.ent files are still used a lot in Darkplaces and in fact, AFAIK it's the only way to add something in a map without having to de/recompile it. Basically, if the map is not yours and you don't have the source .map, you're stuck with .ent editing.

it just never crossed my mind to do it like that or that it was a way that people would teach each other anymore.
Which is why I've stressed several times that it wasn't the best method and that other, more experienced mappers would know the way. The guy had questions left unanswered, so I wanted to provide whatever rudiments of an answer I could muster. 

Fog is a key/value pair that is set in Worldspawn.

"fog" "n.nnn"

It ranges from 0 to 1. Lower values seem to look better, 0.5 is pretty thick fog.

You can set the color by adding an optional RGB value:

"fog" "n.nnn r.rr g.gg b.bb"

Fog can also be typed in as a console command, just leave off the quotes:

fog 0.25 

If a skybox is used it must be in the correct location gfxenv which can be in QuakeID or in the game folder or inside a .pak file

The skybox will need to be set using a key/value pair in worldspawn:

"sky" "skyboxname_"

Note the underscore. The engine will find all the parts automatically. Sky can also be typed in as a console command, just leave off the quotes:

sky skyboxname_

Do not forget the underscore. 

Do you need the underscore?

At least for AD I know that it is not needed to get the skybox to take effect. 

I always figured the underscore was just used as a separator. Most skyboxes I've seen use it, but I don't think it's necessary.

Seems like if it's used you would need to include it, because the up dn rt lf stuff gets appended to the name when the engine tries to load the sky.

sky moonlit tries to load moonlitup moonlitdn, etc.

sky moonlit_ tries to load moonlit_up moonlit_dn, etc.

I've never really tested it out though. 

I just did with a .ent file in DP: I removed all the underscores from both the .ent and the filenames and it works just fine, so I suppose it'll be the same in a map editor. 

The names have to match though: you can't remove the underscore in the files and keep it in the worldspawn header or vice versa, but that was to be expected. 

Mukor, mugwump. Huhhuh, you guys make my head spin! Rick you come in with some really solid and answers.

- Darkplaces, i assume is an engine that runs quake, I my self use QUakespasm. It is both supported by windows and osX (im mapping with windows 8 because eric thought how to compile maps with windows but im really a mac user, i Have a 2013 imac)

All the scripts and coding jargon really dont help a novice like me at the moment unless you can tell me every single specific step that is required to take. IE "no.1 open trenchbroom" "no.1 click blaablaablaa.." etc.

Mapping and this message board has filled all my life with a strong impact, all my waking hours i think about mapping, and posibilities I can create and how to solve them. im insired and motivated! :)

- From a visual point I think coloured lights and a fog give a big boost to visuals. cold light and warm light create dyamic in spaces and fog creates a nice contract between distances.

My compiling time went way down when I scratched my project and started anew from the same kind of visual ideas i had, without using a space map consept. Im able to create the illusion of a larger world even without skyboxes at the moment but i still want to learn how to create them. In doom its so much simpler. At the moment my map concept is a darker, fantasylike world. i have also created func_trains to give my world more life.

My main challenge at the moment is lighting. This makes me constatly save, compile and run my map to know hot to create lights. i guess this element of mapping comes with more expirience.

still if you guys can give me concrete instructions on how to create fog and coloured lights it would help me in the future!

p.s. there is no heart on the emoticons!!! hahah, Im such a softie.. 

To make a light colored you give a light entity the _color key and give it a value of the color you want.

Example:

Key: _color Value: 255 0 0

This would give bright red which you would not want to do in a map.

For colored lights, subtlety is usually the best practice.

Value: 255 225 225

Would give a more visually appealing red color which could be used to portray red stained glass windows or what have you. 

Did you take a look at the pictures linked by mukor in post #17482? From what I can see in the first two pictures, fog and skybox are defined in the worldspawn (the very first entry at the top of your entity manager). The third picture shows you the color parameter in a light's properties. What more do you need? 

If using 0-255 for the 3 values doesn't work (e.g. 255 255 0 for orange) then you may need to use 1.0 1.0 0 using values of 0 thru 1. 

color uses range 0-255
_color uses range 0-1

both are supported, don't mix them. 

Good to know. 

Mugwump, sry i missed it but now i opened it. 

.ent files are still used a lot in Darkplaces and in fact, AFAIK it's the only way to add something in a map without having to de/recompile it. Basically, if the map is not yours and you don't have the source .map, you're stuck with .ent editing.

An old tool called adquedit lets you embed a modified .ent file into a .bsp file without the need for recompiling. This has the advantage of working in all engines, but the disadvantage that you have to send a much larger file.

For a more esoteric way of editing entities in a map, see:
https://tomeofpreach.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/debugging-and-save-games/ 

qbsp can update the entities in a bsp also, using -onlyents and a .map file. AFAIK .ent is just a renamed .map without any brushes. 

 

Once I used a hex editor to change the entities in L4D2 Dark Carnival versus finale, so that the survivors couldn't get to the stands, and had to fight on the stage like the rock gods intended. So if you're crazy then that option also exists, the entity block is just plain text in there... 

I've used 0-255 for _color since I first began adding colored light and it works fine.

I standardized on only about ten or so different colors for consistency. As an example, all torches use one color, all lava another, etc. I have many custom textures which have light3_8 pasted in to serve as a light source and these all use the same color.

One advantage to this is if I decide to change a light color for some reason, it can be done easily by search and replace in a
Notepad++ or other text editor.

"_color" "255 240 224" > "_color" "255 192 208"

Not so easy to change the colors of thirty or more torches for example, if "color picker" or something has been used and all have similar, but slightly different values.

Using ericw's surface light is also a way to make mass color changes, as long as the light is associated with a certain texture. 

I used "_color" entity key and trenchbroom offered a colour picker. I made some tests and it all worked out very nicely. 

Sup chaps, I feel stupid for asking this but apparently I'm missing something.

I'm trying to make a trigger_push function like a jumppad in q3 (shooting the player vertically but slightly angled, maybe 5 degrees). However I don't know how to angle it upwards.

I'm using TB2, ty. 

angle -1 is up
angle -2 is down. 

Though if you want it angled slightly you can set the angles key directly:

http://i.imgur.com/5SE5Oud.jpg

Not that it's "angles" instead of "angle"
The first number of angles is the pitch. Note that you need to set it as negative to have it point upward. -80 is 10 degrees offset from straight up.
The second number is yaw. 270 is southward in the map.
The last number is roll and should be left at 0 since it does nothing. 

Perfect, thanks guys.

Unfortunately I assumed because the preview arrow doesn't seem to update properly (in TB2) that it wasn't working.

Now stop helping me and make more maps! 

Hi guys,

Now that i have been introduced to the basics of mapping i've been busy designing my first map. Lighting the map and creating polished looking areas takes alot of time for me at the moment but its alot of fun.

I revisited Ericw's tytutils github-site, and i really like the Bounce / radiosity and Phong shading. How do i add the lighting to my map?