Install and setup Quake 4

+ Q4Max Competition Mod

You can buy digital copy of Quake 4 from Steam or download official CD version from Downloads tab, but for CD you’ll need a valid key.

Installing a patch (only for CD version): download Quake 4 1.3 to 1.4.2 upgrade from Downloads tab, install it to the game folder.

Quake 4 for macOS: download the Mac App Store version of Quake 4 from Downloads tab, open *.dmg and copy app to Applications folder. Supported macOS versions: 10.6.8 Snow Leopard – 10.14.6 Mojave because no 32-bit apps support in Catalina. It’s free now, so you don’t need to crack or enter CD-key.

Just start Quake 4 (if you’re using Steam, launch the game through Steam, not from desktop!) and connect to any WwW server (see Servers tab) to download all necessary files including latest Q4max Competition Mod 0.82 and maps (if download fails – repeat). Also you can download Q4max from Downloads tab and manually extract it to your Quake 4 folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Quake 4).

Specify your controls, network and graphics settings if needed.

Graphics fix

If you have troubles with ultra graphics and always get low-res textures, here is the fix (must be added to autoexec.cfg in q4base folder):

seta image_downSizeLimit "2048"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "0"
seta image_downSizeBumpLimit "2048"
seta image_downSizeSpecularLimit "2048"
seta image_downSizeBump "0"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "0"
seta image_useCache "0"
seta image_cacheMegs "100"
seta image_cacheMinK "30"
seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "1"
seta image_useNormalCompressionLoadDDSForPal "1"
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_useAllFormats "1"
seta image_useCompression "0"
seta image_downSize "0"
seta image_lodbias "0"
seta image_anisotropy "16"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR"

Picmip

Write this in console if you want to disable textures at all:

image_downSizeLimit "5"
image_downSize "1"
vid_restart

You can change the picmip intensity by changing “image_downSizeLimit” (lower — more flat, higher — more detailed).

Disable picmip:

image_downSizeLimit "2048"
image_downSize "0"
vid_restart

F.A.Q – Most Useful Tips

Always start with Q4max — make a shortcut of quake4.exe, and add +set fs_game q4max, same can be done on Steam in launch settings. Launch game through Steam, otherwise you’ll get “Client unknown to auth” error.

Mouse issues in game — use MarkC Mouse Fix. Without the fix input may feel floaty and inconsistent, due to double smoothing in windows.

(~) Easy Console — open console (Alt + ctrl + Tilda (~)) and type com_allowconsole 1 – console opens with just ~.

JPEG Screenshots in Game — bind “x” “screenshotJpeg”. Screenshots can be found in q4max/screenshots. Learn more about binds.

Record ingame stats — seta cg_logXMLStats “1”.

Quick Connection to servers — write in console bind “x” connect “server-address” – see the server addresses in Servers.

FOV Setup. I personally play with 103 FOV on 16:9 2560×1440. On 4:3 you should add +15 to FOV number — it should be 118 to get equal picture as with 103 on 16:9. FOV between 100-110 on 16:9 is good for comfortable playing. Higher FOV advantage — decreased movement speed of enemy models. Lower FOV increases visible hitbox size. So choose optimal balance.

How to TAB out of game — alt + enter or windowed mode.

Sensitivity Setup for Quake — do rapid (instant) 180 turns. Sens should be comfortable to do a dozen in quick succession. You lower it to the limit where it is still comfortable, but has precision. I use 32.47cm, but anywhere from 20cm to 30cm is considered the normal range in Quake without accel.

How to make game in english — open console – seta sys_lang “english”

How to make game in russian — open console – seta sys_lang “russian” (you need the language pack, download it from Downloads tab and extract russian zpaks to q4base folder)

See Console commands to learn some useful cvars! Or just bind it.

Support

If you still having questions about installation or cfg setup, please don’t ask in Discord — describe your trouble here: