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13-06-08, 02:30
i found this on http://www.tweakguides.com/ it makes interesting reading indeed
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is, as the name suggests, based on the Quake series. This not only applies to its game world, but also the game engine used, which is a recent build of the same engine used in Quake 4, which itself was based on the excellent Doom 3 engine before it. In this section we delve into all the advanced tweaking possible with this build of the game engine, and if you've read either my Doom 3 or Quake 4 tweak guides in the past, this section will look very familiar to you, as many of the tweaks from those games carry over to ET:QW. There are a range of notable differences however, so make sure to read the instructions carefully and go through the variables in detail.
Using the Advanced Tweaks
The most common mistake made in tweaking is to quickly apply several tweaks without knowing what exactly they do, or apply them incorrectly and wonder why they don't work, especially if you're new to tweaking the ET:QW/Quake 4/Doom 3 engine. Read this section carefully and pay close attention to the descriptions of how tweaks are applied in ET:QW and what they do. I've tested all of them and only working tweaks and methods have been provided.
There are three main ways in which you can access and alter Command Variables (cvars) in ET:QW: through the game Console; through .cfg (Config) files; and via the Command Line. I detail all the major commands one by one starting on the next page, and you can then decide the best method to use to implement particular ones. The methods are essentially interchangeable, meaning changing the variable using one method has much the same impact as doing it another way - the only difference is which is more convenient for you, or which is most appropriate to that particular type of command.
ET:QW Console
The console is the closest you can get to having direct real-time access to the powerful game engine. Through the console you can enter commands to change engine variables during the game, and usually see their impacts immediately. This is a great way to experiment with certain tweaks before implementing them permanently via other methods. To open the console, start ET:QW and then press the CTRL ALT and ~ keys together at once. You will see the console come down, and you can enter text at the command prompt. A list of commands you can enter are covered on the next page. To make regular access to the console easier, enter the following line into the console:
seta com_allowconsole 1
This means that you can now open and close the console by simply pressing the '~' key (the key above TAB), and not three keys at once.
ET:QW Config Files
Although you can alter many variables by entering them into the console, most command variables need to be set each and every time you start ET:QW. This is because the game engine usually resets these variables to their default state as the engine initializes at startup, or they need to be implemented before the game engine loads up to be effective. Fortunately by default, when the game engine starts, it automatically detects the presence of, and runs the command variables from two specific files: etqwbinds.cfg and etqwconfig.cfg, both of which can be found under your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base directory in Windows XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base in Windows Vista. The file etqwbinds.cfg holds the general key bindings and control configuration, while etqwconfig.cfg holds your in-game settings such as audio and video configuration. There are also two more files which hold additional control and UI settings specific to your player profile, called bindings.cfg and profile.cfg, found under the \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base directory in XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base in Vista. These are loaded up when you login to that particular profile in ETQW.
You can edit cfg files using a text editor like Windows WordPad or Notepad. However typically changing the settings in the existing config files will see them reset to default values again the next time you restart ET:QW and hence is not the recommended method. Rather than editing any of these files, the best thing to do is create a new text file, rename it to autoexec.cfg (not autoexec.cfg.txt), and place it in your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base directory in XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base in Vista. You can now edit this file and enter all your custom tweaks and settings into it, and they'll automatically come into effect each and every time you start ET:QW. This makes it easier to keep track of what you've tweaked, and if ever you want to remove your custom tweaks, you can simply delete this autoexec.cfg file, or see which commands need to have their values manually reset to the default.
Note: If you ever want to reset all your settings to their defaults, delete all the .cfg files above; the next time you start the game it will create new copies of them and all your customizations will be removed.
There is another way of executing a config file, and that is to firstly create a config file with any name you wish (e.g. mytweaks.cfg), place it in the same directory as the etqwconfig.cfg and etqwbinds.cfg files, and then in the ET:QW console at any time type exec [filename.cfg], e.g.:
exec mytweaks.cfg
This will immediately run all the command variables in your new .cfg file, however unless you actually execute this file it will not be automatically run at startup - only the config files named further above are automatically detected and run by the game at startup.
ET:QW Command Line
There is one more way you can run command variables for ET:QW - enter them as part of the command line for the game's launch icon. To do this, first right-click on the icon you use to launch ET:QW, and then select Properties. In the Target box, you will see something similar to this - it varies depending on where you installed the game:
"C:\Program Files\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\etqw.exe"
You can add command variables to the end of this line by using a space and then a '+' sign in front of each command. For example, to fully unlock the game's rendering mode (as covered on the last page of this guide), change the target line to the following:
"C:\Program Files\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\etqw.exe" +set com_unlockFPS 1 +set com_unlock_timingmethod 0
Note that there are quotes around the target to the game executable file, but after that, simply add a space and a plus sign before each command. Also if you're wondering what the 'set' command used after the + sign means, and why it's necessary, see the top of the next page.
So Which Way Is Best?
Now you know the different ways to apply command variables in the ET:QW engine, as I mentioned before, there is no single 'best' way. Each method works, it just depends on what you find more convenient or appropriate to the particular command. I personally prefer to place all my tweaks in a single autoexec.cfg file, because that way I can see at a glance all the settings I've changed, and if need be I can remove the file (e.g. for troubleshooting purposes), or change each setting back to default. I can also easily back up this file so I can quickly reapply the same tweaks if ever I reinstall the game or if my settings are lost after I patch the game.
However, I suggest that you first use the in-game console to try out most commands and see what effect they have on the game. Then you can insert them into your autoexec.cfg file once you've determined if they're worth using, and which values work best for you. For the commands which don't come into effect until the game is restarted, you may have to experiment by temporarily placing them in your autoexec.cfg first to see what they do, but do this carefully, and depending on the results determine whether you want to keep them or not.
The next two pages provide a list of all the game's most useful commands/command variables along with relevant descriptions.
This section lists all the major Enemy Territory: Quake Wars commands and command variables (cvars) by general function, and provides descriptions and recommendations for the important ones. The list is by no means exhaustive since there are literally almost 1,800 different commands and variables for ET:QW; I've only tried to cover the most useful working commands. To see a full list of the ETQW commands for yourself, type listcvars and listcmds in the in-game console. To get a saved list of the cvars with descriptions, type htmlcvars and a copy will be saved as cvars.html under the directory which holds your etqwconfig.cfg and etqwbinds.cfg files (See previous page).
Usage rules
Config and Console Usage: In the ET:QW engine, when you want to use a command - whether in a config file or in the console - you can simply type the name of the command, and then any values or parameters if required, however you must place exactly one space after the command and any following value or parameter. E.g: r_displayrefresh 85. You don't have to use "" (quotes) around the value, nor do you have to use the Set or Seta command in front of them.
Set vs. Seta: You will see in certain places, like the etqwconfig.cfg file, that a command is prefaced with the words Set or Seta. You can also insert these in front of your commands in the console or config file or in the command line, however they aren't absolutely necessary for a command to work. The Set command is used to tell the game engine to set a cvar to a particular value. Seta is more useful in that it tells the game engine to set the cvar value, and then archive it (store it) so it becomes permanent. So don't use Seta unless you want a value to 'stick', as it will remain there until you either manually change its value again.
Current and Default Values: If at any time you want to see the current value for a cvar, open the console and type the name of the variable without a value. For example, type r_displayrefresh and you will see the current value for this variable on your system. More importantly, you will also see the default value. There are different current and defaults for the commands depending on your particular system hardware configuration, that's why I don't provide the defaults here.
Note: if you can't remember the exact name of a command, type the first few letter(s) of it in the console and then press the TAB key - the console will show you all commands beginning with the same letter(s).
The following is a list of all the major commands for ET:QW, grouped by function, and with relevant descriptions. Note that I have tested all of these, and the following settings have been purposely excluded:
# Variables which can be easily and fully changed in the In-Game Settings.
# Useless commands/variables such as a range of developer and debugging commands.
# Server Administrator commands
# Commands which are already set to their optimal value by default and should not be changed.
Finally remember that some of these commands are considered cheats on certain servers, and may not be able to be used without the net_allowcheats command being enabled, or may result in being kicked by PunkBuster - it all depends on what the server administrator has set as being acceptable.
