Is quake modding too difficult?

[Ezerhordren]

I've had the idea of making a 2d or 2.5d plataformer based on the Quake engine, with new weapons and a more refined "melee" system... is it too difficult to change in that way the engine? also, haven't find many documentation on QuakeC on the net, is there any good QuakeC manual somewhere so I can mess with the coding a little? or do I need to learn more about physics, rendering and stuff? I have a little experience in programing
basically introduction to programing and programing 101... now Im learning java, and we didn't study much C++ at uni... so it will be too hard?

[Baker]

This tutorial makes custom cameras easy in the engine:

Inside3d Forums :: View topic - custom chasecam tutorial

That being said, if someone asks "is it too hard" ... the answer always depends on your level of determination.

The Solitude guys encountered mountainous insurmountable barrier after barrier; it didn't stop them.

It depends on determination; it will be both easier than you thought and far harder than you imagined.

I started engine modding in 2007 with C experience similar to yours, I knew the basics but didn't actually have a deep level of experience of using it in actual application.

To see the custom chase cam in action, load ProQuake 4.51 or later and type:

chase_active 2
chase_right -160
chase_back -160
chase_up 200
chase_roll 0
chase_pitch 45
chase_yaw 45

in the console with any single player map loaded.

[Ezerhordren]

well, that was pretty well put together... My determination is a little weak to be honest... since I had this coding test at uni, and it took me like 2 hourse to figure it out how to compare 5 numbers and find the smallest and largest ones..

and now, I want to turn a 3d engine-fps into a 2.5d engine-plataformer... hahaha fuck me!

[gnounc]

er yeah.
you want http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~jeremyp/qu...kec/quakec.pdf

You dont know it yet, but you want http://tremor.quakedev.com/QCide_1.81-dist.zip as well.

Also you need to check out arcade quake and target quake because they do what you described. To be honest though, if you had trouble with comparing 5 numbers you might want to reconsider. Because you're going to be doing a lot of that.

On the other hand, if you teach yourself the basics of C and how to actually use it, and find you enjoy it, this would be the perfect project.Good luck.

[Baker]

Modding without determination usually doesn't go very well. Even making a quality single player custom map requires a ton of commitment and a certain level of mastery, even though building a map itself is very easy.

That being said ... ever wonder how your skills would grow if you had a reason to use them.

I never had a reason to use pure C prior to engine coding. Modding Quake, you learn a ton ... in particular if you do engine or QuakeC -- things that could sharpen your mind for the real world.

[R00k]

Part of the determination is how bad you want the end result. Figuring out how to accomplish tasks along the way is fun too. But in the end, when you get to play your mod with a group of friends, that's when your hard work pays off.

[dfsp_spirit]

I absolutely agree with what r00k and Baker said. Havin a goal is esstential to keep you going, and it's great if part of that goal is to have fun with your friends and what you created. It's cool to know that your stuff gets playtime on servers on the internet but playing it with some friends who also enjoy it is the best part imo.

[Ezerhordren]

Thanks guys!

I admit, this is by far, the nicest place i've been lately here in internet, to be honest, people are very nice and willing to help anyone, thanks a lot for that!

And yeah, I know is hard to get a IRL what's on your mind, but yeah whatever, at least that will help me improving my programing skills a lot, I think i'll start to mess around with some manuals... the same happened to me when I learned to do characters in mugen long time ago, that's when I started to like programing and stuff, but yeah, prefessional level knoledge is far away from me

[gnounc]

You dont have to be pro. Its really not much more complicated than css. Yeah I went there.

You just have to actually want to do it.
Nothing more nothing less.
Thats not to say there arent a million caveats, but if you enjoy the actual dirty work, you can get help with those when they crop up.

[Phenom]

Its really not much more complicated than css. Yeah I went there.

oeh noe ju de'ent!

I'm pretty well into CSS and I've slapped a few small self created QC mods around, can you explain how your statement is so?

It seems more like CSSx2.5 in difficulty when compared to CSS and thats just the coding aspect... CSS really isn't to hard tho

[Baker]

oeh noe ju de'ent!

I'm pretty well into CSS and I've slapped a few small self created QC mods around, can you explain how your statement is so?

It seems more like CSSx2.5 in difficulty when compared to CSS and thats just the coding aspect... CSS really isn't to hard tho

I'd argue that gnounc is right except you have to gain a critical mass of knowledge before it becomes true.

Really QuakeC would easier to pickup if some of the map fields and QuakeC were written in .NET or Visual Basic style way.

Like instead of "trigger_touch" code call it "event_object_touched" or whatever. Yeah not an apples-to-apples illustration, but QuakeC is really simple you just need to get a handle on the terminology and such. But such is the problem with a pioneering concept, nothing like Quake existed before Quake so the thought process and standardization and naming and such was not refined.

[R00k]

That's part of the fun

[gnounc]

Yeah part of the fun. Woopeee.

Uh I would say its so because quakec is dead simple. And CSS is dead simple. And if you want to learn as you go with css, and produce anything real, you end up with a massive clusterfuck.
The same is true with quakec.

But it doesnt start out as a massive clusterfuck so if you take it one thing at a time and ask for help (because things WILL crop up that dont make any sense) you should be able to get what you want out of it. You just have to be willing to bang your head against a wall every once in a while...as they say.

[mankrip]

The only extremely difficult part is making good character models in the original MDL format. Engine coding can also be very difficult depending on what you're trying to achieve, or very easy in comparison to some QC tasks (like creating menus).

All the rest can be quite fun, always.