The main advantages with Arena Control compared to other solutions are:

• Intuitiveness:
  To set up a real game server for the Internet or a LAN the pro game admins normally create config files by using a text editor and then put the config files at different places inside the game installation folder. Starting the dedicated game server is then be done by using a command line tool, like ”Terminal”.
  Even if this design gives the server admin very good flexibility, this it is not a truly up-to-standards Macintosh experience.
  Arena Control puts all raw text-processing parts together into one graphical user interface without hindering you from adding custom plain text setup parameters if wanted.
  An intuitive and easy-to-use graphical user interface makes setting up a dedicated server Easier, Faster and above all - more Fun!

• Internet hosting:
  By using a dedicated server instead of the standard in-game server creation dialogs as the foundation for hosting, the server will not only be visible on a LAN (Local Arena Network) but also on the Internet. Another important advantage with a dedicated server is that it uses much lower processor and memory resources than an "in-game" server.
  However, even if ”dedicated server” is chosen inside the menu system of the game, the GUI control of the game will be lost as soon as the server is started and the server admin is left out in the cold... Well not really, but almost: To make changes to a running dedicated server, the admin must type in a bunch of (cryptic!?) commands while the game server continuously is writing its log, and all of this is happening in the same window!
  With Arena Control you can easily log on to your game server and get the current game status, add some bots, kick cheating players(!), change the timelimit and much more.
  

• Convenience:
  One of the least pleasant experiences most game server administrators experience is the management of all config files, spread out in different directories/folders which you have to remember, and even if you know which file to edit, you will still need to know how to express a bunch of commands and variables etc.
  With Arena Control you will have all Server Configs managed by the application, easily accessible from a list. Also, most controls in Arena Control are both type formatted and bound to a specific cvar/command so you can focus of what you want instead of how to spell it.
  

• The map problem: What is a game server with just one map?
  Several mod makers have tried different ways to make map list making easier by introducing separate map list files etc. A good start indeed, but a map is in most people’s mind not only a name like ”q3dm4”. To be able to mix together a number of maps to a map composition, would it not be better to besides the “q3tourney4” map reference, also be able look at the map image and see the real title like ”Vertical Vengeance” for example, before deciding where you want to arrange the next battle?
  In Arena Control, much attention has been given to map list creation. Map images, titles and a ”gametypes filter ” is given you as complementary information to a shortname like ”q3dm4”. The interface is both very intuitive and flexible by using standard GUI components.
  

• Automatic Mod Support:
  By automatically building its database out of Your game installation, all your mods will be accessible also in Arena Control. Just one click away in the Mod Menu!
  

And of course, there is one more thing not to be forgotten when speaking about Mac Quake3 game servers...
- Be a Mac evangelist! The more percentage of Q3 game servers out there that has the "MacOSX•ppc" platform badge in people's server browser, the more notice the Mac will get as the gaming platform of choice.

Arena Control is available now from the Downloads section of this site.
You can download Arena Control from there and try it out yourself!

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