We have been in the midst of making several substantial changes to QUAKE LIVE that have required a lot of time and testing. For a while this has prevented us from making any large code updates, but we're happy to finally begin bringing you some of the additions and updates that we have been working towards. Included in today's update is a streamlined account registration and plug-in installation process, dozens of long lost awards, competition features, and spectator / shoutcaster additions.

Select organizations can now launch private servers directly from the QUAKE LIVE website for use in their online leagues and tournaments. These private servers include extensive competition features such as calling timeouts, locking teams, aborting matches and designating match referees. Players may view private servers by going to 'Customize' on their match browser and selecting 'Show Private Matches'. Private servers are passworded, so you will need to contact your league administrators for information on how to participate in their activites and join their private servers.

The below changelog is a complete list of our major fixes and additions.

Code Changes:

* Competition features (calling timeouts, locking teams, referees) available in private servers
* Wood footsteps (present on QZCA3 - Quarantine).
* Raw mouse mode performance optimizations.
* Added cl_mouseSensCap (default 0/disabled) to cap the mouse speed if you are using acceleration. Pass it an equivalent sensitivity with no acceleration value, and the acceleration code will not go beyond that.
* The game can't start right away after a map change, in order to let everyone get in and participate in votes (g_warmupDelay).
* CTF requires 2v2 before starting.
* cg_marks no longer disables cg_shadows.
* handicap in instagib is now disabled.
* r_subdivisions limited to either 4 or 80.
* Flag capture time is reported with milliseconds.
* Flag items are no longer predicted (fixes ghost pickup sounds).
* pro TDM config MG start ammo at 50
* cg_forceEnemyModel/cg_forceTeamModel now honored while spectating a player
* cg_forceBlueTeamModel/cg_forceRedTeamModel added (For shoutcasters, cmds override cg_forceEnemyModel/cg_forceTeamModel)
* spec command:
spec fc - follow/cycle through flag carriers
spec blue - follow/cycle through blue team
spec red - follow/cycle through red team
(more options on the way)
* cg_followPowerup now supports a value of 2, which will not switch to a lesser power-up if already following a flag carrier
* cg_followKiller issue in Clan Arena fixed
* fixes for several possible flag dupe cases in CTF
* spwin/splose/testgun cmds removed (exploit/griefing)
* callvote VO fixed (vote now/vote passed vo played in unison)
* Bitterman drowning sound added/fixed

Web Changes:

* The plugin upgrade and installation has been revamped, and you should no longer need to restart your browser during an update (some IE issues still being worked out).
* 24 awards are making a comeback and will start being awarded again!
* The match detail tooltips have been revamped, now allowing you to sort the list by each field. In addition it should be easier to toggle "Quitters / Switchers" now.
* All matches in the server browser will now show the country flag and corresponding city name for the location where the server is running.
* Dropdown menus have been added to the top-level navigation bar, allowing easy access to many parts of the site.
* A new option to "Show Private Matches" has been added to the Server Browser "Customize" pane. This option will toggle back and forth between showing only public or only private matches.
* While the player is in-game various features on the website will go into "sleep mode" in order to reduce the amount of resources used. This change is to help certain players who were having problems with the game stuttering while playing due to website activity.
* Created a new prompt system is used for all fatal errors and other cases where info needs to be presented to the player.
* Match tooltips will now show server name, allowing you to see where the server is located from your friends list.
* You can now toggle whether to show chat timestamps in your "Edit My Profile" page
* Added an icon that is now stamped onto matches in a player's profile when they have won a particular game.
* Fixed a number of problems with cvars and binds not being saved or restored. Players should no longer need to use an autoexec.cfg to have their settings persist.
* Fixed a problem that was preventing the "Link to this match" button from working in IE8.
* Fixed a problem where clicking on a model icon on your friends list would take you to an undefined profile.
* Fixed a problem where the player could be stuck on the "Quake Live is Loading" screen when an error occurs during the initial site load.
* Fixed a problem where many pages were missing page titles.