Quaddicted is being sponsored, let’s sponsor you in return

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## Quaddicted is being sponsored, let’s sponsor you in return

Thanks to a sponsorship from pokerlistings.com (see below) Quaddicted.com is now able to monetarily fund some projects. I would have declined but I had an idea.

My idea is to fund bounties to support the Quake community. How about that excruciating task no-one wants to do?

I’ve pondered about possible Quaddicted-specific projects for quite a while now and so far I like this idea the best:

Ask people to do 100% (at least secrets, monsters ain’t that important) playthrough demos on the better custom maps (the “Excellent” ones first). Video capture with DP and post to video sites, archive.org and Let’s Play.

This would have benefits for everyone: The players would get a secrets guide, the community would get some exposure and also Quaddicted would get some much needed exposure. Thoughts on this: Also require screenshots and/or a short text description? Timetable of the secrets (at least Youtube supports linking with timecodes)? Provide a DP config and commandline to capture. $1 each?

What do you think? Any projects you would like to see funded with $1-100? It has to be as open/free as possible and benefit many. Let’s collect ideas. I have up to $500 to give away, ain’t that great?

08.12.2009 in quaddicted.com | 64 Comments »

### 64 Responses to “Quaddicted is being sponsored, let’s sponsor you in return”

1. Bad Sector Says:
   08.12.2009 22:00

   I would like to see the Quake Injector improved in many different ways. Like adding tags to the database, the ability to add client-side comments (and a “finished” flag for maps you have finished from start-to-end), related URLs (author’s webpage, func_msgboard page, youtube video, etc), an option to use a better L&F (metal, especially the ocean theme, looks aweful), per-map engine compatibility list or per-map engine requirements/features list (with possible configuration options, like how much heap is required) with a database of engines and the features they support, more screenshots per map, user comments and ratings, demo files, etc.

   Basically i barely run Quake itself directly. I almost always play maps through Quake Injector and i would like to see this program improved.

   Another idea would be to do most of the above in a dedicated site (like, for example, this one :-P).

   Hm.

   How about some guides about Quake level design? I’m not talking about how to use a level editor, but about designing Quake levels. Like, for example, most doors have a gears texture somewhere near them for a reason. Or how detailed ceilings are a Quake tradition. How most structures have a fat and massive solid feeling. Etc. In other words how to make levels with the Quake feel. Or how the original Quake levels got their feel. Like a dissection of the original game’s design.

   And something similar for the Quake monsters and weapons. Quake’s weapons have a distinct feeling too. Both expansion packs added new monsters and weapons, but they didn’t had the same feeling – some felt a bit out of place. What made the original design tick?

   It can also be other stuff. Like porting a famous engine to other systems such as Linux and Mac OS X and maintaining it. Or fix some older maps to work with newer engines.

   Or fix Darkplaces to not break mods :-P.

   How about a remodelling project that actually gets finished? One bounty per model should do the trick and maybe inform some talented people about this. Some artists have already remade Quake (and other older game) monsters, so its not like it isn’t possible (like if it wasn’t…).

   Or a resounding project? :-P

   And for something simpler, how about a site database with all Quake related sites categorized and tagged?

   And how about an old Quake site archiving marathon for sites which disappeared from the web but exist in archive.org or on some people’s backups? Or contacting the original maker.

   This is a coder thing, but i would love to have a document describing exactly how the Quake engine and the related tools work :-P.

   Ok, i can’t come up with more right now. Maybe later :-P.

2. Anonymous Says:
   08.12.2009 22:21

   Not sure how far you’re willing to go with this, but I’ll keep an eye on this project for sure.

   >Any projects you would like to see funded with $1-100?
   A universal mdl/md2/md3 converter that isn’t a buggy mess would be nice. Currently, only Quark really does the job (albeit with a number of annoying quirks), but I’d rather have something more sophisticated. A *proper* md3 to mdl converter alone would be great as well.

   @Bad Sector
   Personally, I could care less about Darkplaces and remodeling or resounding (wtf, do you think someone can do better than Trent?) projects, it’s a lot of time wasted on something that doesn’t affect the gameplay in the slightest bit and, moreover, ruins the original art style.

