EF 1 Versions

There are different versions of EF. The lowest version shipped is 0.28. Currently, the latest official version is 1.2 and the last unofficial one (via Lilium Voyager) is 1.40 resp. 1.05 (cMod). To find out your actual version, you can simply start a solo or multi match. As soon as the server is running, press ESC and click on Server Data. The version will then be displayed in the list of variables. (There is also an indication in the main menu, which can be overwritten by certain *.pk3 files, so you cannot rely on it.)

* This is the version number (protocol), which must be the same for server and client.

** This is ultimately the more precise specification which communication protocol (com_protocol) is used. So far, this seems to have no major effect as long as the protocol matches. However, EF 1.2 without Expansion Pack seems to automatically find 1.39 servers in the local network, while 1.2 without EP and older does not display the servers at all.

In principle the installation of the patches 1.1 and 1.2 requires only one precondition: EF must have been installed in the classic way, because otherwise necessary registry keys are not available, so that the patch denies the presence of the game (and only lets you cancel).

GOG re-released the game. You might now wonder if it is worth the trouble. That depends: If you already possess the game, the biggest advantage is that it comes kind of cracked. In fact, the multiplayer binary (version 1.2 34376, aka setup_star_trek_voyagertm_elite_force_1.2_(34378).exe) differs only in three bytes. So it is very much the same as if you simply cracked the game exe and be done with it. No additional patches, but the Expansion Pack is already included. (If you try and install a patch anyways it won't find the game, as the GOG installer uses different registry keys than the CD installer.) The single-player also had the CD check removed, as it is custom with GOG releases. So if you do not possess the game at all, it's definitely worth a try. But if you already have the CD version, then there's very little to gain, except for a newer installer (that will not fail).

After the Quake 3 engine became open source, some people started patching Quake 3 and adding features. A certain Thilo Schulz also used this opportunity to write patches based on it for EF. A brief outline of improvements:

• Even back then some security bugs were already known and fixed. See also https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-111/product_id-766/Id-Software-Quake-3-Arena.html and https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-111/product_id-4759/version_id-20745/Id-Software-Quake-3-Engine-.html. So at least for a server operator it is strongly recommended not to use the original EF 1.2 version as it includes some well known security issues. Some of them of them also affect the client, so in general it is strongly advised to use a newer version.
• EF also for Linux.
• Gamma bug (image too dark) fixed
• Map downloads can now also be downloaded from the client via cURL (significant acceleration)
• Settings are now in the user folder, not in the game folder (so each player have his own settings on the PC)
• With ALT + TAB you can switch from the game to some other application and back.
• Textures may now use higher resolutions.
• EF 1.2 only allows for up to 1024 shaders altogether. This limit is removed.
• Better overall performance.
• IPv6 support.

All these binaries have the limitation, that they are based on code released under the general public license (GPL). As the game code used in the QVMs was never released under the GPL but still falls under the intellectual property rights of Raven Software, the tripartite of server code, client code and game code misses the part of the game code (QVM) to be released entirely under the GPL. This also means, certain fixes, that were applied to the game code by Raven Software, cannot be simply integrated into the open source code of the various incarnations of free EF.

So to say the very first incarnation of ioQuake3 based EF versions. It already contained many improvements but is not maintained any more today. Today it's better to use Lilium Voyager or cMod right away, simply because that's where the work that Thilo has invested, is being continued so more recent problems are fixed as well. See also pak92.pk3.

Here is also a short interview with Thilo.

The mod in version 1.37 can still be found on ModDB, although there was a newer version 1.38 as a release candidate available at one time.

Thilo himself pointed to this location on the EF Discord.

Since Thilo has stopped maintaining his EF patches at some point, there were no newer versions of him released, than the 1.38 RC 1. And even this one is no longer to be found on his former pages. His work is continued by Zack Middleton in the form of the project “Lilium Voyager”. It simply continues the work of ioEF. It has the advantage, that many security bugs are fixed (especially interesting, if you are running an internet server) and adds some new features, including accelerated map downloads and IPv6 connectivity. Earliest contributions of Zack to ioQuake3 are from 2010.

The source files can be found here. You can also find them pre-compiled here. Older versions are available here.

As written above, only the source files are published. You have to compile the executables (“binaries”) yourself. How this works for Quake 3 and derived games (32 and 64 bit, different platforms) is described in article Building Lilium Voyager.

There is another variation of EF based on ioQuake3 source, the cMod. First checkins are from 2017. At this point, some more information should be added here. The original resources can be found here. According to the maintainer of the project, Noah “Chomenor” Metzger, the goal is not so much in a conservative direction as is with Lilium Voyager. So there are more experimental features included.

Especially arguable is the decision to once again save config and downloaded files to the game's folder. Original ioQuake3 was patched to store this kind of data inside the home folder of the user under which it is run. This of course also goes for running servers. This makes totally sense in terms of security and multi user usability. However the original EF was based on an earlier version of ID Tech's engine, which stored all this data inside the game folder as well. At least under Windows 7 and above, both ways can be combined by placing EF's folder inside the Programs (x86) folder and not giving writing access to the game's folder, which in turn will make Windows treat EF as legacy software. Thus, making all saves being stored in the home folder again. But this is not the goal of this change.

There is a fork of Lilium Voyager for the Playstation Vita. The project can be found here: https://github.com/Rinnegatamante/vitaVoyager. See also this thread on the matter.

There is even another variation based on ioEF, rpgxEF. As the name suggests, this version is intended for use with the RPGX mod. The project can be found here: https://github.com/solarisstar/rpgxEF/.

This is a fork of Lilium Voyager which can be considered somewhere between Lilium Voyager and cMod, feature-wise. It tries to add certain functionality without interfering with the standard functionalities, e. g. fixing the widescreen stretch via optional cvars. The project can be found here: https://github.com/Daggolin/tulip-voyager.

This variation is based on Tulip Voyager but intended for use with a Nintendo Switch. It's currently still under development. The project can be found here: https://github.com/faithvoid/VoyagerNX/.

Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force