-------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TOTALLY UNOFFICIAL QUAKE MODEM/MODEM FAQ V2.00 (Feb 17th/97) by: misery@mail.netshop.net -------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< READ ME FIRST!!! >=- Okay, let's get something straight - these are NOT definitive answers to the problems of Modem QUAKE. What this FAQ tries to do is provide a framework of knowledge from which to build your own answers for your particular problem. The 'facts' that this FAQ contains are true for me and me alone, completely dependant on my unique set of specifications, etc... If one thing is true about QUAKE Modem play, you can bet it is the inconsistency. When something does not behave in a reliable and provable manner, it is extremely difficult to break it down into hardcore facts. With that in mind, here's all the help I can currently give you on QUAKE Modem play. Keep in mind that I have written this FAQ in order for beginners to follow along, so please don't wince if I belate the painfully obvious... ;) *** NOTE: Please be aware that for ALL of the following information, I am writing from the viewpoint of my system, which is a P200 MMX 32M running VQuake (b.12) at 640x480 under Windows 95 and using a 33.6 USR Sportster Voice (not DSVD). Also, please note that while I use the gender 'he' in this document it only for purposes of easy writing, just watch the demos between KILLCREEK and ROMERO if you don't know what I am talking about!! -------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< CONTENTS >=- 1 - Overview 2 - How to Setup for W95 Dial-Up-Networking IPX 1-ON-1 QUAKE 3 - Quirks and Unknowns (IMPORTANT) 4 - Modem Setup: Error Control, Compression, etc... 5 - QUAKE Front Ends, Do They Work Around Problem?? 6 - Current Theories about Client/Server workings 7 - Absolute MUST Play 1-ON-1 QUAKE Levels 8 - QUAKE-C Patches and 1-ON-1 9 - The QUAKE 1-ON-1 Deathmatch Strategy Manual 10 - The Bottom Line! ------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< 1. OVERVIEW >=- I'm not going to ramble on here about the imperfections of QUAKE's Modem code, you already know it sucks. All the programmers at iD Software must have had their programming goals tainted by the use of T1 'Net access, and as a result they built an incredible game around a very lame client/server protocol. This is not a crime in itself, what is a crime is the wishy-washy way in which they implemented the code into the game, giving us dialog boxes for initialization strings that simply don't work, as well as a general fog of unknown surrounding the whole cause/effect of lag and packet control in general. Even ignoring the Client/Server lag, they should have written a driver for the modem play which was as foolproof as recent games such as Duke Nukem 3D or WarCraft II. Alas, they didn't, and we the masses must struggle to find our own individual ways around the problem. Personally, I have solved the riddle for myself and the small group of friends that I play with. Using W95's Dial-Up-Networking and an IPX protocol I am able to play as the Client with no noticable lag. This was after trying in vain every init string known to man for both my friend's modem as well as my own, and never successfully connecting in QUAKE's modem menus. To try and help my fellow Quakers I have slapped together this FAQ, which should help you as it did me. God knows I don't have all the answers, and every day I discover something more bizarre about QUAKE Modem play. Oh well, dig in and remember to take it all with a grain of salt... ** NOTE: Any information on QUAKE in general can be found in the oh-so comprehensive UNOFFICIAL QUAKE FAQ, which TOBY GOLDSTONE maintains. Go see his Web Site 'Impulse 1' to get it if you already don't... IMPULSE 1 : HTTP://EASYWEB.EASYNET.CO.UK/~INFERNO/IMPULSE1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -=< 2. Windows 95 Dial-Up-Networking IPX SETUP >=- This Setup assumes you have Windows95 installed on a real computer (P75+), a copy of Microsoft Plus! (or not, see below), and the ability to run QUAKE under W95 with no problems. Oh, you will also need the W95 CD itself, which may sound redundant but trust me it is not! Anyway, follow these steps to Setup for QUAKE IPX play... *[1.]* Both you AND your friend should install Microsoft Plus! on your computers. (Note: There is another way to get Plus!'s Dial-Up-Server capability, by downloading the ISDN Accelerator Pack for W95. You can get it at (www.microsoft.com/windows/software/isdn.htm) but remember, I haven't touched it so don't know anything about it. You will most likely need to install it, and then remove ISDN support) Although only one of you needs to be the server you may find the connection will only work one way, due to modern modem quirks. (For example, using the default settings my USR 33.6 Sportster/Voice just doesn't like answering the phone when my friend calls.) *[2.]* In your CONTROL PANEL, open the NETWORK Icon, which will land you viewing the CONFIGURATION tab. The main window of this, 'The following network components are installed', MUST contain the following items, for both you and your friend: - Client for Microsoft Windows - Dial-Up Adapter (you will have this already, I'm sure) - IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol - TCP/IP (not for Quake, but you will have this anyway) To install the Client for Microsoft Windows, (if you don't have it, of course) for example, click on the ADD button below this window. You will get a 'Select Network Component Type' and four choices listed below. for the client click on 'client' (duh) and then ADD, which will bring you to 'Select Network Client'. Simply choose 'Microsoft' on the left and 'Client for Microsoft Networks' on the right. At this point it will most likely ask you for the W95 CD. To add the IPX/SPX protocol, simply repeat the steps above but choose 'Protocol', 'Microsoft', and 'IPX, etc..'. After you have these items in your NETWORK menu, it will probably ask you to restart W95, and obviously you will have to in order for these changes to take effect. Underneath the 'Network Components' window and the ADD/REMOVE... buttons there is a window called 'PRIMARY NETWORK LOGON'. I have 'Client for Microsoft Networks' here and it doesn't effect my 'Net access. ** NOTE: When you install all this client stuff you will find that a few menus have been changed here and there, as well as the fact that the next time you fire up W95 it will ask for a password. Leave the password BLANK and it won't come up ever again, and as for the changes to the menus you can only alter them if you install the Microsoft Powertoys, which I highly recommend! *** SPECIAL NOTE *** Within the NETWORK Applet there is also a choice to setup FILE AND PRINTER SHARING, this of course allows you and others to link your computers just like any network and send/receive files, etc... If you choose to ENABLE this feature, be warned that unless you both have this set up perfectly you will not be able to hook up to play QUAKE, so I would suggest leaving it alone!! If you want to send things back and forth use a common terminal program, although there are hitches for QUAKE there too! (see Quirks) If you do enable File Sharing only to find it has screwed up your ability to connect, simply go in and disable the checkbox and everything should be right again. *[3.]* Both of you should then create a dial-up CONNECTION to each other. The easiest way to do this is to open MY COMPUTER, and then DIAL-UP-NETWORKING. Just MAKE NEW CONNECTION, and don't fill in anything but your first name and his phone number. Leave the password blank, and if you have to disable call-waiting or shut modem volume off do it for this individual dialler as well. While you are still in DIAL-UP-NETWORKING, click on the CONNECTIONS option in the menu. In the pull-down choose DIAL-UP SERVER. *ONE* of you, will have to be the Server (remember, this is just W95, not QUAKE yet), and therefore click on ALLOW CALLER ACCESS and then APPLY. In the COMMENT window the server should then see it change from IDLE to MONITORING. Remember, if you do not want W95 to answer the phone automatically later, you will have to click on NO CALLER ACCESS and then APPLY or OK. There is also a SERVER TYPE button in this window, make sure it says 'PPP: Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, Internet' (Ignore the compression checkbox here for now, more on that later) *TIP* Leave this 'DIAL-UP Server' window open, so when you are finished playing QUAKE you can quickly disable the server access in case your buddy needs to phone you. *[4.]