At college!

(Rapid Application Dev. for anyone who isn't familiar).

I guess I use the dated Waterfall methodology.

Should be using an Agile methodology.... 

like I'm a bit of an anomoly here... With Deck it's easy since the layout and plans are already in my head (and made in UT) so I have no need to lay anything down. But I have a blue map (it may be the next one, maybe) that I drew some above and sideviews to get a kind of feel (the idea came to me when I was going to bed, so I drew it so I wouldn't forget)...
Once it's released I'll scan the plans too for fun. :)
I deviated a little, plus the actual map itself is way more detailed. 

a pragmatic approach. 

I start,
then I'm lost,
I fall,
then I crawl,
I cry,
then I fly,
I wrench,
then I drench,
I choke,
then I'm broke,
I wind,
then I'm blind,
I carve,
then I starve,
I map,
then its's crap,
reconciles,
takes time of miles,
I flute,
then I salute. 

 

I really have to stop reading func_ when trying to finish a map. I can get a basic layout done then I find something cool on func_ and get lost playing with it. Teaching old progs.dat thread is a good example. Quoth has so many tricks, now func_detail is here. Redo the map now to optimize vis? Go to The Tome of Preach find more tricks and must have models, spark a new idea for the layout. Map gets larger, more complex, larger add features and never actually finish. ohh wait look Fitz V can now do this or that, new idea! more complex larger map. I really need discipline! 

Where has ZealousQuakeFan been? After TyrUtils release I thought we would see that massive map with func_detail optimization. 

That would probably help him a big deal. Though maybe he's given up on the whole thing already. 

is if all engines had support for quake 2 style brushes (trans33, trans66, monster clip, current, flowing)...

And TB had native support for Quake2/3 etc. 

ZQF the other day. 

 

Don't need engine support, just QC
Pox's qc extras have moving/flowing water already. 

I can't seem to customize the build menu in radiant. It keeps resetting itself to default? 

I never ever managed it either, I just stuck to using .bat files or the most basic options in the menu 

I use bash scripts, but MadGypsy has some posts about the Radiant build menu @ quakeone.com. He seems to have it working. 

to high-res textures or not to high-res textures? that is the question 

not 

 

Absolutely NOT. 

Should be an afterthought at best.

I made my last map using entirely vanilla Quake textures to ensure that if someone used hi-res textures all of the surfaces would be hi-res.

But it sure would have been nice to use the numerous custom textures available. Ultimately most of the people here anyway like the old-school look. The hi-res monster skins look weird for exmaple because the models themselves have such low poly counts. The game is generally more convincing at it's orginal resolution. 

High resolution textures can look absolutely gorgeous, especially coupled with no texture filtering (or the items look out of place).

If you were asking about fan-reimaginations of the Quake texture though, I join the choir (apart from Debaser of course). 

People outside this forum might like the option to have hi-res textures. I see no problem with them. Perhaps provide the hi-res textures as an optional addon pack. 

i've found the greatest enhancement that external textures provides isn't high res, it's freedom from the 256 colour palette. 

I personally have nothing against high res texture (I have produced enough of them over the years) but and I mean a big BUT, you have to consider the bigger picture.

If you upgrade something with better textures then the rest of the game has to match as well. I like to call it the Domino Effect and it has to do with texture density not resolution. The key to good texture work is maintaining texture density across all assets.

As necros said, the best upgrade to Quake would be to free all assets from the 256 colour palette and finally have a rich colour environment. 

Problem with hirez is that its usually done badly. Ugly normalmaps and very busy diffuse maps.

When they're nicely drawn they look great.

Unless they're stretched over the lo-rez meshes of monsters.