Q2PRO-X highlights are a local visual layer. They change no server, no hitboxes, no damage, no movement and no network protocol. Their job is to make items, weapons and players easier to read, especially in demos, in practice, in single player and in visual presets.

To start quickly: enable the highlight layer, then configure items, weapons or players.

Where the settings live

What you are setting	Menu path
The highlight layer, items, weapons	Main menu → Online Play Setup → Visibility Highlights
Item highlighting	Main menu → Online Play Setup → Visibility Highlights → Visibility / Items
Weapon highlighting	Main menu → Online Play Setup → Visibility Highlights → Visibility / Weapons
Player highlighting	Main menu → Options → Skins & Models → Visibility / Players
Model part colours	Main menu → Options → Skins & Models → Visibility / Players → Player Part Colors
Teams and duel	Main menu → Options → Skins & Models → Visibility / Players → Visibility / Teams and Duel
Visibility presets	Main menu → Options → Visibility & Visuals → Visibility presets

Highlights in WGL and EGL

Model-part colours, opacity and skin blending work with WGL and EGL/ANGLE, including reflected models. MD2 and MD5 models are supported. WGL draws cel outlines after the coloured layers with depth testing; EGL uses edges measured in pixels. Factory visibility presets include Purple Males, Lime Females.

Highlights and Bloom

The Bloom menu combines overall strength with independent 0–100% category multipliers. 100% uses overall strength; 0% skips that category as a Bloom source. Comets retain their own controls. AVFX categories remain in this menu but are excluded from Visibility presets.

Q2PRO-X document image

Overall strength and Bloom categories.

Bloom can remain visible with fill opacity set to zero. Player body parts can exclude outlines independently of their fill colour, and the same highlights appear in mirrors and puddles.

Visibility presets offer four shared custom slots and one-click random generation. They save highlights and ordinary Bloom, excluding skin overrides, player identity, downloads and AVFX Bloom categories. A factory preset disables all highlight masters. Applying a preset retains each variable's existing global/mod save scope.

Combining outline and fill

Outline and fill have separate opacity settings, so you can combine a strong outline with a translucent tint. Reflections use the same settings as the visible model.

1. Items and weapons

1.1. The main page

Visibility Highlights

Type	Row	Variable or target	What it does
List	Graphics quality	cl_vis_overlay_batch	Renderer path for visibility overlays. Applies immediately. [High / Performance]
Toggle	Enable highlighting	cl_vis_enable	Master switch for all visibility highlighting. Applies immediately.
Toggle	Single-player	cl_vis_singleplayer	Allow visibility highlights in local single-player/training. Applies immediately.
Navigation	Items...	q2prox_vis_items	Item highlight settings: style, alpha, scale, class toggles and colours.
Navigation	Weapons...	q2prox_vis_weapons	Weapon highlight settings: scale, per-weapon toggles and colours.
Navigation	Players...	q2prox_vis_players	Player highlight settings: mode, style, colours, team and duel logic.
Navigation	Visual effects...	q2prox_vfx	Bloom, colour grading and other visual effects.
Navigation	Lighting presets...	q2prox_lighting_presets_hub	Apply lighting and colour presets.
Navigation	Visibility presets...	q2prox_visibility_presets	Apply visibility highlight and bloom presets.
Navigation	Visibility info...	cl_vis_items_info	Print item classification and visibility status.

1.2. Items

Items have a style (off, shell, tint, shell and tint), opacity, shell opacity, shell thickness, brightness and scale. Item classes are enabled separately: health, armor, ammo, powerups and keys. Colours are configured per class.

Visibility / Items

Type	Row	Variable or target	What it does
Toggle	Item highlighting	cl_vis_items	Toggle item highlighting. Applies immediately.
List	Item style	cl_vis_items_style	Item highlight style: outline shell, color fill, or both. Applies immediately. [off / shell / tint / shell+tint]
Slider	Tint alpha	cl_vis_items_alpha	Opacity of the item highlight overlay (tint and shell). Applies immediately.
Slider	Shell alpha	cl_vis_items_shell_alpha	Opacity of the item outline (shell) pass only. Applies immediately.
Slider	Shell thickness	cl_vis_items_shell_scale	Thickness of the item outline shell. Applies immediately.
Slider	Item brightness	cl_vis_items_brightness	Brightness of item highlights; above 1 boosts saturation. Applies immediately.
Slider	Item scale	cl_vis_items_scale	Enlarge pickup items so they read from range; 1 = stock size. Applies immediately.
Navigation	Item toggles...	q2prox_vis_toggles	Per-class item toggles: health, armor, ammo, powerups and keys.
Navigation	Item colors...	q2prox_vis_colors	Per-class item colours.