* Okay, for this example your friend is going to call you. After 'allowing caller access' (you are talking on phone right now) you both agree on what/how you are going to play and then hang up your phones. Your friend will then double click on his Dialler that he made, and hit CONNECT. His Modem will phone yours, and yours should answer with no indication of anything going on other than the noise of your modem. On his he will see the same things he normally sees connecting to his 'Net Server. (If your computer will not answer the phone, either you have intialized your modem strangely beforehand or you are not using the right driver for your modem) After a moment your modems will be connected, (anywhere from 9600 to 28800) and as the W95 SERVER you will see the little animated modem icon appear in your tray along with the clock, speaker, etc... He will see the modem appear in his tray as well, and you are both ready to go! *[5.]* Even though in theory it makes no difference who will be the QUAKE SERVER after connecting through W95, it has been my experience that the person PHONED usually makes the better Q-Server. This is entirely subjective, of course, and you will have to try all combinations to find what works for you anyway. It does not make a difference who starts QUAKE first, and with my testing I have found no problems going to a W95 DOS prompt or starting from an Icon, etc... It also does not bother W95 if you crank up the idle and suspend the background during QUAKE, which you shouldn't need to do if you have closed any other active programs. *** IMPORTANT *** When I say close all other programs, I mean it. Certainly there are scads of things I'm sure you could leave running that wouldn't effect your gameplay, but why take the chance? However, it is a fact that simple little things like some Virus software and especially the OFFICE TASKBAR will absolutely *cripple* QUAKE, so make sure you shut everything off. I even shut my screensaver off, although this shouldn't be necessary unless you need to run a dedicated server. Anyway, whoever is going to be the QUAKE SERVER starts up Quake, (NOT Q95!!), with whatever switches and patches you are going to use of course. (If you have lots of RAM take advantage of it, throw in a -WINMEM switch with as much RAM as you can spare without shunting Windows to the HD too much...) The QUAKE SERVER starts the game and then chooses MULTIPLAYER, and NEW GAME. The next Menu is your DIRECT, MODEM, IPX, TCP menu, and IPX should be lit up for the first time. Choose IPX, and then from there you can pretty well choose the defaults and change what you want later from the console once your game has started. (Personally I like SV_MAXSPEED 450 and SV_AIM 1.00) Your friend starts QUAKE as well, and chooses MULTIPLAYER and JOIN GAME, and then IPX. Just go defaults from there on as well, the adresses and what not do NOT need to be touched. Choose SEARCH FOR QUAKE SERVER, and if the server is in their game the client should find it nearly instantly and be able to choose it and pop into the game. Note that it does not matter whether you search for server before the server is ready, at least the first time you connect each time you play. (see quirks) *[6.]* Once you are both in the game, you have won most of the War. >From here it is a matter of line noise, lag, gameplay, bandwidth, and reaction time, all of which I perceive to be seperate entities to the problem of QUAKE Modem play. First of all, you should start every game in DM4, because it makes an excellent benchmark for getting a 'feel' for the gameplay. The Server should change all the variables right away and at first the client should just run around the level a bit to see how things are. Remember, each time you connect over the phone you are getting a widely variable quality to your call, so sometimes a lot of grief can be saved by simply redialling. Either of you can pull the console down and type PING (bind it to 'p') to see what your ping time is. Connecting at 14.4 to my friend's P75 I get a ping that ranges from 100-135ms, but this has nothing to do with how good or bad my gameplay is. Of course, if the ping is over 250, you will notice a slow reaction time regardless of your line quality. There is a real gray zone as to how connect speed and compression, etc... affect pings in QUAKE, and there is a lot more work to be done on that topic. (For me, I get a much higher ping (180-240ms) when I connect with another friends 28.8 P166, so go figure!) In fact, some camps say that a lower connect speed is better in many cases, because of the way QUAKE delivers the packets to the client. As the client it comes right down to whether or not you feel right playing, whether it feels too unfair to be worth spending hours fragging each other relentlessly. You will find that when there are a lot of projectiles (close range rocket battles, nails, grenades, reaper-bots, etc...) that the lag will be at it's worst, although in my games I can achieve no noticable lag at all. There are several different ways in which lag, etc, can affect you. You may find that your video output is choppy, or that it takes sometimes up to a second for your keys to react in onscreen movement or shooting. If you are getting excessive packet losses you will find that keys may become 'stuck', or that certain sections of ground feel unusually slippery. If you and your friend shoot each other at the same time, your gun may jam and not fire at all, or fire long after you have lost your aim. You may be running along smooth as can be and suddenly freeze up completely, and get the dreaded 'phone jack' icon on your screen only to jerk back to normal seconds later. (By the way, that's a sure sign of bad line quality, if it happens more than once it would be prudent to redial). All I can tell you is what I know, namely that most of the time I connect to my friend's computer as a client and get a perfect game, and if I don't we just quit and redial. Usually you will notice right away if your connection is not up to snuff, and it seems once you get a good line it stays that way. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< QUIRKS & UNKNOWNS >=- Okay, using the above method I have found that reliable and lag-free games can be achieved with ease. There are, however, certain 'quirks' to IPX QUAKE play that will throw a monkey wrench into the whole works and basically stop the show. Also, there are a lot of simple 'unknowns' about the whole business that either cannot easily be tested or aren't even considered yet. Again, the following list applies to me alone, so you will definitely have different 'quirks' to your setup. I would think that for the most part, however, a lot of us will find these things to be true... - I own a P200 MMX 32M with a 3D-Blaster and a 33.6 USR voice (not DSVD) and my friend owns a P75 with a 1M crappo video card and an outdated Logicode 14.4 modem. For us, with no alterations of the default modem setup, I *MUST* phone him. He can phone me and we connect just fine (at 14.4, of course), but then the game is totally unplayable no matter what the server/clent setup is after that. - His P75 also *MUST* be the QUAKE server, which of course goes against all logic and iD's own knowledge of the subject. One would think that the faster computer would naturally make the better QUAKE server, especially since that computer is handling the screen drawing for both computers. However, I should also add that I am not the only one to live this curse. A lot of people have found that the slower computer MUST be the server, and all theories concerning screen res, etc, seem to fall apart when applied to this general rule of thumb. - Connecting at 14.4 with his P75 (ping 120-140), we can add 2 Reaper Bots to DM4 and still retain amazing playability. Once we add more than that, however, my end turns to total chop. NOTE: his computer does the same thing when he is playing single player, so obviously this is simply the fact that his processor is overloaded. HOWEVER!! Connecting at 28.8 to another friend's P166 (ping 150-200) allows us to throw bots all over the place, which suggests to me that ping and 'bandwidth' are two very different things. - Speaking of 'Ping', it certainly should NOT be the benchmark by which you compare how good your lag, gameplay, line quality, etc... is judged. Naturally if your Ping is over 225 or so you will notice a slight amount of lag no matter what the connect speed or line quality is, but other than that I would ignore Ping unless it is unnaturally high. (see ERROR CORRECTION for more info on that...) - Often it is obvious RIGHT AWAY that there is a 'bad connection', and if so it is well worth quitting Quake right to W95 and then DISCONNECTING, and trying again. Again, your ping may be great, but you will feel very slow reaction times to your movements as well as firing. Note that when you are standing still and looking around your 'looking' will never be impeded, simply because your computer can handle that