what exactly shall I do to get this shaft?
http://ezquake.sourceforge.net/gallery/lightning_sparks.jpg
is it a texture that makes the shaft go in circles or what? =)

i think its a command to make it look like that, though those explosive sparks are probably made by someone else. i have no idea though im just guessing here

gl_lightning_sparks 1

works in demoplayback or spectator mode only. I have no idea why it blocked in normal game, yes it perhaps help find range of shaft beam but really a bit? so I did not take this argument seriously.