abusing honor

Pathetic Tactic Alert

Only the most pathetic players will use the sucker play tactic. It’s so low, in fact, that a truly good player will avoid it religiously.

If you pause for a moment to type a message, most honorable frag gods will notice you just standing there and will assume that you’re either typing or lagged… and will move on. In fact, a truly high-grade frag god will actually apologize to you if he or she accidentally frags you when you’re standing still.

So? Stand still.

There’s a good chance that any frag god running past you will leave you alone. Once the frag god turns around you can repay the act of honor with a rocket in the back.

P.S. All of this assumes that you are a cheap, soul-less, misanthropic sub-human with no redeeming virtues whatsoever. You probably pee in the sink too.

P.P.S. Don’t expect this to work more than once. In fact, expect to become the frag god’s favorite target for the remainder of the match. You have been warned.

 “Evil Dick”

related listings of “abusing honor”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice

aerials

Want to pull an aerial maneuver? You can’t pull the same kinds of stunts in Quake 2 that you could in Quake, but you can definitely affect where your jump will take you.

The world of Quake II enforces fewer annoying principles of physics than Real Life. For example, if you take a running leap in Real Life, once you’re airborne it’s more or less predetermined where you’re going to land.

Not so in Quake II. Even when you’re in the air you retain a certain amount of control over your movement. To experiment with this find a high ledge (entering “map city1” at the console will give you a good place to play with this). Now do the following:

1. Jump off of the ledge, holding fown the Forward key the whole way.
2. Jump off, but this time let go of the forward key the moment you’re airborne.
3. Jump off, but this time press and hold down the Reverse key the moment you’re airborne.

From a reasonably igh ledge you’ll land in three fairly different places — jump (3) may reduce the distance of jump (1) by 50% or more.

Now… why would you want to do that?

• You realize you’ll end up in lava (or someplace else icky) if you keep heading the way you’re heading.
• If your opponent expects you to land at point X, you may find a rocket or a grenade waiting when you get there. So land at point X minus 1 instead.
• You want to impress the babes (or studs, as the case may be).

If you’d really like to play with this visit a low-gravity level like the Comm Satellite (enter “map space” at the console). In fact, in low gravity you can do incredible things in the air, including changing your flight vector entirely. Try strafing in mid air and you can actually circle a large room before you land.

 Paul “Matchstick” Du Bois (original credit)

Thanks also to Rorshach and David Chase for pointing out some Q2 differences.

related listings of “aerials”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

air gib

Learn to aim and shoot when you’re in the air. Newer players tend to freeze in mid-flight, missing out on some prime shots.

Sometimes jumping off a ledge into open air is the only way to get that really prime (and/or cheap) shot. Ever hear a battle on the floor above or below you and wish you could get a good sniping angle on it? Jumping out into open space, doing a 180, and lobbing in a couple of rockets may be your only chance. And only Frag Gods normally have the presence of mind to try whomping you while you’re on the way down.

Just because your feet are off the ground doesn’t mean you’re helpless. The folks at Id chose to improve on our world’s inconvenient and limiting physical principles. With Newton’s laws out the window, there’s nothing to keep you from doing multiple 360s and racking off some cool shots while you’re on your way down into that Lava pool (oops). Tszzszszsssss…

 Marcus 

related listings of “air gib”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense

alias

console command

From the console you can define a series of commands and give them a name for use later. For example, lets say that you want to give yourself a silencer and the BFG10K. One way to do this is to type two separate commands:

GIVE SILENCER

GIVE BFG10K

Another is to string the two commands together with a semicolon. Any number of commands can be combined in this way:

GIVE SILENCER;GIVE BFG10K

If we want, however, we can define our own command — let’s call it THUD — to accomplish both of these steps at once:

ALIAS THUD “GIVE SILENCER;GIVE BFG10K”

Once you’ve defined this alias, you can simply type the word THUD at the console to have both of these commands take effect.

related listings of “alias”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

anti-camping and anti-sniping

Okay, let’s assume for a moment that you’ve become enough of a Quake Frag God that you can afford to look down your nose at camping and sniping. Perhaps you’ve even taken on some Klingon-esque code of Honor that requires you to snuff any other players who Camp and Snipe on a routine basis.

Well then, my friend, you face a moral dilemma. Because let’s face it, on any given level only a small number of spots are ideally suited to camping (campgrounds) and to sniping (sniper’s nests). So you’ve got to ask yourself: what’s to keep me from hanging around the obvious campgrounds and sniper’s nests… and then waxing any low-life who tries to camp and snipe?

Is it camping if you’re doing it to wax a cowardly sniper?
Is it sniping if you’re doing it to victimize some craven camper?

Well, you’re on your own for this one. Too deep for me. Pardon me, I think I need a drink.

related listings of “anti-camping and anti-sniping”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: defense
topic: offense

assisted grenade jump

If you’ve ever tried to rocket jump with a grenade launcher, you know it’s a little touchy. You have to reach the grenade, and jump, 2.5 seconds after you fire the grenade.

Don’t trust it to timing. Your opponents will be happy to do you a favor and detonate that grenade for you. So no need to wait… just fire the grenade at your opponent’s feet and jump.

 Trotsky 

related listings of “assisted grenade jump”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers
topic: grenade launcher

avoiding game-start telefrag

If you’re playing with a lot of people and start on a new level with a small number of respawn spots, there’s an excellent chance that you’re going to experience a few seconds of mutual telefragging.

To avoid this, hold down your Forward key while the intermission screen is showing between levels. When the round starts this’ll get you off the telepad immediately, greatly reducing your chances of being on the losing end of a telefrag.

 deadmeat 

 Dan Jameyson aka -Danist>[DS]
Suggestion: step backward off the teleporter rather than forward. That way if someone teleports in right after you, you’ll already be on the loser’s “six”.

related listings of “avoiding game-start telefrag”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense

bait

In Quake II you can pull one of the lowlier camping tactics: drop bait.

Use the console Drop command to drop any item you’re carrying, then go hide and wait for someone to pick it up. The sweeter the prize, the shorter you’ll wait for a pigeon. Careful though… dropping Invulnerability or the Quad is… well, sorta stupid. Visit a site with a console command listing for more details on the Drop command (see the Quake Weenie links site for ideas).

 Deadmeat
Disclaimer: Deadmeat avows that he has not personally used this tactic since it involves camping.

related listings of “bait”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense

baiting campers

When you know where campers are hiding, you can lure them out of their shells for a fairer fight. Stay out of their eyeshot, and frag someone near where they’re camping. Leave the backpack in place — most campers will rush out and snag the ammo once they think the coast is clear.

 Mutilator

related listings of “baiting campers”
Skill level: frag god
topic: camping and sniping
topic: defense
topic: offense

bass ackward

Practice running backward. With all the narrow, twisty corridors that make up Quake you need to know your terrain really well to do this, but it can surprise the hell out of newer players. If someone’s shooting at you from behind, do a full-speed spin and shoot back.

related listings of “bass ackward”
Skill level: trainee
topic: defense
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense

beginner’s guide

Klaus Breuer (alias Joe Cool) has put together a nice Beginner’s Guide to Quake deathmatch. Check it out.

 Klaus Breuer alias Joe Cool

related listings of “beginner’s guide”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: miscellaneous

belly target

When aiming at someone, always aim at their waste rather than their chest or head. That way if they duck you get a head shot, and if they jump you get a foot shot.

 SeismoGrafe 

related listings of “belly target”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense

bfg aerial

Not only to things like air gibs look extremely cool, they can make a lot of sense when you’re weilding the BFG.

For much of the bfg’s damage to land home, both you and that nasty green ball have to be in view ot your target when the ball detonates. If your opponent’s hidden — say on a ledge belowor above you — jumping off the ledge or jumping into the air at the right moment can put you in visual range of your quarry for a nice, messy bfg-gib.

The really fun thing about this is that you don’t have to aim the orb ar your opponent. Just fire at a wall or a floor somewhere. The only constraint is that you need to aim it somewhere that’s in a direct line of sight with your opponent, and then get into line of sight yourself just as it impacts.

 JTR 

related listings of “bfg aerial”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense
topic: bfg10k

BFG jumping

You can use the BFG for hyper-jumping in the same way that you can with rockets. Two differences:

1. You can jump much higher with the BFG.
2. You take a lot more damage (about twice as much).

The above applies unless you’re quadded. See x-jumping for more details on Quad issues in jumping.

related listings of “BFG jumping”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers
topic: rocket launcher
topic: bfg10k

BFG10k

No weapon in Quake 2 is more complex, more misunderstood, or (arguably) more fun. Thanks go to Mr. Fibble for connecting me with some information from DuvalMagic’s Quake 2 Weapons FAQ by Randy Pitchford. I strongly encourage you to visit the site for details on the BFG and… everything else.

For additional information check out the BFG FAQ by Tony Fabris, the die-hard of BFG fanatics. He’s just recently updated it with BFG10K information.

related listings of “BFG10k”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: bfg10k

bind

console command

Using the console, you can redefine most of the standard keyboard keys to perform a specified action or (and here’s where it gets cool) a series of actions. To bind a key to an action you use the — follow me here — “bind” command. The bind command looks like one of the two following commands:

BIND keyname command

BIND keyname “command;command;command”

related listings of “bind”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

blast radius

definition

Someplace you don’t want to be. Rockets, grenades, and the BFG10k do huge damage in a radius around their point of detonation. This is referred to as a “blast radius”. See also splash damage.

related listings of “blast radius”
Skill level: glossary
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher

blaster

What is the blaster (besides a weapon of last resort)? Well among other things it’s a pretty decent flare. If you’re stuck in a dark corner or pool, or are wondering what’s waiting for you in that black hidey hold, pop off a few rounds. It’s noisy, but it’s bright and cheap.

Another thing to consider: when you use the blaster, people nearby will hear it, and many will assume that you have nothing better. This is like chumming for sharks: a lot of people will head straight for you looking for an easy kill. If you really have nothing better, this should concern you. On the other hand, if you’re juiced up with Quad Damage this may be just the deception you’re looking for.

related listings of “blaster”
Skill level: weenie
topic: gear
topic: offense
topic: blaster

blink

Look, this may sound obvious but… blink.

When playing computer games (or for that matter looking at any CRT display) people tend to blink less. In real life this can merely lead to scratchy eyes and debilitating headaches, but in Quake there are some really important consequences: you can get your butt fragged.

If you don’t blink enough, your eyes will start to get tired and your vision will get blurry, putting you at a disadvantage. What’s more, you’ll likely start to over-blink, with those really long, hard, man-are-my-eyes-scratchy blinks. Having your eyes closed for longer than a “normal” blink is all it takes to give your opponents an easy frag. So consciously practice blinking often. Heck, use eyedrops between levels if you need to.

This is particularly important if you wear contacts. If your lenses shrivel up they can pop out at an exceedingly inconvenient moment. Pour on those eyedrops.

 Charles Yang, Chris Roach

related listings of “blink”
Skill level: weenie
topic: physical setup

bottleneck

There’s nothing more corwardly than kicking your opponents when they’re down. Victimize people who fall into slime pits. There are two basic approaches:

First and simplest — just pick on people who fall in. People in slime pits have just one thing on their minds: “get me out of this frigging slime pit”. Only the most level-headed Frag God can run for the exit to a slime pit while cooly returning your fire. So if you’re near slime, listen for someone to fall in, and then move in for a cheap kill.

The second is even cheaper. Most slime pits have a small number of exits, and many have just one. When someone falls into the slime, head for the exit. You can either block it with your body and fire at your opponents until they sink into the slime, or “virtually” block the exit by barraging it with rocket and/or grenade fire.

 Mark (PeeblE) Sawyer
(who said he felt bad about sending it)

related listings of “bottleneck”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher

breadcrumbs

Use items as breadcrumbs. Respawn times are the key. Wondering where your opponent went? If you know the level and its items, notice when items are missing. For example, if it’s ammo you know someone’s been in here in the last 30 seconds. Follow your prey’s breadcrumbs and go frag you some Hansel.

 Blue, with permission from the now defunct Blue’s Deathmatch Strategy Guide

related listings of “breadcrumbs”
Skill level: frag god
topic: offense

camper goosebumps

Here’s a fun way to get rid of campers: spook the hell out of them.

When the camper frags you, don’t respawn. Just lay there on your side watching what he does and where he goes. As the camper moves around, start talking: “I’m watching you.”
“Get away from that health pack.”
“No, I’m not behind that door…”

The camper will slowly go insane looking everywhere to find you, and firing rockets around hoping for a blind frag. It’s only a matter of time until the camper leaves, or other people follow the sounds (or your clues) to finish him off.

 Blorg[LW]-Enforcer 

 
This tactic was more effective in Quake, where you could continue to look around after you were dead. In Quake 2 you can only see what’s in your field of vision wherever your head lands (ick).

related listings of “camper goosebumps”
Skill level: frag god
topic: camping and sniping

camping

definition

People vary in their definition of camping.

The most clear-cut form of camping is locating a respawn spot, finding a nice (preferably semi-hidden) hiding place near it, training your sights on the respawn spot, and waiting for some poor newly reincarnated player to spawn in right under your crosshairs. Most people also consider it camping if you stake out a spot near a particularly prime powerup, weapon, or ammo pack. Sniping is another form of camping.

Important to know:

• Most players agree that camping kills are cheap kills.
• Most players camp from time to time.
• Most players deny that they camp from time to time.

The most extreme definitions include a sort of “moving camping” — running a tight pattern through a level (a juice cycle).

What is camping? For an example here’s a high-octane definition from Clan Monkey. Sadly, Clan Monkey has disbanded, but the creed lives on. See also sniping.

related listings of “camping”
Skill level: glossary
topic: camping and sniping

chain sniping

And if mere sniping isn’t enough…

Find a nice camping spot and hunker down until you can kill someone from there. Immediately move to someplace else, concealed if possible, that has a good view of your former campground. If your opponent has any idea where you sniped from, he or she will be back expecting to find you there. Surprise.

