Welcome to the 2024 Spring AQ2 Mapjam!


Are you ready to embark on a creative journey to shape the battlegrounds of Action Quake II? This event is not just a contest; it's a collaborative effort bringing together mappers from all corners of the community to craft new and exciting maps for AQ2.

Info Megathread Must Read: Read this forum post for a deep dive on requirements, ideas and format.

[h2]Event Details:[/h2]

• Dates: April 15th, 2024 - May 31st, 2024


• Theme: The overarching theme of Action Quake II is 'an action movie without the cost of a ticket.' Think of iconic settings from action films - gritty urban environments, intense showdowns in city streets, daring escapes through jungles, and heart-pounding pursuits in bustling casinos. Your maps should embody this theme, providing players with thrilling scenarios straight out of their favorite action flicks.

• AQ2 is a multiplayer-focused game, so no monster spawns. However, feel free to incorporate world hurt brushes such as spikes, lava, or spinning fan blades to add an extra layer of danger.


• Common themes include offices, cityscapes, mountain bases, jungles, encampments, neighborhoods, and more. Let your imagination run wild within these settings, creating dynamic and immersive environments for players to explore.


• Take inspiration from iconic movie locations like the Nakatomi Building from Die Hard, the jungles from Rambo and Predator, the casinos from Casino Royale and Ocean's 11, and the city/street areas from Heat and John Wick. Put your own spin on these settings, delivering fresh and exciting experiences for AQ2 players.

• Submit your maps by May 31st, 2024, for consideration. You can share your creations on the AQ2World Discord channel, where we have several seasoned mappers available for questions, help and map testing.


• After the submission date, selected maps may be included in the AQtion release on Steam and distributed to various map-sharing sites across the web.

Fixed a bandage bug when using enhanced slippers
- Updated a few default settings (will only affect new installs)

[h2]Q2Pro[/h2]

• - Disabling Discord by default cl_discord 0
  
• - Better messaging to client with map conflicts (server/client map differ)
  
• - Some early adjustments to support Q2 Rerelease from skuller
  
• - Other optimizations/minor fixes from skuller
  

• - Spectator HUD will now display player's current weapon, not their chosen weapon, thanks @m4son !
  
• - Item Kit Mode
  
• - Jump mode changes (described below)
  
• - use_killcounts to use different streak
  
• - Stat collecting to use take into account item kit mode
  
• - Crashing bug when setting am_newnames 0
  
• - Enhanced Slippers now will stop you from bandaging if you have leg damage but are not bleeding, since you do not limp with them on
  

• lca - calls lights camera action, you should also hear other players use it
  
• spawnp [#] - tele randomly if no args, or at specific spawnpoint of arg
  
• spawnc - tele to closest spawnpoint
  
• goto - tele to location
  
• noclip - toggle noclip
  
• slippers - toggle slippers
  
• lasersight - toggle lasersight
  

• noclip no longer requires cheats on if jump is enabled
  
• dm_choose is forcibly disabled when jump is enabled
  
• uvtime is forcible disabled when jump is enabled
  
• Menu is jump mode-specific
  

We are pleasantly surprised to announce that we had 7 maps entered into the Map Jam! Due to this, we needed a minor deviation from the planned testing/voting format.

We will be playtesting the new Map Jam maps in pickup games and a few select public servers. This will allow us to get a better feel for the maps and provide more feedback to the mappers.

The following servers will be running the new maps exclusively for a short time. Please join us and help us test the maps and provide feedback to the mappers. We will be voting on the maps after the playtesting period is over.

[h3]North America[/h3]

• AQ2World US East [Teamplay][4v4]
  
  
  
  • useast.aq2world.com:27910
    
  
  
• AQ2World US East [DM1]
  
  
  
  • useast.aq2world.com:27911
    
  
  
• Gandalf's Green Casino [TDM][3v3]
  
  
  
  • useast.aq2world.com:27912
    
  
  

• AQ2World (Sweden #3) Mapjam 2023 <3
  
  
  
  • aq.vrol.se:27901
    
  
  

• AQ2World (AUS Melbourne) Teamplay MapJam2023
  
  
  
  • melb.actiondownunder.org:27940
    
  
  

The AQ2World Team is happy to host a Map Jam in celebration of AQ2's 25th Anniversary!


[h2]What is a Map Jam?[/h2]
This "jam" is an event that invites mappers from all communities for voluntary participation in creating new maps for Quake II, specifically Action Quake II / AQtion. It differs from a contest in that this is not a competition, it's a collab! These maps can be a part of the AQtion release in Steam after the submission date is ended and will be distributed to the various map sharing sites all over the web.

[h2]Are there prizes?[/h2]
No prizes this time around, this is all glory! There will be categorical winners such as "Best Looking Map", and so on, but this is a collaborative effort, and we all win when we get some great maps in the rotation. Category winners will be announced in Discord, as a Steam announcement and in the forums once voting ends.

