*** WHAT'S NEW -- QuakeMap 2.0 BETA *** forth release Release : 7.10.96. For Windows 95. BETA VERSION. BUG FIXES - sorry for the numerous bugs of the third release DOCUMENTATION - a draft. Thanks to Mike Melzer who updated it from QuakeMap 1.1. Please read the Introduction ! Texture browser may be used in old or in new mode (text list or images list - because image list doesn't look good at 256 colors) Completed entity list, with all the monsters found in Registred Quake. Also added a few new polyhedron shapes (prisms), and teleporter models. There is also an easier way to set "spawnflags" describing at which difficulty settings the entity appears and sometimes other special flags. A configuration dialog box lets you personalize various parameters Included : a demo level. See how to make a hierarchically organized level, with doors, teleporters, lifts, etc. Map preview in the explorer, before you open the map Plane "tagging" - you can tag the side of a polyhedron, and then "paste" a side of another polyhedron to this tagged side, so they exactly touch each other. You can also cut a polyhedron in two parts using the tagged plane as separation. New buttons : "new cube" - easier than having to open the "new..." window; and "Zoom" to instantly zoom out until the whole level is visible Syntax highlighting and auto indent in the code editor Map files that where impossible to load due to a polyhedron error may now be loaded, by just ignoring the bad polyhedron Default view mode is "Gray out of view", no longer "Show whole level" You can change or add icons for the "new entity" list. They are stored in Models.qme, in entry Icons, as a bitmap. *** What were new in third release (1.10.96) *** Brush substraction. Yes, it is now here (not too early !) Unlimited UNDO/REDO on anythink in the map editor ! (for RAM saving, the list is limited for now to 25 entires and is cleared before launching Quake) Polyhedron moving or distorsion is visible while you are dragging them. No more guessing what your drag will do : see it in real-time. Textures are organized in groups. Very practical for finding the textures you are looking for. You can extract Descriptions as .txt files according to the standard layout, like the texts you can read as description about maps (author, description, comments, editor(s) used, etc) You can bound QuakeC routines to pressing AND RELEASING a key. You can also have QuakeMap automatically add Quake instructions to the autoexec.cfg. Examples modified : check Radar.qme and BindTest.qme Accelerated QuakeC compiler (by reducing a lot the time required for it to load and analyse the original progs.dat) You can run QBSP/VIS/LIGHT and then Quake on a part of a level (used during the level development process) A maximum of RAM is freed up before launching Quake SOON: syntax highlighing in QuakeC code editor New polyhedron selection method. You can now select a polyhedron even if it is completely contained in another polyhedron, by clicking several times at the same point, until the desired polyhedron is selected. Zoom-in in map editor : it zooms in the direction of the selected objects, instead of just zooming to the screen center Enlarge/shrink polyhedrons may be done along a single axis (for distorsions) New command in menus : QuickGO (same as GO but bypasses VIS) New buttons in interface (see by yourself) ... and other minor stuff (bug fixes, ...). In particular, corrected a problem that several people reported while using QBSP, which could not find the texture wad. I think this were caused by a difference between the DOS- and the Win95-based versions of QBSP, and it should no more occur with this version of QuakeMap. *** What were new in second release (25.09.96) *** New texture browser. Displays several textures at the same time. Still need to divide textures into more practical groups. Rotation is implemented, as well as symmetry. You can rotate anything from a single polyhedron to groups to the whole level. ... and other minor stuff (bug fixes, ...) NOTE: the version of QBSP I use doesn't like stuff that is "too far" from the three axis. It refuses to compile a level that got 15° rotation around axis X and 15° more around Y. If someone gets better results than me, please e-mail me what version of QBSP you use. *** What were new in first release (20.09.96) *** Essentially, what is new is the "QuakeMap Explorer", which allows you to regroup several kind of lumps : maps, QuakeC code patches, file descriptions, etc. See below for a summary of these features. Besides this summary, this beta version contains no documentation associated with QuakeMap Explorer, as it is still under development. Experiment yourself. The level editor, renamed to "QuakeMap Editor", also got some improvements. Read them at the end of this file. *** SHAREWARE *** You may *not* use Quake 2.0 BETA after that the final 2.0 is out. *Please* upgrade to the final version as soon as possible. QuakeMap 2.0 (final) will be Shareware. Please read the corresponding instructions as soon as you download it. *** What is QuakeMap Explorer ? *** (**) = not implemented yet It is no more centered on MAP files, altough you can still use it as you did with version 1.1; instead, it is centered on a proprietary file format, near than PAK files, which allows me to store some information about maps that couldn't be stored in a standard MAP file, like grouped polyhedrons. More interestingly, we can now regroup several other datas than maps in this proprietary file format. For example : new textures, or new files to replace or complete ID standard files, like sound and model files. Consider this : large maps often require A LOT of computing power, a lot of time, and a lot of RAM to compile (I've "only" 16Mb - and I'm having trouble compiling some large maps). That's why it would be useful to distribute BSPs instead of (or with) MAPs. But BSPs are large files, and it is illegal to distribute them, anyway, because it usually contains some of ID's original textures. So I added the ability to import BSP files, textures removed, in QuakeMap's files. Not only does this reduce size, it makes the distribution of BSPs legal. Then, on another computer, QuakeMap reconstructs the original BSP, using textures from the local computer's PAK (or unPAKed) files. Right now, I have even included parts of the REACC program I made and distributed (see DEACC & REACC). REACC is a compiler like QCC, which I wrote without knowing that ID would release QCC. The purpose of including REACC into QuakeMap is double. First, it will provide another way to distribute QuakeC patches - a better way, because you will distribute only portions of files that changed, not full files like now. The interest of it is to allow you to use several patches at once. This is usually not easy with the current method of distributing complete modified files : to play with several of the patches, you have to figure out what really changed in which file, and regroup yourself the changes. QuakeMap's integrated patch compiler should be able to deal with multiple patches from multiple sources. Second, it will allow us to associate QuakeC patches with particular levels. We'll then be able to build level-specific programs, like we did in Hexen. For example, we could do something like Hexen's first level, where there are walls that make a half turn, fire a few fireballs on you, and then rotate back in place. This could be done in a standard QuakeC patch, but associating this patch with the level make it far easier to use, and prevent oneself from playing the level without the patch or vice-versa. It also provides a consistent way of assigning actions with new keys - you know, "impulse" commands. You'll be shown a list of new actions the installed patches provides, and you'll have to choose a key for each of them. QuakeMap will then automatically remap impulse numbers as needed (useful for several patches from serveral sources) and write the "autoexec.cfg" to bind them with the keys you choosen. I also plans to make a light-weight DOS run-time, easily distributable and configurable, which would expand files of the proprietary file format into playable files, with the correct directory structure, add textures to BSPs, as well as compiling QC patches and prompting for key assignment. (**) Wow ! Nice program, isn't it ? *** What's new in the map editor (QuakeMap Editor) ? *** * entities start spots are all shown on the map, with a little cross. You can click on them to select entities. You don't have to look through the entity list until the find the one you're looking for. * entity list is hiearchical, i.e. you can regroup entities and polyhedrons in regions and sub-regions. Use drag'n'drop to move entities and groups into and out of sub-groups. * multiple selection allowed. Use the Shift or Ctrl key (no difference) to select multiple polyhedrons and/or entities. Selected objects are put in a temporary group, named "(selection)". You can drag and move, zoom, rotate, and 'symmetrize' the whole group at one. To create a non-temporary group, select objects and rename "(selection)" to something else. In this way, you make the hierarchy of the level. * clipboard operations (cut-copy-paste) on single entities as well as on whole groups. * proprietary file format (i.e. the QuakeMap Explorer) stores this hierarchical information. But you can still work directly on .map files. Just be aware that saving a level into a .map file removes its hierarchy. * texture managment : now you pick up textures from the list of every textures found in Quake (ca. 500 ! They will be divided into groups, I promise). You don't have to worry about "gfx/filename.wad" any more : choose "Extract textures" in the menu, and every texture that you used is extracted into a temporary .wad file. You don't need to unPAK your pak0.pak and pak1.pak files - QuakeMap is capable of looking for textures that are stored in .bsp files themselves stored in .pak files ! * substractive polyhedrons : select two polyhedrons, and the second one will be used to "cut" the first one, which will be turned into a group of polyhedrons going "around" the cutting polyhedron. Used to dig holes (like doors) into walls. (**) not implemented yet. You must still use the old "cut along plane" menu command. * new buttons in the interface : # the button with the (new) icon pops up a list of predefined entities and polyhedrons from which you choose the object to add to your level. No more separated list for entities and polyhedrons. The whole list is itself hierarchical (choose the "populating level" group, open the "weapons" subgroup and pick up the weapon you want). This list is stored in the proprietary map format, in file "Models.qme". It can be modified the way you modify other levels. # the button with the (trash) icon deletes the selected object(s). # the button with the (entity list) icon brings you back to the hierarchical entity list and toggles between normal and full-screen view of this list (useful for complex levels). # the button with the (group) icon begins or ends a multiple selection. *** Remember, this is a BETA version. Don't forget to look for the final version, planned to be released before the end of september. Any comment, suggestion or bug report is welcome. As usually, I won't assume any responsability for whatever might occur by using my program, either directly or indirectly. No warraties ! Armin Rigo. (armin.rigo@p22.gnothi.fn.alphanet.ch)