Age :43
Group: Administrator
Location: Portugal
Started playing Quakeworld in 1997. Always been active in the community. With strong opinions about the game and the path it should follow, always fought the conservative qw ideals. Lately has been involved in bringing new players into the game, making their life easier and promoting different game modes and maps.

know more @ http://wiki.quakeworld.nu/Mushi
Guides  /  28 Feb 2013, 15:46
T&T#3 Alternative weapon scripts
Different players use different keys to do the same thing. Many players choose weapon with a key, then fire with mouse button 1 (mouse1). Others have a different key to fire different weapons. Some fire with SPACE, others with mouse buttons. It's a matter of taste.
As everyone, I have my own way of firing weapons in QuakeWorld.
IMO, my way of firing is the ultimate friendly way of firing (cof cof - /modesty). I use the 5 mouse buttons to fire all weapons.

Mouse1 fires RL,
Mouse2 fires LG,
Mouse3 SNG/SSG,
Mouse4 fires GL,
Mouse5 is +jump;+fire for rocketjumps,
and the mouse wheels fire either SSG or SG (for long distance shots).

It's perfect. On my right hand fingers i have all the possibilities of firing. Every situation requires evaluation "which weapon is the best for this?". You have to question yourself that every second. With my cfg, execution is simple. You just have to decide which finger you are going to move.


Here's my simple script:
//Shoot with mouse buttons (5 buttons + mouse wheel)
bind MOUSE1 "+rl"
bind MOUSE2 "+lg"
bind MOUSE3 "+sng"
bind MOUSE4 "+gl"
bind MOUSE5 "+rjump"
bind MWHEELUP "+sg"
bind MWHEELDOWN "+ssg"
echo ^all-mouse-fire script loaded."


Note: Those alias (+rl, +lg, ...) are already in nQuake.

That does the trick. Simple, effective firing script for all situations.

What if I want to improve that?
Luckly, Quake offers rather complex scripting capabilities. If you ask any Quake player about what they love in Quake, many will answer advanced scripting straight away. Because it enables you to do virtually anything in the game. Today's teamplay scripts are an example of that. This is one of the things that Quake has that no other game offers. In the next lines I will show some of these scripting features.
--> THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS OUTDATED. New mouse acceleration commands should be used <----.

Ok. What if I want a different sensitivity for LG only?
There's a bunch of ways of doing that.
Open your config and look to the current +lg alias. It should look something like this:
alias +lg "weapon 8 5 3 2 4 1;+attack"
alias -lg "-attack"


Add the sensitivity you want there:

alias +lg "weapon 8 5 3 2 4 1;+attack; sensitivity 1.6"
alias -lg "-attack; sensitivity 2"


Hmmm. This is no good. That way, everytime I want to change sensitivity i have change my config manually. Shit.
What if we do some math with the sensitivity value, apply new sensitivity while i'm shooting LG and then restore the "old" sensitivity back? Perfect:

alias +lg "weapon 8 5 3 2 4 1;+attack;set_calc sensitivity $sensitivity * 0.8"
alias -lg "-attack; set_calc sensitivity $sensitivity / 0.8"

Ahh. Now it's automatic. I can change sensitivity in game all the time and it will reduce its value. With that example, while i'm shooting the LG my sensitivity lowers to 80% of the normal sensitivity. So its a 20% reduction. Sounds good - we don't want to reduce alot.
But the alias looks complex. We can do better. Lets separate that bit we added into a new alias:

alias +lg "weapon 8 5 3 2 4 1;+attack; lowsens"
alias -lg "-attack; normalsens"
alias lowsens "set_calc sensitivity $sensitivity * 0.8"
alias normalsens "set_calc sensitivity $sensitivity / 0.8"



