stuff like this is why q2 has +set as special (forcing it 3 times over), while not doing stupid stuff like ramming malicious vid_restart commands inside config.cfg before quake.rc’s ‘stufftext’ command that handles the commandline args.
Even though I’m not new to Linux, I’m new to gaming with it. I have a Windows machine with a graphics card for heavy duty gaming, but the Integrated graphics on my Linux machine seems fine with Quakespasm (it stutters with Darkspaces).
I use a Debian based OS (Lilidog) and thus have installed Quakespasm from the Debian repositories and also used game-data-packager to install the base and expansions PAKs. (which nicely adds menu entries too).
It’s been working fine with the above but when I try to use the Quake console to load custom maps or mods (like arcane dimensions) I get:
COULDN’T EXEC AUTOEXEC.CFG
? DEMO (S) IN LOOP
I notice that this flashes up in the Windows version when I type GAME AD, but it almost immediately jumps past that and goes to the main menu. Can anyone help?
You have apparently chosen a very “proper” way of having the game installed, but the old world ‘Windows’ way of just downloading the proper ‘Quakespasm’ build from their site is something that personally I rather stick to. I mean, centralization is not such a good trait if it cannot keep up with stuff, especially if it depends on someone tertiary to update everything and all. Being late in terms of ‘Linux’ repos content does not come from suspected security issues of the software in question, I believe. You could say there are the "PPA"s or the mini-repositories to do the extra job but still, manual download seems okay for minor software without any critical role in major system function.
Anyway, once the sourceport is installed, you just throw in the game data - make sure the PAK files are all in lowercase spelling - and it ought to run perfect. The “autoexec” is not mandatory, therefore if it is missing, nothing wrong happens. In case you wanted to use some “autoexec” with custom user stuff, here is one that I use and custom tailored for myself.
When it comes to advanced ‘Linux’ problems, my knowledge is rather shallow in it, therefore sorry if I cannot help too much.
Even though I’ve been using Linux for a long time (but not for games) I’ve never installed anything except from a package, ie the “proper” way. I know it can be done but I don’t want to break something (more likely it just won’t work).
The QS version available from Debian is 93.2 (Windows is 96.1) which might be a bit old. I might get a newer one from a PPA but pure Debian doesn’t do PPA’s.
I suspect that game-data-packager sets up the data in such a way that the Linux QS expects, simply copying stuff into the Quake directory (like in Windows) doesn’t work. It may be a permissions thing - unlike in Windows the Linux Quake directory is buried in the filesystem where I have to become root to make any changes.
I’m going to try QS 93.2 on Windows to test if it’s a version problem (it’s probably not). Otherwise I’ll have to learn alternative methods of installation on Linux, or to learn how to use game-data-packager to install custom mods and maps for me.
I’ve partially solved this. I was using a very old version of Arcane Dimensions (1.4.2) in the hope that it would be less demanding of my integrated graphics, but I’ve found that Quakespasm 93.2 has the same problem on Windows that it does on Linux. AD 1.5 loads fine in Linux.
I still have the same problem loading maps, even after changing the name to upper case like it is in the Quake console (I know case matters more in Linux).
ETA: Maps seem ok now too. I think I was failing to exit and restart between changes. Thanks for help.
Latest ‘Quakespasm’ version as for the moment is “0.96.1” although in case anything broke down or have I encountered an incompatibility, I would probably roll back to “0.93.2” in order to make sure. The newer versions of the sourceport - since “0.94.0” - tend to look for stuff from the ‘Steam’ edition of the game and it may appear quirky, as the console outputs some ghost error in case you play old school PAKs. I mean, it tells you stuff is missing, like with that “autoexec” you mentioned.
This way or the other, you seem to know your way around and have some sense of identity with doing things this way and not that way, I strongly believe you will make it work for you however you choose to do it. My personal choice: manual download is extract only, nothing needs to be installed, in contrast to a tedious way of using the “game data packager” or even in contrast to how the repo install will bury your ‘Quakespasm’ folders TUX knows where, but if go you extract, you exactly know where.
Yes, even Windows installers give you a choice of where to put the game folder and at present I have to find the installation and get root permissions before I change anything. I suppose this could be changed by editing the packages but I haven’t looked into how to do that.
The upside of fixed installation locations is that software knows where to find things without having to be tweaked.
I imagine that was supposed to be the point: the ‘Linux’ was to have a fixed directory tree and all games were supposed to be within “games” folder or whatever place destined, only that such level of maintenance could never hold in the free range contribution we have developed in this digital world.
I worked out the root of my problem here and it appears I don’t need to restart Quake at all.
When I was using the console to load a map or game (eg Arcane Dimensions), I was habitually using the shift key occasionally to add capitals, but as the console only displays uppercase I regarded this as unimportant.
It turns out that, even though the console only displays uppercase, it can actually register a lowercase input and looks for files/folders based on that. (what you see is not what you get apparently). This is probably Linux only behaviour and the solution would be to stick to 100% lowercase input and possibly change any file/foldernames to lowercase too.
So, it seems that the cause here is a very old tech bug - a short circuit between the ears. Thanks for the replies folks…
By “console” you mean the engine console? Hard to tell, I see uppercase and lowercase both.
I mean the engine console, which displays uppercase whether I use the shift key or not. I didn’t realise that it was still registering lowercase even though it didn’t display it.
The Linux console shows us what we actually enter and we be in trouble if it didn’t.
ETA: Actually, you are right. The font on my Quake console only has a slight difference between uppercase and lowercase, and it seems to be only in size, not shape. I was only seeing uppercase. when it could be either.
Are there different fonts available?