You can reach us on irc.enterthegame.com - Channel #wfa

Weapons Factory Arena

Frequently Asked Questions


Maintained By Naraka, FemmeFatale, DarkKnight, Squishy

 Official FAQ Version: 3.3

The latest version of this FAQ can be found on the WFA website at:
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-faq.shtml

Note: This FAQ is currently made for WFA, version 3.3.
When new versions of WFA are released, this FAQ will be updated accordingly.

YOU MUST HAVE Q3A VERSION 1.31 TO PLAY WEAPONS FACTORY ARENA!
Get the 1.31 patch here: Quake 1.31
NOTE: BOTS ARE UNSUPPORTED IN THIS VERSION OF WFA.

Big thanks go out the WFA Dev Team (Static, Avenger, Acrid, Solicitor, Hellbringer, Shadowspawn, etc.), people who helped out on IRC, and to everyone on The Forums that I stole most of the questions and answers from! My apologies if I didn't mention your name here, but you know who you are! ;)

Quick Search:

Table of Contents:

1.0 Introduction
This document contains the Frequently Asked Questions for the Quake III Arena modification Weapons Factory Arena by (c)Weapons Factory Software.

Included herein are many of the common issues and questions associated with the installation, setup, configuration and running of the mod. Also included are tweaks for performance and personal adjustments to gameplay, currently known bugs and missing components to the mod, dedicated server execution and other miscellaneous issues presently known in WFA.

The purpose of this document is to provide a source of answers for common questions concerning WFA that many people have raised on multiple occasions. One should read this entire FAQ before presenting a question to the Weapons Factory online forums or the development team. It is hoped that this FAQ will eliminate any of the typical issues new or returning players might have, making for an easy transition into playing WFA.

Suggestions for additions, amendments and errors in the FAQ should be immediately referred to any of the FAQ team members.

Read on, enjoy and get on with playing WFA!

1.1 A brief introduction to WFA

DarkKnight has been kind enough to put together an introductory session of WFA. He'll take you through joining a game, playing around with the weapons and menus and such, and teach you a few nuances of the game.

You can find the WFA Introduction here:
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-wfaintro.shtml

1.2 How to report bugs and errors not in this FAQ

First of all, if you get some kind of error, or you crash, take the time to do a little bit of research before you post on the forums or email one of the FAQ administrators. More than likely your problem has happened to someone else, and a solution has been posted.

Secondly, if there's some weird error you can't figure out, like WFA is just crashing back to the main menu, bring down the console and hit the PgUp key to scroll up and see what the error is. It's usually near some lines of *************'s. A common non-error is "Failed to load DLL's, looking for QVM's." This is common and NOT an error.

Finally, if you have some weird error that's not covered in the FAQ or anywhere else, post a message on the forums, under WF for Q3 - Support. Give some time for someone to respond, or you can hop onto IRC, at irc.enterthegame.com, and join #wfa or #wfahelp and ask a real person for help. There's usually someone about that might be able to help you.

Table of Contents

2.0 Setup

2.1 Where can I download WFA?

You can find all the files you need to download here:

http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/files-client.shtml

2.2 How do I install WFA?

If you downloaded the self-extracting EXE, Find and double-click on this file. An installer will open, allowing you to choose a location to install WFA. PLEASE SELECT THE DIRECTORY WHERE QUAKE 3 ARENA IS INSTALLED! This is usually C:\Program Files\Quake III Arena. If it is not, please select the appropriate directory.

If you downloaded the ZIP version, open this file using WinZip or some other utility.

For more detailed instructions on installing WFA, be sure to take a look here:
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-installation.shtml

2.3 How do I play WFA?

First, you should visit the WFA website and set up your config files. After you do that, you can either use the in-game browser (not really recommended) or you can use GameSpy. GameSpy can be downloaded at: http://www.gamespy.com/ Use the WFA GameSpy tab to find servers easier. This file, q3-wfa.qst, can be found in the WFA directory.

For more detailed instructions, please be sure to take a look at the WFA Handbook:
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-handbook.shtml

2.4 How do I make a desktop shortcut for WFA?

Create (or copy) a shortcut to 'normal' Quake3, then right-click it and select Properties. In the 'Target' box, have a line similar to:
E:\Games\Quake3\quake3.exe +set fs_game wfa

Table of Contents

3.0 Configs and Tweaks
WFA utilizes class-specific config files so you can bind common actions that only a certain class can use. You can get a head start on making these configs by using the WFA config generator, found here:

WFA Handbook and Config Generators

Click on each class, and then click on the 'create your own config' link (near the top) to bring up the config generator. Copy the output into your class-specific config (such as engineer.cfg or marine.cfg) in your quake3/wfa directory.

A complete command list and binding list can be found here:
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-controls.shtml

3.1 What's the push-on/push-off grapple alias?

set grp "+button5; set grpswitch vstr nogrp"
set nogrp "-button5; set grpswitch vstr grp"
set grpswitch "vstr grp"
bind "kp_ins" "vstr grpswitch"

Change "kp_ins" to whatever key you want your grapple to be.

3.2 How do I turn off the MegaChaingun smoke trail?

/set cg_showMegaTrail 0

3.3 How do I turn off the rocket trail?

/set cg_showrockettrail 0

3.4 How do I send sounds and text to my team?

The way to send sounds along with text has changed from Q2 WF. The wfteamplay command is now coded to accept a message. If you use a wfteamplay/say_team combination, you will experience a momentary lag.

The format of the new wfteamplay command is this:

WFTEAMPLAY <sound-dir>/<sound-file> <message>

Example:

bind "END" "wfteamplay gunner/o_flag.wav Enemy flag is ours for the taking! Assault teams GO GO GO!"

3.5 What's the story on the WFA .dll's?

WFA uses QVMs, or Quake Virtual Machines, for the code. These are essentially compressed programs that get extracted and compiled by Q3A when you run the game. One of the primary reasons for using these is because QVMs are cross-platform compatible, meaning the development team can issue one set of files for Windows, Macintosh, and Unix. The .dll's are Windows-only, but these are pre-compiled and hence, run faster and will give you a boost in framerate. These .dll's might become available in the near future, please keep an eye on the WFA main page.

3.6 What's the console command to show my framerate?

/cg_drawFps 1

You can also use 2, 3, or 4, depending on which corner you want the display to be.

3.7 What is the deal with the com_hunkmegs and com_zonemegs setting?

As a general rule, set your com_hunkmegs to your memory minus 32, or roughly 3/4 of your total memory. For instance, if you have 64 MB of memory, type (in your console) "/set com_hunkmegs 48". If you have 128 MB of memory, type "/set com_hunkmegs 96", and so forth. Using these settings might help stop drive trashing during gameplay. If you're still getting a lot of hard drive accesses, try running Defrag on your drives. Maximum is 255. com_zonemegs are used for running bots locally, and is ideally set to 24-32. If the bots halt on the system, like they get tired or go on strike, this is probably why.

'Ideal' com_hunkmegs settings:
64 MB : 56 or 48
96 MB : 64
128 MB : 96
256+ MB : 192

3.8 How do I make my name have pretty colors?

In your config (or in the console), you use ^# to change the color. Here's a complete color list:
^1 = red
^2 = green
^3 = yellow
^4 = blue
^5 = cyan
^6 = purple
^7 = white
^8 = black
^9 = red
^0 = black (NOT USED)

So as you can see, only the first 8 numbers are used. If you wanted to make a name like MMZ>Naraka, you would put in your config: '^1M^3M^2Z^7>^1N^7araka'.

3.9 How do I bind <xxx> command?

Visit the online config generator pages. They can be found at:
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-handbook.shtml

Copy and paste the output of these generators into a class-specific text file in your wfa/ directory, called .cfg (i.e. marine.cfg or engineer.cfg).

3.10 How do I stop the menu from appearing when I run up to my sentry or a Nurse Depot?

/cg_automenus 0

3.11 How do I make the Sniper Rifle zoom faster?

There are a number of commands associated with the sniper rifle.
cg_fov (default 90) - Your normal fov setting
cg_zoomfov (default 10) - This sets how far you zoom in. min 10
cg_zoomfast (default 0) - Set to 1 the sniper rifles altfire will use Q3 zoom.
cg_zoomspeed (default 195) - Sets the speed of the new zoom. min 50 max 200.

Some Info about zoom and the sniper rifle:

To use the new UT type zoom, you must have the Sniper Rifle as your current weapon and you must use a key bound to +button3 "altfire". You will not see the headshot/leg shot indicators with this. Note you may also fire the Sniper Rifle while the zoom is moving, also you may zoom to say 6x and then hit +zoom to move between 6x and 9x.

cg_zoomspeed is only used with the new UT zoom. The higher the number the slower the zoom will be. cg_zoomfast 1 or +zoom use Quake3's original speed.

cg_zoomfast 1 will allow you to use the regular crosshairs and zoom with the altfire button. You will see the headshot/legshot indicators. Basically this is the same as Quake3 +zoom, only its used with the altfire button and Sniper Rifle.

