How To Adjust The Mapcycle For Your Quake 3 Arena Server
By default, base Quake 3 Arena doesn’t support a map cycle file, however you can do a workaround to get the same effect with scripting.
It’s worth noting that some mods such as OSP will automatically add all the maps from the server that support your current game mode. We recommend you install the OSP mod directly from our Mod Manager to make it easier for you to manage your maps. This will also make dealing with custom maps easier and you can simply upload them.
How To Modify the Map Cycle
We include a base level.txt
in baseq3/levels.cfg
by default on our servers that you can easily modify.
You can change what map config it reads by going to your server, Startup Parameters
and changing Exec/Gamemode
. If you leave this as levels.cfg
and load a mod, it will use this map list. We suggest removing levels.cfg from Exec/Gamemode and using some configs inbuilt with your mod (for example OSP will select all the maps for that game mod) or creating your own custom map list based on the mode you’re playing.
The default file looks like this.
How Does It Work?
Setting Up Steps: Think of each set command as a step in a set of instructions. It’s like saying, “First, do this, then do that.”
For example:
set map1 "map q3ctf4; set nextmap vstr map2"
This is like saying, “Step 1: Play the game on the ‘q3ctf4’ map. After that, move to Step 2”. Looping at the end of our steps, we tell it to go back to the start. This way, the game keeps cycling through the maps without stopping. In short, this script is like a playlist for game maps.
Here is an example the ffa maps q3ctf4, q3ctf3, q3ctf2, q3ctf1. It will cycle through the list until it hits the end.
Full Quake 3 Arena Map List
Here is a list of all the default map names, so you can create your own custom levels.cfg
- q3dm0 - Introduction
- q3dm1 - Arena Gate
- q3dm2 - House of Pain
- q3dm3 - Arena of Death
- q3dm4 - The Place of Many Deaths
- q3dm5 - The Forgotten Place
- q3dm6 - The Camping Grounds
- q3dm7 - Temple of Retribution
- q3dm8 - Brimstone Abbey
- q3dm9 - Hero’s Keep
- q3dm10 - The Nameless Place
- q3dm11 - Deva Station
- q3dm12 - The Dredwerkz
- q3dm13 - Lost World
- q3dm14 - Grim Dungeons
- q3dm15 - Demon Keep
- q3dm16 - The Bouncy Map
- q3dm17 - The Longest Yard
- q3dm18 - Space Chamber
- q3dm19 - Apocalypse Void
- q3tourney1 - Powerstation 0218
- q3tourney2 - The Proving Grounds
- q3tourney3 - Hell’s Gate
- q3tourney4 - Vertical Vengeance
- q3tourney5 - Fatal Instinct
- q3tourney6 - The Very End of You
- q3ctf1 - Dueling Keeps
- q3ctf2 - Troubled Waters
- q3ctf3 - The Stronghold
- q3ctf4 - Speedtrap