Common Commands
com_showFPS [0,1] - If set to 1, shows the current frame rate in Frames Per Second (FPS) at the top right of the screen. If set to 0, disables the counter.
com_allowConsole [-1, 0,1] - If set to 1, allows the command console to be opened by using only the '~' key, rather than CTRL + ALT + ~ (when set to 0). If set to -1, disables the console.
bind [keyname, command] - Binds a command to a key. For example:
bind F10 com_showFPS 1
bind F11 com_showFPS 0
Binds the F10 key to the command com_showfps 1 (which turns on the FPS counter), and the next line binds the F11 key to the command com_showfps 0 (which turns off the FPS counter). If you want to make a key binding 'toggle', that is pressing the same key turns a command on or off, then use the Toggle command instead, for example:
bind F10 toggle com_showFPS
Which means the F10 key alone will turn the FPS counter on and off, freeing up the F11 key.
unbind [keyname] - Unbinds any existing commands from the single key named.
unbindall - Unbinds any commands from all keys. This command is used most commonly as a starting command before setting bindings, so that you can be sure the keys you are binding are not already in use by another command.
echo [text] - Prints the specified text onto the screen.
exec [filename] - Executes the commands in the config filename provided.
screenshot - Takes a screenshot and places it in your \base\screenshots directory as a .tga file.
condump [filename.txt] - Dumps the entire contents of the console for the current session to the text filename specified and places it in your default .cfg directory.
clear - Clears the console of all text to date. Useful if you want to clear the console before generating specific text (e.g. listcmds) then condump them cleanly.
kill - Kills the player.
timescale [0 - x] - Sets the rate at which time passes, with 1 being normal time, and the higher the value the quicker time passes.
g_skipintro [0,1] - Skips any startup movies if set to 1.
net_allowcheats [0,1] - This is an important command which when set to 1 allows the use of the 'cheat' commands, such as god, noclip and notarget below, and those tagged with (cheat) in this guide.
god - Enables God mod, useful for troubleshooting or just having fun (cheat).
noclip - Toggles clipping on/off. By default clipping is on. When clipping is turned off, you can walk through solid objects (cheat).
notarget - Removes you as a target for the enemy (cheat).
exit - Immediately exits to the Windows Desktop.
HUD/User Interface/Display Commands
g_showHud [0,1] - If set to 1, this enables the Heads Up Display (HUD). If set to 0, this removes the HUD from view.
g_fov [angle] - Specifies the angle for the Field of View (FOV). The wider the angle, the larger the field of vision for the player, giving a 'fish eye' view in return for possibly lower performance. The smaller the angle, the less can be seen but the higher the performance. The default of 90 may not suit everyone.
ui_showgun [0,1] - If set to 0 hides the gun model on the screen, but still allows the gun to be fired. This can improve performance and increase general visibility.
g_chatDefaultColor [RGBA]
g_chatFireTeamColor [RGBA]
g_chatTeamColor [RGBA]
The settings above adjust the color for various chat text shown on screen: the in-game chat, fireteam color, and team chat text respectively. These settings all use RGBA color values; RGB colors for the first three numbers, and an Alpha (transparency) value for the last number.
g_chatLineTimeout [seconds] - Adjusts the time in seconds for each chat line to stay visible after new text is shown.
g_weaponSwitchTimeout [seconds] - Adjusts the time in seconds for the weapon display on the right side of the HUD to stay visible after you switch/select a weapon.
g_playTooltipSound [0,1] - If set to 0, disables the sound when a tooltip is displayed.
g_commandMapZoom [%] - Determines the zoom level of the command map shown in the top right corner of the screen, from 0.00 (close) to 1.00 (far).
g_enemyColor [RGBA] - Sets the color of enemy unit indicators in RGBA color value.
g_friendColor [RGBA] - Sets the color of friendly unit indicators in RGBA color value.
gui_doubleClickTime [seconds] - Amount of time in seconds between two clicks for them to be considered a doubleclick. If you find you're accidentally double-clicking often, raise this value.
r_aspectRatio [0,1,2,3,-1] - Sets the Aspect Ratio of the display. Best adjusted via the In-Game Settings, however using a value of -1 allows you to set a custom aspect ratio with the r_customAspectRationH (Horizontal Ratio) and r_customAspectRatioV (Vertical Ratio) commands.
r_mode [1-13,-1] - This setting determines the resolution of the game. It is best adjusted via the In-Game Settings, however using a value of -1 allows you to set a custom resolution using the r_customHeight (Pixel Height) and r_customWidth (Pixel Width) commands.
r_displayRefresh [Hz] - Determines the refresh rate used for the game. If you want to set this manually, determine the maximum supported refresh rate on your monitor for the resolution you've chosen for ET:QW, and set this variable to that value.
Control Commands
m_rawInput [0,1] - This variable determines whether the RAW Input API is enabled for mouse input. This is enabled by default as of the 1.2 Patch onwards, but you can disable it to see if it improves your mouse input.
m_smooth [value] - This variable determines the level of mouse smoothing applied. The higher the value, the smoother, but more laggy, mouse movements will feel. Set to 0 if you want to disable mouse smoothing altogether.
m_pitch [value] - Determines the relative speed of up and down (pitch) mouse movements. The higher this value, the greater the sensitivity of the mouse to pitching vs. yawing.
m_yaw [value] - Determines the relative speed of side to side (yaw) mouse movements. The higher this value, the greater the sensitivity of the mouse to yawing vs. pitching.
sensitivity [value] - This value represents your mouse sensitivity, as set by the slider in the in-game menus (See In-Game Settings). Here you can assign higher values if you wish.
Update: As of the 1.5 Patch the following control cvars have been added:
m_bumblebeePitchScale [value], m_bumblebeeYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Bumblebee.
m_heavyVehiclePitchScale [value], m_heavyVehicleYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Titan, Cyclops and Desecrator.
m_helicopterPitchScale [value], m_helicopterYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Anansi and Tormentor.
m_lightVehiclePitchScale [value], m_lightVehicleYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Trojan, Armadillo, Hog and Husky.
m_playerPitchScale [value], m_playerYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of Infantry and the Icarus.
The next page continues the command listing.
Performance Commands
Before examining the list below, it's important to note that I have excluded a large number of commands which are already set to their optimal values by default in ET:QW. For example settings such as r_useVertexBuffers and r_useOptimizedShadows are already enabled and working optimally in the game, and should not be changed from their defaults as there is no benefit in doing so.
[Unlocking Framerate]
com_unlockFPS [0,1] - When this is set to 0, the ET:QW engine is effectively locked to a 30FPS maximum to help maintain smoothness. However if you want your framerate to exceed this limit, you must first make sure this variable is set to 1, which it should be by default. However by itself that won't necessarily do anything - you should also check and adjust the com_unlock_timingMethod and com_unlock_maxFPS variables below as well.
com_unlock_timingMethod [0,1,2] - ET:QW tries to smooth out your framerate using a timing method which is specified here. By default the timing method is 2, which is the most conservative approach and effectively the smoothest, but provides the lowest framerates, typically leaving most people at 30FPS. Setting this variable to 1 sacrifices some smoothness in return for higher FPS. Using both 1 or 2 still limits your framerates to multiples of 30, but setting it to 0 completely frees up system to provide the highest possible FPS, but in return you may experience FPS spikes and jerky gameplay.
com_unlock_maxFPS [FPS rate] - If you've unlocked your framerate using com_unlockFPS 1 and you're using a com_unlock_timingMethod of 1 or 2, then you will still be bound to a maximum framerate specified using this setting, the default being 60FPS. If the game can't reach the new framerate cap, it will round down in multiples of 30, so if you notice your FPS is still sitting around 30 after unlocking your framerate, either lower this framerate cap, lower your settings to improve your average FPS, or switch to using the 0 timing method which effectively ignores this framerate cap.
Importantly, refer to the last page of this guide for more detailed advice on how to correctly use the above three settings and what they do.
[Dual/Multi-Core Tweaks]
r_useThreadedRenderer [0,1,2 ] - Added as of the 1.2 Patch, this option allows you to enable multithreading if you have a dual or multi-core CPU, and this can improve the performance of ET:QW. By default it's disabled (set to 0), but you can set it to either 1 or 2, with a value of 1 locking the renderer to your in-game frames, while 2 allows it to run unlocked. The developers recommend a value of 2 for this variable if you wish to enable it. Note that you must enable it either by inserting it in your autoexec.cfg file, or by entering it in the console prior to the start of a game; it can't be changed during a game.