without the server intervening. It is only forward, backward, strafe, and shooting that will be affected by reaction time lag. - The smaller the level you play in the better as far as choppiness goes, and levels with torches all over the walls (flickering light) really #@$* things up. Again, this is heavily dependant on the processor of the QUAKE server, because if he has chop then you will too regardless of the fact that you just sold your soul for the first P200 MMX on the block! ;) This is also why I suggest starting every game in DM4, because it is the best level I have seen for fast play and you need tight control to avoid falling into lava... - If you find that one person MUST phone the other, and that person has CALL WAITING, you are screwed if someone calls him during your game. You will know it when QUAKE crahes to W95 and you see a GENERAL IPX DRIVE FAILURE. If anyone knows how to temporarily disable it BEFORE receiving a call, let me know - the only solution is to play when no-one will call! Again, re-read the problem before you snort - disable it BEFORE receiving a call! (and yes, I know all about 70# and all that garbage...) ** NOTE: If you are connecting with a V.34 protocol modem then they will most likely ignore the call waiting 'beep', which you may also NOT want! - *** IMPORTANT *** If the server changes levels with MAP the client will get disconnected, but they can jump right back in without fuss (use CHANGELEVEL, by the way) BUT !!! BUT !!! BUT !!! If there is a crash on the client end (it happens) EVEN though you are still completely connected and W95 is undisturbed, it seems impossible to hook up the the server again, QUAKE simply says it cannot find server. In that case a redial seems the logical option. This is a strange problem that I have not yet fully plumbed, but again it is no big deal to disconnect and try again. You may find that you CAN hookup again after getting a QUAKE crash, and if so it would be prudent before-hand to decide how you will both respond to such an event. ** NOTE: I run VQuake and it doesn't like windows intervening once Quake has started. This MAY be the cause of the above. - Use WinCHAT to discuss things before/after/between games, it can be found on your W95 CD although you can do the same in QUAKE. Remember, you can chat back and forth while a game is paused, and even with only two players you should be able to hold diplomatic immunity if you park your face in a corner to type. (I'm still trying to get my REAPER BOTS to learn that, however) ** NOTE: If you DO want to use WinCHAT, it should be on your W95 CD, and isn't normally installed. Just find it on the CD and right-click and 'install' on the .INF to install it. - If the client joins games only to be stuck at full screen console (happens very often when trying to hook up straight modem/modem in Quake) it supposedly means the connection is too bad to accept. I have never seen this through IPX, however. If you do see it, it means your modems are connected at an extremely low baud rate, I would think. - Make sure you BOTH change SV_MAXSPEED 450 in console, sometimes when playing with Reaper and what not the client will not follow server automatically!! (Note: playing with REAPERS, you'll want to add bots and then change the speed for yourselves only. Don't update the bots! They cheat enough with their aim as it is!) ** NOTE: When not using BOTS, *real* servers set SV_AIM to 1.00, both so they can't be lazy aimers and so I can make them do the old West 'rocket dance' :) - For a lot of C Patches (REAPER, etc...) only the server needs to run it. However, it will not hurt to both run things, so skins, etc. look right. Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, where the client could muck things up by loading a patch, but it shouldn't cause serious problems and in fact using the REAPER BOT as an example the client can use it as a poor-man's multiskin!! (I love Optimus Prime) - For GODS SAKE, work out a system BEFORE you try things with Modems, as to who calls who and when if things screw up. There is nothing worse than confusion after a crash and modems answering automatically, etc... If even one of you has two phone lines, you can save a lot of headaches. This is all doubly important because often we play QUAKE very late at night, and with kids and multiple phones it becomes very important to know WHO is going to phone and WHEN. It's very easy to waste a lot of time otherwise, so work out a system and stick with it! - As I have already mentioned, close all programs in Windows 95, some in particular will tax your processor heavily during QUAKE and mess up your gameplay. I am extremely paranoid to this end, an close everything including my screen-saver. Also, if you are running with the bare-bones minimum of RAM, it's a good idea not to have a full-screen Wallpaper going because it sucks up a lot of memory too. - *** IMPORTANT *** We have found that using a program like QUICKLINK II before hooking up through Dial-Up-Networking screws up the modem's ability to answer the phone. Both of us rebooting fixed it, but especially since we keep the ringers on our phones shut off and the modem volume shut off as well it can be a real pain when you don't know why your connection isn't up and running. I would think that our terminal programs initialized our modems in such a way that they did not want to auto-answer, and you may find this isn't the case with yours. - You will notice after successfully hooking up via the IPX method that whenever you play QUAKE any other way afterwards, you will get an IPX failure error show up in the loading console. Ignore it, it's the same as yanking your joystick out and getting the 'in-read joystick error', and will not affect anything. - ??? UNKNOWNS ??? Okay, obviously there are a lot of unknowns. Right now the big one for me is error correction, compression, etc. Therefore, I have put my latest efforts into solving that problem, and you will find more information on it below. As for other unknowns, there are so many in general to consider with the server/client setup in QUAKE I cannot possibly know them much less go into them here. As soon as I have finished testing modem init stuff (error, compression, connect speeds...) I will move on to another subject. Until then, do your own testing, and let me know YOUR results! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< MODEM SETUP: ERROR CONTROL, COMPRESSION, ETC... >=- Although I am sure that one could build an entire FAQ around the questions concerning QUAKE modem setup, the fact is that no-one really knows what is going on. Of course, that doesn't stop a lot of people from CLAIMING they 'know' the answers, but take it all (including this FAQ, for God's sake!) with a skeptical attitude. From iD Software's viewpoint, one should treat your modem exactly as you did with DooM, and they go so far as to say that you should plug your initialization string from DooM right into the QUAKE modem menu. Of course, they also say that ATZ should make a fine string, so ignore them for the moment... Naturally after the three weeks one spent fine tuning their init. string for DooM they would think it would plug right into the menu for QUAKE, but alas since the menu is buggy to begin with it is a waste of time. Of course, using my IPX setup I at first thought that I wouldn't bother with init. strings at all, but after reading many 'expert' views on the subject I felt I had to at least give it a try. The theory is sound - turn off all your modem's error correction, flow control, and compression capabilities, and QUAKE should be able to run faster. After all, unlike your forays onto the 'Net where you are downloading mass amounts of information as fast as possible, QUAKE has a unique method of sending 'packets' of information about player location, etc., that may be hindered by the use of these protocols. Many people who have been lucky enough to get the modem menus within QUAKE working have found that faster isn't necessarily better, and I have seen MANY times where people claim that 19.2 is best for 28.8, 9600 best for 14.4, and so on. These people are hooking up either with fine tuned init. strings or with simple AT&F1, so it seems to be a universal quirk of QUAKE. I have read information that suggests that the way QUAKE sends packets demands a nice 'slow' connection, or else the packets start tripping over one another and lag/ping etc. suffers again. Once more I cannot stress that only YOU can decide what works best for you, so try every method until you are happy with the gameplay. Obviously I am not an expert on the matters of modem compression or QUAKE packet protocols, but what I CAN do is test various methods myself and report on the effects they have on gameplay, ping, etc... To do this I am entering