 C.J. Ehley (Kaehley)

related listings of “chain sniping”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping

cheap kill

definition

You have committed a Cheap Kill if you destroy your opponent in a way that anyone else would have been ashamed of.

The best confirmation that you have committed a Cheap Kill will come from your opponent, in the form of an message just after the frag. Something like “That was really pathetic” or “I can’t believe you did that” or simply “Camper!”

You are a Weenie. Every frag is fair. There is no room for pride.

related listings of “cheap kill”
Skill level: glossary
topic: cowardice

cherry picking

definition

Players respawn at a limited, predefined set of sites on any given level. Cherry picking is camping out near one of the respawn sites, and waiting for someone to pop into the world effectively naked. This is considered a cheap kill, bordering on the lame. You didn’t read it here.

related listings of “cherry picking”
Skill level: glossary
topic: camping and sniping
topic: cowardice

circle of death

See dance of death.

related listings of “circle of death”
Skill level: glossary

circle-strafe

This is the fundamental maneuver in Quake, and most other first-person perspective multiplayer games. The idea is to run a circle around your opponent while keeping your opponent in your sights (presumably firing like a maniac all the while).

1. Get your opponent in your sights.
2. Step left (using the “.” key in the keyboard configuration that comes standard with Quake).
3. At the same time as you’re stepping left, turn right (using the mouse or the right arrow key).

Clearly, if you want to you can step right while turning left instead. Once you get this move down, you’ll be able to whip around in circles with your opponent under your crosshairs all the while.

This move is by far easiest if you use your mouse or joystick for the turning, and your keyboard for the stepping. Keep zipping around your opponents until they run away, expire, or pass out from dizziness.

related listings of “circle-strafe”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: maneuvers

config files

console command

If you come up with some console commands you like to use, but you’re tired of typing them at the console prompt every time you play, there are two ways that you can load a predefined set of commands.

1. Save the commands in a text file in your quake2\baseq2 directory. Once you’re playing Quake, call up the console and type EXEC FILENAME, where FILENAME is the name of the text file containing your commands.
2. In your quake2\baseq2 directory there’s a file called AUTOEXEC.CFG. The commands in this file are executed every time you run Quake. If you’re feeling foolishly overconfident, you can edit this file directly to include your commands. Before you do this, though, you should be really, really, really sure that you have a good backup of the AUTOEXEC.CFG file somewhere.

Note that there’s also a file in your quake2\baseq2 directory called CONFIG.CFG. Don’t edit this file, but it’s an interesting read. It’s the configuration file that Quake creates to store your preferences.

related listings of “config files”
Skill level: trainee
topic: console

controllers (advanced)

A few more tips on controllersto help you improve your game…

• Don’t use the default keyboard configuration. Set up a configuration with your movement keys clustered together, preferably on the left hand side of the keyboard (assuming your right hand is on the mouse or joystick). Cluster the forward, backward, and sidestep keys near each other, and use the mouse or joystick for turning and looking. Some example key clusters: ASDF, SDFE, WASD. Then sprinkle the other keys you use commonly around this cluster.
• Jin “Time Traveler” Kim, Joel “lemurboy” Baxter
  Don’t use the default mouse sensitivity. Speeding up your mouse with the
  sensitivity
  console command will improve your game. Bump it up until it’s a little bit uncomfortable, play until you’re comfortable, then bump it up some more. If you turn it up too high it’ll be too fast for targeting, and the mechanics of the mouse will start to interfere.
• _SyZyGy_, Beastman of Clan Flem, Steve “Baw” Laubach
  Reconfigure your keys so that all of your weapons (or at least your favorite ones) are near your “home” keys for sliding. You can’t afford to look down at the keyboard to find, say, the super shotgun in the middle of a heated battle.

related listings of “controllers (advanced)”
Skill level: trainee
topic: physical setup

controllers (basics)

Controllers and keyboard configurations are too broad (and too personal) a topic for me to cover completely here, or anywhere. The only real rule is that you need to find controllers and configurations that work for you, and use them.

That having been said, there are a few basic principles that you may find useful:

• Don’t use the keyboard by itself, you won’t get nearly the responsiveness you need. Use the keyboard in conjunction with a mouse or joystick.
• Don’t use modifier keys (like shift, ctrl, or alt) to move into “sidestep” mode. Always map left and right step to their own keys, and place them near the forward and backward keys.
• By my own experience, and according to the vast majority of comments I’ve read and received, mouse/keyboard seems the best combination. Your mileage may vary, and no doubt I’ll get a pile of nasty emails from rabid joystick fans. But what’s life without a little controversy?

related listings of “controllers (basics)”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: maneuvers
topic: physical setup

corner double-cross

If you’re being chased down a hallway and you come to a crossing hallway or a turn, rather than just running away you can turn the tables on your opponent.

If, for example, you want to take a turn to the left… don’t turn left. Instead step left while at the same time turning right and switching from running forward to running backward. This maneuver is very similar to the full-speed spin, but has the advantage of surprise: your opponent rounds the corner only to find that he/she is now being fired on.

related listings of “corner double-cross”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

corner whiplash

Somewhere between whiplash and corner double-cross. If someone’s chasing you and you go around a corner, immediately turn around and run back. Stay tight against the wall to take a tight corner, since there’s a good chance your pursuer will take the corner a little wide.

This is especially useful if you’re heading toward a dead end of some kind.

 GenghisKhan[GC]

related listings of “corner whiplash”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

cornerfrag

You can use the rocket launcher and hand grenade to pick off someone hiding around a corner or behind an obstacle. If you think someone’s lurking just out of sight, fire a couple of rockets at the floor near the edge of the obstacle, or at an opposing wall if there is one. The lurker will get to lap up some splash damage.

 Jeff Garzik

related listings of “cornerfrag”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hand grenade

cross-dressing

definition

In team-vs-team play, cross-dressing is assigning yourself the shirt and pants color of the opposing team for “espionage” purposes. Extremely cheap, and if you get a reputation for it, it’s the kind of thing that’s likely to get you banned from a server. This “cheat” is circumvented by teams which play with custom “skin” textures.

related listings of “cross-dressing”
Skill level: glossary
topic: cowardice

crouch

Crouching is a fundamental addition to your physical repetoire in Quake 2 vs. Quake. And it ain’t just for getting to that bandoleer on level one either.

• It’s great for hiding. (Which, by the way, some people choose to refer to as camping.) See that crate over there that everyone’s jumping on to get the rocket launcher? Hunker down underneath that sucker and wait in the shadows for your hapless prey.
• Duck. As long as you’re down you’ll be a smaller target, thus harder to hit. Of course, as long as you’re down you’ll also be a slower target, thus much easier to hit. So don’t take this one to extremes. Duck when a rocket’s pointed at your skull.
• Do a little noise bluffing Quake 2 style. When you’re crouched you don’t make the usual footfall noises (or at least you make many fewer). You’re being chased and have a little lead on your opponent — if you duck into a room or into a sneaky maze of crates he/she may track you by the sound of your footsteps. Once you get into the room, waddle to where you want to be instead. Don’t pick anything too far away, of course, since you’re moving at about half throttle.

 Sean Powers 

related listings of “crouch”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping
topic: defense
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

crushing campers

A note to the psychotic hot-heads of the world: don’t be dumb. Unless you’re really good (by which I mean “much better than you think you are”), when you get all bothered and start maniacally trying to take out campers you’re doing exactly what they want.

Think about it. The campers ain’t going anywhere. Their only chance at getting a frag is waiting for people to run in front of their sights.

The best way to make campers lose isn’t to kill them, it’s to ignore them. Stay away. Warn other people to stay away. Wait for the putz to wither and come crawling out for fresh blood before you do your stomping.

Of course if you’re really good (and no, not you, I’m talking to the really good players who don’t get angry), what the hell, go for it.

 Hobbes

related listings of “crushing campers”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense

ctf (capture the flag)

CTF is a variant of deathmatch where two teams play a messy game of Capture the Flag. CTF is a world unto itself. If you’d like to find out more about it, you must (this is not just a suggestion) start at the Mother of All CTF Sites: Xenocide Flag Academy

related listings of “ctf (capture the flag)”
Skill level: glossary

dance of death

This is when you and your opponent are locked into an endless cycle of circling each other. Endless until one of you croaks. Also known as a circle of death.

related listings of “dance of death”
Skill level: glossary

deathmatch

definition

A.K.A. multi-player mode. Being a Weenie, Deathmatch is the place where other people humiliate you. You can enter a deathmatch against other players via a modem, network, or the Internet. If you want to try out deathmatch by yourself, to learn how it works without having to face other players, you’ll need to brave the Quake console.

related listings of “deathmatch”
Skill level: glossary

deathmatch (console)

console command

To go into deathmatch mode, pull down the console and enter

deathmatch 1

Now jump to a new level for deathmatch to take effect.

Why would you want to toggle deathmatch mode on when you’re playing with yourself (so to speak)? It will let you simulate the environment in which you’ll be playing against other people, but without the humiliation of actually doing that. With deathmatch mode on,

• There are no monsters
• The really good cheat codes (oops — “console commands”), like GOD, don’t work
• When you play in deathmatch mode there are loads of weapons and powerups scattered around each level; this will let you learn their locations for when you play against real people
• You begin at one of several points in the maze
• When you die, pressing the fire key will restart you at one of the several starting points in the maze
• Once you pick up a weapon, it will re-appear in the same place 30 seconds later (a long time in Weenie terms — time for at least 4-6 horrible deaths). Respawn time for powerups and ammo tends to be 30 seconds too, but varies in some cases.

related listings of “deathmatch (console)”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

defensive rocket jump

Usually when people talk about rocket jump they mean the kind where you decide when and where to jump. Sometimes, though, your opponent will give you a rocket jump for free.

If you’re playing against someone who’s bright enough to fire rockets at your feet, you can take advantage of their little rocket “presents”. Just as the rocket is about to hit, jump. Depending on your reflexes (or your luck, if you’re a Weenie), you may either

• fly to safety
• have the chance to shoot at your opponents from high in the air

The latter possibility is not only surprising (and more than a little annoying) to your opponent, but if you’re toting the rocket launcher, being in the air gives you a better line of fire to lay a rocket at your opponent’s feet. Worst case: you both alternate trampolining in the air a couple of times until one of you finally succumbs to the damage or nausea.

related listings of “defensive rocket jump”
Skill level: frag god
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

desecrate the dead

Be a ghoul. If you hear an explosion and then see a message that someone’s just self-fragged (something like “Player just tripped his own grenade”), run don’t walk to the place where you heard the *boom*.

Same goes when you see messages saying that two players have just fragged each other.

If you get to the scene of the suicide before anyone else, snag that backpack (or, for a mutual frag, “them backpacks”).

Now you have a choice.

• If you’re a major weenie, get the hell out of there. There’s an excellent chance that the dearly departed will respawn and head right back to the scene of the crime for the same reason you just did.
• If you’re anything but a major weenie, wait in ambush. There’s an excellent chance that the dearly departed will respawn and head right back to the scene of the crime… and since the hoser(s) just respawned there’s an equally excellent chance that you’ll get to frag you a nice, tender opponent.

 Tim Hall 

related listings of “desecrate the dead”
Skill level: trainee
topic: cowardice
topic: miscellaneous

DFA

“Death From Above” (with apologies to MechWarrior).

Note: this is a move that even the most menacing evil frag god will pull off only a few times in a lifetime. But oh that tingly feeling when it works…

Quake is a true 3D engine, and players’ locations are defined by a “bounding box”. The box is effectively flat on top. If you play your moves right you can drop from above and actually land and stand on another player’s head.

You’ll have your best chance with campers since they spend most of their time standing fairly still. Jump off of a ledge or (more likely) grapple above them and drop. If they don’t use MLOOK, they may not even realize you’re there. Before they figure out what’s happening you’ll have a chance to axe them in the head a few times, or fire a grenade straight up in the air and jump away as it passes through your body and onto their skull.

 Dan Jameyson aka -Danist>[DS] 

 ramon
Note that this is easiest to do if your opponent is in a corner, and is easier still if they’re crouching in a corner.

 ^*^M@$E$^*^
As if riding on someone’s head wasn’t fun enough… for an added chuckle, while you’re up there anyway try a rocket jump off of the loser’s head.

related listings of “DFA”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

DFA Aerial

If you’re on a ledge above your opponent, practice jumping off the ledge and getting off a shot with your power weapon of choice on the way down. Not only is it a great surprise attack, it looks cool, so anyone watching will worship your fragglyness.

The rocket launcher‘s great for this; the railgun‘s great if you’ve got incredible reflexes; and the BFG will puddlize them pretty good if you start the shot before you jump.

 Sire404″>Sire404 

related listings of “DFA Aerial”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher
topic: railgun
topic: bfg10k

die well

When you die, you leave behind whatever weapon you were using. So if you’re about to bite the big one anyway, take yourself out. It’ll cost you a kill, but you may find a small silver lining:

If your health is so low that you don’t think you can survive out there, find a nice quiet place and kill yourself. When you come back to life, run to the place where you died and pick up your pack and your favorite weapon. Get there quick: your pack will disappear shortly.

Note that you can also kill yourself with a console command if you prefer.

related listings of “die well”
Skill level: weenie
topic: cowardice
topic: escape

dog the gods

You can learn from other people by following them. Hide in the shadows until someone runs by, and then quietly tail them. Note that most good Quake players turn fairly frequently to see whether they’re being followed, so this is a good way to get gibbed but quick. But in the mean time you’ll get to see them pull their tricks and turn up secret doors.

Of course, once you feel you’ve learned enough you can always rack up a cowardly frag with a railgun to the back.

Voyeurism is, of course, another way to learn from experienced players. It’s less specific to the levels and players you’re up against, but the potential for humiliation is also greatly diminished.

 David “Crimson Tide” Palmer

related listings of “dog the gods”
Skill level: weenie
topic: miscellaneous

drive-by shooting

Think of it as a full-speed spin, but with a quaker in the middle.