[Graphics Tweaks]
r_megadrawmethod [0,1,2,3] - This command is exactly the same as the Lighting Quality setting in the main menu (See In-Game Settings section). A value of 0 is the same as High, a value of 3 is the same as Normal. You can try values in between to see if it improves image quality or performance, but in general a value of 1, 2 or 3 all appear much the same.
image_filter [GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST, GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR] - Determines the base OpenGL texture filtering method to use on textures by default. GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR is Trilinear Filtering, however if you want a performance boost without any noticeable image quality loss, change this setting to GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST which is Bilinear Filtering.
r_skip - There are a range of commands starting with r_skip, e.g. r_skipDiffuse. If these are set to 1, they will remove the relevant feature from the game. So r_skipDiffuse 1 would remove all diffuse surfaces, resulting in them being blank (white); r_skipBump 1 removes all bumpmapping detail from surfaces, resulting in flat surfaces, etc. Aside from the potential for visual anomalies with some of the settings, and the fact that some may be considered cheats, this can improve performance and may give a gameplay advantage (some are cheat).
image_PicMipEnable - This setting is on by default and allows you to control a range of PicMip-related settings which determine the detail level of Mipmaps, and hence the quality of surfaces. However the related settings image_bumpPicMip, image_diffusePicMip and image_specularPicMip are exactly the same as those under the in-game Texture Quality sliders (See In-Game Settings section) and can be fully adjusted there. Importantly though, if you just want the highest level of image quality, you can force this by setting image_picMipEnable 0 which disables the use of mipmaps and thus ensures the highest quality images are always used.
image_useCompression [0,1] - By default ET:QW uses compression to reduce the size of textures and lightmaps, improving performance but reducing image quality slightly. If you want the absolute highest image quality, set this option to 0, though note that you will require a graphics card with a decent amount of Video RAM to prevent hitching (e.g. 320MB VRAM or higher).
r_visDistMult [0.8-1.2] - Determines the maximum visible viewing distance in the game, the higher the value the further you can see, but the lower your performance. For gameplay purposes you shouldn't lower this below its default, and it's best to set it to 1.2 for maximum advantage.
g_decals [0,1] - If set to 0, disables all decals (e.g. bullet holes). This can improve performance, especially in heavy combat, at the cost of realism.
r_lightScale [value] - All light sources are multiplied by this value. Increasing this value increases the intensity of all visible light sources, lowering it reduces them (cheat).
r_detailTexture [0,1] - If set to 0, disables Detailed Textures, which are the detailed surface effects shown on a texture, such as the gravel on a road. This can improve performance at the cost of image quality.
r_detailRatio [value] - Determines the ratio of detail textures to main textures. The higher this value, the more detail textures are shown per unit of main texture, however at very high values (and very low values) textures will look blurry. A moderate value of between 4 and 14 can look good, but has varying impact on performance.
r_detailFade [0-1] - Determines the way in which detail textures fade in the distance, the lower the value the sharper closer details will be.
g_showPlayerShadow [0,1] - If set to 1, the player will cast a shadow when standing near light sources. If set to 0, the player casts no shadow, which improves performance.
image_lodbias [-1-1] - Determines the Level of Detail (LOD) bias for mipmapped images. The higher the number, the less detail is visible on surrounding objects. This can improve performance, but reduces image quality. The default is 0, and values approaching 1 reduce detail quite heavily, while negative values approaching -1 increase detail, so experiment with fractional values such as 0.2 or -0.5.
image_lodDistance [value] - This determines the distance at which images don't need to be shown at full resolution, with the higher the value the better the image quality but the lower the performance.
r_md5LodBias [value] - Determines the Level of Detail (LOD) bias for mipmapped images. The higher the number, the less detail is visible on surrounding objects, such as vehicles. This can improve performance, but reduces image quality. The default is 0, and a value such as 1 reduces detail quite heavily, while negative values increase detail, so experiment with fractional values such as 0.2 or -0.5.
r_md5LodScale [value] - This determines the rate at which higher level of detail becomes visible on objects. The higher the value the more detail is visible on distant objects but the lower the performance.
r_renderProgramLodDistance [value] - Determines the distance at which general rendering details are shown, such as bump mapping on surfaces. The higher the value the more detail and effects will be shown in the distance but the lower the performance.
r_stuffFadeStart [value] - Sets the distance at which 'stuff' (i.e. mainly grass) begins to fade out of view.
r_stuffFadeEnd [value] - Sets the maximum visible distance for 'stuff' (i.e. mainly grass). Using a combination of r_stuffFadeStart and r_stuffFadeEnd you can in effect have more or less grass visible. For example try r_stuffFadeStart 0 and r_stuffFadeEnd 1000 together to give a thinned out grass effect for better performance without removing grass altogether.
r_stuffCacheMegs [MegaBytes] - Determines the amount of memory to use for caching stuff effects. The default is fine, however if you raise the r_stuffFadeEnd value above in particular, you may need to increase the cache to prevent stuttering and errors.
[Sound Tweaks]
s_driver - Determines the audio API used for the game. The default of dsound is DirectSound which is optimal in Windows XP, however you can set this to openal to attempt to force OpenAL audio, either to try to fix audio glitches on your system, or in particular for Windows Vista users who want to have full hardware audio acceleration. If you want to force OpenAL mode, see s_libOpenAL below for details.
s_libOpenAL [path/file] - Determines the path and filename of the correct OpenAL32.dll file to use if OpenAL sound mode is chosen using the s_driver variable. Most sound cards have hardware support for OpenAL, and thus you should have an OpenAL32.dll file under your \Windows\System32 directory. So you would use the s_libOpenAL command in this way: s_libOpenAL C:\Windows\System32\OpenAL32.dll. You would then make sure to use the s_driver openal command, and if doing so during an active game, use the s_restart command to restart the sound system.
s_force22kHz [0,1] - If set to 1, this forces lower quality (22kHz) audio, which reduces sound quality but can improve performance (cheat).
s_numberOfSpeakers [2,4,5,6] - This value shows the number of speakers the game has detected, based on the your general Windows settings and In-Game settings. You can manually alter this value, however make sure it matches your current speaker setup otherwise you will have missing audio channels.
s_maxSoundsPerShader [value] - This setting determines the maximum number of sounds to use per shader, that is how diverse the sounds effects are. Increasing this value may increase sound variety but also increases memory usage and can reduce performance.
s_useOcclusion [0,1] - Occlusion is a basic audio method which muffles sounds which aren't clearly heard, such as those behind walls and objects. If set to 0, this method is disabled reducing realism and losing many distant sounds but it may increase performance (cheat).
s_noSound [0,1] - If set to 1, disables all sounds. Should be used primarily to troubleshoot potentially sound-related problems.
Update: As of the 1.4 Patch, the multiplayer stereo sound separation algorithm from Quake 4 has been added, and can be enabled via s_earSeperationAlgo 1. You can also control its parameters using the s_esa1_minVolume and s_esa1_maxWindow cvars.
Bot Commands
There are a large number of commands starting with bot_ which you can view and experiment with. For the most part they are for server administrators who wish to fine-tune how bots (non-human players) behave on their server. However if you start an offline game with bots, you can also try to alter parameters like bot_noChat 1 to disable bots chatting, or bot_useVehicles 0 to prevent bots using vehicles.
View Commands
pm_thirdPerson [0,1] - If set to 1, shows the player in third person view (cheat).
pm_thirdPersonAngle [angle] - If third person view is being used (i.e. pm_thirdPerson 1), this determines the angle of the third person view. 0 is from behind the player, while 180 is looking directly at the player's face. Other values view the player from various angles (cheat).
pm_thirdPersonHeight [value] - If using third person view, this determines the height of the camera from normal view height. Positive values raise the camera above normal view height, negative values below normal view height (cheat).
pm_thirdPersonRange [value] - If using third person view, determines the distance of the camera from the player. 80 is the default, and 0 is right inside the players head (cheat).
Demo Commands
The following commands record and play back in-game demos. The recorded demos are stored by default under your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\demos directory.
recordDemo [demoname] - Records a demo of your current (singleplayer) gameplay with the name specified.
stopRecording - Stops recording the current singleplayer demo.
playDemo [demoname] - Plays back a singleplayer demo with the name specified.
recordNetDemo [demoname] - Records a demo of your current gameplay on a multiplayer server.
stopNetDemo - Stops recording the current multiplayer demo.
playNetDemo [demoname] - Plays back a multiplayer demo with the name specified.
pauseNetDemo - Pauses/unpauses the playback of a network demo.
timeNetDemo [demoname] - Runs a timedemo on the demo name provided and provides framerate results in the console after the demo is finished.
com_preloadDemos [0,1]- Preloads all demos before playing them. Set to 0 will reduce memory usage, but loading demos will take longer.
com_compressDemos [0,1] - If set to 1 will compress demo files recorded, reducing their size. These files may take longer to load.
demoShot [demoname] - Creates a screenshot for the demo file specified.
demo_noclip [0,1] - If set to 1 allows you to noclip through a demo, so you can fly around while the demo is playing back.
g_showDemoHud [0,1] - Toggles the display of useful information on the HUD during the playback of a demo.
