Gypsys's RCP

[MadGypsy]

Gypsys_RCP

Preface:

I was sitting around one day wondering how hard it would be to map in radiant with a controller that was properly mapped. I started off with the most simple controls and within a couple of hours I had a very robust controller map. I then tested the crap out of it and made some small changes that I felt refined my controller map design. In all honesty, using the controller method will definitely slow you down. I wouldn't say that it will drop you to a crawl, but there is no way you will work as fast as you would with a mouse. This concept is geared more for liberating you from a desk and/or multiple devices (mouse+keyboard) and allowing you to kick back for some "casual mapping".

Installation

Part 1
1) unzip Gypsys_RCP.zip
2) Open your logitech profiler and click Profile/Import
3) navigate to Radiant.wgp
4) click Edit/Properties
5) click browse and navigate to your radiant executable
6) click Profile/Export and save a copy of your profile

Part 2
1) drag 1.5.0 to PATH/settings/
2) when asked to overwrite click yes

note: if you are not using q1.game you will have to go in my 1.5.0 folder before you drag and drop it and rename q1.game to whatever .game you are using

if you can't figure out what [PATH] is (probably because you are using GTKRadiant) there is an alternate method you can use. The manual one.

Part 2B
1) open Radiant and click Help/Shortcuts List
2) scroll down to FitTexture select it and press clear
3) scroll down to MirrorSelection(XYZ) and assign each the shortcut command CNTRL+SHIFT+[AXIS] where [AXIS] is X, Y or Z respectively
4) scroll to RegionOff and assign it CNTRL+SHIFT+B
5) scroll to RegionSetBrush and assign it SHIFT+B
6) scroll further to RotateSelection(XYZ) and assign each the shortcut command SHIFT+[AXIS] (same as above)
7) scroll down to ToggleCrosshairs, select it and press clear

Notes

Whereas I went to great trouble to make my above diagram accurate, I still included the text version with this download. I checked, double checked and triple checked it, but there a lot of commands and button combinations so I may have made a mistake in my image (above). I wrote controller.txt while I was mapping the controller and I know it is 100% accurate.

If you have some other brand controller I can't provide you with a profile for it, but I believe my design is so comprehensive and solid that maybe it will save you a lot of thinking time on how to map your brand of controller. A huge key to a robust layout is to make strategic changes to your shortcut list. My flip/rotate commands are a good example of this. All rotate commands are SHIFT+[AXIS] by adding CNTRL to the combo it becomes flip. So, a one button difference adds 3 functions. Keep in mind that duplicate shortcut combinations will mess up your abilities. Always make sure to look at your shortcut list well to determine if your combo is unique. If it isn't, simply clear the shortcut for the other thing. I tried to make sure that shortcuts I cleared were for dumb things you probably wont use very often or at all.

[golden_boy]

This is crazy stuff.

[Syluxguy28O3]

definitely unconventional, but interesting.

[MadGypsy]

Ok, I fixed the image and I had more than one mistake

The other mistake was there are 38 features not 42. I can't count mouse functions and shift/control buttons as a feature. Also L2+R2+redo button is Naturalize Patch. I did not include that in the image because I have never ever used that, actually you can't even use that in Q1 mapping and it was just consequential of the keys those represent. BUT if you clear that shortcut and assign some other function to CNTRL+N then you get a 39th function. Consider it an open button combination that should be changed in the radiant shortcut list. Also R2+L1 and R2+R1 would be the first button combos I would change if I wanted a different feature on the controller. Those are basically the only 2 existing commands that aren't really essential for mapping.

[sock]

Wow crazy stuff, all you need to do now is setup brushwork prefabs and then you will be able to create levels like lego ... while sitting on your couch drinking a beer!

Have you considered using TrenchBroom? It would probably be better suited to a controller because it does not have a grid, only a 3D viewpoint to create levels with.

[MadGypsy]

I have not considered TrenchBroom (but it isn't out of the Question). golden_boy probably knows it best that I am addicted to making things for radiant from the "behind the scenes" side. Hence my new signature.

Also the grid is the best part. Since everything snaps to grid by default it makes it easy to use a controller. You don't have to have pinpoint accuracy.

I wish I could assign a build to a button. I could make it open the build menu but you would still have to click which build you want. That makes it useless cause if you have to bring the mouse up there anyway you might as well just click build. I also realized (after seeing my controller laid out in an image), that I could add more stuff by changing the shortcuts list

[Cobalt]

Something a "Mad Gypsy" would come up with.....