3.12 I just bought a new NVidia-based video card, but things seem REALLY dark. The 'brightness' slider in Q3A doesn't seem to work properly, and I've already cranked my monitor's brightness settings. What can I do?

You can either try tweaking the gamma settings in your Display control panel (if you installed the drivers with all the extra control panels, that is... you'll have to dig for them). Make sure you have updated your NVidia (Detonator) drivers to the most current ones, as they take care of this problem, as do the latest Quake 3 point releases.

Or you can try tweaking r_gamma in the console. Try r_gamma 1.0 at first, then try r_gamma 1.2, etc. until it starts changing. Sometimes it doesn't want to change.

Also, you can play with /r_intensity. The default is 1.0, but try 1.5 and see if it makes a difference.

Additionally, you can try this site: http://www.geforcefaq.com/#sw:gam:q3a:w2kdark

3.13 If someone is spamming msgs on the screen, Can i set WFA to ignore them like I did in Q2?

Yes, in console type \ignore .

3.14 What are the timings for the Borgs Plasma Bomb?

Times are 10 seconds, 25 seconds and 50 seconds, for the small, medium and long plasma bombs, respectively.

3.15 How do you bind a key to multiple commands? For example, bind "b" to build sentry and a radio command saying sentry active.

Yes, put semi=colons in between the commands. EX: bind "v" "plasmabomb short;wfteamplay Cyborg/cs_plasma.wav its a short bomb;say_team ^6Short Plasma Deployed, 10 secs Left^1" //place Short plasma.

3.16 How do I cycle through all weapons including grenades with the mouse wheel?

bind MWHEELUP "weapnext"
bind MWHEELDOWN "weapprev"

3.17 I was wondering if there are already made config files for weapons factory arena that I can download and just personalize on my own?

http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/help-handbook.shtml.

3.18 How do I play these taunts that everyone but me seems to play?

You have to first open up the file 'WFA-Taunts-Version-1.pk3' to see a list of the taunts, and pick one that you want to play. To play the taunt in-game, you have to bind it to a key, using a line similar to:

bind "c" "wfplay taunts/comeget.wav I love my taunts!"

3.19 I'm sick of people spamming these taunts... How do I ignore them?

You have several options. You can use the cvar cg_radiosettings to choose how you want to hear wav files.
if cg_radioSettings = 0, NO WAVES will be played at all by wfplay, wfteamplay, or the o/dradios.
if cg_radioSettings = 1, NO WAVES will be played at all by wfplay. All team radio sounds will be played as normal.
if cg_radioSettings = 2 (Default), ALL WAVES will be played.

You can also you the command /ignore <player#>, where <player#> can be determined by looking at the +scores. This will ignore ALL communication from that player, be it wavs or text.

3.20 Where can I find help with using the +/- aliasing?

From KT-

Aliases and +/- commands use different syntax. Don't make the mistake of confusing one with the other.

Aliases are begun with the word "alias". Note the position of the quotation marks and how the key is bound.

alias "<aliasname> <command;command;command;command>"
bind <key> "aliasname"

+/- commands begin with the word "set". Note the position of the + in the key bind. ALSO note that even though you used "set" in the command, you do NOT use "vstr" in the key bind.

set grentoss+ "weapon 5; wait 2; +attack"
set grentoss- "-attack; wait 2; weapon 3"
bind <key> "+grentoss"

I've tested both and as long as you stick to this format, your script should work properly. What everyone has been confused about all this time is the fact that the +/- commands use the word "set", and everyone is used to calling on a "set" command with a "vstr" bind.


3.21 Where can I find some tweaks for my connection to improve my ping?

You can try a couple sites:
http://guides.barrysworld.com/quake3/tweakingq3/
http://www.tweak3d.net/files/

3.22 What are the binds for the keypad?

The binds are: kp_home, kp_uparrow, kp_pgup, kp_leftarrow, kp_5, kp_rightarrow, kp_end, kp_downarrow, kp_pgdn, kp_ins, kp_del, kp_enter, kp_plus, , kp_minus, kp_star, and kp_slash.

3.23 In Q2WF, there were %L and %C, etc commands, to display location, health, armor, etc. in a text message. Is there anything similar in WFA?

