TF2 Guide to Scripting/HUDs/Reticles/More

Update: July 18th 2013

IMPORTANT: In order to do anything you must first make a folder called "MyStuff" (it can be called anything you want, but make it something simple) in this location: Your Main harddrive (Normally (C:)) > Program Files (x86/64) (Depending on if your computer is 64bit or 32bit) > Steam > Steamapps > common > team fortress 2 > tf > custom > MyStuff/Folder Name


Hello! I am schy and I will be making a quick guide on customizing your TF2.

A little bit about myself: I am currently on a UGC 6s Steel Scout playing for the team "Suicide Squad". I have been playing TF2 on and off for about 2 years and have 1400+ Hours on it.

I may make another or add onto this talking about actually in game. (Advanced settings, viewmodel_fov, FOV, viewmodels, etc)

But for ease of explanation, ALL info will be down in this location:

Your Main harddrive (Normally (C:)) > Program Files (x86/64) (Depending on if your computer is 64bit or 32bit) > Steam > Steamapps > common > team fortress 2 > tf > custom > MyStuff/Folder Name





Table of Contents:

1.What is a HUD?
2.Picking a HUD
3.Installing a HUD

4. Installing Script
5. What Scripts should I install?
6. Making Your Own Scripts
7. Having Multiple Scripts
8. My(Schylige) Own Scripts

9. What is a Crosshair?
10. What Crosshair should I choose?
11. Installing a Crosshair
12. HUD Crosshairs
13. Competitive Play Crosshairs

13. What is a Hitsound?
14. What Hitsound does everyone use?
15. How to install a Hitsound
16. MY HITSOUND WON'T WORK

17. TF2 Launch Options (Have TF2 Fullscreened but no pesky tabbing out wait)

18. TF2 Resources/Sites for Custom Files

19. Resetting TF2 to Default

20. Schylige's Stuff

21. /vg/ guides






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Installing HUDs

1. A HUD, or Head-Up Display, is basically a skin for your TF2's look. It can change the way your health looks, ammo looks, ubercharge bar look, etc.

If you want to install a HUD you will first have to pick a HUD

2. A variety of HUDs can be found here:
http://teamfortress.tv/forum/thread/183/1

I personally use BroeselHUD. Now when choosing a HUD, you must remember that yeah, having glittery, shiny, super pr0 looking HUDs can look nice but they can affect your game play in two ways. a) It can mess with your FPS and overall quality of your game and b) People can find it distracting for the eyes.

3. Now, most HUDs have a "readme" file which explains how to install the HUD but I will briefly go over to it.

You will either be downloading a .zip or .rar file when getting a HUD. You can either extract it to any location and drag the files over to the designated location or actually extract the files in the location itself. You will want to go to the follow location:

Your Main harddrive (Normally (C:)) > Program Files (x86/64) (Depending on if your computer is 64bit or 32bit) > Steam > Steamapps > Team Fortress 2 > tf2 > common > FolderName > place the resource and script folder here.

Then extract and extract/drag the files from the HUD folder in there. It will generally be a "resource" folder and a "script" folder. Occasionally you will find a "sound" and "cfg" folder as well, just do the same thing as you would with Resource/Script folders.

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4. Installing Scripts

Now, like said previously, some HUDs come with scripts. If they do, then just replace the cfg folder with your HUD's cfg folder.

"But Schylige, I have all this text on a website and I don't know what to do it with it?"

That is simple, simply copy and paste all of the script(Either manually copy it all or press ctrl + a) and then copy(ctrl + c).
After that open up Notepad or Notepad++ and paste(ctrl + v) all of the script into Notepad. Once you've done that, click file > save as > and type the name for "autoexec.cfg" and DO NOT SAVE YET. After that, go to "Save as type" and select "All Types", then you can save. Make sure you know where you saved this file.

Now go to the location of where you saved this and go to the normal location

Your Main harddrive (Normally (C:)) > Program Files (x86/64) (Depending on if your computer is 64bit or 32bit) > Steam > Steamapps > Team Fortress 2 > tf2 > common > FolderName > cfg > place your cfg here, it must be .cfg file

But then go to the folder called "cfg" and drag in your Autoexec.cfg file into it.

5. What Scripts should I install?

Now, there are illegal scripts and I will not be sharing those for obvious reasons but there are PLENTY of scripts you can use for lagg issues, voice command issues, bindings, Crosshairs, etc.

If you have problems with lag I suggest you go to Chris' FPS Config which can be found:
http://fakkelbrigade.eu/chris/configs/
Chris also has a video which explains what each setting can affect which I will not be covering as I am only covering the basics.
But basically you will most likely be using highframes script which is what I use which is slightly modded.

