Mods & Addons

Quake II modifications like Capture the Flag, Jailbreak, and Lithium II are very popular extensions of the
original Quake II game. Some mods reside entirely on the server (Lithium), and some also require changes to
your client (CTF). For server only mods, you just connect normally and play. Client−side mods require you
to install additional files in your quake2 directory before you can play.
Client Side Mods
Generally, installation of a client−side mod consists of just downloading the client package and upacking it in
your Quake II directory, but you should refer to the mod's documentation for specific details. It may be
necessary to download a Linux−specific package in addition to the main (Windows) client package. Also be
aware that all mods may not be available for Linux.
Linux Quake HOWTO
Other Sources of Server Information 27
Client−side mod packages usually contain a new gamei386.so file and one or more .pak files. Other
new files may be included as well. These new files will be installed in a subdirectory below your Quake II
directory. Use +set game mod−dir on the command line to run the mod. Rocket Arena 2, for example,
gets installed in a directory called arena. To play RA2, your would start your client like so:
./quake2 +set game arena

Dedicated Servers

For a permanent, stand−alone Quake II server that needs to run without constant attention, using the Listen
server is impractical. Quake II has a Dedicated server mode that is better suited to this type of use. A
dedicated server is started from the command line and uses fewer system resources than a Listen server
because it doesn't start the graphical client piece at all.
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3.10 Quake II Servers ++ 26
To start a dedicated server, use the command line option +set dedicated 1. You can set additional
server parameters either on the command line or in a config file that you +exec on the command line. Your
config file should reside in the baseq2 directory.
A few common server options are listed below. To set options on the command line, do +set
fraglimit 30. Options are set the same way in a config file, only you don't want the + before the set.
Invoke your config file like this: +exec server.cfg.
fraglimit
Number of frags required before the map changes
timelimit
Time in minutes that must pass before the map changes
hostname
The name of your Quake II server. This is an arbitrary string and has nothing to do with your DNS
hostname.
maxclients
The maximum number of players that can connect to the server at once.
For enough Quake II console and command line information to choke a horse, see Farenheit 176 (
http://www.planetquake.com/f176).
Other Sources of Server Information
The Q2 Server FAQ has a basic step−by−step guide to set up a Q2 Server under Linux:
http://www.bluesnews.com/faqs/q2s−faq.html
•
Grant Cornelius Reticulus Copernicus Sperry ( flubber@xmission.com) has some basic Q2 server
config files and startup scripts at http://www.atomicage.com:80/quake/server/server_cfg/.

Quake II Servers ++

Linux's strength as an internet server make it a perfect platform for running an internet Quake II server. This
section will touch on the basics and Linux−specific aspects of starting up a Quake II server. Try
http://www.3dgw.com/hellsgates/serverguide.htm for more detailed Quake II server setup information.
Listen Servers
You can start a Quake II "Listen" server from within the game via the Multiplayer menu. This allows you to
host a game and participate in it at the same time.
To start a Listen server, start Quake II, bring up the Quake II menu with the ESC key, and select Multiplayer.
It should be pretty self−explanatory from there.