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Quake 2 for the PC
Beginner's Guide

Created by Desert Gunstar (aka Shadow2099)
desertgunstar@hotmail.com
Completed Mar. 28, 2004
Version 0.7 - Updated June 28, 2004
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Revision:

Version 0.2 - Mar. 28, 2004:
Managed to get down basic stuff. There's still lots that I want to cover, like
bind writing, advanced weapons usage and tactics, and the sort.

Version 0.3 - Apr. 4, 2004:
Added a few more bits on Moving, and a section on Aiming and Knowing your
Surroundings. Also started to add numbers to subheaders.

Version 0.4 - May 4, 2004:
Whew! A month's time...a section for Combat was added, as well as a partial
map guide for q2dm1.

Version 0.7 - June 28, 2004:
I need more motivation, heh. Completed 2 map guides, but decided to leave out
the map description since it's easier for people to just look at the map for
themselves. Added some useful miscellaneous info, such as how to find a server
to play on, and my autoexec/config files if anyone wants them.

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Table of Contents
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1. Introduction
2. Q2's Weapons: Get to know 'em!
2.1 Blaster
2.2 Shotgun (SG)
2.3 Super Shotgun (SSG)
2.4 Machinegun (MG)
2.5 Chaingun (CG)
2.6 Grenades
2.7 Grenade Launcher (GL)
2.8 Rocket Launcher (RL)
2.9 Hyperblaster
2.10 Railgun (RG)
2.11 BFG10K
3. Configuring your Controls
3.1 Graphics
3.2 Keyboard Setup
3.3 Mouse Setup
3.4 Making and Editing Config Files
4. Basic Movement and Strategy
4.1 Moving
4.2 Becoming Aware of your Surroundings
4.3 Aiming
4.4 Combat
5. Map Guide
5.1 q2dm1 - The Edge
5.2 q2dm2 - Tokay's Towers
5.3 q2dm3 - The Frag Pipe
6. Miscellaneous Info
6.1 Finding a Server
6.2 Console Commands
6.3 Paks
6.4 My Config Files
6.5 Glossary
7. Coming Soon...


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1. Introduction
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Quake 2 is a 7-year-old FPS that people still play heavily today. The community
may not be strong, but at least you can find another person to play with. Upon
writing this document, I don't know if it will be a great help to anyone at
all. What I mean is that since the game is old, I assume that everyone has
reached a peak of skill, even though they might still look like a rookie.
And since Q2 is outdated, I highly doubt that there are more newer players.
Nonetheless, here is a largely unfinished guide about some basic info. I will
most likely tack on some more info from time to time.

First things first, though. Make sure to download the v3.20 patch for Quake 2
so that you will be able to play the game online. You can find it in various
places. FilePlanet is one of them, but if you don't like FilePlanet's wait-in-
line policy, you can grab the patch at KansasNet
(ftp://ftp.kansas.net/pub/games/quake2/q2-3_20-x86-full.exe) or the IC website
(http://www.ic-tournaments.com/downloads/Q2_320_X.EXE).


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2. Q2's Weapons: Get to know 'em!
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2.1 Blaster
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Your standard-issue sidearm. You won't find this useful in many situations
at all, unless you're quadded (and even then, you might not rack up many frags
as you'd like). Even with plenty of practice with this weapon, you can't deal
serious damage to your opponents. Once you find another weapon, you're better
off sticking with it. You might get lucky picking off a railer (a person using
a Railgun) up close, or maybe a weakened opponent, but that's about it. The
Blaster fires an energy projectile at the enemy. It travels at a steady, fairly
fast speed.

Besides being the worst weapon in Q2, it also tells other players of your
situation: you're lacking firepower, and thus you are an easy target to pick
off. It is wise not to even fire your blaster at opponents who haven't spotted
you yet, unless you know that the player has been weakened from a previous
fight. Doing this will simply alert the player of your presence, and that will
lead to a frag for them (unless you can escape or prevail :).

A blaster projectile does a measly 15 points of damage, and the trail
will serve only to reveal your location. Stay in the fringes and grab a weapon
as fast as you can. Engage in combat with your blaster as a last resort, or if
you like blaster duels.


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2.2 Shotgun (SG)
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A weapon made for the less-than-proficient marksman. This weapon won't serve
you much use either, but if it's all you have, by all means use it. It works
great over all ranges, but the shells spread out more over long distances,
lessening the damage. Collecting the Shotgun will give you an extra 10 shells
to your weaponry, which is great for free-for-all deathmatches (FFA DM) where
ammo can be scarce. You will be able to defend yourself to a certain degree
with the Shotgun, but not much more than the Blaster. Consider preserving your
shells for the Super Shotgun (SSG) instead.

At close range, the Shotgun will deal a maximum damage of 48 points. Don't try
outgunning someone, though. Fire off a few shots, and then retreat in search
for a better weapon.