Yes, in fact there is. You can use the following commands in your binds:
#A will substitute for your numerical Armor Value.
#H will substitute for your numerical Health Value.
#C will substitute for you class name.
   An example for a use for this would be as follows:
   wfteamplay #c/o_attack.wav Attack now!
   This will send "Attack Now!" and play a wave in the voice of your current class.
#T will display the time for detonation of your plasma bomb (cyborg only bind).
#S will display any statuses on your player.
   The Statuses shown by #S are:
   On Fire, Plagued, Cloaked, Disguised, Legshot, Kamikaze, Frozen, Have Flag, Drugs Active, and Sentrygun Active.

3.24 How do I do the taunt that the classes do when my team caps?

Bind a key to gesture.

3.25 How do I use the spy camera?

There are two commands you need for the camera, and one variable. The first is spycam. Bind a key to camera to place an alarm-shaped camera. This will also pop up a mini-view in your HUD of the camera's point of view. Then, you can bind a key to +adjcam to have the camera's FOV move with your own, for as long as you hold down that key. Thirdly, you can use the cvar cg_camfov to adjust how much the camera can 'see', from 0 to 180 degrees. The cam FOV operates in much the same manner as your regular FOV.

3.26 How can I make my lightning gun or flame thrower more accurate?

Use the cvar cg_trueLightning 0/1. This should help a little bit.

3.27 There's a really annoying nurse that keeps giving me the jump drug, which is ruining my game. Any way to stop this?

Sure, use the command allowJump 1/0 to stop the jump drug.

3.28 Whats this new WFA.exe and WFA.ini sitting in my quake III directory?

This is a command line launcher for starting up Quake III Arena. The ini file holds the command line startup parameters for it. If you wish to start up WFA with specific settings, there's the place to do it at.



Table of Contents

4.0 Game Issues and Errors

4.1 I'm getting a 'Protocol 67' error. How do I fix this?

Get the Q3A 1.31 patch.

4.2 I'm getting a 'User interface is version 4, expected version 3' (or something similar), what do I do?

Again, install the Q3A 1.31 patch.

4.3 I'm getting an 'unknown executable' error. How do I fix this?

Some people will tell you to reboot. While this may seem to fix the problem, it is not what's causing it. Unknown_executable happens when the server sends a message to authorize.quake3arena.com to authorize your CD-key and then authorize.quake3arena.com sends a message to YOU (Requsting your key) and never receives a response. This happens primarily for 3 reasons:

a) They are using a CD-key hack and in their windows host.sam file they have authorize.quake3arena.com set to resolve to 127.0.0.1 (localhost)

b) They have a virus that has altered their exe file.

or MOST LIKELY!!! ===>

c) They are having ISP trouble somewhere along the route between them and authorize.quake3arena.com that is PREVENTING their CD-Key authorization.

So when you reboot, what happens is that the route to authorize.quake3arena.com clears up and your client is authorized. You may want to try reconnecting, and see if this solves the problem. You can see what the client unknown to auth error really is about down below.

4.4 When loading up WFA, I get an error message saying: Couldn't load Default.cfg... I don't have a file of that type... What can I do to solve this?!

First: This is also an indication that you are running out of memory for WFA. What happens is that when you run out of memory, Q3 can't load pak0.pk3 (which is a huge ass file, like 140mb or something). And if it can't load it, it can't find certain things it wants, then reverts back to 'demo' mode. And the default.cfg is in the pak0.pk3, and if it couldn't load the pak0.pk3, it couldn't load default.cfg, which will boot you out.

Try changing your com_hunkmegs, dependent on how much memory you have. If you have 128, set it to 96. If you have 64, try 56, but if it doesn't work, you might need to buy more memory.

Second: Try reinstalling WFA, and if that doesn’t work, try reinstalling Q3A then WFA.

4.5 If I hit a command too many times, I get lagged out. How do I fix this?

If you issue a command too quickly, you will activate the flood protection on the server. You can either email the server admin to tell him to turn off the flood protection, or you can just not hit that button so fast!

4.6 My mousewheel on my Logitech mouse doesn't work. How do I fix this?

Go to the Logitech site and download the latest version of MouseWare. The binds for the wheel are MWHEELUP and MWHEELDOWN.

Also, setting the mouse wheel to No Scroll in the mouse menu should allow it to work properly in Quake3. The No Scroll option is located after the Scroll 6 Lines selection in the drop down list.

