OpenArena Message Boards

I couldn't find any documentation (not that I have searched that much but i did in the obvious places), so I asked some people and I finally got it with an explaination from Zero. Now I thought let's make it a bit easier for other people and put it some place where you can actually find it. So here we go, tutorial howto install brightskins :)
Note: If you just want to set your model to brightskin, skip all and goto step 5. So just connect to a server with brightskins and you can select it in the model menu.
Note2: I have windows (XP but others work too) and am not familiar with Linux or OS X that much. You can replace any folders with the right ones for your OS (some are DO NOT LINK[/b]) h t t p s : / / openarena . wikia . com/wiki/Servers]here (http://([b) at the bottom). For the batch to start the game you could try a shortcut with the arguments, though I never tried any scripting in other operating systems.
Note3: This topic is just informative. I do not say I am for or against brightskins, matter of fact is that some people prefer it and therefore there should be a clear guide imo. No further discussion in this topic about it please. Thank you.

Step one - download the brightskin file
Click to download (http://easyupload.nl/f/HLbKmJHH). This is the version I have, there could be are other ones around.

Step two - putting it in the right folder
Open the folder %appdata%\openarena\ (you can type it in the run command, press windowskey + R). There is a baseoa directory and probably some mods. We are going to create a folder which will make the server look like it's running a mod (that is appearently needed according to the explaination I got). In this example called just CTF. Make the folder and put the file you downloaded together with server.cfg in there. (if the directory already exists, just put the downloaded files in there).

Step three - server startscript
Create a batch file in the openarena directory (like C:\program files\openarena-0.8.1) and name it as you like. In this tutorial I will use startserver.bat as example. Now rightclick and choose Edit. Type:
oa_ded.exe +exec server.cfg +set fs_game CTF
The important part is +set fs_game CTF, CTF is the foldername you have put the brightskins in. If you have a different name, type that.
Btw you might want to add other settings like +set dedicated 2 or +set net_port 27960, I actually make this tutorial for if you already have a server but explain the steps I take so if you do it different you can adapt.

Step four - starting the server
It is easier to just create a shortcut to startserver.bat on your desktop, but if you like you can also just leave it as it is. Anyhow, open startserver.bat.

Step five - setting your model to brightskin
Launch openarena and connect to your server (look in multiplayer/local, and set show empty on). Once loaded press escape and goto setup > player > model. Then use the arrows to browse through the models untill you see the brightskins (sometimes they show as colored squares, just try some).
Or in short select ur model like you usually would via the menu's.

Done!
Well this is how I did it and it worked both for me and another person. If you have any trouble, reply and we'll see what we can do :) (include the command you use to start the server and maybe additional information about what you exactly did).

Good luck!

Edit: A good comment from GrosBedo

The excessiveplus mod supports natively bright skins for all oa models (as of 0.8.1). You just have to set /xp_enemyModel "smarine" and /xp_enemyColors 22222 to get all your enemies green smarines. To install it, just turn on automatic downloads and connect to an excessiveplus server, like this (http://dpmaster.deathmask.net/?game=openarena&server=67.231.251.90:27955) one. However, that will only work on excessiveplus servers.

how about forcing brightskins on all enemymodels different than my own player model? how can I do that?

You cannot force enemymodels on standard openarena.

/xp_enemyColors xxxxx

The format represents the colors for 5 model parts: "rail trail" "head" "body" "legs" "rail spiral".

    Examples:

    /xp_enemyModel rai
    /xp_enemyColors 22223

    0 - is black.
    1 - is red.
    2 - is green.
    3 - is yellow.
    4 - is blue.
    5 - is aqua.
    6 - is fuchsia.
    7 - is white.

The color scheme is also used for crosshair colors "/xp_crosshairColor 1" and forcing the color of your player model (/xp_colors 00000).

These commands can be safely used with the original Quake III cvar "/cg_forceModel 1" which forces both enemies and team-mates to have the same model.

