Maps and "number of entities" limits

[mUogoro]

Hi to all,

I'm writing a simple tool to automatically generate quake maps. The tool inserts some entities to teletransport "hordes" of enemies from a non-player-visible room into the map when the player reaches a particular map position. To perform this kind of game mechanic, each monster has:

- a trigger_once;
- a trigger_teleport;
- a trigger info_destination.

The question is: are there some limits to the number of entities that can be specified inside a .map file? If there're, which are those limits?

Thanks for your help,
Daniele
.

[MH]

No specific limit in the map format, but the engine you use will have a limit. Standard ID Quake can't handle more than 600 entities, so if you want best compatibility you're looking at a max of 100-150 (probably best to give yourself headroom for doors and suchlike). Engines with extended limits can go higher, but how high depends on the network protocol (which applies even to single player games) used. 8192 is the absolute max for the default Quake protocol; extended engines can go even higher.

[Zop]

Although automatically generating maps is interesting, I think you will be better off making custom entities that spawn monsters. The Nehahra mod already implemented this some time ago, and the Soul of Evil mod has something similar with it's dmsp mode. You could even keep track of the number of spawned/killed monsters to keep from reaching a limit.

However, writing such a mod won't be a good idea if you're intending to use another mod...