22.1.2000
S I L V E R S T R E A M 'S
Q U A K E ]I[ A R E N A
F A Q
Unofficial Quake 3 Arena FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Compiled By: SilverStream [AGQx]
E-mail: cqyyong@hotmail.com
=======================================================================
=======================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[1] Introduction
[1.1] About
[1.2] Contact
[1.3] Credits
[1.4] Notices
[1.4.1] Disclaimer
[1.4.2] Distribution
[1.4.3] Trademark/Copyright
[2] Quake 3 Arena-Frequently Asked Questions
[2.1] General
[2.1.1] Backflip Jumps
[2.1.2] CD-Check and CD-Key
[2.1.3] Changing FOV
[2.1.4] Console
[2.1.5] Controllers
[2.1.5.1] Control Setup
[2.1.6] Curved Surfaces
[2.1.7] EAX/A3D
[2.1.8] Force Feedback
[2.1.9] Frames-Per-Second
[2.1.10] Game Engine
[2.1.11] Levels/Maps
[2.1.12] Medals
[2.1.13] PK3 Format
[2.1.14] Power-Ups
[2.1.14.1] Armor
[2.1.14.2] Health
[2.1.14.3] Others
[2.1.15] Playing/Recording Demos
[2.1.16] Quake 3 Game Credits
[2.1.17] Quake 3 Demo
[2.1.18] Screenshots
[2.1.19] System Requirements
[2.1.20] Third Person Perspective
[2.1.21] Versions
[2.1.22] Weapons
[2.1.22.1] About
[2.1.22.2] Descriptions
[2.1.22.3] Rail Gun
[2.1.22.4] Special Jumps
[2.2] Single-Player
[2.2.1] Bots
[2.2.1.1] About
[2.2.1.2] Description
[2.2.2] Bot Autochat
[2.2.3] Cheats
[2.2.4] Difficulty Levels
[2.2.5] Saving
[2.3] Multi-Player
[2.3.1] Changing Color Name
[2.3.2] Modes
[2.3.2.1] Capture-The-Flag
[2.3.2.2] Free-For-All
[2.3.2.3] Team Deathmatch
[2.3.2.4] Tournament
[2.3.3] Options
[2.3.3.1] Internet
[2.3.3.2] LAN
[2.3.4] Ping
[2.3.5] Pure Server
[2.3.6] Server-Hosting
[3] Modifications
[3.1] Adding custom maps
[3.2] Mods
[4] Editing
[4.1] CFG Files
[4.2] PK3 Files
[5] Official Releases
[5.1] Point Release Beta
[5.2] Point Release Beta 2
[5.3] Point Release
[5.4] Source Code
[6] Troubleshooting
[6.1] Before Getting Started
[6.1.1] Help System
[6.1.2] Scandisk/Defrag
[6.2] Bugs/Errors
[6.3] CD-Key Issues
[6.4] Directx
[6.5] PC Hardware
[6.5.1] CD-ROM
[6.5.2] Controller
[6.5.3] CPU
[6.5.4] Memory
[6.5.5] Modem
[6.5.5.1]: Dual 56K
[6.5.5.2]: Gaming Modem
[6.5.5.3]: WinModem
[6.5.6] Sound
[6.5.7] Video
[6.5.7.1] 3dfx
[6.5.7.2] Matrox
[6.5.7.3] Multiple 3D Cards
[6.5.7.4] NVidia
[6.5.7.5] PCI VS AGP
[7] Improving Performance
[7.1] Q3A Tweaks
[7.1.1] CFG File
[7.1.2] Video Settings
[7.2] PC Tweaks
[7.2.1] CPU Overclocking
[7.2.2] Multiplayer
[7.2.2.1] Netgraph
[7.2.2.2] Modem
[7.2.2.3] Rate
[7.2.3] Windows 9x
[7.2.3.1] Ctrl-Alt-Del
[7.2.3.2] Defrag
[7.2.3.3] Scandisk
[7.2.3.4] Swap File
[7.3] Updates
[7.3.1] Drivers
[7.3.2] PC
[7.3.3] Quake 3 Arena
[8] Internet Resources
[8.1] Forums
[8.2] Utilities
[8.3] Web Sites
[9] History
=======================================================================
=======================================================================
=========================
CHAPTER [1]: INTRODUCTION
=========================
[1.1]: About
============
Thanks for picking up a copy of my FAQ and welcome to the first
release of my unofficial Quake3 Arena F.A.Q. "Unofficial" means it's not
supported or endorsed by id Software or Activision. "F.A.Q" stands for
"Frequently Asked Questions". I hope to update this FAQ regularly and
you can always find it on the website http://www.agqx.org or request it
in the newsgroup alt.games.quake3
For the latest version of this FAQ, visit my webpage:
http://www.geocities.com/cqyyong/quake3.htm
[1.2]: Contact
==============
If you have anything you would like to add to the Q3FAQ, kindly
contact me at this email: cqyyong@hotmail.com I only check my mail
occasionally (once a week or even longer) so it might take some time before
my reply reaches you.
If you have questions on Q3A, feel free to post it on alt.games.quake3
in Usenet (as long as it's not an "illegal" question--warez, cd-key)
[1.3]: Credits
==============
First and foremost to id Software, who are the producers of Q3A.
They have consistently churned out many solid games over the years
(Wolfestein 3D, Doom, Quake) and IMO one of the best game companies
ever. Keep up the great work guys!!!
Also to alt.games.quake3 on Usenet. Much information in this FAQ
came from the many cool dudes at AGQ3, who are always willing to lend a
helping hand.
To Activision, the publisher of Q3A.
Thanks to HQH for allowing me the use of his Half-Life FAQ Table of
Contents and information in this FAQ, and for his help in many areas of
this Q3A FAQ.
Last, but not least, to all the people who have contributed in one
way or another to this Q3A FAQ. I appreciate your help and this includes
you too, who is reading this FAQ right now!
[1.4]: Notices
==============
[1.4.1] Disclaimer
------------------
DISCLAIMER: I have NOT verified all information in this FAQ and
I will NOT be held responsible should something bad happens to your
computer (blows up etc), social life etc. This FAQ is purely "as-is",
i.e. YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.
[1.4.2] Distribution
--------------------
I. Sending copies
A. The copies are exact and complete
B. The copies give credit to the author
C. The copies are in the original form
II. Distributing this work
A. Remains original from work and should not be edited
B. Does not charge a fee for copying or distribution
III. Distributed form includes the author's notes and information
A. The distributed form is not in any magazine or
within software (permission may be obtained from author)
[1.4.3] Trademark/Copyright
---------------------------
Quake 3 Arena:
(C) 1999 Id Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quake III Arena, QIIIA,
and the id Software name are trademarks of Id Software, Inc. in all
countries in which this game is distributed. Activision is a registered
trademark of Activision, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are
properties of their respective owners.
FAQ:
Me!!! SilverStream [AGQx]
My current gaming rig (just in case you're interested):
Compaq Presario 4810
Pentium 1 233MHz
32MB SDRAM
Creative Graphics Blaster Exxtreme Permedia2 PCI 4MB
PowerColor Voodoo2 Reference Board 12MB
ESS Audiodrive 1887 onboard
24x IDE CD-ROM
4GB HDD
33.6K modem
Windows 95 OSR2
15" monitor at 800*600 16-bit
Generic keyboard, mouse, speakers etc.
====================
CHAPTER [2]: Q3A FAQ
====================
[2.1] General
=============
[2.1.1]: Backflip Jumps
-----------------------
You actually do this automatically when you run back and jump.
Obviously it's only visible to other players (unless you use the 3rd
person view--visit section 2.1.18 for more information)
[2.1.2]: CD-Check and CD-Key
----------------------------
2 methods are incorporated in Q3A to prevent piracy:
CD-check (CD must be in the drive in single-player mode)
CD-Key (authentication with id's servers, for multiplayer)
For CD-key issues, visit section 6.3 for more information.
[2.1.3]: Changing FOV
---------------------
Use the console command "/cg_fov" (default is 90) to change your
field of view. Lower values=zoom in, higher values=zoom out. Don't use
too extreme values or you'll get motion sickness :-)
[2.1.4]: Console
----------------
Use the ~key to gain access to the console. Here's a quick tip:
press a key and then the TAB key to view a list of available commands
for that particular key.
