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Quake 3 Server
The following is information about the altFIRE Dedicated Quake 3 Server.
Introduction
Quake 3 (aka Quake III Arena) is a multiplayer first-person shooter computer and video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly. Quake 3 is the third title in the series and differs from the previous games in the Quake series in that it excludes the normal single-player element, instead focusing upon multiplayer action.
The Quake 3 community is still very active today, and the game will now run on nearly any PC. Because everyone now also has broadband, it makes sense to have dedicated online servers that can run 24/7. This page details one such server.
Server Hardware
The altFIRE Quake 3 Server resides (on a virtualized operating system) on a Dual 64 bit AMD Quad-Core server with 8 GB of RAM. Now that's serious hardware! Obviously, a Quake 3 server doesn't actually need this kind of power to run, so we actually have ours running on a virtual server with 512 MB of RAM and a single core 64 bit processor - which is loads.
Server Software
Our operating system of choice for the server (or any server, for that matter) is 64 bit Debian Linux. The Quake 3 server software itself is also open source - we use 64 bit ioquake3, a cross-platform implementation of Quake 3.
You can still connect to this server using 32 bit clients on any other platform, thanks to Quake 3's and ioquake3's use of virtual machines. A selection of Quake 3 binaries and media are available for your download pleasure from this web server, here. Most of the maps and models are used on the game server, so download via http is not required if you have 'Automatic Downloading' switched on. See Post-install Configuration, below.
Server Configuration
The default altFIRE Quake 3 game (at 193.1.40.166) runs a default map cycle in sequential rotation. The max players is set to 12 and minimum players is set to 2 - if the minimum players is not met then bots will occupy the places. If a player connects, one bot leaves and the player can fight the bot until an actual human player arrives. The remaining bot will then leave.
Maps run with a timelimit of 15 minutes and a fraglimit of 25. When either is reached, the next map will load.
The server is password protected, so only registered altFIRE members can play.
As well as the default game running on the server, there are several game mods running on other network ports.
Not all ports are active at the same times though (see below). The default game on port 27960 runs a custom map rotation on Sundays, so be sure to have all the available custom maps in your /baseq3 directory if you want to play on this port at the weekends!
Getting and installing Quake 3
You obviously will need a copy of Quake 3 to connect to the server and play. If using Windows or Mac OS X, just buy a copy and install. After installation, update to the latest version (this is very important) and install the required client-side files (linked below) for whichever mod you wish to play.
If you are using Linux, simply install ioquake3 and copy pak0.pk3 from either the game CD or from another machine (or partition) with Quake 3 installed.
Quake 3 comes in several other formats, some technically compatible with the server (some adjustments would be needed).
Post-install Configuration
Because the server uses custom maps, sounds, models etc, it is important that you are able to access this content. To do this, you need to switch on 'Automatic Downloading'. This is done under the 'Game Options' sub-menu 'Setup'.
You can now proceed to connecting to the server.
Connecting to the server
As long as your version of Quake 3 is up to date, connecting to the server is simple. To connect to the server, do the following:
1) Start Quake 3
2) Drop the command console using the ' key (usually beside number key 1)
3) Type the following to set your password the same as the server:
/password password
The "/" is important. The password is not actually "password", of course. The real password is sent to you when you register. Western Q3 is the only game that will NOT prompt for a password, so be sure to register if you want to play any of the other games!
4) Type the following to initiate the connection:
/connect 193.1.40.166:port
Replace "port" with the relevant port number eg. 27961 for Team Arena (note that the default game does not require a port number, just type the IP address). Enjoy! Any problems, let me know (rawshark@alfire.com).
Current games on the server
The following is the current server rotation:
Free Alternative
There is, of course, a completely 100% alternative to buying a copy of Quake 3. OpenArena is is an open-source content package for Quake 3 licensed under the GPL, effectively creating a free stand-alone game. You do not need Quake 3 to play this game. Check out details of our OpenArena server here.
Urban Terror, which also runs on our game server, is also completely 100% free. If you fancy some realistic urban combat rather than the Quake universe, then maybe you should check it out!
Introduction
Quake 3 (aka Quake III Arena) is a multiplayer first-person shooter computer and video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly. Quake 3 is the third title in the series and differs from the previous games in the Quake series in that it excludes the normal single-player element, instead focusing upon multiplayer action.
The Quake 3 community is still very active today, and the game will now run on nearly any PC. Because everyone now also has broadband, it makes sense to have dedicated online servers that can run 24/7. This page details one such server.