Now the sensitivity logic is separated and can be used in other situations as well, such as the +zoom alias for instance. But that 1.4 is still a fixed value. We can convert it to a variable, and then we can change it on the console. That means, no need to edit the config:

alias +lg "weapon 8 5 3 2 4 1;+attack; lowsens"
alias -lg "-attack; normalsens"
set sensfactor "0.80"
alias lowsens "set_calc sensitivity $sensitivity * $sensfactor"
alias normalsens "set_calc sensitivity $sensitivity / $sensfactor"


Ah, done. Fully automatic sensitivity for the weapons I want. If i change my sensitivity, it will automatically reduce whatever value sensitivity has.
If you want to change the sensitivity factor just write in the console:
set sensfactor "0.75"


Value 0.75 will reduce your sensitivity to 3/4 when firing lg.
Value 0.5 will reduce your sensitivity to half when firing lg.
etc.. It's simple math. And it will fully work.

So about the sensitivity we are done.
>>>> >>END OF OBSOLETE TEXT

What about other settings? What if I'de like to change the fov everytime I shoot LG? Or change v_viewheight?
We can do the same we did with the sensitivity, the same system. Or, we can take a different approach.

Maybe in another blog entry. Are you interested in knowing the different ways you can change the fov for one weapon only?

Back to T&T index
Comments
2013-03-02, 00:09
Sens change script would be more reliable if you used f_weaponchange to check weaponnumber and call the lowsens alias, rather than binding it to a button since there may be times you don't have LG and cells.
2013-03-02, 17:28
I like the simplicity in your weapon binds mushi, but as everyone knows this is as much preference as anything else in life.

I would advice people not to meddle with weapon specific sensitivity. It might seem like a cool idea to go sniperscope fov 70 sens 0.01 with lg (exaggeration) and in pov it might actually work out. But in the fast pace game that is quake, meddling with your sensitivity also meddles with your MOVEMENT. So before you get used to funky sens-changing antics, please be aware that having great aim wonīt get you very far unless you can produce a movement on par with it. Milton is an excellent example of this, I think the whole scene can agree on him being the hardest target to kill even if you can meet up with him aimwise.

TL;DR: Changing sensitivity changes your movement. Movement in QW is the most difficult aspect to master. Donīt make it harder than it needs to be.

As for firing with different buttons, I use this logic:

Mouse 1 (index finger) is what I consider the most attractive button, and therefor it does nothing else than fire the rocket launcher.

Mouse 2 (middle finger) is pretty much as good as mouse1, and therefor it becomes the backup weapon to rocket launcher (sg/ssg/sng/lg). I rebind this button frequently during a game depending on the situation. If its a high paced 2on2 on dm4 its most often binded to fire LG. Q rebinds mouse 2 to fire SG. E = SSG. R = SNG. SHIFT = LG. If I donīt have SNG, it will fire NG (can be good in close combat at E1M2 water areas).

Mouse 3 (index finger) horrible button. And what weapon needs the least precision? Grenade launcher. The button is placed in such a way that its easy to access, but its not a button you would want to use for your precision weapons such as LG where every cell counts.

So thats the weapon setup I use and the logic behind it. The drawback is that you have to be fast on your fingers if you want to switch between LG and SG in case a target gets out of range, but with some practise itīs not a problem.

EDIT: Iīm also using Haudraufīs non-blocking weapon script, which basically means that the script uses a memory of sorts. The pro:s of the script is that you can i.e. fire a rocket and immediately after the rocket launcher "cooldown" is gone you can fire another weapon by just holding down the desired fire button. Many thanks to Haudrauf for helping me set it up properly. It can be found here: http://www.quakeworld.nu/forum/topic/5900/my-heaviest-real-nonblocking-weapon .
2013-03-03, 03:29
I just have to ask, do you all have sng before sg on +lg?
I use 8 2 5 4 1.
If the ammo is out on lg when i think its not, i usually prefer a direct shot to follow.
2013-03-03, 14:29
I believe sg is to be prefered.
2013-03-04, 11:44
Thanks for the answers, very constructive!

The reason I posted those alias/binds it's because they are simple, anyone can understand how they work. And it could bring an interesting discussion. AND I am not an expert in configs, but I would like to know more

Indeed f_weaponchange sounds a good approach to use when a certain weapon "calls" other aliases (in the example, a lower sensitivity).

But what pops up my attention is Haudrauf's non-blocking weapon script - for some reason I forgot about it but i'm definately going to try it now!

Interesting what Cara said about different sensitivity messing your movement, and that movement is the most difficult thing to master in qw - I agree 100% on this. I've always had bad movement, and I practiced alot. Imo It's a skill that you either have or don't have.
About the choice of setting up a different sensitivity - I dunno if it's just me (medium/high sensitivity player) but for some years now I feel kinda frustrated when I see other players doing +50% LG on dmm4 and this may be my desperate attempt of being more accurate with lg - which today is completely overpowered.

About the choice of which buttons to fire which weapon - once again is a matter of taste, i've changed that during the years. Interesting to read Cara's logic, i may switch mouse3 to +gl and mouse4 to +sng

hoder - interesting. I've never thought of that, gonna change it. Empezar might want to change it in nQuake config as well.

Thank you! Any more thoughts?
2013-03-04, 16:58
My thoughts on: How to improve Your movement as fast as possible.

Movement is a skill that needs as much (if not more) polishing than your aim. Luckily there are maps in QuakeWorld that are specifically designed for movement practise. Ranked in order of difficulty:

* ztricks
* zjumps
* ztricks2
* way2ez
* hoppa2
* way2ez2

Once you master these maps (for way2ez2 read: complete), your basic movement is good enough. You can speedjump properly while adjusting your speed and you have a good understanding of how the QW physics work. While these maps are terrific, they still lack the element of an enemy player. Strafing back and forth on povdmm4 while holding down the LG button isnīt what I consider ideal practise for movement.

Iīm suggesting a map that most people loath and question the very existence of: The Old Crater! The first times you play it you will probably find yourself in the lava most of the game. To counteract this lava bathing, you will start backpaddling into the ledge, doing nothing more than strafing left and right. This strategy keeps you out of the lava, but you become an extraordinarily easy target for your opponent. Same if you stand in the middle. You should aim to become a good old crat player when playing the map. You should force yourself to jump between platforms with high speed, boosted from enemy rockets. If you canīt dodge an enemy rocket, use the blast radius to your advantage. You will eventually end up in the lava, but the better you get at the map, you will notice your enemy spending alot more time there as your rocket barrage leave him little to no time to react.

To end this somewhat long post Iīd like to add that a higher sensitivity will make your life as a movement specialist alot easier. Not being limited by mouse pad size or how mechanically fast you can move your mouse will aid tremendously on your path on becoming that target that seems to survive every fight with 20 hp.
2013-03-04, 18:45
first reaction on the last post: damn cara blew up my one of my blog themes!


i've never completed way2ez, and prolly never will.
Im curious about the map you mention, The Old Crater - i believe I know which one it is, but im not sure. can you post a pic or 2? since maps.qw.nu is down....
Thanks!

I will talk about Movement in other blog post though
2013-03-04, 23:48
Sorry in advance for this rambling :-)

Only thing more i can contribute in this is personal experience(pretty low level or considered noob :/ ).
I did use special settings for the +lg using f_weaponchange changing fov and sens, and it helped my lg % and felt "cool", for a while.
I changed back and wont use it again i think. Atleast not in "normal" games.
I also have used different crosshairs for lg, and gl but i changed that back too.

I do use fullbright rockets and granades :> It feels abit cheaty knowing that not all use them but they really adds to the fun for me. I think alot use those. And i hope to be allowed to keep them.

I dont have a button with +rjump.
I used kf_jump in my beginning and when that got forbidden i started from scratch.
Do most use a bind for +rjump? Sometimes i miss it a little on dm2 if im timing badly, but i have no room for that bind and it take away some of the feeling for me. But this is probebly very personal and i dont mind a bit that some use it. Its not like kf_jump.

(if some never player reads this kf_jump was a pretty cheaty rocket jump that let you just point at the target and press kf_jump, and it turned, shot a rocket, jumped and turned back for you with perfect timing and angle. In my late start in qw there was some really crazy automated jumpscripts for different jumps on different maps)

How many use +rjump? And do you use it only when a really perfect rjump is needed like or for all rocketjumps?

Im not playing atm due to some crappy circumstances, but when i get back i sure want a dedicated nailgun button for defence. Meaning ng before sng on one button as its so slow and i think i could benefit alot by using it to stop the bunnys. After that i would have all weapons except axe.
Only Brazilians and kurwas like to use axe it seems :-)

I really think that the nailgun is overlooked in todays qw when everyone are so fast.
But dont lissten to much as im not playing at a high level, and i really think different styles suites different levels.

And mayby not the right thread, but i use my pinkie on left shift for +gl and will probebly never change that. And also use mousewheel up and down for sg and ssg like mushi when carrying rl and lg. And mousewheel button for +sng. Last one is not so good but works. The mouse wheel for +sg and +ssg works very well and i usually have a good percentage on those, especially considering my level and that its pretty new buttons for me. But if i dont have rl i sure use mouse 1 for +sg.

(and sorry for following up on movement in this post :-)
Ztricks is the map that got me to bunny. Still love it and one of the reasons i stayed in qw. Wondering the total amount of time i spent on that (probably weeks) :F Now i usually finnish it quickly.
Id also like to recommend the map "trick1" that shows a little of the possibilitys with movement in qw and has a great last level. Trick1 is a pleasure to play with a friend and is very different from the others. I think way2ez is too stiff, but thats probably due to my skill. Think i only made some of the courses.

(sry if rambling and misspelling, im abit drunk after a long pinballsession :-)

And not sure how good this suits other peoples style of playing and havent tried "Haudraufīs non-blocking weapon script" yet, but will look into that for sure, thx
I have these sequenses today.

alias +gl "weapon 6 3 2 1;+attack"
alias -gl "-attack;weapon 2"
alias +lg "weapon 8 2 5 4 1;+attack"
alias -lg "-attack;weapon 2"
alias +rl "weapon 7 6 5 3 2 4 1;+attack"
alias -rl "-attack;weapon 2"
alias +sg "weapon 2 5 4 1;+attack"
alias -sg "-attack;weapon 2"
alias +sng "weapon 5 4 3 2 1;+attack"
alias -sng "-attack;weapon 2"
alias +ssg "weapon 3;+attack"
alias -ssg "-attack;weapon 3" (cant remember the reason atm for keeping the ssg but i think there was some :-> Havent played in a long time.
And i cant figure out where to place the ng :p My hands are full. Think i need to start using my feets :-p (i know atleast one who does for lg)

Optimal would probably be different sequenses for different maps and if 4on4, 2on2 or duel.. Im just not that serious. :-) But as an example, leaving packs in duels isnt stupid at times.
2013-03-06, 11:46
hoder, long post! Thanks for sharing!

you use pinkie clicks LSHIFT which is binded to +gl, sounds good.

nailgun, yea it breaks the momentum. I've read what cara said about the middle finger being the least accurate, and i've tried to move my +sng from mouse3 to mouse4, but i binded it back. I've found that i'm pretty accurate with mouse3 as well (G400 mouse) so I have no need to rebind it.

About the trick maps - some are awesome I will talk about them in a future blog post.

I've tried Haudraufs script, and its great! its so... "natural". The only bad thing about it is that its aliases +h_quick can't be called from other alias. i mean, it only works when you bind those aliases directly to a key.

example of non-working alias using haudrauf's tcl script:
alias +lg "+h_quick 8; fov 90"
bind mouse1 +lg


the only example that works using haudrauf's script:
bind mouse1 "+h_quick 8"


it would be soo much more flexible and easier to use if it could be used in other aliases. it could be the default nquake configuration, as well as cl_idrive
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