To copy the blue console startup screen for reference:
After Q3 starts drop the console and type
/condump whatever.txt
You will then have a plain text file in your baseq3 folder
named whatever.txt
[2.1.5]: Controllers
--------------------
The best control method IMO is the keyboard and mouse although
many will beg to differ. Joysticks are supported but the joystick code
in Q3A is currently not as good as that in Q2.
[2.1.5.1]: Control Setup
````````````````````````
Here's my control setup (keyboard + mouse):
Move Forward W
Move Backwards S
Strafe Left A
Strafe Right D
Jump Left Alt
Crouch Left Ctrl
Walk/Run Left Shift
Fire weapon Mouse1
BFG-10K Q
Grenade Launcher E
Rocket Launcher R
Plasma Gun F
Lightning Gun Z
Railgun C
Shotgun V
Machinegun Mouse2
I also use PS2rate(at 100MHz) which you can read more about in
section 6.5.2.
[2.1.6]: Curved Surfaces
------------------------
To control the curvature of surfaces, use the console command
"/r_subdivisions" (values from 1-999) Higher numbers yield more blocky
surfaces.
[2.1.7]: EAX/A3D
----------------
EAX is unsupported in Q3A, unlike A3D. I do not recommend them
as they introduce a performance hit in the game.
Refer to section 6.5.6 for more information.
[2.1.8]: Force Feedback
-----------------------
No Quake game (including Q3A) supports FF because John Carmack
(programmer of Q3A) has publically stated that FF is a gimmick that he
can live without. You can still use your FF joystick with the game,
but you won't get any force effects while playing.
[2.1.9]: Frames-Per-Second
--------------------------
Type in "/cg_drawfps 1" at the console to display your framerate
at the uppermost right corner of your screen. You should preferably
have >30 fps consistent for optimum play.
Benchmarking your system:
Type in the console "timedemo 1" followed by "demo demo001". After the
demo has finished running, bring up the console again to view your
average fps.
[2.1.10]: Game Engine
--------------------
The game engine used in Q3A is NOT known as the "Trinity" engine,
as stated in earlier versions of this FAQ.
Quake 3 doesn't really use the "Trinity" engine. It still uses
the Quake engine. The story is that Trinity was going to be Carmack's
next engine but he changed his mind and just progressively upgraded the
Quake engine.
Here is a short interview where "Trinity" is talked about. It seems
like he just used it at one point to discuss technologies he was working on:
-http://www.voodooextreme.com/articles/interview_jc.html
[2.1.11]: Levels/Maps
---------------------
In single-player, the maps are arranged in tiers, consisting
of several maps each. Altogether there are 31 maps available straight
from the CD (30 standard, 1 secret)
Maps From The CD:
-Q3DM0 Introduction
-Q3DM1 Arena Gate
-Q3DM2 House of Pain
-Q3DM3 Arena of Death
-Q3DM4 The Place of Many Deaths
-Q3DM5 The Forgotten Place
-Q3DM6 The Camping Grounds
-Q3DM7 Temple of Retribution
-Q3DM8 Brimstone Abbey
-Q3DM9 Hero's Keep
-Q3DM10 The Nameless Place
-Q3DM11 Deva Station
-Q3DM12 The Dredwerkz
-Q3DM13 Lost World
-Q3DM14 Grim Dungeons
-Q3DM15 Demon Keep
-Q3DM16 The Bouncy Map
-Q3DM17 The Longest Yard
-Q3DM18 Space Chamber
-Q3DM19 Apocalypse Void
-Q3Tourney1 Powerstation 0218
-Q3Tourney2 The Proving Grounds
-Q3Tourney3 Hell's Gate
-Q3Tourney4 Vertical Vengeance
-Q3Tourney5 Fatal Instinct
-Q3Tourney6 The Very End of You
-Q3CTF1 Dueling Keeps
-Q3CTF2 Troubled Waters
-Q3CTF3 The StrongHold
-Q3CTF4 Space CTF
-Test_BigBox (secret)
To access the secret level "Test_BigBox", type this in the console:
/map test_bigbox
id Software's Tim Willits gives a clarification about the "authors"
for each level in Quake III Arena:
"Many people want to know which level designer designed which map.
This is not exactly an easy question to answer. Unlike previous id games
the designers are not separate individuals working on "their" maps without
cooperation from anyone else. In order for a company to create truly great
maps all the designers must learn to work together. The team of designers
we have now is by far the best team originated group that has ever worked
at id. There are no maps in Quake3 that were developed by only one person.
Some maps were touched by as many as four different people. Expect this
design trend to continue and look forward to id creating some of the best
maps around."
[2.1.12]: Medals
-----------------
Medals measure and instantly reward outstanding combat performance.
You have to meet a minimum quota in battle in order to achieve them. There
are a total of 6 medals available in the game.
What are the medals awarded and the requirements to get them?
-Accuracy; percentage of hits-to-shots greater than 50%
-Excellent; making two frags made within two seconds
-Frags; get 100 frags
-Gauntlet; score a frag with the gauntlet
-Impressive; get two consecutive rails
-Perfect; win a match without being fragged at all
[2.1.13]: PK3 Format
--------------------
The .pk3 format used by Q3A is identical to a .zip file. You
can unpack and package .pk3 files in Q3A using this method:
Rename it to pak0.zip
Download/Install winzip (http://www.winzip.com/)
Unzip it
Do your editing
Create a new blank zip file
Make sure compression is set to NONE
Make sure INCLUDE SUBFOLDERS is checked
Make sure INCLUDE SYSTEM AND HIDDEN FILES is checked
Make sure everything else is _unchecked_
Click on add. Add the root files (the files in the pak0 folder) with the
ADD button.
Then add all the FOLDERS in the PAK0 folder with the ADD WITH WILDCARDS
button.
Rename the file back to pak0.pk3
For information on running custom maps, visit section 3.1.
[2.1.14]: Power-Ups
-------------------
A list of some power-ups available in Quake 3 Arena.
[2.1.14.1] Armor
````````````````
Armor is very important in reducing damage done by an opponent's
shot. You can achieve a maximum armor rating of 200 before it automatically
and gradually decreases to 100.
Types and description:
-Armor Shards (+5), green fragments
-Combat Armor (+50), shiny yellow vest
-Heavy Armor (+100), shiny red vest
[2.1.14.2] Health
`````````````````
You will definitely be receiving damage in matches, so track
these health powerups to restore your health. You can achieve a maximum
health rating of 200 before it automatically and gradually decreases
to 100.
Types and description:
-Green (+5, beyond maximum)
-Yellow (+25 to a maximum of 100)
-Gold (+50 to a maximum of 100)
[2.1.14.3] Others
`````````````````
There are a total of 7 power-ups, which remain in effect for a
certain amount of time, available.
Types and description:
-Battle Suit, protection from lava/slime/drowning/splash damage
-Flight, only available in multiplayer games
-Haste, increases movement speed and rate of fire
-Invisibility, almost impossible to detect visually
-Mega Health, increases health by 100
-Quad Damage, triples damage done by weapons
-Regeneration, increases health and armor gradually to a max. of 200
or until time runs out
[2.1.15]: Playing/Recording Demo
--------------------------------
To record a demo, just type in "/record demo-name.dm3" in the
console and "/stoprecord" to stop it.
To play a demo, just type in "/demo demo-name.dm3".
In both cases, "demo-name" refers to the demo we're concerned with.
