If the game could be repacked (maybe with high res or even new textures), all the updates including R1Q2 and a server browser then this might be what is needed to bring some new blood into the game.
i've read comments that Q2's rail is a "rail gun", Q3A's is a "sniper rifle". There's nothing stopping anybody from making their own 100% free Q2 experience & giving that away. You'd need to replace every asset in the game, but it could be done! You could even include r1q2's exe in the package.But the Q2 community is more focused on making content for the game vs trying to bring in new players who aren't really interested in anything pre-2004 anyway.
It would be nice if some game very similar to Quake2 could be created that could take advantage of advanced modeling and textures while retaining the ability to run smooth. It should also offer the ability to transmit a barebones amount of data from client to server to client in order to keep the game smooth and enjoyable. Something like that would probably limit a map to containing simple features until a time when everyones internet connection gets a little faster. Consider Quake4. It's good looking and runs just fine for most people in single player, but multiplayer tends to bog down the speed of gameplay for a lot of folks, myself included. I'd be playing Quake4 instead of Quake2 if it would run smoother than a retarded kid on an inclined gravel road in multiplayer.
people make free quake2 clients using the pak0.pak from the demo and a third party exe such as r1q2... if you use the demo patched it works online, thats how clients like the quake2 kicker arent illegal for download
It's the same 'dream' I've had for a long time - to almost merge the segregated Quake community into one massive Q2 mod that takes the best out of each Quake game and mod and combines it into one great game with a modern touch.
that's generation arena.
Something better than Generations Arena - that mod never appealed to me somehow (the weapons didn't even animate when fired!).