As with any charge-based move, you should really only try this with some kind of shotgun or nailgun. Charge at your opponent guns ablazin’. Just as you’re about to collide, spin 90 degrees left or right and side-step past your opponent, still firing. Once you’re clear, spin another 90 degrees in the same direction and run backward, still firing. Jumping as you run backward will reduce your chances of getting hit — and of getting stuck somewhere since you can’t see where you’re headed.

P.S. Do scavengers annoy you? Try squashing scavengers.

 Forlorn

related listings of “drive-by shooting”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

duck

That duck key isn’t just for scooching into tiny little crawly spaces and hiding your cowardly butt. It can also be an effective move in combat. Dropping from your opponent’s view can be disorienting, particularly if you’re up against an inexperienced player. This is best done in close combat. You can also use ducking to avoid an incoming rocket or grenade if you have the reflexes.

Remember, though, that when you duck you move much slower, about walking speed. So if you go down, down’t stay down. You certainly wouldn’t want a frag god to catch you circle-strafing from a crouch.

 Ian “A Little Girl” Hart
[Pointed out the dangers of extended ducking; I modified the text above to reflect this. -EW]

related listings of “duck”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers

duck call

Before going into a room, if you suspect someone’s waiting fire a few shots first (something obvious like the grenade launcher or rocket launcher are optimal). Then aside to the wall beside the door and see what comes out. If they’re someone in there, they’ll more than likely pop off a few shots in your direction.

Of course, you’ve also just given away your position to anyone else who happens to be lurking about…

 john fares

related listings of “duck call”
Skill level: trainee
topic: defense
topic: offense

faking out plats

A “feature” of doors, plats, and the like is that they must move their entire course before resetting.

For example, if you jump onto an “up” plat at the top, it’ll come up and meet you half way, then carry you back up. If you step off at the top, it goes back down. But it has to go all the way down before it can come back up again. So while it’s dropping, jump on and go through to the bottom.

This move is especially sweet since, if someone sees you go down and comes after you, they’ll probably get slowed down by the elevator as it comes back up at them.

 Dent

related listings of “faking out plats”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers

falling

There are two ways to negate falling damage in Quake II:

1. Just before you hit the ground, hit the Jump key. Important: this only works in original versions of Quake II. More recent versions eliminate this effect. Rorshach
   
2. Aim to land on a sloped surface. If the slope is steep enough it’ll slow your fall very effectively if the slope is steeper than 45 degrees.

 MuuMuu (Shun Yamamoto) 

 Xodiak
You can also decrease your damage dramatically by landing in water, and in some cases eliminate damage altogether.
Quake code trivia from the Exalted Weenie: the damage reduction depends on the depth of the water. Depth 1 (knee deep) cuts damage by 50%; depth 2 (waist deep) cuts damage by 75%; and depth 3 (submerged) eliminates damage entirely.

related listings of “falling”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

fear wisely

Look at the score list. See that name at the top? See the skin? That’s the person who’s fragged the most other people. Here’s a tip: when you see that color in the game, go the other way.

If you don’t think you can ditch the frag god, run in the direction of other weenies and get lost in the fray. Sure, the frag god will get another frag anyway. But at least it wasn’t you.

 CB5-Section8

related listings of “fear wisely”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense

fire-fight scrape-off

Can’t shake that loser who’s pumping hyperblaster rounds into your back? Hear a wild fire-fight going on nearby?

If you’ve got the maracas for it, head for the battle and run straight through the middle of it. If you survive the crossfire your odds are fair to midlin’ that your opponent will get caught up in the fun and lose track of you.

 Warmonger

related listings of “fire-fight scrape-off”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape

FOV

console command

The FOV command sets your Field Of Vision, or how wide an angle you can see at one glance. By default your FOV is set to 90 — you can see 90 degrees of the available 360 degrees in the horizontal plane. If you want to go into a sort of sniper mode, try decreasing your FOV:

FOV 30

You best bet here is to bind a key to take you into sniper mode, and then another to take you out.

 miRAGE, Joe Branson
Or, if you’d like to see more of what’s going on around you, bump up your FOV a little:

FOV 120

It’ll take you a while to get used to the perspective this gives you of the world, but it’ll give you a bit of an edge in seeing people before they pound you from the sides.

related listings of “FOV”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

frag

definition

What you’re supposed to do, i.e., destroy the computer-rendered image of your opponent. In deathmatch you gain one frag each time you kill someone else, and lose one each time you kill yourself. Frag is both a noun (“Whoaaa duuuude, way to rack up those frags!”) and a verb (“Oh man, you’re toast now, I’m gonna frag you til your mouse melts!”).

“Frag” was actually a military term before the 3D gaming world borrowed it. You can visit Tony Fabris‘ BFG FAQ on Doomgate for the “real” definition.

See also: gib, thork

related listings of “frag”
Skill level: glossary

freelook

console command

In Quake this was known as “Mouselook” or “MLOOK”. In Quake 2 it’s “Free Look”.

Free Look changes your control setup so that moving your mouse or joystick forward/backward makes you look up/and down instead of moving you forward/backward. FREELOOK 1 turns Free Look on;FREELOOK 0 turns it off. You can also toggle Free Look on the “Options” menu.

I can’t possibly recommend this setting highly enough. No wait, let me try:

If you don’t use mlook, you’re an idiot and you deserve to stay a Weenie.

There. Maybe that’ll do it.

related listings of “freelook”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: console
topic: maneuvers

full-speed spin

An important maneuver to master.

If you’re running (and you’re always running, right?), it’s possible — not to mention a very good idea — to periodically turn around while still running in the same direction. Once you really get this move down, you can spin around to face backward, rack of a few rounds behind you, and spin back around to face forward again, all without losing any speed in your original direction.

It’ll be worth the time you spend to practice this one in a big empty room without the distraction of someone fragging you over and over.

Basic Full-Speed Spin: while running forward, turn around. When you’ve turned by 180° (i.e., you’re facing backward) reverse your direction so that you’re running backward.

Studly Full-Speed Spin: for the obsessive-compulsive Quake player who can’t bear the idea of anything short of perfection. You can make the Spin even smoother, and maintain almost all of your forward speed, as follows:

1. Begin by turning left while moving forward
2. About a third of the way through the turn, take your finger off the Foward key and switch to the Step Right key. At this point you’re facing sideways but still moving basically in your original direction.
3. When you’re about two-thirds of the way through the turn stop side-stepping, and press the Backward key.
4. Gloat.

related listings of “full-speed spin”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

full-speed spin antics

If you’d like to look even more studly with your full-speed spins, try these tips:

• Jump, do a 180 in the air, and land running backward.
• When approaching a ramp or a ledge, jump, do a 180, fire a shot or two at the llama who’s tailing you, then complete the 360 and keep running forward.

 Jon

related listings of “full-speed spin antics”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers

getting pushy

Bear in mind that weapons aren’t good for damage only — they also let you push people around. Weapons with a single big punch (railgun, BFG10k, grenades, rocket launcher, super shotgun) tend to be the best for this.

Why push people around? Besides the fact that they sometimes get in your way, sometimes you can push them places where they don’t want to go. Like off that ledge, or down that lift shaft, or into that bubbly pool of lava.

 MsWas 

related listings of “getting pushy”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: super shotgun
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: railgun
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

gib

definition

Where thork is a value judgement (how badly did you humiliate your opponent?), and frag is a matter of record (you get a frag or you don’t), Gib is somewhere between.

There’s a technical definition of Gib: when you cause enough damage to a player or monster, instead of merely dying they explode into a nasty pile of giblets. But some people also use “Gib” to mean they dominated another person or team.

See also: frag, thork

related listings of “gib”
Skill level: glossary

go against the flow

Some of the water currents in Quake II are very strong. Strong enough to get you killed by pushing you in a direction that you don’t want to go. What’s more, sometimes there a keen thing to be had if you can only beat the current.

But how?

Don’t head straight into the current, move forward diagonally. For example, turn 45 degrees to the right, then move forward and strafe left at the same time. This will let you mvoe against an otherwise unbeatable current, albeit slowly.

 Necromancer 

related listings of “go against the flow”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

good moaning to you

Each weapon has strengths and weaknesses. For example, the railgun does a pile of damage, but it’s hard to land a hit. On the other hand, the machine gun does relatively little damage per hit, but it’s hard to miss.

Listen to the sounds your opponent is making when you decide on your weapon. As someone gets weaker and weaker, their *pain* sound changes from an angry grunt to more of a pathetic moan. If your victim is near death don’t whip out one of your monster weapons that’s likely to miss. Pick something light-yet-sure like your shotgun or the machine gun.

 Coupland 

related listings of “good moaning to you”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense

grenade and rocket flailing

If you want to rack up some “casual frags” and have the grenade launcher, just start lobbing in a few hand grenades or grenades wherever you know or suspect there are people, and then move on. No need to wait and see the results. Whip around enough of these suckers and sooner or later you’ll accrue some easy kills.

• Hear someone firing at something just around the bend? Lob in a grenade as you’re passing by, maybe you’ll get lucky and nail them.
• See a heated battle in an open area? Lob in a few grenades and move on, maybe someone will be running near one when it goes off.
• Suspect someone’s heading this way? No need to wait for them yourself. Drop a few grenades to say “hello!” for you, and high-tail it out of there.

You can also use this technique with Rockets if you’ve got a few to spare. Heading into a room? Fire a rocket just as you come around the corner, before you even have a chance to see whether there’s someone in there waiting for you. At best you’ll frag them, at worst you’ll surprise them.

related listings of “grenade and rocket flailing”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hand grenade

grenade backlash

If you’re being chased, head for a corridor that has a 90° turn in it… and whip out ‘dat hand grenade or grenade launcher.

Just before you round the corner, fire a grenade or two at the wall directly in front of you. Your grenades won’t hurt you (in fact, they’ll fly right through you), but they surely won’t make your pursuer very happy. You can also pull this off if you’re being chased down a stairway and there’s an overhang.

Even if the grenade doesn’t nail your opponent, it may buy you an instant as they try to dodge it. Use this to slip around the corner, do a full-speed spin, and start lobbing grenades in their direction as you run backward.

 Dave “Flailer” Moore “DaBuzz” 

related listings of “grenade backlash”
Skill level: weenie
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers
topic: grenade launcher
topic: hand grenade

grenade interference

What if you’re tearing down a corridor with some goon on your butt, but there’s no corner up ahead for you to pull a grenade backlash? Don’t sweat it. Just start firing grenades into the air over your head as you run. Even if you’re pursuer doesn’t actually take any damage, you’ll leave a trail of obstacles behind you.

Or for that matter, pull a full-speed spin and start slathering grenades all over the ground. It’s hard to run backward for long, but it’ll give you a better aim at your opponent.

If the hoser’s a little further behind and out of sight, try dropping the grenades in non-obvious but lethal places… say, just to the right of that doorway there. Remember that the grenades give you almost 3 seconds before they go off, ample delay to thork someone who’s quite a ways behind you.

 Tom Kleinpeter Clegg 

related listings of “grenade interference”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: grenade launcher

grenade launcher backlash

Stand in place, aim your sites straight up, and lob a grenade into the air. What happened?

Yep. Your grenade launcher chucked the grenade about 50 feet behind you. It appears that the grenade launcher in Q2 imparts some vertical force to the grenades as it launches them, presumably to conteract gravity and help their range. But when you point your launcher straight up this has the effect of throwing them way the hell back yonder. And when might you fire your grenade launcher in the air?

Yep. When some rocket-breathing yahoo’s hot on your tail. This makes the Q2 grenade launcher different, and in some ways trickier, than Quake’s. You can’t expect your grenade to come down where you were when you launched it, you’ve got to account for the back-kick.

Of course, this makes it more against for pursuers who are a good ways back, since they’ll have less time to dodge your grenade: it’s not just dropping out of the sky, it’s also heading toward them. And it makes them more useful in general in a room or hallway with low ceilings, since your opponent gets to dodge a wildly bouncing grenade. But in area with high ceilings it makes the launcher much less effective against someone who’s close behind you.

 Sean powers 

related listings of “grenade launcher backlash”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher

grenade surprise

If you’re being chased and are near an elevator, jump in. Once you’re at the top and hop off, the elevator goes back down. Now wait to hear it start on its way back up, and chuck a few grenades down the pipe. A few seconds later your pursuer will realize what an error it is to chase someone up an elevator.

As a variation. leave a couple of grenades on the elevator when you hop off, they’ll be waiting for your pursuer when he or she tries to jump on the elevator after you.

 Bryan Coffey

related listings of “grenade surprise”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: escape
topic: grenade launcher
topic: hand grenade

hand grenade

Some tips on the Hand Grenade:

• If you chuck a hand grenade at someone manage to hit them, well… cool, that hurts. But if you miss, the thing just sort of bounces away. So don’t throw it right away. If you hold onto it until it’s just about to go off, you can toss it and have it go off in your opponent’s face whether you hit or not. Clearly, timing it just a tad important here. You may be somewhat disappointed with the results of this trick if you wait a second or so too long. But you’ll give everyone around you a good laugh. And that’s what life’s really all about, now, isn’t it. EggFace
  
• Don’t throw it right away. The longer you hold it the further you’ll throw it.
• The hand grenade makes relatively little noise (until it hits, natch). This makes it handy for stealth assaults, though that ticking can be a bit of a giveaway if you’re close enough to your opponent. Standard caveat: some people consider stealth assaults to be camping. Of course for that matter, some people consider anything that’s even remotely fun to be camping.

In general the hand grenade’s a nice little weapon to use against campers:

1. The arc lets you toss it into places that you can’t see, as the grenade launcher will.
2. Better yet, you have more control over where the damage lands than with the grenade launcher. The longer you hold a hand grenade the further it goes, so you can time it to drop pretty much anywhere you’d like, within a stone’s-throw distance.

