An excellent map pack altogether, but of what I've played of Quake so far it also had the most instances of actual bugs and errors. I was locked in the final encounter of Obsessive Brick Disorder when a scripted monster spawn didn't trigger properly. I had to replay a large chunk of the level. Elsewhere I observed some weird shadows and texture z-fighting in a few spots. Not sure if this is a vkquake issue or not.

One of my chief complaints surrounding the original Quake is how limited its bestiary is, and what I most appreciate about Arcane Dimensions is how it rounds out the roster with a plethora of welcome additions. Now it's not just Scrags flying around in the skies.

I'm not too fond of how the new weapons are implemented though, serving as replacements upon pickup, with no way to revert. They are effectively "upgrades" but there were times I wished I had access to the replaced firearms to enable slightly more optimal ammo usage. The new powerups are also quite underwhelming.

Minor misgivings aside, this is a standout release for quake and another must-play for FPS fans. It serves well as a nice intermediary between Quake and Wrath AoR. Sharing a few map authors between the two projects, and showcasing a similar excessively large style of idTech2 mapping.

AD is a testament to the skill and passion of the quake mapping community (❤️) but it's also a monument to excess.
2+ hours , 250+ enemies, and 25+ secrets per level is just too much. no map concept can survive that kind of overexposure.
for my money (lol) something like the snack pack or the 100 brush maps are better examples of quake level design: short and sweet and not as concerned with spectacle or polish.
AD is super worth playing, if for no other reason than because it's an important cultural object, but i do not enjoy it.

Necessary play for anyone who likes Quake, containing multiple of my outright favorite maps I've had the pleasure to play with so many extra additions (new weapons, new enemies, new mechanics) with maps that are given so much attention and care to not only as beautiful as this game can manage but to also make expertly designed where you know where you are a lot of the time because areas are usually fairly distinct, as well as making the pace of combat as smooth as can be. I can't even begin to express just how in awe I am of this mod. Easily the best experience I've had playing an FPS and in turn in all of gaming. I love this.

Oh, and play Tears ofthe False God. Favorite map in this mod. Probably the best map I've ever played in a shooter.

Heavy recommendation: ad_tears, ad_dm5, ad_zendar, ad_swampy, ad_magna, ad_tfuma, ad_sepulcher

A little disappointed that I didn't love this like most people seem to but I did have a lot of fun with it! If you like Quake I don't see any reason you'll dislike this, it's basically just a beefed up version: tougher enemies, stronger weapons, and some absolutely gorgeous vistas to shoot through. The visuals are easily the best thing this mod has going for it, there's so much detail and variety in every location that it blows the sludgey look of the original out of the water.

The decision to make the shotguns fire projectiles is one I don't entirely understand the logistics behind and yet I really liked it, it made them all feel a bit more tactical and satisfying to use. The new triple shotgun and lightning gun are pretty cool but I think the arsenal still needed some more touching up. There's some enemies with crossbows that I think would've been great if you could've used, for instance.

My biggest issue with Arcane Dimensions is level design, specifically how massive some of them are. These are some of the biggest and most sprawling FPS maps I've ever seen, and while that's impressive, I don't think the game always does a good job leading you through them. Lot's of them have tons of branching paths and secrets and it's so easy to get lost and confused and spend time running in circles unsure of what to do. Really makes you wish Quake had a map, I honestly can't believe this mod didn't add one.

I also feel like the mod has a tendency to introduce cool stuff and then just forget about it. There's a cool level where you get double jump boots and I swear I never once saw them again. There's enemies too that show up in a couple levels and then just disappear. I don't know, I think the whole thing feels a little scattershot to me. I would've liked something with a bit more cohesion to it as opposed to just random levels. Finding secrets feels way less rewarding knowing you're just gonna lose all your stuff at the end of the level. And why the heck did so few levels give me the rocket launcher? It's such a staple of Quake's combat that it just made things feel tedious. Really could've used some more original music too, I'm getting sick of hearing the same tracks over and over again.

Maybe I'm just Quaked-out at this point but this mod left me feeling a bit numb. I enjoyed my time with it for the most part but it's just too much at times. More impressive then seamless.