4.7 The thumb buttons on my Intellimouse Explorer (or other 5 button mouse) doesn't work in WFA. How do I fix this?

Go to your mouse setup in your control panel, and set the 4th and 5th buttons to a key on your keyboard (such as F12, perhaps). You can then bind a command to F12 in WFA, and use the button on your mouse to activate it.

I personally have a Intellimouse Explorer, and I have my two thumb buttons set to CTRL and ALT, and have in my configs things bound to CTRL and ALT. Yes, I can use either hand to hit the binds now. :)

4.8 I have a Mac and I'm having problems. Is there any help for me?

There is a Mac patch that might fix your problems. You can download it here:
http://www.fileplanet.com/index.asp?section=258&file=43175&download=1

You can also refer to this post by Squishy for some more Mac help.

4.9 I tried to play WFA on my own computer with bots, but they didn't want to join the game. Why not?

That's because bots are NOT supported in the WFA at this time. Our coders are working on the bot code, and we should see some working bots soon.

4.10 I use the in-game server browser to connect to WFA servers, but now none are showing up. How do I fix this?

That can happen for a number of reasons... first your ISP might be having trouble connecting to id's master server. If you know how to use ping, you can ping authorize.quake3arena.com to see if that is the trouble. If its not the trouble, you might have accidentally started searching for games based on the wrong criteria. To successfully find WFA games you need to make sure you have selected the WFA mod from the MOD menu and then make sure in the server browser you are searching on SERVER NAME and game type CAPTURE THE FLAG.... that should show you WFA servers. You can also use GameSpy with the GameSpy tab in the WFA directory, or try using the All-Seeing Eye.

You can also try a) set Show Empty Servers to on, b) set Show Full Servers to on, and/or c) set both to on.

4.11 The game stops at the "Awaiting Snapshot" screen. What do I do?

Well, there's a number of things you can try doing. First, make SURE (ABSOLUTELY SURE) that you have Q3A patched up to version 1.31. If you're not 100% *SURE* it is, then re-apply the patch. #1 cause of this problem.

Secondly, make sure you have both WFA installer files downloaded and extracted to the right place. If you're using the .EXE version of the installers, point them BOTH at /Quake3, NOT at /Quake3/wfa.

Next, check your com_hunkmegs setting. You can do this by typing "/com_hunkmegs" in the console. For 'best' results, set it at your RAM minus 32. For instance, if you have 64 MB of ram, set com_hunkmegs to 48. If you have 128 MB of ram, set it at 96. This might solve your problem.

If the game STILL isn't getting by the awaiting gamestate, then stop by in IRC in the channel #wfahelp. There might be a specific problem that is unique to your system. We'll try to help you out.

4.12 Why do I sometimes get sv_pure errors sometimes?

Thanks go to Solicitor for posting what the sv_pure process is:

  1. Client connects to server.
  2. Server compares the clients pk3s with its own.
  3. Any client pk3s the server doesn't have aren't loaded by the client.
  4. If any client pk3s crc differently to the equivalent server pk3s, the client is removed from the server.
  5. If the server has additional pk3s that the client doesn't have, and downloads are enabled on both, the server allows the client to download the additional pk3s. If downloads are not enabled, the server removes the client.

4.13 How do i get colored messagemode1 & 2 msgs to appear?

Bind T "messagemode2"^3

4.14 error msgGLW_StartOpenGL() - could not load OpenGL

Do you have a 3D accelerator card? Go and download the latest drivers for them.

4.15 I keep getting 'Invalid CD-Key' errors, even though I know I entered the correct CD-Key.

You can try moving the file 'q3key' (no extension) from baseq3/ to wfa/. If this doesn't work, try deleting the file 'q3config.cfg' and restart the game. Also be sure that you haven't accidentally mis-typed the CD-Key, mistaking a ZERO for an 'OH', or similar.

4.16 Someone is being annoying on the server. How do I get him kicked?

Use the console command /callvote kick <player#>.

You can also use /callteamvote <player#> to start a TEAM vote, to get someone kicked off your team.

4.17 When connecting to a pure server, I sometimes get caught in an endless connection loop, and it tries to download map files that I know I already have. What do I do?

This is known as the 'endless download loop,' and it's an id bug with the pure code. What happens is that the client wants to download a file, the server won't let it, then the client tries again to download the file, then the server again won't let it, and this goes on. What you need to do is set cg_allowdownload 0 in the console, and you should be all set.

