Test Facility Map - A few Quake editing questions

[damage_inc]

Don't know if this is the right place or not, move if necessary.

Okay, spent some time in the editor today finally getting to know my way around This is for the creation of the mod "showcase" idea I posted on here about a week or so ago. I won't rehash that, just know that I want to map and I needed something to start with

I'll post updates(pics and such) on the progress as I go when I have something of value. Nothing right now.

I have a couple of questions. If you feel you have an answer without spending too much time, I would appreciate it. I can get by without these things to though.

Jump pads(Q3 style), are they possible? I used the trigger_push entity but I keep having to "jump up" to get it to work right. I read somewhere that the player needs to be off the ground so I created a clip brush "step" that would raise the player into it and trigger the push without jumping... FAILED!

EDIT: I found a way. I created an area that the player drops slightly down into first, which also houses a trigger_push, that then pushes them up into the original trigger_push I wanted!

"Texture" lighting(Q2 style), is that possible? I don't know if that's frowned upon or not, I just remember helping a buddy once edit his Q2 DM map and seemed we both liked it?!

That's about it for now, thanks in advance,
- damage_

P.S.
Using WorldCrap 3.3 with Quake adapter I won't even go into my GtkRadiant, and variants, experiences!!! I'll save setting that editor up for another time, grrr... hehe

[golden_boy]

Surface flags / texture lighting is only possible with Q2 bsp format, or q3bsp.

There are engines that support these formats (FTEQW, DP), but Worldcraft probably doesn't (Radiant however does).

[MadGypsy]

You gotta ditch that worldcraft, bro. It's lacking.

setting up radiant is simple. GB has written tutorials on how to set it up and I have written tutorials on some of the techy background stuff. Between those tutorials you should be able to fly to a successful radiant set-up.

You said you would set it up later, but that isn't going to work. The files these things create are not universal. You aren't going to start in Worldcraft and end in Radiant (without great difficulty).

there are only like 3 or 4 things to do to get radiant up. I like NetRadiant because you don't even have to install it.

1) make sure you have q1.game folder
2) make sure you type the remote url to your WADs in the worldspawn section of the property inspector
3) make sure you have compile tools and have either injected them into the xml menu or just write a .bat

That's it, man. 2 simple steps and one semi-complicated one.

[damage_inc]

I KNOW what you and g_b are saying 'Gypsy!!! It just didn't work no matter how many post's and tutorials I read or no matter how different versions of *Radiant I tried.

I'm not a computer GuRu but... to my credit, my computer I built myself which dual boots Win7 on a SSD and Linux on a secondary standard SATA drive AND has a Linux flavored VirtualBox with XP installed so... I'll scream this... THIS SHOULD BE EASY... for me! Haha

okay... I'll go try again... be back with question maybe

EDIT: OKAY... I have NetRadiant(1.5.0n-git-a28eb11 Jul 5 2012) that fires up okay and, I used hmap2 through the console to compile and light my "hello world", 1 room, 1 info_player_start and 1 light, styled map! So hey... progress!!!

[MadGypsy]

So basically:

rant, rant, rant... nevermind LOL!

GJ!

but hey, I'm not saying Worldcraft is no good. I'm saying Radiant is better and you don't seem like a "beginner". Maybe others will disagree, but I consider Worldcraft to be an introductory map editor.

EDIT:

It's a bit complicated, but if you want I can refigure out how to make NetRadiant 100% portable.

I am positive that the very first step is to make a folder named "settings" in the root radiant folder. They say this is all you ned to do, but that is a lie, cause as you use radiant it starts writing all these full paths to config files. Those paths need to be edited to be relative.

really, the only information I haven't given you is which files:

loading...

netradiant/settings/1.5.0/q1.game/local.prefs
netradiant/q1.game/default_build_menu.xml

edit all paths in those 2 files to be relative paths.

voila, now you have a netradiant that you could drag and drop to any storage device or alternate computer. Include a Quake directory with all of it's Quakeness and you have a portable mini dev "pipeline" for mappers.

edit 2: the relativity will be from whatever folder radiant.exe is in.

remember: radiant keeps writing full paths. The point is to have a blank "pipeline" that can be dumped anywhere. If you already have radiant somewhere, there is no point in doing this to that version cause it's just going to get overwritten the second you open radiant.

This is why I never completed the portability of the QuakeDevelop pipeline I assembled. If you put radiant on a USB and on your computer the drive is (ex) K: as soon as you open radiant it starts rewriting everything to that. Then you take that USB to another computer and it is drive G: - now radiant is all confused and can't find anything. Of course you can manually change the drive letterand everything is fixed, but I felt like that was enough to never be able to call it portable.

----

Ooooh, I remember why this was ever an "issue". Making it portable (my way) was necessary because I seriously changed the contents of the 2 files you are supposed to edit. So, my "radiant" was no longer the default. It was easier to have a portable drag and drop copy of my configuration, then to do a fresh "install" and switch out the files.

[damage_inc]

Portability is not an issue, but thanks anyway.

All I need now is a bit more "ease of use", remember I'm now switched to using Linux and so... this a bit painful:

saving "mymap"
minimizing NetRadiant,
switching to my hmap2 directory,
right clicking "open in terminal",
typing ./hmap2 /home/dano/Quake/id1/mymap

then when that's finished,

typing ./hmap2 -light /home/dano/Quake/id1/mymap,
switching to my Quake directory
double click on ezquake-gl.glx
Press "~" and type map mymap

To see what I've done!

