Experienced Mappers: Techniques and Tips

[freehub]

Originally posted by Cunnah

simple YOU CAN'T..................you'd have to edit the script but since that isn't avalable yet you'll just have to wait. The main thing is that the combat system is different.

 

Actually, i've figured some of it out. I got an emplaced gun to work on a multiplayer map. The perspective doesn't change though. You can fire the gun but the gun doesn't move with the shots. And you can't really see what your firing at because the seat is still in the way. Anyone know how to fix this?

[mapmaker]

How did you get it to work in MP?

[freehub]

Basically, I opened up the .pk3 files that came with the game, asset0.pk3 and asset1.pk3 and copied all the files that started with turret or emplaced or were in a directory called turret or emplaced. I copied these files in their respective folders into the .pk3 file of my map. Look at the directory tree. If any of the folders have the name of a single player map like "imp_mine "change it to "mp". So if you have a file in "models\map_objects\imp_mine" you'd change it to "models\map_objects\mp". This loads them in multiplayer. Tell me what you think.

[mapmaker]

Interesting. Hopefully we can eventually get emplaced guns and AT-ST's to work.

 

*edit*

Did you actually get the emplaced gun to work now, or are you still having the same problem with it not changing perspective?

*edit*

[freehub]

I think the reason why it doesn't work completely is because i'm not including some files. All i need to do is find out which ones.

[Nanime]

Cunnah, could you give me a small step by step instruction on making that bank? I think I know what you want me to do, but when I go to do it later tonight, I want to make certain it's the right thing. I came home from work and my brain decided to abandon problem solving *sigh* Ah well.

 

Thanks!

[Cunnah]

OK MODEL BANK

 

STEP 1:

 

create a realy big cube and hollow it

 

STEP 2:

 

Load every model as you do normaly (see above posts) into this cube giving each room to breath in

 

STEP 3:

 

SAVE!!!!!!!!!!

 

STEP 4:

 

when ever you need a model open up the model bank select the model you want, go to selection menu and click copy brush

 

STEP 5:

 

Reload your map and go to the selection menu and click paste brush, the model will appear. To use the same model again just select it and press space *POOF* as if by magic another model appears with no having to reload the map.

 

hope that helps you out

 

CUNNAH

[Nanime]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

 

 

 

Anyone have some thoughts on achieving natural lighting? And those silly sky shaders? Do they even work?

 

I'm gonna do some more work on my temple deal tonight and I'll have some test screenshots to share.

 

By the way, all you guys who've helped me and the other newbies? You rule.

 

[Vorax]

First, please don't take this the wrong way...I am just trying to help

 

Please go find tutorials on Quake 3 mapping.

 

Many of the explanations I am seeing hear not good practices and in some cases just wrong. I know you guys are trying to help each other, but you should go read some of the many tutorials out there on the net. With tutorials you can help yourself. All of what I am seeing posted here is ment well, but mostly wrong or misleading. Please go to google and enter 'Quake 3 mapping tutorials'

 

To be fair, I will answer a few of the questions posted here.

 

Anyone have some thoughts on achieving natural lighting? And those silly sky shaders? Do they even work?

 

Do natural lighting by using lights of low value 25-100 (max) and use many of them. Give your light a source such as a ceiling fixture, learn to use targeted lighting (have a light entity targeted at an info_null) from fixtures and many other tricks. (tutorials out there)

 

Yes, sky shaders work. Look in the skies.shader file, learn what those values mean. (look for shader tutorials) Quick tip, if you want one that emits light look for shaders with: q3map_surfacelight and/or sun If none of those are present, the sky has no light.

 

OK MODEL BANK

 

STEP 1:

 

create a realy big cube and hollow it

...

 

First...Good tip I will extend it though one addition, you can bring the entire model bank into your new map by going to Edit->Load Prefab It will come in hilighted, drag it to an area outside of what will be your map. If you keep the models outside of the map area, the compiler will ignore them. You can save it as part of your map and have it with you always to cut and past from.

 

Actually, i've figured some of it out. I got an emplaced gun to work on a multiplayer map. The perspective doesn't change though. You can fire the gun but the gun doesn't move with the shots. And you can't really see what your firing at because the seat is still in the way. Anyone know how to fix this?

 

You got even me on this one They are new to this game and I haven't used them, if I get a chance I will try to figure them out and let you know.

 

-Vertex/Edge dragging

I see a lot of people wondering how to make arches or or trim for curved surfaces, etc.

 

Nice explanation of edging here.

 

However, the arches part is not the best way to make arches. Arches should be made using 'End Cap's

 

- Create a brush

- With it select, go to the menu Curve->End Cap

- You will see a curved arch appear

- Rotate it using the buttons X and Y rotation buttons until it is on the angle you want

- Shape it by dragging it like expanding a brush.