 Sire404
Someone holed up in a room with heavy weapons? Don’t risk your life with a frontal assault — just toss in a hand grenade as you run past the entrance.

related listings of “hand grenade”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense
topic: hand grenade

happy camping (and sniping)

A few rules of good camping and sniping (if there is such a thing as “good” camping and sniping):

• Don’t stay in one spot for too long. The whole idea is to surprise people, and once you wax a couple of opponents assume they’ll come running back to where you’re hiding for revenge.
• Pick a good spot. An ideal spot will be above your opponents’ eye level; will provide you with cover, exposing as little of your body as possible; and will overlook an area that players frequently run through, especially areas that players have to run through to get to some juicy powerup.
• Consider your weapon. Since you probably won’t get off many shots, the railgun is prime for this purpose. If you’re overlooking an area where opponents are likely to jump for cover, the grenade launcher can be pretty studly as well, since with a few choice ricochets you can get around your enemy’s cover.
• In some first-person 3D games, sniping is best accomplished from a very dark corner. This isn’t necessarily true in Quake. If you’re in a pitch black corner people won’t see you before you fire, but once you start blasting away your muzzle flash can blow your cover more quickly than if you were standing on a lighted ledge to start with. See the hiding tips for details.
• Use lifts. Camping at or near the top of a lift gives you a cheap shot at people coming up after you… and has the added benefit that once you frag your happless prey you’ll get their ammo lifted up to you. Try to find a spot that will give you at least 2 free shots at the person coming up.
• In case you’re stupid, let me explain something for you: people hate campers. They really, really hate campers. So when you pick a camping spot, be sure you pick one with a good escape route, ideally one that lets you escape without the person coming after you seeing where you went.

 Stefan “Twoflower” Gagne, acidviper, Enforcer, Hobbes

related listings of “happy camping (and sniping)”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense

hide

Nothing better than hiding when you’re feeling cowardly. If you don’t plan to shoot at anyone, head for the shadows.

If you want to shoot at people, being in the dark doesn’t help you much, since firing from the shadows is a questionable proposition at best. All weapons but the hand grenade give off a muzzle flash, illuminating the area for several feet around you. In addition to muzzle flash, some shots leave a trail of particles behind them. Some observations:

• railgun – may as well paint a big fluorescent “I’m Here” sign on your butt; a truly prodigious particle trail
• hyper blaster – the disadvantages of the machine gun plus the disadvantages of the blaster; what bargain
• BFG – that ball of death shore is bright, and shore does move slow
• blaster and rocket launcher – shots move fairly slowly and leave an illuminated path as they go; not hard for an opponent to trach it back to you; the rocket launcher is worse sine rockets leave a particle trail too
• grenade launcher – a little harder to trace than the rocket launcher, but the grenades do leave a particle trail
• machine/chain gun – a continuous strobe show of muzzle flashes, very obvious in the dark
• hand grenades – stealthy except for the particle trail
• shotguns – completely stealthy except for the (very brief) muzzle flash.

Since firing from the shadows is so risky, you may need to take another tack. One decent bet is to stay in a lighted area, but to get a look at your opponent through some obstructions, so that you’re firing on your opponent but only a small part of your body is directly visible. Of course this means that your opponent doesn’t need to move much to get out of your line of fire.

related listings of “hide”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping
topic: cowardice
topic: blaster
topic: shotgun
topic: super shotgun
topic: machine gun
topic: chain gun
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hyper blaster
topic: railgun
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

hot foot

If you have the rocket launcher or the BFG10k, fire at your opponent’s feet. You don’t have to hit someone directly to frag them with a rocket — you just have to catch them in the blast radius. If you try to hit your opponent directly, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to dodge the rocket and take no damage. But if you fire at the floor, a wall, or another nearby structure, there’s an excellent chance that they’ll taste at least a little bit of your rocket even if your aim isn’t so hot.

Note that if your opponent is standing next to a wall, you’re better off firing at the wall than at the floor. Due to line of site considerations, you’re somewhat more likely to hit a wall than you are to hit the floor right near your opponent.

See also: rocket dodging and defensive rocket jump

related listings of “hot foot”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

hothead

If you’ve got a rocket launcher or the BFG10k you probably already think to hot foot your opponent. Broaden your mind (and torch your opponent’s).

If your opponent’s in an area with a low ceiling you’ll get a similar effect by firing at the ceiling overhead. And since Quake2 has more hidey-crawley-claustrophobic spaces scattered around than Quake did, you’ll want to especially keep this rule in mind during Quake2 matches.

 Godfrey B.C

related listings of “hothead”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

hpb

definition

The opposite of an LPB. HPBs who routinely frag LPBs are to be worshipped and emulated.

related listings of “hpb”
Skill level: glossary

human timebomb

This one won’t net you any frags. Or friends. But at the end of a long Quake match when you’re brain’s getting a little mushy, it may at least give you a pathetic little chuckle of self-destructive glee.

Switch to your hand grenade. Now run around until you pick up a pursuer, then go hide somewhere obvious with them tailing you. Bide your time, counting away the ticks as your pursuer grins and whips out a shotgun for a nice close range kill. Step out and rush in at an appropriate moment.

Boom.

 Sean Powers (DeMeNtIa) 

related listings of “human timebomb”
Skill level: loser
topic: offense
topic: hand grenade

hurling (backward)

Being chased and low on weapons? Don’t ignore the hand grenade.

If you’ve got a bit of a clear run ahead of you, do a full-speed spin and start lobbing hand grenades in your opponent’s face. Not only may you get a frag, you may unnerve your persuer enough to get away.

 Sire404″>Sire404 

related listings of “hurling (backward)”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: offense
topic: hand grenade

ice skating

definition

If you’re deathmatching over a slow connection and your ping times start going up (over 300-400), you’re going to experience Ice Skating.

The Quake server you’re playing on keeps track of where you “really” are in the game, and shows that position to other players. Let’s say you’re running forward and you have the misfortune to start experiencing a network slowdown (high pings). The server knows exactly where you are, and keeps you moving at the same speed, but it takes a while for the information to get to your computer so thatyou can see where you are. What’s more, it takes longer for the network to relay your commands to the server (like “hey, stop running”).

Result? Embarrassment. Even when you try to stop moving, you keep moving. The server has actually had you moving at full speed the whole time, so when you stop moving it takes a moment for your screen to catch up with where the server knows you really are. You run into walls, fall of ledges, take a dip in lava. In short, you thork yourself.

 JiMBoNe 

related listings of “ice skating”
Skill level: glossary

juice cycle

definition

In deathmatch mode weapons, ammo, and powerups respawn wherever you picked them up. Juice Cycle is the art of snagging juicy items just after they respawn. Setup: you need to understand for stuff to respawn; and you need to know the level you’re playing on.

Develop a pattern through the level so that you repeatedly visit places with the toys you love. The best way to do this is to practice the levels in deathmatch mode without any other players running around humiliating you.

Because the Pentagram of Protection and the Ring of Invisibility have such a long respawn cycle (5 minutes), if you’re playing a level that has these, head for them first.

Keep in mind that in a net game, lag can change the dynamics of your maneuvering and even your speed. So if you’ve layed out a juice cycle based on the idea that “if I’m running at full speed, when I get back to point X I’ll find goody Y waiting for me”, nasty lag will hose your cycle.

 Blue

(with permission from his Doom Deathmatch Strategy Guide)

related listings of “juice cycle”
Skill level: glossary
topic: gear

jump

Jumping isn’t just useful for getting out of lava pits. It’s also a very useful combat maneuver.

• The lighting gun’s tricky to aim as it is. Aiming at you when you’re jumping around can be downright gnarly.
• lagged players will have a hard time tracking you.
• If someone shoots a rocket or grenade at you, it may miss you, or you may end up with a defensive rocket jump.
• If you’ve got no room to maneuver, jumping will at least let you avoid a a few of the shots that you can’t dodge otherwise.
• Weenies will have a lot of trouble tracking you no matter what their lag is like.

Assuming you have freelook turned on (and you do have freelook turned on, now, don’t you), you’ll still be able to aim at your opponents reasonably well even when you’re hoppin’ around like an idiot.

 DeathNite 

 TWIST 

related listings of “jump”
Skill level: trainee
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers
topic: rocket launcher

jumping fool

Like the full-speed spin, but more insane. Jump, turn 180° while in the air, hit the “reverse” key, and start firing. This is fun, and a little surprising; and if the person on your butt has a rocket launcher, it gives you a shot at a defensive rocket jump. This can be particularly effective when jumping off a ledge.

See also air gib.

 QuakE

related listings of “jumping fool”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

kamikaze

If you’re short on weapons and health and someone’s shooting at you with the rocket launcher or BFG, rush in at them with your blaster. The rocket launcher or BFG may take you out, but at close range the blast radius is likely to take out your attacker too.

What if your attacker frags you without fragging himself? Since you switched to your blaster before rushing, you won’t be leaving behind any goodies for the hoser.

 jEnS “STARK” Wessling

related listings of “kamikaze”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: offense
topic: shotgun
topic: super shotgun
topic: rocket launcher

kill

console command

Kills you immediately. If you can’t imagine why in the world you’d want to do this (after all, other people are more than happy to help you out), you should check out the entry on dying well.

related listings of “kill”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

lag

definition

Another term for “playing with a high ping.” Commonly used in sentences like “oh man, am I lagged.”

related listings of “lag”
Skill level: glossary

LANtastic scouting

When playing over a LAN (local area network) where the workstations are situated near each other, take advantage of your opponent’s physical proximity for some Real World scouting. You can use your own weapons to find other people.

Listen to the sounds coming from the other computer. Can’t find anyone? Use rockets as probes to explore other areas. Fire one off toward the end of a long hallway or the other side of a big room. Did you hear an explosion on your opponent’s PC? Well, don’t just stand there…

If you know a level really well you’ll know where the lifts and doors are on the level. Listen to your opponent’s computer, and when you hear a lift or door sound you’ve got another homing beacon.

 Robbie

related listings of “LANtastic scouting”
Skill level: weenie
topic: physical setup

lava Hot Foot

A special-case variant of the hot foot principle. If you see someone negotiating a ledge or walkway above a lava pool, immediately switch to your rocket launcher and wail one at them. Possible outcomes:

1. Your rocket frags them. Cool, and you get frag credit.
2. Your rocket doesn’t frag them, but you hit them or something near them. Odds are good that the blast radius will knock them off of their perch and into the lava. They’re unlikely to survive the lava. Cool, even though you don’t get frag credit.
3. You miss. Although this brands you a first class Weenie, if you’re shooting at another Weenie they’ll probably panic, spaz, and fall off anyway. Less cool, but darned fun.
4. You miss. Your opponent stays level headed, jumps off the ledge away from the lava, and frags your sorry butt. Uncool. Man, are you a Weenie.

If you don’t have a rocket launcher, but are playing against a Weenie, any old weapon will do. Weenies panic (and spaz) easily. Go for outcome #3.

Don’t trust the lava to finish off your opponent if you use this tactic. Someone with good health will flail in lava for a second or two, enough time for you to fire in another rocket to finish them off. Not only do you have the fun of seeing them bob in lava, but you get the frag credit that you so richly deserve.

 Mark (PeeblE) Sawyer, Torben Giesselmann

related listings of “lava Hot Foot”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

lava jump

If you fall into a lava pool that’s not too deep, and the ledge you fell from isn’t too high, you can rocket jump your way out of the pool and back to safety. Or relative safety, depending on how good the other players in the match are.

 Keeper.CP.KoD

related listings of “lava jump”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers
topic: rocket launcher

leading shots

If you’re shooting at a moving opponent (and unless you’re playing a bigger weenie than you, your opponent is moving), don’t shoot where your opponent is now. Shoot where your opponent will soon be.

Um… unless you’re toting a shotgun or the railgun. These weapons deliver their damage instantaneously, so with them you can shoot right at your opponent. But other weapons.

 Deadmeat
Note: the chaingun and machinegun also send their damage home immediately when you fire them, i.e., no need to lead shots with these. So to recap: you need to lead shots for the blaster, grenade, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, hyperblaster, bfg, and hand grenade.

related listings of “leading shots”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: blaster
topic: shotgun
topic: super shotgun
topic: machine gun
topic: chain gun
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hyper blaster
topic: railgun
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

learn the levels

One of the most fundamental of tips for any multi-player game: learn the levels. One way to do this is to do a lot of deathmatching. Another is to explore the levels in single-player mode. Neither one by itself will serve you as well as doing both will.

You can explore the standard deathmatch levels that come with Quake 2 by using the map command from the console.

related listings of “learn the levels”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: miscellaneous

leave a present waiting

If your opponent is in the air, take a guess at the floor where they’ll land and rip loose with a rocket. By aiming at the floor you’re likely to detonate somewhere near the landing spot — this is damage that’s nearly impossible for your opponent to avoid.

Much wiser than trying to skeet shoot folks out of the air.

 Chris (a. k. a. Ender or Camir)

related listings of “leave a present waiting”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

lie

If you want some cheap fun, accuse someone of cheating. Broadcast a message like “HEY DETHGOD ARE YOU CHEATING? I JUST HIT U WITH 4 BFGS!” The other players will either ignore you or, if they’re curious, run and try out their own rockets on DethGod.

You can’t try this very often or people will get tired of hearing you whine and will come scrag your sorry butt. Which serves you right for doing something like this in the first place. Shame on you.

Note: recent versions of GameSpy (formerly QuakeSpy) let you filter out servers that allow cheating. So if you do try this weasel-like tactic it may backfire if someone knows cheating is impossible.

 deadmeat

related listings of “lie”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice
topic: offense

lift camper probing

One of the lowlier campers is the Lift Camper: one who waits at the top of a lift, raining down death on you as you come up. Sometimes you can probe for a lift camper though: step on a lift to trigger it and immediately step off. Now listen. Whatever happens up there is what would have happened to you.

If you do hear something nasty happen, get the hell out of there fast. The quick-witted camper will figure out what you did — but quick — and dump a sackful of grenades on your head.