[MadGypsy]

Oh you haven't seen anything. I'm already on version 2 which is MUCH more involved. I have a really spiffy name for it too. I am dying to give you guys a teaser but it will be way better if I just finish it. I'm trying to finish it tonight, but I've taken the concept to an entirely new level and I don't know if I can pull it off in one night.

I will throw you one bone. I have 2 less functions than doubled the amount the controller can perform. I could actually add even more but I ran out of stuff to add, LOL!

FYI - this controller is like 25 bucks new at Office Depot so on e-bay its probably 5 bucks. It's like a tank too, very durable.

[MadGypsy]

I got my diagram finished, the controller profile is finished and I think I finished the shortcut list. Now I just need to do some extreme testing and some other thing that I don't want to say. I also officially doubled the features from the first version.

76 functions stored in one controller (but 12 of them are empty combinations for the user to assign)

[MadGypsy]

A few things:

1) I obviously wasn't able to finish my controller mod in one night. As a matter of fact I wasn't able to finish it in 2 straight days. I do have my diagram finished and my controller profile and the shortcut list and you may think "what else is there? That's all the parts." You would be correct in an "what's obvious" sense, There is nothing more to do to have a controller working in Radiant but, I don't stop thinking and considering things and I will tell you there is more however, I will not tell you at this time what the "more" is.

2) I googled over 20 similar terms regarding using a controller to build a game map and there is nothing; Nothing I could find anyway. So, in a "popular" sense this is an original idea. Apparently nobody has at least written about making a map with a controller. You may think this is because mapping with a controller sucks. I am here to tell you that it does not. As a matter of fact it is incredibly simple and comfortable. once you have the muscle memory down for the possibilities that you will most commonly use, it's effortless. The only "wrench in the gears" is controlling the cursor with the analog sticks is a little slower. I believe I can overcome this with practice and familiarity though.

3) I was studying some batch commands on SS64 yesterday and there was a quote at the bottom of the page:

�Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction� - Albert Einstein

This rang through me bestowing great understanding. I had just gotten finished including 76 operations in the controller and had spent about an hour absolutely lost in my own creation. Sure, it was hella powerful, and so complex I couldn't retain any of it (lol). It became a lesson in mashing buttons and hoping for the best. This is not what I set out to do.

I gave up for the night, got a few hours sleep and started fresh when I woke up, practically redesigning the entire layout :sigh:. I removed 16 operations and reshuffled the position of the remaining operations into pockets of sameness (very organized).

I was also able to remove the necessity to ever press 4 or more buttons for an operation. Actually, the only reason you ever need to press 3 buttons is to ALT a group. For instance L2+DPAD Direction are all selection options (hide, touching, invert, set as region) but by adding R1 (ALT) you get (show , type, inside, region off). So L2+DPAD is the base combo for ALL selection options and adding R1(ALT) is a switch for "family" options. I use that method everywhere. In a sense you only have to memorize half of the controller cause adding R1 will almost always give you the rest.

The controller is lightyears faster than the keyboard end of Radiant. This was multiplied by the fact that I was able to consolidate the controller onto less buttons and better segregate everything. Actually the meat and potatoes of the operations are on the DPAD, leaving the rest of the controller fairly loose and uncomplicated.

4) Unfortunately, I have a bunch of crap to do tomorrow and probably wont have much time to work on this. The bright side though is what I have left is childsplay. I just need to run a bunch of tests until I get the results that I want and I should be done. I intend for this to be a serious tool for mapping and a viable alternative to the conventional methods. I even have it accessing the build menu without the use of the mouse feature. This was actually a pretty neat trick. Menu bars accept ALT+ProperLetter to drop menus and then those menus are navigable via up and down keys (I am speaking in a keyboard sense) I exploited the hell out of that fact.

5) My "end-game" is to design this for every controller I can get my hands on. The foundation is laid. At this point (barring missing buttons or controller features) All I have to do is create controller profiles that are bounced off of my existing shortcut list and swap the pic of the logitech controller with a pic of the next controller in my diagram. managing and manipulating the shortcut list was the hardest part and that part is done (forever...I hope)

[Syluxguy28O3]

you might want to try to map this to a xbox 360 controller next, considering its the pc gaming standard.

[MadGypsy]

makes sense - xbox = microsoft

noted

[bluntz]

Nice stuff for ps3!