1.3. Weapons

Weapons have their own master switch, a scale, per-weapon toggles and per-weapon colours. Those same colours can be used as the palette for the carried weapon in model-parts mode.

Visibility / Weapons

Type	Row	Variable or target	What it does
Toggle	Weapon highlighting	cl_vis_weapons	Toggle weapon highlighting. Applies immediately.
Slider	Weapon scale	cl_vis_weapons_scale	Enlarge dropped weapons so they read from range; 1 = stock size. Applies immediately.
Navigation	Weapon toggles...	q2prox_vis_weapon_toggles	Per-weapon enable toggles.
Navigation	Weapon colors...	q2prox_vis_weapon_colors	Per-weapon colours.

2. Players

2.1. Highlight modes

Variable	Accepted values	Description
cl_vis_players_mode	0=off / 1=all / 2=random FFA / 3=duel / 4=auto / 5=team / 6=model / 7=model parts	Player highlight classification mode. 0=off; 1=all; 2=random FFA; 3=duel; 4=auto; 5=team; 6=model (old uniform colour per resolved player-model directory); 7=model parts (separate head/arms/torso/legs/weapon colours, with detailed controls in Player part colors).

Mode	What it does
Off	Players are not highlighted
All	One common mode for everybody
Random FFA	Different colours in free-for-all
Duel	Marks the duel pair
Auto	Automatic logic with a safe fallback
Team	Friendly and enemy colours from the team source
Model	A uniform colour per model
Model parts	Separate colours for head, arms, torso, legs and weapon

The player style also has off, shell, tint and shell-and-tint variants, opacity, shell opacity and thickness, scale and brightness.

	Player scale applies only in single player or while watching .dm2 and .mvd2 recordings. On a live server the model keeps its standard size.

2.2. The player highlighting page

Visibility / Players

Type	Section	Row	Variable or target	What it does
Section	Main	Main
Toggle	Main	Player highlighting	cl_vis_players	Toggle player highlighting. Applies immediately.
Navigation	Main	Skins & models...	g_skins	Open skin/model override and player setup settings.
List	Main	Player mode	cl_vis_players_mode	off/all/random FFA/duel/auto/team/model/model parts. Model = old uniform per-model colour. Model parts = separate head/arms/torso/legs/weapon colours. Applies immediately. [off / all / random FFA / duel / auto / team / model / model parts]
Navigation	Main	Player model colors...	q2prox_vis_player_model_colors	Old uniform per-model colours for Player mode = Model.
Navigation	Main	Player part colors...	q2prox_vis_player_parts	Body-part colours for Player mode = Model parts.
Section	Style & appearance	Style & appearance
List	Style & appearance	Player style	cl_vis_players_style	Player highlight style: outline shell, color fill, or both. Applies immediately. [off / shell / tint / shell+tint]
Slider	Style & appearance	Player tint alpha	cl_vis_players_alpha	Whole-player tint alpha. In Model+parts mode the part tint can replace this tint. Applies immediately.
Slider	Style & appearance	Player shell alpha	cl_vis_players_shell_alpha	Opacity of the player outline (shell) pass. Applies immediately.
Slider	Style & appearance	Player shell thickness	cl_vis_players_shell_scale	Thickness of the player outline shell. Applies immediately.
Slider	Style & appearance	Player scale	cl_vis_players_scale	Player model size. Applied ONLY in single-player or during .dm2/.mvd2 demo playback. Stock size on a live deathmatch server. Range 0.1..5.0, step 0.01. Applies immediately.
Slider	Style & appearance	Player brightness	cl_vis_players_brightness	Brightness of player highlights; above 1 adds an emissive glow. Applies immediately.
Toggle	Style & appearance	Highlight self	cl_vis_players_self	Also highlight yourself (visible only in third-person/chasecam). Applies immediately.
Section	Rules	Rules
Navigation	Rules	Teams and duel...	q2prox_vis_player_rules	Team, duel and auto-mode rules.