[2.1.16]: Quake 3 Game Credits
------------------------------
(From the Q3A Manual)
id Software
Programming-John Carmack, John Cash
Art-Adrian Carmack, Kevin Cloud, Paul Steed, Kenneth Scott
Game Designer-Graeme Devine
Level Design-Tim Willits, Christian Antkow, Paul Jaquays
CEO-Todd Hollenshead
Director of Business Development-Katherine Anna Kang
Biz Assist and id Mom-Donna Jackson
Special Thanks to Eric Webb
Bot AI by Jan Paul van Waveren
Menu Interface by Raster Productions
CTF and Linux conversion by David Kirsch
Map Editor by Robert A. Duffy
GL Setup by Dan Teven and Chris Hecker
Additional programming by Brian Hook
Additional level design by Brandon James and Kaai Cluney
Quake III Arena Music by Sonic Mayhem www.sonicmayhem.com
Quake III Arena Music by Front Line Assembly
Sound Design by Soundelux Showorks
Bot Combat Responses composed by R. A. Salvatore and Seven Swords
Bot Chat Responses by Steve Winter
Certain Cinematics by Digital Anvil, Inc
Motion Capture by Pyros Pictures, House Of Moves, and LocoMotion Studios
id Software logo animation by Jake Rodgers
Manual by William W. Connors
Manual and Package Design by Focus 2
Illustrations by John Mueller
Additional Testing by Steve Gibson and Sean Martin
DISTRIBUTED BY ACTIVISION
Director, Global Brand Management - Dusty Welch
Producer - Marty Stratton
Production Testing - Steve Rosenthal, Steve Elwell, Steve Boisvert, Chad
Bordwell, Hector Guerrero, Chris Owens, Michael Stephan
Brand Manager - Kevin Kraff
Manual Production - Ignited Minds: Mike Rivera and Sylvia Orzel
QA Project Lead - Dan Hagerty
QA Senior Lead - Matthew Powers
QA Testers - Matthew Beal, Tracy Boland, Steve Boisvert, Chad Bordwell,
Patrick Bowman, Michael Denny, Neils Eike, Joe Favazza, Damien Fischer,
Todd Jones, Danny Lee, Matthew Morton, Matthew Nelson, Tanya Oviedo,
Chris Owens, Chad Siedhoff, Michael Stephan, Sadat Valentine, Eric Zimmerman
Thanks - Mitch Lasky, Derek McLeish, Jim Summers, Jason Wong
[2.1.17]: Quake 3 Final Demo
----------------------------
Here are some mirrors to the Q3A Final demo (47megs), in case you
haven't got the full game yet.
-http://www.quake3arena.com/demo/index.html
-http://www.fileplanet.com/index.asp?file=34621
-http://www.bluesnews.com/files/idstuff/quake3/win32/q3ademo.shtml
[2.1.18]: Screenshots
---------------------
Just hit F11 during the game. The screenshots will be dumped into
your baseq3/screenshots folder in sequence (shot0000, shot0001...) The
screenshots are saved in targa format (.tga) which you can view with an
external third party program eg. Paintshop Pro.
[2.1.19]: System Requirements
-----------------------------
Please note that this is the bare minimum required to run the
game at a playable framerate.
(Win32 Version)
3-D Hardware Accelerator with full OpenGL support
Pentium 233MMX + 8 MB Video Card or
Pentium II 266 + 4 MB Video Card or
AMD K6-2 350 + 4 MB Video Card
64 MB RAM
25 MB hard-disk space + 45 MB swap-file
4x CD-ROM drive
DX3-compatible sound card
Mouse, keyboard
Windows 95/98/NT 4.0
Multiplayer:
Internet (TCP/IP) or LAN (TCP/IP and IPX)
28.8 Kbps modem
[2.1.20]: Third Person Perspective
----------------------------------
Type in "/cg_thirdperson 1" in the console to play the game ala
Tomb Raider. Crosshairs are not available in this mode though.
Experience with the /cg_thirdpersonrange/angle commands to get the
view you like best.
To save having to mess around typing in commands while the game
is on, check out this link:
http://q3a.pcgame.com/scripts/index.html.
It has a script (ie. copy it into your cfg file) that lets you use
the numeric pad for changing camera angles and distances (it's crap for
playing the game, but excellent for following other people around)
[2.1.21]: Versions
------------------
There are currently 2 versions of Q3A available--the "regular"
(normal box) and the "elite" (tin box). The price is the same though.
Note: There is no "platinum" version of Q3A. It does not exist
at all and was sparked off by rumors in AGQ3.
[2.1.22]: Weapons
-----------------
To disable auto weapons switching:
1. Go to Setup->Controls->Shoot->Autoswitch weapons off.
2. Or type this in the console "seta cg_autoswitch "0".
Some detailed information on the weaponry available in Q3A:
[2.1.22]: About
`````````````````
How many weapons are given in the game?
-9 (not all are available in certain maps)
What are the weapons?
-Gauntlet
-Machine Gun
-Shot Gun
-Plasma Gun
-Grenade Launcher
-Rocket Launcher
-Lightning Gun
-Rail Gun
-BFG-10K
[2.1.22.2]: Descriptions
````````````````````````
-Gauntlet: Melee saw-blade, requires no ammunition
-Machine Gun: High rate of fire; spawn weapon
-Shot Gun: Since the early days of Doom
-Plasma Gun: Rapidly fires plasma pulses; inflicts splash damage
-Grenade Launcher: Just like the Q1 version
-Rocket Launcher: Inflicts splash damage in blast radius
-Lightning Gun: Generates a stroke of electricity; short range
-Rail Gun: Slow reloading; incredible damage; requires precise aiming
-BFG-10K: The Big Frickin' Gun. More powerful version of the plasma gun
[2.1.22.3]: Rail Gun
````````````````````
Most people prefer the rail trail in Q2, but the reason it wasn't
implemented in Q3A was because the current rail uses 3000 polygons, when
it shot across the screen (with the q2 rail) people with slow computers
would freeze.
There are 4 variables working with the railgun fire: check these
out and experiment:
/cg_railTrailTime
/r_railwidth
/r_railcorewidth
/r_railsegmentlength
The railgun trail might be fixed in a later patch but this is
purely a guess.
Here's a link to a mod that gives the rail gun back its brilliant
spiral effect and beefs up the rail-sound a bit too:
http://www.c-w-p.freeserve.co.uk/artwork/quake3/quake3editing.html
Tips on becoming a better rail player:
-Always use the railgun whenever you can. (practice, practice, practice)
-Try to find those magic moments when to shoot eg.:
target uses jump-pad/ is high in the air
target is standing still
target has moved himself into a corner or a tight spot
target is walking in a straight line
target is swimming
-Ping above 50ms means delay when shooting, you may need to do some
predicting.
-Use your crosshair as a trigger. If you see your target walking from the
left to the right, move your crosshair in the path of the destined frag and
wait for your victim to walk over the "trigger". Makes it easier since you
just have to concentrate on pressing the mouse button.
-Keep practicing-the railgun takes probably the longest time of all the
weapons to get good at. On the other hand, if you're good with the railgun,
all your weapons seem better because it's all about precision. Your aim
will have become very deadly by then.
[2.1.22.4]: Special Jumps
`````````````````````````
You can jump higher than normal by performing a Rocket-Jump.
Here's how to do it: look straight down and simulataneously jump and
fire a rocket on the ground beneath. This will propel you to greater
heights previously unreachable.
Variants include: BFG-jump, grenade-jump, quad-rocket-jump,
launchpad-rocket-jump etc. (make sure you have loads of health and
armor for these jumps)
A strafe jump propels you further than a normal forward jump.
To perform it, just press strafe left/right and jump simultaneously,
all the while holding the forward key. You can build up your speed
gradually over long distances by repeatedly doing strafe jumps.
Check out this link for more information on special jumps:
http://www.telefragged.com/metro/jump/
[2.2]: Single Player
====================
[2.2.1]: Bots
-------------
[2.2.1.1]: About
`````````````````
The single-player mode of Quake 3 Arena pits you against computer
controlled opponents known as bots. There are a total of 32 bots available
for you to fight.
[2.2.1.2]: Description
``````````````````````
Names of bots available:
-Anarki -Doom -Major -Slash
-Angel -Gorre -Mynx -Sorlag
-Biker -Grunt -Orbb -Stripe
-Bitterman -Hossman -Patroit -TankJr
-Bones -Hunter -Phobos -Uriel
-Cadavre -Keel -Ranger -Visor
-Crash -Klesk -Razor -Wrack
-Daemia -Lucy -Sarge -Xaero
Doom-Space Marine of Doom
Ranger-From Quake 1
Xaero is the last boss and he is extremely hard to defeat (even
with "I Want To Win" setting).
[2.2.2]: Bot Autochat
---------------------
Sick of the talkative bots? Use the console command "/bot_nochat 1"
to disable bot autochat.
[2.2.3]: Cheats
---------------
Type in "/devmap mapname" at the console. During gameplay, type
at the console "/god" for infinite energy or "/give all" for all weapons
and ammo.
On the other hand, it has been said that the best "cheat" is still
skill and practice :)
[2.2.4]: Difficulty Levels
--------------------------
There are 5 difficulty levels to choose from. The higher the
level, the more intelligent and accurate the bots are. Ranked in consecutive
order: "I can Win", "Bring It On", "Hurt Me Plenty", "Hardcore" and
"Nightmare".