Update: As of the 1.5 Patch the following demo-related commands have been added:
g_autoScreenshot - Automatically takes a screenshot of the scoreboard at the end of a map.
g_autoRecordDemos - Automatically starts & stops demos at the start & end of a map.
g_autoScreenshotNameFormat [format] - Determines the format in which auto screenshots are saved when using the g_autoScreenshot command. Type the command without any value to see the default format, and the types of arguments you can use to construct a new format.
g_autoDemoNameFormat [format] - Determines the format in which auto demos are recorded when using the g_autoRecordDemos command. Type the command without any value to see the default format, and the types of arguments you can use to construct a new format
Information/Diagnostic Commands
com_videoRam [MB] - Shows the detected amount of video memory on your graphics card in MB. If this value is incorrect, set it to the correct value at startup to improve performance.
sys_cpuSpeed [GHz] - Shows the detected CPU Speed. If this value is incorrect, set it to the correct value at startup to improve performance. Remember that for mult-core CPUs the speed is per core, not the sum of all cores.
sys_cpuPhysicalCount [value] - Shows the number of separate physical CPU cores the game has detected. If you have a multi-core CPU make sure this matches the number of cores you actually have. Note that the sys_cpuLogicalCount value may differ, since a single core hyperthreading CPU for example can have two 'logical' cores, but only one physical core.
com_showMemoryUsage [0,1] - If set to 1, shows the amount of memory allocated to the game and various assets.
The following commands all reload particular aspects of the game, such as sounds, images, decals and GUIs. Use these commands to either reload a particular aspect of the game engine after tweaking a relevant setting, or to help any graphical anomalies or glitches you are experiencing. Note, some aspects may take a while to reload, so be careful if using these commands during an online game.
reloadAnims
reloadDecls
reloadEngine
reloadGuiGlobals
reloadImages
reloadModels
reloadScript
reloadSounds
reloadSurface
s_restart
vid_restart
Multiplayer Commands
The following are useful multiplayer commands which can be used by clients (players on servers). I've excluded Server Administrator commands, but you can see these yourself in the console by viewing all commands starting with net_ and si_.
connect [servername] - Connects to a multiplayer server with the given name
disconnect - Closes the current game map.
reconnect - Reconnects to the last server connected to successfully.
say [text] - Says the provided text in Global Chat in multiplayer.
sayFireTeam [text] - Says the provided text in Fireteam Chat in multiplayer.
sayTeam [text] - Says the provided text in Team Chat in multiplayer.
serverInfo - Shows information about the current server when in multiplayer.
net_clientLagOMeter [0,1] - If set to 1, a small graphical display is shown at the bottom of the screen only during multiplayer games. It looks like a set of green, yellow or red blocks, and tells you various things about your connection. In essence however the main thing is for you to note whether it is predominantly green, which is good, or if there are lots of yellow and/or red blocks which indicate connection problems. If you switch to another server and these go away, then the problem is likely with the server and/or you may be quite far away from the server. If it happens on all servers however the problem is likely with your connection.
net_clientMaxRate [Bytes] - This setting controls the maximum amount of data in bytes per second you can receive from a server every second. By default, most servers only provide 16000 bytes per second. If you're having connection problems or lag, first try lowering this value to see if it reduces and stabilizes your ping when playing ET:QW online. Try values such as 10000 or 12000. Note that just as values which are too high can cause problems, so too can values which are too low - ET:QW multiplayer is not designed for dialup speeds (i.e. values of 6000 or less).
net_clientPrediction [milliseconds] - Determines the number of additional milliseconds by which the client (your machine) will try to predict and offset any ping lag. The default is 20ms, but if you're experiencing connection problems and lag and/or have a high ping, raising this value may improve things. Remember however that your ping is the round-trip time to a server (e.g. a 150 ping means 75ms taken for your data to get to a server, 75ms for it to get back). So your ping divided by 2 will give you the best prediction value, and usually only if your ping is higher than 150ms.
That's the current list of the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars command variables which I've tested and believe to be the most useful to players. If you know of any major working commands which are missing, and which would be of benefit to most players, please Email Me so I can update the list. Please keep in mind there are a lot of deliberate omissions for commands which are of limited practical value, or which can be adjusted using the in-game settings, or are already optimal by default.
The next section has some important tips and information, and wraps up the guide.
[B]Framerate Unlocking
One of the first things most Enemy Territory: Quake Wars players will notice is that the game appears to be effectively stuck at a framerate cap of 30FPS, and most people will immediately want to do something about this. Before attempting anything however, it's important to understand why this cap has been put in place and how it works. I cover the relevant commands to unlock and adjust your maximum FPS at the top of page 9 of this guide, but for those who want more details straight from the developers of the game, check out this thread (http://community.enemyterritory.com/forums/showthread.php?p=44596#post44596). Basically the developers want to make sure that the in-game framerate remains as smooth as possible under a variety of circumstances, and doesn't fluctuate wildly, so they implemented the 30FPS cap. This framerate cap should not be confused with the game trying to maintain an average framerate of 30FPS - that's not what it does, it doesn't dynamically alter game details for example to try to keep your FPS at 30, it just caps the maximum possible FPS at 30.
It turns out that while there was a hard cap of 30FPS in the early beta builds of the game, in recent beta, demo and retail builds, the cap has been removed, since the com_unlockFPS variable now defaults to 1, which means the game is not hard capped to 30FPS. However even without the hard cap, you'll probably find that your FPS still sits around 30 most of the time. This is because the developers also implemented another variable called com_unlock_timingMethod which determines how and when the game calculates and shows new frames. A value of 1 or 2 (and 2 is the default) for this variable means that the game will still try to smooth out your framerate, rounding it down to the nearest multiple of 30. So if you can't reach a consistent 60FPS+, the timing method means you'll still sit at 30FPS.
So the next step if you want to truly unlock your framerate is to set com_unlock_timingMethod 0, which completely frees up your system to pump out as many frames as it possibly can - as long as you've also disabled Vertical Sync (see the In-Game Settings section). You should now see your framerate reach the actual maximum that your system can render at any time, fluctuating a lot more and not necessarily sitting at 30FPS. Now play the game online for a while and see if you can handle the framerate fluctuations. If you find the game is jerky or framerate spikes are making things feel awkward, I recommend you set com_unlock_timingMethod 1 and then make use of the com_unlock_maxFPS variable to set a new framerate cap which prevents major framerate spikes but still provides more FPS than the 30FPS cap.
In the end the choice is yours as to how you approach this and what settings you use, because some people value smoothness over higher FPS, and others just want the most frames they can get, so you will need to experiment to see what suits you; if you just want the highest possible FPS, set com_unlockFPS 1 and com_unlock_timingMethod 0.
Importantly: All of the above only applies when you are on a multiplayer server, not in offline mode where FPS is capped at 30FPS no matter what you do with the any of the above settings. So to experiment properly I recommend you join an online multiplayer server.
MegaTextures
One of the interesting new features of ET:QW is the use of MegaTexture (http://www.gamerwithin.com/?view=article&article=1319&cat=2) technology which helps to both improve image quality and game world variety, and also reduces in-game stuttering, especially on graphics cards with lower amounts of Video RAM. Textures are the images which cover the surfaces of all objects in a 3D game world. Traditionally most games with large outdoor areas, such as Oblivion or Unreal Tournament 2004, have tiled textures which are lots of repeating tiles of a particular texture image joined together to form larger surface areas. Not only can this tiling look repetitive and obvious, it also often means that as your Video RAM is filled up with textures you will start to get pauses, hitches and stuttering as they're constantly swapped into and out of the VRAM. Both Oblivion and UT2004 had quite prominent stuttering and pausing issues when they first came out because of this.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on the other hand has one large (mega) texture which contains all the details needed for the game world - MegaTexturing is used for terrains only in ET:QW - and the relevant pieces of the game world are streamed from this megatexture in full detail rather than being a patchwork of tiles. The megatexture files (.mega) are held under your \Program Files\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\megatextures directory, and as you can see they're quite large, and there is one for every level.
The end result is that MegaTexturing is one of the major reasons why large outdoor areas in ET:QW run relatively smoothly, along with the fact that it's based on a very solid game engine first used in Doom 3 over 3 years ago, and constantly updated and refined since then.
Measuring FPS, Taking Screenshots & Benchmarking
Measuring your frames per second is quite simple in ET:QW, simply use the built-in com_showFPS command, as covered in the Advanced Tweaking section. For convenience you can bind this command as a toggle to a particular key, and again this is covered at the top of page 8 of the guide.
Taking screenshots in ET:QW is also straightforward - press the F11 key and a screenshot is placed in your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\screenshots directory in XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\screenshots in Vista. This screenshot is quite large and in .TGA format, but you can view it in Photoshop or by using the free IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/) utility.
However if you want a simpler way of both measuring FPS and taking screenshots, try the free Fraps (http://www.fraps.com/download.htm) utility. Fraps can take screenshots in several different formats, it accurately measures FPS, and can also record in-game video in .AVI format.
