callvote is for clan/private alike servers where everybody is on the same (or almost same) page and there's no many differences/rotation between its players not for big public servers where everybody come from different places, things and even games and at different times, in the long run, it's a well proven fact that it just doesn't work. public servers just work the way they work or they don't and then things change and get fixed permanently and for everybody. if you want to vote you can do it for different things in the polls sub-forum you have here as well as the different polls you might encounter around the site.
-hey wait, how it comes I've got team switched, WTF?
yes, since these servers are actually very popular public servers literally having dozens of connections/disconnections per game some sort of automatic server side team balancing had to be added to account for this fact as is not even reasonable to expect players to arrange for such changes themselves.
-now my nick does not work anymore, how is that?
well, first of all consider that the nicks supported here are plain Quake III Arena style nicks so there's no support for any other mods fancy alike nicks, keep that in mind. besides that for security reasons nicks can not start with a space neither end in a space or a circumflex or a comma nor have any consecutive spaces or commas and must be unique and not exceed 35 characters of length including any in-game coding. in addition know that there's also a bunch of registered as well as forbidden nicks.
-registered nicks eh, but what are the conditions and how can I get mine registered?
to be eligible to register a nick first you must be a notable player regularly active at the servers and there must be if not a reason already, at least a strong likelihood that you get fake nicked/impersonated. in addition there's no a specific rule but registered nicks must be relatively significant overall both in meaning and in length as the registration includes basic squat protection. if you feel like you meet the criteria and want to get yours registered you can just ask for it on the forum or simply contact me directly about it.
-btw wondering what's your in-game nick/it's rumored that you're "life", are you?
no, I'm not that "life" guy and I'm neither any of the other near zero/ultra-low pingers at the server. in fact, for any matters unrelated to development/testing/control I'm not even allowed to join the servers at all as that would bias me and consequently it would render me a invalid entity to manage this place. the only way to contact me/reach me is trough this site alone, I'm not active at any other platform.
-the teams are way unbalanced/the scoreboard is wrong/I can not even join/the game is too broken?
please to fix that and other problems make sure to use the official provided client, you can get it just by downloading this ioq3v6-unfreeze-client-v23.5.zip package. you have more info about it and its official documentation on this thread here.
-damn, that package is huge and I don't even need all those custom maps/extra files, is there any smaller downloads available?
sure, try the ioq3v6-unfreeze-mini-client-v23.5.zip package instead which comes just with the basic necessary stuff to play at the servers though note that you may miss the fun when glacius shows up then. additionally on the files tab of this forum you also have all the individual files available for download just in case you prefer to download/update only what you're missing/needs/wants.
-the ioQ3v6 UnFreeZe client package I've just downloaded does not work, it prints some broken graphics/textures?
that's because it failed to find the file containing the original Quake III Arena assets, you need to copy yourself such file (pak0.pk3) into the baseq3 folder inside the package you've just downloaded for it to find it. you can find such file inside your original Quake III Arena cd or hard disk installation path.
-good but, besides, what are the differences between all these ioQ3v6 versions?
in general terms, the "legacy" ioQ3v6 versions are optimized to make the most out of 2005-2010 pcs, the "lowend" versions of 2010-2015 low-power pcs and the "regular" ones of 2015-2020 pcs. the "intel" windows only version is optimized for modern mid/high-end intel based computers.
-my system can not run 32 bits code anymore/the provided package does not work on mac?
for those reasons, among others, is why there's also available an alternative full fpsclasico-client-community-edition.zip package so please refer to it for newer community based 64 bits binaries as well as 64 bits "Intel" macOS 10.6 or higher support. additionally note that as the macOS app coming from a "unidentified" developer/source you may need to take further steps (beyond "double-clicking it") to run it on your system. please refer to the provided readme on the package or to the documentation thread here for more info/help.
-great, that worked, but how can I open the console now?
due to updated international standardized input routines on the alternative package the way/key to open the console may differ from the "legacy" (i.e. original) client as well as from other clients/systems. for that reason on the community version open the console is hardcoded to the shift+esc combination key which should work everywhere.
