I tried to say it all in the title, but to clarify: On the next page is a friendly, point and click config generator that creates a customizable menu that shows up in the game at the top of the screen and allows you to use your mouse wheel to scroll through and select messages and game options. It also includes a field of view/zoom feature that you can operate with the wheel. I'll explain what a config file is and where to place it later.

The wheel menu doesn't conflict with the normal mouse wheel weapon selection menu and it only uses one key of your choice for the menu. The fov/zoom feature uses 2 keys of your choice. You can try it with 3 keys you aren't using and if you like it, switch it to closer keys for easier access to the menu.

Press the middle mouse button once to bring up the menu at the top of the screen. Use the mouse wheel to scroll up or down to the message group you want. For example, Flag, Attack, Defend, Answer, Other. Press the middle button again to see the messages for that group. Scroll to the message you want and press the middle button to say that message and restore the mouse wheel to the weapon selection menu.

Some messages also set a waypoint sprite. All menus have a cancel option by scrolling the wheel up once, so you can get out of the message menu without saying a message. You can choose from several preset menus. There are menus for CTF, TDM, teaching, etc.

Click below to open a window that shows animated screenshots of what the menu looks like in a game. Note that in an actual game you can still move around and shoot while the menu is open. Also, I went slowly in the example, but the menu responds as quickly as you can click and scroll. Note that the example is a video. It isn't interactive.

Show me the menu in action

The generator has several presets and more will be added, so you don't need to know console commands. Also, it is easy to start with a preset and edit or add your own messages and menus using a point and click interface.

If you are familiar with console commands, you'll be pleased to know that you can also execute any console command or alias using the menus. For example, you can have menus for changing video settings, playing demos, controling a server, executing other config files, ... the possibilities are endless and the beauty of it is that you won't have to open the console and type the commands anymore.

When Nexuiz starts up, it tries to load a file called autoexec.cfg. This is called a config file. It is a text file that contains advanced commands that configure the game for your own personal preferences. Don't worry. The config generator takes care of the details. It creates the commands and puts them in a text field on the web page. Then you just copy and paste the text into a config file.

The autoexec.cfg file is in the directory ~/.nexuiz/data/. To find this directory on a Mac, go to the Finder's Go menu and choose Go to Folder... and type in ~/.nexuiz/data/

If there isn't an autoexec.cfg file, simply create a new blank text file and save it in this directory with this name.

Let's try it out. The link below will open the generator in a new window so you can refer back to this page for instructions.

Open the Generator Web Page

The generator makes it easy to create the commands for the menu config files. You start off with a simple preset for CTF messages. You can use this as is or edit it. There are several other presets to choose from located on the left of the page. You can load a preset or click add if you want to combine presets. This is useful for menu components like the HUD menu preset which lets you adjust the Heads Up Display. Add this to the CTF or TDM preset if you like.

To customize a preset, use the controls on the right and bottom of the page. You can add, edit and delete menus. Use the arrows to the right of the menus to change their orders. You can edit the messages and commands in the actions field. The code buttons let you add color codes, health stats and waypoints to the actions. You can also enter any console commands in the actions field.

Advanced users may want to use the "aliases and commands to include" field for console commands that will execute as soon as the config file loads. This is useful to make aliases that will be used in an action field. See the HUD preset for an example.

After you've customized the menu preset, you move on to the next page where you can specify the keys you want to use to operate the wheel menu and fov/zoom controls. On this page, you can save the preset you've made. you can also overwrite or delete an existing preset.

On the next page, you'll see a large text field that contains the text that you need to copy and paste into your autoexec.cfg file. The text is already selected, so just copy and paste. When you start Nexuiz again, the menu will be available using the key you chose and the mouse wheel.

Since the menu appears at the top of the screen, other messages that appear there can sometimes push the menu off screen. Scrolling the mouse wheel restores the menu though. Also, the scoreboard can overlay the menu. Since the scoreboard is transparent, you can still see the menu somewhat. I may be able to prevent the interruptions in a future version of the wheel menu, but it isn't a big problem.

Like any other controls, this will take a little practice to become proficient and to be able to select a message quickly. Please give it a chance to get into your muscle memory. Remember that you can still move and shoot with the menu open.