SERVER ADMINS
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This page is aimed at getting Quake 3: Server-Side Jailbreak up and running on your server. Please note that this mod is in the beta stages, so I cannot FULLY vouch for its function and stability. Nonetheless, the mod does need testing, and hosting a server would help get it out of the beta phase :). Before you change your mind, Q3A:SSJB can be activated and deactivated by a simple cvar set, so there is absolutely no loss at having the qvm running on an active server; you can simply turn it off for the next map.
I am not a Quake 3 server admin, I am a coder; I don't know the first thing about how to run a Quake 3 server. I play Q3 occassionally, but not a whole lot. I can tell you to the best of my knowledge of the code how to set up running Q3:SSJB and what it will do, but I don't know anything beyond that. I DO KNOW how to operate and administer Q2 servers, but that's mostly useless here :).
INSTALLATION
HOW TO USE
CONCLUSION
INSTALLATION
Downloading the mod is pretty simple. You can get the latest build here: LATEST BUILD
Q3JB can be switched off with a simple cvar set. Thus, a normal Q3A server can be run with the SSJB QVM. Frankly, it really doesn't matter where you put the virtual machine file. You can make your own mod directory "/ssjb" if you want, or you can just overwrite the baseq3 qvm. Keep in mind, though, that the base and flag config files go in the "/scripts" directory, so you may want to plan your organization from there.
There is only a single virtual machine file that should be installed to "C:\quake3\jailbreak\vm\qagame.qvm" or "C:\quake3\baseq3\vm\qagame.qvm" if you would prefer to not have a separate mod directory. The .zip file should include subdirectories for "/vm" and "/scripts" including the actual vm file and a few txt files for the flags/jails that you will learn about later.
HOW TO USE JAILBREAK
If you can't remember what jailbreak is...read the page for clients. It explains everything, and it would be helpful to read regardless of your understanding of jailbreak so that you know about jailbreak/CTF as well as scoring in THIS mod.
Hopefully, all of you admins will know how to use cvars :). Anyway, there are 2 variables that pertain to this mod. "g_jailbreak" is a variable that has a value of 1 or 0, and tells the server to run server-side jailbreak as a mod. I would recommend not changing this during the game, I have no idea what it would do if the bases weren't loaded correctly (actually, I do, it's just NOT good).
The second cvar deals with loading the jail/flag locations from the file. Once again, ssjb has the interesting feature of playing CTF in maps that do not have the flag entities (q3dm12, for example). Loading the flag locations from files is what gives it the ability to create the flags in a map without them. "g_loadbasecfg" also has values of 1 and 0. If 0, no bases will be loaded from the file and the map MUST have the flag entities (be a CTF or 1FCTF map) to play jailbreak. If 1, then at startup, the flag location file will be read and bases spawned if necessary. This variable can be changed during gameplay; it only has effect at InitGame.
By default, the cvars are set to 0. If you install the qvm and do not modify your command line or set the cvars from the console, you will get the regular ol' Quake 3 Arena. If you plan to play jailbreak, you must either +set g_jailbreak 1 +set g_loadmapcfg 1 if you want to play jailbreak or CTF in a non-CTF map. If you are playing jailbreak and/or CTF in a CTF map, it is not necessary to set g_loadmapcfg to 1.
LOADING FLAG AND JAIL LOCATIONS FROM FILE
Before reading, "flag location file," "base config file," "base/flag file" all refer to the same "/scripts/mapname.txt" file.
This is one of the most crucial features of jailbreak, as the bases would not be present in any map other than a CTF map. You can play jailbreak in a map such as q3dm12, for example, by loading the jail locations from the file and the game will spawn the flags (but just as markers, not for capture). The file would be stored as "C:\quake3\jailbreak\scripts\q3dm12.txt."
Loading bases is set by the "scripts/mapname.txt" file. If no such file exists, the game will still play, but will use the flag locations designated in the map file. There is no danger in having g_loadmapcfg set to 1 although there are some map files in your arena list that do not have a txt file, but those maps MUST have the flag entities (i.e. be a CTF map) if you are playing jailbreak and/or CTF. If you are playing jailbreak and the map changes to q3dm11 and there is no "q3dm11.txt" file, "g_jailbreak" will be deactivated, and the game will no longer play jailbreak.
I have provided in the SSJB package a few scripts that you can use in q3dm maps, but in the future you will want to be able to write your own .txt files for maps. A flag location txt file has only two lines and looks something like this.
blueflag 1235 346 10
redflag 14 251 141You should be able to figure out the logic behind this. If not, these are coordinates (x y z) in the map. If you want to create a flag location txt file for some map, you must have the coordinates of the flags. These can be determined by the client console command "viewpos." Play the map single player and walk over to the location where the flag or jail should be, then type "viewpos" at the console. Write down the first three numbers, and copy them into the txt file for either redflag or blueflag. Do the same for the other flag, and you're done. Save the config file to "\scripts\[mapname].txt," where [mapname] is the name of the map.
If you are playing jailbreak and CTF in a CTF map, you may want to set different locations for the jails (since the jails will normally be located at the red and blue flags). This can be done by making the same txt file, and setting the g_loadmapcfg to 1. Note that the normal flag markers that denote the jail location will not spawn at the jail locations (that would screw up the CTF game). If you play jailbreak and CTF in a non-CTF map, you do not have the luxury of setting different locations for the flags and jails.
You should have read the client information page to learn how the game is played and points are scored. Basically, the jails are located according to the flag config file, unless g_loadmapcfg is set to 0, in which case the jails will be located at the flag locations in a CTF map. If g_jailbreak is turned on and g_loadmapcfg is turned off, jailbreak will play only in CTF and 1FCTF maps. g_jailbreak will turn itself off if there are no flags either in the map or loaded from file. The best jailbreak maps are probably the CTF maps, but dm and tourney maps may work as well.
CTF IN A MAP WITHOUT FLAG ENTITIES
During the development of SS jailbreak, it became necessary to have jail locations loaded from file so that many more maps could be played than just those designed for CTF. Since those bases were represented by the flag entities themsevles, it was fairly easy to extend support for the spawning of the flags for use in CTF. This was helpful if CTF was to be played in maps not suited for CTF (maps without flag entities and team spawn entities). The flag locations specified in the config file double for jail locations and flag locations, and both if CTF and jailbreak are used in a non-CTF map. It might be interesting to experiment using several other non-CTF maps for CTF, opening wider possibilities for game play.
Since server-side jailbreak is not an independent game type or a completely separate mod, it is possible to turn on g_jailbreak while playing CTF. If Jailbreak and CTF are played simultaneously in a non-CTF map, the flags and jails are at the same location. By rule, jailers cannot pickup items, attack, or be attacked, so there is no conflict with picking up or capturing flags.
SS Jailbreak was created for use in team and CTF games; it was not designed for 1FCTF (however, it is easy to conceive its application), Obelisk, or Harvester. A Q3TA build, however, are included in the files section and I encourage you to download that build if you play TA. I have no experience with TA whatsoever, but Jailbreak can still function in those game modes. If you run a regular TA server, I would not recommend testing out SS Jailbreak during Obelisk or Harvester unless you have tried it during a LAN match or something else. Any results of SS jailbreak with these gametypes would be very interesting, and I encourage you to contact me.
CONCLUSION
This concludes the Server Admin Section. Any other questions or concerns can be addressed directly to me. I will answer them to the best of my ability. This mod is in the beta stages, and any information regarding bugs, flaws, or the like would be greatly appreciated.
This page was finished on 12-31-00 by Drive C:. Happy New Years!
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