 NecroMancer

related listings of “lift camper probing”
Skill level: frag god
topic: camping and sniping
topic: defense

lift shaft surprise

Some lowly campers lurk at the tops of lift shafts, warming up their trigger fingers as soon as they hear the lift coming up. One way to deal with this is with lift camper probing.

Another is to let them have it. If you suspect a camper is waiting, prime up a hand grenade. Hop on the lift. When you’re near the top, shortly before you come into view, let fly with the grenade. If you time it right your present will go off in the camper’s face. You can pull similar shenanigans with the grenade launcher.

Even if you don’t time it right it’ll usually make them step back from the edge, giving you a fighting chance when you get to the top. If you’re feeling really slick, and your grenade drops back into the shaft with you, jump just before it goes off. You’ll pop out of the shaft like some kind of superhero thanks to the lift from your own grenade explosion.

 [Q98] Popeye

related listings of “lift shaft surprise”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: hand grenade

lift snap-shot

If you’re on an upper level and hear someone board an “up” lift from below, you have a couple of options. You can chuck a grenade over the edge for them, or you can wait and give them a very special surprise when they arrive at the top. The problem with the first option is that you’re really just hoping that your grenade will land home; the problem with the second is that you’re, well… waiting.

If you’re an aspiring or accomplished frag god you can add a little pinache. Take a running leap over the top of the shaft and send a present straight down the shaft onto your victim’s head. That way you’re not standing still, which we all know is asking for trouble.

Or for extra style you can do this in the middle of a rocket jump. Preferably a manual one, not one of those weenie macro-bound ones, please.

 Rorshach 

related listings of “lift snap-shot”
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense

line ‘o death

Don’t stand still while you’re firing the rocket launcher, blaster, or hyperblaster. As you let loose with a string of pain either slide to the side, or strafe forward diagonally (by moving forward and sidestepping at the same time). The net result: a horizontal line of death headed straight for your opponent.

 E Lee

related listings of “line ‘o death”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: blaster
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hyper blaster

llama

definition

You. Synonym: weenie.

 Scott Dega

related listings of “llama”
Skill level: glossary

long-jumping

Well… actually that should probably be “slightly longer jumping”.

If you jump while facing diagonally you can slightly increase your jump distance. The increase amounts to only the equivalent of a foot or so, but it may make the different between making that ledge and not making it. You don’t need to do the lead-up run diagonally — just turn to the side just before you get airborne.

 Coupland 

related listings of “long-jumping”
Skill level: frag god
topic: maneuvers

long-range grenades

Ever lobbed a grenade or a hand grenade at an opponent… and then gotten your butt fragged because the grenades fell just short of your target?

You can do better. You can give your grenades a bit of a range boost by jumping in the air before you fire them. Those extra couple of vertical feet will give you a nice little range bonus.

 Cadmann

related listings of “long-range grenades”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher

lower your ping the hard way

That’s “hard” as in “hardware”. If you do your Quaking over a modem there are lots of hardware and network reasons that you’re getting a higher ping than you truly deserve.

Danist has provided a bunch of suggestions for people so intent on lowering their ping that they’re willing, in extreme cases, to tear holes in their walls to do it.

• Be aware that X2 modems do nothing for your upstream connection speed, and therefore don’t give a significant benefit in Quake.
• In all probability your ISP has multiple dialup numbers. If you can find out the direct numbers (vs. a central number that automatically roves through the modems in the “hunt group”) try them all out. You may find that one gives you a better ping, whether because it’s a faster modem, or because it just gets along better with your modem.
• If you have an X2 modem, try to get a solid 33.6 or 28.8 connection rather than an X2 connection. There’s no reason to waste your ISP’s X2 modems for Quake (which can’t really “use” S2).
• Reduce your phone line noise. Every phone line has some amount of noise (static) on it, and noise lowers your modem’s throughput. Make sure all of your phones and lines are connected properly. If you want a fun weekend project, try this:
  1. Run a new phone line from your phone box to your computer. There won’t be any splices, or as much noise from other things in your house.
  2. Call your phone company and complain about line quality. Sometimes there are changes the phone companyc an make to reduce line noise, so it can’t hurt to ask.
  3. Check your lines for unneeded splices.
• Note from Danist: I did the whole phone line thing… my ping was improved! I cut of a major wire splice to a wing of the house where I would never need a phone.
• Dan Jameyson aka -Danist>[DS]
  

related listings of “lower your ping the hard way”
Skill level: frag god
topic: physical setup

lpb

definition

LPB stands for “Low Ping Buzzard” (hey, this site’s rated PG… you can substitute your own obscenity). Someone who intentionally victimizes people with higher pings is clearly an LPB. If someone’s winning and they happen to have a lower ping than you, you can still call them an LPB if it makes you feel better.

See also hpb.

 Scott Dega

related listings of “lpb”
Skill level: glossary

lumberjack

definition

Lumberjacks are people who get so annoyed with campers that they sometimes play the game not to win, but to hunt down campers. In other words, their goal in Quake is to “clear campsites”.

Whenever possible lumberjacks will use an axe rather than another weapon, simply for the annoyance factor. The camper kills you? Respawn and head right back for more annoyance. Sooner or later the camper will change his ways or leave.

 Angel “Paul” Bunyon 

related listings of “lumberjack”
Skill level: glossary
topic: camping and sniping

lumberjacking the railgun

Campers love the railgun. But if you’re a lumberjack, the railgun may well be your fantasy weapon too.

Think about it: the railgun is ideal for long-distance shots against a stationary opponent. Which would describe your typical garden variety camper. Duck out of cover long enough to get off a single shot and listen to the sweet sound of gibbage.

 Coupland 

related listings of “lumberjacking the railgun”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense
topic: railgun

lurking

definition

Definitions of lurking vary. In general it means skulking around in an untoward way, which may mean hiding, sniping, or camping.

Upshot: if you accuse someone of lurking, don’t assume they’ll be offended for the same reason that you were trying to offend them.

 Blorg / Enforcer!ande1498@maroon.tc.umn.edu

 Tony “Monkey Brains” Fabris [Tony’s Home Page] 

related listings of “lurking”
Skill level: glossary
topic: camping and sniping

map

console command

If you want to jump to a particular map, enter

MAP mapname

where “mapname” is the name of the level you want to go to. To do this you’ll need to enter a name from this list (courtesy of Blob:

related listings of “map”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

milking a co-kill

Not that I’d encourage this kind of behavior, but…

If more than one person dies in battle at the same time (e.g., you and another player kill each other), when you respawn take a quick step backward. If you’re lucky, you were the first to respawn and the other player will respawn in the same place as you did, letting you give them a couple of cheap shots from behind before they know what’s happening. If more than two die at once (e.g., a bunch of you are playing in the water when someone decides to rip loose with a thunderbolt) and/or you’re on a level with a small number of respawn spots, your odds of pulling this off improve.

 Edan “Amoeba” Scriven

related listings of “milking a co-kill”
Skill level: trainee
topic: cowardice
topic: offense

mind games

The setup: an opponent at long range; a wicked weapon; and maracas of steel.

The mind game: take a few shots at your opponent with your wicked weapon of choice, blaster or the shotgun. Heck, maybe you even run away a little bit. “Ah-ha,” your prey thinks, “out of the good stuff! Let’s move in and smoke the shmuck.”

Keep firing with your pea-shooter until your opponent gets in close enough for an easy frag with your big gun. the rocket launcher. If you’re using a weapon with splash damage don’t wait too long, or your opponent will be close enough that you don’t dare use it (or risk whomping yourself with splash damage too).

Of course, you don’t actually have to get so tricky (i.e., pulling a double-switch). You don’t have to start with the wicked weapon. Just run around taking potshots at people with your pea shooter until someone decides to victimize the weak you. When they close in, switch weapons and victimize them.

 “the same guy”

related listings of “mind games”
Skill level: frag god
topic: offense
topic: shotgun
topic: rocket launcher

muzzle flash

definition

When you use any weapon but the hand grenade, and explosive flash will emit from the end of the weapon. This “muzzle flash” will illuminate an area of several feet around you. If you’re in the dark and trying to figure out what’s near you, this can be downright keen. If you’re hiding, this can be downright tragic.

related listings of “muzzle flash”
Skill level: glossary
topic: hand grenade

noise bluffing

You know that good players will use sounds to figure out where you are and where you’re going. Why not use this to your advantage? Bluff with sounds:

• go through a door or activate a lift, then wait for someone to come looking for you
• to escape or throw someone off your trail, bluff a door or a platform and then head in the opposite direction of where your opponent would expect

In the same vein, keep sound in mind when moving around if you want to avoid detection. Don’t use doors or platforms unless necessary, and only jump when you have to.

 Onyz, Pubert

related listings of “noise bluffing”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: escape
topic: offense

open-minded fragging

Notice that weapon balance is better in Quake 2 than it was in Quake. “Who Snags the Rocket Launcher Rules the World” is no longer true.

Keep an open mind, and particularly watch for special situations where a given weapon will really shine — if you use the super shotgun for sniping and the railgun for close combat, you’re sort of missing the point. Just because you have to hit a higher number key to select a weapon donesn’t mean you’ve selected a radically better weapon. The “big guns” typically do more damage, but have associated costs (slow recharge/reload rate, high rate of ammo use, etc.).

 Godfrey B.C

related listings of “open-minded fragging”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: offense

over-eating

Here’s some extremely bad sportsmanship for you to have fun with. Let’s say you’re at maximum health, ammo, armor — whatever. You see some tasty little trinket lying around that you can’t pick up, but you also don’t want anyone else to get it. Fire off a round or two, or fire a rocket at a nearby wall (not too nearby) to take a little splash damage, then snarf the goody.

A note from Ritchie Mudge, who submitted the tip: “NB. I’ve seen John Romero do this.”

 Ritchie Mudge

 anonymous
An anonymous tipster notes that you can also see Thresh use this tactic in the Thresh vs. Entropy demo, to deny Entropy the yellow armor.

related listings of “over-eating”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice
topic: gear

paranoid corners

Imagine you’re in a hallway that takes a sharp turn to the right, and you’re about to take the corner. Now also imagine that there’s someone waiting for you around the corner. If you take the corner the conventional way, you’ll be visible to the “lurker” while you’re in the process of turning to face them.

Instead, take a “paranoid corner”. Before you reach the corner turn to the right and side-step to the left. Don’t stop to do this — just turn and sidestep. You can make this move while maintaining your original speed. This has you running sideways, so that by the time you reach the corner you’re already looking down it. Of course, that may not save you, but at least you’ll see your desctruction coming.

related listings of “paranoid corners”
Skill level: weenie
topic: maneuvers

ping

definition

Originally a sonar term (a short “ping” of sound to determine the distance to an object), “ping” has been appropriated by the networking world. The meaning is very much the same: a ping sends a packet of information to a specified computer and measures the time for the packet to return from the target computer. It serves as a simple measure of how good/fast your connection to the target computer is.

This is an important concept in network Quake, since the quality of your connection to the Quake server you’re using will determine how smoothly your game runs. A high ping value (“lag“) indicates a poor connection, and will lead to choppy performance. Net result: you’ll probably get fragged more than you deserve to.

You can determine your (and other players’) Ping times in deathmatch by pressing the F1 key. Please, use this information only for good, not victimize the slow.

related listings of “ping”
Skill level: glossary

ping bug-out

Be aware that your ping times will often rise as more and more people access a given server. Before you know it those LPBs have gone from 120 to 220… but you’ve gone from 300 to, like, 550 or something. You’re history. Monitor ping times periodically as the user count goes up, and be ready to bug out to a less crowded server when your pings get too high.

 JiMBoNe”>JiMBoNe 

related listings of “ping bug-out”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense

plat impatience

There are a number of levels where you need to ride a sliding platform to get from one point to another. This violates one of the cardinal rules of Quakeing: don’t stop moving unless you want to camp (or die).

Don’t take a slow ride. Wait until the plat is already a jump’s length out, then take a running jump onto it. Then wait until you’re a jump away from your destination and bail. Even on a very wide gap you can cut your transit time down enormously.

 Rorshach 

related listings of “plat impatience”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers

portable home

People get attached to their configs, aliases, and other settings. If you’re heading to a Quake Party or someone else’s house for a match, you’ll either spend a lot of time getting your PC set up to suit you… or you’ll lose. Avoid the pain. Put your config file on a floppy disk and carry it with you wherever you go.

 –=[NightmarE]=– 

related listings of “portable home”
Skill level: trainee
topic: physical setup

power shield

Energy armor is one of the most important powerups in the game, but also one of the most difficult to understand. The upshot: it uses energy cells (ammo) to absorb damage that you would have taken. With the energy armor and a few cells you can take a ton amount of damage. The powershield directly absorbs 1/3 of the damage, and the rest is evenly divided between your energy cells and your health.

Since the power shield uses energy cells, don’t go nuts with those cool energy weapons (BFG and the hyperblaster) when you’re using it. If you pick it up when you don’t have any energy cells, you’ll have to wait until you have cells and then manually activate it.

Learn where the power shield is on each level… and head there first.

See DuvalMagic’s for complete details.

 Coupland 

related listings of “power shield”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: gear

practicing safe frag

Always try to have an elevated position above your opponent when you’re flailing around with the hand grenade or grenade launcher. Physics will kill you: grenades roll and bounce before they explode, and that means they’re more likely to roll and bounce down.

Which kind of sucks if you happen to be down.

 Christian (Keyser Soze) Schmidt

related listings of “practicing safe frag”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: hand grenade

quad wisely

When you’re quaded in Quake 2, choose your weapons wisely:

• BFG: bad idea. The BFG is unaffected by the quad.
• railgun: not great. It’s pretty powerful as it is, and the reload time will cut back on your quadding jollies.
• rocket launcher, grenade launcher, hand grenade: fine, but the splash damage will take you out as easily as your opponents.
• super shotgun: awesome. Even not quadded it does ferocious damage at close range. On the quad you can take most people out with a single shot. Instant delivery of damage, and no risk of splash. Cool.
• Rorshach
  Hyperblaster and Chaingun are also exceptional weapons. The hyperblaster in particular. If you have a hyperblaster with more than 20 cells, punch it. You do 80 points of damage per shot, and ten shots per second. Do the math.