[2.2.5]: Saving
---------------
If more than one person is playing singleplayer on your version of
Quake 3 Arena and you want to keep your game intact, simply rename the
"q3config.cfg" file to something else. When you start the game, you'll
have to re-enter your CD-Key, but the singleplayer settings will be reset.
To restore your game, simply change the name of the file back.
[2.2.6]: Story
--------------
Untold centuries ago the Vadrigar, the mysterious Arena Masters,
constructed the Arena Eternal for their own infernal amusement. Virtually
nothing is known of these beings except that they savor the carnage and
clamor of battle. As such, they have stocked the arena with the greatest
warriors of all time. And you have just joined their ranks.
As a gladiator in the Arena Eternal, you must not only survive, but
also win each and every battle against ever more powerful opponents. Don't
worry overly much about getting "fragged." The Vadrigar won't be cheated of
their favorite sport by a little thing like death. Those who fall are
instantly restored to life and immediately thrust back into the battle,
perhaps a little wiser for their misfortunes.
When the dust, blood, and gibs settle, all warriors will have earned
the right to battle again, providing further entertainment for the Vadrigar.
But only the warrior who has fragged the most foes will be lauded as the
winner. The victorious gladiator advances to a more challenging array of
arenas, until, at last, he or she faces Xaero, Lord of the Final Arena.
[2.3]Multi-Player
=================
[2.3.1]: Changing Name Color
----------------------------
In the name area of player setup...
Type in these codes for the color you want:
^1=RED
^2=GREEN
^3=YELLOW
^4=BLUE
^5=AQUA
^6=PURPLE
^7=WHITE
For example, "^1Doom" will give you a red "Doom", and "^6Frag"
will give you a purple "Frag".
[2.3.2]: Modes
--------------
A list of the multiplayer modes available in Q3A.
[2.3.2.1]: Capture-The-Flag
```````````````````````````
Get into the opposing team's home base, grab its flag, and run
home to score. Teamwork is essential--some people guarding the flag, others
guarding the doorway, I hope you get the idea.
[2.3.2.2]: Free-For-All
```````````````````````
This is the classic form of Deathmatch. It's every man, woman, and
sinister alien being for him/her/itself as the players frag everything that
moves to get the most points.
[2.3.2.3]: Team Deathmatch
``````````````````````````
It's Red against Blue in a coordinated contest of carnage. Two teams
of players work to control the arena and score the most frags on their foes.
[2.3.2.4]: Tournament
`````````````````````
Players fight each other one-on-one, while future foes watch as
spectators. The watchers wait their turns to be the challenger who wrests
control of arena from the most recent victor.
[2.3.3]: Options
----------------
[2.3.3.1]: Internet
```````````````````
Q3A is much more fun online than with bots. For beginners, the
setting-up process is actually quite simple.
Go to Multiplayer, then Specify. Just type in the IP address of
an online server and its port, and click Fight.
The port setting for Q3A is server dependant but the default is 27960.
[2.3.3.2]: LAN
``````````````
If you're new to LAN, then please visit these sites for more
information on LAN games:
http://www.lanparty.com/
http://www.tweak3d.net/articles/network/
[2.3.4]: Ping
-------------
Ping is the amount of time that a packet of information takes
to travel from the client to the server. It is measured in milliseconds
(1/1000 of a second). This situation as a whole is termed lag/latency.
Factors resulting in lag:
I. Quality of hardware (Faster computer=less lag)
II.Quality of internet connection (modem)
III.Quality of ISP (internet service provider)
Ping values can range from 0 to 9999ms. If it actually does reach
9999ms, then it's declared that the server is not available. Generally,
a reasonably playable online game should have a ping of <250ms. Values
of >400 can result in almost unplayable games.
There are 2 categories of online gamers:
I. LPBs (Low-Ping-Bastage)
-those with pings <150ms; usually use higher-quality internet connections
eg. cable, ISDN
II.HPBs (High-Ping-Bastage)
-those with pings >150ms; usually use lower-quality internet connections
eg. analog modems (56kbps and below)
Things to take note of:
If you're a LPB joining a server where most players are HPBs, it
is generally considered polite to ask first if they mind.
If you're a HPB on a server where there are LPBs, never whine
about your ping when you lose. You can always leave and join another
server.
You can view your ping during a multiplayer game by pressing
the F1 key.
How do I simulate a 200ms ping when playing alone with bots?
-Use this console command "seta cl_timenudge x" to simulate an online
ping. Replace x with the desired ping.
For more information, visit sections 6.5.5 and 7.2.2.
[2.3.5] Pure Server
-------------------
What is a pure server?
-A pure server does crc checks on client files to stop hacked paks
being used like the vision paks in the test or high visiblity skins etc.
Pure Server has its disadvantages:
1. After installing the point release, any server not using the point
release (all linux servers at the very least) in combination with pure
on, means that I can't play on them anymore.
2. If I have custom maps I can't play on pure servers.
3. If I have custom skins I can't play on pure servers.
4. If I have custom mods I can't play on pure servers.
Note: Setting a server to pure does not stop one from using any
custom binds or aliases in an autoexec.cfg file.
The "pure" server option doesn't allow people that have custom .pk3
files to stay connected to a server with the setting "sv_pure" set
to 1. If you do have custom .pk3 files and you connect to a server that is
"pure" then you will be able to play, but you will get kicked at every map
change and will be forced to reconnect.
My FOV is stuck at 90 in pure setting no matter what I do!
-If your FOV defaults back to 90, then that's because the server admin
has made everybody use the default FOV of 90 in their servers config
file; it has nothing to do with pure at all.
[2.3.6]: Server-Hosting
-----------------------
Here are some links related to server-hosting for Linux & NT:
-Quake III Arena Server Setup Guide for Linux & NT
http://www.3dgw.com/guides/q3a/
-Quake III Arena Linux Dedicated server Binary
http://www.quake3world.com/files/linuxq3ded-1_11-i386_tar.gz
-Server Administration FAQ
http://www.quake3world.com/info
RAM usage:
For general use free for all, tournament maps, and team
deathmatch, a com_hunkmegs setting of 16 is sufficient. Using the
included tournament maps only, a com_hunkmegs setting of 12 may be
used to conserve more memory. Capture The Flag requires a minimum
com_hunkmegs setting of 26 with the included maps.
Usage for a dedicated server:
quake3.exe +set dedicated 1 +set com_hunkmegs 16"
Refer to section 6.5.4 for more information on com_hunkmegs.
==========================
CHAPTER [3]: MODIFICATIONS
==========================
[3.1]: Adding custom maps
=========================
Running custom levels is really easy, here's how to do it:
(You need Winzip btw)
Create a .zip file in your baseq3 folder and place the levels you have
made inside with NO compression.
Rename the .zip file to .pk3
You can have a separate .pk3 file for every map you have.
To run the map, just type /map mapname into the console (~key)
[3.2]: Mods
===========
Alliance (merged team of ExpertCTF and LMCTF)
-http://www.planetqauke.com/alliance
Barrymore Mod
-http://www.custard.org/~durzel/barrymore-q3.zip
Decimal Mod
-http://www.quake3mods.net/decimal/
Demonic CTF
-http://demonic.quake3world.com/
DBZ: Bid For Power
-http://dbz.q3center.com/
Final vs Fantasy 2
-http://www.fvfworld.com/
Grapple Hook Mod
-http://www.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?bop/q3hook.zip
GX Mod
-http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~lips/gxmod/plan.html
Human Torpedo Mod
-http://clans.quake2.co.uk/nme/nmemain.html
Instagib (railgun is the only weapon and every shot is lethal)
-http://carnagenet.com/
Merc's Q3A Teamplay Mod
-http://www.stellarspace.com/llama/
Team Assault
-http://teamassault.thefortress.org/
====================
CHAPTER [4]: EDITING
====================
[4.1]: CFG Files
================
Use Wordpad to view the contents of the q3config.cfg file, as
Notepad doesn't display it correctly.
[4.2]: PK3 Files
================
Use a Zip program to view the contents of the .pk3 file. I
recommend Winzip, a great shareware utility at http://www.winzip.com.
==============================
CHAPTER [5]: OFFICIAL RELEASES
==============================
How do i find out what version of Q3A I have?
