Getting Started

Regardless if you're a player new to first person shooters entirely or a seasoned Quake veteran, the following advice is helpful for a fresh install:

• Rebind your weapons to keys that are quickly and easily accessible.
• Adjust your graphics settings for visibility and stable performance.
• A small difference in skill and knowledge can mean a large point difference on the scoreboard.

Gameplay

To introduce some terminologies of the game, an in-control player is the player who has the advantage in fights and is controlling the points of interest in the game. The out-of-control player is the disadvantaged player. The victor is not always the one with the superior aim, but typically the one who can use the map to his or her advantage.

Server Browser Categories

There are various configurations and game modes available. Thus, it can be easy to get the wrong impression of what the game is about because of various custom settings in place by a server administrator. The following section introduces two configurations that best represent Xonotic then two popular categories.

Normal Servers

Xonotic's default settings have no conditions and limits on picking up items and typically only have the core selection of weapons. This setting is appropriate for most game modes except Duel (1v1) and Race CTS . It is considered an approachable gateway for players new to arena shooters; however because of the lack of restrictions on item pick ups and the presence of power ups, it favors the in-control player in matches with a small amount of players. Although it is considered the Official setting, it is not used for tournaments and events.

Competitive

Also known as Xonotic Pro Mode (XPM), this is the setting commonly used on Duel servers and it is also the settings used in tournaments and events for other game modes. Players from other arena shooter games are recommended to play on these types of servers.

Defrag Mode

Also known as Xonotic Defrag Mode (XDF), this is the setting used on Defrag servers and it is often the necessary physics and weapon balance needed to complete custom maps. Recommended for "defraggers" from other arena shooter games.

Instagib + Hook

A mutator where gameplay is centric around two weapons, the Vaporizer and Grappling Hook . Players are killed within one shot and typically maps are vast open areas. From the nature of the mutator, there are no items to control.

For New Server Admins

While the technical details of setting up a basic Xonotic server are provided along with a Xonotic install, it is only the barebones and often it is not conventional of certain game modes. Extra balance and physics sets are contained within Xonotic, located at data/xonotic-<release>-data.pk3.

Capture the Flag (CTF)

CTF matches are typically 15-20 minutes long to permit the underdog team some time to make a comeback. This mode is often played with the Instagib mutator, thus many custom maps are designed for Instagib and suboptimal for the standard game.

Duel (1v1)

Duels are 10 minutes long using Xonotic Pro Mode (XPM) balance. Even if the server is intended to cater to beginners or casuals, the default balance favors the in-control player, by making it possible to starve the out-of-control player entirely thus makes it difficult to turn around a match.

Race CTS

CTS matches are typically expected to be played with Xonotic Defrag Mode. While the standard maps are possible to complete with the default settings, the majority of custom maps require XDF physics and weapon balance to complete. 

Common Issues

• Clients get a "black map" and can only see items and other players.

This means the download for the custom map has failed, and is either a client side contingency, or the link the server has provided to its clients is invalid.

• Missing textures on custom maps (checkerboard textures).

The server does not have a texture package that the map relies on. If it is a map from Quake 3, there is a compatibility package .

• Invisible wall at the player's spawn point

​Setting the following server side, allows the players to pass through usually without introducing major map exploits:

g_playerclip_collisions 0

• Bots do not move and can not properly navigate the map.

​The map does not contain waypoints for the bots. This is the mapper's problem. The following can be used to skip maps that do not have waypoints should there be too little players on the server.

g_maplist_check_waypoints 0

• Map causes server to crash.

​This is often because the server failed to generate the map info file (as the map did not come with one). One can be manually made and edited from a template ; the file is then supposed to be placed in ~/.xonotic/data/maps/. 

Guides and Tutorials

• Halogenes Newbie Tutorial , a popular and comprehensive guide for new players introducing items, weapons and recommended client side configurations.
• A Strafe Jump Lesson for Xonotic , YouTube video demonstration instructing how to do a basic circle jump and strafe jump.