Quake was re-released this week, boasting improved graphics and the return of the game’s original soundtrack. In an added bonus, the E2M6 map “Dismal Oubliette” has been restored to its original, extended length, a detail noted by original designer John Romero on Twitter.
Romero explained that the version of E2M6 that made it into the game was the one he originally designed, but that the extended entrance was added when Romero decided to “make the start of it better.” Sadly the improvements pushed the map over the 1.44MB size limit the team had placed on the maps, and E2M6 had to be stripped back to its original form.
All map sources were preserved. I originally created E2M6 without the new entrance. Then one night I decided to make the start of it better and made the expanded entrance. The next day I thought about the file size and saw it was over 1.4MB. I decided to go back to the original.
β π΅πππ π½πππππ (@romero) August 23, 2021
Regarding E2M6, the Dismal Oubliette, the reason the original beginning had to be cut was so it would fit within our 1.44MB file size limitation in place at the time. https://t.co/LdMgzl0WSf
β π΅πππ π½πππππ (@romero) August 23, 2021
Romero later released the extended entrance as E2M10: Lost Entrance of the Dismal Oubliette, but now thanks to the remaster, Quake players can enjoy the full map in its extended, “better” form. The map now starts players in a watery cavern, forcing them to fight through enemies to get to what used to be the beginning of the map.
The remastered edition of Quake is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, the Nintendo Switch eShop, and Steam, and players who already own the game on PC will receive the remaster as a free update. Other new content included in the enhanced edition includes the new “Dimension of the Machine” expansion developed by MachineGames.
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