-If it's too fast to see the the "blue" screen at the start, wait until you
get to the main menu, then access the console using the ~key. It will be
in the lower right hand corner or the console screen.
[5.1]: Point Release Beta
=========================
What is the point release beta?
-It is the first patch for Q3A that fixes some bugs and includes
several new additions. It has a size of 1.12 megs.
Where to get it (mirrors):
-http://www.3dshack.com/cgi-bin/localfile.pl?quake3/q3pointbeta.exe
-http://tux.telefragged.com/file.pl?filename=q3pointBETA.exe&dir=telefragged/quake3/win32/
Fixed Bugs and Added Features 1-7-2000
-Store CD Key in a separate file
-Shrink Icons on scoreboard and do away with staggered heads
-Voting can change gametype if current map does not support current
game type
-Server list shows ip address
-possible team uneven measures? (as in L-Fire CTF) Prevent team
join, prevent capture, prevent flag pickup
-Add team overlay location colors
-Server Browser: Could we remember settings for "Show Full" and
"Show Empty" ? They are reinitialized every time. I like to see *ALL*
servers and it's redundant to have to click those two buttons every time
-New scoreboard. Minor positional adjustments to default score board
when clients hits more than seven, the scoreboard goes into compressed mode
and interleaves the players head models/icons.
-Fixed health color display bug on team overlay
-Changing gamma causes a crash
-Spectators can now go through doors. A spectator only teleport is
created on each side of the door that teleports a spectator to the other
side (spectators on q3tourney4 will love this)
-fixed drop shadows also showing up on ground with gap
-bots should NOT use the personal teleporter when carrying a flag
(except
-fixed bot_minplayers, kept loading bots during intermission because
-changing ctf strategy randomly if the game is 'stuck' for too long
-Bots have both agressive and passive ctf strategies
-fixed recalculating item area even if item didn't move
-added flag status icons to the hud, displayed as:, flag icon -- at
base, empty colored square -- flag taken, grey colored square -- flag
dropped
-fixed resetting rush base away time when flag returns
-fixed bots defending dropped flags
-fixed team leaders not giving 'orders' to themselves
-fixed removing double quoting in chat, tchat and print messages
before
-Keybind INI files are broken
-Fixed Gamestate/Snapshot issue for modem users
-don't play denied sound if team mate picks up the powerup
-g_teamAutoJoin (default off), sets it so players automatically join
a team on connect
-g_teamForceBalance (default off), forces it so that the spread
between the number of players on a team is no more than two. Player will be
disallowed to join a team with two or more players than the other.
-added callvote nextmap, and display available callvote commands if
usage is incorrect
-adjusted maximum width of team overlay down
-added g_needpass serverinfo so remote browsers can determine if a
password is needed
-Team scoreboard needs to overlay a colored team background on the
scoreboard to clearly show team divisions
-added the ability to set g_password to "none" which means no
password. This makes /rcon g_password none work
-fixed width problem for names on the team overlay
-team scores displayed on scoreboard in spectator mode
-team scores are now correctly updated and displayed when joining
game in progress
-dead player displays crossout for weapon instead of missing texture
on team overlay
-Fixed scores so that only the flag carrier gets five points for
capturing. Team members do not get a bonus--the entire team gets a capture
point. This was the originally indended scoring for Q3.
-Fixed it so that you get the aggressive enemy bonus for fragging a
player who hurt your flag carrier (it had an 8 millisecond timeout, oops)
-Add g_doWarmup to allow warmup countdown timer on all game modes.
This helps out in clan matches, since they can do a restart and get a fair
countdown (as opposed to a random map_restart that is abruptive). This also
gives people with slow load times a fair chance
-add g_doWarmup to callvote so people can vote in the warmup option
-Player is ALWAYS shown on the scoreboard, dropped at the bottom if
player wasn't shown in the top scores
-drop ctf flags when player activates personal telporter (you can't
take it with you!)
-don't draw crosshair in spectator mode (names are still drawn
however). Crosshair is drawn when following a player.
-empty servers should show by default on the server display list
adding game cvar tracking so that cvar changes made in mid game are
told to all clients. The following cvars are tracked: dmflags, fraglimit,
timelimit, capturelimit, g_friendlyFire, g_warmup, g_doWarmup, g_speed,
g_gravity, g_knockback, g_quadfactor, g_w
-added the ability to select the position of the teamoverlay.
-Updated the game options menu to make the new positions available. I find I
like it much more in the lower left [doesn't interfer with chat text.]
-Available positions are: cg_drawTeamOverlay 0 -
-added 'teamoverlay' to userinfo. This allows the server to
determine if the client has the team overlay display on and only send the
team information if needed (turning it off saves some bandwidth)
-made positions on team overlay static--takes the top eight players
by score and puts them in client order (so they won't switch positions on
the team overlay)
-made location strings left justified in team overlay
-Added IP banning. Similar to Quake2 method. Two new commands addip
_mask_ and removeip _mask_. The ban list is saved in a cvar called g_banIPs.
-g_filterBan controls ban direction (default value of non-zero means everyone
is allowed to connect, except this teleport spectators to other side of door
trigger brush when the door is Not open
-Display 2D player, flag, ammo and armor icons if draw3dIcons is off
in status bar and on scoreboard (so all 3D icons are replaced by 2D version
if cg_draw3Dicons is off)
-fixed bug where bots stand still not reacting to anything, not even
incoming enemies
-added new individual CTF AI
-fixed team AI when base flag is gone
-fixed bots ignoring your commands if your name contains certain non
alphabet characters (like . / ~).
-added ctf task preference for human players
-don't start kill, hitnokill, or hitnodeath chats when there are
nearby enemies
-Add new cg_drawIcons cvar, turns off all icons (2D or 3D depending
on setting of draw3dIcons
-don't start chatting when using a powerup
-Denied no longer sounds on same team pickups
-dropped items can fall out of the map or stick into walls. dropped
items should use player clipping
-If a callvote passes with "map _mapname_", the game will keep the
value of nextmap the same. This allows a player call vote a map change
without upsetting the map rotation
-Screenshots broken in Q3, restarting exe causes game to overwrite
001 etc
-delay deferred model load until after death, and after client
presses fire to respawn
-"No team_CTF_redflag in map" is no longer fatal
-Weapon Switch Issues: I'm still getting double clicks when I run
out of ammo on the lightning gun or plasma. I'll have the fire button down,
it runs out of ammo, it clicks, I let go of the fire button, press down, it
clicks again
-Fixed up flag on flag carrier player model, made it stop rotating
while being carried
-CTF Flag destroyed by nodrop areas
-s_khz 44 broken
-Right justified the team overlay
-default shader fix
-com_hunkMegs now works properly, com_hunkMegs has a minimum value
of 56 for standard gameplay and 1 for a dedicated server connecting to a
pure server works properly, no more kickouts
[5.2]: Point Release Beta 2
===========================
Changes:
-Control menu works properly
-Pure server connection notification
-2D Armor icon appears properly
-.arena files are accumulated properly across pk3 files
-A few other smallish fixes
Mirrors (1.1 megs):
ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake3/win32/beta/q3pointBETA2.exe
[5.3]: Point Release
====================
Version: 1.15c
Primary fixes in this version over beta 2 are:
-Fixed crash when bots chat on dedicated servers
-Fixed crash when bots chat under linux
-bots no longer 'keep' trying to score after they respawn, if they died
carrying the flag.
Mirrors:
-http://www.quake3world.com/quake3/files/Q3PointRelease_Jan1300.exe
-http://www.3dgamers.com/3daction/00archives/quake3arena/
-http://www.3dfiles.com/patches/quakeiiiarena.shtml
-ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake3/win32/Q3PointRelease_Jan1300.exe
-ftp://ftp.datacomm.ch/.2/idstuff/quake3/win32/Q3PointRelease_Jan1300.exe
-ftp://ftp.infomagic.com/pub/mirrors/.5/doom/idstuff/quake3/win32/Q3PointRelease_Jan1300.exe
[5.4]: Source Code
==================
Mirrors (1 meg):
-http://members.tripod.com/clanrs/q3agamesource.exe
-http://www.modscene.com/mods/quake3
-http://www.quake3world.com/quake3/files/Q3AGameSource.exe
-http://www.fileplanet.com/index.asp?file=35935
-http://www.stomped.com/files/q3source.html
-ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake3/source/Q3AGameSource.exe
Source Code tutorial:
-http://wiretap.gamedesign.net/
============================
CHAPTER [6]: TROUBLESHOOTING
============================
[6.1]: Before Getting Started
=============================
[6.1.1]: Help System
--------------------
Make sure you take a look at the included Q3A help system. This can
help to solve many common problems that you might be experiencing.