6. Making your own scripts
I will not being going over any of this in depth but basically, use this as your guide
http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Scripting
Then save the script in notepad and save it like you would any scripts

7. Have multiple scripts?

Now, if you have multiple scripts it is easy just to combine it as one and should do so. Simply copy all of your scripts and paste it in the original "autoexec.cfg" and save normally. In order to edit the .cfg files you WILL need Notepad++ which can be found here:
http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Simply right click the .cfg file and click "Edit with Notepad++"


8. What Scripts does Schylige use?

I use a personally modified Chris' FPS Config and a Voice Binding Script which can be found here:

Spoiler:

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9. What is a Crosshair?

A Crosshair or reticle is basically the image that you use to aim with. But default TF2 looks something like (  o  ) which can be boring. TF2 gives you a bit of crosshairs but they can be boring.

10. Picking a Crosshair

Crosshairs are completely preference and there is no right or wrong answer, the default crosshair is just fine.
11. Installing Crosshairs

These are two great places where you can get TF2 Crosshairs:
http://gamebanana.com/tf2/sprites/3017
http://teamfortress.tv/forum/thread/1261-fogs-custom-hud-crosshairs-version-2-0-released

TF2 Crosshairs are VERY simple to install all you have to do is:

Extract To C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortess 2\tf2\custom\YourFolderName\


HUD Crosshairs:

Additionally, HUD's will usually have crosshairs. Read the "README" file in the HUD.

But HUDs will have their crosshairs in the script\hudlayout.res

If you are more advanced with HUDs and know more about it but don't know how to transfer crosshairs to another HUD, Ray's Crosshair Guide will teach you how to do it.


Competitive Play:
Most of you reading this probably do not do competitive TF2 but having installed crosshairs that are not a HUD Crosshair will sometimes not work due to the sv_pure config implemented into the server.

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Hitsounds

12. What is a hitsound?
A hitsound is an advanced option which you can enable and disable. When you shoot/hit/do any type of damage to someone it will play a noise. Aka Dinaling

13. What Hitsound should I get?

Again, this is preference but most players use the Quake Hitsound which can be found:
http://fakkelbrigade.eu/archives/1728/quake-3-hitsound-for-tf2
The reason why everyone uses this is because they're autistic. But really it because of just preference and it sounds nice. I will upload a collection of my own hitsounds in the "Schylige's Stuff" section.

Additionally, a lot of people upload and download hitsounds here: http://tf2dingalings.com/sounds


14. How to install a Hitsound

Extract in: Your Main harddrive (Normally (C:)) > Program Files (x86/64) (Depending on if your computer is 64bit or 32bit) > Steam > Steamapps > Common > Team Fortress 2 > TF2 > Custom > That Folder You Made > Make a Folder called "Sound" > Make a folder called "ui" > Put file in here
Very simple like the Crosshair.

15. MY CUSTOM MADE HITSOUND WON'T WORK

The following problem is most likely because it is not a .wav file, Valve only accepts .wav and not .mp3/.flac or any other audio format.

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16. TF2 Launch Options

A lot of people like the idea of TF2 being fullscreen but unfortunately, to tab out it takes 127378123789 hours to actual do so. This is quite easy to fix/make. You will be making it so it is full screened but still windowed so that you can tab out in seconds.

Go to your actual steam (Not Steam Folder) and go to libraries and right click on TF2, then select Properties then Set Launch Options and paste the following:
-dxlevel 91 -sw -w WIDTH -h HEIGHT-console -noborder -novid -useforcedmparms -noforcemaccel -noforcemspd

Replace WIDTH and HEIGHT with your appropriate Screen Resolution. If you have no idea what yours is then right click on your desktop and select "Screen Resolution" and right from there. It goes WidthxHeight

-noborder

noborder means that the TF2 Windowed Screen will not have any well..Border around it. This makes it so you get the fullscreen resolution to it while it is still windowed.

-novid

No vid doesn't really affect your actual FPS quality but it just saves time. This means that the starting up Valve video will not be shown like it is by default. It saves around 12 seconds of time it takes to start up. Not the biggest deal but it is always nice to have this disabled.

-dxlevel 81

The game's actual quality turns worse but your FPS will go up

-dxlevel 91

I use this, it takes off some glow and doesn't make much of a different but it looks very nice

-dxlevel 95

Makes the game look the same

-useforcedmparms and -noforcemaccel

These are preference but HIGHLY recommended, this means that your TF2 Sens will use Windows mouse speed settings. Only works if -useforcedmparms is set.

**Note that this Property Launch setting can work for all SOURCE Games


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17. Where can I get all these Custom Files?