INITIALIZATION STRINGS for MY modem before calling my friend (still using W95 DUN IPX, of course). To enter strings for your modem in W95, simply open the MODEM icon in the CONTROL PANEL and then click on the PROPERTIES tab (having highlighted your modem first, of course). In this window, ignore the information on the GENERAL tab and choose the CONNECTION tab, where you will see a button near the bottom labelled ADVANCED. Don't bother with the checkboxes for error control and flow control, simply find the AT commands for your modem and enter them down in the EXTRA SETTINGS box (eg: AT&F1). Then click on OK to make them take effect, remember that you do not need to restart W95 but when you want to access the 'NET go back and remove the AT string! (** NOTE: Some people install their modem twice, and then change settings for one to reflect their needs for QUAKE. This sounds great, I haven't tried it but if you do just be careful to keep track of which it which is which!) I am too lazy to present this information in any coherent scientific format so just make do with the following. It will give you an idea of what to expect in general, anyway. HOOKUP #1 - 28.8 (default) calling 14.4 (P75) - This is my default hookup, and using this I can play as the client with zero lag or loss of reaction. The Gameplay is truly excellent, and there is no choppiness (server processor problem) as long as we stay in a small(ish) level (in other words, no MOONBASE!) and keep the BOTS below 3. Excellent, and no excuses if I lose the game (rare!). PING stays nice and consistently 110-140. HOOKUP #2 - 28.8 (forced to 9600 with &N6) calling 14.4 (P75) - This was a test to see if simply downgrading the connection speed would change the gameplay at all, and it did. We connected at 9600 and the PING was definitely higher (160-220) and the reaction time was noticably worse, although things were still VERY playable. HOOKUP #3 - 28.8 (default) calling 28.8 (P166, 1M video) - We connect at 28.8, probably using V.34, and our PING is usually around 135-160. (Note that the PING is higher than my connection at 14.4 to my other friend's computer) Game is still very playable, with only a slight degradation in reaction time. Connecting at 28.8 allows us to play large/complex levels with relatively zero chop (although this could have a lot to do server processor) and we can also add more Bots. HOOKUP #4 - 28.8 (forced to 19.2 with &N10) calling 28.8 (P166, 1M Vid) - This was a surprise, the PING was a horrible 180-220 and the gameplay suffered in reaction time as a result. HOOKUP #5 - 28.8 (turned off all features) calling 28.8 (P166) - This was my first test at turning off error correction, compression and flow control. I used AT&F1&H0&I0&K0&M0S32=29 for my USR 33.6 and our CONNECT SPEED was 14.4, which was automatic. The PINGs were the lowest ever seen, 100-120, and very consistent in their range. The reaction time was excellent, and gameplay was great EXCEPT for the strange fact that the ground was extremely slippery. As an example we played DM4 and I went for a lava dip about fifteen times, usually I am unlucky enough to fall in maybe once or twice. Internet players will recognize the problem of 'slippery ground', although I have not seen this over my IPX connection unless the reaction time is bad as well. Overall I didn't care for this feeling of having to be very careful on any kind of walkway, and would rather take a bit of lag as a trade-off if necessary. There is also the issue of fallback, which is when high tech modems drop in speed 'on-the-fly' to maintain the best speed during the ups and down of phone line quality. This isn't the problem, the real problem is that a lot of newer modems take a long time to shift up in speed once quality is better. One can only guess when their modem is doing this, at least without logging complex S-Registers somehow. The good news is that I have found once you fine a good line it stays that way. Along with this question I also ask, does it matter what time of day I play? Indeed, I have found that often the first try works fine after ten at night. Does the load on the phone systems during day give you the lottery chance of being shunted to a poor line? This is only dangerous speculation, but consider how many factors may play a role in how your game is going to play. *** NOTE: Okay, this is all the testing I have done up to this point, and admittedly it could stand some more rigorous standards as well as every combination of separately turning off compression, error control, and flow control one at a time. These will be included in a future version of this FAQ, because I need the time to actually PLAY QUAKE you know!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< QUAKE FRONT ENDS, DO THEY WORK AROUND PROBLEM? >=- To clarify, when I say 'front ends' I am referring to the QUAKE DOS launchers that are capable of entering raw modem console commands right into the game, as well as performing other tasks such as managing your C Patches and all the switches you need for various setups. To date I have NOT personally tried these programs to hook up with QUAKE (other than single player), but from the literature packaged along with these programs they seem an intruiging alternative to W95/DUN/IPX. Basically they use QUAKE's own modem/modem code, but instead of entering the information through the menus they do it by plugging the information in through switches. For example: COM2 port 0x2F8 irq 3 baud 57600 modem startup AT&F1 enable Again, I have to stress I have not used any of these programs, both because I don't need to and for the fact that I am leery about anything claiming to work via QUAKE's modem code. On the other hand, the pros of such a program would be that you could run in old DOS, which for many people might yield a significant increase in f.p.s. within the game. ** NOTE: For myself as well as my friend with the P75, there is NO difference whatsoever running in DOS or W95, so it's not much of a benefit, is it? If you feel like trying out one of these Launchers, please let me know what the results are. Remember, hooking up should be easy, but the gameplay for the client is still the bottom line. QDM and QD091 are a couple of the best looking ones of these I have found, both have excellent documentation and must work for someone otherwise they wouldn't exist. ** NOTE: There are quite a few launchers that do the same except they are written primarily for INTERNET play, some of them do both so make sure you read everything thoroughly to make sure you have one that is right for you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< CURRENT THEORIES ABOUT SERVER/CLIENT WORKINGS >=- This section is mostly a lot of rambling about the unknowns of QUAKE server/clent workings, and I should stress again that I am not an expert in the field so all of this is simply my take. I still feel that an important discovery is waiting to be made on the subject that will make modem play an easy and understandable art, and there is always the chance that iD will humbly release some kind of patch that will allow QUAKE to run over a modem with a lot less screwing around. (That is, if it is possible.) A lot of work has been done by people trying to solve this riddle, and Mike Seaton (TheeDammed) has put a lot of effort into the W95 end of it with special concern for the network skeleton of Windows itself. He released a patch known as the 'DELAGGER PATCH' (which can be found under DELAGGER.ZIP on most ftp sites) which contains a lot of interesting information on that topic. It also patches certain versions of Windows 95 so that there is better streaming of info between the modem and the computer, a lot of people say that it has dropped their ping for Internet play by as much as 100ms. Look into it, I have not fully explored this end of things so I cannot comment other than to say that you should always be careful when messing with the Registry in Windows 95 (because you may have to do it manually). One curious thing in particular about QUAKE is the fact that the slower computer usually makes the better server, this goes against all logic and knowledge on the subject but there are theories as to why. Some people say that the screen resolution of either the server or the client will drastically affect ping and gameplay. Testing against a P166 as the server there was no change when HE upped or lowered his screen res., so that is all I can say on that. I have not yet tested whether the client changing his res affects things. My personal theory on the 'slower/server' problem is that the server expects the client to keep up with packet transfers, although I have no evidence to support this so take it as such. As I have previously mentioned, a lot of people have found that a lower connection speed