IdGamma FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - 1.2d ****************************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- SECTION 1. GENERAL INFORMATION [1.1] What is IdGamma? [1.2] What games does IdGamma support? [1.3] Do I have to run IdGamma every time I play my game? [1.4] Will IdGamma work with my Quake mod? [1.5] Where can I get the latest version of IdGamma? [1.6] Why was IdGamma written? [1.7] What does IdGamma do? [1.8] Will Idgamma make Quakeworld kick me off for cheating? [1.9] I like my games dark. Can IdGamma still help me? [1.10] Is there a Windows version of IdGamma? [1.11] What will Idgamma do in future versions? SECTION 2. INSTALLING AND UNINSTALLING [2.1] How do I install IdGamma? [2.2] What files does IdGamma install? [2.3] What is a ".zip" file? [2.4] What files does IdGamma modify? [2.5] How do I uninstall IdGamma? [2.6] How do I undo the changes made by IdGamma? SECTION 3. RUNNING IdGamma [3.1] How do I start IdGamma? [3.2] What variables do I enter and what do they do? SECTION 4. TIPS AND TRICKS [4.1] Recommended IdGamma settings. [4.2] Recommended autoexec.cfg and config.cfg settings. [4.3] Creating a shortcut on your desktop. [4.4] Applying different gamma levels with different maps. [4.5] Applying different gamma levels with different mods. [4.6] Using IdGamma with 2 video cards. [4.7] Playing demos instead of reloading the first map. SECTION 5. HOW DOES IDGAMMA WORK? [5.1] Modifying the palette. [5.2] Creating the pak file. [5.3] What is gamma? [5.4] What is intensity? [5.5] What is saturation? [5.6] What are fullbright colors? [5.7] Where can I find details on gamma, intensity and, saturation? SECTION 6. TROUBLESHOOTING [6.1] IdGamma has no effect when I run my game. [6.2] I ran IdGamma and it messed up my game settings. [6.3] IdGamma error messages. SECTION 7. SOURCES FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION SECTION 8. CREDITS, E-MAIL, AND WEB SITES ****************************************************************** SECTION 1. GENERAL INFORMATION [1.1] What is IdGamma? IdGamma is a program that brightens the colors in games by Id software. [1.2] What games does IdGamma support? Quake, Quake 2, Hexen 2, Quakeworld, GLQuakeworld, GLQuake, GLHexen2 both shareware and commercial versions. [1.3] Do I have to run IdGamma every time I play my game? No. After IdGamma is initially run, you may want to run it again to experiment with different variables. [1.4] Will IdGamma work with my Quake mod? For Quake1, IdGamma was tested and works with deathmatch, fortress and ctf mods. IdGamma will NOT work on the atf mod. For Quake2, IdGamma was tested and works for the ctf mods. Note: To get your mod to show the effects of IdGamma you may have to run it in the same directory as your mod. A good rule of thumb is that if the mod has the same look and feel of the original game, then IdGamma will work. [1.5] Where can I get the latest version of IdGamma? http://dimension128.smartcom.net/idgamma/ [1.6] Why was IdGamma written? The following is a posted message on a RIVA discussion board by me (Bill). It seems that Tom of Tom's hardware hit a sore spot while giving his review of the RIVA card. His calling the RIVA Mr. UGLY made me look at the quality of my display and Snake's autoexec.cfg very closely. Snake, your config was the best. I decided that Tom was correct, and felt that the visual experience could be improved dramatically. Of course, most of the other cards, did not look any better according to the screenshots. Even the Voodoo2 looked pretty bad. I then waited to see what improvements the new drivers would give (more than I feared, but not as much as I hoped). I believe that Tom's Mr. UGLY review and everyone's reaction to it were the deciding factors in making me write IdGamma. Thanks Tom [1.7] What does IdGamma do? IdGamma makes your IdGame appear brighter by replacing the original ID palette with brighter colors. Refer to section 5 for additional details. [1.8] Will Idgamma make Quakeworld kick me off for cheating? No. Any map or prog crc checking will not be affected by Idgamma. [1.9] I like my games dark. Can IdGamma still help me? Yes. IdGamma enhances the visual quality even at lower brightness settings. [1.10] What will Idgamma do in future versions? -Presently Idgamma still leaves shadows too dark, I am attemting to get ZOID at Id to give me access to the quake 