Follow the steps below to get started playing Vortex Quake 2.
1. Choose a name
When you first start Quake 2, you will be presented with the console. It is the text interface for the game; you may access it anytime by pressing the tilde (‘~') key.
The first step is to choose what name (or, "handle") you want to be known as. To do this, use the ‘name' command. At the console, type: ‘name '. If you have would like to use a space in your name, you will need to encase it in quotation marks. For example, to call yourself Captain America, you would type: name "Captain America"
** Note: Your name becomes your character. If you want to come back to your character at another time, you will need to choose the same name. You can't change names after your character is already created, so choose wisely.
2. Connect to a server
If you downloaded the full Vortex package (Quake 2 demo + patch + vortex), there should be a file called ‘PLAY VORTEX QUAKE 2'. Simply double-click on it to launch the R1Q2 updater, press enter to clear it, and then you will automatically connect to our main server. Otherwise, you can manually connect by typing: connect vrx.dyndns.org:27910
** Note: Be sure that you set your name before connecting to the server. Name changes are not allowed once you're connected. You will need to reconnect if you want to change your name either using the ‘reconnect' command or ‘connect vrx.dyndns.org:27910'. Also-as stated above-since your name is your character (essentially a username tied to a character file), if you change names you will be loading a new/different character.
3. Set a password
To prevent unauthorized use of your character, you should set a password. To do so, type: set vrx_password u. Example: set vrx_password mypass123 u
You should save this in a config file, otherwise you will have to enter it each time you join the server. To do this, just open up Wordpad or Notepad, enter the above command with your password, and save it in a config file (e.g. vortex_config.cfg) in either the baseq2 or vortex subdirectory. Then all you have to do is type ‘exec vortex_config.cfg' when you're ready to play.
4. Choose a class
<!--[if gte vml 1]> You will be asked to select a class when you first create your character. Here is a brief description:
Soldier - The soldier's main upgrades are strength and resistance. These are passive abilities that increase attack damage and reduce damage received. If you are used to standard FPS-style deathmatch, it would be wise to upgrade these. Soldiers can also specialize in different kinds of grenades.
** Note: Vortex's menus can be navigated using the [ and ] keys. Press ENTER to make a selection. If these keys don't work, you can bind them yourself (binding keys is discussed below): bind ] invnext; bind [ invprev; bind enter invuse, bind uparrow inven
Engineer - The engineer is rather weak, and relies on building either traps or other mechanical devices to do his work. Sentry guns are popular, which lay waste to anything coming within their sights.
Knight - The knight is limited to only 1 weapon: the sword. It's one of the most powerful weapons in the game, but only if you can get close enough to your enemy to use it. Fortunately, knights are incredibly tough and have boost to close distance quickly.
Vampire - The vampire has the innate ability to become invisible while not moving. His main attacks involve stealing life, ammunition, and power cubes from his enemy. Ghost allows the Vampire to repel attacks completely.
Cleric - The cleric is a holy class that relies on auras to boost resistance, heal, and slow targets. Their blessed hammer does devastating damage, but is limited to close range.
Necromancer - The necro can follow two ability trees, either relying on monsters or hellspawn to do his bidding, curses to weaken or confuse his target, or a combination of both.
Poltergeist - The poltergeist is essentially a shapeshifter, capable of becoming a variety of monsters. Each monster has different characteristics, some capable of flying, while others are slow moving behemoths. Fortunately, a poltergeist has every "morph" upgraded to level 1, allowing you to experiment and find one that suits you best.
Mage - As the name implies, the mage has a vast array of spells at his disposal, ranging from flaming meteors that smash enemies to bits, or lightning storms that electrocute unfortunate enough to be near them. The mage is mainly an offensive player; they are relatively weak, and instead rely on their spells to kill quickly before their enemy ever has a chance to react.
Alien - This class was inspired by Gloom, another mod for Quake 2. The alien class can spawn all kinds of biological things, including healers that recover life when you touch them, or spores that will actively chase targets, or gassers that belch a poisonous cloud when an enemy gets too close. They can open a wormhole to quickly navigate a map, even passing through walls.
Shaman - The Shaman's abilities consist of a variety of totems. These totems are small structures that affect players within its radius. Some totems are beneficial to its owner and allies, while others slow or attack enemies. Haste provided increased attack speed, while fury gives a random boost of strength, resistance, and regeneration.
Weapon Master - Weapon masters don't have any class-specific abilities. Instead, they rely on their weapons, which can be upgraded higher than any other class.
<!--[if gte vml 1]> 5. Set a master password
Sometimes people forget their password. Although it isn't a requirement, we highly recommend you set a master password (type ‘masterpw'). If you ever forget your normal password, you can use this one to as a back-up to log-in. Once you set a master password, you can't change it, so be careful when setting it (don't make it anything obvious; we recommend a combination of letters and numbers).
<!--[if gte vml 1]> 6. Join the game
When you connect to a server, you will be presented with a menu that allows you to join (start your reign) or enter chasecam mode.
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7. Choose a respawn weapon
Assuming you have enough respawns (which can be purchased at the armory; see below), you will spawn with the weapon you choose via the ‘vrxrespawn' menu.
8. Vote
If you would like to play a particular map or game mode, use the ‘vote' command. The map/mode with the most votes wins.
<!--[if gte vml 1]> 9. Access Vortex's main menu
If you want to set a master password, look at your character stats, access the upgrade menus, set a respawn weapon, or just about anything, you will want to use the ‘vrxmenu' command. See below for more information about these sub-menus.
