A big callout to all of the AQ2World Team for this massive update! We couldn't have done it without you! @m4son @ndit-dev @MVarland @Iceman12k @vrolse @andresanguinetti and everyone who contributed who aren't in Github, thank you!
Distribution / Asset changes
Main game asset changes:
All assets from Quake II Retail and Demo have been removed or replaced. In most cases, the files that existed in this distribution weren't even needed, like enemy AI models. Those that AQtion needed were replaced with high quality replacements. - Assets affected are game .wal textures, a good deal of sound effects, models, and player skins. If you own a retail copy of Quake II ([which we highly recommend picking up if you haven't played it!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2320/Quake_II/)), you can copy the pak files over from `baseq2` into `action` to restore the original sounds, skins and textures. For more details, see below under Game changes.
Rearranged where files live, structurally. This consolidates files better for general management. Main game files are now located in `baseaq`, while downloads and custom paks/pkz file should still go into `action` - Consolidated all content into a single pkz file (`pak0.pkz`), configs moved to `pak1.pkz` in `baseaq`
Mac game libs are now a `.dylib` extension
Removed all Quake II retail player skins
Replaced several hundred old .wal textures
Replaced idle sound effects
Replaced elevator/platform sounds
Replaced 10-1 countdown announcer
Replaced footstep sound effects - Larger variety of footstep and hard landing sounds are now available with the toggle `cl_enhanced_footsteps`
Replaced footstep sound effects
Replaced damage sound effects (fall, hit, death sounds)
Replaced footstep sound effects
Replaced grenade bounce sound and explosion effects
Replaced footstep sound effects
Replaced smoke model and skin (bullets hitting wall effect)
Replaced footstep sound effects
Replaced medkit (did you know Action Quake used a medkit, if enabled?)
Replaced footstep sound effects
Replaced dozens of ambient map sounds
Replaced footstep sound effects
Added a bunch of new player skins
Replaced footstep sound effects
New gib and on-ground item models (big thanks to the Reaction 3 team!)
AQ2-TNG Game changes
Added adjustable weapon sounds (via llsound) and menu options. This is only enabled if the server has `llsound 1`. - [See this document snippet for config details](https://github.com/actionquake/aq2-tng/blob/aqtion/TNG-manual.txt#L189-L199)
Fixed bug where `gl_brightness` made darkmatch too bright. Now forces `gl_brightness` to `0` if server has darkmatch enabled.
Fixed a bug with `scr_scale` where the sniper scope would be off-center
Teammate Indicators: - Enabled with `use_indicators` on the server, and `cl_indicators` on the client (1 for spec, 2 for teammates), arrows are drawn above players, but their head must be visible for the arrows to appear
Gamestate Extrapolation: - Toggled with `use_xerp` on the server, and `cl_xerp` on the client (1 for auto xerp based on ping/antilag, 2 for FRAMETIME/2 xerp) - xerp will be automatically disabled if `sv_antilag_interp` is enabled. - xerp will automatically add ping time to value if `sv_antilag` is disabled - this is a purely visual effect, hitboxes are unchanged, though depending on the amount of extrapolation, this may look strange
IR Vision (server side): - Toggled with `new_irvision` on the server; teammates no longer highlight, only enemies
CvarSync: - the game dll can now specify cvars the client should send to the server, this replaces the old and buggy setu system that abused userinfo
Spectator Overlay: - using protocol 38 and an updated client allows for a new spechud using the Ghud system - also fixed `cl_spectatorhud` not working properly
Sniper zoom compensation (server-side): - Reduced delay frames for higher ping players. Remains 6 frames (600ms) for all players under 80ms ping. Above 80ms and per every 80ms beyond, reduce delay frames by 1, up to a maximum of 3 reduced frames. This can be enabled on the server via `zoom_comp`
Attract mode (server-side): - Automatically maintains a minimum count of LTK bots at all times. Reduces 1 LTK bot per real human player. Meant to be used to get games started by having people join servers and having something to shoot at. See the TNG Manual for more details.
Q2Pro Engine changes
<*> MAX_ENTITIES from 256 -> 1024 <*> MAX_FILE_HANDLES from 32 -> 1024 <*> Downloading `.pkz` files larger than 2GiB are supported now <*> Loading `.pkz` files over 4GiB and ZIP64 archives are supported now <*> `sv_max_packet_entities` default value is 128 (default Quake II client max) but can be set to 0 (unlimited), this mostly affects maps with large open areas <*> .ogg support with commands (`ogg info|play|stop`) <*> `remotemode` turns client into rcon-only mode, all commands issued by this client are considered forwarded as rcon <*> Exec'ing config files after game dir change, autoexec.cfg is executed after default.cfg and config.cfg/q2config.cfg <*> MVD seeking allows to percentage rather than just timespec (50% is halfway through, for example) <*> Forces minimum version of Windows to 7 <*> Console buffer search, now you can search your command history <*> Stereo support added <*> Client-side gun view and offset settings (`cl_gun_fov`, `cl_gun_x`, `cl_gun_y`, `cl_gun_z`) <*> `con_auto_chat` adjusts how to handle mistyped commands - `0` handle as regular command - `1` sends typed entry as chat - `2` sends type entry as team chat <*> Fixed a crash when server names were too long <*> Crouch prediction with `sv_fps` correction, it works great now <*> Protocol 38 had the following changes: - Made ghud per client instead of global, and raised the elementlimit to 200 - Added CvarSync to poll cvar values from the client as the gamedll needs <*> Adjusted colorations in the Server Browser - Shows servers with antilag enabled, servers populated with bots, and so forth <*> Support for Linux X11 and Wayland - Choose which one to use in Steam <*> Enhancements to the server UI - Wider column to view mapname - Enabled colors based on ping, if the server has bots in it, and so forth
AQ2Open Masters 23 and the 25th anniversary of Action Quake 2
Attention all gamers and fans of Action Quake 2! The highly anticipated AQ2Open Masters tournament is just around the corner, and you don't want to miss out on this incredible event!
Taking place in the beautiful city of Stockholm on the 6th and 7th of October, AQ2Open Masters is not only a tournament, but also a celebration of the 25th year anniversary of Action Quake 2. Join us and experience the excitement of this milestone event with fellow players and fans from all over the world.
Don't forget, it's not just for players! Even if you're not competing, we welcome all visitors to come and celebrate with us. Enjoy the dedicated lounge area in the bar, where the tournament will be broadcasted on stream, and mingle with other AQ2 enthusiasts for the whole weekend.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up now for AQ2Open Masters and be a part of gaming history! The best players in the scene will be there, and you could be too. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience. See you there!
Sign up now at: https://www.aq2open.com/masters23/
Happy 24th Birthday to AQ2! Achievements and Stat Tracking Released
It's been 24 years since AQ2 was released, and what an affect it had on gaming! We're here to celebrate the game with a couple of great announcements!
After months of artwork revisions, technical details, bug fixes and arduous testing, the AQ2World Team is proud to announce official support for Steam Achievements! Some may be very easy, while others are more... specific. The artwork was carefully created to cater to the scene; you'll notice several references to action movies and characters, and our very own Male model stars in many of them.
Additionally, stat tracking is available via web-driven dashboards!
Quick Q&A:
Q: I definitely just did something to earn an Achievement and I didn't get it! I DEMAND SATISFACTION! A: There's a few things to check to make sure you're eligible:
Achievements are server-driven, so playing single player bots won't make your actions Achievement-worthy.
You must play on official servers, usually the ones labeled as "AQ2World" in the server name will be tracking Achievements. Non-official servers will still have the same action-packed game you would expect from AQtion, but progress towards Achievements won't be recorded.
It's possible that Achievement rewards are delayed for technical reasons, or perhaps you were rewarded and you didn't notice?
Q: I have great ideas for new Achievements, where can I suggest them? A: Visit us in Discord and join the #community channel to make your suggestions heard!
Q: What are some of the criteria around stat collection? A: Just like Achievements above, you must be playing in an official AQ2World server for your stats to count. Playing by yourself with bots won't do it, only real targets count here! Here are some additional constraints:
Your stats won't be recorded if you are alone in a server, so feel free to crater all day long without fear of having a ton of deaths on your record.
Stats are not recorded during warmups or after round teamkills, so blast away!
Any bots in game (even online in an official server) disable stat collection, so no easy kills to pad your stats!
To verify if your favorite server is recording stats, check the server info for stat_logs = 1
You must stick around to the very end of the match for all of your stats to count! Leaving early means missed stats!
Q: Where can I view my stats? A: The initial stat dashboard links are here listed here:
Q: Hey, I'm in a clan but I don't see my clan tag in the clan search! A: Make sure you were wearing that clan tag in your name when you play so that those stats can be properly recorded. You don't need to use it all the time, but the system needs to record you wearing the tag at least once, usually as a frag. Additionally, the tag must be something easily searchable. A single character (like $) is not a good clan tag to search by. Good examples are ones like >fs<, mJw.gg, [TDM].
