
                =======================================
                   Lithium II Mod v1.15 for Quake II
                =======================================

By Matt "WhiteFang" Ayres (matt@lithium.com)
Available at http://www.planetquake.com/lithium

Lithium II is a very configurable server side deathmatch modification
for Quake II v3.14-v3.17.  Clients do not need to download anything.

Main Features
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   * All features are toggleable and configurable.  Use the ones you want.
   * Menu system for in-game remote administration and client settings.
   * Runes; strength, resist, regen, haste, and vampire.
   * Improved HUD with frags, frags/hr, players, your place, current rune.
   * Optional HUD that displays ammo counts.
   * Damage, speed, and radius adjustable for all weapons.
   * Obituaries with your enemy highlighted in green text.
   * Grappling hook, offhand (red laser style).
   * Faster respawning as more players join.
   * Configurable map queue with randomize option.
   * Customizable MOTD.
   * Observer fly-thru mode.
   * Chasecam to follow other players around (cam is client adjustable).
   * Player ID, to identify who you're looking at.
   * Safety time period for player spawns.
   * No camp option kills campers (default off).
   * Options to kick chat and kill flooders.
   * IP banning, also min and max ping requirements.
   * Adjust start/max values for health, ammos, and armor.  Also setup which
     weapons clients will start with.
   * Server configuration and toggles implemented as cvars.  This allows
     .cfg files for startup and instant changes on the server console.
   * Based on v3.14 game source, and compiled for Windows x86, Linux x86,
     Linux AXP, Solaris x86, and Solaris Sparc.
   * VWep support, see which weapon your enemy is using!  (requires a pak).
   * GSLog frag logging (Gibstats Log Standard).
   * Fast weapon switching.
   * Admin list feature with access levels and passwords.
   * Option for Pro-Rocket specs (via procket.cfg).
   * Map voting system.
   * Lithium Master Server support (see lmaster.txt)
   * Multi-server chat system (see lmaster.txt)
   * More...


Installation
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Create a "lithium" directory in your Quake II directory and copy the
included files there.  You can run either a dedicated server (console
only) or a listen server (where you can play on that machine as well).

To start the server, start a command prompt and change to your Quake II
directory.  For a dedicated server, use this command line:

   quake2.exe +set dedicated 1 +set game lithium +exec lithium.cfg

For a listen server, use this command line:

   quake2.exe +set deathmatch 1 +set game lithium +exec lithium.cfg

An analog modem is not an adequate connection to run a server.  To really
run a server, you need a partial or full T1 internet connection or better.


Configuration
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If you'd like to alter the configuration, simply edit lithium.cfg.  Please
see config.txt for help.  When installing over an old version of Lithium II,
it is recommended that you use the new lithium.cfg and modify that.

A normal.cfg is provided, which contains the defaults to run a normal
Quake II server.  Note that if no .cfg file is specified on the command
line, the internal defaults will be used (lithium.cfg represents those).

Any of the commands you see in the .cfg files can be entered directly to
the server console.  The change will take effect immediately for most
settings, some may not take effect until the next map.

Adjust the maxclients value accordingly in lithium.cfg.  You can modify
the MOTD to your liking by editing the motd.txt in the lithium directory.
Note that the deathmatch setting is implied for dedicated servers.

If you don't want your server listed publicly, set public 0 in your config.
If you don't want your server connecting to the lmaster, set use_lmaster 0.


Administration
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If you'd like to use the in-game remote administration feature, you'll
need to set the admin_code variable in lithium.cfg.  The default is 0,
which disables the feature.

Alternatively you can setup an admin.lst specifying specific admins, each
with different access levels and passwords.  A bit more complex, see
admin.lst for more info.

In the game, to access the admin menu, simply type "admin" on the console.
You will be prompted for the admin_code.

Please note that numbers you type in the admin menus are detected by key
bindings.  If you've changed the binds for your number keys, you'll have a
problem.  Unfortunately this is the only way to detect those keys being
pressed in the game .dll code.


Playing
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Clients require no special files to play on Lithium servers.  There is
nothing they need to download.  Simply connect and play.  That's the
beauty of server side mods.

Client commands:
   drop rune  Drop your current rune
   +scores    Quake 1 style scoreboard
   +hook      Grappling hook
   observe    Observer mode
   chase      Chasecam mode
   chaselist  List the clients chasing you
   bestweap   Toggle best weapon pickup
   id         Toggle player identity
   hud        Toggle Lithium/Ammo HUD
   menu       Lithium II main menu
   admin      Admin menu

It's recommended that you bind keys to "drop rune", +scores, and +hook.
For example, you'd type something like this on the console (or add to
your autoexec.cfg in your quake2\lithium directory):

   bind d "drop rune"
   bind tab +scores
   bind q +hook


Runes:
   Strength (Red)     You inflict 2x damage
   Resist   (Blue)    You take 1/2 damage
   Haste    (Yellow)  You fire twice as fast
   Regen    (Green)   Your health regenerates slowly
   Vampire  (Purple)  You gain health for damage inflicted


Future Features
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No guarantees on anything or the order they'll be added!  I have many
things planned.  A few of them include:

   * CTF II integration
   * Teamplay options
   * Eraser bots
   * Competition modes, with lmaster features
   * FragTrak, comprehensive and compact frag tracking system


Feedback
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I appreciate feedback, bug reports, new ideas, and comments (good or bad).
Send them to matt@lithium.com.  Please understand you may not receive a
reply, however do know that it will be read.


Mailing lists
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I'm running a Lithium Quake II Mod mailing list for discussion about this
mod and Quake II mods in general.  You can opt for daily digests of the
mail list now.  Also an announce list is available, for those of you only
interested in hearing about updates.  To subscribe, send an email with
"subscribe" in the message (not the subject), to the appropiate address:

   q2-request@lithium.com
   q2-digest-request@lithium.com
   q2-announce-request@lithium.com