To view it, just insert your Q3A CD and select "Help" on the
autorun screen.
[6.1.2]: Scandisk/Defrag
------------------------
It is recommended that you use ScanDisk to scan for HDD errors
and use Disk Defragmenter to defragment your HDD. Visit sections 7.2.4.3
for defragmentation information, and section 7.2.4.2 for ScanDisk
information.
[6.2]: Bugs/Errors
==================
I am experiencing technical problems with some of the Tier 4 maps!
-The Tier 4 maps are the largest maps and therefore require that largest
amount of RAM. If the game is crashing or not loading any of
these maps, there are some solutions you should try. First, try turning
light maps off and running in vertex lighting mode. You can do
this by entering Setup->System->Graphics and setting "Lighting"
to "Vertex". Second, you should turn the sound quality to low within
the Setup->System->Sound" menu.
[6.3]: CD-Key Issues
====================
Remember to enter your CD key in lower case letters. If you do this
through the menu it's automatic, but if you set it from the console, upper
case letters will not work.
Please post all your CD-key problems to Activision/id Software and
NOT the AGQ3 newsgroup.
Just a reminder, do NOT email me or post on AGQ3 asking/begging
for CD-keys. You will NOT get them. Prepare to get flamed if you continue
to do so.
[6.4]: Directx
==============
The latest, Microsoft release Direct X7. DX7 is on the Quake 3 CD.
You can get the latest version of Direct X via:
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/
If you have any trouble with Direct X x.x, then you can remove
Direct X x.x by getting a program at:
http://www.ebrink.com/dxun/Direct.htm
[6.5]: PC Hardware
==================
[6.5.1]: CD-ROM
---------------
CD-ROM speed doesn't matter much if you've installed the full
version of Q3 as the CD is only used for authentication purposes in the
single-player game.
Updating your CD-ROM drivers would generally help. Go to
your CD-ROM manufacture's web site and download any new released
drivers for your CD-ROM drives.
[6.5.2]: Controller
-------------------
For PS2 mouse users, there's a utility called PS2rate written by
Juha Kujala. This little program will basically adjust the sampling rate
for a PS/2 mouse to equal or surpass that of the USB mouse.
You can get PS2rate at:
http://www.rocketdownload.com/Details/Util/ps2rate.htm
Problems with mouse wheel of the Intellimouse Explorer?
1. Go to Microsoft's home page (http://www.microsoft.com/) and install
all the latest drivers for the Intellimouse (3.0)
2. From your system tray, open the properties for your Intellimouse
driver and click on the wheel tab. Look for Wheel Troubleshooter and
click on the Troubleshooter button. Get to the point in which the
troubleshooter asks you to load the application in which the wheel
is not working properly. For our purposes, this would be Q3A.
3. Load Q3A and get to the main menu.
4. If you play Q3A in full screen (you cannot see your desktop), then
do an Alt - Enter to make Q3A a window within windows. You should
now be able to see both the troubleshooter and Q3A at the same time.
Follow the instructions in the troubleshooter and the problem should
take care of itself.
5. Test the mouse by starting a single user game in Q3A.
Problems with mouse wheel? Here's a solution:
1. Change your mousewheel setting then exit quake without playing
when you go back in it will be working.
2. You will have to do this everytime you mess around in the control
menu though.
Alternatively, add these lines to your autoexec.cfg (if you dont
have an autoexec.cfg in your baseq3 folder just make one using Notepad.
Remember to save it as .cfg and remove the .txt extension.)
bind MWHEELDOWN "weapprev"
bind MWHEELUP "weapnext"
Also, try removing all the references other than scroll wheel to
next and previous weapons in the Q3A config file.
For the IntelliMouse on Win9x
-http://www.microsoft.com/products/hardware/mouse/driver/drivers_pc.htm
For the Intellimouse on MAC
-http://www.microsoft.com/products/hardware/mouse/driver/drivers_mac.htm
For all Logitech mice
-http://www.logitech.com/us/support/mousefiles.html
How do I get the two side buttons on the IntelliMouse Explorer
to work in Q3A?
-If you have a Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer and want to get the two
new buttons on the side to work in Q3A, try the following. First, make
sure that you have installed the latest IntelliPoint drivers from
Microsoft (version 3.0). Once the drivers are installed, open the
control panel, choose mouse, and click the buttons tab. Do not change
the settings of the first three mouse buttons. Instead, set the side
buttons to an action key. For instance, set the large side button to
the F2 key. To use the large side button in Q3A simply decide the action
that you would like the key to perform and use the keyboard equivalent
of that key in the control menu. It is very important that you use the
keyboard equivalent within the menu and not the actual mouse button.
[6.5.3]: CPU
------------
Quake 2 offically supports Intel and AMD processors. SMP
(multi-processors) is supported too. In order to get the benefits from
SMP, you must be running Windows NT 4.0 and have a compatible video
card and driver combination. Currently only the TNTx and GeForce cards support SMP.
To enable SMP support, type in the console:
\r_smp 1
\vid_restart
[6.5.4]: Memory
---------------
Quake 3 Arena has a memory requirement of 64megs. While this might
be sufficient for most users, my recommendation is to aim for 128megs-
you'll get less disk-thrashing and better performance.
The console command "comhunkmegs" allows you to specify the amount
of physical RAM for Q3A's use. Here's how to use it:
READ CAREFULLY...
I. Go to Start->Run->Browse to your Q3A folder
II. Click on the quake3.exe icon and select "Open"
III. The box should say "C:/program files/quake3arena/quake3.exe" (with quotes)
IV. OUTSIDE the quotes, add a space, then +set com_hunkMegs x
V. Then hit "OK"; Q3A will launch
VI. After the game loads type in the console /com_hunkMegs and hit enter
It should say used x default 56
Where x refers to the amount of RAM you want to use for Q3A.
NOTE: It is NOT recommended to use a value of x more than 3/4 of your
available physical RAM.
[6.5.5]: Modem
--------------
Always update your modem drivers to the latest.
I'm experiencing heavy packet loss!
-Make sure you don't have data compression enabled in your dial-up
networking connection as it hinders your online gaming connections.
Setting error control to off might also help.
-To do this, go to My Computer->Dial-Up Networking and right-click
on your connection and select Properties. Click on Configure->
Connection->Advanced and uncheck the boxes for "use error control" and
"compress data".
If the Windows 9x computer isn't showing the correct connection
speed when connected to the internet, follow these steps.
1. Click on the Start button
2. Go to Settings and select Control Panel
3. Double-click the System icon
4. Select the Device Manager tab
5. Click the [+] next to Modem and double-click the modem you use
6. Select the Connection tab and click the Advanced button
7. In the Extra Settings field, add "W2" without the quotes (if settings are
already present in the Extra Settings field, add "&W2" to the end of the
current settings)
8. Click the OK button to exit the Advanced Connection Settings
9. Click the OK button to exit the modem properties box
10. Click the OK button to exit the System Properties box
11. Reconnect. Dial-up Networking should now display your current
connect speed.
John Carmack on 28.8K Modem Play (From Quake3World):
"I have been playing a lot of Q3 on a 28.8 modem for the last several days.
I finally found a case of the stuck-at-awaiting-gamestate problem that
turned out to be a continuous case of a fragment of the gamestate getting
dropped. I have changed the net code to space out the sending of the
fragments based on rate.
Note that there have been a few different things that result in stuck at
gamestate or stuck at snapshot problems. We have fixed a few of them, but
there may well still be other things that we haven't found yet.
You can still have a fun game on a 28.8 modem. It is a significant
disadvantage, no question about it, but you can still have a good game
if you play smart. If there is someone that knows what they are doing
on a server with a ping in the low 100s, there won't usually be much you
can do, but a skilled modem player can still beat up on unskilled T1
players...
Make sure your modem rate is set correctly. If you have it set too high,
large amounts of data can get buffered up and you can wind up with multiple
seconds of screwed up delays.