If you also want a utility which automates the benchmarking of ET:QW, you can use the HardwareOC ET:QW Benchmark (http://www.hocbench.com/etqw.php) tool.
thanks to http://www.tweakguides.com/
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is, as the name suggests, based on the Quake series. This not only applies to its game world, but also the game engine used, which is a recent build of the same engine used in Quake 4, which itself was based on the excellent Doom 3 engine before it. In this section we delve into all the advanced tweaking possible with this build of the game engine, and if you've read either my Doom 3 or Quake 4 tweak guides in the past, this section will look very familiar to you, as many of the tweaks from those games carry over to ET:QW. There are a range of notable differences however, so make sure to read the instructions carefully and go through the variables in detail.
Using the Advanced Tweaks
The most common mistake made in tweaking is to quickly apply several tweaks without knowing what exactly they do, or apply them incorrectly and wonder why they don't work, especially if you're new to tweaking the ET:QW/Quake 4/Doom 3 engine. Read this section carefully and pay close attention to the descriptions of how tweaks are applied in ET:QW and what they do. I've tested all of them and only working tweaks and methods have been provided.
There are three main ways in which you can access and alter Command Variables (cvars) in ET:QW: through the game Console; through .cfg (Config) files; and via the Command Line. I detail all the major commands one by one starting on the next page, and you can then decide the best method to use to implement particular ones. The methods are essentially interchangeable, meaning changing the variable using one method has much the same impact as doing it another way - the only difference is which is more convenient for you, or which is most appropriate to that particular type of command.
ET:QW Console
The console is the closest you can get to having direct real-time access to the powerful game engine. Through the console you can enter commands to change engine variables during the game, and usually see their impacts immediately. This is a great way to experiment with certain tweaks before implementing them permanently via other methods. To open the console, start ET:QW and then press the CTRL ALT and ~ keys together at once. You will see the console come down, and you can enter text at the command prompt. A list of commands you can enter are covered on the next page. To make regular access to the console easier, enter the following line into the console:
seta com_allowconsole 1
This means that you can now open and close the console by simply pressing the '~' key (the key above TAB), and not three keys at once.
ET:QW Config Files
Although you can alter many variables by entering them into the console, most command variables need to be set each and every time you start ET:QW. This is because the game engine usually resets these variables to their default state as the engine initializes at startup, or they need to be implemented before the game engine loads up to be effective. Fortunately by default, when the game engine starts, it automatically detects the presence of, and runs the command variables from two specific files: etqwbinds.cfg and etqwconfig.cfg, both of which can be found under your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base directory in Windows XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base in Windows Vista. The file etqwbinds.cfg holds the general key bindings and control configuration, while etqwconfig.cfg holds your in-game settings such as audio and video configuration. There are also two more files which hold additional control and UI settings specific to your player profile, called bindings.cfg and profile.cfg, found under the \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base directory in XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base in Vista. These are loaded up when you login to that particular profile in ETQW.
You can edit cfg files using a text editor like Windows WordPad or Notepad. However typically changing the settings in the existing config files will see them reset to default values again the next time you restart ET:QW and hence is not the recommended method. Rather than editing any of these files, the best thing to do is create a new text file, rename it to autoexec.cfg (not autoexec.cfg.txt), and place it in your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base directory in XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\sdnet\profilename\base in Vista. You can now edit this file and enter all your custom tweaks and settings into it, and they'll automatically come into effect each and every time you start ET:QW. This makes it easier to keep track of what you've tweaked, and if ever you want to remove your custom tweaks, you can simply delete this autoexec.cfg file, or see which commands need to have their values manually reset to the default.
Note: If you ever want to reset all your settings to their defaults, delete all the .cfg files above; the next time you start the game it will create new copies of them and all your customizations will be removed.
There is another way of executing a config file, and that is to firstly create a config file with any name you wish (e.g. mytweaks.cfg), place it in the same directory as the etqwconfig.cfg and etqwbinds.cfg files, and then in the ET:QW console at any time type exec [filename.cfg], e.g.:
exec mytweaks.cfg
This will immediately run all the command variables in your new .cfg file, however unless you actually execute this file it will not be automatically run at startup - only the config files named further above are automatically detected and run by the game at startup.
ET:QW Command Line
There is one more way you can run command variables for ET:QW - enter them as part of the command line for the game's launch icon. To do this, first right-click on the icon you use to launch ET:QW, and then select Properties. In the Target box, you will see something similar to this - it varies depending on where you installed the game:
"C:\Program Files\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\etqw.exe"
You can add command variables to the end of this line by using a space and then a '+' sign in front of each command. For example, to fully unlock the game's rendering mode (as covered on the last page of this guide), change the target line to the following:
"C:\Program Files\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\etqw.exe" +set com_unlockFPS 1 +set com_unlock_timingmethod 0
Note that there are quotes around the target to the game executable file, but after that, simply add a space and a plus sign before each command. Also if you're wondering what the 'set' command used after the + sign means, and why it's necessary, see the top of the next page.
So Which Way Is Best?
Now you know the different ways to apply command variables in the ET:QW engine, as I mentioned before, there is no single 'best' way. Each method works, it just depends on what you find more convenient or appropriate to the particular command. I personally prefer to place all my tweaks in a single autoexec.cfg file, because that way I can see at a glance all the settings I've changed, and if need be I can remove the file (e.g. for troubleshooting purposes), or change each setting back to default. I can also easily back up this file so I can quickly reapply the same tweaks if ever I reinstall the game or if my settings are lost after I patch the game.
However, I suggest that you first use the in-game console to try out most commands and see what effect they have on the game. Then you can insert them into your autoexec.cfg file once you've determined if they're worth using, and which values work best for you. For the commands which don't come into effect until the game is restarted, you may have to experiment by temporarily placing them in your autoexec.cfg first to see what they do, but do this carefully, and depending on the results determine whether you want to keep them or not.
The next two pages provide a list of all the game's most useful commands/command variables along with relevant descriptions.
This section lists all the major Enemy Territory: Quake Wars commands and command variables (cvars) by general function, and provides descriptions and recommendations for the important ones. The list is by no means exhaustive since there are literally almost 1,800 different commands and variables for ET:QW; I've only tried to cover the most useful working commands. To see a full list of the ETQW commands for yourself, type listcvars and listcmds in the in-game console. To get a saved list of the cvars with descriptions, type htmlcvars and a copy will be saved as cvars.html under the directory which holds your etqwconfig.cfg and etqwbinds.cfg files (See previous page).
Usage rules
Config and Console Usage: In the ET:QW engine, when you want to use a command - whether in a config file or in the console - you can simply type the name of the command, and then any values or parameters if required, however you must place exactly one space after the command and any following value or parameter. E.g: r_displayrefresh 85. You don't have to use "" (quotes) around the value, nor do you have to use the Set or Seta command in front of them.
Set vs. Seta: You will see in certain places, like the etqwconfig.cfg file, that a command is prefaced with the words Set or Seta. You can also insert these in front of your commands in the console or config file or in the command line, however they aren't absolutely necessary for a command to work. The Set command is used to tell the game engine to set a cvar to a particular value. Seta is more useful in that it tells the game engine to set the cvar value, and then archive it (store it) so it becomes permanent. So don't use Seta unless you want a value to 'stick', as it will remain there until you either manually change its value again.
Current and Default Values: If at any time you want to see the current value for a cvar, open the console and type the name of the variable without a value. For example, type r_displayrefresh and you will see the current value for this variable on your system. More importantly, you will also see the default value. There are different current and defaults for the commands depending on your particular system hardware configuration, that's why I don't provide the defaults here.
Note: if you can't remember the exact name of a command, type the first few letter(s) of it in the console and then press the TAB key - the console will show you all commands beginning with the same letter(s).
The following is a list of all the major commands for ET:QW, grouped by function, and with relevant descriptions. Note that I have tested all of these, and the following settings have been purposely excluded:
# Variables which can be easily and fully changed in the In-Game Settings.
# Useless commands/variables such as a range of developer and debugging commands.
# Server Administrator commands
# Commands which are already set to their optimal value by default and should not be changed.
Finally remember that some of these commands are considered cheats on certain servers, and may not be able to be used without the net_allowcheats command being enabled, or may result in being kicked by PunkBuster - it all depends on what the server administrator has set as being acceptable.
