[14-2] Command Line Parameters

Explore Quake's command line parameters for server setup, network configuration, and performance tuning. Learn how to optimize your game with -dedicated, -listen, and more.

These command line parameters can only be run from the command line to customize your Quake experience.

-cdmediacheck

Quake will periodically check to see if you have changed the CD in the CD-ROM drive. This is very slow on some CD players and unnecessary under Windows 95. Unless you are frequently changing CDs while playing Quake there is no reason to enable this option.

-condebug

Quake will log all console events to qconsole.log in the id1 directory.

-dedicated #

Quake starts as a dedicated server. Its only job is to receive and transfer data to and from the clients. It will not draw graphics or perform any other kind of operation. However, it will run the console, which allows you to customize the game. # is the maximum number of players allowed, up to 16 (exception: the B&W TCP/IP stack only allows 8 players). A 486/66 (or above) makes a good dedicated server.

-ipxport #

Specifies an IPX port to be used. The default is 26000.

-listen #

Quake starts as a listen server. Quake will perform normally as if you were playing single-player, but will also perform as a server to which others can connect. Note that the person on the listen server always starts first and gets network updates the fastest, so they have a definite advantage over slow connections. # is the maximum number of players allowed, up to 16 (exception: the B&W TCP/IP stack only allows 9 players). A Pentium 90 or higher will make a good listen server.

-mpath

Enables support for code to use Win95's TCP/IP stack. Do NOT use this under DOS!

-nocdaudio

Disables CD audio support.

-noipx

Disables support for IPX.

-nolan

Disables IPX and TCP/IP support.

-nonet

Disables network card support.

-noserial

Disable serial support.

-nosound

Disables sound card support.

-noudp

Disables support for TCP/IP.

-safe

-stdvid, -nosound, -nonet, -nocdaudio combined into one.

-sbinfo

Displays information on your current Sound Blaster configuration.

-sspeed #

Sets Quake's playback speed to # Hz. The default is 11025 Hz (11 KHz). Increasing # above 11025 will degrade CPU performance and will not increase sound quality because Quake's sound samples are only 11025 Hz to begin with. Decreasing # below 11025 will increase CPU performance and save memory, but will degrade sound quality.

-stdvid

Disables VESA video modes.

-udpport #

Specifies a UDP port to be used. The default is 26000.

-winlock

Windows 95 only. Quake will not share memory with other applications and will not allow other applications to take memory from itself. Useful on machines with low memory where background applications have to unload parts of Quake in order to load some of their own code.

-winlockunlock

Windows 95 only. Quake will load all of itself possible, but will not disk cache and will share memory with other applications.

-winmem #

Windows 95 only. Quake will allocate # megabytes of memory for itself. Note that if # is greater than the amount of free RAM you have, Quake will disk-cache the remaining amount of specified megs, which will degrade performance. The default is 8.