Now I have given you some but you can browse for your own at:
http://www.google.com
http://www.gamebanana.com/tf2
http://teamfortress.tv/

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18. I messed up and my TF2 looks all weird now!/I want to set my TF2 back to Default

Take out ALL of your folders in "tf" and relaunch TF2, this will set it back to default if you want

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19. Schylige's Stuff

HUD: OMPHUD
Hitsound: My own custom one from "Osu!"
cfg: Chris' FPS config + More

You can find my stuff here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/1846lhim5eo9ul1/Schylige%27s_HUD_%26_CFG.rar


In Game Settings:

//Logitech G400

//DPI - 1800

//Inches/360   10.7/360

sensitivity "0.85"

m_rawinput "1"

m_filter "0"

m_yaw 0.022

m_customaccel 0

Any questions/suggestions? Leave down below or add me on steam @Schylige

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Some other guides written by /vg/:
How to Improve TF2: http://pastebin.com/kGgRXSt3 (Another version of what I wrote + A bit of extras)
TF2 For Beginners: http://pastebin.com/17NYdSvX (Like said, it is for beginners but there may be some things with your settings you might not know, it is nice to skim it)
TF2 Class Guide + Trading and Jewing: http://pastebin.com/u/TheOperator (This is pretty advanced, no matter how good you think you are at the class, unless you know its competitive mechanics, should give it a read)

Pretty detailed information, an excellent guide. If we still had points for guides I'd give you 40.That's 5 more than regular guides. One thing though, should explain what those launch options do, the only ones you really explained were height and width, but then again hardly anyone reads the forums anymore so idk.

Kisame wrote:

Pretty detailed information, an excellent guide. If we still had points for guides I'd give you 40.That's 5 more than regular guides. One thing though, should explain what those launch options do, the only ones you really explained were height and width, but then again hardly anyone reads the forums anymore so idk.

Updated

Borderless windows are a wonderful thing, and for telling me how, I am grateful.

Pteraclaww wrote:

Borderless windows are a wonderful thing, and for telling me how, I am grateful.

Yeah, I should of mentioned it can work for all EDIT: Source games.

I liked playing L4D this way. I'd put the resolution to 1440 x 800, just enough to see the time/notifications at the bottom on a 1440 x 900 monitor, though it would set the resolution to 1366 x 768. Not too noticeable so I didn't really care, but just worth noting I guess.

Back in my day we didn't have your fancy dancy huds or computer games or even computers we played with a stick a rock and a red wagon thats back when kids used their imagination back when we couldn't afford not to damn kids and your technology

Schylige wrote:

Pteraclaww wrote:

Borderless windows are a wonderful thing, and for telling me how, I am grateful.

Yeah, I should of mentioned it can work for all Steam games.

Took me a moment to find it under Right click -> Properties -> General -> Set launch options.

In theory it should work, but I'm having a little trouble getting it to work in Skyrim. I have Skyrim on a disk, and it has its own start-up menu with a whole load of reslution and window options including everything but borderless.
It generally doesn't like being exited out of very much, and whenever I do click out and then go back in, I need to make sure it's the top window, Ctrl Alt Del -> Cancel before I can actually see anything from the game again.
I'll look into this specific to Skyrim shortly, it's generally troubling.

-dxlevel 81 -sw -w 1920 -h 1080 -console -noborder -novid -useforcedmparms -noforcemaccel -noforcemspd
-dxlevel 81 -sw -w 1920 -h 1080-console -noborder -novid -useforcedmparms -noforcemaccel -noforcemspd

EDIT:
Not working for Payday either. Interesting. I should probably try it out in Team Fortress some time.

I think he meant all Source games. Because I've tried on a couple of other games like Fallout and it didn't work. I did find a mod that got borderless windows working though. I've always enjoyed Skyrim in full screen so I never searched for borderless windows but these two seem to be the best. Might help.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/4

Harden Cox wrote:

Back in my day we didn't have your fancy dancy huds or computer games or even computers we played with a stick a rock and a red wagon thats back when kids used their imagination back when we couldn't afford not to damn kids and your technology

That's tellin' them.

Kisame wrote:

I think he meant all Source games. Because I've tried on a couple of other games like Fallout and it didn't work. I did find a mod that got borderless windows working though. I've always enjoyed Skyrim in full screen so I never searched for borderless windows but these two seem to be the best. Might help.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/4

Yes this ^

Hence why I mentioned dxlevel81 works for source games.

I unfortunately have no knowledge for non-source games so you'll have to go off Kis' words for this.

But thanks for mentioning it, I will update it ASAP

Update: Added some links at the bottom to more guides by /vg/

Update after Steam-Pipe + Some more information