4.18 What are the REF (referee) commands?

ref - Shows who the ref is
ref_password <pass> - Become ref
ref_pspass <pass> - Set server password
ref_map <mapname> - Change to
ref_nextmap <mapname> - Set next map in rotation
ref_observer <name, playerID, all> - Force player(s) to observer
ref_kick <name, playerID> - Kick player from server
ref_restartmap - Restart game (buggy, may crash server)
ref_matchtime <#> - Set Map Timelimit
ref_caplimit <#> - Set Map Caplimit
ref_timeout <on, off> - Timeout mode (freezes all play)
ref_matchmode <on, off> - Turn on matchmode
ref_leave - Give up ref status

4.19 Why has the recent anti-lag code not been added/used with WFA?

Due to the speed of WFA, using the anti-lag code would most likely hamper gameplay instead of aiding it. For many players, who are typically low pinging, the anti-lag code would make it seem as though impossible events were happening, such as being killed by someone out of their line of sight, while to the high pinging player, that other player would seem to be right near them. In other words, the high speed pace of WFA would preclude using anti-lag code.

4.20 Sometimes after a map change some players are invisible to me. How can I fix that?

Simply type in vid_restart at the console and that should solve the problem.

4.21 What happened to the marine's turret grenades?

The turrets were found to cause approximately as much CPU usage as a sentry gun and were removed to help increase server performance and lower lag in-game.

4.22 What is this client unknown to auth really mean?

If you get an "invalid_cdkey" message back from a server, that REALLY means that the authorize server has recieved your cdkey, decoded it, and found it to be BAD. Re-entering your cdkey should fix this problem. It does not ever give this message with good cdkeys.

If you get the message "client unknown to auth", this means that the authorize server has yet to hear from you (the player). Make sure you can ping authorize.quake3arena.com (type "ping authorize.quake3arena.com" from a command or ms-dos prompt). If you do not see "192.246.40.56" in the responses, then this is why you're not getting to play.

If you're playing behind a firewall or NAT router, ensure that the ports to the server, and the authorize server are open through your firewall or for your NAT IP address. Refer to your firewall or router manual, there should be a section for games in it. The authorize server runs on port 27952, most servers run on port 27960.

There's a lot of people using the same few cdkeys on Quake 3 right now. These keys will be added to the ban list. If you see "banned cdkey" when you try and connect to a server this is because your cdkey is in general distribution, and while it will not work that way (you will get a cdkey in use error)



Table of Contents

5.0 Server Issues

5.1 How do I start a WFA server?

quake3.exe +set fs_game wfa +set gametype 4 +exec wfa-server.cfg

quake3.exe +set fs_game wfa +set gametype 4 +exec wfa-server.cfg

5.2 How do I turn flood control off?

/seta sv_floodcontrol 0

5.3 I need help setting up a WFA server. Where can I go for help?

http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/server-docs/WFA-Win32-Server-Docs.htm (Win32)
http://wwww.planetquake.com/weaponsfactory/quake3/server-docs/WFA-Linux-Server-Docs.htm (*nix)

You can also try ShadowSpawn's server setup guides:
http://www.shadowspawn.net/content/game/quake/server-config.asp
http://www.shadowspawn.net/content/game/quake/server_setup.asp

For general server help, try:
http://www.planetquake.com/scarab/Server_Setup/More_Server_Help/body_more_server_help.html
http://www.deathcon.com/quake3/dedicated.html

5.4 In GameSpy, a server shows 20/22 spots taken, but when I try to join it tells me 'Server Full'. What does this mean?

This means that the server has 2 reserved spots, and you need a password to join one of those spots.

 

5.5 Why wont my server show up in Gamespy at all?

The master servers will not list a server that is run with +set dedicated 1, or constantly spams them by constant restarts. Give it time.

 

5.6 I have linux, god of all servers, why won't it work right?

You need to add +set vm_ui 2 +set vm_cgame 2 +set vm_game 2 to the command line parameters

 

5.7 Why won't my wfa-server.cfg work right?

You may need to delete your q3config.cfg after every server launch, as it reads and exec's it AFTER every other config. Don't go write-protecting your q3config either.

5.8 How much bandwidth does this monster use?

Approximately 3k/sec for each player, dependant on the 'rate' limit set. No, cable modems and dsl modems are not the greatest either. Sometimes even though you have a great upload cap, that doesn't mean that you can host a good, reliable, packet-lossless server. Things such as aggregation, routing issues, and other deficiencies with sub-tier 3 providers can make for a horrible host.

