Quake Has Been Ported to Windows 3.1, Because Of Course It Has
Somebody has looked at Windows 3.1, looked at Quake, and decided that these two pieces of 1990s technology needed to spend more time together.
The result is quakegeneric-Win31, an open-source project that brings id Software’s legendary 1996 shooter to Microsoft’s decidedly pre-Windows 95 environment.
And this isn’t simply the DOS version of Quake being launched underneath Windows. The project uses WinG, Microsoft’s old high-performance graphics API for Windows 3.x, to get Quake running as a Windows 3.1 application.
The requirements are surprisingly serious for something sharing a desktop with Program Manager. You’ll need an FPU-equipped processor, with a Pentium or better recommended, at least 16 MB of available RAM, WinG installed, and a display mode supporting 32,768 colours or more.
It is also considerably more functional than you might expect. Sound output is supported in mono or stereo, saving and loading work, and there is proper mouse control. The supplied configuration even provides WASD movement and mouse-look, although right-click is reserved for grabbing and releasing the mouse cursor.
The developer has tested the port with Windows 3.1 inside DOSBox-X and with the FM TOWNS version of Windows 3.1 running under the Tsugaru emulator. There are still some quirks, particularly under DOSBox-X, so testing on real period hardware is actively encouraged.
Is there any practical reason to play Quake this way?
Absolutely not.
Which is precisely why we’re delighted that it exists.