I thought I'd create this article with a list of mods and how to play them, so when we have our clan lan we can set up and get straight down to business. If you have a mod you wish to try, add it to the list and give us the low down on how to play it, so we don't have to worry about that crap when it comes time to play it!

The Mod List so far:

• Qpong

• Gloom

• Capture the Chicken

• FreezeTag

• NIQ

Qpong:

Most of us have already played this, but for those that haven't heres the low down. It's a very simple mod, and like simple mods, it's also very good and the most fun. You won't have to worry about any new bindings, you just have to watch your ass!

The game is this: two teams, two goals, two very large heavy balls. The aim is to get the balls into the other teams goal. Sound simple? Uh-uh! The balls are larger than you, and to move them you have to shoot them. Naturally the more powerful the weapon, and speed of impact, the faster it goes. Your best standard weapon would be the railgun, but the supershotgun is surprisingly effective at close range, and the chaingun gets it going REAL quick, if you can keep your crosshair on it. You can practically forget about the Rocket Launcher.

Of course the other thing is the balls WILL run people over, and the balls themselves are your best weapons. A good trick when you're low on ammo is to squish someone and pick up their gun - even if they are on your team :)

You can still kill players on the other team, but the aim is to get the ball through the goal. When a player gets close to his goal, he becomes invulnerable to the balls and acts like a goally. Unfortunately he is not immune to normal weapons......

Gloom:

A tad more complex than Qpong, but much less than other mods. There are only four new bindings you need:

• +use

• flashlight (not "use flashlight")

• ident

• cmd turret

you will need +use for alternate weapons (with two alien classes), and for engineers and breeders who build things. Cmd turret will give the Engineer control over the nearest turret, allowing him to aim it.

I will describe the two teams in earnest, as there will be few things you need to know:

SPIDERS:

The spiders are the simplist of the two teams, only featuring one attack and a jump mostly. The basic hatchling can hang of ceilings and walls by pressing attack, which functions a lot like a grapple. This grapple has a limited range. To kill the humans as the hatchling, simply jump onto them. (I previously said fire the grapple at them, which is wrong. All other aliens feature a slash attack by pressing fire as you would expect.)

If you decide to go a breeder, the aliens can build one additional facility - the healer. It's a strange pulsating orange thing that will heal all aliens and replenish any ammo they may have. It's toxic to humans.

HUMANS:

The humans are slightly more complex. They have usually more than one weapon - a special one for their class, and a handgun. Some classes have a *lot* of things in their inventory (ie, the commando), so make sure you check it out by scrolling through it with the normal [ and ] keys. Humans have a medikit that will restore their health by up to 50%, also found in their inventories. Humans also have flashlights, and to use one use the command flashlight, NOT use flashlight.

The engineer class also has a few pecularities. Only it can restore the armour (not the health) and ammo of any class, so it's a good idea for the humans to have one. Also, when constructing, both the turrets and teleporters must be repaired before they will work. To repair anyone or anything, simply stand next to it and hit attack. Ammo replenishment is instantaneous.

AND A FEW MORE THINGS.....

• Neither the engineer or breeder classes can attack.

• The Hatchling and the Grunt (the basic classes for both sides) can not succesfully destroy an enemy spawn point. However, the Grunt can destroy enemy defenses where the Hatchling cannot.

• Only explosives can destroy alien eggs, which is why the human Commando is a very large threat - he has C4 and can obliterate an entire nest if you let him in for a second.

• You can change class at any time, as long as you have the frags to do it.

• You will not earn frags as either the Stalker or the Mech (the best class on either side.)

• When engineer or breeder, your build points apply for the whole team. So if there are two of you, you are sharing the same resources.

CTC: Capture the Chicken!!!

Capture the chicken is a fun little mod where the aim of the game is to find the chicken and hold onto it for as long as possible, as every 10 seconds you hold onto the chicken you are awarded a point. Problem is everyone else also wants to score points, and there is only one chicken.

In normal deathmatch mode, everyone is out to grab the chicken by whatever means possible. He who grabs the chicken is then defenceless, and depending on server setup, cannot pickup anything but +2 health. Everyone else cannot hurt each other or themselves, so if they want to kill someone it has to be the guy with the chicken.

Alternatively there is a team mode, with up to four teams. In this variation, opposing teams can frag each other chicken or no chicken. In order to keep the chicken, the carriers team mates must protect him, and scores go towards the team. Also, there is a limit to how many points the carrier can score, so he must throw the chicken to a team mate to keep scoring. Throwing the chicken is just like throwing a grenade, just don't hold him back to long because he doesn't like it and you will find your health rapidly deminishing.

(PS. you can not blow up or kill the chicken. God knows I tried, but it is not affected by any form of weaponary at all. Pity.)

Freeze Tag:

Very simple play. The idea is there are two teams, in which to win one team must "freeze" all opponents on the other team. To freeze an opponent, simply frag him.

Of course it's not that easy. When frozen, you cannot respawn or move at all. (you can however moan by pressing the fire key.) To unfreeze a team mate, simply stand next to him for three seconds. He will then explode and respawn elsewhere (he was fragged after all.) However, theres a catch. You see, the enemy can pull you around frozen, so he can take you back to his base and lock your ass down. Alternatively, he can leave you in the open as bait. A new feature is that now you can grapple frozen bodies as well - you can actually use multiple grapples so you can drag around about as many stiffs as you like.

To pull an enemy opponent, walk through him. This will make him follow you, and to make him stop reverse until he is in front of you. Remember to NOT drop him into lava or slime, as this will free him. (You can however hide him in the water.)

Also, it's a good idea to bind "sayteam frozen at %l" so your team can find you and unfreeze you. You will also require the following bindings:

+hook (use grapple)

+grow {gives you slack on the grapple)

+shrink (reels the grapple in).

NIQ:

NIQ stands for No Item Quake. In it, all items are removed. All clients use exactly the same weapon as dictated by the server. These weapons change at regular intervals, so one minute you're charging around with railguns, then to BFG's (mwhahahahaahaha!!!)and chainguns etc. Ammo is given to all players at the same rate, and health is given ONLY if you're not attacking.

Again a simple premise, and with most things the simple ideas are often the best. Oh, and one last thing; yes you can end up with the crappy blaster, except it will now do about... oooh, say 100 damage (depending on server set up). Have a nice day.

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