 Coupland 

 Deadmeat
Worth noting: doing the math (see DuvalMagic’s Q2 Weapon FAQ), a quaded chaingun does a glorious 960 points of damage per second. It doesn’t last long, but nothing else really measures up. Even the BFG maxes out at around 700-800 points with a perfectly placed shot.

related listings of “quad wisely”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: super shotgun
topic: chain gun
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hyper blaster
topic: railgun
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

quadgasm

definition

One’s loss of dignity when one comes into posession of the Quad Damage artifact.

If you’re on a crowded level, then quad damage, a super shotgun, and a backpack full of shells can add up to one of the most pleasurable experiences you can have with your clothes on. You can almost see Honor flying out the window when someone picks up this kind of Gib Kit.

On levels with lots of rockets and multiple Quads, you can have “Multiple Quadgasms”.

Warning: illegal in 12 states.

 Tony “Monkey Brains” Fabris [Tony’s Home Page]

 Doug “Meldroc” Holland
Important safety tip: one major drawback of a quadgasm is the sudden onset of stupidity. Be careful with that thing, soldier. When you’ve got quad damage and a rocket launcher, all it takes is an unfortunately-placed wall, and your party’s over. Mind the splash damage.

related listings of “quadgasm”
Skill level: glossary

Quake server

definition

Clearly, if you want to you can play Quake by yourself on your computer. But playing against others requires one computer to act as a “server”. The Quake Server keeps track of where all people and things are at any given point in the game, and communicates this information to any players who are using the server.

There are two types of servers: “dedicated servers”, where the server is doing nothing but serving players; and “listen servers”, where one of the players is playing directly on the server. A listen server is fine if you have a very fast connection (several people playing on a local area network), but it with slower connections it gives the person playing on it an extremely unfair advantage. Unfair even by Weenie standards.

The reason you can sometimes experience lag when you have a slow network connection (high ping) is that the Quake Server is the ultimate authority of who is where, so if your connection slows down the server may have a much better idea of where you are than you do. See ice skating for details.

related listings of “Quake server”
Skill level: glossary

Quake2 skulking

The default multiplayer skins that come with Quake2 are more hiding-friendly than the Quake1 skins were — some more than others. You select your skin by choosing Multiplayer | Player Setup. If you’re a weenie and looking for every edge, try out one of the sneaker skins and hang out in the dark a lot. Sniper and Viper are both good for this.

Bear in mind that frag gods will routinely fire into dark spaces (like long, dark hallways) for insurance, so be on your guard. The same rules apply as for hiding in Quake 1 — for example, the blue corkscrew makes that railgun a pretty bone-headed weapon to use if you’re hiding.

 Sean Powersspshadow@macomb.com”>Sean Powers (DeMeNtIa)

related listings of “Quake2 skulking”
Skill level: weenie
topic: cowardice
topic: defense

railgun

If you’re a sniper, the railgun will find a special place in your heart. It’s the sniper’s dream: massive, instantaneous damage at long range. Well, it’s perfect except for that nasty little trail it leaves behind it. You might as well plug a blue neon “I AM HERE” sign into your butt. In a sense the railgun forces snipers to be slightly more honorable by keeping them moving. So if you plan to snipe with the railgun, plan to dust off frequently too.

The railgun it extremely difficult to use against moving opponents (except for those moving directly toward you or away from you). Someone trying to plaster you with the railgun? Just keep side stepping back and forth erratically. The poor schmuck doesn’t stand a chance.

If you’re a lumberjack, the railgun may well be your fantasy weapon too. Think about it: the railgun is ideal for long-distance shots against a stationary opponent. Which would describe your typical garden variety camper. Duck out of cover long enough to get off a single shot and listen to the sweet sound of gibbage.

related listings of “railgun”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping
topic: defense
topic: offense
topic: railgun

railgun waiting

The railgun is powerful but tricky. You’ll have your best chances with it if your opponent is stationary or you know exactly where he or she is headed. A camper is a good example of a stationary opponent. But when can you predict someone’s destination?

• Once someone jumps they have some control over where they’ll land, but in general you can make a pretty good guess once they’re airborne.
• Someone on a later, lift, or moving platform is easy pickings. Dagarath
  
• Someone heading for a particularly choice goody is a pretty obvious target.

related listings of “railgun waiting”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: railgun

respawn

definition

In deathmatch, when you pick up an object, after a specific time period it will reappear where you picked it up. This is called “respawning”.

After you die, when you reincarnate somewhere in the maze that’s also referred to as “respawning”. When you respawn, you will have no armor, a handful of shotgun shells, a single-barrelled shotgun, and your axe. And a lot of adrenalyn, unless you’re too confused to know how bad a situation that is.

related listings of “respawn”
Skill level: glossary

respawn spot

definition

On any given level there are a limited, predefined set of places where players respawn after dying. These are referred to as “respawn spots”.

related listings of “respawn spot”
Skill level: glossary

revenge of the respawned

Players respawn at a limited, predefined set of sites on any given level. Learn where these are, and don’t stand immediately on them. If you’re standing there when someone respawns, it’s not going to make a bit of difference that you’ve got every weapon, max ammo, 200% health, quad damage, and that pretty red armor. You’ll be telefragged.

Once you learn the locations of the respawn zones, you will of course never take advantage of this knowledge for cherry picking purposes. Because that would be wrong.

Wouldn’t it?

 Ed Cope

related listings of “revenge of the respawned”
Skill level: trainee
topic: defense

rocket dodging

If you hear someone launch a missile, three things should go through your mind:

1. Oh crap, I’m toast.
2. Start running, llama.
3. Got to get away from that wall…

#3 is a hard one to remember, but an important one. The blast radius from a rocket will take you out as well as a direct impact will, so if you’re standing near a wall or another impact surface you’re increasing the odds that you’ll be caught in the blast radius when the rocket detonates.

The best place to be when someone’s shooting rockets at you is somewhere else. The second best place is in an open area where you can dodge the rockets. You don’t care if they whiz past you and detonate on a wall twenty feet away from you.

Note that if your pursuer has figured out the trick of hot foot, you’re hosed no matter how you slice it. Unless you remember to jump.

related listings of “rocket dodging”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: rocket launcher

rocket jump

To rocket jump is to inflict damage on yourself for a good purpose. This idea is to give yourself an unnaturally high jump by firing a rocket at your own feet just as you jump. While this may sound stupid, it can get you out of some tight places and into some keen ones. The idea:

1. Switch to your rocket launcher
2. While running, look down
3. Fire your rocket launcher at the same moment as you jump
4. Accept the damage happily, knowing that you did it on purpose

The first several hundred times you try this you will either (a) crisp yourself, (b) not jump any higher than usual, or (c) most likely, both. But after a while, this can be a very useful special-purpose manuever. This move is tricky enough that most people define console scripts to automate them.

For more tips on rocket jumping than your mind can even conceive, visit The Rocket Jumper’s Guide to Quake.

See also x-jumping.

related listings of “rocket jump”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers
topic: rocket launcher

rocket sidestep

A good rule of thumb: when someone launches a rocket at you, strafe diagonally forward (run forward in the direction of the attacker while side stepping). This will not only move you to the side, out of the rocket’s path — it’ll also avoid splash damage by getting you away from any walls or objects behind you that might detonate the rocket.

 Deathnite

related listings of “rocket sidestep”
Skill level: trainee
topic: defense
topic: rocket launcher

rocket vaulting

Rocket jump over peoples’ heads. It’s a simple idea, but once you’ve mastered it you can impress the frag out of your opponents. A big room or long hall with a high ceiling are the ideal setting for this move.

• When you’re in a dance of death, or just at close quarters with your opponent, run straight at ‘im. When you get within a couple of body-widths of your opponent, rocket jump over his or her head. Since you’ll be facing down from your rocket jump, you can even take a potshot as you pass overhead.
• If you’re encircled by your enemies, you can use this tactic as a quick escape. Either jump over one of your opponents’ heads, raining down death as you go; or just jump straight up and take a potshot while you’re up there.
• If you’re being chased, use this as a way to turn the tables. Rocket jumping works as well (or better) when you’re jumping backward than forward, so just rocket jump back over your pursuer’s head.

 Warmonger, Doomhammer, Stormer

related listings of “rocket vaulting”
Skill level: frag god
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

run and jiggle

There’s just no excuse for walking in Quake, ever. On the options menu, toggle “Always run” to “ON”. Go do it now. I mean it. Flip that switch. You want to be a weenie forever or something?

There’s also no excuse for running in a straight line in Quake, ever. Get in the habit of always zigzagging, jumping, jamming it into reverse suddenly — in short, be erratic. Remember that Quake is fully 3D, so you can never be sure when someone’s about to do a sniper number on you.

Running erratically won’t protect you from shotguns much since the shot from a shotgun lands home immediately. But it will help you against most other weapons, which are positively glacial (relatively speaking). No matter what weapon your opponent is using to victimize you, though, an erratic flight path will help you a little bit since it’ll be harder to keep a bead on you.

 Ed Cope, Terata

related listings of “run and jiggle”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: maneuvers

run away

If you’re about to die… run away.

It may sound obvious, but it’s surprising how many people completely miss this tactic in the heat of battle. Oh sure, there are times when you should keep shooting even though you’re gurgling your last breath. But in general if your health drops below 25 or so and you’re evenly- or over-matched, leave. Get more health. Then come back for revenge.

Too many people get cranked on the adrenalyn rush of battle and do stupid things. Like die, for instance.

related listings of “run away”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense

scavenge

If you see two other players going at it, you can take advantage. The idea: let the other two bozos duke it out, then take out the winner. It’s cheap, but it’s fair. There are two basic approaches:

1. Wait until the fight’s over, sitting well back so as not to get noticed or drawn in. When you see Bozo A expire, waste Bozo B, who will be worn down after the fight.
2. If you can figure out who’s winning the little skirmish, or if you know who the better player is (you can recognize people by the color of their clothes), start shooting at that player. It’ll be you and some other Weenie collaborating to snuff a Quake God. Once the Quake God’s gone, that leaves a weakened Weenie for you. This approach is slightly less cowardly since it means you’ll get, like, shot at and stuff.

If you’re feeling particularly wussy today, go for the shrapnel attack.

Do not shoot at the poorer of the two players. That will leave you to face the Quake God all by yourself once you’ve help to waste the other Weenie. Dumb.

related listings of “scavenge”
Skill level: weenie
topic: cowardice
topic: offense

scuba diving

This is an under-water form of camping. Stay under water as long as possible, shooting at peoples’ private parts as they swim along the surface. This works especially well when you’re playing a level that has underwater tunnels, since they give you an escape route when someone comes after you in righteous wrath (you wus).

Keep in mind that in Quake 2, if you’re hanging out in a big open pool it’ll be relatively easy for people to spot (and eliminate) you.

 Slayer

related listings of “scuba diving”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping
topic: cowardice

scuba sliming

Some weenies hesitate to dive into a slimepit unless they’re wearing the biosuit. Fortunately, that ain’t the only way. Megahealth does nearly as good a job, since that extra hundred health will keep you grinning in the slime for a spell. Diving in with megahealth can also surprise the hell out of other players — say, for example, that llama who just grabbed the biosuit and jumped into a slimepit to get out from under your crosshairs.

 Chris Schumann (Torgo)”>Chris Schumann (Torgo) 

related listings of “scuba sliming”
Skill level: frag god
topic: gear
topic: offense

sensitivity

console command

This command defines your mouse’s sensitivity, i.e., how much your player moves for a given movement of your mouse. By default most people play with a sensitivity under 10, but there’s nothing to keep you from building up your tolerance and pushing it up toward 80. Playing with a low sensitivity can get you fragged.

SENSITIVITY 20

Bear in mind that fine aiming becomes difficult if your sensitivity is set too high.

 Jin “Time Traveler” Kim

 Joel “lemurboy” Baxter

related listings of “sensitivity”
Skill level: weenie
topic: console

shotgun

Pros: The shots reach your target instantly, which is great at long range.

Cons: It does relatively little damage. Since the shot’s scatter pattern determines the amount of damage, and the pattern gets looser at long range, there’s even less damage at long range.

Sometimes you’re not an idiot for using the shotgun. Since its shots land home instantly it’s a decent weapon for distance shooting. For that matter, it’s not a bad weapon at any range if you’re very accurate, since your shots will land home even if your opponent is running full-speed.

(Thanks to Rorshach for a Q2 correction.)

related listings of “shotgun”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: shotgun

shrapnel attack

If you see several players duking it out and you’ve got the rocket launcher, grenade launcher, or hand grenade — lay down some major chaos in the middle of the melee. Just keep firing into the middle of the fray until they’re all dead, you’re out of ammo, or somebody takes you out from behind.

As with scavenging, this is generally considered to be non-cowardly behavior even by those who frown on camping. Sometimes life’s ironic, ain’t it.

Of course, the BFG is an optimal weapon for these sorts of melees. Not only will you probably take everyone out, but the noise of the ruckus they’re making will somewhat mask the sound of the BFG firing.

related listings of “shrapnel attack”
Skill level: weenie
topic: cowardice
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

sidestep

If someone’s chasing you and you’re headed for a doorway to a room or another hallway, try to lose them with a sidestep. Just after you run through the door take a quick sidestep right or left. Best case: the loser runs right past and you fall in behind. Worst case: your pursuer sees what you’re doing and turns to attack you; at least you’ve got a face-to-face fight now.

