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New Q1SP: Gravey Trail By Madfox
Rinie 'Madfox' Brouwers makes his Quake mapping debut with Gravey Trail, a single player level that also functions in deathmatch mode. He describes it as a "medieval Castle, inspired by e2m4 Ebon Fortress."

So far the map is only available from fileplanet as a 637k .rar file: http://fpweb1.fileplanet.com/files/110000/119400.shtml

(thanks aguirRe)
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Stepping In ... 
Just to clarify, MadFox seems to be using an older QuArK version (4.07 I think) that generates float maps but he still claims to be using the old qbsp256 which absolutely does not support float values in map files.

With this tool combination, he can map off-grid and then the compiler will do the "grid-snapping" due to the accuracy loss. This will actually produce pretty solid maps (without too much clipping errors) but with big visual brush alignment problems. All non-axial planes will "snap" to the nearest integer adjusted position with interesting results ...

The bad thing is that since the maps apparently are made off-grid, it doesn't help to upgrade to compilers that can read float maps. It actually makes things worse by accurately trying to fit together brushes with tiny gaps or overlaps. This will cause major clipping errors and leaks.

A difficult situation indeed ... 
What About That Conversion Program 
you made a little while back? it was more or less succesful in converting map which were made in quark407 to a map editable in other software.

i only needed to fix a few dozen brushes (as opposed to hundreds or thousands). 
I Don't Think It 
would help much in this case, since it really tries to preserve the individual face direction and position when converting from float to integer coordinates in the map file.

Since the brushes/faces are off-grid the only thing that can help is actually what MadFox is already doing; snap to grid either in the compiler (by using an integer-only compiler) or in pre-compiler stage (e.g. using my ConvMap to convert map file to integer format by cutting off the fractional part).

There's nothing that I know that can automagically repair the brushes to whatever MadFox wanted them to look like. Except of course an extensive manual brush-aligning editor session ... 
Thanks For Your Great Support! 
Although my broken english is rather queer for a foreigner, I have overcome to an understanding point of what you are talking about.

First, sorry necros, email seems to be an "as if" medium. When it gets lost, only the spam-error will surprise you. And indeed thanks again. The last statement gives me knuckles, but it also reminds me of my poor technical insight. I hardly understand, what you mean with tex-clipping and all.
You are right,when you say the maps are box-a-like. In the time I made them (P100-32Mb ram) it was hardly impossible to make the map bigger. I just did not have the knowledge of doing so, and if I did, the programm collapsed.
Same for the reason, if I wanted to make the maps better. The count of brushes already used prohibbit me of doing so. And then I also get the feeling I am betrailing my own good
purpose.(Although you are right, when you are talking about the standards of nowadays mapping). Looks as if I will stay an "Old School" mapper anyway.

Indeed, I use Quark4.07, for its handsome vieuwer. I couldn't handle the one in the later versions.
And I am claiming nothing, argue, I just wanted to explain, how hard compiling was in old days. There are maps in this sequel I builded two or three times all over again, because after houres compiling, I received the message "Unexpected error occured" and I was left with a compiled BSP, but no map of it.

I use bsp256, because it has a manner to seak for leaks, and it can force brushes which are outlined, back into the grid again.
But at the same moment, it turns all entities into functions, so the whole map has to be redrawn again.

Thanks for the hint for texbsp. I surely will use that one in the future, as for the better
compiler.
I devided the two packs of eleven back into four packs of six. So I have to change the ammunition setting, and the monster-count as well.And I am feeling somehow sorry, to do this work on my own.

But great to have this assistence and responds! 
Woohoo 
this might be somewhat interesting for the noob mapper/madfox:
http://xen.quakepit.com/tut1.htm


Cheers ray, I'd forgotten all about that page :-)

Do you have any opinions on that article, madfox? I'd be interested to hear the views of a newer mapper.

(It's not totally accurate, I zoomed through the lighting section a bit and the reasoning behind detail sometimes contradicts itself, but no matter.) 
Pillar Box 
Necros, you zipped me away with your file.dz
Me so decent to send you the level by email,
and now I can go scratching on a side, to evaluate your zipping command.Did not work.
Who was argueing about compression programms?

