View source for Hexen II

==Development==
What was originally supposed to be the final game in a trilogy, the sequel to ''Hexen'' was originally titled ''Hecatomb'' but was abandoned after [[John Romero]] left [[id Software]] in 1996. [[Activision]], the distributor at the time, pressured [[Raven Software]] to split development of Hecatomb into two different games, ''Hexen II'' and ''[[Heretic II]]''. Activision felt that the previous entries in the series, Heretic and Hexen, were different enough from one another that they should treat them as separate entities going forward, instead of just one final game to complete a trilogy. Only a select few ideas of Romero's from ''Hecatomb'' would ultimately make their way into what became ''Hexen II'' and ''Heretic II''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rome.ro/news/2016/6/3/so-busy-and-yet-more-birthdays?rq=hecatomb|title=So Busy and Yet More Birthdays|date=February 24, 2003|access-date=March 15, 2019|archive-date=March 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316081108/https://rome.ro/news/2016/6/3/so-busy-and-yet-more-birthdays?rq=hecatomb|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Hexen II'' was based on an enhanced version of the ''Quake'' engine.<ref name=EGM94/> ''Hexen II'', by way of the ''Quake'' engine, uses [[OpenGL]] for 3D acceleration. However, due to the prevalence of [[3dfx]] hardware at the time of release, the Windows version of the game installs an OpenGL [[installable client driver|ICD]] (opengl32.dll) designed specifically for 3dfx's hardware. This driver acts as a [[Adapter pattern|wrapper]] for the proprietary [[Glide API]], and thus is only compatible with 3dfx hardware. Custom OpenGL drivers were also released by [[PowerVR]] and [[Rendition (company)|Rendition]] for running ''Hexen II'' with their respective (and also now defunct) products. Removal of the ICD allows the game to use the default OpenGL system library. Much of the music in this game is remixed versions of the soundtracks of ''[[Hexen: Beyond Heretic|Hexen]]'' and ''[[Heretic (video game)|Heretic]]'' to match the hub themes.

Activision acquired the rights to publish versions of the game for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and [[Sega Saturn]].<ref name=EGM94/><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hexen 2 Announced for Saturn!|magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]|issue=19|publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=May 1997|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hexen 2 Saturn bound? |url=https://archive.org/details/Saturn_Power_Issue_01_1997-06_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n9 |magazine=[[Saturn Power]] |issue=1 |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |date=June 1997 |page=11}}</ref> Neither port was released.

''Hexen II'' was made available on [[Steam (service)|Steam]] on August 3, 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://store.steampowered.com/news/1141/ |title=Legendary id Software games now on Steam |author=John Keefer |publisher=GameSpy |access-date=September 5, 2011 |archive-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201003224/https://store.steampowered.com/news/1141 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===''Siege''===
A [[Game mod|modification]] titled ''Siege'' was created and released by Raven Software in 1998 using updated [[QuakeWorld]] architecture, aptly dubbed "HexenWorld". The production concept was to eliminate a normal deathmatch environment in favor of a teamplay castle siege. The basic premise was to divide the players into two teams—attackers and defenders—with each side either assaulting or protecting the castle respectively. At the end of the time limit, whichever team controlled the crown was declared victorious. The mod featured appropriate objects used in the single-player portion of the game, namely catapults and ballistae. The classes were drastically altered with new weapons and abilities, reflecting the departure from the normal deathmatch experience presented in ''HexenWorld''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planetheretic.com/siege/siege.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202013157/http://www.planetheretic.com/siege/siege.html |archive-date=February 2, 2009|title=Siege Information Overview|access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref>

===Source release===
Following the tradition from ''Heretic'' and ''Hexen'', Raven released the [[source code]] of the ''Hexen II'' engine on November 10, 2000. This time the source was released under the [[GNU General Public License|GNU GPL-2.0-only]], allowing [[source port]]s to be made to different platforms like [[Linux]] and the [[Dreamcast]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/news/november00/hexen2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221020510/http://archive.gamespy.com/news/november00/hexen2/ |archive-date=December 21, 2009 |url-status=dead|title=Hexen 2 source released|publisher=GameSpy|access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref>