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(editor's note - This article contains outdated information and possibly broken links. Please do not e-mail us on this matter. Thanks.) Note - The strategies outlined in this guide reflect the opinions and the experience of the author. If you have something you disagree with or you would like to add, let us know!
Prelude
Quake is a hard game - unless you know what you are doing. With this guide and a lot of practice you will be transformed into an instant Quake gaming god... Well maybe not, but it will get you real close.
If you are new to the Quake world then this guide is for you, if you are a die-hard Quake player - well then read it anyway, you might find out something you didn't know...
Players
One thing you have to watch about your maps is the player count. Don't put too many people on one level. When a map is crowded, frags are based more on luck than skill - not very fun at all.
Under stocking a map is bad too, as you can literally run around for hours without killing anyone. In general you should be making at least a kill every two minutes or so, or the game just becomes boring.
Connection
Your actual type of connection can have a lot to do with your gaming style. This guide is written with the LAN gamer in mind. However you should find that no changes need to be made to your style if you have a good Internet connection (Ping=300ms or less).
Tools of Destruction
Having the right hardware to beat your opponents helps a lot. If you are running at twelve frames per second then there's no way you're going to be able to rail that guy on the Athlon 850. These are some of the major things you can do to make your game easier:
Acceleration
3D acceleration is a must these days. Don't expect to be the best if you aren't willing to put a bit of money into your computer (read: divert pay slip to computer store). 3D acceleration will smooth out your gameplay making aiming easier. Your average frame rate should be sitting at about 30 FPS (or more).
Running at higher resolutions will also enable you to spot opponents easier. The minimum resolution you should be playing at is 640x480. Of course the most important thing is that the gibs look nicer.
Sound
Most people tend to be happy when their speakers are so loud they can 'feel' Quake being played, however there is much more to the sound than that. You should at least have a card that supports either A3D or EAX - two of the major 3D positional sound standards our there. Couple these with a good set of speakers and you will be able to tell where your opponent is just by the sound.
The Screen
Well this one is easy - big is good. Most Quakers use a 17" monitor. Although I use a 15" monitor and it works fine for me. The point is that if you have the money, a bigger monitor is better. Things to look for are the refresh rate (should be 70 Hz or greater at the monitors maximum resolution), and the dot pitch (.25 or less). Rodent Tweaking
Having a smooth, precise mouse can make the difference between a pretty red energy blast, and an extra frag. If you can't aim, then you can't shoot, if you can't shoot then you will die.
If you are currently using a serial mouse, switch off your computer right now, unplug the mouse and throw it out the window (actually I sell mine to my little brother J). Serial mice sample at some horrible rate, around 40Hz. This is generally below the frame rates on a good computer setup, making the movement seem jerky, even though everything else is fine.
Having a PS/2 or USB mouse is essential. PS/2 mice's refresh rate can be bumped up to 200Hz using a utility called PS/2 Rate Plus. Although you don't actually need 200Hz, it's quite a novelty to see how smooth your mouse movement is afterwards. A USB mouse is the way to go as they sample at 135Hz without any software adjustment. There are also USB mice that include extra features that ensure ultimate precision (like the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer).
Finally you must have a good surface for your precision-tweaked mouse to sit on. Try to avoid the cloth covered mouse pads, as most mouse balls slide on these. Instead the surface you want is a hard plastic type mouse pad. 3M sells a mouse pad called the "3M Precise Mousing Surface". If you can get one of these, then you are set. Another popular option (and a favorite among the Tweak3D staff) is Ratpadz mouse pads.
Basic Setup and Tactics
You can know every trick to the level there possibly is, but if you can't control yourself then you are nothing better than fish food. Here are the basic tactics that you need to know to stay alive.
Key Setup
This is not the key setup that I personally use, but it seems to be the most popular one out there:
[W] - Move Forward
[S] - Move Back
[A] - Step Left
[D] - Step Right
[SPACE] - Jump
[X] - Crouch
[Mouse1] - Shoot
[Mouse2] - Change Weapon
If you have a wheel mouse then you may want to use the wheel to change weapons. In most cases it is faster, easier, and more convenient than most button setups are.
By no means do you have to use this setup, in fact you should use whatever feels natural to you. The best Quake players out there make most of their moves on instinct, without even having to think about them. This comes with lots of practice, and a good key setup, so get it right from the start. Movement
This should be nothing new for anyone, forward, backward, turn left, turn right. Easy huh? Well that's not all. If you want to win in Q3 then you must know how to strafe (stepping left and right), this skill is essential for dodging rockets, plasma and the gibs from that guy you just fragged.
Looking
There are a multitude of controllers out there that claim to be the best for FPS games. Most of these can be ignored; it's hard to beat the keyboard mouse combination. For those who haven't heard of this setup it goes something like this:
The keyboard is used for your movement but not much else. Why? Well it's important that you never stop moving in Q3 - so why not use a whole hand for it? Some people go a step further by removing the turn left and right keys and just relying on the mouse for turning.
The mouse is used to look around, shoot; change weapons and possibly jump (depending on how many buttons your mouse has).
Bringing it all together is easy; just imagine that the keyboard is your 'legs' (I know, it sounds funny), so whatever you feed it is where you'll move. And then imagine that your mouse is your 'head' and remember that you will shoot and run in the direction you are looking.
Circle Strafing
Circle strafing is one of the most basic Deathmatch tactics to master. It involves running in a circle around your opponent whilst still keeping him perfectly centered, (and of course pounding the crap out of him):
Opponent Holding
Holding your opponent whilst you dodge his rockets is another essential skill. This involves holding your opponent in view, or better still - in your crosshair, whilst you move, jump strafe, duck etc. There are no tricks to mastery of this one, just practice.
Quake Hard
Well there you have it, the foundations, the basic building blocks of any Quake player. All you need to kick ass - well almost. The next guide will cover a detailed setup of sound hardware, advanced tactics, more tweaks and a complete strategy guide for Q3DM16. Until then - keep Quaking!!!
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