Quake 2 Autoexec.cfg by Essobie
essobie@geocities.com

Theme: Ease of use

In just about every case I've encounted (and that is quite a few) the very
best players in FPS's have always been completely comfortable with their
setup.  This said, it would be possible for someone to literally "get used
to" playing with only the keyboard and be quite proficient.

Fact is, anyone that plays Quake (or any game like it) with just the keyboard
is at a serious disadvantage.  Why?  Well if you are reading this, you already
know.  But if not... the reason is because you can only be "so good" when you
play with the keyboard.  You quickly get to the cieling of your skill
potential, with no room for growth.

This is the same even with a "regular" setup with a keyboard and mouse. At
some point, it will be impossible for you to get better if you don't have a
fluid configuration.  By fluid, I mean "ever changing to suit your needs."

At the time of this writing, I am quite happy with the end result of this
setup, but the fact is, it will most likely change tomarrow.  Or the next
day.  You get the picture.

This setup represents everything that I need (at least for now) to smash
heads in multiplayer.  And, it is easy to use, but still has a few complex
options for anyone that wants to learn them.





Classic Quake Config Vs. Quake 2 Config

This setup is INFINATELY more simple than my Classic Quake config.  How is
that you ask?  Two words: Weapon Switching.

The amount of time it takes to switch from one weapon to another completely
RUINS the possiblity of a Quick Weapons Switching script (of which I used a
LOT in Classic Quake).  Picture me running around firing rockets at one guy,
running backwards into a hallway, only to realize that someone is right behind
me.  Turn and fire a rocket?  I don't think so... why hurt myself when I can
just hold down my right mouse button and place a shaft down the now surprised
victims skull?

Or how about doing the rocket thing once again, but backing around a corner...
no point in continuing the rocket launcher onslaught... you won't hurt
anything but the corner... time for grenades... tap the spacebar a few times
and lob a few grenades in the hallway, then turn and fire a rocket at someone
that came up behind you.  ALL without switching weapons... just hitting
another button.

Can't do the equivalent in Quake 2.  If you want to change weapons in a fire
fight, you pretty much have to run off and start finding out which weapons
keys you'd like to hit and get back in there.

This IS more realistic (try holding a rocketlauncher with both hands, pull
the trigger, put it away, pull out a Thunderbolt, hold IT down for 2 seconds,
put it back, and pull the RL back out in exactly .5 seconds?  NOT gonna
happen).  But the fact is, it keeps people thinking all the time.

Now that you always KNOW what you opponents are shooting at you at any given
time, you can just dodge accordingly.  He/she can either continue shooting
said weapon, or try to switch.  During that time, you can decide that they
ARE switching, and go into a mode I like to call "get-completely-out-of-sight"
mode.

At some point, the great deathmatchers will ALL play like this, and the game
will degenerate into hide and seek... the one with the most kills will be the
one that best surprises his/her opponent, and not always with the best shots
(like you have to aim much to kill 10 people with a BFG...)





The Setup: Home Row, Home Row, Home Row.

Left hand home row is where this setup centers itself.  

MOVEMENT:
Movement is on ESDF, with ducking on A and jumping on MOUSE3 (middle button).

WEAPONS:
Weapon selection is default, with the change of having weapons 6 through 10
repeated BELOW the home row keys (ZXCVB) and adding a key for Hand Grenades
(G).  Please note that they are NOT in 6-10 order on the letter keys, as the
BFG10K and the Rocket Launcher are the most powerful weapons (in my hands at
least), so they are the easiest to hit while I'm on the run.  I suggest re-
ordering them to your likeing.

SNEAK/RUN MODE TOGGLE:
The "Sneak Mode" toggle is on TAB.  Hit it once to change to walking, then
again to go back to running.  If you didn't know already, walking doesn't make
your footsteps register NEAR as often as running does.  (I have messed with it
enough now to know that when walking, you only make footsteps when you go in
two directions at once, i.e. forward and right, or back and left, etc.  You
are concidered by the Q2 engine to be "running" and thus make noise.)

QUICK INVENTORY SWITCHER:
Hitting W will cycle your inventory, and MOUSE2 (right click) will use the
item.  This can also be used to select your weapon, but I don't recommend it.
Learn the 10 surrounding weapons keys and learn to MEMORIZE what you have
picked up and what you have ammo for at all times.

HANDEDNESS SWITCHER:
The Hand Switcher just switches the "handedness" from right to center to left
to center to right, and then back again.  Just hit DEL to cycle it.

WAVE SWITCHER
The wave switcher works by selecting the wave you'd like to do at any time by
cycling through all your choices by hitting the Y key, and then hitting T to
execute the wave (all of them 0-4 are there).

WaveTalk SWITCHER:
The WaveTalk works much the same way: M cycles the choices, and N
executes the last choice.  I recommend taking a look at this section in the
autoexec.cfg if you want to personalize the settings.  Just remember that if
you add more wavetalks, that you have to increase the wt_sw count. I don't
use more than these 5 (one for each wave available).




That about does it.  Hope you like the setup, and feel free to use and abuse
anything you find here.  Like I have any rights to text in notepad for a game
made by id, that I had nothing to do with other than spending FAR too much
time playing.  :)

The only rights I reserve for these scripts and aliases is that you don't
try to pass them off as your own work.  Everything you see in this script
IS the original work of yours truly, but it sure as hell wasn't spawned from
NOTHING.  It took lots of looks at other people's scripts to find out how
things worked, and what limitations the console has as far as "reprogramming"
it.  If you use something from here, I ask that you just not put YOUR name
on it.  You can put mine on it if you like, but it is not required.

- Essobie