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- Written by: INsane
- Category: Day of Defeat Player Guides
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You can find advice on what you should place in "config" files in the various discord channel sections like this one.
Using old advice in 2025 isn't good.
A friend (and fellow Australian) bulletlottery send's me advice from time to time, it's actually really helpful for anyone playing dod.
There is no better advice than what comes out of the dod competitive players who really concentrate on what matters.
Lets look at his download he offers, this one is dated 29 December 2024... Download here.
Here is the readme but don't install anything yet...
Code:
AusDoD "Competition Ready" 1.3 Setup 27/9/24 Copy to Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life\dod directory. To change crosshairs in-game press the [end] key The [home] key will turn off spriteblend ( makes crosshairs brighter and more vibrant, gl_spriteblend is the cmd if you dont like it ) Side mouse button is stopsound+timeleft Other Changes are GUI, smaller minimap icons, custom scoreboard and fonts. Once in game check that your rates are correct by typing "rate 100000" in console The INGAME FPS CAP - its usually around 90-100 but with the new update you can use custom framerate cap by turning on fps_override 1 as long as both the client and server can handle it but if you run into issues put it on fps_max 143.5 ---launch cmds--- -gl -nomsaa -nojoy -noforcemparms -noforcemaccel -noforcemspd +sv_rollangle 0 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Helpful in game console commands for returning or new players: cl_updaterate 101 cl_cmdrate 101 OR +5 of your fps_max value(recommended) rate 100000 fps_override 1 fps_max 143.5 (choose a number that is .5 below your monitor refresh rate) ex_interp 0 OR ex_interp .01 lightgamma 1.81 _ah "0" Turns off the help dog _cl_minimap "2" Turns on the mini-map, 1 shows the map over the whole screen. cl_bulletejects "0" Turns off casing ejects cl_corpsestay "0" Removes corpses as quickly as possible cl_solid_players "0" Makes it so you don't "trip" over dead bodies, but removes nameplates. Must set cfg to "read only" or cmd gets overwritten cl_particlefx "0" Turns off rain, fog, etc.. gl_spriteblend "0" Make your crosshair brighter hud_fastswitch "1" Quick switch weapons hud_takesshots "1" Automatically takes end round screenshots (required for KTP league) mp_decals "10" The number of bulletholes you see. 0 turns off bulletholes r_decals "1" The number of grenade explosion marks you see. 0 turns off grenade explosion marks net_graph "3" Required net_graph setting for KTP league. Shows your ping, packet loss, etc... hud_deathnotice_time "10" Increases the amount of time a kill notice remains in the killfeed. Default value is 6 or 8 I can't remember stopsound Removes ambient sound from dod maps
All good advice there and a lot of files, looks confusing at first after you unzip so I will just take you through some of them.
His instructions in the readme make sense to me but may confuse new players.
Warning note: He is talking about custom crosshairs there in the readme...not the entire folder set so be careful what you install. He does have a readme in his folders so read that too.
Before we do install...
When installing custom files in dod you can place them in the dod folder...sure.
However you can now use the "Half-Life/dod_addon" folder and that special folder will be a "dod" folder and files will be read and change things in the GUI, HUD, Minimap, Crosshairs, etc. (not Map downloads by the way put them in Half-Life/dod_downloads).
The benefits are your custom files are separated from the default game folder, handy if there is a file update that kills your files or you need to get rid of a map or modification.
Read about that here if you are a novice on installing files.
So lets go folder by folder bulletlottery's download...
"1.3 Crosshairs" folder
In this folder there is a selection of types to chose from, the one I see used most is "X3 by seven" but you make up your own mind.
I think his favorite was/is one I made for him "HLTV_multi_color_xhair" ? I too make them as outlined here in this guide.
You can do what he says there in the first line of the readme but really you should install in the aforementioned "dod_addon" folder.
Note that a lot of these were made in 2003-2016 so instructions can be wrong...ish.
- Look at the image "crosshairsPREVIEW.png" in the folder. Pic a type (X3 by seven) perhaps select that folder.
- Install the customxhair.spr file in "Half-Life\dod_addon\sprites" folder
- Next part is some binds and a script to cycle through 16 crosshair types.
This is where we will have to install a "userconfig.cfg" file to help.
In the main folder "Comp_DoD1.3_pack" you can see that file.
Place it in the "Half-Life\dod_addon\sprites" folder.
Now go to your "Half-Life\dod" folder open "config.cfg" and ensure this line is at the very bottom... exec userconfig.cfg
That ensures commands can be altered by the game engine on startup via reading the "userconfig.cfg" file contents.
