[rtcw.co.uk - RTCW & Enemy Territory UK]


RTCW FAQ

by DG

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find it, maybe you can use the Return to Castle Wolfenstein Frequently Asked Questions. There's lots of pointers for help with not only the most common problems, but anything I could be bothered writing down at the time - which means there's probably lots of useful stuff you didn't know you needed.

If you can't find what you're looking for here, it may be worth trying the Enemy Terriory FAQ, since the games share rather a lot of code and so on.

If you don't actually have RTCW yet, have a try of the RTCW game demos. RTCW was released on 20th November 2001.


RTCW Contents


Return to Castle Wolfenstein



RTCW Quick Start Guide

Install RTCW, add the 1.4 patch (Windows, Linux, id FTP), then add the 1.41 patch (Windows & Linux, id FTP). Next, if you didnt get the "special edition"/GOTY edition then you'll need to download the GOTY map pack (Windows, Linux, , id FTP). If youre on modem or something then its too big, but you can at least get mp_ice which is available seperately (Windows & Linux). Final essential is the latest version of OSP mod (Windows, Linux & Mac), which doesnt change gameplay at all, just adds some features.

One last thing to do is run WolfMP.exe, click on Multiplayer, and to the right of center make sure it says "Punkbuster Enabled", else click it until it says so. You may then wish to manually update Punkbuster by following the instructions here, this is completely optional though as PB should update itself when you join a game - manual method just saves some lag when it does so.

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Other FAQ's & Guides

General guides, introduction and broad info for RTCW Multiplayer - good places to start if you're clueless and fancy having a go; or simply want to find out more and get better. Don't be afraid to just jump right in and start killing the other team though.

Jolt beginners guide to RTCW multiplayer
Wolfenstein 4 Newbies
PlanetWolfenstein Multiplayer Guide
PlanetWolfenstein FAQ
Wolfen Resource
Activision KB/Support is a good place to find specific technical answers (also see Tech Forum FAQ).

Also: Tippage section

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Singleplayer

First Aid - singleplayer walkthrough

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Latest Patch, New Maps

Downloads Page

Latest patch is to version 1.41, though it's "lite only", requiring you to already be patched up to either version 1.33 or 1.4. There is also the official GOTY/Special Edition map pack which includes: Rocket, Keep, Dam & Chateau; plus the less-new Trenchtoast, Ice and Tram. Downloads can be found here, at BY, 3DGamers, etc.

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Punkbuster

Punkbuster is a anti-cheater program integrated into wolf since it was added in a earlier game update. You need to have said OK to install Punkbuster either when patching or installing RTCW, and then enable it in the Multiplayer screen.
Official PB site is Evenbalance.com; have a read through the documentation for a thorough understanding (can also be found in your wolfenstein/docs/Punkbuster/ folder).

PB can be used to restrict use of cvars (game variables, or settings) to within certain limits - these limits are set by the admins of the particular server, they are not default PB settings. When you join to a server running Punkbuster, after a short time it will display a list of what cvars are being restricted in the console, which you can access by presing the key under Escape (the ` key on UK keyboards). It will show you the list of cvars and the allowed range of settings, aswell as what your current setting is. At the end of the list, it will also tell you how many and which (if any) cvars you are violating. You must then change these cvars to within the allowed range or PB will kick you from the server. You can see that list at any time by typing /pb_cvarlist in the console. In Europe, the ClanBase cvar restrictions are used almost to a standard. You can find some explanation of what PB-enforced Cvars are restricting on Pack's page. It is unlikely you will be breaching any cvar restrictions if you have only changed settings using the ingame options.

This thread and/or the PB Suppport FAQ might be useful of you're getting problems or errors with PB (e.g. "Warning Cvar r_uiFullscreen (=1) must be EQUAL TO 0"; "error loading pbbag"; problems updating, etc).

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Alternative Server Browsers

Many people prefer to use a 3rd party browser to find multiplayer servers, the most popular programs are:
All Seeing Eye (ASE)
Pathfinder
GameSpy
bQuery
LightSpeed
Linux: qstat + XQF

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Tippage

Beginners Guide
Tactics Guide
Newbie's Revenge
Wolfenstein 4 Dummies
soldier tippage: Opticon's Page
More basic - WolfenResource
Bounty Hunter's page
Introduction to competitive RTCW
Jump higher? Understand the theory regarding fps and technique

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Weapon Damage & Accuracy

How many hit points and how accurate the weapons are:
Wolfen Resource page
DZM Weapons Guide

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Custom Configs

Many "serious" gamers fiddle their configs for better fps/brightness advantage (delete as appropriate to your point of view). A custom config is not just about tweaking what you see onscreen though, although that gets most of the attention/controversy. Scripts such as class-selection scripts setup keybinds to select class etc upon next respawn, reducing the tedium/time is takes to go through the limbo menus.

