Binds: Weapon Switching

[Baker]

Solid weapon switching is important when playing Quake.

Pressing the 1 thru 8 keys to switch weapons usually doesn't cut it, although I actually know of some strong players that do exactly that.

Some methods:

1. Cycle Impulses

BIND CTRL "IMPULSE 10" // next weapon
BIND ALT "IMPULSE 12" // previous weapon

Impulse 10 and Impulse 12 can be bound to keys to cycle thru weapons. This application is very good in single player and can be used in multiplayer effectively.


2. Hard Binds

alias +sattack6 "-attack;wait;impulse 6;wait;+attack"
alias -sattack6 "-attack;wait;impulse 7"

bind SHIFT +sattack6 // quick grenade
bind CTRL "impulse 7" // switch to RL"
bind ALT "impulse 8" // switch to LG

Some players use hard binds for the rocket launcher and the lightning gun. Impulse 7 switches to the rocket launcher and impulse 8 switches to the lightning gun. This is usually employed in combination with a quick grenade alias.

3. Bestweaponized Hard Binds

bind ALT "bestweapon 8 5 3 4 2 1" // best non-rl, gl

The weakness of #2 is that you don't always have the lightning gun. Pressing the key bound to impulse 8 doesn't accomplish anything use when you don't. Usually the lightning gun is desired when the rocket launcher would cause you damage, such as in close quarters fights or small hallways.

ProQuake, JoeQuake 0.15 and QRack all support "bestweapon", best weapon will switch to the weapon in a list of first preference. For example, "bestweapon 8 5" would switch to lightning gun if it has ammo, and if not, then would select the supernail gun.

The above example would switch to the lightning gun, super nail gun, super shotgun, nail gun, shotgun or axe depending on the best of the list that had ammo.

4. Advanced Hard Binds

alias best1 "bestweapon 8 5 3 6 2 4 1; bind alt best2"
alias best2 "bestweapon 5 8 3 6 2 4 1; bind alt best3"
alias best3 "bestweapon 3 8 3 6 2 4 1; bind alt best1"

alias +sattack6 "-attack;wait;impulse 6;wait;+attack"
alias -sattack6 "-attack;wait;impulse 7"

bind SHIFT +sattack6 // quick grenade
bind CTRL "impulse 7" // switch to RL"
bind "ALT" "best1" // switch to best weapon

The weakness of #3 is that it doesn't have cycling. You can make your own cycling. In the above example, pressing ALT would cycle between the lightning gun, super nail gun or supershot gun ... if none were present, it would fall back to the grenade launcher, shotgun, nail gun or axe.

----

Why is weapon switching important

In a good fight, it is easier to defeat an opponent if your attack is more complicated.

Some players are great at dodging rockets, but how many players are great if you throw a grenade behind them and then bust out the lightning gun?

And, if you are shooting the super nail at a player, they usually aren't prepared for an immediate rocket.

Plus, if you happen to knock a player in the air with a rocket, it is common courtesy to shaft them on their way down

[Canadian*Sniper]

My Dual Weapons is the best you'll get. The Crabs are up for Grabs!

This is my current version that I use (kind of a backtrace from my first few versions)

alias w1 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon1; echo DualWeapon-AXE"
alias w2 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon2; echo DualWeapon-SG"
alias w3 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon3; echo DualWeapon-SSG"
alias w4 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon4; echo DualWeapon-NG"
alias w5 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon5; echo DualWeapon-SNG"
alias w6 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon6; echo DualWeapon-GL"
alias w7 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon7; echo DualWeapon-RL"
alias w8 "bind MOUSE2 +weapon8; echo DualWeapon-LG"


alias +weapon1 "impulse 1;+attack"
alias -weapon1 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon2 "impulse 2;+attack"
alias -weapon2 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon3 "impulse 3;+attack"
alias -weapon3 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon4 "impulse 4;+attack"
alias -weapon4 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon5 "impulse 5;+attack"
alias -weapon5 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon6 "impulse 6;+attack"
alias -weapon6 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon7 "impulse 7;+attack"
alias -weapon7 "-attack;gsnip"

alias +weapon8 "impulse 8;+attack"
alias -weapon8 "-attack;gsnip"


bind 1 snip1
bind 2 snip2
bind 3 snip3
bind 4 snip4
bind 5 snip5
bind 6 snip6
bind 7 snip7
bind 8 snip8
alias gsnip "impulse 2" /* default = no null :) */
alias snip1 "impulse 1; alias gsnip "impulse 1""
alias snip2 "impulse 2; alias gsnip "impulse 2""
alias snip3 "impulse 3; alias gsnip "impulse 3""
alias snip4 "impulse 4; alias gsnip "impulse 4""
alias snip5 "impulse 5; alias gsnip "impulse 5""
alias snip6 "impulse 6; alias gsnip "impulse 6""
alias snip7 "impulse 7; alias gsnip "impulse 7""
alias snip8 "impulse 8; alias gsnip "impulse 8""

alias +shotty "impulse 2;+attack"
alias -shotty "-attack;gsnip"

// deactivates it
alias deactivate "bind MOUSE2 +hook; bind MOUSE3 rune-use; echo DualWeapons Deactivated"  

// activation mwhahahahaha
alias activate "w8; bind MOUSE3 +shotty; echo DualWeapons Activated"

Plus, if you happen to knock a player in the air with a rocket, it is common courtesy to shaft them on their way down

Also, I have a natural tendancy to hit someone dead on with a rocket as they fall down

[Mindf!3ldzX]

I've got the easiest of weapon switch

bind mwheelup "impulse 7"
bind mouse3 "impulse 8"

[Monster]

I only bind the RL, GL and SHAFT. I use the arrow keys for movement, the CTRL key is jump, SHIFT goes to RL, page down is HOOK, INS is GL, mouse2 is the shaft, mouse1 is fire, mousewheelup and down are switch weapons.