Only play on servers with good pings. My connection gives me a couple dozen
servers with mid 200 pings. 56k modems often see servers with sub 200 pings.
If you ignore the ping and just look for your favorite map, you will probably
have a crappy game.
If you have a good basic connection to the server, the thing that will
mess up your game is too much visible activity. This is a characteristic of
the number of players, the openness of the level, and the weapons in use.
Don't play on madhouse levels with tons of players. None of the normal Q3
maps were really designed for more than eight players, and many were only
designed for four.
Don't play in the wide open maps unless there are only a couple other players.
Four very active players in a wide open area are enough to bog down a modem
connection.
I just implemented "sv_minPing" / "sv_maxPing" options so servers can
restrict themselves to only low ping or high ping players. This is done
based on the ping of the challenge response packet, rather than any in-game
pings. There are a few issues with that -- a LPB may occasionally get into
a HPB server if they happen to get a network hiccup at just the right time,
and the number used as a gate will be closer to the number shown in the
server list, rather than the number seen in gameplay. I would reccomend
"sv_minPing 200" as a reasonable breakpoint."
[6.5.5.1]: Dual 56K
```````````````````
Channel bonding has no effect on ping ie. no matter how many 56K
connections you use, your ping will still be that of a single 56K.
This translates to ISDN as well. Using 2B channels has no better
latency than 1B channel.
[6.5.5.2]: Gaming Modem
```````````````````````
The "Gaming" modem is simply a repackaging of a standard,
pre-"Winmodem" 56K v.90 modem - the kind with its own hardware signal
processing (by way of a UART which handles conversion of data between
your computer and the modem on the other end). This means that it
doesn't require anything from the system CPU in order to process
incoming and outgoing data. Once upon a time all modems were made this
way.
Gaming advantages: Lower ping. Modem doesn't slow down the game by
sucking up CPU time. Game doesn't slow down the modem, ditto.
Gaming disadvantage: Tends to cost a bit more. Not as fast as cable or
xDSL.
[6.5.5.3]: WinModem
```````````````````
Winmodem is not the best choice for online gaming. In fact, they
just plain out suck. The reason is that Winmodem relies on the CPU
to do most of it's job. That's a major no-no, and a small performance
hit to your overall PC speed. Avoid getting a Winmodem at all cost.
Don't care if it's a low price. Get cheap stuff, suffer cheap stuff's
consequences. Go and buy a regular modem, and make sure it's not a
Winmodem.
Most newer internal modems and USB modems are called "Winmodems"
because they only work under some form of Windows (unless special
drivers are provided) and use the CPU to perform most functions that a
hardware modem's UART would perform. They cost less and thus have
gained great market share, but unless you're running a seriously fast
platform a Winmodem can't compete. When processing data, they suck up
CPU time, just like the game does. It's the same as running two
programs at once; neither will run as fast as it could if it had the
CPU all to itself.
Gaming advantages: Cheaper. Can get you online when you can't afford a
better modem or system.
Gaming disadvantage: Higher ping. Modem tends to transfer data slower
with other programs running. Games tend to run slower when online.
Greater possibility of installation and performance problems due to
adding more software to the system.
[6.5.6]: Sound
--------------
Quake 3 Arena officially supports Aureal's A3D. Creative Lab's
Environmental Audio (EAX), the other major contender, is not supported.
Emulating A3D with the Soundblaster Live! card
-http://www.tbreak.com/announce/q3arenaeax.shtml
[6.5.7]: Video
--------------
You MUST have a 3D-accelerator to play Q3A since software rendering
is not included in the game. Q3A takes advantage of OpenGL to perform
hardware-rendering.
[6.5.7.1]: 3dfx
```````````````
Q3A supports 3dfx cards by OpenGL. Choose Voodoo instead of default
driver to let your Voodoo x cards run as your hardware acceleration.
Please update your 3dfx video card with the latest drivers. Currently
the latest reference drivers are the DX7 beta drivers. You can get them at:
http://www.3dfxgamers.com
If you get this error: "Mutual exclusion prohibits this", then
this means that there are two programs try to use the Voodoo 2 card at
the same time. Do Ctrl+Alt+Del to see if anything else is using your
Voodoo 2 card.
For Voodoo2 users , you might also like to try Metabyte's WickedGL
(not Wicked3D) drivers instead of the regular 3dfx drivers. You must
register first but the registration is free. Here's the link:
http://www.wicked3d.com
[6.5.7.2]: Matrox
`````````````````
Screen too dark under Windows 2000?
-Edit the following line in your "Quake III Arena\baseq3\q3config.cfg" file,
change it from:
seta r_overBrightBits "1"
to:
seta r_overBrightBits "0"
Start Q3A and the brightness control should now work.
[6.5.7.3]: Multiple 3D Cards
````````````````````````````
Go to http://www.3dfiles.com/utility/ and go under Multiple
Video Cards section. Click the link and it should give you multiple
programs to choose from to let you switch from 3D cards, like the
TNT/Voodoo x for an example.
[6.5.7.4]: NVidia
`````````````````
Video too dark with your TNT2 card?
-Try adding this line to your autoexec.cfg file in your Q3A\baseq3
folder seta r_gamma "1.900000"
Video too dark with your GeForce card?
-Try adding these lines to your autoexec.cfg file in your Q3A\baseq3
folder:
seta r_ignorehwgamma "1"
seta r_gamma "1.9"
seta r_intensity "1.5"
Screen tearing problems in Q3A?
-You can command Q3A to use a specific refresh rate by using the console
command "r_displayrefresh x" where x stands for the refresh rate.
To users of Geforce 32MB cards:
-It's a known problem that Q3 needs more than 32 meg to run some parts of
some maps in 32 bit color and 32 bit high detail textures at 1024*768
resolution. You'll see this more prominently on dm6, dm9 and dm15.
Solution:
1) keep 32 bit colour and 32 bit textures but knock the texture detail
down one notch.
2) use 32 bit colour and 16 bit textures.
3) Use a lower resolution.
-Try setting your I/O voltage in your bios to 3.5 volts as the GeForce
card requires more power.
[6.5.7.5]: PCI VS AGP
`````````````````````
The biggest difference is the fact that AGP frees up resources
that PCI would normally use. AGP also allows you to use your system
memory if the video card memory isn't enough for the application/game.
Also, AGP is constantly being improved, so depending on your
motherboard, there may see some benefits from that.
Physically speaking, AGP is a different kind of slot than PCI, so as
far as compatiblity goes, an older Pentium 1 machine would probably not
be AGP compatible (in general) as there wouldn't be an AGP slot on the
motherboard.
=================================
CHAPTER [7]: IMPROVING PERFOMANCE
=================================
[7.1]: Q3A Tweaks
=================
[7.1.1]: CFG File
-----------------
Try experimenting with these commands to enhance your Q3A playing
experience.
Command: seta cg_brassTime "0"
Default: 1250
Function: Sets time to display ejected shells from weapons; 0 disables
shell animation
Command: seta cg_gibs "0"
Default: 1
Function: Turn off the gibs
Command: seta com_blood "0"
Default: 1
Function: Turns off blood
Command: seta cg_marks "0"
Default: 1
Function: Disables display of decals (blast marks, etc.)
Command: seta r_dlightBacks "0"
Default setting: 1
Function: Disables rendering of dynamic lights
Command: seta r_fastsky "1"
Default setting: 0
Function: Enables lower quality sky
Command: seta r_drawSun "0"
Default setting: 1
Function: Disables rendering of sun in the sky
[7.1.2]: Video Settings
-----------------------
You should experiment with the detail settings in Q3A to find
one that balances between speed and detail. Go to Settings->System to do
so. I recommend the highest setting on "Texture Detail" only for high-end
video cards eg. Voodoo3 or TNT2 as this might drastically reduce your
framerate.
Go to Settings->Game Options to adjust several game options.
If you want to gain maximum speed in your game, set them to:
"Marks on Walls" off
"Ejecting Brass" off
"Dynamic Lights" off
"Identify Target" off
"High Quality Sky" off
"Force Player Models" on
In addition, try running the game in 640*480 or lower resolution
as this will most likely give you a higher fps.
[7.2]: PC Tweaks
=================
[7.2.1]: CPU Overclocking
-------------------------
You can push a processor past its limit by a process known as
overclocking. This refers to the changing of your CPU speed if your
motherboard supports modification of the FSB (Front Side Bus) and perhaps
the multiplier. Multipliers are generally locked, so FSB is the only way
to overclock the CPU. Consult the motherboard's manual if the option to
change FSB is available.