will yield better gameplay. Supposedly QUAKE will overload a client with packets in some cases, my testing does not support this but if it works for you - great! Naturally one would assume that the faster the connection the better, but remember there are the factors of compression, error and flow control, etc. to consider. One thing is for sure, even though pretty well ALL modems being used today are basically 'Hayes compatible', QUAKE responds differently to each make and model with drastically different results. My friend with his P75 and Logicode 14.4 can hook up just fine with another guy's 28.8 P166 using the QUAKE modem menus and AT&F1 as an init string. My USR 33.6 refuses to answer the phone at all when we try it, but again the menus in QUAKE are buggy and shouldn't be trusted to accept an initialization string at face value. Just take a look across a big message board like stomped.com and you will see EVERYONE has the 'answer'. It seems to work a little differently for everyone. In theory one could build a database of 'proven' working connections, but again I do not believe all the factors would be taken into account. One thing is for sure, in all our testing QUAKE would hang our modems so often it was impossible to tell if you were starting from scratch or not each time, so real testing was simply out of the question. Also, personally I have a small base to test with, and no-one wants to spend hours trying strange things when just playing is a chore. There is also some talk on the stability of a connection, and you can tell this by repeatedly (bind a key to ping) checking your ping to see how widely it varies. If you are jumping from 130-200 then you will most likely notice irregular and unreliable reaction time, etc. I also am very curious about the SYS_TICRATE command, it determines the amount of packets per second that the server delivers to the client. Everyone and everything screams that this command can only be used by a DEDICATED server, although I have tried entering ridiculous numbers as a listen server and had bizarre responses, so... To do your own research into the subject, test things out with your friends and watch WEB message boards (stomped has a good one) as well as the USENET to read people's complaints and victories. Even though QUAKE has been out for ages now it seems no-one has pinned down exactly what is going on with the modem code problems, but we shouldn't give up hope that someone will. Again, if you have proof of something to do with this, please E-Mail it to me. The greatest discoveries are very often made by accident, and with QUAKE we need all the discoveries we can get! *** EXTREME NOTE *** On the subject of modems there is no better source of information than the NAVAS 28.8 MODEM FAQ, as the name suggest it deals primarily with 28.8 modems but all aspects of Windows and modem problems in general are dealt with. This is a MUST bookmark, and it can be found at: http://www.aimnet.com/~jnavas/modem/faq.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< ABSOLUTE *MUST* PLAY 1-ON-1 QUAKE LEVELS >=- The following is a list of the levels I play most often, which I feel are the absolute hands down best I have tried for 1-ON-1 QUAKE. As such most of them are small, which is also good so no-one has choppy gameplay. Also, they are all tested with REAPER BOTS, which can really spruce up a game and are great for playing 2-ON-2 teams with humans against the Bots. Note that I am only listing levels I have tried (duh!), so there are probably MANY out there I would add to this list if I played them. I have listed these in the general order of best to worst, although they are all kick-ass levels and if they were not I wouldn't play them! All of these levels will play very fast even with a 14.4 connection and low end servers. Also note that I label them as they appear on a hard drive (except iD levels, of course), which WEB pages should do so I don't keep downloading .BSP's I already have. - DM4 : Obvious, you say? Maybe, but this level has a unique 'upward spiral' configuration and an incredible overall design that makes it the top level I have played for any game. Someone who *really* knows this level can make it very difficult on another person (heh heh...). If you *really* want some action, toss in 15 skinned Reapers on skill 0 using DEATHMATCH 2, and jump into the mess with a smile! - MUNY05 : This is the best 3rd party level made so far for 1-ON-1 QUAKE, I play it DEATHMATCH 2 exclusively so it is extremely hard to dominate and the mix of weapons makes for very fair play. Like LEDGES for DooM, there are some incredibly well designed peek-holes that make it very hard to hide safely and the design of better weapons as you go further up makes me want to cry. Believe it or not, the double-barrel is the best weapon in this level. - MUNY01...04 : These are all great, all small, and all full of fast gameplay. After MUNY05 the levels become a little bigger and slow down, but these are all great to add Bots to and they offer nowhere to hide. - SDM1 : This level was obviously a worship of DM4 and incorporates a lot of new stuff as well as being a real challenge with Bots. The top floor has the red armour and the megahealth, so it is a real chore to take it once someone has settled in with a truckload of rockets. Big enough to play DEATHMATCH 1 in, as well. - DM6 : This is a great level, a little big for fast action 1-ON-1 but sometimes you like a good 'hunting' game now and then. Learn the teleports and you should do alright in this level, it has nice long hallways and is great for adding Bots to as well. - DEATHOLE : Can't lose blueprint here. One room, four walls, four teleports, cool four way bridge over lava, ledges above teleports... I don't need to go on, you already want to play it, right?! For sure a pattern runner's paradise, if I've ever seen one! - CHAMBER : One giant room with corridors around and nice teleports that let you step half a mile away in an instant. I've made kills in this level where a tear came to my eye, when I fired a rocket into an empty doorway 500 feet away... Neat lava grill floor, too, although it makes it choppy on low-end computers. - MOOG1 : This tiny level packs a lot of punch, with frenzied DEATHMATCH 2 battles that will always end lopsided and leave somebody mad. Basically a small arena with a walkway overhead and some neat 'rooms' on the sides. - TAINT000 : This is brand new, and very nicely laid out. Another homage to DM4 so you know it's good already. It's tiny, and there are many ways to surprise your friend with a rocket in the face. There's absolutely no health and no armour, which is how I would edit most of the Duke Nukem maps I played for true sportsmanship. I like to add 15 bots here as well for total Gibtastic mayhem. - WARZONE : If you can play it smoothly, it makes a great arena with total long range bombing. Huge square with three levels (think stadium huge) and great weapons layout. - BASIN : This level is one of the very few I play with water that works, and it is tiny enough that there is constant action. Play DEATHMATCH 2 for sure, so no-one can dominate the weapons. Dare you get on the elevator? - ARMA1 : A tear inducing level with a nice layout and a few tricks. There are also these wooden beams criss-crossing above that make for scary forays into the dark. - BLUE : One thing is for sure, this level is definitely blue. It's a big rambling effort that has scarce weaponry, but plays nice for a desperate hunter/hunted match once in a while... - HELLHOLE : Awesome playground arena that has a lot of tricky jumps to get the armour and top weapons. Play DEATHMATCH 2, and watch the shotgun suddenly shine through. - SGC7 : This is the level we play when we want to drop each other in lava or let loose with volleys of nails. I don't know half the tricks in this level and it's still fun. It also makes a rockin' Deathmatch! - WIZTOWER : I like this level, it has a fun layout and some cool tricks. Unfortunately, Reaper Bots really like this level as well. - START : Yes, the entrance hallway makes a great Deathmatch level for two, and this is the place where you MUST add 15 Reaper Bots to your single game and watch Gibfest '97 take place. (DEATHMATCH 2, of course) Play one skill 3 Bot here to hone QUAKE skills the hard way... ** OTHER LEVELS I PLAY *** DCDM3, DEATHIC, DIME, HERO#1, KNDYFORG, LEDGES, MITH01, MARTIM5, MANSON1, MAGNIWAR, MOSH, NIGHT, PPDM1, STUNTED, TAINT1, UNDER, UNDRWRLD, WINDP, WIZTOWER, ZAILKEEP, BAAAAD, DAKYNE, REZNOR, DARKSTON ** EYE-CANDY LEVELS TO SEE ** - GIGGLER3, GIGGLER4, DAKYNE, MOONBASE, PLACEBO, OBIWAN (all of these are huge levels, naturally) ** SPECIAL MENTION ** - WOOD : Get it, and enjoy what modern level editors are capable of! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< QUAKE C-PATCHES AND 1-ON-1 >=- QUAKE C Patches are God's little joke on console players, allowing us to endlessly customize our game in ways that would have been unimaginable mere years ago. Basically there are a billion or so out there, but some brave souls have taken the time (bless them!) to compile scads upon scads of separate C Patches into one and release them as manna upon us, the groveling masses. Also, Bots are the biggest thing in games to ever happen in my opinion, and I'm sure everyone agrees that the future 3D action titles out there will have them whether they like it or not. For 1-ON-1 Deathmatch you can choose to add free for all Bots to your game or play as a team against them, which is especially satisfying when you help your bud out of a pinch. Using the Mega Patches you can alter the game so radically it sometimes becomes too confusing, so it is prudent to take them in 'little bites'. The absolute hottest patches are, of course: - REAPER BOT : This Bot is a bastard on anything but Skill 0, and learns the level as it goes. Basically they are a pattern-runner with perfect aim, and perfect 'awareness' as well. Their most vicious aspect, however, is their total lack of mercy - they go for the throat, period. Toss on some cool skins (RPSKN_LP is the best) and add a whack to any level with DEATHMATCH 2 for a totally mental Gibfest. My upcoming WEB Page (ETA March 1st / '97) will dedicate a major section to Reaper Bots, and all the fun you can have with them. (E-Mail me to send you the URL when it is up.) - KILLER QUAKE PATCH : This Patch has it all, and too much for it's own good. There is so much in this Patch you will never use half of it, so get it for sure. My God, it starts with CUJO the personal attack dog and adds about a zillion awesome new weapons (new graphics, sound, etc...) and some truly bizarre things like bananna peels and homing gibbed heads. It has the biggest thing to happen to QUAKE, the grappling hook, along with the newest .MDL for it. It has the best chasecam, along with a lazer sight and of course the guided missile. There are personal teleporters, shields, orbs, decoys, backpack tricks, and more, more, more... As you can probably tell, since any one of these Patches changes the game dramatically it can be a little overwhelming to try and play with. I bound about twenty keys and went at it a few times with this Patch, and found that you would have to agree on limits beforehand. Also, some of the things included like a personal teleporter are just plain cheating, so agree on a few aspects of the patch and try them a little at a time. *** NOTE: The next version of this Patch, due out soon, will include the ZEUS Bot. This Bot is %99 as good as the Reaper Bot and the creator isn't so paranoid about his source code, so we are all blessed. - REQUIM PATCH : The newest version (1.07) of this patch is the only other Mega Patch I play, and it is different enough than the Killer Patch to make it as good if not better. It incorporates the 'Capture The Flag' (CTF) code as well as some rockin' new weapons. The guided missile is very nicely done and a fresh alternative to the norm. The CTF stuff includes RUNES dropped around the level, which make you shoot twice as fast, do twice damage, take half damage, etc... There are also keycards dropped around the level that give you incredible new weapons (the Pulverizer and Haste Rune are a verrrry deadly combination) as well as cloaking devices and regeneration abilities. This Patch also includes it's own BOT, which will definitely have you for lunch the odd time on the higher skills. Oh, and naturally this Patch has the grappling hook as well, and even has it's own kickin' version of the Airgun which works exactly the same. You will only bind a little here and there, and the Bot will shock you when it zips up and away with the hook... - QCLEAN : Not a C-Patch, but a program that takes your -CONDEBUG log file and makes a statistical analysis of your game from it. You can learn who killed who and when, and with what weapon. The output is even an .HTML file, and you would be amazed at the information one can learn from this. There are a few programs that do this, I use this one both because it does everything I need and is smaller than the rest! *** Other QUAKE Patches you MUST check out: (make sure to get newest) - AIRCRAFT : Need I say more? Can you say Descent/QUAKE?? - MECH2 : Jump into a fully modelled Mech, and raise #%*@'n Hell! - FINAL vs. FANTASY : Lot's of classes and weapons, cool balance. - MORPH : Become any of the Monsters in Quake - scary stuff... - SEVERED : Limbs go flying, hilarity ensue. - MULTISKIN : Choose awesome and bizarre top quality skins. Cooool... - FOOTSTEPS : Why hasn't someone thrown this into a Mega-Patch? - OPERATION BAY SHIELD : Just one of many QUAKE movies. Full voice, etc., you must get if you don't know! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< THE QUAKE 1-ON-1 DEATHMATCH STRATEGY MANUAL >=- Naturally one could fill an entire book on the subject of Deathmatch strategies, but in the case of playing 1-ON-1 there are simple guidelines to keep your frag count higher than the other guy's. How you do in QUAKE is dependant upon three things, namely your skills at maneuvering the player, your strategies for killing him before he kills you, and your knowledge of the level itself. As for your skills, there's not much help I can give you other than to say that you should fine tune your keyboard and mouse controls until you never have to look away from the screen to change weapons or use your favourite aliases. Personally I use my 3-button Logitech mouse in my left hand (although I can in my right as well, heh heh...) and my mouse sensitivity is set to 45 (simply choose SENSITIVITY ## to do this, menu choice is very limited). Generally when I am playing alone I set my SV_MAXSPEED to 500, so that when I play over the modem at 450 things seem a little slow and my control is all that much more graceful. Also, you MUST have an MLOOK toggle alias setup, so that you can both have complete control of looking around when you want it as well as locked view when in a desperate firefight on even ground. Again, make sure that your MLOOK toggle is easy to grab (CTRL with my thumb for me). As for general skill at QUAKE itself, play against REAPER BOTS when you can't play friends and don't be afraid to try new things. Also, downloading DEMOS gives you a chance to view other people's methods of gameplay, and humbles you to the level of play that exists out there. There is also the knowledge of the level itself, which can swing the game one way or another no matter how good either player is. In a level like DM4 knowing the level explicitly can make a so-so player beat the pants off of someone who has much higher skills with the keyboard and mouse. As for strategy, that is a whole world unto itself. Playing against one other person gives you the safety of often knowing your back is safe (if you are in a 'checked out' dead end) as well as making sure no-one will give you a rocket propelled enema while you are busy chasing or fighting your friend. There are several different 'styles' of gameplay one can employ in any deathmatch game, and they can be broken down to their simplest base description as thus: - BERSERKER: The berserker grabs the biggest weapon he can find, and then finds his opponent and opens fire. He will not hide, he is always moving, and will die rather than back out of a firefight. As far as raw strategies go you can do worse, it takes a delicate and careful style to overcome a berserker with good aiming skills and knowledge of the level. - LURKER: The lurker often finds a good weapon and armour, then looks for a good spot to wait for his opponent to run by unaware. Lurkers most often shoot their opponents in the back, and they are not above camping if it works for them again and again. They also tend to lack crucial fire-fight skills, and panic when under fire. Cowards, but dangerous. - PATTERN RUNNER: This is the category I fall into, with a streak of berserker as well. A pattern runner knows a level down to the bone, and won't fight unless they are as close to 200 health and 200 armour as possible. With decent skills they are the deadliest of opponents, and the only chink in their armour is the fact that they never stop moving and therefore run right by cowardly lurkers who then proceed to empty a gun into their back. If a pattern runner is on the losing end of a fight, they will run for health and armour rather than die. Also, pattern runners are very stubborn about running the same patterns over and over again, so once you learn it you can ambush them with relative ease... Okay, you know that the best player is one that incorporates some of the best of the above styles of