Commands | CVARS | Communications | Scripting

CVARS

CVAR stands for 'console variable' and is used to store settings that configure how your Q3F client acts in certain situations. We've added six special Q3F CVARs to allow you to personalise your Q3F experience. When you use a CVAR you can chose to only use it for that session with the SET command, or you may set it permanently with the SETA command.

To set a CVAR in the console for the current game only (until you exit from Quake 3) type:

> \SET <cvar name> <value>

Here's the complete list of Q3F specific CVARs available to players and server administrators:

cg_autoReload

By default, when you're weapon clip is empty, the weapon will automatically start to reload. With the use of this CVAR you can enable and disable this option, allowing for example a Soldier to switch to a double barrelled shotgun, when he's finished firing 4 rockets, without having to wait for the Rocket Launcher clip to reload first. This CVAR is useable by all classes that have reloadable weapons.

CVAR | Description
cg_autoReload 1 | Automatically reload weapon when clip is empty (default setting)
cg_autoReload 0 | Dont automatically reload the clip. Users of this option will need to ensure that they have a key bound to the RELOAD command so that they can reload manually.

cg_drawMem

This CVAR can be used for debugging purposes.

CVAR | Description
cg_drawMem 1 | Will display ammount of free memory left
cg_drawMem 0 | Turns of the drawMem display

cg_sniperDotScale

The Sniper dot in Q3F scales depending on your distance from the object that you're infra-red is striking. You can adjust this feature by using the following (or values in between):

CVAR | Description
cg_sniperDotScale 0.4 | Scaling dot
cg_sniperDotScale -4 | Non-scaling dot

cg_sniperHistoricalSight

Q3F provides two options for the way in which the sniper dot is displayed:

CVAR | Description
cg_sniperHistoricalSight 1 | Sniper dot interprets latency between the client and server and inidcates where the shot *should* hit.
cg_sniperHistoricalSight 0 | Sniper dot stays under cross-hair at all times.

cg_impactVibration

When a grenade goes off near you, or similarly if a rocket strikes an object in your location Q3F has an effect that causes your display to shake in a realistic way. You can enable and disable this feature like this:

CVAR | Description
cg_impactVibration 1 | enables the impact vibration effect
cg_impactVibration 0 | disables the impact vibration effect

cg_sniperDotColors

In Q3F, when a Sniper pulls the trigger on his Rifle, an infra-red dot is cast on any object he's currently aiming at until he releases the key/button and fires the round. By default this dot is shown in the team colour of the Sniper - for example a red dot for a red team member and a blue one for a blue team member.

If you would prefer all sniper dots to appear in a singular colour, you can do so with the cg_SniperDotColors command as follows:

CVAR | Description
cg_sniperDotColors 1 | enables team-coloured sniper dots
cg_sniperDotColors 0 | disables team-coloured sniper dots

cg_execClassConfigs

Have you thought that it might be convenient to write a different script for each class? Maybe you use the arrow keys for movement - but you'd like 'shift' to be reload when soldier, but zoom when sniper? This is exactly what cg_execClassConfigs is used for.

If you create a class script file for each class that you wish - for example agent.cfg, flametrooper.cfg and engineer.cfg, all you need do is place these in the Q3F directory and then set the CVAR value as required:

CVAR | Description
cg_execClassConfigs 2 | Automatically execute class CFGs on every espawn, class and team change.
cg_execClassConfigs 1 | Automatically execute class CFGs only on class and team change.
cg_execClassConfigs 0 | don't automatically execute class CFGs

If enabled when you join a server, or change class, the relevant CFG will be automatically executed.

cg_grenadePrimeSound

Sound to play when priming a grenade.

CVAR | Description
cg_grenadePrimeSound sound/misc/q3f_gren_timerXXX.wav (where XXX is the timer you wish to use) | Sets preimeone, primetwo. +gren1 and +gren2 so that they play the timer set by this CVAR Note that this will only cache the sound once - if you change it again before the map ends, you'll hear the original sound.

cg_teamChatBigFont

Make teamchat HUD double-size

CVAR | Description
cg_teamChatBigFont 1 | Make teamchat HUD double-size so that text is easier to read at higher resolutions.
cg_teamChatBigFont 0 | use default font size.

cg_lowEffects

Certain special effects in Q3F (for example the smoke the Minigun creates) can make visibility very difficult on certain video cards. If your machine suffers from this (or you'd just like clearer vision at the expense of special effects) use the cg_lowEffects CVAR as follows:

CVAR | Description
cg_lowEffects 1 | enable low effects mode
cg_lowEffects 0 | Use normal Q3F effects

g_suicideDelay

The g_suicideDelay variable effects how long a player stays dead after using the \kill command. Setting this variable will define the number of seconds prior to respawn. The default is 7 seconds and it is set as follows:

CVAR | Description
g_suicideDelay 0 | no suicide delay
g_suicideDelay 20 | players must wait 20 seconds before respawn

cg_execMapConfigs

The cg_execMapConfigs variable toggles whether a CFG file named after a map should be exec'd on map start (or on joining the server with current map).

CVAR | Description
cg_execMapConfigs 1 | exec <map>.cfg if it exists (default=1)
cg_execMapConfigs 0 | don;t exec <map>.cfg

cg_menuSlideTime

The cg_menuSlideTime sets the time it tales for menus to slide out from the side of the HUD.

CVAR | Description
cg_menuSlideTime 250 | This is the default time in ms
cg_menuSlideTime 0 | No delay (menus apear instantly)

cg_teamChatSounds

While playing on public servers, you may find that certain people 'spam' the inbuilt WAV communications in Q3F a little too much. Using the cg_teamChatSounds CVAR you can set the level of WAV communication that you wish to receive.

CVAR | Description
cg_teamChatSounds 0 | Dont play any team sounds
cg_teamChatSounds 1 | Play only communications WAVs
cg_teamChatSounds 2 | Play all WAVs (comms and speech)