 Mika Hirvonen”>Mika Hirvonen 

related listings of “sidestep”
Skill level: weenie
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

single-player cheats

console command

Thought Quake 2 doesn’t have any cheats per say, with some of the console commands it’s pretty hard to tell the difference. Two you’ll want to remember in helping you to learn Quake 2:

• GOD: makes you invulnerable
• GIVE ALL: gives you all weapons and most powerups

For a more complete list, visit Fahrenheit 176.

 weenie man 

related listings of “single-player cheats”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: console
topic: miscellaneous

sloppy circle strafing

So you like circle-strafing but you’re just not that good at it? If your aim is weak, switch to the super shotgun. Its wide field of fire will help compensate for your shortcomings.

 Arsenic

related listings of “sloppy circle strafing”
Skill level: weenie
topic: super shotgun

sniper pop-ups (yum)

Is there some low-life in that pillbox-in-the-sky, occasionally peeking out to take potshots at the rest of you? Rocket jump (or X-jump) and, while you’re up there, toss the hoser a rocket to keep ‘im company.

 Warmonger”>Warmonger 

related listings of “sniper pop-ups (yum)”
Skill level: frag god
topic: camping and sniping
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

sniping

definition

Finding a nice safe spot (well, as safe as anything can be in deathmatch), typically above other players, and taking pot shots at them as they run by. Sniping differs from camping in that you’re doing it to frag people, not to keep control of weapons, ammo, or other powerups.

Why sniping is stupid: besides being cowardly, sniping is generally a losing strategy. Hiding and waiting for people to run by is a strategy designed to minimize the number of times that people frag you. But remember that winning at Quake isn’t about staying alive — it’s about getting frags. Even if you’ll die more, you’ll get more frags in a fire fight than you will hiding in a corner.

related listings of “sniping”
Skill level: glossary
topic: camping and sniping

sound masking

If your opponents are using their ears, you give important information away every time you pick up a juicy power-up. Powerups have distinct noises, and nothing will make a savvy player run like the sound of a Quad getting picked up.

Fortunately you can use one sound to mask another. If you see something juicy next to an ammo or health pack, pick up the juicy item first. The sound of the trach item will mask the sound of the one you really care about. Or, jump onto the item to mask the pick-up sound with the sound of your landing. Or… you get the idea.

 Baggins 

related listings of “sound masking”
Skill level: frag god
topic: gear
topic: physical setup

specialize

This one goes along with learning the levels: pick one or two levels and specialize. Learn them inside and out and play them constantly in deathmatch.

You can use GameSpy or another Quake front end to find servers that are currently running your favorites.

 –rOt–

related listings of “specialize”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: miscellaneous

splash damage

Definition

Something you don’t want to experience. Rockets, grenades, and the BFG10k do huge damage in a radius around their point of detonation. This is referred to as “splash damage”. See also blast radius.

related listings of “splash damage”
Skill level: glossary

squashing scavengers

So there you are, calmly blowing the hell out of your opponent in a nice fair duel, when you realize some dweeb’s firing at both of you from the sideline hoping to do a little scavenging.

What’s a Quaker to do?

Try a little drive-by shooting. Once you’re on the other side of the annoyance he or she will be pinched between you and your former opponent, who will probably be annoyed enough to assist you with the extermination. A classic weenie-grade scavenger will just stand there stunned while it happens.

Once you’ve eliminated the dweeb, you and your little friend can go back to blowing the hell out of each other.

 Stalker”>Stalker 

related listings of “squashing scavengers”
Skill level: trainee
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense

squeeze play

If you’ve got the rocket launcher you can pull a “Squeeze Play” (a “pickle” to those who are afflicted with baseball fandom). When a rocket detonates, most people will react by running away from the impact, expecting that another will be incoming there in short order. You can use this fact to drive your opponent in a desired direction, by laying down a rocket blast in the opposite direction.

Maybe you want to run them near a lava- or slime-pit so you can knock them in with another shot. Or maybe you want to get them headed toward a wall or a narrow corridor where it’ll be easier for you to nail them with splash damage from the rocket’s blast radius. No matter what the reason, this gives you the ability to (briefly) herd your opponent.

related listings of “squeeze play”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: rocket launcher

stealth

Assume that other good players will use their ears to find you. Avoid doing things that will unnecessarily make noise. This includes jumping and picking up items that you don’t need.

 Onyx”>Onyx 

related listings of “stealth”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense

sucker play

Pathetic Tactic Alert I’m reluctant to include this one. Very reluctant. This is really, really cheap. I didn’t think of this, and I’ve never done this. You shouldn’t do this either, if you have a shred of human decency. But as I noted on the first page, the Quake Weenie reveals all.

If you have an idea of where your opponent is, send them a message that requires an involved response. I don’t know, something like “Wow, you’re great. How did you learn Quake?” Then, while they’re replying, sneak up and nail them.

Oh, man, it hurt to even type that.

Wow is that low.

I’ll be back in a minute. Gotta go wash my hands. Ick.

related listings of “sucker play”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice
topic: offense

suicide switch

Hope springs eternal, but sometimes you need to face the facts: you’ve got about 5 health left and a couple of snipers are whipping rockets at you. If you don’t think you’re going to be able to get away or take out your opponents, switch to the blaster. It may make you feel a little better to know that the folks who took you out won’t get any of your good weapons. This is a tricky call to make, but occasionally it’s the best option.

 Deino”>Deino 

related listings of “suicide switch”
Skill level: trainee
topic: cowardice
topic: escape
topic: blaster

suit up

Once you respawn, try not to do anything else before you pick up some armor. Power shield is your best bet if you can get it. In learning the levels, pay special attention to where the health and armor are. If you charge into combat with 20 health and no armor, it ain’t gonna matter much that you’re toting a rocket launcher.

 Ed Cope

related listings of “suit up”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: gear

super shotgun

In Quake 1, the lower a weapon’s number the more hosed you were if you held it. Not so in Quake 2. In Q2 the formerly-somewhat-chuckle-worthy double-barelled shotgun is a seriously butt-rocking weapon.

At close range a single shot can take out an unarmored player if all goes well — the maximum damage if all of the pellets hit is 120 points. As in Quake 1 it’s a poor long-range weapon due to the wide shot dispersion. But in tight corners it’s hard to beat.

This all makes it a great weapon for a whole new kind of mind game. While you’re in the open, sucker your opponent with your blaster; then run into a tight area, and let loose with the super boomstick.

 Brian Knox

related listings of “super shotgun”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: blaster
topic: super shotgun

sweaty palms

It’s 4am. You’ve been fragging and getting fragged for six hours. For the last three your game’s been slipping off. Why? Because your hands are slipping off your mouse and keyboard.

Nothing’s as slick as Fragsweat. If you’re really a dedicated Quaker, you’ll want to use a little cloth tape (e.g. hockey tape) on the top and sides of your mouse, to improve the feel and cut down on the slickness. You may also want to tape a few of your keycaps.

Hell, while you’re at it just tape up your hands and be done with it.

 ThAnAtoS”>ThAnAtoS 

related listings of “sweaty palms”
Skill level: trainee
topic: physical setup

teamplay static

Want to really get on peoples’ nerves?

Create a file static.scr that contains dozens of lines of garbage characters, for example:

say “^%$^%$^%$^%$$#%$#$$%$#%$#%$#%$#%$#%$”
…etc…

Now bind a key to exec the file. Hit the key frequently throughout your team play match to prevent communication between members of the other clan(s). Naturally this screws up your team’s communications too, but at least you’re the one who gets to decide when everyone will be annoyed.

 Ginzberg[FTM]

Important: Ginzberg notes that neither FTM nor any other clan with a shred of self respect would even consider using this tip.

related listings of “teamplay static”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice

telefrag

definition

If you teleport on top of someone else, you win — they explode into a grisly pile of giblets.

This kind of frag is a mighty hard thing to arrange for, unless

• you run into a teleporter right after your opponent does, and
• you’re playing against such a big weenie that they don’t know this trick

If that’s the case, your opponent may linger a moment after teleporting, which is enough time for you hop in and mush his/her molecules. Which, frankly, is a lot funner than you’d think.

 Keven “Sandking” Kronenber

related listings of “telefrag”
Skill level: glossary
topic: offense

the boonies

Two points to note:

• Many Quake II levels are quite large.
• The same levels often have “hot spots” where most of the action happens.

As you probably know if you’ve played many of these levels, this means these levels tend to have a lot of backwater areas. Some of these areas have decent toys, they’re just not high-traffic areas.

Learn the levels well enough to identify one or two of these areas on each level you commonly play. Them use them as resupply areas after heavy fire fights, and as power-up areas when you respawn.

See also: weenie hunting

 Angus[B5] 

related listings of “the boonies”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: gear

the golden rule of Quake strategy

The next time you deathmatch, notice that some people play offensively while others play defensively, i.e.

• some people play to frag
• some play to avoid being fragged

This brings us to the Golden Rule of Quake Strategy: in standard Quake winning isn’t about avoiding death — it’s about fragging. Your frag count doesn’t go down when you get fragged (unless you frag yourself). To put it another way, playing defensively

• will minimize your humiliation
• may suppress your opponents’ scores
• won’t help you to win

Weenies sometimes think that avoiding humiliation is the best they can hope for. Hiding in the shadows won’t get you the practice you need to become a Ruthless Frag God.

Caveat: these rules are more true the more people you’re playing against. A Quake Duel is a completely different game: every time you get fragged, your only opponent’s frag count goes up by one, so defensive playing is a perfectly valid strategy. But in a mad fire fight with 10 other players, get out there.

related listings of “the golden rule of Quake strategy”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: defense
topic: offense

the great camping debate

To camp or not to camp? Opinions on this… uh… vary slightly. In the interest of balance I present here two editorial opinions, in their own words:

 Stefan “Twoflower” Gagne
In favor of occasional camping: “When severed heads are flying around you (and you’re usually the recently divorced owner of the head) and you need a break, camp. There are a number of respawn spots that folks typically don’t hang around that you can wait at for 10-30 seconds, so you can replenish your supplies and be able to survive a little longer out there before getting thorked. Camping in general is considered an evil, but so is running around with a pathetic little shotgun and low health so the Quake Gods can plow your feild repeatedly; the key is to camp when required or when you need a breather, and rapidly switch between camping, hunting, and sniping as the situation calls for it. Definitely don’t camp in a spot where someone has found/wasted you before; good hunters always chase out the moles once they know where they like to hide.”

 Tony “Monkey Brains” Fabris [Tony’s Home Page]
Opposed to camping in any form: see Clan Monkey’s camping creed.

 Edan “Amoeba” Scriven
In favor of camping liberally: If you’re a weenie, camp at will. It’s one of the few ways you’ll get any frags, and it probably the only way you’ll ever get to dust a Frag God. Camping can also let you dominate team games, by keeping your opponents from ever getting any good weapons — you can dedicate your Weenies to Camping Duty. Thunderbolt is a good camping weapon since you can use it at close range and it doles out the damage very quickly.

 Lemon_Man
Other camping tips: Though Lemon_Man is vehemently opposed to camping, he notes that a few of his clan-mates in the The Fruits of War clan do it occasionally in a specific situation: the “camper pack”. If you pick up a loaded backpack, say with 30 or more rockets, you may decide that camping is justified. In the heat of battle people die quickly, so you’ll never get to use up all that ammo. Find a place overlooking a busy area and start lobbing in grenades and rockets. You’re sure to wrack up a few kills before someone inevitably takes you out.

related listings of “the great camping debate”
Skill level: weenie
topic: camping and sniping

thork

definition

A fundamental concept in the Zen of Quake Weeniedom. To thork is to destroy another player, particularly in a humiliating way. Since you are reading this page, you are a confessed Quake Weenie and surely know what I mean, for you have been thorked many times, and often in parallel. Examples:

• Yikes. What a Thorkfest.
• I’ve been Thorked.
• You’re in for some major Thorking.

Thanks to Scott Ostrander and Kyle Gasser, the thorkmeisters who architected this term.

See also: gib, frag

related listings of “thork”
Skill level: glossary

thorking a circle-strafer

Fighting a circle strafer? Reverse your circle rotation to strafe toward him, then walk straight back. Your opponent will often keep circling for a moment… putting him directly in your sights.

 Coupland 

related listings of “thorking a circle-strafer”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense

thorking a lift camper

Annoyed by that camper at the top of a lift? Don’t hop on the lift for payback. Chuck a grenade or a hand grenade onto the lift and then trigger it. If you time it right and the loser’s up there waiting for you, you’ll get to educate a camper by remote control.

 Raistlin

related listings of “thorking a lift camper”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: hand grenade

thriving on ice skates

If you’re often badly lagged, you’re intimately acquainted with the concept of ice skating. In a fire fight, lagged players will often stand still for fear of ice skating or simply losing their aim. Two HPBsgoing at it will often stand there slugging each other… until whoever has more armor or the rocket launcher gets the frag.

Don’t do this. Instead, strafe just a few feet to the side and adjust your aim to account for it. That way by the time you both catch up with your lag, you’ll have moved unexpectedly out from under your opponent’s sights but you’ll still be pounding your opponent. Even if your opponent has the level head and nerves of steel to adjust aim without ice skating, by the time they’ve adjusted their aim just make sure you’ve moved slightly again.

Note that for this to work,

1. your opponent must be as badly lagged as you
2. you have to be able to control your own movements without spazzing into a convulsion of ice skating

 Phalanx

related listings of “thriving on ice skates”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense

thriving on lag

Unless you’re an LPB, you normally deathmatch with lag. And no matter what other skills and knowledge you have, if you can’t beat lag you’re beat.