1 source code to remedy this. -Fix the problem where When intensity is set to hi values, reds and blues increase more than greens. -Fix the restart map problem in quake1 and Hexen2 [1.11] Is there a Windows version of IdGamma? No. I want to make sure IdGamma runs on as many platforms as possible including OS/2 and Windows NT. I cannot guarantee that any non-DOS program that I write will do this. Just like almost anyone can run my basic source code, almost anyone can run my DOS application. I made Idgamma callable from a windows shell. I may develop this shell when all other problems are solved. ****************************************************************** SECTION 2. INSTALLING AND UNINSTALLING [2.1] How do I install IdGamma? Unzip the file "idgamma.zip" into the directory containing your game "pak" files. Example directories are: Quake 1 - C:\QUAKE\ID1 Quake 2 - C:\QUAKE2\BASEQ2 Quake 2 - C:\QUAKE2\CTF Hexen 2 - C:\HEXEN2\DATA1 *** WILL NEED TO UPDATE FOR NEXT RELEASE [2.2] What files does IdGamma install? IdGamma adds 6 files to the installation directory: bill.bat - Sample batch file with IdGamma settings. idgammafaq.txt - Frequently asked question (this document). idgamma.BAS - DOS Basic program source code. idgamma.txt - Program instructions. idgamma.dat - Saved variables from last run. idgamma.EXE - Executable program. idgamma.txt - Program instructions. [2.3] What is a ".zip" file? A ".zip" file is a compressed file containing other files within it. Uncompressing a ".zip" file will copy the files within it to a directory of your choice. The most popular program to compress/uncompress files is WinZip. WinZip can be downloaded from: http://www.winzip.com [2.4] What files does IdGamma modify? for quake 1 and hexen 2 and quake 2 Idgamma adds a pak file to your pak directory For quake 2 Idgamma changes settings in your config.cfg autoexec.cfg and ref_gl.dll [2.5] How do I uninstall IdGamma? Delete the files referred to in section [2.2]. [2.6] How do I undo the changes made by IdGamma? Delete the "pak" file that was created by IdGamma. Note: After running IdGamma, the last line displays the name of the "pak" file that was created and will be less than 100K bytes in size. The following is for quake2 only For quake2 using the reference opengl you must run idgamma and set q2defaultintensity to 2 Note: idgamma creates a backup of config.cfg and autoexec.cfg to config.idg and autoexec.idg every time it is run. ****************************************************************** SECTION 3. RUNNING IDGAMMA [3.1] How do I start IdGamma? Create a shortcut on your desktop or run it from the DOS prompt. When running IdGamma at the DOS prompt, make sure you are in the same directory that IdGamma was installed. Then type "idgamma" (without the quotes) to run. [3.2] What variables do I need to provide IdGamma? This section displays the prompts you receive from IdGamma and the default values. The variables are: Game - Quake 1, Quake 2, or Hexen2. Q2Default Intensity - Quake 2 only (always set this to 1) Intensity - How intense or bright the colors are. Glmodulate - How much light hits everything; also called luminesence. Gamma - How light everything is. Saturation - How much brighter colors get replaced with white as intensity and gamma increase. Refer to Section 5 for additional details. ****************************************************************** SECTION 4. TIPS AND TRICKS [4.1] Recommended IdGamma settings. Recommended settings are the default settings provided by IdGamma. For additional settings visit http://dimension128.smartcom.net/idgamma/ [4.2] Recommended autoexec.cfg and config.cfg settings. http://dimension128.smartcom.net/idgamma/ See my webpage for sample configurations. (these recommendations are changing rapidly ) [4.3] Creating a shortcut on your desktop. Using Explorer, go to the directory where you installed IdGamma. Select the file 'idgamma.EXE' then right mouse click. Select "Create Shortcut" from the pop-up window. Move the shortcut to your desktop. [4.4] Applying different gamma levels with different maps. 1 - Create a new subdirectory in your game directory. Example: md c:\quake2\darker 2 - Copy your config.cfg and IdGamma files to your new directory. Run IdGamma in this directory to get the desired results. 