Can anyone help me: I'm finishing Q1SP map where I use sock_eg wad and need some rock textures and skybox to fit the theme (egypt). I have some custom textures of rocks but they don't fit the map good IMHO so I used ID original rock textures temporary and now it's time change them 

http://www.planetquake.com/quark/

It's easy, simple, and has a very nice entity/brush list that I can't survive without. One of the major reasons I've never converted to another editor is, the ones people keep suggesting have no entity/brush list. I depend on that do find my brushes at least half the time. I do not enjoy playing the "let's find the obscure brush lost in the jungle that I was just working with not 2 seconds ago" every time I want to edit a brush that's not immediately accessible in my current view or zoom.

And I'm not heavy enough into mapping to go learning everything all over again. :) 

I already have 2 skyboxes in a desert theme and I can also make one specifically for you. Could probably do a rock texture too.
Lemme check Sock's egyptian textures, possibly show me a screenie or whatever, and we'll talk. 

 

Nah, that is not lazy. Alternative methodology. 

Does Quark have a spawnflag explanation/selection in its entity list? I encountered an odd one for the Hellknight that I had never seen before, and it did not seem to be listed in the .qc source either. How it actually functioned (it has to be there somewhere!) has baffled me. 

It usually explains the spawnflags pretty well. If you hover the mouse over (or click) the ? button above the entity list, that should help.

What's the spawnflag that's giving you trouble? I might be able to explain it. 

I decided it was worth downloading (the 4. x) version, and figured out what happened on the source map (one of the 100 Brush contest maps); it was a miscalculation - perhaps from calculating in Death Match, I suspect. 

Between using the 3d view window and a number of commands that let you select the depth of the brush you're selecting I find grabbing brushes to be a snap in radiant. I don't know how brushes are IDed in a brush list but I'd hate to have to remember numbers corresponding to brushes. 

My map isn't lit yet. But that's ok I may e-mail you a screenshot.
But I use completely sock_eg wad (without any other textures) 

Probably so. I just like having brush groups and such listed just like vector paths and layers in illustraitor/photoshop. 

Whenever i compile the map i'm working on, it says there is a leak at a light. The map compiled fine until i added in the most recent 6 light entities. I thought that maybe if i deleted those light entities the map would compile fine. However, when i compiled after deleting the new light entities, the leak was pinpointed at lights that had been working perfectly fine before. Anyone have any idea what's going on here?

C:\Program Files\worldcraft\Q1Tools>qbsp qtooe2m4
TreeQBSP v1.90 -- Modified by Bengt Jardrup

Input file: qtooe2m4.map
Output file: qtooe2m4.bsp
---- LoadMapFile ----
*** WARNING 06: No info_player_deathmatch entities in level
----+----+
2954 faces
519 brushes
41 entities
22 unique texnames
516 texinfo

Building hulls sequentially...
Processing hull 0...
---- Brush_LoadEntity ----
----+----+
514 brushes
---- CSGFaces ----
----+----+
2916 brushfaces
1733 csgfaces
1670 mergedfaces
---- SolidBSP ----
1712 split nodes
812 solid leafs
838 empty leafs
63 water leafs
3029 leaffaces
2806 nodefaces
---- FillOutside ----
*** WARNING 10: Reached occupant at (224 -1088 144), light
Simplifying ... Leak file written to qtooe2m4.pts
---- MakeFaceEdges ----
----+----+
---- GrowRegions ----
Processing hull 1...
----+----+
----+----+
Processing hull 2...
----+----+
----+----+
*** WARNING 19: No entities in empty space -- no filling performed
---- WriteBSPFile ----
697 planes 13940
3034 vertexes 36408
1750 nodes 42000
516 texinfo 20640
2844 faces 56880
1664 clipnodes 13312
940 leafs 26320
3067 marksurfaces 6134
11219 surfedges 44876
6993 edges 27972
22 textures 194772
lightdata 0
visdata 0
entdata 3222

3 warnings

Elapsed time : 0:02

Peak memory used : 2.1 MB

C:\Program Files\worldcraft\Q1Tools>tyrlite -extra qtooe2m4
----- TyrLite v0.94 -----
extra sampling enabled
BSP is version 29
using minlight value 20 from worldspawn.
41 entities read, 19 are lights.
Lighting face 2844 of 2844
Lighting Completed.

lightdatasize: 44429
0 switchable light styles
Writing BSP version 29
2.0 seconds elapsed

C:\Program Files\worldcraft\Q1Tools>vis -level 4 qtooe2m4
---- vis ----
testlevel = 4
LoadPortals: couldn't read qtooe2m4.prt
No vising performed. 

load up the pointfile in game and find that leak
check the light entity at (224 -1088 144) in editor to see where the path will start 

to get rid of the "No entities in empty space ..." warning in hull 2, you must make sure that at least one entity is moved further away of nearby walls/floors etc. I don't remember the exact distance required (it varies with hull).

If you can't sort it out, send me the zipped map+wad and I'll take a look at it. 

I found the leak almost immediatly. Thanks Kell 

I'm using light entities to do all my lighting. I have my light entities right up against their brush sources. If i moved them away, would that solve the problem? 

I'm using light entities to do all my lighting. I have my light entities right up against their brush sources. If i moved them away, would that solve the problem? 

if you have light entities close to a brush feature ( e.g. a light fixture ) don't place the entity flush with the surface of the brush; move it away. Distance depends on the effect you want for your lighting, but I'd say 8 uits should do nicely.
Never place a point entity so that its origin point is flush with a brush ( ooh, poetry ) 

one entity (e.g. the info_player_start) that's clearly separated from the solid architecture, maybe by 32 units (I don't recall the exact value). You'll know you're clear when the warning disappears for all hulls.

Think of hulls 1 and 2 as "pumped up" (expanded) variants of hull 0 (the visible brushwork). Therefore you might need to move the entity yet a little bit even if it's visibly clear off the brushwork. 

it would work to add an info_null to your level which is the correct distance away from all brushes, if you don't want to move your real entities around. 

Many maps generated from the Speedmaps actually have pretty decent play and layouts. At the very least, they tend to be of a better quality than any one would expect given the time limit. What kind of methods do you use to speed up the process, or, how do you organize your productivity differently than when you are mapping without the time restraint? 

It seems that you were right about the placement of the player start entity. I just moved it as you said, and all was well.

Thanks for the help Aguire and Metlslime 

I just use a shortened version of my own mapping habits. Make a cool area, think about what it will lead to, continue down that route. I start with little or no idea what I'll be doing for the round.

My latest speedmap, I knew I wanted a graveyard, so I started with some tombstones, and made it a dark room so I wouldn't have to fuck with the walls much. I knew then I had to go inside maybe a temple, so I built a little entryway, then added functionality for monsters in that room. I add all the entities as I go, making it easy to quickly finish up the map if need be. Also helps think about progression and balence of the map because I know what I've done it what that player has seen.

Anyway, after the entryway, I built the little main hall with blinky lights (my new fave speedmappery toy) and decided to add a gold key bit. My first thoughts were to make a large area with 2 floors and a squarish bit in the middle containing the gold key and monsters... Reliezed I was late on time, and started on just making it a little room with a key and a few baddies.

Decided it was way too easy and far too bland to be worth while, so I thought back to my e4 playthrough for an idea. Remembered the bit with the moving wall that was so interesting, and yet completely simple to implant.

Neat thing about making it was that the candle light models can't move with the moving wall, so I placed them where they'd be in the 'open' position, and presto, 'elder torches that light instantly!' I thought it was a pretty cool unplanned idea, but no one seemed to notice :(

After that, threw in the end, and called it quits. Complied, played thru, Added more shells, health, and rockets than I had at first, and hid an armor in the graveyard, and called it good.

The problems with my method are obvious, easy to get off track, easy to spend way too long on a start area, breeds rather short maps. Some of the advandges are that it lets me dynamic with the map and fuck around with neat ideas withoutworry because I can always end maps quickly.

A better plan may be to quickly build a layout in 5-10 mins, detail it in 50-75 mins, add ents as you detail, and get in a few quick playthroughs. It's very recommended to leave a few mins to test frequently and some spare time for last min fixes. 

I did notice it -- the map kind of took me back to the old days of the game Dungeon Master where each room was an original way to screw with the player. I wondered when I played your map how much thought had to go into that trick. 

I've been asked a mapping question and rather than point the askee here I thought I'd ask myself, so apologies in advance if I use any mapping terminology incorrectly.

Using worldcraft shareware version.

Got a .map from someone.

It's all very dark i.e. no lights.

lots of light entities in the .map

Someone else opened it in quark. Lots of light just as it should be.

QUESTIONS

Is this a known issue?
Would the registered version fix it?

The guy in question doesn't want to have to learn a new editor just for this so please don't say "use a different editor".
Better still can someone mail me the registered worldcraft so he can try it and then you can post something here saying "No I won't send you the registered version. That would be dishonest. The very idea!"

Thanks.