Beta 2: Visual Aids

Quake 3 Fortress: Beta2 now includes support for Deaf and hearing impaired players. When enabled, certain audio events will trigger an icon to appear in the viewing area of the HUD (Heads-Up Display).

At any given moment, up to three icons will be visible on the lower right hand side of the screen (default). As the sound which triggers them disappears, the icon will stay for a short while and then also disappear. These icons are meant to assist the player during the game, and can be used by anyone who is unable to hear due to physical, hardware, or environmental constraints. Enable Visual Aids with the command cg_visualaids 1 to enable the icons in the HUD.

There are many different icons, each with a certain color to assist the player in quickly deciding on the likelihood that the icon signals impending danger. Icons will be triggered by friends, foes, and the player’s character. There is no advantage to using or disabling the icons system. These icons are only triggered by sounds within the player’s range of hearing.

Environmental Icons
These icons are triggered by sounds and events which are not necessarily reason to enter the “fight or flight” stage of awareness. Except for those rare doors and lifts that are intended to cause pain, these icons suggest a reason to be alert, but only mild danger to the player


Water – While blue, this icon, depicting waves, signals water sounds created when someone walks in any water which creates a “splashing” sound


Action – This icon, a circle with an exclamation mark, signals when some action has occurred within the structure of the map. Doors opening or closing, lifts rising or falling, grates opening, etc.


Jump Pad – A circle with a separated up arrow depicts all jump pads, or launch ramps. Some maps contain acceleration areas that do not look like the “typical” jump pad. If they act like a jump pad and sound like a jump pad, they will trigger this icon as well


Building – The icon of a wrench will show when an engineer is building a sentry gun or supply station in the area. Caution should be taken to ensure it is not the creation of the enemy


Weapons / Medium Danger Icons
When these icons are triggered by either friendly or enemy forces, caution should be observed. Getting too close to the source of the sound may result in a very bad day.


HE Set – This icon shows a High Energy explosive inside a circle. The icon is used when the grenadier has set his HE, signalling the start of the timer (anywhere from 5 to 180 seconds). Be wary, this icon flashes again to signal a 3 second quick count to explosion. If you aren't feeling lucky, you'd better run!

Sentry Gun – A sentry gun shows that somewhere within player’s range of hearing is a sentry gun. A sentry gun that has been placed by an engineer gives off an occasional sound as it scans left and right. There is no indication of whether this gun belongs to a teammate, or to an enemy engineer. Be wary of an enemy sentry guns built inside a friendly base.


Grenade – This bouncing grenade is used to indicate all explosive devices. All bouncing grenades trigger this icon as well as the grenadier’s pipes.
Tip: If the grenade bounces, but does not explode, it is likely that a pipe trap is being laid by a grenadier


Minigunner – The icon of a Minigunner’s chain gun warns that a Minigunner has his chain gun spun up and is waiting for someone to run by. The Minigunner is a formidable class, a weapon in his own right. When the chain gun is spun up, be careful not to present a target to his hail of shots.

DANGER Icons (Red)
When these icons are visible, the potential for pain is great. When red flashes on the screen, it is time to run, jump, dodge, and weave. These icons are triggered by explosions, gunfire, and personal pain; make sure to deal out a little pain too. ;-)


Pain – When the red exclamation flashes on the screen, this is an indication that the player has been wounded. The screen will flash red, as well as a hit reduction to the health meter; the icon is just another way to alert the player


Gunfire – Whenever any gun is fired nearby, this icon will appear. Friendly or enemy fire is not distinguishable, so care must be taken.
Tip: Learn to connect icons together, the Minigunner spin-up plus the gunfire icon, or the grenade plus the gunfire icon which can mean the grenadier has fired off his pipes


Explosion – When a grenade (hand, flash, or concussion flavor), pipes, or pipe bomb trap explodes, this icon, a red explosion, will alert the player if it happens within hearing distance


Nail Grenade – Nail grenades have a nasty habit of hanging around and dealing out death. The red nail grenade icon will trigger to warn of the danger


HE Explosion – This icon indicates when the HE grenade has exploded, which will help in offensive and defensive strategies. If the player lives to see the HE icon, there is potential to take advantage of the situation. If the player, on the other hand, ignores the HE set icon, this icon might never appear on the screen