2.3. Teams and duel

Visibility / Teams and Duel

Type	Row	Variable or target	What it does
List	Auto fallback	cl_vis_players_auto_fallback	Auto-mode fallback when team/duel can't be resolved (default Random FFA). Applies immediately. [all / Random FFA]
Slider	Duel hold	cl_vis_players_duel_hold_ms	How long a detected duel pair stays locked, in ms. Applies immediately.
List	Team source	cl_vis_players_team_source	Team detection source: off, auto (skin-based), or OpenTDM. Applies immediately. [off / auto / opentdm]
List	Team fallback	cl_vis_players_team_fallback	Team-mode fallback when a side can't be resolved (default Duel). Applies immediately. [all / Random FFA / duel]
Slider	Team hold	cl_vis_players_team_hold_ms	How long a team assignment stays held if data goes stale, in ms. Applies immediately.
List	Friendly color	cl_vis_players_team_friendly_color	Highlight color for teammates in Team mode. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]
List	Enemy color	cl_vis_players_team_enemy_color	Highlight color for enemies in Team mode. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]

3. Model parts

The Model parts mode colours parts of the model on the fly:

Variable	Part
cl_vis_player_parts_head_color	Head
cl_vis_player_parts_arms_color	Arms
cl_vis_player_parts_torso_color	Torso
cl_vis_player_parts_legs_color	Legs
cl_vis_player_parts_weapon_color	The carried weapon

Both model paths are supported — MD2 and MD5. For MD5 the skeleton, the animation and the skin path are preserved: Q2PRO-X never falls back to MD2 for the sake of a highlight.

3.1. The complete settings page

Player Part Colors

Type	Section	Row	Variable or target	What it does
Section	Settings	Settings
List	Settings	Color set	cl_vis_player_parts_source	Use one shared color set, or separate colors for male/female/cyborg. Applies immediately. [Global / Per model]
List	Settings	Weapon source	cl_vis_player_parts_weapon_source	Carried weapon colour source. Weapon palette uses the existing weapon-highlight colours. Custom uses the shared weapon colour below. Explicit per-model weapon colours override the palette. Applies immediately. [Weapon palette / Custom]
Slider	Settings	Alpha	cl_vis_player_parts_alpha	Part fill opacity; 0 hides the fill while keeping bloom. Applies immediately.
Toggle	Settings	Fullbright colors	cl_vis_player_parts_fullbright	Use raw part colours without multiplying by the skin texture. Applies immediately.
Toggle	Settings	Replace tint	cl_vis_player_parts_replace_tint	Replace the legacy whole-player tint with part tint instead of stacking both. Applies immediately.
Toggle	Settings	Disable whole-model outline	cl_vis_player_parts_no_shell	Disable the whole-model outline in Model+parts mode; keep part colours and their bloom. Independent of Replace tint. Applies immediately.
Section	Part colors	Part colors
List	Part colors	Head	cl_vis_player_parts_head_color	Shared head color. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]
List	Part colors	Arms	cl_vis_player_parts_arms_color	Shared arms color. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]
List	Part colors	Torso	cl_vis_player_parts_torso_color	Shared torso color. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]
List	Part colors	Legs	cl_vis_player_parts_legs_color	Shared legs color. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]
List	Part colors	Weapon	cl_vis_player_parts_weapon_color	Carried weapon custom color. Applies immediately. [Dark / Grey / Brown / Dark red / Red / Orange / Gold / Yellow / Green-yellow / Green / Lime / Pure green / Mint / Cyan / Sky / Aqua / Blue / Azure / Magenta / Violet / White]
Section	Body zones	Body zones
Slider	Body zones	Head start	cl_vis_player_parts_head_start	Normalized height where the head zone starts. Raise this if head colour leaks onto shoulders. Applies immediately.
Slider	Body zones	Border softness	cl_vis_player_parts_softness	Softness of head/torso/legs transitions. Lower values make cleaner borders. Applies immediately.
Slider	Body zones	Legs end	cl_vis_player_parts_legs_end	Normalized top of the legs zone. Applies immediately.
Section	Per model	Per model
Navigation	Per model	Model male...	q2prox_vis_player_parts_male	Separate part colours for the male model.
Navigation	Per model	Model female...	q2prox_vis_player_parts_female	Separate part colours for the female model.
Navigation	Per model	Model cyborg...	q2prox_vis_player_parts_cyborg	Separate part colours for the cyborg model.
Navigation	Per model	Reset to defaults	reset cl_vis_player_parts_source; reset cl_vis_player_parts_weapon_source; reset cl_vis_player_parts_alpha; reset cl_vis_player_parts_brightness; reset cl_vis_player_parts_fullbright; reset cl_vis_player_parts_replace_tint; reset cl_vis_player_parts_no_shell; reset cl_vis_player_parts_debug; reset cl_vis_player_parts_head_color; reset cl_vis_player_parts_arms_color; reset cl_vis_player_parts_torso_color; reset cl_vis_player_parts_legs_color; reset cl_vis_player_parts_weapon_color; reset cl_vis_player_parts_head_start; reset cl_vis_player_parts_softness; reset cl_vis_player_parts_legs_end	Reset this menu to defaults and refresh visible values immediately.