I have fairly long fingers, so I don't have to stretch them around as much as you think to hit the page down and INS keys. It wasn't that hard for me to get used to it. I used to have MOUSE2 bound to hook, but switched it to LG. I would get to excited and press the mouse2 button and screw up on my hooking, so I switched it to Page Down so I wouldn't get too crazy with it.

[tical]

you're going to laugh

mouse2 impulse 7
shift impulse 8
ctrl grenade shot
z impulse 3 (SSG in water is ownage)
alt impulse 2

[Solecord]

e = impulse 8
r = impulse 7
f = hook

to switch to nades or nailguns I just press 5 or 6. I can reach it from my WASD config

[Shadowswift]

my mwheel is my weapon cycling. my brain is way to adhd to work with advanced alias binds as well as trying to stay alive.

[fridge]

Plus, if you happen to knock a player in the air with a rocket, it is common courtesy to shaft them on their way down

Also, I have a natural tendancy to hit someone dead on with a rocket as they fall down

I prefer striping the persons health away and then letting the poor bastard crater :d

[Canadian*Sniper]

I prefer striping the persons health away and then letting the poor bastard crater :d

If I could read minds and other player's physeek, I'd enjoy that too

[Canadian*Sniper]

Legend got me working on a new feature in DualWeapon

Thanks. I tried it and it works really well. Only, do you think there is a way to make it work with the mouse wheel to switch weapons? I like to use the mwheel to cycle through the weapons and I don't usually use the 1 - 9 buttons to switch. Do you think there is a way to use the mwheel and aply the lastweaponused to it? I was hoping to do this then bind the w# aliases to the 1 - 9 buttons. Thanks.

I can think of way but it might get messy. Add the following:

alias mouseweapon "wm1";
alias wm1 "snip1; alias mouseweapon wm2; alias rmouseweapon rwm8";
alias wm2 "snip2; alias mouseweapon wm3; alias rmouseweapon rwm1";
alias wm3 "snip3; alias mouseweapon wm4; alias rmouseweapon rwm2";
alias wm4 "snip4; alias mouseweapon wm5; alias rmouseweapon rwm3";
alias wm5 "snip5; alias mouseweapon wm6; alias rmouseweapon rwm4";
alias wm6 "snip6; alias mouseweapon wm7; alias rmouseweapon rwm5";
alias wm7 "snip7; alias mouseweapon wm8; alias rmouseweapon rwm6";
alias wm8 "snip8; alias mouseweapon wm1; alias rmouseweapon rwm7";

bind mwheelup "mouseweapon";

alias rmouseweapon "rwm1";
alias rwm1 "snip1; alias rmouseweapon rwm8; alias mouseweapon wm2";
alias rwm2 "snip2; alias rmouseweapon rwm1; alias mouseweapon wm3";
alias rwm3 "snip3; alias rmouseweapon rwm2; alias mouseweapon wm4";
alias rwm4 "snip4; alias rmouseweapon rwm3; alias mouseweapon wm5";
alias rwm5 "snip5; alias rmouseweapon rwm4; alias mouseweapon wm6";
alias rwm6 "snip6; alias rmouseweapon rwm5; alias mouseweapon wm7";
alias rwm7 "snip7; alias rmouseweapon rwm6; alias mouseweapon wm8";
alias rwm8 "snip8; alias rmouseweapon rwm7; alias mouseweapon wm1";

bind mwheeldown "rmouseweapon";

This is crazy! Pure crazyness! But I'm the best config creator in Quake

edit: WORKS PERFECTLY!!!

[in2ishun]

Today is Resurrect Ancient Thread Day

My small group of gaming friends and I go through cycles where games like Quake will sit unplayed for over a year until someone gets the bug.


We picked it up tonight and for some reason when we run over a pack or a RL, it wouldn't automatically switch to the best weapon. Not one of us can remember this behavior and all seemed to recall that it would switch automatically in the past. The only thing that has changed since I shut down the dedicated server moons ago is that we were all using a pre-configured Joe Quake 0.15 package that I put together mostly because no one has the attention span to be able to bind keys or use complicated macros.

When I launch the game on single player, weapons switching (to the best weapon) works just fine. Is this a function of the WQPro.exe server-side process or is it something I messed up in the pre-configured package?

You can snag the package I put together at bozgate.com and connect to quake.bozgate.com and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Baker]

Is this a function of the WQPro.exe server-side process or is it something I messed up in the pre-configured package?

It is all client-side, no server-side support is required.

[in2ishun]

It is all client-side, no server-side support is required.

Is the solution stupid-obvious and you are trying to teach me how to fish?

[gnounc]

When the next version of DirectQ comes out, it will have Lastweap Builtin
THANKS MH!

So uhhh, try it out when its available

[Baker]

Ah, I get it.

No the bestweapon command doesn't make you automatically switch weapon when picking up an item.

I didn't understand what you were saying -- or rather I am busted for not reading your post thoroughly enough

The bestweapon command is so you can have a single key that you can customize what type of weapon it selects.

For example, if I set bestweapon 8 5 2 4 1 then I can have a single key that selects whatever the most powerful "can't kill myself with it" weapon for a tight hallway fight, instead of having to cycle through the weapons.