Advanced Client Options

[SyncError]

QUAKE LIVE is a highly configurable game that often allows the client to customize certain aspects to be tailored to your liking. Some of these client variables (or cvars for short) are accessible the Game Settings link on the site or the Game Settings menu in-game. Although, there are many additional options available by altering 'cvars' from within the in-game console.

• To access the console in-game press: CTRL+ALT+~ (on your QWERTY keyboard). This will drop down the command console. To make the console easier to toggle, you can now type com_allowconsole 1. After doing so, you may now toggle the console on or off by simply pressing ~.
• Typing the beginning of a cvar or command and pressing TAB will autocomplete, or show all the commands that start with those letters.
• Pressing the up and down arrows on your keyboard will scroll through text already typed into the console.
• Pressing page up and page down will skip entire pages, combine these with ctrl to go to the very top or bottom of the console.

Here is a list of some commonly used or new cvars in QUAKE LIVE:

• bot_nochat - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will disable the chat messages from bot ai players in Practice Mode.
• cg_autoswitch - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will disable the automatic switching to weapons that are picked up.
• cg_bob - default: "1"
  Lower values between 0-1 will reduce the amount your player view bobs as they walk, values of "0" will remove all bobbing. This is highly useful for players who suffer from motion sickness.
• cg_crosshairBrightness - default: "1"
  Lower values between 0-1 will make the crosshair appear darker, becoming black at "0"
• cg_crosshairColor - default: "7"
  Alternate colors for your crosshair are selectable by setting this cvar to a different value between 1-7.
  1: red, 2: green, 3: yellow, 4: blue, 5: cyan, 6: magenta, 7: white
• cg_crosshairHealth - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will set your make your crosshair color reflect your health. While healthy it will appear white and as you take damage it will turn yellow, orange and then red when you are near death.
• cg_crosshairPulse - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will prevent your crosshair from enlaring momentarily when you pickup an item as a pick-up indicator.
• cg_crosshairSize - default: "32"
  Lower or higher values may be used to decrease or increase the size of your crosshair.
• cg_draw2D - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will remove all HUD elements including your crosshair, useful for capturing 'clean' screenshots.
• cg_drawCrosshairNames - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will prevent player's names appearing when you point your crosshair at them.
• cg_drawFPS - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will display the frames per second that your game is rendering, useful for evaluating system peformance.
• cg_drawGun - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will hide your weapon from view. A value of "2" will display your weapon, but it will not sway as you walk.
• cg_drawRewards - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will disable the display of any in-game awards you receive, such as "Impressive", "Excellent", "Humiliation".
• cg_forceEnemyModel - default "(null)"
  Setting this cvar to a "<modelname>" or "<modelname>/<skinname>" such as "keel/sport" will force all enemies to appear to be using the keel/sport model and skin. This is most often used to enable "brightskins". Crash, Keel, TankJr and Visor all have skins called "bright" and "sport" which provide high contract green and green & white skin options.
• cg_forceTeamModel - default: "(null)"
  Setting this cvar to a "<modelname>" or "<modelname>/<skinname>" such as "ranger" will force all teammates to appear to be using the ranger model and appropriate team colored skin.
• cg_fov - default: "90"
  High values will increase the field of vision of your player view allowing you to see more of the game world. Lower values will decrease the amount you can see but may make it easier to aim over long distances.
• cg_gunX - default: "0"
  Offsets where the gun is drawn on the X-plane on a players first person view.
• cg_gunY - default: "0"
  Offsets where the gun is drawn on the Y-plane on a players first person view.
• cg_gunZ - default: "0"
  Offsets where the gun is drawn on the Z-plane on a players first person view.
• cg_kickScale - default: "1"
  A value lower than one will decrease the amount that your screen shakes or kicks when you receive damage. A value of "0" will remove all damage feedback related shaking.
• cg_lagometer - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will display a netgraph that shows your network packet traffic including received, rejected and lost packets.
• cg_levelTimerDirection - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will alter the timer clock to count upwards towards the timelimit, rather than displaying the time left remaining in the match.
• cg_newWeaponBar - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will replace the side weapon bar with ammo counts, with the Q3 style horizontal weapon bar.
• cg_nopredictItems - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will provide more accurate pickup notification sounds, however at the cost of potentially delayed playback.
• cg_noprojectileTrail - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will remove the smoke and/or bubble trails from rockets and grenades.
• cg_oldPlasma - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will add fizzling spark effects to the fired plasma balls.
• cg_oldRail - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will add a Q2 style spiral around the railcore.
• cg_oldRocket - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will add a red bloom of fire that burns out from the explosion.
• cg_predictLocalRailShots - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will feel less responsive in high ping environments but may prevent wrongly predicted railshots and/or impacts.
• cg_simpleitems - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will use 2D image icons to display in-game items.
• cg_switchOnEmpty - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will prevent the automatic switching to a new weapon when attempting to fire a weapon without ammo.
• cg_trueLightning - default: "0.75"
  A value of "1" will remove any sway from the lightning gun stream to make it easier to aim with, while values closer to "0" will increase the sway but more accurately represent where the lightning is currently impacting.
• cg_zoomFov - default: "22.5"
  The field of view used while zooming
• cl_autoRecordDemo - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will enable automatic demo recording. A demo will be recorded to your system for every match that you play. Demos can be played back to rewatch your match by typing "demo <demoname>". One Windows XP systems, demos are stored in the "%appdata%\id Software\quakelive\home\baseq3\demos" folder, while on Windows Vista they are located in "%APPDATA%\..\LocalLow\id Software\quakelive\home\baseq3\demos"
• cl_currentServerAddress
  This cvar is set to the ip address of the game server you are currently connected to. Obtaining the servers IP address may be necessary during testing.
• model - default: "Sarge"
  Alter this cvar to set your <model> or <model/skin> such as "Ranger" or "Ranger/blue".
• r_dynamiclight - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will remove dynamic lighting that surrounds rocket projectiles.
• r_enablePostProcess - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will degrade the quality of lighting in exchange for a boost in performance.
• r_fastsky - default: "0"
  A value of "1" will replace the animated skybox with a solid black texture, primarily used for enhancing performance.
• r_picmip - default: "0"
  Lower values will manipulate and blend the colors of the map textures. Textures at the highest value, "16" appear nearly as solid colors. A vid_restart or map load is required before changes will come into affect.
• r_subdivisions - default: "4"
  A value of "80" will replace in-game curves with angled surfaces to give a performance boost.
• s_ambient - default: "1"
  A value of "0" will remove the ambient background sounds from most maps. A s_restart or map load is required before the change will come into affect.
• s_musicvolume - default: "0.25"
  Lower values will lower the volume of the game music, a value of "0" will disable the music.
• timescale - default: "0"
  Higher values set while playing back demo files will result in the demo fast forwarding at a rate times the timescale value.

Common and/or new game commands:

• clan <clanname>
  The clan command allows you to set your clan tag and add color codes to your clan name, in the same manner you can with the 'name' command.
• dropflag
  Dropflag allows you to drop the enemy flag for another player (who is perhaps more well equipped to survive with the flag).
• dropweapon
  Dropweapon only works in team games, and allows you to drop the weapon you are currently holding so that a team mate may have it.
• name <name>
  The name command allows you to add color codes to your name. Place a carot and colored code before any text string to colorize it, such as "name ^1Unnamed^3Player" becomes UnnamedPlayer
  ^1 - Red
  ^2 - Green
  ^3 - Yellow
  ^4 - Blue
  ^5 - Cyan
  ^6 - Magenta
  ^7 - White
• readyup - default bind: "f3"
  Readyup toggles your ready-up state. Once enough players in a match have ready up'd, the match will begin.
• record <demoname>
  Records a demo of your current gameplay.
• stoprecord
  Stops recording the current demo.
• tell_buddy <qlfriendsname>
  This command will send a QUAKE LIVE chat message to a friend on your friends list from in-game.
• quit
  The quit command disconnects you from the server and will return you to the QUAKE LIVE site.

[cozm0]

thx, I'm hoping all of this is easily accessible from menu in future.

[Xh1ne]

question:
is cg_smoothclients or something similar active?

[Sokkratez]

Thanks for posting these. Where exactly are cfg files located? I'm assuming one is kept somewhere. Or is it server side? It would be nice to be able to edit outside of the game.

[malk101]

does the game automatically store the comsole settings? or do i have to set tank as enemymodel everytime?

[Xh1ne]

after you have written them in the console, you just have to type
\writeconfig autoexec
to have them recorded

[BusT3D]

Thank you!

[everkill]

Originally Posted by Sokkratez

Thanks for posting these. Where exactly are cfg files located? I'm assuming one is kept somewhere. Or is it server side? It would be nice to be able to edit outside of the game.

In Windows XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\<YOURUSERNAME>\Application Data\id Software\quakelive\home\baseq3

The easiest way to set your game is the method mentioned above. Go into Quake Live, set it up the way you want then bring down the console and type: writeconfig autoexec

This will create a file called autoexec.cfg that will be executed automatically everytime you run Quake Live from that particular computer.

Most client variables are saved server side (weapon binds, enemy model settings etc..) but the hardware portion of your config is not.

[Nightbox]

is there a screnshot command ?

[DeaDOnE]

com_allowconsole 1

wouldnt it be better for all if this command was sorted server side? then just use tab key as per quake 3 ?

seems a good idea .