I've seen the articel, xen. At least it looks
much about the legandary QMAP-site.
Wonderfull to get noob after all this time...
Xen, try GraveyTrail. 
... 
.dz is Dzip format, specifically for demo files. they compress about twice as much (the .zip file size was 2mb, whilst the .dz file is about 800k)

here's the file in .zip (2mb):
http://www.planetquake.com/necros/temp/krq5demos.zip 
... 
sorry about that. i often forget not everyone has dzip. :) 
Although... 
...perhaps everybody should have it.

Madfox, get dzip here...

http://planetquake.com/sda/dzip 
Wanderer 
I found some data-storing on Lycos.
I released the first six maps of Abandoned,
so if you have some time, you could try them.
I named them dummy.rar
Read the text, take only the leftback path in the Chapel!

http://members.lycos.nl/portable/dummy.rar

Lots of fun Christmass, and give me some support. 
... 
Ah ...bad luck again 
Wanderer 
It seems the data gets blocked.
Once the http//members.lycos.nl/portable
appears it gives a delay.
If you type dummy.rar behind it, it starts downloading.

Can somebody cheque this? 
I Didn't Have Any 
problems downloading this, in fact it was a fast and solid link.

I haven't played anything yet, but I already have some suggestions. Please consider using the standard zip format instead of rar. I have absolutely no problems with it, but others might. The size difference is typically very small.

Also consider change the name of the pack/directory to something else than "dummy", "temp" etc. Use the real name "The Abandoned" (or a short version thereof). Otherwise some people might not take your work seriously. 
I Did. 
I clicked on the link and was redirected to ......nl/portable so I added /dummy.rar to the end of the URL and it started downloading. (note: case sensitive!) 
More Suggestions 
Don't put your personal config.cfg file inside the pak.

And if you absolutely must release a beta start map that is a maze of twisty corridors (all different ...) with most teleporters not working, then at least offer a correct hint to the only working one.

Which is in the back right corridor from the start position. 
Heh 
I exited the first level (skill 0) with 30/103 kills. I killed everything I found and wandered around lost for quite a while. I would guess it's possible to cut off large sections of the map. ;-)

I'll post something more constructive once I've played a bit more. 
Start Map 
It's far too big and complex. A start map should get straight to the point: Selecting a skill level (which you did well), and then selecting a map to play (which you have messed up.)

For the final release, simplify your layout. Also, those two corridors with the sourceless, very bright lights look ridiculous.

On the positive side, some of your corridors, particularly the ones with the demon-head decorations, look very good. They actually achieve id level standard. Try extending that style and level of detail throughout the start map. 
Well.....uh 
First let me explain it is a wonder you could download the file, my intentions were just to show something, what has lingered for so long in this toppic.
Glad, because now there is a possbillity to talk about the subject.
I had put a readme.txt with it, but maybe you didn't read it. As for the extention.
I tried several times to upload a zip file, but it seems only the rar pack came through(?)

I admit, the startmap is somehow twisty and strange. As for the fact only one teleporter works to a sequence.
But as I got so queer of betatesting, I wondered how other people would relate to it.
And as Morfans says: the first map gives 30/130
kills. I don't know what causes this lack of 90
monsters.

For now I am just glad I got this part of the pack on the internet.
Probably full of small errors, but close to the target I was construckting too.

The exit to OnePair gave me a Alloc_hunc error, so I had to change it for a smaller map.

Please, give me more advice. I will be glad to change things, but I got so drenched in the beta testing, I have a hard one on keeping an
objective perception. 
Greenhorn Chicken Hopper 
On Zevon's last record, there's a line in "Rub Me Raw" that's "... to all you greenhorn chicken hoppers, find yourself a trade, or go back to the chatrooms and fade in the shade."
Just FYI 
Didn't You Like The Music...? 
raw deal

exploding plastics 
Betatesters? 
refferring to post #141 I only see names, who seem to want beta-testing....

then this crazy dude wants my radio station favorite.....(?!)

Come on, there. Give me sense of purpose.
Or should I join Shambler, and admit Quake1 is dead? 
Ohh. You Mean Beta-testing 
I'll do it if you like. Upload to alanr643@msn.com. You should probably write up a questionaire of the aspects you are testing for as well. 
Oh, You Mean That Rar File 
If you zip it up and send it, I'll do it -- but I don't use the rar format. I have an archive interperter I found on ZDnet but I hate its interface too much to bother reinstalling it. 
Headthump 
WinRar? 
Phait 
I've took it off my system a some time ago, but that sounds right. 
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