Binds & Scripting Forum (see FAQ, script releases etc).
PW console guide
Wolfenstein 4 Dummies for general info / screens.
Bindlist (key names).
keen cmd/cvar list.
Config Generator.
Crossfire's example player configs.
k0nfigz' example player configs (popups).
Team-Arise Config Repository
RedTop Config Armory some example configs with explanations.
Clanbase PB cvar - stay inside these.
unlagged faq (explains antilag and timenudge)

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RTCW on Linux

id's Linux Return To Castle Wolfenstein FAQ
Linux Gamers FAQ
also: thread, maybe also look at WineX
server browsing: qstat + XQF

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Mac Wolf?

Aspyr have made a version of RTCW for Mac's, they have a FAQ here.
Server browser for Mac OS X - Only Mortal.

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Screenshots

F11 is the default key for taking a screenshot, in TGA format, and the screenie will appear in .../main/screenshots/ folder.
If you would prefer jpegs; put the following into the console:
/bind F11 "screenshotjpeg"
Irfanview is a good and free graphics viewer that can open both the .tga and .jpg screenshot types.

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Recording/Playing Demos

Recording - scripts
playback - make sure the demo is put into your /main/demos/ folder, and in-game bring down console (~ or ` key, under ESC) and type:
/demo demoname (without the dm_XX extension)
Playback App's - Seismovision or Demo Player (lazy and convenient way to view demo's).
Demo to .Avi - see Tram Design, Herman's for guides. Shaolin Productions site is based on RTCW movies, IRC channel is #shaolinproductions on Quakenet. Instead of using Premiere, a free & easy utility to join up the frames for .avi is VMech. Viewing the .avi "fragmovies" usually needs divix codec from www.divx.com. If you want to find the best RTCW (and ET) fragmovies check this thread on Crossfire.

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IRC & Wolf

Internet Relay Chat; talk to people over the Internet.
mIRC - IRC chat client/program.
NNScript, an addon script to enhance mIRC.
Quakenet FAQ answers the most common questions for the biggest IRC network.
qCheck - puts message (inc server name & IP) in IRC when you join game etc.
Mindcrime's Live Reporter Bot
Game Info Bot
SuperIP

The forum IRC channel is #rtcw on Quakenet.

A warning about IRC - Like practically anything on the internet, IRC should be used sensibly. Excercise caution when considering clicking on URLs, especially if you do not know the person giving them. Do not run any commands unless you trust the person who is giving them, and be warned even URLs or commands being given by trusted people may actually be getting generated by a virus. Just like the rest of the internet, the medium is not dangerous, but ignorantly clicking or doing everything you are told IS. Keep your software updated -- especially Windows and antivirus (AVG is a nice free AV) -- and use a firewall (ZoneAlarm a convenient free one), but mostly just be sensible.

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Voice Comms

Speak to each other; most clans will use one of these for comms during matches:
Team Speak
Team Sound
Roger Wilco
Ventrilo
Crossfire have a roundup of comms programs.

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More Stats (Logfile Analyzer)

Who killed whom and how often...
Wolf Teamstats - sample
Gerbil's Stats Analyzer
Wolf Statisztika (download)
Vaporized Logfile Analyser - sample
Savage stats
SRCSTAT - Sample
WolfStat - Sample
WolfLive - sample

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Custom Maps

If you Download a '.PK3' file, just place it in your "return to castle wolfenstein/maps/" folder. If it downloads as a '.ZIP' file, use a program like WinZip or WinRAR to extract it to the PK3.