5.9 Why do I get constant GPF's or Dr. Watson's for my server?

Either you don't have enough memory, your config has been totally ganked, your files are corrupt or you have some missing, your system has other problems, or you are simply missing something out of the file system.

5.10 How much memory does my server need?

This is open to debate. Right now, the minimum we have launched with is 56mb in the hunk, and 16 in the zone. This may be expanded as high as you want. Different maps may demand different amounts, so with 64mb of ram running NT 4.0 stand-alone totally BARE BONES and configured correctly that means you may host a 16 player server with no bots and have barely enough room to spare. Won't be pretty under load, but will suffice. Linux is the same, it all depends on what other services are running at the time. You shouldn't see over a 30% utilization peaking anywhere with a stable server.

5.11 My server just sits there and says something about demoq3 and won't do anything else

You are probably missing a pak or two, or are trying to start a server with the demo files. Go over the file list or buy the game.

5.12 It stops and says that it can't load the default.cfg.

You are not running the exe in the same directory as the paks, or you are trying to run the demo files as a server.

5.13 I always get a variable 'latched', but it never seems to take no matter where I specify it, or I am getting cvar_overflow messages or cvar_pushevent errors.

You have write-protected the q3config. Unwrite protect it.

5.14 Where can I get a list of all server variables?

Two places. The first place it at http://www.shadowspawn.net/content/game/quake/server-config.asp which lists all the relevant ones to WFA and are the defaults used, and another way to do it is to launch the server and do the following: set logfile 1 (this creates a logfile called qconsole.log) and then type cvarlist. You will get a big dump of every variable that is set.

5.15 How do I get bots to run on my server?

You don't. You can try, but it won't work right. They are under development.

5.16 I have a router or are using NAT and noone can connect inside the firewall to it. Why's that? Some are getting 'client unknown to auth'!

NAT is tricky. The documentation for the reverse-NAT should be given to you with the equipment. Things like MSP, LynkSys, and others are very different and detailed when specifying which ports to bind to an address. Good place to start is to see how to bind a webserver first, then adapt that to Quake3. Remember that quake3 first sees the client's connection on the 'listen' port, then tries to connect the client on a subsequent 'qport', a UDP dynamically-assigned port that can be, well, anything within range. IF you are getting 'Client Unknown to AUTH' errors, this is probably why; the server can't get the client on an open 'qport'.

5.17 What are the minimum requirements to set a server up?

This is debateable. However, any socket 7 or 8 pentium-class processor over 200mhz with no idle load and sufficient memory will handle up to 20 players with 25% utilization. This means that your computer should be streamlined, fast, and not be running anything but what it needs to. Like everything else, the components make the whole. This means that PCI everything, no ISA, busmastering cards, the motherboard, the memory, the periphreals all make up the whole system. If you can play quake3 arena on it, it's probably good to run a server. You don't need a great video card either to run one, just no ISA cards.

5.18 I am a newbie! What tools are out there that exist to help me?

DLB has put together some toys at www.bobdev.com has a few administrative programs, as well as Aphex Twin's site http://runner.gameadmins.com makes setting up a server a snap. So check both places. If you want beta programs, jump in #irc.enterthegame.com and stop on in #wfa and ask around. Be patient, everyone is usually playing WFA anyway. Fragstats is the only good parser out there, but -whew- its a pain in the ass to set up for the first time.

5.19 How do I get my server to restart when it crashes and I am not around? Scheduling?

Easiest way is with cron for nix. I am not going to explain here, if you installed nix you should know what cron is.

2 ways with NT/W2K. The first is easy. The second is not. Both you should require Dr. Watson to not give any visual notification, turn off logging, and no dumping of debug symbols. drwtsn32 is it's name, fire it up at a cmd prompt.

1.) Thanks to Fluke of the infamous Dallas Servers:

Create a batch file called q3start.cmd and put this in there:

@echo off
:startgame
call "C:\Quake3\q3param.cmd"
echo ======================
echo Auto server restart on
date /t
echo at
time /t
echo ======================
rem NOTE: rem pause after testing
rem It prevents run-away looping
pause
goto startgame
:Loop
:End

Create a file called q3param.cmd and put this in there:

START /DC:\Quake3 /MIN /NORMAL /WAIT quake3.exe +set dedicated 2 +set fs_game wfa +set com_hunkmegs 56 +set com_zoneMegs 32 +set net_port 27960 +exec wfa-server.cfg

As you can see, the param has the command-line startups. Fire up the q3start.cmd and there ya go. If it ever dr.watsons, it'll restart.