Let's look at the "userconfig.cfg" file...
The bind for "xtog" is how the cycle script below works, pressing that key "END" will cycle through the various crosshairs (16 of them)
He hasn't got it in the script but you may also need to change a command on certain crosshairs. gl_spriteblend 1 ("1" is default)
You may see a crosshair go dull or too big. That is the gl_spriteblend command value differences.
 |
| gl_spriteblend on and off |
In the code below I have altered that to have the "HOME" key cycle through gl_spriteblend from on and off.
You can leave the default file alone or replace all with my edits as I also include a "favorite" crosshair command setting you can adjust...
Code:
// Bind and toggle for custom crosshair
bind "END" "xtog" alias xtog "xtog1" alias xtog0 "cl_xhair_style 0; alias xtog xtog1" alias xtog1 "cl_xhair_style 1; alias xtog xtog2" alias xtog2 "cl_xhair_style 2; alias xtog xtog3" alias xtog3 "cl_xhair_style 3; alias xtog xtog4" alias xtog4 "cl_xhair_style 4; alias xtog xtog5" alias xtog5 "cl_xhair_style 5; alias xtog xtog6" alias xtog6 "cl_xhair_style 6; alias xtog xtog7" alias xtog7 "cl_xhair_style 7; alias xtog xtog8" alias xtog8 "cl_xhair_style 8; alias xtog xtog9" alias xtog9 "cl_xhair_style 9; alias xtog xtog10" alias xtog10 "cl_xhair_style 10; alias xtog xtog11" alias xtog11 "cl_xhair_style 11; alias xtog xtog12" alias xtog12 "cl_xhair_style 12; alias xtog xtog13" alias xtog13 "cl_xhair_style 13; alias xtog xtog14" alias xtog14 "cl_xhair_style 14; alias xtog xtog15" alias xtog15 "cl_xhair_style 15; alias xtog xtog16" alias xtog16 "cl_xhair_style 16; alias xtog xtog0"
// Bind and toggle for gl_spriteblend
bind "HOME" "xtogblend" alias xtogblend "xtogblend1" alias xtogblend0 "gl_spriteblend 0; alias xtogblend xtogblend1"
alias xtogblend1 "gl_spriteblend 1; alias xtogblend xtogblend0"
//Favorite xhair to start the match, change the number to YOUR Favorite one cl_xhair_style "15"
//gl_spriteblend default setting, this will bring back the defaults on every start up gl_spriteblend "1"
cl_xhair_style command.
In the "X3 by seven" folder note the image and crosshair 1 is top left, count from left to right and crosshair 16 is bottom right.
If you wanted a big blue + you pick cl_xhair_style "15" then perhaps hit your HOME key and see what gl_spriteblend does to it.
You will notice other settings in the default file, what I have there is only for crosshair use. There are other commands in his file.
I have advice on each for now, yellow = safe to delete as we will come back to those later...
Code:
zoom_sensitivity_ratio "1" // Default - "1.2" . Sets mouse sensitivity while using weapon zoom
lightgamma "1.81" // Delete line. You can set gamma in GUI panels Options-Video use the slider.
gl_spriteblend "1" // Delete line, we have that above already.
cl_solid_players "0" // Default - "1" Makes it so you don't "trip" over dead bodies, but removes nameplates.
cl_corpsestay "0" // Default 10 - Time in seconds before dead bodies disappear from the ground.
cl_updaterate "102" // Delete line, deal with this later
cl_cmdrate "170" // Delete line, deal with this later
This is common in files like this, config files that suit bulletlottery may not suit you, hence the need to explore what each command really does... for you.
However looking at his preferences they are mostly great advice for my PC and me, that's up to you.
This is were advice is important... configs are personal and reach into you, your reflexes, your taste, the game itself and your PC capabilities/needs.
The best place for advice is joining a good discord group and asking questions, you should do that and make sure you tell them your hardware.
Also, for your PC, look at guides for your CPU, Graphics card, and monitor setups, these get complex and even the wrong HDMI cable or windows setting will rob you of the best performance.
Continuing down the folder set.
"Fonts" and two others - "gfx" and "resource" folders
In this folder you can see some fonts, these are part of a custom GUI/HUD made by "JED" and bulletlottery's preferred HUD.
The same goes for the other folders, gfx, resource.
I would advise you to be careful there, that GUI/HUD does have it's limits after the 25th Anniversary update in 2023.
