Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Tweak Guide

[Page 4] Patches Maps & Mods



Official Patch


Another major patch for ET:QW has been released, bringing the game up to Version 1.5. This patch contains a large number of bug fixes, gameplay tweaks, new features and improvements as covered in the link above. For details of the new setting options and command variables added as of the latest patch, see the prominent updates on Pages 5, 8 and 9.


It is strongly recommended that you keep ET:QW updated by installing patches whenever you are prompted by the in-game updater. You can also manually check for updates to the game at any time by clicking the 'Check for Updates' link at the top of the main menu screen. I will provide further details of any new patches here as soon as they come out, so keep an eye on this section.



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Copy Protection


Fortunately the retail version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars does not have any intrusive copy protection. Given it's a predominantly multiplayer game, it is only protected via an online serial number check required to play the game. Because of this, you don't need to keep the game disk in your drive to play ET:QW, which is a good move by Activision.



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In-Game Advertising


It should be noted that if you're considering purchasing ET:QW, the game has In-Game Advertising. The screenshot above shows the type of billboard which will hold ads in the game. As with previous games which incorporate in-game ads, like Battlefield 2142, the excuse used is that it will help cover the costs of providing "ongoing support" for ET:QW. Of course just as the in-game ads in BF2142 saw no improvement in the quality or quantity of support provided to customers, it's likely that ET:QW's ads are merely being used to increase revenue with no real benefit to consumers whatsoever. Fortunately the ads are not very intrusive, and it also seems to be the case that in Australia, as with BF2142, the anti-spyware laws prevent these ads from being displayed. If these ads are a concern to you, you should not purchase the game.



Maps and Mods


The Quake series has spawned many mods and maps, and it's quite likely ET:QW will do the same. If you're interested in developing mods for ET:QW, you can download the free ET:QW SDK and MegaTexture Media Pack and get to work on creating something interesting.


For those who are simply interested in downloading user-made mods, I will post the most prominent ones here as I become aware of them. Note that as of the 1.4 Patch, a new 'Mods' button has been added to the bottom right corner of the main menu screen, allowing easier mod management.



The next section of the guide covers In-Game Settings for ET:QW.