3. Bad Sector Says:
   08.12.2009 23:11

   @Anonymous:
   Well, i do care about these projects. That’s the idea behind bounties :-P.

   I don’t want to turn this into a flamewar, but yes i believe someone can do a better job than what Trent did with the sounds in Quake and the (low quality) state they are.

   Of course i’m not talking about changing the art style and the mood of the game.

4. megaman Says:
   09.12.2009 00:33

   1) Like adding tags to the database
   explain some more ;)

   2) the ability to add client-side comments
   9) user comments and ratings
   3) a “finished” flag for maps you have finished from start-to-end
   On the feature request list.

   4)related URLs (author’s webpage, func_msgboard page, youtube video, etc)
   6) per-map engine compatibility list or per-map engine requirements/features list (with possible configuration options, like how much heap is required)
   7) a database of engines and the features they support
   8) more screenshots per map
   This is a LOT of manual work that somebody needs to do. If you guys want those features, start collecting the details and send them to spirit ;-)

   5) an option to use a better L&F
   done.

   10) demo files, etc.
   Nice idea.

5. negke Says:
   09.12.2009 09:33

   There once was a Quake mod with bunnies and hearts and boing and oowhee sounds. $100 bounty if that gets finished/released. ;P

6. Spirit Says:
   09.12.2009 11:59

   *** “Re-Quake” ***

   “Re”-Models, -Textures and -Sounds are not an option. Getting good models would a) need better model format support and b) a lot more money if one was to “buy” an artist. Electro started work on an incredible player model ( http://bayimg.com/image/gaophaabp.jpg ) and is waiting to resume work until good model format support is there (at least in ezQuake).

   Then of course there is the problem with “intellectual property” and textures being impossible to redo well without using the originals as a base. That would prevent an open license and thus I am not interested in funding with this. Regardless how incredibly awesome Starbuck’s textures are. :)

   Last but not least I feel the majority of “re”-workings to be not faithful and eye-blinding blingbling.

   *** Quake Injector ***
   We got lots of idea and things to do. Megaman already answered that.
   I am thinking about making Quaddicted database driven after all, that would enable things like tagging easily. Might happen in the distant future.

   *** Quake research/science ***
   An indepth look at level and art design sounds like a great idea. But one would need to find the right person for the job.

   *** links/archive ***
   Hell yeah, I had an ugly site like that once but never published it. It was one of the main ideas about Quaddicted back then but I lost the focus on it. That combined with archived copies of the sites would be amazing. A huge load of work though.

   *** Engine workings ***
   http://fabiensanglard.net/quakeSource/index.php
   http://www.bluesnews.com/abrash/
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake_engine
   http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/quake/

   That should be a start. ;)

   *** Darkplaces ***
   It’s “bugs” are usually bugfixes of bugs that were exploited in mods. I do not care too much about DP for Quake so I am not interested. Sorry!

   *** model converter ***
   That in combination with better model format support sounds like a great idea.

   negke: Deal! :P

7. Anonymous Says:
   09.12.2009 15:33

   The problem with model converters is that basically no modeling software exports to Quake’s .mdl format, so everyone first exports to .md3 (or .md2), and then uses something to convert it to .mdl.

   I’m currently making a batch of models for my small map pack/episode, and having to use Quark + qME (both of which are buggy/unstable and tend to throw exceptions at me from time to time) to properly convert .md3s to .mdls is rather daunting.

   I’m aware of only 2 (!) programs that do the conversion, it’s the above mentioned Quark and some shady shareware software called Quick3D Pro (it flips the UV map vertically however). None support model flags and alternate skins, so you have to use qME for that.

   I’m sure if there was a proper .md3 to .mdl converter we would see more custom models in people’s projects.

8. RickyT23 Says:
   09.12.2009 15:39

   I got 100% demos for my decent maps still – I can bash them into avi files at some point hopefully :)

   Also Electro’s player model looks f@#*kin awesome!

9. RickyT23 Says:
   09.12.2009 15:40

   Also I dont want any money for doing that (!?)

