Part 1 - Player Profile & Quake 2 Versions

Before we actually get you onto a Quake 2 server and fraggin away we need to make sure you’ve got the player profile you want and that you’re using the correct version of Quake 2. First the player profile.


PLAYER PROFILE
This really isn’t that critical as you think. You can enter a Quake 2 deathmatch without setting up your profile; the computer will just use a default profile. Part of the fun is creating a deathmatch personae though. Here’s how you set this up.

Start up Quake 2 and go to the main menu. Move the arrow down to Multiplayer and hit enter. Another screen pops up with more selections. Select Player Setup. From this screen we can now setup the player. Here’s what the options mean:

Name
This is where you can choose your name, or "handle" that other players will see in the game. This is the funnest part of creating your Quake 2 personae. Be creative and have fun with it. You may want to avoid vulgar or obscene names, but it’s a free country so do what you want. It’s also probably best if you didn’t use your real name, for obvious reasons.

Model
In the original Quake all of the players essentially looked the same - a plain, non-descrip male whose only outstanding features were the color of his pants and shirt. Now you can be either a male, female (yes, there are a significant amount of female Quake players), or a cyborg. The model you choose won’t have any effect on your abilities in the actual game.

Skin
There are several variations on the appearance of the males, females, and cyborgs in Quake 2. Cycle through the various selections until you have a player you like the look of. This is how you will appear to other players.

Handedness
Are you a left, righty, or prefer no hands? Handedness simply refers to the position your hand (holding the weapon) will take on the screen. You can have the default right, the left, or the center which is no hands showing at all.


QUAKE 2 VERSIONS
Software, like automobiles, have various versions (or model years in car terms). For instance, Windows 95 is different from Windows 98 just like a 90 Chevy Lumina is different from a 94 Chevy Lumina.

If you purchased Quake 2 close to when it was originally released (Christmas ‘97) you most likely have version 3.05.

Quick Tip
You can tell what version of Quake 2 you have by starting Quake 2 and bringing down the console (hit the tilde key (~). The console will then appear. In the lower right coroner of the console is the version number.

The majority of Quake 2 servers out there are going to be using the most current version of Quake 2 however. The most current version right now is 3.14. So if you try to join a Quake 2 server that is running version 3.14 and you’re running version 3.05 you aren’t going to be able to play because your version is not compatible with the other.

You can get the latest upgrade patch to Quake 2 by visiting my Download Central page. From there I have links to many different sites that have the 3.14 patch (also known as the Quake 2 "Point Release") on them. Download it to your computer and then run it. Once the program is done your copy of Quake 2 will be patched to version the newest version.

Note
When you upgrade your version of Quake 2 to a newer version any saved games you made under the previous version cannot be used in the new version.

That's it for Part 1! Click the link below to begin Part 2 - where you will play your first deathmatch!!

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