Rock2ober FAQ

[NOTE: This is general information about the yearly Rock2ober events. For specific information about the latest Rock2ober event, check the latest post.]

1. What is Rock2ober?

“Rock2ober” is an attempt, once a year, to fill a Quakeworld server with 32 people, to create the most intense, action packed gaming experience possible.

2. Whoa there, I haven’t played for AGES, and I fear my return will be embarassing and depressing.

Ok, I won’t lie. The regular AGR players have been playing EVERY single week for over a decade now, so, yes you probably won’t be the ‘star player’. On the other hand, here are 4 reasons you shouldn’t worry about it

  1. AGR is *team* oriented, so there will be Gurus on your team.
  2. There are team frags only, so noone is keeping individual scores
  3. If you have a name/reputation/legacy you wish to protect, then play under an alias
  4. If you have basic FPS skills, you can always just get in there, and start killing enemy players, DM (Death Match) style.
  5. Everyone will be too busy playing to give a s**t.

2. What’s this ‘AGR’ you speak of?

Attackers Go Red (‘AGR’) is a mod based on Quake1 CustomTeamFortress. If you haven’t played AGR before, you really should read the Absolute Beginners FAQ, to get an understanding of the unique gameplay, and special features of this mod. I’m not going to tell you it is the greatest mod ever, because that would make me sound conceited, but if I told you it wasn’t the greatest TF mod ever, I would be lying. 😉

3. How is this different from the Weekly AGR Sessions?

The Weekly AGR Sessions give AGR fans a fixed time and place they can meet up every weekend, and play a BIG, quality, organised, action packed Session. Players are free to pop in whenever they have the time. Rock2ober is different, in that players are asked to make a special effort to play at a certain date and time, and thus ensure a 32 player game. Also Rock2ober focuses on one map – rock2.

4. Do I have to book my place?

No. Just show up on the day. You should register though if you want 100% access to spammy weapons, and so you can get on the mailing list and be contactable (via email)  if there’s any last minute issues or changes in server location.

5. Why rock2?

Because it’s my favourite map. And it truly ROCKS with 32 players! Here’s an interview with its creator.

6. Will 32 people show up?

No-one knows. The question is, can you live with yourself if a 32 player game happens and you miss out?

7. How do I install AGR on my computer?

Follow the instructions at this link.

8. AGR seems really complex, is it?

Well yes, there is a learning curve, as there are more options than ‘vanilla’ TF, but if you read the CustomTF FAQ it will all make sense. In any case, you can pick the standard classes and start have fun immediately. The best way to get good fast is to watch the Rock2ober movies  to get an insight into the strategies and mindset of the worlds best AGR players.

9. How can I watch the game as a spectator?

Since all 32 slots are taken by players, connecting in spectator mode is not possible. There has been a discussion as to the possibility of ppl watching the game via connecting to a QTV server, but this is probably not going to happen.

10. I’m in Europe, wont the ping make this unplayable?

Not at all! The server is based in the USA, and I play from Australia. Not only are there plenty of sneaky classes and skills you can use which don’t depend on ping, but the gameplay has been adjusted so that so those with a high ping can still ‘kick arse’.

11. Why is this website so ugly, can’t you fix it up, and make it look more ‘modern’? It’s not 1998 you know..

Maybe I will. I’m happy conveying information as quickly, and clearly as possible – that is a ‘beautiful’ thing in itself. Besides, I save my energy for coding, gameplay, and  promotions. In any case, 1998 was a ‘golden era’ for gaming, and I’m happy for the ‘style’ (or lack thereof) here to be evocative of that era.

12. What do you miss the most about old skool Q1 TF?

Ironically, it’s this:

13. I’m really new to all this, I keep hearing about ‘Attackers Go Red’, ‘AGR’, ‘CustomTF’, ‘Quakeworld’, ‘TF’- what’s the story?

Ok, here’s a brutally short history: In the beginning there was Quake (which everyone born before 1985 has heard of..?), then there was Quakeworld (which was a version of Quake for internet multiplayer gameplay), then there was ”Capture the Flag'(‘CTF’) which introduced teams and flags to capture, then there was ‘Team Fortress’ (‘TF’) which introduced different classes of players with different skills and weapons, then there was ‘CustomTF’ (‘CuTF’) which allowed you to customise your own class (and included a bunch of new weapons and abilities), and this brings us to ‘Attackers Go Red’ (‘AGR’), which removes the Red Flag, separates Attackers and Defenders into two teams, rewards Blue for Defending, and added numerous changes to facilitate its’ unique gameplay. I used to refer to the game as ‘AGR CustomTF’, but many players who didn’t like CustomTF didn’t know that AGR gameplay is radically different, and most CustomTF fans dismissed AGR as some kind of twisted abomination; so these days I just refer to the mod as ‘AGR TF’, or just ‘AGR’.

14. Why does anyone bother playing such an ancient looking game?

The same reason people still do such an ancient thing as the missionary position. Besides, it’s not ‘old’, there have been many changes, and the game is still being refined in 2011[EDIT: 2016!], you can read articles about the latest changes on this very website! [EDIT: 2023: If it looks ‘ancient’, that’s because you’re using an older client like EZQuake. To experience AGR in all its glory, use the official client FTE]

15. Can I see a video?

YES:

And the Original