Deactivate Demos

[BoylerBoi]

Hi folks. When you start Quake (e.g. with DarkPlaces), at the beginning of the game starts a demo. What can I do deactivate this demo/autoplay?

[Mindf!3ldzX]

I think they are hard coded into the engine....

you could create an autoexec.cfg , that had map start in it


inside your config.cfg , add exec autoexec.cfg, and it should automatically load start map at every loading.

I think being the most important words here, I think it will work.

[nahuel]

pak0.pak/quake.rc you find

// load the base configuration
exec default.cfg

// load the last saved configuration
exec config.cfg

// run a user script file if present
exec autoexec.cfg

//
// stuff command line statements
//
stuffcmds

// start demos if not allready running a server
startdemos demo1 demo2 demo3

you can delete the last line

[Baker]

Add +startdemos to your command line or to autoexec.cfg

"c:\whatever\darkplaces.exe +startdemos"

This should work with any engine. (And in DarkPlaces and in a very few other engines like ProQuake it will clear the demo queue entirely.)

[Either of the above posts have alternate solutions that would work.]

[bluntz]

Seems there was a way to start up into the console too wasn't there?

[BoylerBoi]

Add +startdemos to your command line or to autoexec.cfg

"c:\whatever\darkplaces.exe +startdemos"

This should work with any engine. (And in DarkPlaces and in a very few other engines like ProQuake it will clear the demo queue entirely.)

[Either of the above posts have alternate solutions that would work.]

I play with OS X, so this will not work.

pak0.pak/quake.rc you find



you can delete the last line

How can I edit the .pak-files? I have some VM's so I can use a windows-tool, too.

[schlichte]

How can I edit the .pak-files? I have some VM's so I can use a windows-tool, too.

In the this File Downloads section there are two tools to use: PakScape and PakExplorer. You only need one or the other.

[bluntz]

pakexplorer is what I am using on windows.

[Baker]

I play with OS X, so this will not work.

I typed my above post from a Mac

I bet you'll discover that a Quake on a Mac will read an autoexec.cfg

[I have OS X versions of my Quake engines ...]

[Seven]

Hello BoylerBoi,

The most important question for me is:
What do YOU want DarkPlaces to do, when you start it ??

1.) Shall it load automagically the "start" map ?
2.) Shall it only show you a black background and the main menu ?
3.) ... ?

Reading your last post, I assume you cannot use shortcut extensions due to you OS.

The answer, given by Baker is the simpliest way to go.
If you want your DarkPlaces behave like point 2.) and you cannot use shortcut extensions, simply do this:
Add this word into your autoexec.cfg:
startdemos
That will do point 2.)


If you want DP to do point 1.), then add this line into your autoexec.cfg:
map start



@ bluntz

if you want to have the console open when starting, put this into your autoexec:
toggleconsole
Or add this in your shortcut extension:
+toggleconsole

You can combine several commands in your autoexec/shortcut of course.

Best wishes,
Seven

[BoylerBoi]

@ Seven: Thank you. I was looking for point two and it works fine for me.

@ Baker: When you use OS X for playing Quake, imo you can't use shortcuts (e.g. -hipnotic), do you? I think you have to use the autoexec for this...

[bluntz]

@ bluntz

if you want to have the console open when starting, put this into your autoexec:
toggleconsole
Or add this in your shortcut extension:
+toggleconsole

You can combine several commands in your autoexec/shortcut of course.

Best wishes,
Seven

Thanks but that just brought the console down as if I had used the tilde.
I remember using a -toconsole switch in HalfLife I think it was and it loaded up into the console without running the demo.
I was thinking there was a switch for Quake also.

[Baker]

@ Seven: Thank you. I was looking for point two and it works fine for me.

@ Baker: When you use OS X for playing Quake, imo you can't use shortcuts (e.g. -hipnotic), do you? I think you have to use the autoexec for this...

In OS X, without using Terminal there is no practical way to do command line parameters.

But opening TextEdit and typing startdemos and saving it to <your Quake folder>\id1\autoexec.cfg would do the trick.

It looks like you've solved your issue though using Seven's method. If you were to instead of putting "map start" in autoexec.cfg and did "startdemos", DarkPlaces would start to the console.

[Really, if you are looking to do -hipnotic or something requiring command line parameters, you might consider using the Quakespasm engine. I imagine DarkPlaces does have some in-engine method to activate -hipnotic, but I don't claim to what this method is.]

[Mindf!3ldzX]

If your OS can't use something as simple as shortcuts, then you obviously have chosen a shitty OS, sorry to be blatant but its 2011/almost 2012.

[Baker]

If your OS can't use something as simple as shortcuts, then you obviously have chosen a shitty OS, sorry to be blatant but its 2011/almost 2012.

Command line parameters is kind of a legacy thing from the DOS/Windows 3.1 era. If you are "hardcore" you can always use the "Terminal" which is the cmd.exe equivalent, but really how many Windows applications need command line parameters? On Windows, I use command line parameters with Quake stuff and nothing else I can think of.

OS X is a perfectly fine operating system and the 2 most wonderful things about it:

1. No one can install stuff on it without permission.
2. The way the operating system is set up, getting a virus or having a malware exploit is formidable enough that it isn't something to be concerned about. Like Linux (or more accurately, BSD), applications are rather "sandboxed".

As a result, OS X is easy to maintain because you don't have to do anything.

The main reason to NOT use OS X is that Apple products are about twice as expensive. A $900 Windows laptop would probably be priced at $1750 for the Apple equivalent.