AirQuake2 2.0 beta38 Readme
===========================

This readme contains new information and quick instructions for playing the latest 
version of AirQuake2 2.0; it supersedes that which is included in the 0.85 manual, 
which should be considered largely erroneous as far as AirQuake2 2.0 is concerned.

What is AirQuake2 2.0?
======================

The original AirQuake2 project reached a feature-packed version 0.85. However, the 
code-base was fundamentally unstable, bloated and unoptimised for internet play; hence, 
in the interests of playability, the decision was made to recode AirQuake2 from scratch. 
This, the result, is AirQuake2 2.0. We are working hard to bring it up to the
same level of features as the original while preserving its streamlined, efficient and 
stable code.

What do I need to Run AirQuake2 2.0?
====================================

First, you need to install AirQuake2 0.85 by the instructions in the 0.85 manual. Set 
up your AirQuake2 link according to those instructions too. Then, you should extract 
the AirQuake2 2.0 file over the top of the old AirQuake2, rewriting all files.

Note to previous AirQuake2 users: You should back up your old AirQuake2 config files
and edit them manually for the new AirQuake2 2.0 commands, using the new default autoexec 
file as a guide.


Controlling AirQuake2 2.0
=========================

When you start or join a game of AirQuake2 you'll be presented with a vehicle selection 
screen prompting you to choose your team (if in teamplay mode) and what kind of vehicle you
want. Move between the options by using the s and x keys, and select the option you want by 
pressing CTRL. You can go back to the previous menu level or get out of the selection screen 
by hitting ESC; if you get out of the selection screen, press TAB to bring it back again.

At the moment the only vehicles available are aircraft, and their differences are largely 
cosmetic; so select what you think looks coolest :). In later versions the full complement 
of vehicles will be available.


	Controlling a Plane
	-------------------

The aircraft can be rolled and pitched by using the arrow keys (not the ones on the keypad; 
those are used differently and we'll come to those in a moment) or with the mouse or joystick.
You can yaw your plane with the z and c keys, or with the hat on your joystick.

There are a couple of features which modify the flight behaviour, which can be toggled by 
pressing F6 and F7; try them and see if you like them.

<---------------->
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!
If your plane seems to be rolling the wrong way, then hit F5 to fix it. 
It is a bug with Quake2's software mode that we can't fix, that causes vehicles to appear to 
roll the wrong way. This is a workaround that will flip the roll angles so they appear 
properly in software mode.
<---------------->

You can raise and lower your throttle with the s and x keys or with the mousewheel; this will
increase or decrease your speed. If you want to lose more speed quickly, you can switch the 
airbrake on by holding down the SHIFT key.
Don't lower your speed too much, or you'll stall and nose down into the ground; on the other 
hand, at high speeds you won't be able to turn as fast.

Guns can be fired by pressing CTRL or the left mouse button. At the moment there is only the 
autocannon available, though you can still switch to the other weapons your plane has by 
pressing the 1-4 keys or cycling through them with the a and d keys.


You can raise and lower your gear by pressing the G key; gear is very useful for landing. You
will need to drop your speed below a certain threshhold in order to be able to lower your gear,
and if you go above that threshhold your gear will automatically raise again.

To land, align yourself with a runway, level your plane out, and go into a shallow dive at as 
low a speed as you can. If your dive angle and your roll angle aren't too severe you should 
touch down; at this point immediately cut your throttle to 0 and switch the airbrakes on.
Once you are landed you will be able to taxi around on the tarmac, but be careful not to drive 
off it.
Note that unlike the original AirQuake2 you can also land without your landing gear, on any 
terrain you like; however, you will write off your aircraft and will have to vacate it quickly
before it explodes.

Airbases have specially marked recharge spots that you can park on to get your plane repaired
and rearmed. Just taxi onto one and cut your speed to 0. Some airbases and other map areas have 
special elevators or doors; these can be activated by driving up to them and hitting ENTER.


	Controlling a Little Quake Man
	------------------------------

If you want, you can eject from or get out of your aircraft by hitting E; at this point you 
start controlling your LQM or Little Quake Man. He is controlled much like an aircraft, using 
the arrow keys, joystick or mouse to turn and look up and down. Like a plane, you can increase 
or decrease the throttle to start him running forward or backwards. You can sidestep 
left and right using the z and c keys. And he can even jump, by pressing the SHIFT key.

LQMs can enter and exit stationary vehicles by using the "E" key; you can also run to a 
recharge spot in an airbase and hit E to bring up the vehicle selection screen. After making 
your selection you will reappear on the recharge spot as the vehicle you chose.

In maps without recharge spots or stationary parked vehicles, you are essentially stuck as an 
LQM until killed; in future you will be unable to exit your vehicle in such maps anyway, but 
for now the use of the "kill" command is advised.


	Controlling the Camera
	----------------------

Well, that's all there is to controlling the vehicles; however, AirQuake2 2.0 allows you great 
control over your camera too.

The arrows on the keypad control what angle you view your plane from. The left and right arrow 
keys will give you a view to the left or right of the plane; pressing the back arrow key will
let your 'check your six' by looking backwards from the plane; and pressing the up arrow key 
will return you to looking straight ahead. Pressing '5' will give you a view looking straight 
down from your plane, useful as a bombing view.

The keypad HOME and END keys will move the camera closer or farther away from the aircraft; the 
PGUP and PGDN keys will move the camera up or down. Hitting DEL on the keypad will cycle 
between three levels of camera zoom.

By holding down the SPACE bar or the right mouse button, you will enable "freecam" mode:
your controls will switch from moving your vehicle to moving the camera, allowing you to rotate 
fully around your vehicle in any dimension in this mode. When you release the spacebar or the
right mouse button your view will snap back to whichever view you were last looking from before 
you switched to freecam mode.

The F9 and F10 keys will switch your view to the previous or next vehicle. F11 will restore 
you to looking at your own vehicle.


AirQuake2 2.0 Gameplay Modes
============================

AirQuake2 gives you three play modes: Single-player ("deathmatch 0"), which is basically just a 
civilian flight with no enemies; Deathmatch mode ("deathmatch 1"), which is a free-for-all; and 
Teamplay mode ("deathmatch 1", "teamplay 1").

In teamplay mode there are three teams: The NATO team, Warsaw Pact team and the UN observer 
team. The first two teams only get access to their own side's vehicles and have their own 
base, while the UN observer team are 'spectators' who have no weapons and will later be 
restricted to civilian vehicles. Teamplay mode is not yet complete in AirQuake2 2.0; teamplay 
objectives will be implemented later.

AirQuake2 also has bots, computer-controlled opponents. These bots and their playing 
characteristics are defined in the bots.txt file in the airq2 folder. The number of bots in 
play is determined by the following variables:

num_bots will control the number of bots in free-for-all deathmatch mode;
num_bots_team1 and num_bots_team2 will control the number of bots in each team in teamplay mode;
and num_bots_observer will control the number of bots in the observer team in teamplay.

At the moment AirQuake2 2.0 is limited to a maximum of 4 bots in play at once.

Bots in the observer team will not fire; so if you just want some bots for target practice, 
turn teamplay on and add some bots to the observer team.

<NOTE: Teamplay mode is not currently functional: Bots will not spawn in teamplay mode, and 
which team you belong to has no effect on gameplay. Teamplay will be fully implemented very, 
very soon>


----------

Please post any comments/questions you have and any bugs you find with AirQuake2 2.0 to our 
messageboards on our site at airquake2.converted2.com. For any questions about AirQuake2, 
email Bjoern at bjoern@converted2.com or Alun at uberian@converted2.com.


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