[h2]I've never mapped before, or I've never mapped for Quake II, how can I get started?[/h2]
I suggest heading over to the Quake Mapping Discord and ask in the #quake2 channel for assistance.

Common tools for Quake II/AQ2 Mapping:

• Trenchbroom (interactive map editor)
  
• (for compilation/vis/lighting)
  
• Wally (for converting textures/testing .wal files)
  
• GIMP or your favorite image editor (for texture editing)
  

It's been ONE YEAR since AQtion was released on Steam and distributed to the world! Through a ton of hard work and effort from the team, we've achieved a great many successes and helped breathe new life into a game that turns 25 this year (Action Quake 2!)

Come help us celebrate this milestone in Discord!

• Triggers on kills and such still work
  
• Microstutters resolved
  
• The flash model works (shooting at a solid should still produce a bright light and a pinpoint on where the bullets hit)
  
• Using a new method to package pkz files, should save download time in Steam significantly
  
• Set default value for gl_multisamples to 0. If you never changed this setting or it is already set in your config.cfg, this will have no effect on your installation
  

Fixed Linux launch problems
- Removed unused features from menu

Added customized billboard textures for the upcoming AQ2Open!

Behind every large change are always hotfixes! This one fixes a crash identified by the help of some users in our Discord!

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!)
  

• 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)
  
• Added `irvision` to menu as bindable
  
• Added default binds for bot management (rebind-able)
  - F6 removes all bots
  - F7 adds 1 bot
  - F8 removes 1 bot
  
• 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.
  

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/


[previewyoutube=YNnNt75JYzY;full][/previewyoutube]

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?
  

• 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!
  

• https://statdash.aq2world.com/public/playersearch
  
• https://statdash.aq2world.com/public/mapstats
  
• https://statdash.aq2world.com/public/playerstats
  
• https://statdash.aq2world.com/public/awards
  
• https://statdash.aq2world.com/public/weaponstats
  
• https://statdash.aq2world.com/public/clanstats
  

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:
  
• https://forums.aq2world.com/viewtopic.php?t=53
  
• Don't forget to read the ladder rules before signing up:
  
• https://forums.aq2world.com/viewtopic.php?t=60
  

• #ladder-troubleshoot dedicated to issues and questions concerning the ladder [bot]. alternatively you can also create a ticket in #create-ticket
  
• #looking-for-team dedicated to conversations on recruitment and forming of clans
  
• #scrim dedicated to non-ladder, regular matches
  

[h2]Distribution[/h2]

• ADDED: Missing a few minor sound effects
  
• 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
  

• 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
  

• 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
  

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:
  
• https://forums.aq2world.com/viewtopic.php?t=53
  
• Don't forget to read the ladder rules before signing up:
  
• https://forums.aq2world.com/viewtopic.php?t=52
  

• #ladder-troubleshoot dedicated to issues and questions concerning the ladder [bot]. alternatively you can also create a ticket in #create-ticket
  
• #looking-for-team dedicated to conversations on recruitment and forming of clans
  
• #scrim dedicated to non-ladder, regular matches
  

FIXED: Bug regarding view position of player camera getting mangled in the player model on older servers

• 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
  

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
  

• ADDED: Tutorial demos and menu support (thanks @ndit-dev for PR and matic for the demos!)
  
• ADDED: About 60 new radio sounds (female/male)
  
• CHANGED: `r_override_textures` menu support for more options
  
• CHANGED: HD-textures now in their own directory (build/source control-related)
  
• CHANGED: UI scale is now no longer calculated solely by by resolution height, this means that your Menu and Console text may appear smaller this version. To get back to the original size, go to Settings -> Video Settings -> Menu Scaling/Console Scaling set to 2x
  

* ADDED: About 50 new skins/models to play with
* ADDED: F10 bound to `condump abuse`, which generates a file in your `common/AQtion/action/condumps` directory for reporting bad behavior/hate speech to the moderator team
* ADDED: The Oceania scene has brought online server in Singapore, for our Asian compatriots to play on and experience low ping for themselves, thanks!
* ADDED: More help menus
* CHANGED: Moved Play vs. Online Bots to Play Now -> Versus Bots
* CHANGED: Names of a few menu items
* CHANGED: cliff2 texture that doesn't look right
* CHANGED: A few actcity2 textures (thanks Vampyre!)

All day and all night Wednesday, DM will be the game mode du jour! New faces and veterans alike, let's pile in and start fragging!

Click here to join in!

ADDED: Terror akimbo skin missing (thanks Raptor!)
ADDED: A few more supported(?) resolutions
ADDED: In-game help menus
ADDED: dm_choose/dm_shield to bot menus
ADDED: Forcing players to choose a name on start if it is default
CHANGED: Removed Espionage, added Assassinate the Leader and Capture the Briefcase as game modes in Play Now
CHANGED: Mac builds no longer bundling libraries*
CHANGED: SAS sounds, they were rather grating
CHANGED: chat hud position
UPDATED: q2pro version to support separating high def textures from UI elements (thanks skuller!)
FIXED: Several menu bugs and included a lot of explanations for settings