play. As a pattern runner I will do the same thing over and over again until it stops working, and then change strategies to thwart my opponent. Suddenly changing into a lurker will always give you one quick kill, when your opponent is not expecting you to be standing still in a dark corner. The bottom line on strategy is to keep the other guy guessing, and to never panic no matter how bad the odds. Other things to keep in mind are, in no particular order... - When you die you drop your pack with everything in it, make sure if your opponent hasn't grabbed it you do! It will disappear in two minutes, which is plenty of time for someone to get a bonus supply of rockets, etc. - Listen for the sounds the other player is making. In a level like DM4 you should be able to tell EXACTLY where they are simply by a few sounds in a row, and especially if you hear them grab an object that there is only one of (ie: megahealth). - A real anally-retentive pattern runner would keep track of the time when things like Quad-damage, Ring of Shadows, etc... were taken, and then conveniently be there exactly when they re-appear. To me this is taking things a step TOO far, but it certainly isn't cheating. - The bane of all pattern runners is DEATHMATCH 2, where you can only grab a weapon once and the armour and health is gone forever once someone takes it. This is a real test of a player's skill, and stops a better player from hoarding all the ammo and armour in a level. The best level for this is MUNY05, where playing DEATHMATCH 2 makes for the most intense action you can get. (**NOTE: Like a lot of variables within the game, DEATHMATCH 2 will not take effect until you change levels or RESTART) - *** MOST IMPORTANT *** Don't play during the day, if you can help it, and make sure all the lights in your room are shut off. I am such a freak about this rule that I have a small candle with which to read complex bind commands, and don't play at all unless the sun has gone down. I sit with my face about 12 inches from my 17 inch monitor, as well! (Speaking of which, it is very important to maintain a good posture while playing QUAKE or any other game for hours on end. Keep a rolled up towel against your lower back and try to keep your body relaxed, especially your mouse arm and hand. One can seriously screw up their back and neck if you don't learn to relax, and breathing can become unimportant while playing an intense game as well, so take a second to relax whenever you have a 'safe' second in the game) - The lightning gun is the most difficult weapon in QUAKE to use correctly, but in the right circumstances it will kill an opponent very quickly. Don't hold it down, but rather pulse it a bit at a time, and use it in very close quarters instead of the rocket launcher. With Quad damage you barely have to nick a player to kill him. - A nice trick is to shoot a player with a shotgun (for example) and then when he is chasing you switch to the rocket launcher and unload it into his face. This will work very often, if you have the guts! - When you have 200/200 and the rocket launcher don't waste time trying to be fancy, simply wade into whatever firepower he has and let loose. You are just about guaranteed to come out on top. - Shooting a rocket or similar weapon into the air and then disappearing into a teleport often gives you the opportunity to sneak up behind a nosy opponent. This one works especially well 1-ON-1. - Don't be afraid to try new tactics, often when I am playing a total weiner they will kill me unexpectedly and cause me to rethink my whole style of play. Often the weird pays off well, although usually only once. :) - The double-barrel shotgun is a strange weapon in QUAKE, from further away than 15 feet it is relatively useless and close up you never think to use it. In a level where weapons are scarce and especially in any level you play DEATHMATCH 2, it is the surprise weapon of choice especially since packs are always full of shells. - The rocket has different kinds of damage, and can do more damage through a local 'splash' (against a nearby wall or floor) than a direct hit. Obviously a direct hit is usually preferred, but if your server isn't a wimp he should run SV_AIM 1.00 so that you can shoot the floor at his feet. Try and dodge those! - A rule of thumb I employ is that I don't mind dying along with my opponent, so in a surprise hallway meeting don't be afraid to let loose with the rocket even though it will kill you too. - If your opponent likes to wait passively for you to come roaring around the corner, change your tactic and strafe into view around a corner for a second to make sure the coast is clear. He will waste ammo, you will know where he is, and the better player will triumph. - As silly as it sounds, lead a moving target when you are using a 'slow' weapon. This is extremely important with the nailguns, because although they do a lot of damage it is rare that you hit the guy when he is further than 25-30 feet away and moving. With a rocket, there is nothing more satisfying than gibbing a guy when you fired into nothing but empty space. - As scary a prospect as it sounds, learn to telefrag your buddy if you can get the timing down pat. The wimpy way to do this is to chase him into one and hope he stands still for a second, but real men dive through a two-way and then pop back through again at the perfect time. Try it, but be careful... - Learn to get anywhere you want to go in a level by moving backwards, lava be damned. Never get shot in the back if you can help it, and always run away from someone unloading your weapon as you go. - This one is deathly *IMPORTANT*. When playing DEATHMATCH 2 you will not automatically switch to the best weapon when you grab a pack, so make sure to bind a key to the rocket (or whatever) so you can grab it everytime you pick up a pack. This will really confuse you when you can't pick up a weapon because you've had it for the past five minutes and not known it! - Power players use aliases that give them the edge in combat, these aren't usually powerful enough to really turn the tide but an automatic rocket jumping key and a sniper setup really adds fun to the game anyway. Personally I have a sh*tload of keys bound to everything from wide-angle to camera modes, as well as two lists of things to say to my opponents with a couple of keys. You can go all out with bizarre auto weapon choosing systems and more, but keep it to things you will actually use. *** I could go on and on, but this gives you some of the basics (most of which you already know). For more info on tactics go find the DEATHMATCH WEENIES STRATEGY WEB PAGE, which is chock full of stuff on the topic (including ideas that some would consider 'cheating' like typing KILL to respawn without anyone getting a frag. Like camping, I say all the power to you - the better player will always come out on top! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -=< THE BOTTOM LINE >=- Hopefully this FAQ will provide you with the answers you need to play a solid game of QUAKE with your buddy over the modem. If not, you either can't follow instructions or you have a problem so unique only God knows how to solve it. There are a few things to consider even if you do get a good game up and running, however, in an effort to make for fair and equal gameplay. It would be best if both you AND your friend were able to be the server with good gameplay for the client, as this would provide truer scores and therefore untainted bragging rights. Alas, I fear this will not be the case in most instances, so hopefully the better player will have no choice but to be the client. On that same note, if you are introducing someone new to QUAKE, please go through the trouble of running with them as the server. This may sound a monumental task, but it is the only fair way to play. I have set up a system by which to do this, namely giving the other player console commands to enter through simple rules (ie: say GO CHANGELEVEL DM4). Again, I stress that you must do this, because even the slightest amount of lag will cause a poor newbie to give up with frustration when the better player is dancing around like a fool. Also, if you are the better player and the client as well, then you can sleep well knowing that the man-beating you gave someone is a true score and not the vile offal of an unfair advantage. On the same note, if you start losing as the client, don't whine about lag unless it is worse than your standard fare. Lag is not an excuse, some people can master the art of prediction and walk all over a lag-free player even with a terrible ping. Remember that it is crucially important to try every combination of caller/callee and server/client, until the client is happy with their gameplay. My testing stopped dead once I used