You can leave out everything in those folders, or install my updated custom HUD here (recommended for 2025)
My GUI and HUD will install in a "Half-Life\dod_addon\sprites" folder so it can be removed, important if you don't like it.
Just be aware installing GUI and HUD files is a lot of files, in my install I do have a crosshair folder (with binds and scripts) but not as many options as bulletlottery has.
Lets move on to another folder, one that bulletlottery has put in a load of work.
"fps caps" folder
In this folder you open it and see a stack of folders. Those are numbered the same as your Monitors refresh rate (Hz).
The files are not a magic fix. Get some advice on Hardware and how to set that up too.
First you need to ensure your Monitor is set up right and you do understand how to do that with the correct cable, settings of the Graphics card and even windows settings. I will not cover that as it branches out to a rats nest of false claims, sales speak from NVIDIA, AMD and also hardware suppliers.
Good luck with that. Maybe ask a guy who has done hundreds. You can really stuff this up easy and that video has some really important checks you MUST do.
Safe to say once you get the hardware settled, picking the right folder like mine "144" for my 144Hz Monitor for my MSI MAG 321CUP and a Best Settings video helped me.
bulletlottery's advice in 2025 is to not do what I did, get a 4K 32 inch monitor (I have other reasons to run one like making HUD and GUI files in other games).
His experience is to stick to 24" and 27" for 1080p gaming (for now) and look out for OLED monitors sometime in the future.
But hell, the price of them is nuts as are graphics cards with 16GB memory.
Back to the folders inside "fps caps" folder
In the "144" folder (or the one that matches your refresh rate) there are 3 files. autoexec.cfg, config.cfg and one we already have userconfig.cfg.
We don't really need the "userconfig.cfg" as we already built that, improved it and customized that file.
We shouldn't install a new (someone else's) "config.cfg" file as a general rule.
This file has personalized settings and your binds, video settings like brightness and gamma may be affected.
However, if you are really keen, all those commands are mostly default and I do have a guide to look up each one for what it does. This was made after the 25th Anniversary update for Half-Life 1.
The "autoexec.cfg" is the one we can look at. It pertains more to your rate settings than anything else but it is connected to a monitor refresh rate.
Open the "autoexec.cfg" file that matches your refresh rate.
Note: There is a "autoexec.cfg" file already in the "Half-Life\dod" folder.
It has some default commands already, either add what is in bulletlottery's file...
or (recommended)
...add that to the "Half-Life\dod_addon\userconfig.cfg" file.
Reason: It seems the "autoexec.cfg" file will not work in the "Half-Life\dod_addon\" folder and seeing Valve use it for settings, stay away from it is my advice.
Lets look at this (144Hz example)...
Code:
//AusDoD hud_fastswitch "1" fps_override "1" fps_max "143.5" rate "100000" cl_updaterate "102" cl_cmdrate "149" echo "comp dod 1.3 config loaded"
hud_fastswitch "1" ("0" is the default) is what real and competitive players use to change weapons.
Here is the explanation:
Toggles quick weapon switching.
If enabled, the weapon switches immediately when a number key is pressed (should be bound to slot "X" commands).
This has no effect when you scroll through your weapon (using invprev and invnext).
Unfortunately... some MORON ADMINS in pub servers think this is "cheating". Read this. Just...don't play on servers with fuckwits is my advice, place them in your blacklisted server list and don't go there again if someone says "don't pistol roll" oh...for fucks sake.
fps_override "1" Default is "0".
This is needed to be set for the next command to work and adjust.
fps_max "143.5" (Default is "72" in dod, "100" in HL1)
This is matching your monitors refresh rate. That is if you have a 144 Hz refresh rate like this example.
You will note it says "143.5" not 144. Thinking there is to keep the refresh rate below 144 to not exceed it. same for other refresh rates, keep 0.5 under it.
This next group you will note rate stays about the same, cl_updaterate and cl_cmdrate change in the various folders.
rate "100000" (Default is "30000) Max bytes/sec the host can receive data
cl_updaterate "102" (Default is "20") This is the number of updates per second you are requesting from the server.
cl_cmdrate "149" (default is "30") This is the maximum number of command packets you send to the server per second.
The last line there ...
echo "comp dod 1.3 config loaded"
... is just a message you can see in console that the game engine did read that file and has applied the commands.
You should also make sure your netgraph is working, I have a extensive article on that here.
Mostly players will use this in their userconfig.cfg file...
Code:
//netgraph simple - lower middle of the screen
net_graph 3
net_graphpos 2
That gives a netgraph on the lower middle and if you need to adjust, read the article.
