Chapter 6. Navigation

Table of Contents

6.1. Moving Around
6.2. Navigation Helper
6.2.1. Obstacle (Wall, Door and Slope) Indications
6.2.2. Hazard Detection
6.2.3. Open Space Detection
6.2.4. Corner Detection
6.3. Independent Navigation Aids
6.3.1. Footsteps
6.3.2. The Compass
6.3.3. Waypoint Markers

6.1. Moving Around

To move around, use the arrow keys. Turning is implemented in a familiar way to users of accessible games – pressing the arrow keys snaps the player round a certain number of degrees. By default, the player has a 16-point turn (that is to say each tap of the arrow keys will turn you 22.5 degrees in that direction).

Tip

You can adjust the turning value, as well as many other aspects of the game – read Customising AudioQuake to find out how.

A very important move in Quake is “strafing”. To strafe, hold down ALT and press-and-hold the left or right arrow key. This moves you from side-to-side and helps you avoid incoming enemy fire.

To jump, press SPACE. To jump over a gap in front of you, move up to the gap using the up arrow and press SPACE as you reach the edge. If you need to do a running jump, hold down the SHIFT key as well as the up arrow. Holding down SHIFT makes you run instead of walk.

6.2. Navigation Helper

AudioQuake provides a number of features to help you get around maps. These can all be toggled on/off. Some, but not all of them, are on by default (again, please read the customisation section for more information).

To toggle the whole of the navigation subsystem on/off, use the N key.

6.2.1. Obstacle (Wall, Door and Slope) Indications

If turned on, you'll hear a sound to your left, in front of you and to your right to indicate if a wall, slope (which could be some steps or a ramp) or a door is present near you in any of these directions. The sounds get louder the closer you are to the obstacle in question.

The sound that walls make falls off more quickly than the sound steps/ramps and doors make. Also, side wall warnings are off by default – though you'll always be told about doors and slopes to your left and right. The fact that walls are given lower priority than slopes and doors should allow you to locate the key features of the map more efficiently. You can toggle the announcement of walls to your left and right with the E key. All obstacle sounds can be turned off with the W key.

6.2.1.1. Wall Hit and Touch Warnings

If you bump in to a wall, you'll hear an “oomph” sound to indicate this has happened. Depending on how you've set up AudioQuake, you may also hear a continuous “wall-touch” sound played as long as you are still touching the wall.

To toggle the sound that indicates you're still right next to a wall, use the T key.

6.2.2. Hazard Detection

The Navigation Helper also tells you when you are coming up to a ledge, drop or pit of some kind. If you are, it will produce a beep every half-second in the direction the drop can be found. Toggle hazard warnings with H and toggle the announcement of drops to your sides on/off with I.

Press J to be told if you can make a jump or a running jump over the drop. If you're not facing a ledge, you'll hear an access denied sound.

Tip

The EtherScan RADAR (which you'll learn about shortly) has a mode that helps you to make jumps over pits.

You can find out how big a drop is by the pitch of the beep. There are 4 classifications:

  • Negligible drop – not announced.

  • Small drop – requires jumping to get over.

  • Big drop – a drop that is too tall for you to jump back out of and get back to where you were before you fell down it.

  • Huge drop – a drop this big will hurt you if you fall all the way to the ground (note that water will cushion you).

To find out what's at the bottom, use the K key. You will get the access denied sound if you are too far away or not facing a ledge. If you are successful, you'll be told that the drop is either onto the ground or into water, slime or the dreaded lava.

Tip

Pick up a BioSuit Power-Up to survive slime.

6.2.3. Open Space Detection

This gives you a bit more of a feel for how big the area around you actually is. It will play a gentle wind sound at various points in front of you if there are no walls or other obstacles in that direction. The sounds are generated in a sweep from left to right around you, in response to a pres of the L key. It works as if you were using a mobility cane to scan the area – though it has significantly greater range.

The distance over which obstacles are scanned for is the navigation detection range and is customisable (please read Customising AudioQuake for more details).

6.2.4. Corner Detection

Corner detection searches for corners that could lead to corridors, alcoves, etc. Left and Right turnings are detected in the direction the player is facing. When a turning is detected, you'll be alerted by a sound right in front of you. This sound is quickly followed by the same tone played from the position just 'round the corner.

If corners are detected in both the left and right directions, the left corner is announced first.

Toggle corner detection on/off with the X key.

6.3. Independent Navigation Aids

The navigation helper described in the previous section has a number of sub-features. They are all disengaged when you toggle the navigation helper off (as they are all linked).

This chapter describes some helpful features that are not tied to, or part of, the main navigation helper.

6.3.1. Footsteps

Footsteps can tell you a lot – whether you're moving and, if so, how fast. They can be toggled with the letter F key. As with all other keys, this can be customised.

When you are totally stuck on an object, you will not be able to move. Consequently your footsteps will stop. If you're scraping along a wall (i.e. caught on it but still moving) you'll hear a scraping sound as you walk along – you'll also hear the footsteps' speed drop to indicate you're not walking freely.

If you're stuck on an object, you'll continue to hear the “oomph” sound described above when you try to move in the direction it lies.

6.3.2. The Compass

To find out what direction you're pointing in, use the compass (C by default). As a convention, you're always pointing “North” when you start a map.

Note

The compass works best when the player turn angle (the number of degrees you've specified that the player should turn for each press of an arrow key, agv_mov_turnvalue in autoexec.cfg) is 30, 22.5 or 45. This is because the compass only knows the names of so many directions you could be pointing in. It'll announce the nearest one it can if you're not pointing at a known direction exactly.

6.3.3. Waypoint Markers

This is a helpful feature that will tell you if you've been somewhere before. You can leave a marker at any point in a map. It will make a sound continuously to let you know it is there. When you walk through it, you'll be informed which marker number it is (the number is incremented each time you drop a marker).

To drop a marker, press INSERT. To delete the last one you dropped, press DELETE.