3.2. Separate sets per model

The colour set can be shared, or separate for the male, female and cyborg models. Each of the three models has its own part-colour page.

3.3. Tuning the body zones

Three sliders solve the most common problem — one zone's colour spilling into its neighbour:

if the head colour spills onto the shoulders, raise the head start;

if the legs reach into the torso, lower the legs end;

if the boundaries are too blurred, reduce the boundary softness.

Variable	Accepted values	Description
cl_vis_player_parts_head_start	default 0.86 / range 0.60..0.98	Normalized height where the head tint starts. Increase this when the head colour leaks onto shoulders; decrease it if the lower head/neck is not coloured enough. Default 0.86 is tighter than the first Phase-A prototype.
cl_vis_player_parts_softness	default 0.035 / range 0.005..0.20	Soft transition width for head/torso/legs classifier. Smaller values produce cleaner borders; larger values blend colours more gradually. Default 0.035 reduces head colour bleed on shoulders.

4. Commands, presets and diagnostics

cl_vis_items_info prints the item classification and the current state of the visibility layer.

The visibility presets are collected on their own page and give you ready-made profiles.

For a clean competitive look, keep highlights and AVFX separate: choose the AVFX preset first, then apply a visibility preset or configure it by hand.

Visibility presets

Type	Section	Row	Variable or target	What it does
Navigation		Default (All Highlights Off)	cl_visibility_preset_load_factory default_off	Disable visibility highlights and ordinary Bloom; AVFX Bloom percentages stay unchanged.
Navigation		Player Parts, Items and Light Bloom	cl_visibility_preset_load_factory parts_items_light	Apply player-part colours, item highlights and the authored light Bloom settings.
Navigation		Red Male, Green Female and Blue Cyborg	cl_visibility_preset_load_factory models_rgb	Apply the captured highlights and Bloom: red male, green female and blue cyborg.
Navigation		Purple Male, Lime Female	cl_visibility_preset_load_factory models_purple_lime	Apply the saved purple/lime visibility and Bloom preset.
Navigation		FFA (Automatic Model Colours)	cl_visibility_preset_load_factory ffa_auto	Apply the captured FFA automatic player colours, highlights and Bloom.
Navigation		Generate random preset	cl_visibility_preset_generate	Enable highlights and apply random colours/settings now. Save a result in a user slot. AVFX Bloom percentages are excluded.
Preset name		Slot 1 name
Navigation		Load	ui_visibility_load_custom 1	Load user visibility preset 1; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Save	ui_visibility_save_custom 1	Save user visibility preset 1; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Rename	ui_visibility_rename_custom 1	Rename user visibility preset 1; shared by all mods.
Preset name		Slot 2 name
Navigation		Load	ui_visibility_load_custom 2	Load user visibility preset 2; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Save	ui_visibility_save_custom 2	Save user visibility preset 2; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Rename	ui_visibility_rename_custom 2	Rename user visibility preset 2; shared by all mods.
Preset name		Slot 3 name
Navigation		Load	ui_visibility_load_custom 3	Load user visibility preset 3; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Save	ui_visibility_save_custom 3	Save user visibility preset 3; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Rename	ui_visibility_rename_custom 3	Rename user visibility preset 3; shared by all mods.
Preset name		Slot 4 name
Navigation		Load	ui_visibility_load_custom 4	Load user visibility preset 4; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Save	ui_visibility_save_custom 4	Save user visibility preset 4; shared by all mods.
Navigation		Rename	ui_visibility_rename_custom 4	Rename user visibility preset 4; shared by all mods.
Section	Related settings	Related settings
Navigation	Related settings	Visibility highlights...	q2prox_vis	Item, weapon and player highlights, including model-part colours.
Navigation	Related settings	Visual effects...	q2prox_vfx	Bloom, colour grading and other visual effects.
Navigation	Related settings	Mod configs...	q2prox_modcfg	Open mod configs: choose and save settings for each mod and manage its default profile.