Fall 2022 4v4 Ladder
Starting November 7th, AQtion is hosting the Fall 2022 4v4 Ladder! This will last until January 1st, 2023. It will span over 8 gameweeks after which champions will be crowned! Registrations are open right now, games begin on the 7th!
We have a special ladder bot which can be used in the Discord #ladder channel
To see its commands you can type /help or you can check tutorial on bot's usage here:
ADDED: Upgraded male player model, fits into his hitbox much better
ADDED: Map simplicity, thanks Flunx!
CHANGED: Mac Standalone had some problems, changed the way it's launched
REMOVED: Duplicate sounds
FIXED: Linux deb installer (standalone)
FIXED: Missing file caused some skin loading issues
Q2Pro Summary, many thanks to Skuller!
FIXED: Some wayland fixes regarding Linux rendering
FIXED: Some lightmap rendering fixes artifacts in some maps
CHANGED: Maxclients upgraded to 256 unless MVD is enabled
CHANGED: r_override_textures has the following options now:
- 0 — don't override textures
- 1 — override only palettized textures
- 2 — override all textures
AQ2-TNG
ADDED: sv_idleremove - Optional server cvar that removes idle players from their teams after a certain amount of time
ADDED: g_spawn_items - Optional server cvar that allows for spawning of items in game modes that lets you choose a starting weapon/item if enabled -- may spice up DM and TDM matches?
ADDED: Warning to sv_fps if set above the value of 30, optimal settings are 10, 20 or 30. You can still use 40, 50 or 60, but the behavior of the game can appear to be adversely affected at those values.
CHANGED: Amount of fields returned in serverinfo queries to servers consolidated, due to limitation of how much data can be requested
Fall 2022 2v2 Ladder
Starting next week, on October 3rd, 2022, AQtion is starting our very first ladder competition! This will last until December 18th, 2022!
First on the schedule is the 2v2 ladder and it will span over 10 gameweeks after which champions will be crowned for each region.
Each region will have its own ladder, so there will be ladders in Europe, Chile, North America, Australia and Brazil.
We have a special ladder bot which can be used in the Discord #ladder channel
To see its commands you can type /help or you can check tutorial on bot's usage here:
FIXED: Bug regarding view position of player camera getting mangled in the player model on older servers
Patch Aug/26/2022
ADDED: Discord SDK integration (menu options to enable/disable), including Rich Presence
ADDED: New Q2Pro protocol 38 to support enhanced future improvements to the UI
ADDED: Some missing elevator and teleport sounds
ADDED: Mac support back to Mac OS X 10.7
ADDED: Missing wizs texture
FIXED: HUD bug regarding sniper scope offset
FIXED: HUD bug that affected widescreen displays/resolutions
FIXED: A bug around leg damage/limp speed rounding
FIXED: Duplicate config settings and triggers
UPDATED: Q2Pro updates from (includes updates to the cURL functionality downloading files and some coop maxclients issues)
UPDATED: TNG updates includes some footstep sync sound fixes, a new server cvar for mapvote snipers and a limchasecam fix to the follow command
UPDATED: Support for more files in a single pkz
July/22/2022
Small patch, added a few trigger fixes, some real OG Action Quake Gangsters skins, and a new Windows launch method for supporting upcoming features you've been waiting for!
FIXED: Some trigger issues with scripts
ADDED: New (or old, depending on who you ask!) pics and player skins
ADDED: New Windows launch method
July/13/2022
<*> FIXED: Typo in env example file (thanks @m4son !) <*> CHANGED: Mac completely revamped and is in-line with Linux and Windows installations as far as file structure -- please contact a member of the Mod team in the #troubleshooting channel in Discord if you run into problems, or if your config was not restored correctly. <*> CHANGED: New conback from the conback contest winner @m4son! Congrats! <*> CHANGED: `r_override_textures` behavior changed in menu to original use <*> ADDED: HUD, Menu and Console scaling options to include 3x and 4x scales (player request) <*> ADDED: More high-res textures <*> ADDED: More radio sounds <*> ADDED: Enabled AQ2Pro Pack menu <*> ADDED: `r_textures_overrides` thanks to @skullernet, lets you decide on which textures to override the default (.wal, .pcx) and higher resolution (.jpg, .tga, .png) --- (Specifies what types of textures are affected by ‘r_override_textures’. This variable is a bitmask. Default value is -1 (all types). --- 1 — HUD pictures --- 2 — HUD fonts --- 4 — skins --- 8 — sprites --- 16 — wall textures --- 32 — sky textures --- For example if you wanted only wall and sky textures to use higher res textures, set `r_texture_overrides` to `48` (16+32)