Common Commands
com_showFPS [0,1] - If set to 1, shows the current frame rate in Frames Per Second (FPS) at the top right of the screen. If set to 0, disables the counter.
com_allowConsole [-1, 0,1] - If set to 1, allows the command console to be opened by using only the '~' key, rather than CTRL + ALT + ~ (when set to 0). If set to -1, disables the console.
bind [keyname, command] - Binds a command to a key. For example:
bind F10 com_showFPS 1
bind F11 com_showFPS 0
Binds the F10 key to the command com_showfps 1 (which turns on the FPS counter), and the next line binds the F11 key to the command com_showfps 0 (which turns off the FPS counter). If you want to make a key binding 'toggle', that is pressing the same key turns a command on or off, then use the Toggle command instead, for example:
bind F10 toggle com_showFPS
Which means the F10 key alone will turn the FPS counter on and off, freeing up the F11 key.
unbind [keyname] - Unbinds any existing commands from the single key named.
unbindall - Unbinds any commands from all keys. This command is used most commonly as a starting command before setting bindings, so that you can be sure the keys you are binding are not already in use by another command.
echo [text] - Prints the specified text onto the screen.
exec [filename] - Executes the commands in the config filename provided.
screenshot - Takes a screenshot and places it in your \base\screenshots directory as a .tga file.
condump [filename.txt] - Dumps the entire contents of the console for the current session to the text filename specified and places it in your default .cfg directory.
clear - Clears the console of all text to date. Useful if you want to clear the console before generating specific text (e.g. listcmds) then condump them cleanly.
kill - Kills the player.
timescale [0 - x] - Sets the rate at which time passes, with 1 being normal time, and the higher the value the quicker time passes.
g_skipintro [0,1] - Skips any startup movies if set to 1.
net_allowcheats [0,1] - This is an important command which when set to 1 allows the use of the 'cheat' commands, such as god, noclip and notarget below, and those tagged with (cheat) in this guide.
god - Enables God mod, useful for troubleshooting or just having fun (cheat).
noclip - Toggles clipping on/off. By default clipping is on. When clipping is turned off, you can walk through solid objects (cheat).
notarget - Removes you as a target for the enemy (cheat).
exit - Immediately exits to the Windows Desktop.
HUD/User Interface/Display Commands
g_showHud [0,1] - If set to 1, this enables the Heads Up Display (HUD). If set to 0, this removes the HUD from view.
g_fov [angle] - Specifies the angle for the Field of View (FOV). The wider the angle, the larger the field of vision for the player, giving a 'fish eye' view in return for possibly lower performance. The smaller the angle, the less can be seen but the higher the performance. The default of 90 may not suit everyone.
ui_showgun [0,1] - If set to 0 hides the gun model on the screen, but still allows the gun to be fired. This can improve performance and increase general visibility.
g_chatDefaultColor [RGBA]
g_chatFireTeamColor [RGBA]
g_chatTeamColor [RGBA]
The settings above adjust the color for various chat text shown on screen: the in-game chat, fireteam color, and team chat text respectively. These settings all use RGBA color values; RGB colors for the first three numbers, and an Alpha (transparency) value for the last number.
g_chatLineTimeout [seconds] - Adjusts the time in seconds for each chat line to stay visible after new text is shown.
g_weaponSwitchTimeout [seconds] - Adjusts the time in seconds for the weapon display on the right side of the HUD to stay visible after you switch/select a weapon.
g_playTooltipSound [0,1] - If set to 0, disables the sound when a tooltip is displayed.
g_commandMapZoom [%] - Determines the zoom level of the command map shown in the top right corner of the screen, from 0.00 (close) to 1.00 (far).
g_enemyColor [RGBA] - Sets the color of enemy unit indicators in RGBA color value.
g_friendColor [RGBA] - Sets the color of friendly unit indicators in RGBA color value.
gui_doubleClickTime [seconds] - Amount of time in seconds between two clicks for them to be considered a doubleclick. If you find you're accidentally double-clicking often, raise this value.
r_aspectRatio [0,1,2,3,-1] - Sets the Aspect Ratio of the display. Best adjusted via the In-Game Settings, however using a value of -1 allows you to set a custom aspect ratio with the r_customAspectRationH (Horizontal Ratio) and r_customAspectRatioV (Vertical Ratio) commands.
r_mode [1-13,-1] - This setting determines the resolution of the game. It is best adjusted via the In-Game Settings, however using a value of -1 allows you to set a custom resolution using the r_customHeight (Pixel Height) and r_customWidth (Pixel Width) commands.
r_displayRefresh [Hz] - Determines the refresh rate used for the game. If you want to set this manually, determine the maximum supported refresh rate on your monitor for the resolution you've chosen for ET:QW, and set this variable to that value.
Control Commands
m_rawInput [0,1] - This variable determines whether the RAW Input API is enabled for mouse input. This is enabled by default as of the 1.2 Patch onwards, but you can disable it to see if it improves your mouse input.
m_smooth [value] - This variable determines the level of mouse smoothing applied. The higher the value, the smoother, but more laggy, mouse movements will feel. Set to 0 if you want to disable mouse smoothing altogether.
m_pitch [value] - Determines the relative speed of up and down (pitch) mouse movements. The higher this value, the greater the sensitivity of the mouse to pitching vs. yawing.
m_yaw [value] - Determines the relative speed of side to side (yaw) mouse movements. The higher this value, the greater the sensitivity of the mouse to yawing vs. pitching.
sensitivity [value] - This value represents your mouse sensitivity, as set by the slider in the in-game menus (See In-Game Settings). Here you can assign higher values if you wish.
Update: As of the 1.5 Patch the following control cvars have been added:
m_bumblebeePitchScale [value], m_bumblebeeYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Bumblebee.
m_heavyVehiclePitchScale [value], m_heavyVehicleYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Titan, Cyclops and Desecrator.
m_helicopterPitchScale [value], m_helicopterYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Anansi and Tormentor.
m_lightVehiclePitchScale [value], m_lightVehicleYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of the Trojan, Armadillo, Hog and Husky.
m_playerPitchScale [value], m_playerYawScale [value] - Control the Vertical and Horizontal mouse sensitivity respectively of Infantry and the Icarus.
The next page continues the command listing.
Performance Commands
Before examining the list below, it's important to note that I have excluded a large number of commands which are already set to their optimal values by default in ET:QW. For example settings such as r_useVertexBuffers and r_useOptimizedShadows are already enabled and working optimally in the game, and should not be changed from their defaults as there is no benefit in doing so.
[Unlocking Framerate]
com_unlockFPS [0,1] - When this is set to 0, the ET:QW engine is effectively locked to a 30FPS maximum to help maintain smoothness. However if you want your framerate to exceed this limit, you must first make sure this variable is set to 1, which it should be by default. However by itself that won't necessarily do anything - you should also check and adjust the com_unlock_timingMethod and com_unlock_maxFPS variables below as well.
com_unlock_timingMethod [0,1,2] - ET:QW tries to smooth out your framerate using a timing method which is specified here. By default the timing method is 2, which is the most conservative approach and effectively the smoothest, but provides the lowest framerates, typically leaving most people at 30FPS. Setting this variable to 1 sacrifices some smoothness in return for higher FPS. Using both 1 or 2 still limits your framerates to multiples of 30, but setting it to 0 completely frees up system to provide the highest possible FPS, but in return you may experience FPS spikes and jerky gameplay.
com_unlock_maxFPS [FPS rate] - If you've unlocked your framerate using com_unlockFPS 1 and you're using a com_unlock_timingMethod of 1 or 2, then you will still be bound to a maximum framerate specified using this setting, the default being 60FPS. If the game can't reach the new framerate cap, it will round down in multiples of 30, so if you notice your FPS is still sitting around 30 after unlocking your framerate, either lower this framerate cap, lower your settings to improve your average FPS, or switch to using the 0 timing method which effectively ignores this framerate cap.
Importantly, refer to the last page of this guide for more detailed advice on how to correctly use the above three settings and what they do.
[Dual/Multi-Core Tweaks]
r_useThreadedRenderer [0,1,2 ] - Added as of the 1.2 Patch, this option allows you to enable multithreading if you have a dual or multi-core CPU, and this can improve the performance of ET:QW. By default it's disabled (set to 0), but you can set it to either 1 or 2, with a value of 1 locking the renderer to your in-game frames, while 2 allows it to run unlocked. The developers recommend a value of 2 for this variable if you wish to enable it. Note that you must enable it either by inserting it in your autoexec.cfg file, or by entering it in the console prior to the start of a game; it can't be changed during a game.