A few tips for living with lag…

• Remember: just because something looks delayed to you doesn’t necessarily mean it’s delayed for your opponent. Example: you line up some yokel in your sites. You fire, your rocket launcher just as lag hits. You’d normally cut and run, but you decide to stay facing your opponent until the rocket leaves the tube. You should have run. Once you fire your rocket will head for your opponent at the same speed as everyone else’s, in the direction you were facing when you fired it.
• Turn off the particles that are associated with many weapon shots. This will make the shots look much less impressive, but can speed things up a good deal since Quake has fewer objects to track and render. From the console enter:
  cl_particles 0
  Warning: though turning off particles has performance benefits, it’s not free. You’ll find it harder to track the paths of certain weapons, and the railgun‘s shots will be entirely envisible. Ow.
• Be sure you have a reasonable setting for RATE. Go to the console and enter the word RATE. To optimize your connection you should choose a rate of around 2500 if you have a 28.8k modem, 3000, for a 33.6 modem, etc. If your current number looks wrong just enter:
  RATE xxx
  where “xxx” is the new number you want to use.

 Sean Powers (DeMeNtIa) 

related listings of “thriving on lag”
Skill level: weenie
topic: miscellaneous

timecamp

Note to the Righteous: if your code of honor prohibits camping, think of this one as “reacquiring powerups through skilled observation and knowledge of respawn characteristics.” There, isn’t that better?

If you see or hear someone snag a juicy powerup, you can arrange to be in the right neighborhood when the powerup respawns. It’s not really camping, just leveraging your knowledge of the game.

Check your status screen (by hitting F1). Look at the “Time” value for your player. Now you can “time camp”.

For example, do a time check when you see/hear someone pick up the Quad Damage. Trot on back to the Quad’s respawn spot 30 seconds later (on standard Quake servers, the Quad respawns in 30 seconds). Of course this requires your knowing default respawn times for items. What, did you think Quake was going to be easy or something?

 Joel “lemurboy” Baxter 

related listings of “timecamp”
Skill level: trainee
topic: camping and sniping
topic: gear

to kill an LPB

Suspect you’re playing against the worst kind of LPB — the kind that victimizes the slow?

Try for some therapeutic pay-back. This kind of LPB need to pause periodically to check for players with high pings. Checking generally means stopping for a moment to check the console. So follow the LPB around for a while from a safe distance, and wait for that Achilles’ Heel of a pause. Then get some.

You won’t rack up many frags this way. But damn, will they feel good.

 Mutilator

related listings of “to kill an LPB”
Skill level: frag god
topic: offense

undead surveillance

Many people forget that you can keep looking around after you’re dead. Sure, you want to get back into the game to pay back whatever lowlife just fragged you. But wait.

Just because you’re a pile of giblets doesn’t mean you can’t gather some intelligence. Watch for a few seconds. Are your opponents camping? Maybe that’d explain why you just got whomped for the 34th time in the same place. Are they running patterns? What weapons are they using? And perhaps most important, where did they go after they fragged you? Can’t get payback if you don’t know where they went.

See also zombie spy and camper goosebumps.

 Deadline

related listings of “undead surveillance”
Skill level: frag god
topic: camping and sniping
topic: defense

undercut

In swordplay you have an advantage if you’re positioned slightly above your opponent. In Quakeplay, it’s generally an advantage to be slightly below your opponent. For example, when you can, try to get below your opponent on a stairway.

This is particularly true if your opponent’s freelook is a little weak: your opponent will be slinging rockets and grenades over your head while you gnaw away at his legs.

Be careful though. If you’re below your opponent it’s awfully easy to plow a rocket right into the stairs or wall in front of you, reaming you with splash damage.

 Paul “TBB” HampsonPaul.Hampson@pobox.com

related listings of “undercut”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher

use your ears

Those sounds ain’t for nothing. Some ideas:

• Use headphones rather than speakers. Quake sound effects are in stereo, and since headphones give you better stereo separation they’ll help you to tell better where things are coming from. Though it’s fun to fill the whole room with the sounds of your body bursting into gibs, using headphones may help you to hear that particular sound less often.
• Learn the sounds of powerups running out. They let you know your opponent’s about to become a mere mortal again.
• Xolotl…BH
  Learn the location of the doors, lifts, and special items on your level. Once you know this, anyone using a door or a lift, or picking up a special item, is telegraphing their position to you. Not only do you know where they are, but you may know where they’re going.
• If you hear the rocket launcher or the BFG, get away from the wall.
• If you hear the BFG, see if you can tell who fired it. If you can, get out of their field of vision to avoid detonation damage. Better yet, just get out of everyone’s line of vision if you can.
• When players have the Quad Damage powerup, their shots make a special sound. Run from it.

related listings of “use your ears”
Skill level: weenie
topic: gear
topic: physical setup
topic: rocket launcher
topic: bfg10k

use your eyes

Illumination in the world of Quake acts… uh… a little differently than in our world. It goes through solid objects.

So use it. If you see periodic flashes along a wall (accompanied by the sounds of gunfire), there’s fighting on the other side of the wall. Since your job in Quake is to get frags, try to get to the other side of the wall where the people are. Unless you’re hurting. Or a truly dedicated Weenie.

related listings of “use your eyes”
Skill level: weenie
topic: physical setup

using the pentagram

Got the pentagram? Enjoy your unfair advantage. Normally you take a lot of punishment when you use grenades, rockets, and the BFG from short range. Not when you’re protected. Get in real close to your opponent and let a few fly.

related listings of “using the pentagram”
Skill level: weenie
topic: gear
topic: offense
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

victimize the slow

Pathetic Tactic Alert Yet another tip I’m ashamed to include, but a tip’s a tip, especially when you’re so lost that you need any help you can get to make a single frag.

In a network game, a player with a high ping time has a disadvantage. Typing “ping” at the console will show you ping times for all connected players. Look for the couple who have the highest ping times and pick on them. You’ll have an unfair advantage.

Look, pal, I’m only listing it. You’re the one who has to live with yourself if you so much as think of actually doing this.

 Ake Wallebom (who was suitably ashamed)

By the way, anyone who pulls this stunt can’t whine when all the other kids start chanting “LPB, LPB, LPB…”

related listings of “victimize the slow”
Skill level: loser
topic: cowardice
topic: offense

victimize the weak

Despite the distasteful title, this one really doesn’t belong on the Cowardice page (the line between strategy and cowardice is a very thin one sometimes).

Listen for shotgun blasts. The shotgun is a great special purpose weapon, and sometimes players will choose to use the shotgun even though they have more “advanced” weapons available. But statistically speaking, if you hear someone firing the shotgun there’s a very good chance that they respawned fairly recently and have limited armor and weapons. This is the kind of opponent you’re much more likely to be able to kill.

 Ed Cope

related listings of “victimize the weak”
Skill level: weenie
topic: offense
topic: shotgun
topic: super shotgun

voyeurism

Learn from the masters. There’s a universe of Quake demos out there, so you can watch Frag Gods frag, and lowly Weenies get gibbed. Not only can you see how they do what they do, but you can see it without having it done to you. Visit Demoland for a start.

If you’re feeling braver, you can always dog the gods to learn more.

 Shane Guise a.k.a. William Wallace 

related listings of “voyeurism”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: miscellaneous

walk

Though it’s generally a big advantage to run at all times, running does have one downside: your footfalls make noise. If you walk you won’t make any noise, which can be an advantage in one-on-one stealth mode battles. Warning: even if you’re walking, you’ll make footstep noises if you sidestep.

 Andy “Blaze” Chase

related listings of “walk”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers

water, slime, and lava

You can be under water for 12 seconds before you start taking drowning damage.

Initially you take 2 points of water damage, with the damage increasing by 2 points per second; there is a maximum of 15 points in any given second. Or to simplify, you’ll take 4 points the first second, then 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 15, 15…

Slime damage is 1 times your depth, 10 times per second. Depth is 0=on land; 1=ankle deep; 2=waist deep; 3=submerged. With the biosuit you take no slime damage.

Lava damage without the biosuit is 3 times your depth, 10 times per second.

Lava damage with the biosuit is 1 times your depth, once per second.

related listings of “water, slime, and lava”
Skill level: frag god
topic: miscellaneous

weapon info galore

If you’re looking for weapon stats and other gritty info — well, stop reading this ya big dope. Go straight to DuvalMagic’s Quake 2 Weapons FAQ.

Now. Stop reading this. I mean it. Go there right now.

What are you, stupid or sumpin?

P.S. I link to very few sites, and almost never use a link as a tip. But jeez, when I think of all the work Randy saved me by figuring this stuff out it only seems fair.

related listings of “weapon info galore”
Skill level: fundamentals
topic: defense
topic: offense
topic: blaster
topic: shotgun
topic: super shotgun
topic: machine gun
topic: chain gun
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: hyper blaster
topic: railgun
topic: bfg10k
topic: hand grenade

weenie

definition

A pathetic loser who can’t really beat other Quake players in a deathmatch, but who can smack into walls or explode into a grisly pile of giblets like nobody’s business. Synonym: llama.

related listings of “weenie”
Skill level: glossary

weenie hunting

On a high-traffic server (with 8 or more people on a level), most levels will develop hot spots — places where the powerups are concentrated, or nice open areas that are fun for insane firefights.

By and large, really good players will head straight for these areas since they know they have a prayer of surviving. Weenies, on the other hand, will often avoid these areas, not needing additional frag-borne confirmation of their inadequacies.

So pick up your favorite weapons and armor, then head for the boonies. You may find enough sheep wandering around to rack up the easy kills you need for a win.

See also: the boonies

 HyperLogic 

related listings of “weenie hunting”
Skill level: trainee
topic: cowardice
topic: offense

when to railgun

The railgun‘s tricky to use against a moving opponent at tight quarters so some people tend to holster it in these situations. But don’t overlook the fact that it’s an exceptional weapon in tight, narrow hallways. Think of it as an essentially instantaneous rocket launcher, but without the risk of splash-fragging yourself.

Fighting a circle strafer? Reverse directions to strafe into him, then walk straight back. Your opponent will often try to rush in to close the gap… putting him directly in your sights.

Fighting a jumper? Give up on picking the hoser out of the air. Time your reloads so that you’re ready to fire when the jumper lands, not when he’s airborne.

 Coupland 

related listings of “when to railgun”
Skill level: trainee
topic: offense
topic: railgun

whiplash

If someone’s close behind you, this move gives you a shot at getting behind them. Step left or right as you jam it into reverse. If all goes well, your hapless opponent will end up running ahead of you, with you in hot pursuit. Even if things don’t go so well, you’ll end up slamming into your opponent, which can make for a frantic disorienting jumble and a cowardly getaway.

If things go really poorly, your opponent will see it coming and will start backing up at the same time as you do, allowing ample time to continue waxing you from behind. Then you’ll die. But that was going to happen anyway, so what the heck.

related listings of “whiplash”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

winning the dance of death

Ever been in a dance of death? If so, here are a couple of suggestions for breaking up (and thereby winning) the the dance:

• Simplest: lead your shots. The most common error people make in the circle of death is forgetting to fire where their opponent will be next.
• If you really want to turn the tables, reverse the direction of your spin suddenly (i.e., switch from clockwise to counter clockwise) and back up slightly. If you’re in a tight circle and you catch your opponent off guard, you may get in a couple of juicy back shots.
• Circle-strafing with a frag god is very bad news: they’re exceptional at leading shots, so they’ll take advantage of any consistency in your movement. To throw them off in Quake 2, duck momentarily. You’ll drop beneath their shots for an instant and slow yourself slightly, making it hard to lead shots against you. Jumping can also help here.
• Switch strafe directions occasionally in any case, if only to screw with your opponent’s mind. But remember that if your opponent isn’t leading shots well then the shots are lagging behind you… so by reversing directions you’ll walk right into them. To avoid this, when you reverse directions either duck or jump at the same time.

Angus[B5]
Rorshach

related listings of “winning the dance of death”
Skill level: weenie
topic: defense
topic: maneuvers
topic: offense

x-jumping

In Quake2 you can not only rocket jump and grenade jump, but hand grenade-jump abd BFG jump as well. But the funniest thing…

If you’re not quaded, a rocket jump will send you roughly as high as a grenade jump. A BFG jump will send you a lot higher (though you’ll take more damage).

But if you are quaded the story’s different. You go no higher with a quaded BFG than with a normal one. Why? Because the BFG isn’t affected by Quad. But a quaded rocket or grenade will send you SAILING. We’re talking orbital here.

So lay off the BFG when you’re on the Quad. You won’t get to look half as cool as you think you’re going to look. Or something.

 Godfrey B.C

related listings of “x-jumping”
Skill level: trainee
topic: maneuvers
topic: grenade launcher
topic: rocket launcher
topic: bfg10k

your friend gravity

Gravity is your friend when someone’s on your tail.

• Find places where you can take a long drop without taking tons of damage. This won’t necessarily scrape off your pursuer, but many people will hesitate slightly before running off of what they know to be a serious drop. That fraction of a second may make all the difference.
• Learn how to squeeze down “up” elevators. From the upper level, jump down the elevator shaft, triggering the platform to raise. With some platforms you can drop to the lower level and run out before the plat obstructs your path. Your opponent won’t be so lucky — which will buy you a few seconds.

related listings of “your friend gravity”
Skill level: trainee
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

zig

Don’t run in a straight line when you’re being chased. Only the shotguns and the railgun have instantaneous shots — for other weapons, the shot takes a few instants to catch up to you. If you’re moving erratically, you make it less likely that you’ll be there when the hurt arrives.

related listings of “zig”
Skill level: weenie
topic: escape
topic: maneuvers

zombie spy

If you’re in any kind of a team play game, camp from beyond the grave.

You died near the enemy base? Stay dead and watch the field, telling your team mates where the enemy is (and when they leave). You died near your base? Let your mates know when someone’s coming — ideally just before they’d normally be visible.

You can set up some extremely cowardly traps this way, positioning one player in a “blind” area with a ton of grenades, and another player in an open area to tell the grenadier when it’s time to let fly.

I’ll leave you to decide for yourself which variations of this tactic are honorable, and which are cowardly.

 Chuck Cochems

 
This tactic was more effective in Quake, where you could continue to look around after you were dead. In Quake 2 you can only see what’s in your field of vision wherever your head lands (ick).

related listings of “zombie spy”
Skill level: frag god
topic: camping and sniping

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Copyright  1996, 1998 Andy Giesler, aka The Exalted Weenie