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Quake Television
Explained
(taken from www.gamepig.com)
Hear
all the talk recently about Q3 matches being broadcast on QTV, but don't
know what it is or how to access it? Too afraid you'll look like a
newbie if you ask? Then this is for you!
What exactly IS
QTV? QTV is short for Quake TV, and is a way to allow Quake
matches, specifically Q3 matches, to be shown to the general public.
This is great for people who aren't the lucky few that actually get to
be spectators on the match server!
What do I need to
run QTV? Only a copy of Q3; no special downloads are required in
order to view a QTV match. Simply fire up Q3, and connect to the
server/port given out as the QTV server like you'd connect to any other
server.
What can I do now
that I'm connected? You will be viewing what the camera operator
is seeing, whether they are chasing a specific person, or free-floating.
You yourself can only control the camera views if you have the proper
password, but you won't be able speak with the camera operator. However,
you can talk with the other people connected to QTV watching it with
you. Simply bring down the console and type what you want to say. To see
who else is on with you, type ".who" in the console. To take control
of the camera, type ".password xxxxx" where xxxxx is the
administrative password. Unfortunately, recording a demo will not work
through QTV.
How does QTV
work? The person wanting to broadcast a match via QTV starts up a
QTV server; this is a "relay" program, that receives packets
from the server and forwards them out to whoever is connected up
watching the match. The nice thing about the server is that the machine
it's running on is not required to have Q3 installed. Once the server is
started, the camera person connects up to the server with a special
password, and is put in control of QTV. The only person actually
connected to the server the match is being played on is QTV itself;
everyone else connects to the QTV server, eliminating possible server
lag with a lot of spectators. Since the QTV is broadcast from a
different server, it doesn't take up any extra bandwidth from the match
server.
What about spec
cheating? Although QTV can be broadcast in real time, it has a
built-in delay function, which can be set to the operator's choosing.
The typical delay is 30 seconds, which is usually more than enough to
prevent any type of spec cheating. What QTV does is record a demo, then
broadcast the demo on a delay.
How can I set up
a QTV server? You need to download QTV server software; I use the
Qizmo QTV program, there's a Windows
version and a Linux
version (note that these will
ONLY work on 1.17 servers, for older servers, such as 1.16n, you need to
get these files: windows
| linux).
Both seem to work equally well, use the same commands to initiate the
server, and come with a basic readme file. The Windows version is really
a DOS version, and must be run directly from a DOS prompt. If you're
behind a firewall, or your computer is using NAT, you cannot run a QTV
server (you can however still access a QTV broadcast if you can play on
quake servers). Here are the most common options that I run QTV with:
- -p
<number> : this sets up the port QTV will listen on
(and the port people must use when connecting to your server); if
not set, the default is 27960
- -m
<number> : the maximum number of people that can
connect to your broadcast; the default is 32
- -n
<name> : the name to display on the server you're
broadcasting the match from; the name will ALWAYS have QTV
in it, if you add this option, the name will look something like
"QTV-MyName"
- -d
<number> : the number of seconds to delay the
broadcast; by default, there is no delay on the broadcast; the
server will crash if the value is set higher than 30 seconds
- -a
<password> : the administrative password used for
controlling the QTV camera and views; by default there is no
password
- -w
<password> : the password set on the server that QTV is
going to be broadcasting the match from; by default there is no
password
- -k
<filename> : the file that contains the cd key for Q3;
if you are connecting to a server that is not on your lan, you MUST
have a cd key. The file has to have the cd key on the first line
Also, make sure you have
enough bandwidth to support the QTV server. A rough guide is that a T1
can handle about 35 viewers (a T1 is 1.544Kbits/sec), so make sure not
to overextend your resources.
I have the QTV
server running with a delay, but it won't let me control the camera.
Help! When you're running a QTV server with a delay, you must set
up the admin password before connecting to it. Bring down the console
and type: /setu a <password>, then
connect to the QTV server and it will allow you to control the camera.
Although the broadcast will be delayed, your view will be in real time.
I'm trying to get
QTV connected to a server but it keeps disconnecting, why? Check
the Q3 version of the server you're trying to connect to. QTV
unfortunately won't connect to any "1.17" or "1.16n"
server if the server is running as a PURE
server. Pure must be turned off or QTV will not work.
Hopefully this will clear up some
common misconceptions and help more of you getting a front-row seat at
those hot matches you keep hearing about, or even set up your own
broadcast!
- caitiri
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