[Graphics Tweaks]
r_megadrawmethod [0,1,2,3] - This command is exactly the same as the Lighting Quality setting in the main menu (See In-Game Settings section). A value of 0 is the same as High, a value of 3 is the same as Normal. You can try values in between to see if it improves image quality or performance, but in general a value of 1, 2 or 3 all appear much the same.
image_filter [GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST, GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR] - Determines the base OpenGL texture filtering method to use on textures by default. GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR is Trilinear Filtering, however if you want a performance boost without any noticeable image quality loss, change this setting to GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST which is Bilinear Filtering.
r_skip - There are a range of commands starting with r_skip, e.g. r_skipDiffuse. If these are set to 1, they will remove the relevant feature from the game. So r_skipDiffuse 1 would remove all diffuse surfaces, resulting in them being blank (white); r_skipBump 1 removes all bumpmapping detail from surfaces, resulting in flat surfaces, etc. Aside from the potential for visual anomalies with some of the settings, and the fact that some may be considered cheats, this can improve performance and may give a gameplay advantage (some are cheat).
image_PicMipEnable - This setting is on by default and allows you to control a range of PicMip-related settings which determine the detail level of Mipmaps, and hence the quality of surfaces. However the related settings image_bumpPicMip, image_diffusePicMip and image_specularPicMip are exactly the same as those under the in-game Texture Quality sliders (See In-Game Settings section) and can be fully adjusted there. Importantly though, if you just want the highest level of image quality, you can force this by setting image_picMipEnable 0 which disables the use of mipmaps and thus ensures the highest quality images are always used.
image_useCompression [0,1] - By default ET:QW uses compression to reduce the size of textures and lightmaps, improving performance but reducing image quality slightly. If you want the absolute highest image quality, set this option to 0, though note that you will require a graphics card with a decent amount of Video RAM to prevent hitching (e.g. 320MB VRAM or higher).
r_visDistMult [0.8-1.2] - Determines the maximum visible viewing distance in the game, the higher the value the further you can see, but the lower your performance. For gameplay purposes you shouldn't lower this below its default, and it's best to set it to 1.2 for maximum advantage.
g_decals [0,1] - If set to 0, disables all decals (e.g. bullet holes). This can improve performance, especially in heavy combat, at the cost of realism.
r_lightScale [value] - All light sources are multiplied by this value. Increasing this value increases the intensity of all visible light sources, lowering it reduces them (cheat).
r_detailTexture [0,1] - If set to 0, disables Detailed Textures, which are the detailed surface effects shown on a texture, such as the gravel on a road. This can improve performance at the cost of image quality.
r_detailRatio [value] - Determines the ratio of detail textures to main textures. The higher this value, the more detail textures are shown per unit of main texture, however at very high values (and very low values) textures will look blurry. A moderate value of between 4 and 14 can look good, but has varying impact on performance.
r_detailFade [0-1] - Determines the way in which detail textures fade in the distance, the lower the value the sharper closer details will be.
g_showPlayerShadow [0,1] - If set to 1, the player will cast a shadow when standing near light sources. If set to 0, the player casts no shadow, which improves performance.
image_lodbias [-1-1] - Determines the Level of Detail (LOD) bias for mipmapped images. The higher the number, the less detail is visible on surrounding objects. This can improve performance, but reduces image quality. The default is 0, and values approaching 1 reduce detail quite heavily, while negative values approaching -1 increase detail, so experiment with fractional values such as 0.2 or -0.5.
image_lodDistance [value] - This determines the distance at which images don't need to be shown at full resolution, with the higher the value the better the image quality but the lower the performance.
r_md5LodBias [value] - Determines the Level of Detail (LOD) bias for mipmapped images. The higher the number, the less detail is visible on surrounding objects, such as vehicles. This can improve performance, but reduces image quality. The default is 0, and a value such as 1 reduces detail quite heavily, while negative values increase detail, so experiment with fractional values such as 0.2 or -0.5.
r_md5LodScale [value] - This determines the rate at which higher level of detail becomes visible on objects. The higher the value the more detail is visible on distant objects but the lower the performance.
r_renderProgramLodDistance [value] - Determines the distance at which general rendering details are shown, such as bump mapping on surfaces. The higher the value the more detail and effects will be shown in the distance but the lower the performance.
r_stuffFadeStart [value] - Sets the distance at which 'stuff' (i.e. mainly grass) begins to fade out of view.
r_stuffFadeEnd [value] - Sets the maximum visible distance for 'stuff' (i.e. mainly grass). Using a combination of r_stuffFadeStart and r_stuffFadeEnd you can in effect have more or less grass visible. For example try r_stuffFadeStart 0 and r_stuffFadeEnd 1000 together to give a thinned out grass effect for better performance without removing grass altogether.
r_stuffCacheMegs [MegaBytes] - Determines the amount of memory to use for caching stuff effects. The default is fine, however if you raise the r_stuffFadeEnd value above in particular, you may need to increase the cache to prevent stuttering and errors.
[Sound Tweaks]
s_driver - Determines the audio API used for the game. The default of dsound is DirectSound which is optimal in Windows XP, however you can set this to openal to attempt to force OpenAL audio, either to try to fix audio glitches on your system, or in particular for Windows Vista users who want to have full hardware audio acceleration. If you want to force OpenAL mode, see s_libOpenAL below for details.
s_libOpenAL [path/file] - Determines the path and filename of the correct OpenAL32.dll file to use if OpenAL sound mode is chosen using the s_driver variable. Most sound cards have hardware support for OpenAL, and thus you should have an OpenAL32.dll file under your \Windows\System32 directory. So you would use the s_libOpenAL command in this way: s_libOpenAL C:\Windows\System32\OpenAL32.dll. You would then make sure to use the s_driver openal command, and if doing so during an active game, use the s_restart command to restart the sound system.
s_force22kHz [0,1] - If set to 1, this forces lower quality (22kHz) audio, which reduces sound quality but can improve performance (cheat).
s_numberOfSpeakers [2,4,5,6] - This value shows the number of speakers the game has detected, based on the your general Windows settings and In-Game settings. You can manually alter this value, however make sure it matches your current speaker setup otherwise you will have missing audio channels.
s_maxSoundsPerShader [value] - This setting determines the maximum number of sounds to use per shader, that is how diverse the sounds effects are. Increasing this value may increase sound variety but also increases memory usage and can reduce performance.
s_useOcclusion [0,1] - Occlusion is a basic audio method which muffles sounds which aren't clearly heard, such as those behind walls and objects. If set to 0, this method is disabled reducing realism and losing many distant sounds but it may increase performance (cheat).
s_noSound [0,1] - If set to 1, disables all sounds. Should be used primarily to troubleshoot potentially sound-related problems.
Update: As of the 1.4 Patch, the multiplayer stereo sound separation algorithm from Quake 4 has been added, and can be enabled via s_earSeperationAlgo 1. You can also control its parameters using the s_esa1_minVolume and s_esa1_maxWindow cvars.
Bot Commands
There are a large number of commands starting with bot_ which you can view and experiment with. For the most part they are for server administrators who wish to fine-tune how bots (non-human players) behave on their server. However if you start an offline game with bots, you can also try to alter parameters like bot_noChat 1 to disable bots chatting, or bot_useVehicles 0 to prevent bots using vehicles.
View Commands
pm_thirdPerson [0,1] - If set to 1, shows the player in third person view (cheat).
pm_thirdPersonAngle [angle] - If third person view is being used (i.e. pm_thirdPerson 1), this determines the angle of the third person view. 0 is from behind the player, while 180 is looking directly at the player's face. Other values view the player from various angles (cheat).
pm_thirdPersonHeight [value] - If using third person view, this determines the height of the camera from normal view height. Positive values raise the camera above normal view height, negative values below normal view height (cheat).
pm_thirdPersonRange [value] - If using third person view, determines the distance of the camera from the player. 80 is the default, and 0 is right inside the players head (cheat).
Demo Commands
The following commands record and play back in-game demos. The recorded demos are stored by default under your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\demos directory.
recordDemo [demoname] - Records a demo of your current (singleplayer) gameplay with the name specified.
stopRecording - Stops recording the current singleplayer demo.
playDemo [demoname] - Plays back a singleplayer demo with the name specified.
recordNetDemo [demoname] - Records a demo of your current gameplay on a multiplayer server.
stopNetDemo - Stops recording the current multiplayer demo.
playNetDemo [demoname] - Plays back a multiplayer demo with the name specified.
pauseNetDemo - Pauses/unpauses the playback of a network demo.
timeNetDemo [demoname] - Runs a timedemo on the demo name provided and provides framerate results in the console after the demo is finished.
com_preloadDemos [0,1]- Preloads all demos before playing them. Set to 0 will reduce memory usage, but loading demos will take longer.
com_compressDemos [0,1] - If set to 1 will compress demo files recorded, reducing their size. These files may take longer to load.
demoShot [demoname] - Creates a screenshot for the demo file specified.
demo_noclip [0,1] - If set to 1 allows you to noclip through a demo, so you can fly around while the demo is playing back.
g_showDemoHud [0,1] - Toggles the display of useful information on the HUD during the playback of a demo.