Eg. A Celeron 300 can be overclocked to 450MHz. Since the Celeron
300 A (w/L2 128KB cache) is stuck on 4.5 multiplier, to get 450MHz you
would have to change the FSB 66MHz to 100MHz.
This can be quite dangerous and may "fry" your system so make sure
you get someone experienced to help you if you're a newbie. Be warned that
this will definitely invalidate your warranty so proceed at your own risk.
Also, due to the extra heating produced, the lifespan of your system may
be shortened. Thus, a cooling device eg. a fan or heatsink is a MUST to
prolong your processor's lifespan and reduce crashes.
As stated in the disclaimer, I am not responsible should you fry
your system after overclocking it. Be warned, YOU OVERCLOCK AT YOUR
OWN RISK.
Visit Gamesurge for more information on optimising your system:
http://www.gamesurge.com/tweaks/tweak_q3arena.shtml
http://www.nvnews.net/tweaks/quake3_tuneup.shtml
-Q3A Tune up/Tweak guide
http://members.xoom.com/HQH51/links.html
-HQH's links to several overclocking sites
Here are some overclocking links:
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/hawaiifrank/faq.html
http://www.hardedge.net/
http://www.agaweb.com/coolcpu/
http://members.xoom.com/celeron400/hardware/others/watercooling/water.htm
http://home.carolina.rr.com/poit/
http://www.sysopt.com/overc.html
[7.2.2]: Multiplayer
--------------------
[7.2.2.1]: Netgraph
```````````````````
[7.2.2.2]: Modem
```````````````````
Optimising internet connections:
-http://home.inreach.com/echevarr/html/history.htm
Registry tweaks for cable-modem users:
-http://www.speedguide.net
Tweaking guide for online gaming for modems/isdn:
-http://www.savageuk.com/faq.htm
Connection tweaks for Q3A:
-http://www.upsetchaps.com/quake3guide/AquaQuake3Guide.html
[7.2.2.3]: Rate
```````````````
[7.2.3]: Windows 9x
-------------------
[7.2.3.1]: Ctrl-Alt-Del
```````````````````````
Use this command and close everything (ESPECIALLY Find-Fast) except
"Explorer" and "Systray".
This is to free up system resources to speed up the game. If you
have MS Internet Explorer, turn off Active Desktop and revert back to Classic
Desktop. I recommend you set wallpaper to "none" as this takes up valuable
RAM too.
[7.2.3.2]: Defrag
`````````````````
Hard-drives store information in clusters on its platters. Over
time, the information may be broken up into different physical regions of
the drive and thus slow down disk access.
Make sure you defragment your hard-drive regularly (at least once
a month) to keep it uncluttered and in tip-top condition. Go to
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Disk Defragmenter.
[7.2.3.3]: Scandisk
```````````````````
Go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Scandisk. Be sure
to scan your hard-drive regularly to keep it free of errors.
A note: Make sure that you run ScanDisk prior to Disk Defragmenter.
From HQH's HL FAQ:
After loading ScanDisk, make sure you select the option
'Standard' under 'Type of Test'. Also, make sure you check every HDD
listed in the box. Now, click the button 'Advanced...' and enable the
following recommended options:
1. Display Summary: Always
2. Log File: No Log
3. Cross-Linked Files: Delete
4. Lost File Fragments: Free
5. Check Files For: Invalid File Names
Invalid Dates And Times
Duplicate Names
Run ScanDisk with those options enabled and fix any errors that
are given. Always delete cross-linked files, always free up lost file
fragments, and always fix invalid things. Most of these errors are useless
to bring them back, so do what's best for your HDD(s).
[7.2.3.4]: Swap File
````````````````````
Locating the swapfile on a different partition on the same physical
hard-drive as Windows will degrade overall system performance, and is not
a good idea.
The heads have to keep jumping from partition to partition every
time Windows reads/writes to the swap-this is very inefficient. Best option is
to locate the swapfile on a different physical HD than Windows (if you have 2+
HDs), or on the same partition as Windows if you only have 1 HD.
[7.3]: Updates
==============
[7.3.1]: Drivers
----------------
Very, very important. Get the latest drivers for your videocard,
soundcard, CD-ROM, modem etc. to squeeze the maximum performance from them.
Besides improving performance, new drivers usually fix problems present
in the drivers that shipped with your product.
[7.3.2]: PC
-----------
If you use Windows 9x, be sure to visit Windows Update Online at
http://windows.update.com to download the latest fixes and service packs.
Upgrading is dreaded by many PC owners. However, if you want Q3A
to fly on your system, you might have to make the occasional upgrade. Q3A
is a RAM hog and I recommend 128 MB to be the optimum. Processor-wise, the
faster the better, as always in id games :) Videocard-wise, a Voodoo2 is
considered as the bare minimum for playable framerates.
[7.3.3]: Quake 3 Arena
----------------------
Patches so far:
-Point Release Beta (7.1.2000)
-Point Release Beta 2 (12.1.2000)
-Point Release (13.1.2000)
===============================
CHAPTER [8]: INTERNET RESOURCES
===============================
[8.1]: Forums
=============
alt.games.quake3
-newsgroup for Quake 3 Arena
alt.binaries.games.quake
-newsgroup for Quake binary files
rec.games.computer.quake.editing
-newsgroup for Quake source editing
[8.2]: Utilities
================
-BSP Entity Extractor
http://www.inside3d.com/qip/
-Fightclub (Game launcher)
http://q3a.stomped.com/fightclub
-GameSpy (Lists and pings servers)
http://www.gamespy.com
-General Q3A Guides
http://www.upsetchaps.com/quake3guide/AquaQuake3Guide.html
http://www.barrysworld.com/guides/quake3/
http://www.gamespot.com/guides/q3a_gg/
http://q3a.stomped.com/site/index.html
-GLSetup (installs the latest GL drivers for your 3D card)
http://www.glsetup.com
-NewMod Utility v1.5.3 (mod compiling utility)
http://www.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?assimilation/newmod/newmod_1_5_3.zip
-MD3 Model Viewers
http://fragland.net/md3view
http://www.planetquake.com/thebind/scripts2.htm
http://www.q3arena.net/mentalvortex/md3view/
-MKLog (Q3A Statistics generating utility)
http://www.planetquake.com/killer/
-PingTool (Pings servers)
http://www.pingtool.com
-QuakeHelp (Web-site focused on Quake troubleshooting)
http://www.quakehelp.com/
-QRec v1.00 (automatic unlimited demo recorder)
http://www.zipworld.com.au/~otser
-Quake 3 Arena Wallpaper
http://www.quake3world.com/files/
-Servarena (Dedicated server launching front-end)
http://servarena.quake3world.com/
-Tutorials on skinning
http://www.planetquake.com/quake3/hosted/models_skins.shtml
http://www.clanbeowulf.org/chipskinning.htm
[8.3]: Web Sites
================
http://www.agqx.org/
-Website of alt.games.quake1/2/3
http://www.quake3arena.com/
-Official site of Quake 3 Arena
http://www.idsoftware.com/
-Producer of Quake 3 Arena
http://members.xoom.com/HQH51/index.htm
-Home of HQH's Half-Life FAQ
http://www.planetquake.com/
-Gigantic site covering Quake 1, 2 and 3
http://www.q3maps.com/
-Features a database of Q3A maps created to-date
http://www.quake3mods.net/
-All about modifications of Q3A!
http://www.quake3world.com/
-The site included in the Q3A Start menu.
http://qw3.gamedesign.net/
-QWorkshop 3, editing tutorials
http://www.tweak3d.net/
-Information on tweaking video cards, modems etc.
http://www.ve3d.net/3Fingers/
-3Fingers' site
====================
CHAPTER [9]: HISTORY
====================
11th December 1999 Beta Release
16th December 1999 First Release
3rd January 2000 Version 3.1.2000
10th January 2000 Version 10.1.2000
22th January 2000 Version 22.1.2000
Happy Fraggin'!!!
See you in AGQ3!
--
SilverStream [AGQx]
"Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
--George Bernard Shaw
Get the Quake 3 Arena FAQ at http://www.geocities.com/cqyyong/quake3.htm
