The SVGAlib Renderer ++

You need SVGAlib installed and configured if you're going to use either the ref_soft or ref_gl renderers.
(Quake II uses SVGAlib to process keyboard and mouse input, in case you're wondering why you'd need it
for the GL renderer). SVGAlib comes with most modern distributions, and must be properly configured
before Quake II will run correctly outside of X.
libvga.config is SVGAlib's configuration file. On most systems you'll find it in either /etc or
/etc/vga. Make sure the mouse, monitor, and video card settings in this file are correct for your system.
See the SVGAlib documentation for more details.
If you don't already have SVGAlib on your system, download it from the location mentioned in the files
section above.
You should run Quake II from a virtual console when using the ref_soft or ref_gl renderers. It won't run from
X unless you're root when you start it, and that's not advisable. So if you're in X, do a CTRL+ALT+F1, login
and then:
cd /usr/local/games/quake2
./quake2 +set vid_ref soft
Running SVGA and GL games from X in the Tips & Tricks section below explains how to launch SVGA and
GL Quake II from X without manually switching to a virtual console.
Linux Quake HOWTO
Quake2.conf 22