-there's some easy way to configure the game with a bit more advanced settings?
sure if you got the UnFreeZe client game mod probably you can also give a try at the command "\exec hardcore" to see if that suits your needs better and then simply go from there getting the game to your liking.
-ops I think these "hardcore" settings are just way too much for me, how can I set the game back?
you can simply revert back to the "standard" (a.k.a. default) settings with the embedded "\exec standard" console command or by issuing a "restore defaults" from the in-game main menu options menu.
-how it comes the servers appear several times at the in-game browser, what's wrong?
that's it because they are accessible through various locations or networks. those are not toxic fake/ghost servers just of the very same server, they are different physical routes (i.e. servers) or protocols (in the case of ipv6) and therefor each of them provide a different connection quality to everyone and that's why they are made public so you can chose which one works best for you.
-get it, but how can I distinguish between them and which one should I chose?
as they are actual different physical routes they will most likely print different ping values at the in-game browser for most of the people so that's a quick way to distinguish and pick one of them. besides, the ipv6 version of the servers, if available for you, can be distinguish by the protocol column (IP4 or IP6) and the last column (eu, de at the moment) denotes the route (limburg or dusseldorf). additionally once connected the server will print its actual ip on your console to reassure you of what you picked. overall currently there shouldn't be large/significant differences among all the provided routes since they are all of similar top premium quality therefor just give them a try and go for the one which typically works best for you.
-there's also some network settings I must change here to get better connectivity?
NO and strictly no. the network configuration of the clients is pretty much automatic (server enforced) here and although you could still possibly force it client side to some extend to something else, this is strongly discouraged, as server's settings are basically configured for "unlimited" performance since in nowadays networks there's no need to limit them anymore. bottom line here as a well proven statement I can tell you that if the server doesn't work "as is" for you then that's the best the server can do for you, you're not going to do anything better than that by messing with those settings yourself if not the contrary.
-I do not like your game client, what can I do?
do not use it, you don't have to, it's optional (although highly recommended) so feel free to use anything else and if you dislike it for an actual reason feel free to post it at the forum or contact me about it and I'm not committing to anything with this but at least I'll have a look at your issue.
-good, I'm not using your game client, is there some way to get the teamoverlay working?
yes, the original teamoverlay code in Quake III Arena was broken so I modified which means that it stopped working "as-is" for people not using the provided files. anyways those who opted to use their own files probably will still be able to enable such functionality with the following sample console commands:
Code: Select all
\setu teamoverlay2 ""
\cg_drawteamoverlay 1
\teamoverlay2 1that warning indicates that your files failed to match against those in the server's clean files database. although for compatibility purposes as well as just pure fun/joy and basically freedom the server allows custom installations to run, it's strongly recommended at least to stick to well-known/verified files for security as well as trust reasons, specially if you're kind of a top player. also is important to note about this kind of installations that you're on your own, I do not offer support beyond the official clean UnFreeZe installations.
-but is there some way to know what files are in that database and how can I get my files added?
you can probably browse and download what's in the server's clean database at this address here. unless I missed something, the files on that link (including sub-folders) as well as all the files officially released/published at the site (obviously) should be all. additionally if you feel like you're specially missing something in particular or simply want to get a custom file of yours verified/added you can do so by contacting me about or just dropping a message about it at the forum and I would typically add it provided that is relevant enough.
-I would like to learn more about Quake III Arena settings and configuration, is there some good guides around?
sure you have the "Quake 3 Configuration Guide" by our well know member tar you can read here. in addition there's also a specific sub-forum here you can use to discus your settings and/or ask for advice from other players.
-I do not like the map the server loaded/I can not join, the server is full?
that's the reason why you pretty much have three UnFreeZe servers as well as various other support servers and events so there's always lot more to play here than just the well know top main UnFreeZe thing.