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2.3 Super Shotgun (SSG)
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An awesome close range weapon that eviscerates opponents with the spread of 2
shells. The SSG is a great weapon that can instantly drop a freshly respawned
player at close range. The spread is quite wide at long distances, so get close
to your opponent as much as you can to keep the damage high. Use the weapon as
aggresively as you can, lunging at other players and giving them a face full of
shell clusters when you're up close and personal. "The best offense is a good
defense" basically describes how to use the SSG well.

However, don't get careless with the SSG. It is purely a melee weapon, and
rushing in all the time can get you stopped cold if your aim/timing is off. You
will have to decide whether to rush that attacker or to retreat behind a wall.
Don't get predictable or the other players will be expecting it and will
counter your movements.

If you manage to get the entire cluster of shells to hit (you literally have to
be touching your opponent), the SSG can do a maximum of 120 points of damage.
Not the best all-purpose weapon, but it can be a very fun and effective weapon
to use. With the quad, you'll be able to mow things down easily, and you don't
have to be as close to the target.


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2.4 Machinegun (MG)
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Your basic repeating-fire weapon. Like the Shotgun, it is effective at all
ranges, but unlike the Shotgun, it can be a more effective and efficient
weapon in terms of damage and speed. The machinegun requires no special tactics
really; just keep the cursor bob on the target and try to run 'em down. This
weapon may make up a few of your frags in FFA, and you might get one or two in
1 vs 1 duels and teamplay. Of course, why use this when another repeating-fire
weapon exists? Grab a machinegun for the 50 bullets, and save them because the
Chaingun will eat up a lot of ammunition.

Keep a medium distance from other enemies. This way, you'll be able to lessen
the blows from SSGs, grab some space from incoming rockets, and possibly dodge
a rail slug or two by closing in a bit. Each bullet causes 8 points of damage.
It's great for quad runs, but there are better weapons...


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2.5 Chaingun (CG)
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This street-sweeping, multi-barrel, bullet-munching weapon is deadly. Very
deadly. In fact, games can be won using this weapon alone, given the bullets
are collected in time. When you fire this weapon, there will be a spin delay
that lasts for a split second, and then a hailstorm of bullets will fly out of
this baby. The bullets spread apart a fair bit, so keep your attacks at medium
to close range. Grab some armor and charge your enemies down, or use it as a
finishing tool after you've weakened the enemy with a rail slug or a rocket.
Make sure to gather up the bullets necessary to use the Chaingun, and an ammo
pack if possible.

Try not to be on the defensive with the Chaingun. If you need to move backwards
then fine, but keep on your target. The aim is to nullify your opponent no
matter what the cost. You should accomplish this by concentrating less on
dodging incoming attacks and more on your aim. Keep your movements locked onto
theirs so that you can finish the job without wasting all your ammo. Each hit
soaks up 6 points of damage, so make your shots count. Try not to let your prey
get away, as you'll have blown all your bullets for naught.


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2.6 Grenades
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Just pull the pin (or twist it, I don't know what kind of grenades these are)
and throw. You'll either enjoy tossing these things around, or you'll just pick
them up for your Grenade Launcher. To throw them farther, hold down the attack
button until you hear the second loud click, and then release it in the desired
direction. Prediction will play a major part of using hand grenades, but you
don't necessarily have to master tossing them. When throwing a grenade a fair
distance, make sure to aim at an angle. Try to keep holding the grenade as long
as you can, and then whipping it at a player. The grenade instantly explodes on
contact, but if it doesn't, it will drop to the ground until the timer goes off
(after the 3rd click). By holding the grenade for a while, you can make the
grenade explode in mid-air, regardless if it makes contact or not. It's a fine
weapon above the Blaster and Shotgun, but you should really grab something
better.

Bounce these pineapples around corners, on the ground, or even the ceiling if
you want. When you're facing someone up close with grenades and you know you're
going to face certain doom, don't back off. Instead, hold the grenade as long
as you can, and then grab some space while tossing the grenade. If the attacker
manages to kill you while you're holding a live grenade, the fuse will go off
instantly, causing damage and possibly a frag for you as well. A grenade can
cause 125 points of direct damage to an opponent, but make sure not to get
caught in the explosion.


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2.7 Grenade Launcher (GL)
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The pill spammer, the banana tosser, the pineapple launcher...whatever you call
it, the Grenade Launcher does just that: it fires a grenade in an arc-like
fashion. Each grenade has a fuse of about 3 seconds, and they explode instantly
upon contact. The GL is great for blowing up groups of players that are
situated in one area, but isn't really a practical tool for fighting a single
target. You'll have to lead a fair bit, but if you miss, you can keep an enemy
on their toes as they keep away from the grenades on the ground. The GL is also
a common weapon for campers to have, so watch out for players that take the
high ground and commence saturation bombing.

If you gather a lot of these, you can run around the map and pop grenades into
scrapping crowds of players. You can also bounce these off corners to nail that
approaching attacker, or even launch them at the ground at players up close
(make sure to back off after you pop one). If anything, use this defensively by
moving back and firing away at an attacker heading your way. Each round can
cause up to 120 points of direct damage.


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2.8 Rocket Launcher (RL)
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Now we're talking...a nifty general-use weapon in Q2 that is also capable of