quark
A fast, minimal FPS on a fully custom C++17 engine (OpenGL 3.3, custom UDP netcode).
Runs on Windows 7/10/11, macOS and Linux.
Build
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build -j
ctest --test-dir build # or build/quark_tests
Linux needs X11/GL dev packages (libx11-dev libxrandr-dev libxinerama-dev libxcursor-dev libxi-dev libgl-dev).
Windows: MinGW-w64 (gcc; what releases are built with; MSVC isn't supported). macOS: Xcode command line tools.
The build needs python3 (standard library only): it generates the recorded announcer lines from assets/voice/.
Executables: quark (game), quark_server (dedicated server), quark_tests (headless tests).
Keep the maps/ folder next to the executables.
On Windows, tools\build_windows.ps1 installs the tools, builds, and keeps each build in its own folder; tools\fetch_ci_build.ps1 downloads a CI build (docs/LOCAL_BUILD.md).
Branches: the launcher, the website and the Discord bot
New work goes to testing (each push is a signed testing build); the default branch takes only PRs from it. Three
parts live on branches of their own (docs/HANDOVER.md section 4):
launcher: the launcher that releases ship. Release builds compile quark_launcher from that branch
(tools/launcher_build.sh), so it only changes when that branch does; raise its VERSION with a launcher change,
or installed launchers won't take it. The game's own launcher-upgrade code stays in src/launcher/.site: the website. To work on it, or run the site tools (tools/site_*.py) locally, check it out into site/:
git fetch origin site && git worktree add site site. Production releases publish it from that branch.discord-bot: the bot (setup and updates: docs/OPERATIONS.md section 2).
Multiplayer
-
Host in the game: Host Game -> pick map/mode/port -> Start. "Auto port forward (UPnP)" asks your router to open the UDP port.
-
Dedicated server: quark_server --mode bomb --map arena --port 27500 --upnp (type help-style commands into its console: map, mode, forcestart, kick, status, quit).
-
Always-on Linux servers (systemd): from a checkout, tools/server/install.sh --public --name "my server" (plus
any quark_server options). Each box runs two servers, each always on the latest build of its channel:
- production (
quark.service, your port, user quark, /opt/quark, data in /var/lib/quark): every minute
tools/server/autoupdate.sh checks for a new production release;
- testing (
quark-testing.service, the next port up, user quark-testing, /opt/quark-testing, data in
/var/lib/quark-testing, listed as " [TESTING]"): every 2 minutes it follows the newest testing
prerelease, and it only runs while that is newer than production: when production catches up (same update), the
testing server stops after its current match and starts again with the next newer testing build. Ranked is played
there but never rated.
--no-testing leaves it out, --testing-port N moves it (forward that UDP port too).
Both updaters verify the release's signed manifest (its channel, tag, version and commit) and Linux package, build
exactly the signed commit (one build at a time), and the server restarts once no match is being played. A failed or
stuck update logs at critical priority naming the instance (journalctl -p crit -t quark-update) and can post to a
Discord webhook (QUARK_ALERT_WEBHOOK in /etc/quark/update.env; an optional GITHUB_TOKEN there raises GitHub's
rate limit). Both servers run sandboxed, testing at a lower CPU priority.
Load governor: the two share the box through /var/lib/quark-governor (--governor-dir; src/game/governor.h).
When it can't carry both (a server falls behind its ticks in two rate windows in a row, or its players lose
snapshots), the empty server is
throttled first, a tick-rate step at a time down to 125 Hz, then the one not playing a ranked match, then the other;
if both are at 125 Hz and production is still overloaded for 30 s, the testing server closes (its players are told
why; it leaves the list) until production has been calm for 5 minutes. Production never closes. Rates climb back one
step a minute once calm. Older installs: , then run again (options and data carry over; the
existing server becomes the production one).
Modes
vs (rounds, no respawn, health drains on stalemate) · bomb · race · koth · payload · ffa (overtime tiebreak)
Controls
WASD move · Space jump · Ctrl/C crouch · Mouse1 fire · 1/2/3 weapons · E plant/defuse · Tab scores · T chat · Esc menu · F12 screenshot
Maps
Plain text files in maps/ (see the header of maps/bastion.qmap). Lighting is baked on first load and cached as .qlm.
Fonts
The in-game UI text is Rubik Bold by default (Copyright 2015 The Rubik Project Authors, SIL Open Font License 1.1: assets/fonts/Rubik-OFL.txt), baked into src/client/font_ui.h as a distance-field atlas by python3 tools/make_font_atlas.py (Pillow + numpy; re-run it after changing a font). Rubik is also the logo, launcher and website title font. SETTINGS > FONT offers other fonts, baked by the same tool into src/client/font_builtin.h: Work Sans Bold (Copyright 2019 The Work Sans Project Authors, SIL OFL 1.1: assets/fonts/WorkSans-OFL.txt), QUARK CLASSIC (the original 5x7 pixel font), free look-alikes of game fonts, each with its licence in assets/fonts/ (docs/ASSETS.md): Bebas Neue (Copyright 2010 Dharma Type, SIL OFL 1.1), Decalotype Bold (Copyright 2016 Alfredo Marco Pradil, SIL OFL 1.1), LibreQuake's CONCHARS (Copyright 2019-2023 Contributors to the LibreQuake project, BSD-3-Clause), DejaVu Sans Bold (Bitstream Vera Fonts Copyright 2003 Bitstream, Inc., and the DejaVu changes, Bitstream Vera licence), Lilita One (Copyright 2011 Juan Montoreano, SIL OFL 1.1), Jost (Copyright 2020 The Jost Project Authors, SIL OFL 1.1) and Barlow Condensed Bold (Copyright 2017 The Barlow Project Authors, SIL OFL 1.1), and any font you put in mods/fonts/. Game fonts found on your own computer (a Steam install, the system's fonts) are used in place of the look-alikes and never shipped.