Server Hardware
The altFIRE Quake 3 Server resides (on a virtualized operating system) on a Dual 64 bit AMD Quad-Core server with 8 GB of RAM. Now that's serious hardware! Obviously, a Quake 3 server doesn't actually need this kind of power to run, so we actually have ours running on a virtual server with 512 MB of RAM and a single core 64 bit processor - which is loads.
Server Software
Our operating system of choice for the server (or any server, for that matter) is 64 bit Debian Linux. The Quake 3 server software itself is also open source - we use 64 bit ioquake3, a cross-platform implementation of Quake 3.
You can still connect to this server using 32 bit clients on any other platform, thanks to Quake 3's and ioquake3's use of virtual machines. A selection of Quake 3 binaries and media are available for your download pleasure from this web server, here. Most of the maps and models are used on the game server, so download via http is not required if you have 'Automatic Downloading' switched on. See Post-install Configuration, below.
Server Configuration
The default altFIRE Quake 3 game (at 193.1.40.166) runs a default map cycle in sequential rotation. The max players is set to 12 and minimum players is set to 2 - if the minimum players is not met then bots will occupy the places. If a player connects, one bot leaves and the player can fight the bot until an actual human player arrives. The remaining bot will then leave.
Maps run with a timelimit of 15 minutes and a fraglimit of 25. When either is reached, the next map will load.
The server is password protected, so only registered altFIRE members can play.
As well as the default game running on the server, there are several game mods running on other network ports.
Not all ports are active at the same times though (see below). The default game on port 27960 runs a custom map rotation on Sundays, so be sure to have all the available custom maps in your /baseq3 directory if you want to play on this port at the weekends!
Getting and installing Quake 3
You obviously will need a copy of Quake 3 to connect to the server and play. If using Windows or Mac OS X, just buy a copy and install. After installation, update to the latest version (this is very important) and install the required client-side files (linked below) for whichever mod you wish to play.
If you are using Linux, simply install ioquake3 and copy pak0.pk3 from either the game CD or from another machine (or partition) with Quake 3 installed.
Quake 3 comes in several other formats, some technically compatible with the server (some adjustments would be needed).
Post-install Configuration
Because the server uses custom maps, sounds, models etc, it is important that you are able to access this content. To do this, you need to switch on 'Automatic Downloading'. This is done under the 'Game Options' sub-menu 'Setup'.
You can now proceed to connecting to the server.
Connecting to the server
As long as your version of Quake 3 is up to date, connecting to the server is simple. To connect to the server, do the following:
1) Start Quake 3
2) Drop the command console using the ' key (usually beside number key 1)
3) Type the following to set your password the same as the server:
/password password
The "/" is important. The password is not actually "password", of course. The real password is sent to you when you register. Western Q3 is the only game that will NOT prompt for a password, so be sure to register if you want to play any of the other games!
4) Type the following to initiate the connection:
/connect 193.1.40.166:port
Replace "port" with the relevant port number eg. 27961 for Team Arena (note that the default game does not require a port number, just type the IP address). Enjoy! Any problems, let me know (rawshark@alfire.com).
Current games on the server
The following is the current server rotation:
 |
Game: Quake 3 (FFA) Addr: 193.1.40.166 #Players: 12 Status: Always Active! |
 |
Game: Team Arena (OBJ) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27961 #Players: 8 Status: Active on Monday |
 |
Game: OSP Q3 (1v1) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27962 #Players: 2 Status: Active on Tuesday |
 |
Game: Smokin' Guns (FFA) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27963 #Players: 6 Status: Active on Wednesday |
 |
Game: Q3 Domination (OBJ) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27964 #Players: 12 Status: Active on Thursday |
 |
Game: Q3 Excessive (CTF) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27965 #Players: 8 Status: Active on Friday |
 |
Game: Generations (FFA) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27966 #Players: 8 Status: Active on Saturday |
 |
Game: Classic Arena Q3 (FFA) Addr: 193.1.40.166:27967 #Players: 8 Status: Active on Sunday |
Free Alternative
There is, of course, a completely 100% alternative to buying a copy of Quake 3. OpenArena is is an open-source content package for Quake 3 licensed under the GPL, effectively creating a free stand-alone game. You do not need Quake 3 to play this game. Check out details of our OpenArena server here.
Urban Terror, which also runs on our game server, is also completely 100% free. If you fancy some realistic urban combat rather than the Quake universe, then maybe you should check it out!