Topics

1

Quake / Converter for Q2 Models to any standard 3D file format

« on: April 21, 2010, 07:01:45 PM »

Does anyone know how I can get ANY item from Q2 into a standard 3D file format, like STL, etc.?

Anything from the game, from a player or weapon model, to a map!

We just got a uPrint 3D printer - the reason for this question should be obvious!

2

Quake / Two Demi-Newb Mapping Questions

« on: July 01, 2009, 11:23:24 AM »

I've been making maps for a long time on-and-off.  I'm now taking things to the next level, concerning myself with lighting and performance.  This has yielded two questions:

1.  How does one measure frame rate performance? Is there a standard metric for this?  I've heard about r_speeds and timedemo and such, but how would I get a hard number that I can compare to, say, a stock map?

2.  is there a way to restore Quake2 to it's stock factory video settings?  I've tweaked things over the years, and now I notice that my new map looks vastly different on the three different computers on which I have Q2 installed.

I still run bone-stock v3.2 Stock Q2.  I've has no luck with the R1Q2 client - it chunks up a storm even on the fastest computer, and it's video rendering seems to kill the textures, leaving almost featureless planes.

Cheers!
~Y

3

Quake / Ben2 Random Map Generator UPDATE!

« on: May 18, 2009, 04:40:31 PM »

Ahh, finally getting this out there...

For those who need endless new spaces to explore, I offer this update.

Check this link from my original thread for more info:

http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=8851.0

The ZIP attached to that thread even has a user's guide!  This ZIP has everything you need as well, but no user's guide.  This version of Ben fixes some really stupid bugs, particularly with item placement - the old version had a bad habit of leaving out many many items.  This version also lets you click and drag to draw hallways!  IOs it worth calling it the world's fastest map editor?  Well, not really, but it is fun to test ideas in a very quick manner...

Anyhow, enjoy!

4

Skins, Models and Maps / New Map, weird problem running it on Mutant

« on: February 25, 2009, 03:22:08 PM »

I made the coolest map ever conceived for Quake 2, and uploaded it to the great and wonderful Tastyspleen yesterday.   Quadz was kind enough to put it in the "mymap" on Mutant. 

My friends and I have been having much happiness playing this map locally for about 2 months.

However, upon running it from Mutant, there's a central jump pad that does not work.  Instead of popping you up into the air, it seems that the direction of "push" is downward, and at a near-infinite speed.    You always crater as you step off a little 6-inch ledge.


This map was made in the old-ass Qoole v2.50 (1998), and compiled with equally old, stock builders from id (qbsp3.exe, qvis3.exe, and qrad3.exe).
So, my question is, does anyone know of any weird incompatibility between stock-compiled maps and the R1Q2-generation of Quake 2 Server? 

This concerns particularly, a brush assigned the function Trigger/Push, with a speed of 1000, and an "angle" of "-1" (meaning "up").  This setup for "push" brushes has always worked fine for me in the past in other maps, and works in this one too, when running locally (with Client+Server running from Quake2 v3.20 stock, or from the latest R1Q2).

This one little feature is very central to this particular Map, and it kinda sucks with it broken (effectively turning all warp pads into "Kill pads".

I won't give the map name, because if anyone mymaps it, it's just going to sit there and suck, giving me and it a bad name (

I'll be looking into doing an "override" to fix this problem.

5

Quake / BEN - Random Deathmatch Map Generator for Quake2

« on: July 01, 2008, 11:03:33 PM »

Greetings~  Been playing on Tasty for awhile now (usually as Baby Harp Seal).  I love you guys!  Ha, honestly, it's good to see a vibrant Q2 community still happening.

Submitted for the perusal of all who want to trash a few good hours out-of-game, a random map generator for Q2 that I wrote a very long time ago ... last millennium to be exact.

The name of the program is "Ben," after the movie, as this program arose from a random maze generator that I made a few years earlier.   The core of this program is the map generator itself, which is far better than the only other "random map generator" that I've ever found, which was mainly a 2-d generator.  BEN works in a 3D grid, carving hallways and rooms, and places lifts and stairways to assure there are no inescapable "pits of boredom."  In-game item placement is very rough (ok, it's pretty much crap-random), and the maps themselves are perfectly bare and without character as far as textures and style is concerned.   But they are fully playable, and sometimes quite entertaining, once you learn to appreciate maps for layout rather than pretty colors.  The parameters of the generator engine can be changed, affecting the style of map that is made (big open room with bridges, or sprawling hallways, etc.).  There are very rudimentary manual controls, which means that Ben can technically be used as a rudimentary map editor (a pathetically limited one though).

This program was originally written for use at LAN parties, where it can be setup to generate a series of maps and distribute them to shared folders on everyone's computer.  While the first map is being played, the map server (PC running Ben) then continues to create and compile maps, distributing them to all players (hopefully) before the match in the first map completes.  This continues forever or until all players run out of caffeine :)

I'm posting it here mainly to get some reactions, and if anyone has an interest in developing it any further.  It is a very simple MFC/VC++ (Dev Studio 6), dialog-box based project (one of my first).

The rar file (~500k), includes all the goodies to make it go.  Make sure to put it all in a folder of it's own, and that the colomap.pcx file is in a subfolder called 'pics' (this is for the id compilers). 

Link to download the rar file...
http://www.nubiandivas.com/ben2.rar

Curious to know what y'all think!  Keep on killin'!