Compared to hit "F9" then hit "OK", boom, in the game!

Funny thing is... I remember when QERadiant first came out, OMG... I HAD to get my friend off of WorldCrap 1.6! He was the mapper, I was the editor teacher!

Anyways, I'll keep keeping on
- damage_

EDIT: I know there are easier ways, I'm learning/discovering them now

And YES, I saw your build menu tutorial

[MadGypsy]

golden_boy's .bat method is probably what you are looking for. just type all of that stuff in a bat/bash/whatever.

compile.bat

./hmap2  %1
./hmap2 -vis %1
./hmap2 -light %1

and in default_build_menu.xml add

<var name="compile"> relative/path/to/compile.bat </var>
<build name="bat build">
    <command>[compile] "[mapFile]"</command>
</build>

simplest way

We first create a var named compile and assign it to be the bat
then we call the bat and pass it the radiant token for your current map. The bat then replaces all the %1 with the proper map url and performs all the compiling that you specified.

You could actually take this same concept and extend your bat potential.

consider this:

compile.bat

./hmap2  %1 %2 %3

default_build_menu.xml add

<var name="compile"> relative/path/to/compile.bat </var>
<build name="light build">
    <command>[compile] -light -extra4 "[mapFile]"</command>
</build>

[damage_inc]

I didn't want to turn this into a rehash "radiant install and use" thread, as they are all over the place. I've got it working now, so I'll figure out the rest without wasting anyones time with the "same ole same ole".

Now 'Gypsy, get back to your prelimiting deparsers coding, haahahahha

[MadGypsy]

I wasn't gonna do that to your thread. I figured handing you the answer for the dumb stuff was probably in your best benefit. The part you are on is the part that stumps everyone, cause "out the box", radiant doesn't work.

gb batched around it, bluntz struggled with it in the beginning, I figured out the "right" way on windows after much much effort. This is the stupid part. You are welcome.

oh Also, I have never posted this method. This is a criss cross of the 2 possible methods

You can always PM me if you need an answer. I know radiant inside out for Q1 development. I have also expanded the Radiant .ent file and my base QC to include rotating brushes (golden_boy), triggerable weather (me - DP only) and some other stuff that you might want.

[damage_inc]

I've mostly still been relearning and testing things(entities and such) but I have actually started laying out some brush work. Now, the layout is symmetrical by design. This isn't a map to be WOW'd by Jus' something that will be neat and tidy and allow you to check out quite a few of your "content replacement" mods that you're using pretty much from one map.

Well that's the idea anyway. Also it'll just be fun for me to dabble. This isn't even close to being architecturally done mind you. I'm mostly working on getting a feel for scale.

The premise is you have that central walk way with stairs leading down which you then enter an "air lift" tube that carries you to certain "test" area's. Since doors don't block VIS, and I wanted it to be compact with alot in easy reach... lots of right angled hallways were out!

Anyway, here's what I've got, I'm sure you've seen better And worse for that matter, hehe. 'til next time - damage_

[Syluxguy28O3]

i like it. air tubes are much better than cliche portals. you are headed in the right direction.

[MadGypsy]

this is lookin good, damage.

I have a few questions about your last image.

1) how many lights did you use for the central focus of that image (the ground)
2) what was the wait, _color and delay for those lights
3) what light compiler did you use
4) how many units were the lights placed from the ground

[damage_inc]

i like it. air tubes are much better than cliche portals. you are headed in the right direction.

Cool, glad you like it Maybe you can be my "beta tester" sylux', hehe

this is lookin good, damage.

I have a few questions about your last image.

1) how many lights did you use for the central focus of that image (the ground)
2) what was the wait, _color and delay for those lights
3) what light compiler did you use
4) how many units were the lights placed from the ground

'Gypsy, all those questions are a bit early bro... lighting is just randomly thrown in with a value of 200 and no colors yet
I just need to see "in game" what I am doing at this point. Colored lighting will be used sparsely and more of an accent.

I am not creative enough to "see" the whole thing in my minds eye. So my work flow will follow: simple structures first(for scale)
then created/finished structures followed by detail to structures and moving to texturing and lighting.

Since this isn't a "meant to be played" type of playable level the only thing I have to consider is presenting the level as I see it.
No real consideration other than simple aesthetics.

I'm gonna go work on actually making those jump tubes tonight... laterzzzz
- damage_

P.S.
The tools(txqbsp, wvis etc) I use are the multi threaded ones with colored light support.

[damage_inc]

Coming along slooooowly, very very slooowly!

Well it doesn't look much different but man did I spend some time going about ten steps backwards to go one step forwards... whatever. I told myself I'm going to actually see this through no matter what. As every other time I've tried editing I have given up. At least now I have the "air lift" tubes made and a few other things sized up correctly. Next I'll work on the ceiling structural "look" then follow with detail brushes, lighting and then I'll move on to making the mod content replacement showcase area's(Heavy Weapons and Ammo | Items and infantry supplies | The Petting Zoo). Here's the screenie':



Texturing, btw, will prolly be last with clean up and finishing touches as needed.

[Helloween]

Hi damage_inc,

Just passing by and want to say hi. I perfectly understand what you mean with going 10 steps back for one further, but that�s how I think it is.

At least I can tell you that you were not the only one who spent the weekend for working on Quake projects.

Take care, don't give up and have fun!