3 - Run your game with the command switch -game xxxxx. Example: quake2 -game darker [4.5] Applying different gamma levels for different mods. 1 - Make sure you have a config.cfg file in your mod. 2 - Run IdGamma in the same directory as your mod. [4.6] Using IdGamma with 2 video cards. For simplification I am calling the first card RIVA and the second card Voodoo. 1 - Run IdGamma and adjust the settings for your RIVA card. 2 - Find the name of the pak file created by IdGamma. This file will be in the same directory that IdGamma was installed and will be less than 100K bytes. The file name will be pak?.pak where ? will be a number from 1 through 9. Rename that pak file to pakx.nv3. 3 - Run IdGamma and adjust the settings for your Voodoo card. 4 - Find the name of the pak file created by IdGamma. This file will be in the same directory that IdGamma was installed and will be less than 100k bytes. The file name will be pak?.pak where ? will be a number from 1 through 9. Rename that pak file to pakx.vdo. Important: Replace the ? in pak?.pak with the proper number. 5 - Make 2 DOS batch files in the directory containing IdGamma. Important: Replace the ? in pak?.pak with the proper number. First batch file commands - voodoo.bat: ren pak?.pak pak?.nv3 ren pak?.vdo pak?.pak Important: Replace the ? in pak?.pak with the proper number. Second batch file commands - riva.bat: ren pak?.pak pak?.vdo ren pak?.nv3 pak?.pak Important: Replace the ? in pak?.pak with the proper number. 6 - Create shortcuts on your desktop to these batch files. Run voodoo.bat when using your Voodoo card and run riva.bat for your RIVA card. [4.7] Playing Demos instead of reloading the first map. This section is only for Quake1 and Hexen2. Instead of letting Quake1 reload the first map, let it run the first demo before starting a game. Note: I cannot get this to work in Quakeworld, but I am working on it ;-) ****************************************************************** SECTION 5. HOW DOES IdGamma WORK? [5.1] Modifying the palette. Palett.lmp consists of 256 colors. Each color has 1 byte for red, 1 byte for green, and 1 byte for blue. Each byte ranges from 0 to 255 with 0 being the darkest and 255 the lightest. For example, black would be 0,0,0 and white would be 255,255,255. Palette is the color information used in pcx and other graphics file formats. [5.2] Creating a "pak" file. IdGamma creates a "pak" file in your pak file directory (ID1 for Quake, Baseq2 for Quake2, and Data1 for Hexen2). This pak file contains a modified palette that is used by your game each time it is loaded. The palette in the pak file with the highest number is the palette used by your game. [5.3] What is gamma? The simple answer for this is that gamma makes objects lighter without adding color. With changes in gamma, shadows can be eliminated. A problem with setting gamma to a higher value without changing the intensity will make objects appear "washed" out. An approximation of gamma is the brightness setting on a monitor. [5.4] What is intensity? Intensity makes colors more vivid. An approximation of intensity is the contrast setting on a monitor. [5.5] What is saturation? Saturation occurs when higher settings of gamma or intensity cause lighter colors to be replaced with white. [5.6] What are fullbright colors? Fullbright colors are used in Quake1 and Hexen2. They are colors that stay bright no matter how dark it is. Examples of fullbrights are explosions or fires. Quake2 does not implement fullbrights as such. Note: This information was discovered after version 1.1 of IdGamma. [5.7] Where can I find more details about gamma, intensity, and saturation? Refer to Section 7 for additional details. ****************************************************************** SECTION 6. TROUBLESHOOTING [6.1] IdGamma has no effect when I run my game. You must reload the first map. Do the following AFTER you are in the first map: - When playing a single player game enter restart in the console. - When playing a multi player game, enter reconnect in the console. [6.2] I ran IdGamma and it messed up my game settings. You may have downloaded IdGamma with a 3rd party autoexec.cfg. That particular autoexec.cfg messed up your settings. Contact the provider of the autoexec.cfg file to obtain assistance. [6.3] IdGamma error messages. - No pak files found: IdGamma must be run from the same directory that your config.cfg or pak files are in. - Cannot find IdGamma.dat: IdGamma must be run from the same directory that