Various newbie questions~

[Relias]

Well, a lot of this stuff would probably be better suited to a general skulltag/doom help topic but since this is the major reason I'm actually finally playing skulltag for the first time I might as well post it here.

1) Is there a way to get the chat messages to stay up for more than about two seconds?  I've found that going into console helps with chatting but it seems a little messy, what with displaying everything that's going on in addition to the chat messages.  I can deal if that's the only way, though, I just thought I'd ask.

2) I've not been seeing any custom skins in multiplayer games yet though I know a lot of people have made and shared a lot of skins for this.  I mean, the game by itself has a plethora of awesome skins and all but I'm kinda wondering if it'll automatically download skins with doomseeker like how it automatically applies patches you have sitting in the folder or will players using custom skins appear as Mega Man or something (and likewise to other people if I'm using one) until I personally download and place their skins in my skins folder?

3) This may be weird to ask, but what's with auto-aim?  By default it's set to 'always' be on in multiplayer options.  I find it pretty useful in doom-engine games as far as shooting something parallel to you vertically since Doom has always been kind of weird with vertically aligned targets, being such a dated FPS engine, but I wonder if I should turn it off for this game, or set it to a lower setting.  What's even the difference between "always" and "very high", and what's different about "low"?  It's hard for me to wrap my head around how it could ever be anything but an on/off switch.
I have noticed when fighting

(click to show/hide)

the Gutsdozer

that my Quick Boomerangs kinda just go up in the air in front of its face, and it seems like a weird aspect of autoaim, or is it just kinda supposed to be like that until I use Item-1 to jump up on its front?

4) I notice a lot of people requesting certain console commands be entered by server hosts.  Are there any I should know or learn as a player or do I not need to worry about anything like that?

5) How do you alter your name colors like so many people online do? :3c  I could search that in 5 seconds but I might as well ask while I'm making this thread...

6) Anything else I should know along these lines of technical things involving skulltag/doom online in general that newbies should know?  It seems simple enough, but you never know...

Thanks in advance, anyone who takes the time to read this.

[Ivory]

1) Not sure. I just check the console when I'm dead.
2)You need to have download the skins and have them in the skins folder to see them online.
3) The difference is that with always autoaim, no matter where you are your projectiles will find the closet thing to aim at. I generally suggest turning it off so you have full control of your aiming.
4) Name and Skin, such as.
Name Ivory
Skin Knightman
5) http://cutstuff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=505
6) Can't really say. I've been using skulltag so long I have to back myself up to even realize what a newbi wouldn't. getting it set up however is pretty straightforward.

[Korby]

1) Nope.
2) Doomseeker does not download skins. And yes, you appear as Megaman until you have the skin.
3) When fighting that boss, yes, you are not supposed to be able to use that weapon until you use item-1 to get up there.
4) None come to mind.
5) Type c(letter shown) for colors. Example, my name is "cqKctocqrctbcqy"
6) Don't put anything but skins in the skins folder. EVER.

EDIT: Ninja'd!

DOUBLE EDIT: Hey wait, if I'm cq and ct, does that mean I'm a "QT"?
DOHOHOHOHOHO.

[Relias]

Hey, thanks guys.  I appreciate it.

I've been running skulltag just fine and playing online a lot, and I know basic stuff like how to open the console and chat from there, and I know all the FPS basics as I've been playing them online for 10 years now, so I guess there's nothing much I need to worry about; I guess since I know skulltag's been around forever and even though it's looked appealing to me I've never gotten around to actually using it until now, I wanna make sure there's no obvious things everyone expects everyone to know that I don't, but it kinda seems like it's not really difficult or a big deal.

Anyway, about the skins thing, am I gonna have to individually find and download every single one people might be using?  I see there's a big archive thread for at least the Mega Man-themed ones floating around but even then it seems to be each file individually, and there're a lot.. maybe this is a silly idea or a lot to ask, but it'd be cool imo if the forums kept some kind of rar/zip of every skin the community uses in a sticky somewhere so we can see everyone for what they're really supposed to look like.

And, I do have one more new question.  Is there a way to focus on a certain player when in spectator mode?

[Ivory]

Your best bet is here.
http://cutstuff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=678&start=0

As for your other question, yeah. F12 by default.

[TERRORsphere]

6) Don't put anything but skins in the skins folder. EVER.

Nope.
Bots are fine,
Music is fine,
Crosshairs are fine.

[Korby]

...shh, I think he fell for it, DTD, no need to help him.

[CutmanMike]

Music is fine,

Has anyone got a music replacement working in MM8BDM this way?

[TERRORsphere]

I got it working in Doom2, I don't see why it shouldn't work with MM8BDM.