2.) This is not easy but it gains loads of performance. http://www.shadowspawn.net/content/game/quake/wfa.htm not for the timid.

Either way on either OS you can specify jobs for each config, and have a totally different server configuration load up on a scheduler. This way you can rotate the server for different clans, and don't have to worry about anyone not unpasswording the server, plus you can rule the schedule with an iron fist and never need to talk to anyone.

5.20 I just fired up a server, and now I am getting thousands of ICMP recieves and UDP requests in my newly installed firewall software. Why are all these hackers trying to hack my machine? Is this normal?

When you fire up a server, you are firing up a service that will allow incoming connections. That is the definition of a server. It serves requests to clients. It also announces to the world (dedicated 2) that it is present and open to queries (ICMP) and connections (UDP). Before you even think of firing up a server, understand the basics of networking, how the internet actually functions (i.e.. the internet is not just something on the other side of that shiny new wall plate someone just installed last weekend, ooo... pretty colors!) Some people have fired up public game servers and complained to the ISP's that people were hacking them. In the logs that they sent, it showed the normal Quake3 protocol handshakes and queries. So please, use your brain. If you don't want to be connected to, don't fire up a server in the first place.

5.21 Why won't my server show up in the ingame browser?

The current ID master has only room for 2048 servers. If yours is last, it won't be in the database. Sorry, just be patient.

5.22 Why don't I have any class limits?

You need to make sure that you have a g_inifile variable that's supposed to be in the wfa-server.cfg pointing to the wfa-ini.cfg file.

5.23 Some people are complaining that my refs are showing up all over the scoreboard. What gives?

It's an ID bug from people using the sv_privateclients password on large servers.


Table of Contents

6.0 Miscellaneous

6.1 Nothing in this FAQ has helped. Where can I find additional help?

Well, you can always try the WFA forums (at http://forums.captured.com), or you can try us on IRC. Connect to the server irc.enterthegame.com, and join channels #wfa or #wfahelp. If no one's around in #wfahelp, stick around, someone will be by to assist.

6.2 HELP! I'm stuck in a jail on the map 2Castles, and I can't get out without killing myself!

Hehe, welcome to the Llama Cage. ;)

6.3 WFA won't let me record demos! It says something about a g_sycroniousClients or something!

If you want to record a demo on a server, you can do the following: first, type /g_sycronousClients 1 (you can get away with typing g_syn then hitting your tab key -- Q3 will 'auto-complete' the command for you). Then type /record demoname. Now, so you're not hit with constant lag, type /g_syncronousClients 0 (again, type g_syn then hit tab, I'm sure I've misspelled it). Then you can record as long as you want!! Be warned, the size of the demo file gets big really fast! :)

6.4 I have some demos recorded in earlier versions of WFA (.20, .30, 1.0, 2.1 etc.) but I can't play them. Help!

Well, currently WFA won't let you play older demos (and YES we know it says that in the readme). Apparently it works for a few people, but not for everyone, so I'm going to issue a blanket statement that says that WFA won't play older demos. What you can do is backup your current 1.1 WFA dir (rename it to WFA1-1 or similar), and then install the version of WFA that you want to watch your demo in. Place your demo in the wfa/demos directory (you'll have to create it).

iCEMAN (of PlanetIce.net) has been kind enough to host practically ALL of the older WFA files. You can find them at ftp://mirror.planetice.net/pub/. Just keep in mind you might have to install at .15, then upgrade upgrade upgrade until you hit the version your demo is in.

The order of installation is this: .15->.20->.21->.21 fix->.22->.30->1.0->1.1. 2.0 is considered a fully separate install, and there is **NO** upgrade path from 1.1 to 2.0. There is currently a patch to go from 2.0 to 2.1. There are also 'full' installs at various version levels, if you have the bandwidth to download all that.

As of this writing, 2.9 is a FULL install as well, and there is no upgrade path from 2.1. Finally, success has been noted for Q3A 1.29/1.30 demos (those with the extension .dm_66) of working fine in Q3A 1.31 by simply renaming the demo to have an extension .dm_67. You may have to manually start the demo from the command line to get the demo to start, as it may not show up in the demo list. Good luck!

6.5 Is Q3 dual processor capable?

Yes. Use the console command r_smp 1 to activate the multithreading.

6.6 Why is the sky blue?

PhaethonH offers up the reason why the sky is blue.

Table of Contents