This is a very simple and easy-to-follow guide for those who are unsure of how to work IRC. If you have any suggestions, then please let me know so I can add them.
What is IRC, and what is the point in it?
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is basically a way of chatting to others via a server connection. It’s essentially a chat room. It’s extremely useful for competitive gaming, and of course casual gaming but isn’t as much as a necessity for this.
Which client should I use?
There are a variety of different clients, the most common is mIRC and this guide will be built around that specific client. However, you can choose whichever client you wish.
Downloading mIRC
Firstly, you’ll need to download your IRC client. As mentioned above, we’ll be using mIRC in this guide. Download the latest version here, save it on your computer then install it.
Click on the “Download mIRC” green banner:
A new page will open and then you will click on “Download now” here:
Installing mIRC
The installation wizard is is extremely easy to follow, however, here are some screenshots through each step for those who are not entirely aware of how to install mIRC (Buttons highlighted in blue are the ones you click):
mIRC Setup
The first thing you need to do when setting up mIRC is choosing your nickname. Nicknames may contain only letters, numbers and the following other characters: [ ] ( ) \ ` - _ |
Then you need to select your server. The main ones are QuakeNet and GameSurge. Quakenet for Euros, GameSurge for NA players. Be aware that GameSurge is as good as dead, so even if you are from NA, I’d suggest joining QuakeNet so you can interact with the Euro players to organise games and be up to date on cups.
QuakeNet:
GameSurge:
After you hit the “Select” button, you’re ready to connect to the server, so go on, hit that connect button!
Joining channels
Adding a channel to your favourites is relatively easy. On initial startup, you should see this screen:
It will be populated with suggested channels, delete those, you won’t need them. Once deleted, get adding your own favourites by clicking “Add”
Once you have added all your channels, these should now connect automatically every time you load mIRC (make sure you have “Join on connect” ticked).
Suggested channels for Quakenet
#splashdamage (Official Splash Damage IRC channel)
#etqw.gather (The main “hangout” zone for ETQWPro players, good for playing mixes or matches)
Suggested channels for GameSurge
#qwscrim (The main practice clan war channel for NA players, seems dead now though)