If you are new to dod, maybe also put in...
_ah "0" //Turns off the help dog
Your personalized userconfig.cfg file should now look something* like this (*note that I have settings for a 144Hz monitor there and my crosshair number)...
Code:
// Bind and toggle for custom crosshair bind "END" "xtog" alias xtog "xtog1" alias xtog0 "cl_xhair_style 0; alias xtog xtog1" alias xtog1 "cl_xhair_style 1; alias xtog xtog2" alias xtog2 "cl_xhair_style 2; alias xtog xtog3" alias xtog3 "cl_xhair_style 3; alias xtog xtog4" alias xtog4 "cl_xhair_style 4; alias xtog xtog5" alias xtog5 "cl_xhair_style 5; alias xtog xtog6" alias xtog6 "cl_xhair_style 6; alias xtog xtog7" alias xtog7 "cl_xhair_style 7; alias xtog xtog8" alias xtog8 "cl_xhair_style 8; alias xtog xtog9" alias xtog9 "cl_xhair_style 9; alias xtog xtog10" alias xtog10 "cl_xhair_style 10; alias xtog xtog11" alias xtog11 "cl_xhair_style 11; alias xtog xtog12" alias xtog12 "cl_xhair_style 12; alias xtog xtog13" alias xtog13 "cl_xhair_style 13; alias xtog xtog14" alias xtog14 "cl_xhair_style 14; alias xtog xtog15" alias xtog15 "cl_xhair_style 15; alias xtog xtog16" alias xtog16 "cl_xhair_style 16; alias xtog xtog0" // Bind and toggle for gl_spriteblend bind "HOME" "xtogblend" alias xtogblend "xtogblend1" alias xtogblend0 "gl_spriteblend 0; alias xtogblend xtogblend1" alias xtogblend1 "gl_spriteblend 1; alias xtogblend xtogblend0" //Favorite xhair to start the match, change the number to YOUR Favorite one cl_xhair_style "15" //gl_spriteblend default setting, this will bring back the defaults on every start up gl_spriteblend "1" zoom_sensitivity_ratio "1" // Default - "1.2" . Sets mouse sensitivity while using weapon zoom cl_solid_players "0" // Default - "1" Makes it so you don't "trip" over dead bodies, but removes nameplates. cl_corpsestay "0" // Default 10 - Time in seconds before dead bodies disappear from the ground. //netgraph simple - lower middle of the screen net_graph 3 net_graphpos 2 //AusDoD 144Hz refresh rate settings check yours match! hud_fastswitch "1" fps_override "1" fps_max "143.5" rate "100000" cl_updaterate "102" cl_cmdrate "149" _ah "0" //Turns off the help dog echo "comp dod 1.3 config loaded"
Go and test, you should see...
- Your netgraph on the lower middle.
- The Netgraph FPS should reporting your refresh rate.
- Your custom crosshair choice should be on the screen.
- Pressing the END key the crosshair will change and even show the default one.
- Pressing the HOME key you should see the crosshair go dull and bright.
If it isn't, check your files/folders.
- Things like a "//" double slash is code for the game engine to "ignore this line and everything after // - go to next line.
- There shouldn't be anything weird on each line like a full stop...just the command and the value or the file will break at that point.
- That is why the last line echo "comp dod 1.3 config loaded" is good to see in the console, you know it has no important errors.
- The directory, have you named and placed the folders and files...correctly?
The last folder.
kalle_4k_death_notices folder
This is just some sprites for persons who have a issue with small HUD icons.
Most will not have that issue and some that do, don't run this very old game at a 4K resolution 3840 x 2160, its way too big for the files made in 2004 and even in 2013.
Open the game, go to "Options" - "Video" and select a screen height of 1080 or under like 1920X1080 for 16:9 monitors.
The same for ultra-wide ratios of 21:9, just pick one around the 1080 screen height.
Height in the files is what the settings go off, if the height setting is too low for the files they...screw up and things like fonts and sprites are too large or too small.
Just... lower the in-game resolution, it fixes a lot of issues.
Hope that helps. You can explore command further reading this section.
Especially useful is the CVAR LIST article that was done just after the 25th Anniversary update.
- To get the best out of that page, press CTRL and F key, type in a search word (like minimap) and see what commands are mentioned.
- The column on the left is Half-Life 1 and the next is day of defeat 1.3, some commands are shared and some have different values.
Parting advice is if you have issues... get to the discord servers for dod and ask for help, very helpful people in the dod community.
Teamowner on YouTube repeats some of the above and only the basic ones...