-------------------------------------------------------


In E+ there is something close to this.  You can force the colors of the enemy but leave their models intact "/xp_enemyModel xp". This command is not compatible, for obvious reasons, with "/cg_forceModel 1".

For a partial list of E+ Client options (perhaps the OA Devs can cherry pick a few for baseoa) click HERE (http://oa.goquake.com/wp-content/e+_docs/client.html):

Just revive this old thread , but this helped me a lot, many thx RMF 

RMF have you forgot to connect to #openarenahelp D: !!

Are you seriously going to promote that in every turn?

To add a few more informations on the subject:

- About step 2: you can either make brightskins optional or required for every clients.

If you set as optional, players which already have the brightskin on their computer (and in the correct gamemod folder!) will be able to use them. Else, the other players will have to download the brightskin by themselves.

If required, the players will have to enable autodownload to connect to your server in order to download the brightskin, but every player will have the brightskin.

Optional or required depends on where you place your brightskins .pk3 file (just like any .pk3 file).

To set the brightskin as optional, do as RMF said: place your file in /homepath/gamemod/ (eg: %appdata%\OpenArena\CTF)
To set the brightskin as required: place your pk3 in /basepath/gamemod/ (eg: C:\where_you_installed_OA\CTF)

- About step 3: you don't necessarily have to launch your server with a fake gamemod ("CTF"), you can start without fs_game (or fs_game "baseoa", which is the same as nothing/default value).

BUT, this is generally recommended, and almost mandatory if you want your brightskins (or other additional packages) to be required for download for your clients: you don't want to mess with your clients OA install, and by setting a fake gamemod such as "CTF", all your additional content will be downloaded by your clients in the "CTF" subdirectory (and fake mod), and thus, it won't conflict with their "baseoa" (the standard OpenArena).

So please, use a fake mod if you want to provide required additional content to your clients.

Are you sure about this thing?
I didn't know that...

PS: It seems the download link in RMF's first post (this link (http://easy-upload.nl/f/HLbKmJHH)) has got some problem. Does someone have got an alternate location?

Very strange... I've just done a try with the zz-proskins2.pk3 file you find attached here (I got it years ago while playing on some modded insta server) - NOTE: it contains brightskins for sarge/grism ONLY, it's not the same file mentioned in the first post by RMF!

I placed it on one machine, in basepath\baseoa (I used baseoa considering this is just a test), then lauched OA and loaded a map (sv_allowdownload 0): my character was sarge, so it showed the bright skin.
On a second machine (that does not have that pk3 in homepath\baseoa or basepath\baseoa), I launched OA and connected to the first one. I saw the other character absolutely normal, without the brightskin.

Then I moved the pk3 on the first machine from basepath to homepath, and repeated the test. Same exact result.

Then I tried again, this time setting sv_allowdownload 1 on the first machine, and connected again from the second one. Nothing new: the second machine did not download anything, and showed player1 with classic skin.
Then I moved the pk3 back to basepath in the first machine, set sv_allowdownload 1 on it, and connected from the second machine again. No changes.

I don't understand why does my client NOT download that file at all!?!?
But I originally got that file while autodownloading from some server that was using some mod...
I really don't understand...

If you want pk3 files to be required (and thus downloaded), put them into the mod's folder (i.e. "CTF" in this case, either in homepath or basepath, doesn't matter).
Anything in basegame (i.e. "baseoa") is optional (except for maps of course). Those files are downloaded when the client has downloads enabled, but will not be downloaded when disabled.

Thank you Grey Matter for the correction about gamemod's folder.

But about basegame being autodownloaded if autodownload is enabled, that's not true, at least with the current engine. Files placed in baseoa will never be autodownloaded (and I'm not talking about maps, brightskins and other additional contents are just skipped if the client does not have them, autodownload doesn't matter).

Fixed it, thanks ;)