the IdGamma.dat file is in. - Cannot find Ref_gl.dll: When changing settings for Quake2, IdGamma must be run from the directory just below Quake2: Example - QUAKE2\CTF or QUAKE2\BASEQ2 When trying to change Quake1 or Hexen2, you selected Quake2 by mistake. ****************************************************************** SECTION 7. SOURCES FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION Most of the following sources have to do with printing and converting colors from one system to another. [1] B. Berlin and P. Kay, Basic Color Terms (Berkeley, Calif.: U. of Calif. Press, 1969). [2] Publication CIE No 17.4, International Lighting Vocabulary (Vienna, Austria: Central Bureau of the Commission Internationale de L'?clairage). [3] LeRoy E. DeMarsh and Edward J. Giorgianni, "Color Science for Imaging Systems," in Physics Today, September 1989, 44-52. [4] W.F. Schreiber, Fundamentals of Electronic Imaging Systems, Second Edition (Springer-Verlag, 1991). [5] Publication CIE No 15.2, Colorimetry, Second Edition (Vienna, Austria: Central Bureau of the Commission Internationale de L'?clairage, 1986). [6] Gunter Wyszecki and W.S. Styles, Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae, Second Edition (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1982). [7] D.B. Judd and G?nter Wyszecki, Color in Business, Science and Industry, Third Edition (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1975). [8] R.W.G. Hunt, The Reproduction of Colour in Photography, Printing and Television, Fourth Edition (Tolworth, England: Fountain Press, 1987). [9] ITU-R Recommendation BT.709, Basic Parameter Values for the HDTV Standard for the Studio and for International Programme Exchange (1990), [formerly CCIR Rec. 709] (Geneva: ITU, 1990). [10] Bruce J. Lindbloom, "Accurate Color Reproduction for Computer Graphics Applications", Computer Graphics, Vol. 23, No. 3 (July 1989), 117-126 (proceedings of SIGGRAPH '89). [11] William B. Cowan, "An Inexpensive Scheme for Calibration of a Colour Monitor in terms of CIE Standard Coordinates", in Computer Graphics, Vol. 17, No. 3 (July 1983), 315-321. [12] SMPTE RP 177-1993, Derivation of Basic Television Color Equations. [13] Television Engineering Handbook, Featuring HDTV Systems, Revised Edition by K. Blair Benson, revised by Jerry C. Whitaker (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992). This supersedes the Second Edition. [14] Roy Hall, Illumination and Color in Computer Generated Imagery (Springer-Verlag, 1989). [15] Chet S. Haase and Gary W. Meyer, "Modelling Pigmented Materials for Realistic Image Synthesis", in ACM Transactions on Graphics, Vol. 11, No. 4, 1992, p. 305. [16] Maureen C. Stone, William B. Cowan and John C. Beatty, "Color Gamut Mapping and the Printing of Digital Color Images", in ACM Transactions on Graphics, Vol. 7, No. 3, October 1988. [17] Charles A. Poynton, A Technical Introduction to Digital Video (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1996). [18] Agfa Corporation, An introduction to Digital Color Prepress, Volumes 1 and 2 (Mt.Prospect, Ill.: Prepress Education Resources, 800 395 7007, 1990). [19] Robert Ulichney, Digital Halftoning (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1988). [20] Peter Fink, PostScript Screening: Adobe Accurate Screens (Mountain View, Calif.: Adobe Press, 1992). [21] Color management systems: Getting reliable color from start to finish, Adobe Systems, . [22] Overview of color publishing, Adobe Systems, . Despite appearances and title, this document is in grayscale, not color. ****************************************************************** SECTION 8. CREDITS, E-MAIL, AND WEB SITES (for a more complete listing of the credits goto http://dimension128.smartcom.net/idgamma/credits) E-Mail addresses and web sites: Bill Farmer - farmer@esslink.com - http://dimension128.smartcom.net/idgamma/ P.Chen - pc@smartcom.net voodoovixen - voodoovixen@usa.net http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/5695/ snake - snake@dimension128.smartcom.net http://dimension128.smartcom.net Mike Chambers - mcham@visi.net - http://members.visi.net/~mcham/viper/ WinZip - http://www.winzip.com/ ID Software - http://www.idsoftware.com/ RivaZone - http://www.rivazone.com/ END OF FAQ 1 2 3 4 5 6 012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345 ******************************************************************