IPX, because I was able to play a completely lag-free game and had no excuses or complaints. Any testing I do now is for the general public, not to better my own game. Do your own testing, try radical and bizarre methods and if you find something that works please E-Mail me with the specs. Until the release of QUAKE II or UNREAL (both of which better have more advanced client/server protocols, grrrr....) we must forge ahead with our research. Until then, I believe this FAQ fills an important niche. You will not find a similar FAQ for Duke Nukem, simply because there was no problem with the modem play. Let's pray that this is the last big game that such a FAQ necessitates, and that programmers learn to transfer information over modems and the Internet with much more efficient protocols. Again, E-Mail me with either discoveries on this subject or questions you think only I can help with. If information I provide here is wrong, I certainly wouldn't mind knowing. I will try to respond to all. - FUTURE of FAQ : This should already be an .HTML FAQ, and when it hit my Web Page in a couple of weeks it will be! I would also like to start building a database of proven modem/modem hookups, if such a thing could even exist. - THANKS TO : Stalker and DarkWing, two friends who put up with my continuous suggestions to 'try something weird'. I should thank them for letting me kick their asses, as well (heh heh). - WATCH FOR : My Web Page, 'THE PADDED CELL', which will deal with this problem and gobs of other stuff, with a special consideration to all the fun you can have with Reaper Bots! I don't have URL yet, but if you E-Mail me to ask I will send it to you by March. misery@mail.netshop.net ** NEW INFORMATION ALERT *** Okay, just in the last couple of days I have tinkered methodically with an initialization string to make a 28.8 connection work as good as my 14.4. I finally broke it down just today (Feb. 22nd) and discovered the answer... Using my W95/DUN/IPX method of hooking up, with me as both the W95 CALLER and the Quake CLIENT, with a 33.6 USR Sportster Voice (not DSVD), I managed to get consistent pings in the 100-120 range. Incredible, and that's connecting at 28.8. The string I used, (see FAQ on where to enter in W95) was AT&M0&K0. Broken down, (&M0) turns off ERROR CONTROL, and (&K0) disables DATA COMPRESSION. You will note that I am not shutting off anything else, my total-shutdown string caused pings in the 200's and connected at a max of 14.4. I hope this helps you, the modem I am calling is a generic but full-featured 28.8. It shouldn't matter what your friend's modem is, it is the CALLER's init. string that dictates things. Also, there are a couple of mistakes in v2 of my FAQ, I'm sure you spotted them already but here's what I know thus far... Bug #1 - Client for Microsoft NETWORKS, not WINDOWS (duh, wake up eh?) Bug #2 - FUTURE vs. FANTASY, (not final!!) C-Patch -------------------------- Also, there's a third way to get dial-up-server support, On the Windows95 CD-ROM, in the WIN95_06.CAB file (Win95-directory) there's a file called 'rnaserv.dll'. Just extract it with the 'extract.exe' (same dir.) - or using the Cabviewer included in the MS-Powertoys - and put it in your system-directory. Maybe rebooting is required, but afterwards you can use the DialUp Server! (p.s. credit goes to Markus.Lirnberger@Wien.At for that Hot Tip! ---------------------------- Hope this stuff helps... > misc. ramblings < - It now appears that only MY game and computer crash when disconnected by a call-waiting signal or the like. This is most likely because W95 wants to pop up a little window to tell you and VQuake doesn't like to be interrupted. Actually, I believe using VESA 2.0 mode is what causes W95 to crash, no matter what game you are playing. - This may only apply to me, but I would think others will find the following to be true for them as well. When I am connecting as the server as the client and I want to quit and change something, etc... it seems that it is vitally important that the SERVER quits his game of Quake as well (still connected, of course). Again, the problem is that I cannot re-connect to a game that I have quit from, without that game quitting as well. (ED: remember, this is true for me alone, blah blah blah...) - I have had a lot of E-Mail from people saying they can connect fine, and initially start with a good ping (100-160 range, I am hearing) but then suffer horrible 'blips' of lag in the 2000-20,000 range (!!!) and even completely dropping the signal. Initially I could offer no help on this problem, because I had never faced it. However, I have recently tried a new way to play, and encountered the problem immediately and exactly as described. The reason? I was the server, with my P200 MMx 3DB against a P166 1M Video as the client. Initially we would start playing with a good ping, (~140, compared to 100-120 me as client) but then horrible freez-ups would happen on his end. Pounding a key bound to 'ping' I saw extreme dips into the 20,000 range, and then up to 2000 and staying there for up to ten seconds at a time. We both quit to W95/DOS, and started again with him as the server. It played fine, naturally, but mysteriously broke suddenly after an hour of play. This leads me to several conclusions, which you can read below... - Once again it seems that the faster computer has trouble being the server, no matter what the connect speed. Who knows if this is the case in every situation, but even disregarding line noise it seems I play a more consistent game as the client to slower computers with crappy 1M video cards. - I now conclude that line noise is a major factor in modem/modem play. Both modems respond individually to the noise on their end and can shift gears accordingly, but sometimes can't shift back. Also, it's possible that phone calls get a sort of 'phasing' thing happening, I'm sure you've heard a faint conversation on the line at some time. All I can say is that here in Northern B.C. the phone lines are most likely newer and 'cleaner' than the jam-packed pipelines that make up the whole U.S. That was the first time I had encountered severe lag after hundreds of calls using the W95/IPX method, and enjoy games over a 14.4 connection with 95-120 ping. (That's right, seen consistent 95-100 ping while under play in DM4). - On a side but similar note, I read a not bad FAQ on 28.8 modems that dealt mainly with the issue of line quality and line noise. His FAQ detailed explicitely how most problems with bad lines were because of faulty or messy wiring in a house or to the nearest main connector. He suggested the very good idea of running a new, clean wire from the nearest main point to your computer, and even getting a teleprotector from Radio Shack for $10 that makes it impossible for a downline connection to break a signal. However, I offer a counterpoint to these suggestions, which is entirely optional reading... I live in a trailer trash castle, big rambling double wide trailer with wiring older than Methusela. To get a phone line to my computer room I hand-patched (reeeal ugly) three different sections of old phone cord together to form a thirty foot ragged line. I then taped the damn thing up one wall, over top of one door and down the hall to another door and the room beyond. This has served me well all these years, even when my half-tame Wolf chewed the telephone box off the trailer (during a game of DooM!) because the Bitch wanted inside (-37 or so). The REAL scary thing is that she knew exactly what she was doing, trust me. I was in the middle of an intense game when the signal suddenly dropped, as did my dial tone. I knew immediately what had happened, and went outside to piece the damn thing back together with frozen tape, hands, Wolf trying to be my friend (consisting of knocking me over at forty miles an hour) etc... Anyway, I can get a consistent game of ~100 ping at 14.4, so go figure... - Some brave souls out there are attempting to connect three computers together using a network link as well as the W95/DUN/IPX method from my FAQ. Sadly, it appears so far that no-one has accomplished this task, at least not reliably or repeatably. I know exactly two things about networking (that being Jack and Shit) but my take on the problem is that you will run into trouble trying to connect different network protocols to the same game. I could totally be out to lunch on this, but I would think that trying to connect the Modem using raw console commands (NOT MENUS) would be the next thing to try. - PLUG: My Web Page (THE PADDED CELL) has found a home out there, I haven't put the whole thing together yet but will be starting a rough version within the middle of March. Regardless, if I am sending you this I will also send you the URL when it is up. - Later, MISERY