Part 2 - More Gamespy |
If for some reason you've skipped ahead and don't yet know how to perform the basic function of Gamespy - finding and connecting to a server - then read the basics of Gamespy
REFRESHING/UPDATING
THE SERVERS
Quake 2 servers are popping up over the Internet daily, so you
should be sure to update your Quake 2 server lists every time you
start Gamespy. You can do this either manually or have Gamespy do
it automatically (I do it manually).
Manually
Right click on the "Quake 2" source button and then
click update. Gamespy will then go out and
retrieve all the latest Quake 2 server lists. Once that's done it
will then ping all the servers.
Automatically
From the View menu select Options.
On the General tab make sure there is a check
next to on Startup. Then make sure you have Update
and refresh all servers and sources checked.
Quick Tip |
Now that you know how to automatically ping servers, don't do it. When the automatic option is checked Gamespy updates every server, not just Quake 2 servers. |
When you've updated the Quake 2 server list once you shouldnt do have to do it again for a few hours or a day. However you may want to ping the servers in the current list several times. This helps keep the ping times up to date. Doing this takes two steps. Make sure that the All Servers tab at the top of interface is clicked. This will display all the Quake 2 servers Gamespy pinged previously. Then press Ctrl-T (this is the shortcut key for the Gamespy - Refresh Visible List command). Gamespy will then ping all the servers in the visible list.
SORTING
YOUR LISTS
You've probably noticed all those buttons across the top of the
Gamespy interface that have names like "Passed
Filters", "All Servers", "Favorites",
etc. These are for sorting out the server lists. This is useful
because you don't always want to look at every server Gamespy
pinged.
When you click "Passed Filters", for example, Gamespy will only show those servers that meet certain filter criteria. We will set that up right now.
BASIC
FILTERING
Gamespy has many powerful features. One of those lets you specify
certain rules that servers must comply with to be displayed under
the "Passed Filters" listing. Let's setup a basic
filter right now that everyone should be using:
CUSTOM
TABS
Later on you are going to learn about special versions of Quake 2
called "mods." These mods add a new level of fun to
multiplayer Quake 2 by providing exciting variations on standard
deathmatch play. But how do you know what servers are running
these modified versions of Quake 2?
Lucky for us the folks at Gamespy - and other people on the Internet - make special tabs that will let you list those specific types of Quake 2 games you're looking for. When you download a custom tab (e.g. ctf.qst) you need a way of importing it into Gamespy. Here's how you do that:
Note |
Right now knowing how to import custom tabs isn't important because we don't know what mods are. However later on we will be working with mods and knowing how to import custom tabs will be important. |
PLAYER
INFORMATION BOX
The player information box is located underneath the server list
box. It lets you see what players are on a selected server and
what their ping and scores are.
GAME
RULES BOX
The game rules box is also underneath the server list box, to the
right. It displays information about a selected server. This is
usually for determining what version of Quake 2, or any specific
mods, the server may be running.
CHANGING
PLAYER PROFILES
At any time when you're using Gamespy you may switch
the player you're using with a different one. This is useful not
only for changing names, but also - as we will see later - for
using different configuration files with different player names.
Just click the player profile button located on the main toolbar. This will bring up the player profile screen that you normally see every time Gamespy is started.
BUDDY
LISTS
If you've got friends who play Quake 2 over the Internet you can
have Gamespy automatically search for their player name (or
"handle" as it's also known) while it's pinging
servers. Gamespy will then indicate that the player name(s) you
specified have been located on a particular server by placing
colored dots next to the server name. Note that the unregistered
version of Gamespy only lets you look for one name automatically.
FINDING
PLAYERS
You can also manually use Gamespy to locate player names by
searching servers. Press the F4 button and that
will bring up the following dialog box:
What follows is a description of each of this dialog's features:
So basically all you have to do is enter the name you're looking for and click Find Now. Gamespy will then search the specified Quake 2 servers for the player you're looking for.
Well that's it for Gamespy right now. Of course that is by no means all there is to Gamespy. I'm primarily concerned with just getting you comfortable using the basic functions of Gamespy. Explore around you'll discover many more things you can do.
So with that we've reached the end of Part 2. By now you should be fairly adept at finding, and playing, deathmatch games at a beginner level. Now we'll push the envelope a little more and ratchet your skills up a bit! Click the link below to travel to Part 3!