4.1. Where highlighting applies

Variable	Accepted values	Description
cl_vis_singleplayer	0=multiplayer only / 1=also singleplayer	Also apply the visibility layer in singleplayer. When off, the highlight system only activates in multiplayer maps (cl.maxclients > 1) since most classic SP players dislike shell overlays on AI.

By default the layer is aimed at online play and at watching recordings. A separate setting permits it in single player as well.

5. Practical recipes

Task	Setting
Demo analysis	Model parts mode, brightness 1.5–2.5, shell-and-tint style, moderate opacity
Single player	Item scale 1.3–1.8, weapon scale 1.2–1.5, permit the layer in single player
A good-looking showcase	Part tint with pure colours off, so the skin texture is preserved
Maximum readability	Pure colours on, tint replacement on, bright head, torso and leg colours

6. What highlighting does not do

It does not change hitboxes and does not affect hit registration.

It does not show players through walls and reveals no hidden entities.

It does not change server rules and needs no server support.

It does not replace models or skins: it only colours what is already drawn.

Appearance of specific players

Open Skins & models → Player nickname overrides. Eight slots are arranged in two rows of four. Rules operate simultaneously, persist globally across mods, and apply both in live games and demo playback.

Open a slot to edit its fields:

Setting	Purpose
Preset name	Optional label used to identify this slot.
Nicknames	One or more complete nicknames separated by commas, for example tet, Domik_v_derevne. Matching ignores case and trims spaces around each list entry.
Rule	Enable or temporarily disable the rule without losing its settings.
Model	An installed model, or Inherit to keep the ordinary model selection.
Skin	A skin belonging to the selected model. No independent skin replacement is applied when the model is inherited.
Colour	A named highlight colour, or Inherit highlights to retain ordinary colour rules.
Save	Apply edits. At least one nickname is required.
Clear preset	Remove the slot settings and stop applying its rule.
Cancel	Close the editor without applying edits.

For example, enter tet, Domik_v_derevne, select male and claymore, choose a named colour, then Save. Only those complete nicknames receive the selected appearance, regardless of letter case.

Nickname matching is exact, not a substring or pattern search. If lists overlap, the first enabled matching slot wins; later slots are not combined with it. Renaming a player changes the match. This is local client presentation: the server and other players do not receive appearance changes from your rule.

A named model takes precedence over general model overrides. Its attached weapon model and local sexed sounds follow the same selection. Missing model/skin files retain the existing fallback; the independent named colour still works.

An explicit named colour replaces general team, model and body-part highlights for matching players. It also works with general player highlighting disabled. Inherit highlights retains the ordinary colour policy. Clearing a slot returns its players to the existing model and highlight rules.

Lighting preset names

Presets → Lighting presets contains Super Bright followed by Bright, with different sets of 38 lighting parameters. Selecting a preset applies its values; the existence of a factory preset does not change your current settings or user slots.

The console identifiers retain their original mapping: cl_lighting_preset_load_factory bright selects Super Bright; cl_lighting_preset_load_factory super_bright selects Bright.

Modulation intensity by group

Lighting model → Modulation intensity controls living players, player corpses, living monsters, monster corpses, world weapons, first-person weapon, armor, health, ammunition, powerups and keys independently. Each ranges from 0 to 200% of its existing lighting, default 100%. This is a multiplier, not an independent gl_modulate value. Changes apply immediately and persist globally; factory/user lighting presets include them. Older presets without group fields use neutral 100%.

For darker bodies, reduce Player corpses while leaving Living players at 100%. A gun carried by another player follows its owner's group, not the world-pickup group. Highlights, bloom and reflections respect the same group. Zero makes a model black rather than transparent. gl_modulate_groups_reset restores group factors without changing master modulation.

Item animation

Online game settings → Item animation controls a small hop, squash/stretch, fall and settling for 22 pickup categories. Master and all categories default to off. Rotation remains; shadows, highlighting, bloom and reflections follow the pose. Players and held weapons are unaffected. Demo playback is supported. See Item Animation Guide for all controls.

Contents

The general idea