Some good places to find custom maps are:
Map Central
RTCWfiles.com
Map Tracker app
BY Map Pak

Some servers may allow you do download a map you dont have straight from the server, when it rotates to that map. Note this is usually quite slow, downloading the file from a website is usually preferential. To enable this, you can enter the following setting into the console, or find and then edit the setting in your wolfconfig_mp.cfg file:
/cl_allowdownload 1

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Mods

WolfBot - early multiplayer-simulation bots.
OSP - an essential mod (for extra name colours, see here)
Banimod - serverside mod, no download required.
Shrub - popular serverside mod, no download required.
Wild West - cowboys and bandito's mod
WolfTV/GamersTV - watch games live on "TV".
Wolf tactics - RTCW meets TF, sort of.
Russian Front
Weapons and Realism Mod
Crisis 51 - no longer for rtcw?
No Man's Land
Great Crusade

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RCON, Server Setup etc

RCON: .rtf file html page
Game Admins: particularily Example server config and Q3 FAQ.
Advanced ET Server cfg - much applies to rtcw also
Highboy's server cfg generator
Map rotation generator
PB documentation.
reccomended PB cvar settings
PB Tool Info
Wolf Runner
ARTraySpy
WAB -Wolf Admin Bot

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More RTCW sites

See the links page

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Tech Problems & Troubleshooting



Punkbuster Lockup with Certain Drivers

NVIDIA - The earlier 5x.xx-series drivers for Nvidia video cards are known to give a lot of people major problems with Punkbuster. If you find Wolf is crashing in roughly 10 seconds of joining a PB-enabled server -- and it doesnt happen on non-PB servers -- then I suggest updating your video card drivers to version 56.64 or later, or use a pre- 50-series driver (only reccomended for Geforce 4 or older). New NVIDIA drivers can be found here.


ATI - The 4.10 and 4.11 Catalyst driver is known to have similar issues with punkbuster. The solution is to use any earlier* or later driver - a 4.12 beta driver was released to resolve the issue. To find drivers, use the selection box here - for the earlier versions, look for the "Previous Driver Versions" link at the bottom of the resulting page.


Quick Driver Update Instructions:
  • check the documentation for the drivers first - the following is just for if you can't find an official uninstall-install procedure.
  • download the driver file. Save somewhere easy like your desktop. it's probably in a compressed file so if the file type is anything other than .exe, make sure you can open it.
  • uninstall your current driver, literally through Add/Remove Programs. Click OK on the dialogue box to restart your computer afterwards.
  • Once your PC reloads windows, the desktop etc will be the default settings, this is normal.
  • XP will detect new hardware and probably give you the prompts to find and install driver etc. click cancel/no for them if possible.
  • Run the driver file you downloaded, follow the prompts to install and click to restart once done.
  • Job done.

    ^





    "Inadequate O/S Privileges" (Punkbuster)

    Punkbuster requires player's to be running their OS as a user with administrator equivalent rights, this is necessary for their cheater detection methods. It has caused some problems for people though, and Punkbusted have a detailed help page for this here.

    However, also check for Adware on your computer: some adware has been known to change the user rights. Two very popular adware/spyware removal programs (both with good free versions) are AdAware and Spybot - however, this post on PlanetRTCW gives specific solution for VX2 adware, and notes "many programs do not repair [your user rights] when they remove [VX2, and maybe other adware]".

    ^





    "Warning Cvar r_uifullscreen (=1) must be EQUAL TO 0" and similar (Punkbuster)

    These warnings are informing you that you have a setting that the server administrator has made Punkbuster not allow to be used on the server. There are hundreds of settings that the admin may choose to disallow, wether for good, bad or silly reasons. Everything you click on in the in-game menu's alters the value of these "cvars" (command variables, or more friendily, settings).

    If you have not manually changed any settings - i.e. have not changed settings by fiddling with those cvars directly - then it's unlikely that reasonable cvar restrictions would be a problem for you. However, not everybody is reasonable.

    the simple fix if you wish to continue playing on the server is to examine the warning message and set the given cvar to the requested value. In the example in the title, to fix that I would have to open the console (press the key under ESCape) and then type in:
    /set r_uifullscreen 0

    However, remember that this would be changing a game setting and possibly to a value that you might not want. You may also get a follow-up message about the setting only taking effect after a restart, in which case you need to then also run the following command, which would reload/restart much of the ET code and apply the setting:
    /vid_restart

    ^




    "Could not load OpenGL subsystem"

    The drivers provided with Windows XP do not include the opengl driver. If you see this error message in the 'console box' when trying to run RTCW, 99% of the time, the solution is to install proper drivers, either from the people who made your videocard or the people who designed it - usually NVIDIA or ATI. If you have a normal PC with a normal videocard, I suggest getting the driver from NVIDIA or ATI, as appropriate, but it can be less straightforward with laptops or "videocards" that are built into motherboards. Also see this other topic involving drivers.

    After you have updated the video card drivers, rename the wolfconfig.cfg and wolfconfig_mp.cfg files (this is so they do not take effect and RTCW makes new ones, whilst also keeping a backup of them).

    Some other solutions, many of which seem rather unlikely, see Activision support

    ^




    Invalid CD Key?

    Getting Invalid_CDkey message when you try and join multiplayer servers?
    Look here, failing that have a search for other cdkey questions there.


    Note I think if you use the ingame server browser you have to keep putting the last two digits of the key in - at a guess this feature is to protect the key from being stolen by leech programs or something - but if you use a 3rd party server browser like ASE you won't have to keep doing this.

    ^




    "Server uses protocol 60"

    If you receive an error message saying the "Server uses protocol XX", this means the server is running a different version of the game than you - either you or the server has a more recent patch. 60 is the most recent protocol, for version 1.4 and 1.41.

    ^




    osp-bin06.pk3? osp-pak00.pk3?

    If when you join certain servers the game starts auto-downloading files with names like osp-pakxx or osp-binxx .pk3; or simply says you need these files, it is because server is running OSP mod and you dont have it. Unlike Shrub for example, OSP requires to be installed clientside aswell as server side. If the files are autodownloading, you can just wait and once its done you can play. If it doesnt auto download or is too slow, download the mod seperately. OSP mostly adds features that enhance normal RTCW, rather than make changes that affect gameplay. OSP is used as standard for clan matches, and many public servers, so it'd definately worth downloading. You can find more info in mods section or download from here.

    ^




    Cannot reinstall rtcw?

    If you deleted your RTCW folder instead of using the uninstall or add/remove programs to uninstall rtcw, you may have difficulty reinstalling rtcw because when you install rtcw it puts lines in your registry. The rtcw installer then thinks rtcw is already installed, so it says it found gamefiles and wont reinstall.
    You don't need to delete Registry keys to re-install. Just pop the CD in the drive, get rid of the splash screen if it appears (click Exit or Quit or whatever), click My Computer, select your CD drive, look in a folder called setup for a program called Setup.exe and double-click to run it.
    - kendle
    It will install RTCW whether its already installed or not, and also if you've screwed up a previous un-installation.

    ^




    RTCW says you need 5mb of hard disk space

    - ensure save files are marked as "archive", and not "read only" especially if you e.g. copied them to CD for reinstall or whatever and then copied them back. right-click on the save files, select "properties" then ensure only "archive" attribute is set.

    - if your OS is WinNT, Win2000 or XP, ensure you are logged in as administrator or have account with administrator level access.

    ^




    Issues with Firewalls and Routers (Ports)

    From Activision knowledgebase:

    Return to Castle Wolfenstein relies on Internet communication via the IP protocol and UDP ports 27950, 27960, 27965 and 27952. These are the ports that the game uses for connection, message of the day, server browsing, and so forth. [Punkbuster also uses those ports.]

    If you are using any type of firewall, either software or hardware based, you must ensure that traffic can pass on these ports. With a simple gateway using Network Address Translation (NAT), there is no limit on outgoing traffic and the game will probably work for client machines, but not servers, without any need to customize the gateway. For more sophisticated firewalls (such as Zone Alarm or Black Ice) you may need to configure the system to allow incoming and outgoing traffic on the ports listed above. The exact steps for doing this are specific to the firewall your are using. For more information you will need to consult with the firewall documentation or manufacturer.

    We also do not advise setting up a Return to Castle Wolfenstein server for internet use on a machine that is not directly connected to the Internet. The problem is that any gateway router that translates an internal sub-net to a real IP - including NAT with ipForwarding or DMZ - requires that the internal server use an internal IP address, and these machines see clients on your LAN as different addresses from the internet and thus you cannot authorize these clients.

    Also note these commands (thanks devZero):
  • net_port - sets the network port to use, default 27960
  • net_qport - network port to be used internally by the network system
  • net_ip - tells the game what the internet IP is of your machine (when using some routers, RTCW may believe the IP is the address of your machine on the local network).
    These commands would need to be set on the command line, for example edit your RTCW shortcut 'Target' box to
    "c:\Program Files\Return to Castle Wolfenstein\WolfMP.exe" +set net_port 27960

    ^




    Credits where appropriate as stated in body, otherwise all written by and © or whatever to DG, a.k.a. Davegod for www.rtcw.co.uk. Copying/ripping/stealing/that-type-of-thing is NOT permitted, except for individual answers where necessary (i.e. to help someone with a problem) and provided there is a link to this page.