- Explore the various capping and thickening options under the Curves menu for things that can be done to it

- To do just a plain arch, use Curve->Thicken and select a thickness. The default value of 8 represents 1 grid mark (or about a foot in mesurement in the game). Stick with values divisile by 2

- Other capping is typically done with the Curve->Cap->xxx options

- Experiment and read tutorials for more info

 

One more thing that pisses me off: ADD MUSIC TO YOUR LEVEL PLZ. Place a worldspawn somewhere that no spectator or player will ever see it, select it with your entity window open (press "n"), and add in the key/value fields

 

You can not add a world spawn, so you don't need to worry about placing it. It is invisible and can't be seen. Every map has one by default and it can't be removed. To edit the world spawn properties, select any normal brush and press N.

 

I guess i'll ask the experienced mappers my question. How can I get single player entities to work in multiplayer?

 

Once we release the JK2 Coop Modification, you will be able to, but until then you can't. Sorry.

 

Also, should the weapons and powerups, etc have their model showing up in the square when I add them, or are they always solid color squares?

 

It's a problem with this version of Radiant when working with this game.

 

 

"Entity NOT created, brushes not all from world"

 

That's the error message I was given when I tried to add a new entity to my map. Any thoughts?

 

You have selected an entity and a brush and tried to group them, or you have selected 2 entities and tried to group them, or you have selected a brush entity and an entity and tried to group them, or you have selected an entity and tried to turn it into another entity.

 

Basically, you can not group entities in this version of Radiant because it treats groups as a real entity even though they are not understood by the compiler and are ignored.

 

 

Some other questions:

 

*only one color of light at a time with one effect?

 

*one misc_model per level?

 

*Recommended lighting attributes for rooms

 

*That funky glow on sabers. Where does it come from? (Not the one for the saber itself, but the little light halo)

 

* No. (I think, could you rephrase that?)

* No.

* 25-100 value spaced at 64 units (higher values near something representing a light source, like a lamp).

* That glow is dynamic lighting rendered at run time.

 

 

I am to tired to go on!!!

 

I hope that helps some of you...but I stress again..>FIND TUTORIALS

 

No hard feelings I hope

 

- Vorax

[Nanime]

Personally, the first thing I did was go looking for tutorials. Bubba's is great, but there's just one problem : It's for Quake. When I read his tutorial on entities and shaders, I run into a brick wall. Without the help of the people here, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have in three or four days. The issue with the objects not showing up in the window, according to his tutorials, they should. There's also the problem with the entities not loading at all. Some of us have done level editing before, but every time it's different.

 

 

I don't know about you guys, but as soon as I get this down, I'm making a tutorial. I've run into so many issues, I don't know where to begin, but you muddle things out as you go along. The veteran mappers who take the time to help and encourage newbies like myself to grow really are so awesome. I know it takes time to teach us how to do things, time to explain the things that back when you were new you might have had questions about too... the things that now you take for granted.

 

This not only goes here but other places as well. You guys rule.

I'm still going along with my quake tutorials, but I still look to you mappers here for my guidance. You know the tools, you know the world. You're our mentors.

 

Thank you.

[B0rG]

http://www.claudec.com/the_tutorial_Index/q3a/tutorials.shtml

 

This site is excellent for all sorts of radiant related tutorials. It doesn't cover JK2 entities, but it does cover pretty much everything else if you dig deep enough.

 

And Don't forget to use the search function in the level editing forums at quake3world.com to find answers for error messages you don't understand.

[JumboMonkeyfish]

Originally posted by Vorax

You can not add a world spawn

 

yea u can; at least i did

 

-Jumbo Monkeyfish

[Vorax]

Originally posted by JumboMonkeyfish

 

yea u can; at least i did

 

-Jumbo Monkeyfish

 

Hehehe...you didn't add it, it was already there

 

- Vorax

[JumboMonkeyfish]

are u saying when i right clicked and placed it and a box named 'worldspawn' appeared there, it had just been 'invisible' or something before - btw something strange i could see it ingame!! and NO im not on crack. and NO i didnt attach worldspawn to a brush.

 

-Jumbo Monkeyfish

[Vorax]

Worldspawns don't have a model, so it couldn't have been that which you saw in the game. Worldspawn is on the menu, but you can't actually add it. Not sure what you would have saw. If you add it to an empty map, I believe the editor puts in a brush instead, because to have any kinda map, there must be at least one brush. As soon as you have one brush, you have a worldspawn.

 

- Vorax

[JumboMonkeyfish]

It looked like a block with the unnamed texture (cus i didnt give it a name in JK2r). For some reason i can still add that same thing, and it seems like it is the exact same shape and proportions each time, although it sometimes has been rotated.

 

Also, it is strange because i cannot edit the keys for my worldspawn unless i have this visible one selected.

 

-Jumbo Monkeyfish