Update: As of the 1.5 Patch the following demo-related commands have been added:
g_autoScreenshot - Automatically takes a screenshot of the scoreboard at the end of a map.
g_autoRecordDemos - Automatically starts & stops demos at the start & end of a map.
g_autoScreenshotNameFormat [format] - Determines the format in which auto screenshots are saved when using the g_autoScreenshot command. Type the command without any value to see the default format, and the types of arguments you can use to construct a new format.
g_autoDemoNameFormat [format] - Determines the format in which auto demos are recorded when using the g_autoRecordDemos command. Type the command without any value to see the default format, and the types of arguments you can use to construct a new format
Information/Diagnostic Commands
com_videoRam [MB] - Shows the detected amount of video memory on your graphics card in MB. If this value is incorrect, set it to the correct value at startup to improve performance.
sys_cpuSpeed [GHz] - Shows the detected CPU Speed. If this value is incorrect, set it to the correct value at startup to improve performance. Remember that for mult-core CPUs the speed is per core, not the sum of all cores.
sys_cpuPhysicalCount [value] - Shows the number of separate physical CPU cores the game has detected. If you have a multi-core CPU make sure this matches the number of cores you actually have. Note that the sys_cpuLogicalCount value may differ, since a single core hyperthreading CPU for example can have two 'logical' cores, but only one physical core.
com_showMemoryUsage [0,1] - If set to 1, shows the amount of memory allocated to the game and various assets.
The following commands all reload particular aspects of the game, such as sounds, images, decals and GUIs. Use these commands to either reload a particular aspect of the game engine after tweaking a relevant setting, or to help any graphical anomalies or glitches you are experiencing. Note, some aspects may take a while to reload, so be careful if using these commands during an online game.
reloadAnims
reloadDecls
reloadEngine
reloadGuiGlobals
reloadImages
reloadModels
reloadScript
reloadSounds
reloadSurface
s_restart
vid_restart
Multiplayer Commands
The following are useful multiplayer commands which can be used by clients (players on servers). I've excluded Server Administrator commands, but you can see these yourself in the console by viewing all commands starting with net_ and si_.
connect [servername] - Connects to a multiplayer server with the given name
disconnect - Closes the current game map.
reconnect - Reconnects to the last server connected to successfully.
say [text] - Says the provided text in Global Chat in multiplayer.
sayFireTeam [text] - Says the provided text in Fireteam Chat in multiplayer.
sayTeam [text] - Says the provided text in Team Chat in multiplayer.
serverInfo - Shows information about the current server when in multiplayer.
net_clientLagOMeter [0,1] - If set to 1, a small graphical display is shown at the bottom of the screen only during multiplayer games. It looks like a set of green, yellow or red blocks, and tells you various things about your connection. In essence however the main thing is for you to note whether it is predominantly green, which is good, or if there are lots of yellow and/or red blocks which indicate connection problems. If you switch to another server and these go away, then the problem is likely with the server and/or you may be quite far away from the server. If it happens on all servers however the problem is likely with your connection.
net_clientMaxRate [Bytes] - This setting controls the maximum amount of data in bytes per second you can receive from a server every second. By default, most servers only provide 16000 bytes per second. If you're having connection problems or lag, first try lowering this value to see if it reduces and stabilizes your ping when playing ET:QW online. Try values such as 10000 or 12000. Note that just as values which are too high can cause problems, so too can values which are too low - ET:QW multiplayer is not designed for dialup speeds (i.e. values of 6000 or less).
net_clientPrediction [milliseconds] - Determines the number of additional milliseconds by which the client (your machine) will try to predict and offset any ping lag. The default is 20ms, but if you're experiencing connection problems and lag and/or have a high ping, raising this value may improve things. Remember however that your ping is the round-trip time to a server (e.g. a 150 ping means 75ms taken for your data to get to a server, 75ms for it to get back). So your ping divided by 2 will give you the best prediction value, and usually only if your ping is higher than 150ms.
That's the current list of the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars command variables which I've tested and believe to be the most useful to players. If you know of any major working commands which are missing, and which would be of benefit to most players, please Email Me so I can update the list. Please keep in mind there are a lot of deliberate omissions for commands which are of limited practical value, or which can be adjusted using the in-game settings, or are already optimal by default.
The next section has some important tips and information, and wraps up the guide.
[B]Framerate Unlocking
One of the first things most Enemy Territory: Quake Wars players will notice is that the game appears to be effectively stuck at a framerate cap of 30FPS, and most people will immediately want to do something about this. Before attempting anything however, it's important to understand why this cap has been put in place and how it works. I cover the relevant commands to unlock and adjust your maximum FPS at the top of page 9 of this guide, but for those who want more details straight from the developers of the game, check out this thread (http://community.enemyterritory.com/forums/showthread.php?p=44596#post44596). Basically the developers want to make sure that the in-game framerate remains as smooth as possible under a variety of circumstances, and doesn't fluctuate wildly, so they implemented the 30FPS cap. This framerate cap should not be confused with the game trying to maintain an average framerate of 30FPS - that's not what it does, it doesn't dynamically alter game details for example to try to keep your FPS at 30, it just caps the maximum possible FPS at 30.
It turns out that while there was a hard cap of 30FPS in the early beta builds of the game, in recent beta, demo and retail builds, the cap has been removed, since the com_unlockFPS variable now defaults to 1, which means the game is not hard capped to 30FPS. However even without the hard cap, you'll probably find that your FPS still sits around 30 most of the time. This is because the developers also implemented another variable called com_unlock_timingMethod which determines how and when the game calculates and shows new frames. A value of 1 or 2 (and 2 is the default) for this variable means that the game will still try to smooth out your framerate, rounding it down to the nearest multiple of 30. So if you can't reach a consistent 60FPS+, the timing method means you'll still sit at 30FPS.
So the next step if you want to truly unlock your framerate is to set com_unlock_timingMethod 0, which completely frees up your system to pump out as many frames as it possibly can - as long as you've also disabled Vertical Sync (see the In-Game Settings section). You should now see your framerate reach the actual maximum that your system can render at any time, fluctuating a lot more and not necessarily sitting at 30FPS. Now play the game online for a while and see if you can handle the framerate fluctuations. If you find the game is jerky or framerate spikes are making things feel awkward, I recommend you set com_unlock_timingMethod 1 and then make use of the com_unlock_maxFPS variable to set a new framerate cap which prevents major framerate spikes but still provides more FPS than the 30FPS cap.
In the end the choice is yours as to how you approach this and what settings you use, because some people value smoothness over higher FPS, and others just want the most frames they can get, so you will need to experiment to see what suits you; if you just want the highest possible FPS, set com_unlockFPS 1 and com_unlock_timingMethod 0.
Importantly: All of the above only applies when you are on a multiplayer server, not in offline mode where FPS is capped at 30FPS no matter what you do with the any of the above settings. So to experiment properly I recommend you join an online multiplayer server.
MegaTextures
One of the interesting new features of ET:QW is the use of MegaTexture (http://www.gamerwithin.com/?view=article&article=1319&cat=2) technology which helps to both improve image quality and game world variety, and also reduces in-game stuttering, especially on graphics cards with lower amounts of Video RAM. Textures are the images which cover the surfaces of all objects in a 3D game world. Traditionally most games with large outdoor areas, such as Oblivion or Unreal Tournament 2004, have tiled textures which are lots of repeating tiles of a particular texture image joined together to form larger surface areas. Not only can this tiling look repetitive and obvious, it also often means that as your Video RAM is filled up with textures you will start to get pauses, hitches and stuttering as they're constantly swapped into and out of the VRAM. Both Oblivion and UT2004 had quite prominent stuttering and pausing issues when they first came out because of this.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on the other hand has one large (mega) texture which contains all the details needed for the game world - MegaTexturing is used for terrains only in ET:QW - and the relevant pieces of the game world are streamed from this megatexture in full detail rather than being a patchwork of tiles. The megatexture files (.mega) are held under your \Program Files\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\megatextures directory, and as you can see they're quite large, and there is one for every level.
The end result is that MegaTexturing is one of the major reasons why large outdoor areas in ET:QW run relatively smoothly, along with the fact that it's based on a very solid game engine first used in Doom 3 over 3 years ago, and constantly updated and refined since then.
Measuring FPS, Taking Screenshots & Benchmarking
Measuring your frames per second is quite simple in ET:QW, simply use the built-in com_showFPS command, as covered in the Advanced Tweaking section. For convenience you can bind this command as a toggle to a particular key, and again this is covered at the top of page 8 of the guide.
Taking screenshots in ET:QW is also straightforward - press the F11 key and a screenshot is placed in your \Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\screenshots directory in XP, or \Users\User\Documents\id Software\Enemy Territory - QUAKE Wars\base\screenshots in Vista. This screenshot is quite large and in .TGA format, but you can view it in Photoshop or by using the free IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/) utility.
However if you want a simpler way of both measuring FPS and taking screenshots, try the free Fraps (http://www.fraps.com/download.htm) utility. Fraps can take screenshots in several different formats, it accurately measures FPS, and can also record in-game video in .AVI format.
If you also want a utility which automates the benchmarking of ET:QW, you can use the HardwareOC ET:QW Benchmark (http://www.hocbench.com/etqw.php) tool.
thanks to http://www.tweakguides.com/