-do these servers ever run any custom maps/what happened with glacius?
like it or not, Quake III Arena comes with the assets it comes and while it's true that they can be expanded this has always been proven very troublesome for a large number of reasons not always only exclusively technical. yes, glacius (a.k.a. UnFreeZe3) for example ran exclusively on a set of the best custom maps ever for several months and there was a reason why it was replaced by spacius, nobody played it. nevertheless despite that in a effort to still provide a more complete and better experience overall in light of the success of the servers the third UnFreeZe server, UnFreeZe3/glacius, is set up to play the entire top notch competitive rotation played at the well known community events 24/7 and a even more extended rotation at special meeting times. at the time of writing such dates for the glacius meetings are Mondays, Fridays and Sundays nights therefor make sure to stay tuned so next time you don't miss the fun!
-what about the server rules?
I'll try to be more specific on a dedicated topic but well let's see, I believe that by now we're adult persons dealing with other adult persons and that we all should already know what a game server and a gaming community are all about, so in short, the rule of thumb here is just common sense, to be honest that's all. respect and you'll be respected and that includes me and the servers, if you don't like me, the servers or the other players then I, the servers or the other players won't like you either, logic isn't it, what else did you expect, at the end of the day I don't even know what you were here for if you didn't, that's all.
-the in-game chat just doesn't work, what's going on?
the most likely is that you simply were chat banned due to chat misuse.
-ok so I've got banned, what now?
well you can always appeal it/talk it out on this same forum in a reasonable amount of time after you got the ban and most of the times unless you did something really stupid we should of be able to reach an understanding and typically get your ban removed within some days or a couple of weeks at most. however keep in mind that such procedure is exceptional and not guarantee and that once you had to be banned, you're forever a very strong candidate for a permanent ban, consequently be smart and always try to avoid to have to get banned in the first place. play it cool and behave.
-what the hell, I haven't done anything, in fact, I haven't even connected yet I'm getting banned anyways, what's the problem?
as the number of bans is actually large and complex it may be possible that under some exceptional circumstances the ban system misidentified you by someone else that happened to be banned. I regularly review the servers for such issues from time to time however in case I missed something just let me know and I should typically be able to fix it within the day. additionally to minimize the risk that this happens to you make sure that you aren't using a shared connection/installment/cfg/nick.
-what about the servers files/do you offer admin support?
specifically if by admin support you really mean "hey I think I like this thing you do how can I copy it" I can say that in short, no, I do not offer admin support. simple, sure, I'm in for people who enjoy experimenting and enhancing the game and, in general, simply people who adds something, not for people that pretty much have no other meaning beyond take away from this and just get this replaced. as for the server files, no, at the moment all the servers related stuff is private and to be honest there's really no plans for a future public release here either, sorry about that.
-not really, I was only looking forward some local training to step up my game, is there some way?
of course, if you're using the previously provided inside packages, just doing "\exec training1" or "\exec training2" on your console will get you into a local training session where to develop your skills. additionally at the in-game browser you can also locate a popular ffa server which is basically just the public server version of those same training modes and that should serve as a great place to get started on-line in this game.
-is there some way to fund these services?
of course, you can freely send me any money you want/can for them here. additionally you can check the forum links tab (bottom of it) if you require other methods or simply reach me through the forum contact form here about it. you have more detailed info about the services costs and needs in the respective "news" sub-forum here along with a anonymous accounting of the funds received so far here.
-do you guys also host some competitions/tournaments here?
yes, we typically look forward to run a cup or two a year among us. you can have more info on its appropriate sub-forum here for the UnFreeZe events and here for the all around classic Quake III Arena events then check that out and feel free to join when the situation calls/allows for it.
-why I don't appear ranked and/or get awarded at the stats sites?
in a effort to avoid exploitative gaming there are several minimum activity criteria you must meet to get ranked/awarded.
-I can not register here/I contacted you and you never answered me?
make sure to enter a valid email and look on your email "spam"/"junk" or similar folder.
-do you guys have a discord and/or telegram channel?
yes we do, our dear member KOTOVSKI runs one discord channel you can access here and our dear member Liza a telegram channel you can as well access here. in addition if you just want to have a quick chat you can probably do so at the webchat forum tab or join the fpsclassico teamspeak.
-I think I need further help?
feel free to start your own topic with your issue or if not you can contact me directly on this form here.