Texture Quality

Controls the level of detail for map textures. Increasing flattens to clay (easy spot enemies); 0 sharp. Pros usually use 5 or above to smooth out map textures in order to see enemy models easier.

Sets the OpenGL texture filtering method. Controls how smoothly textures blend as they recede into the distance. Texture filter: nearest pixel; linear sharp; trilinear smooth. Linear_mipmap_nearest pros for edge clarity.

Sets the video color depth bits. Lowering this to 16-bit was popular in 1999 for performance, today 32 full range, no banding.

Sets the texture color depth. Always leave at 32-bit for crisp display.

Defines the precision of Z-buffering (how the engine calculates depth). Keeping this at 32 prevents 'Z-fighting' where textures flicker rapidly when overlapping.

Enables high-resolution detail textures (small-scale bump/grain overlays) on surfaces when viewed up close. Improves visual detail and realism on floors, walls, and objects at short range without affecting distant geometry.

Controls the geometric complexity of player and weapon models (Model detail threshold). Setting this to -2 ensures player models render at maximum visual size, matching their hitboxes more accurately.

Controls the global level-of-detail (LOD) distance scaling for models and geometry. 10 = default (balanced detail falloff). Higher values = models drop to lower detail sooner/farther away (cheaper rendering). Lower values = higher detail retained at distance (more GPU cost). Recommended: 10–20 for competitive play.

Enables faster, simplified mipmap computation with negligible visual impact. Pros turn on for minor FPS gains and smoother rendering on demanding maps.

Allocates an 8-bit stencil buffer for advanced effects like dynamic shadows or decals (if supported). In modern QL, dynamic shadows are limited to simple blobs (cg_shadows 1) and do not require stencil. Pros always set to 0 to save VRAM and eliminate any shadow-related overhead.

Allows use of GPU OpenGL extensions for advanced rendering (multitexture, etc.). Must be on for modern perf/features; off legacy debug.

Rounds down texture dimensions to the nearest power of 2. Essential for proper OpenGL texture mapping without visual glitches.

Allows the engine to skip rendering brush faces that are completely obscured. Essential for proper engine rendering.

Compresses texture files to save VRAM. Should always be left Off, as compression can introduce ugly visual artifacts.

Enables the GPU to render multiple textures in a single pass. Vital for proper modern OpenGL performance.

Allows the engine to send batched geometry data to the GPU memory. Must remain On for proper game rendering.

Enables additive blending in OpenGL instead of restrictive multiplicative blending. Required for proper lighting effects.