QStart v1.1 =========== A Quake front-end for Windows95 and WindowsNT4.0 QStart is freeware. You may distribute this program freely and without charge, as long as you keep the two files (QStart.exe and this file) together. Note that QStart has NOT been tested on Windows NT. It should work fine, but I don't make any promises. Please let me know if you have any problems. QStart requires mfc40.dll and msvcrt.dll. These dll's can be obtained from Microsoft's web site and from many other places on the web. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QStart is a Quake front-end for Windows95 or WindowsNT. It allows you to use your QuakeC mods, user maps, and personal config files without having to set up individual shortcuts or batch files for each configuration. QStart also allows you to set a large number of Quake command-line options using the standard windows property-sheet interface. Support for WinQuake, vQuake, and glQuake is included in QStart. QStart offers the unique (among Quake front-ends, as far as I know) preset feature. If you run Quake in a number of different ways, as I do, you can set up each configuration and save it to the section of the windows registry where QStart stores its data. Any time you want to run Quake with your 'preset' options, just run QStart, select the configuration you want from the Preset box, and hit the 'Quake!' button. You can save any number of Presets. This cuts down on system clutter - now you only need one shortcut to QStart to access all of your Quake set-ups. QStart is mainly intended for single-player and LAN/modem play. Many great utilities already exist to manage Quake internet play. I recommend QSpy to anyone searching for such a utility. Instructions ------------ To use QStart, just copy QStart.exe to any directory you choose. You may move it later if you wish. QStart doesn't care where it is. The first time you run QStart, it will ask for the path where quake.exe is located. Sorry, there's no list box to select the directory - you'll have to type it in. Don't include the 'quake.exe' portion - just the directory. You won't have to enter the directory again unless you move quake. Select the options you want, then just hit the 'Quake!' button to play. Easy, huh? To save a configuration, select the options you want, then press the 'Save Settings' button on the second tabbed page. This will bring up a dialog box where you can type in the name for the preset (up to 256 characters) or select an existing name. Pick or enter the name you want and hit OK. If you have trouble making DOS Quake close on exit when using QStart, make sure that you have a shortcut to quake.exe in your quake directory with 'close on exit' selected. It is NOT enough to select 'close on exit' in the Quake executable file properties box. I'm not sure why that is, but I do know you have to have the link for it to close automatically. If you wish to use an .ini file instead of the registry to store QStart's settings, simply run qstart with the .ini filename on the command line. For example, qstart.exe c:\quake\settings.ini will use settings.ini to store program information. If the file does not exist, QStart will create it. If the filename contains invalid characters, or is otherwise invalid, you won't get any warnings, but no information will be saved. Also, you cannot delete saved presets when using an .ini file - you'll have to do that manually. Uninstalling ------------ To uninstall QStart, run the program uninstal.exe (included in the zip file). Then delete all of the files from the zip. Notes ----- - QStart only places files that end in .rc and .cfg in the 'Configuration Files' list box. If you have config files with other extensions, you'll have to change the extension or exec them yourself in the 'Other' box on the second tabbed page. - If QStart seems to load slowly sometimes, it's because it does. The reason for this is the routine that reads in the maps. Each .bsp QStart finds is searched to verify it contains a level, since some .bsp's don't. This takes a second, but it prevents invalid entries in the map box. How to contact the author ------------------------- Ashley Bone awbone@mindspring.com You can check for updates to QStart at: http://www.mindspring.com/~awbone/quakestuff.html Comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Thanks for trying QStart!!