for a few seconds. This ability takes a few seconds to recharge after each use.
Shub Hat	Huge rotating monster image is placed on head.
Stats Switcher	Press "The Button" while aiming at another player. If their stats are better regarding weapons, health, items, and ammo, those appropriate stats will be switched.
Strength Artifact	You deal double damage.
Tank Helper	Tank materializes to fight on your side. Press "The Button" to teleport 'im to your location. If others deal enough damage to 'im, he'll teleport back to you automatically.
The Teleport Shuffle	Aim in a direction you wish to go and press "The Button". If possible, you will be teleported to the spot you were aiming at. If you aim at an enemy, positions will be switched. 10% chance of telefrag.
Artifact of Uncontrollable Jumping	Any enemy in visual range will jump uncontrollably like a giddy schoolgirl.
Vampiric Artifact	Any damage you dish out is given back to you in health. 1/5th effective versus non-sentient entities.
Artifact of Vengeance	All damage you take is dealt right back at your attacker.
Artifact of Weirdness	Tiny bubbles float off you. Press "The Button" to blow one in the direction you're facing. If killed, you release a few automatically. Players who touch the bubbles will experience various odd, annoying effects for a while.

Artifact Quake 2 Screen Shots

A little closer together, everyone, annnnnnd... say cheese!

Tank s-l-o-w-l-y wanders into an ice trap, and gets a very surprised look on his... face... thing.	An insane marine finds an ice trap. Behind him is the ice trap artifact. Pretty colors.

Bits of an Infantry guy spray everywhere as he gets hacked to pieces by a death spot. Find the other death spot in the screenshot, win a prize...	The death spot device while inactive, and safe to pick up. This one won't cut you apart like the ones your enemies drop.

The death orb practically vaporizes one enemy, and it's about to kill the next. He'll never get that shot off in time...	A few puny monsters seen through the death orb's green shell, and a spray of blood. Scary.

A close-enough look at the gravity well. It's far more impressive in motion.	Gravity wells are great for Insane Marine Fishing. Collect the whole set, then lob a berserk grenade at them.

A Strogg soldier gets too close to a robotic Tick dropped by the spiky death cloud. Only morons try to pick those up.	The spiky death cloud itself, thanks to a wide-angle view. The ticks are being sucked into a gravity well... certain death for anyone caught inside.

Action Movie Arsenal provides regenerating ammo and all weapons. Amaze your friends, frustrate your enemies, and blow lots of shit up.	You know... for kids.

With the Camo artifact, you can practice the ancient art of "how not to be seen."	It can be difficult to tell the holograms from the real threat sometimes. And even if that doesn't work, you get to see your own cute self all over the place.

Go away, you!

Quake2 is probably copyright or a trademark or somehow owned by id software, but Artifact Quake 2 is not. Singe and Griphis are Copyright � themselves. Singe� and Griphis� are sort-of registered trademarks and may not be cloned, copied, photographed, or otherwise illegally reproduced. SiNGE is a name, but GrIpHiS is not. Professional wrestling is all fake and we can't be held responsible for it. Violent video games are the devil. Victory to the Kwaan'Xee. Glory to our fleet. The earthlings cannot fight forever.