10. dreadlorde Says:
    09.12.2009 17:12

    The possible problem with a ‘new’ model format (most likely md3 I would think) is keeping compatibility with both OpenGL and software rendered Quake. Is it possible to load md3 models in a software renderer? I know Quake III doesn’t have a software render, and I’m not sure on how much of the code relies on OpenGL.

    Maybe you could give the $500 to id and they can release the original art/models/sounds/&c to the public domain or an open license. :D

11. erc Says:
    10.12.2009 22:20

    negke: Try ‘Happy Fun Quake’. ;)
    http://gamers.org/pub/idgames2/partial_conversions/happy12.zip

12. s_a_j_t Says:
    11.12.2009 06:20

    I could make a command-line model converter. All conversions between MDL, MD2, and MD3, as well as MD5 (Doom3) to any of those formats. I’ll do it for $100, although those metal Quake runes are just as nice…

13. Mic H3y Says:
    11.12.2009 14:42

    Sorry guys.. but I don’t like any of your ideas very much..

    If you, “Spirit”, really want to investe that money.. I’D GO FOR A NEW BIG QUAKE SP ADDON WITH ALL COMMUNITY INVOLVED (as big as Nehahra)..
    MAYBE A PREQUEL (QUAKE:THE BEGINNINGS ?!)

14. dreadlorde Says:
    11.12.2009 15:16

    Mic H3y: We don’t like your ideas either. Typing in all caps doesn’t help.

    Having another project that’s as big as Nehahra come out today isn’t going to happen. The only way it would happen is if you could continually pay developers for however long it takes to create it. Which won’t happen.

    s_a_j_t: I take it that the program it be open source? Would it work on windows and linux?

    spirit: Did you make those Quake runes? If so, how much would you sell one for?

15. ijed Says:
    11.12.2009 19:04

    I was thinking of doing an updated version of CZG’s curve tutorial. Not that its out of date, but there’s alot that can be added.

    It’d have to be done properly though and would take some learning, for me at least. For example spiral structures.

    As to a remake or big as Nehahra project – we’re doing it and are releasing demo 2 ‘today’ meaning within the next nine hours.

    ReMakeQuake Test. Deathmatch orientated, src by request. Will post it on a few boards – QuakeOne, func_ and Inside3d.

16. ijed Says:
    11.12.2009 19:06

    That’s spiral as opposed to conical or helix and deathmathc ortientated as in demo as opposed to the whole project.

17. s_a_j_t Says:
    11.12.2009 20:30

    dreadlorde: Yes (open source) and yes (cross-platform). As an added bonus, it will be in C, so you won’t need any funny third-party downloads for it to work. FrikaC wanted me to do this for QuadEd a long time ago, but I never got around to it…

18. Baker Says:
    12.12.2009 02:46

    Pay someone to make a wonderful site hosting all the single player maps ever made complete with screenshots, reviews, downloads and the author and even make a utility to automatically download them!

19. gnounc Says:
    12.12.2009 08:36

    LMFAO@Baker.

    Thats a great idea!!
    It’s where I’d throw MY money.

20. ijed Says:
    12.12.2009 15:23

    Have you considered a ‘tip jar’ Spirit?

21. Spirit Says:
    12.12.2009 19:03

    Heh, thanks Baker!

    *** Model converter ***
    I am currently thinking about the model converter. Would it really be used a lot? I would like wide-spread support of those better model formats in the engines much much more.

    *** Quake SP edisode ***
    Nice idea but no. Too much work with too controversial outcome. ;)

    *** Mapping Tutorials ***
    Dunno about the general benefit, it seems a bit niche.

    dreadlorde: http://www.quaddicted.com/stuff/quakerunes/
    I “sold” some back then but only got few left. They are not for sale.

    ijed: what do you mean? Taking or giving? The money is at Paypal who take horrendous fees for transactions. Micro-payment is impossible with them.

22. dreadlorde Says:
    12.12.2009 19:34

    s_a_j_t: Yay! And it’s in C, so that makes it even better.

    Spirit: Damn it. Should have started playing Quake earlier. :P

23. Anonymous Says:
    12.12.2009 21:34

    @Spirit
    >I am currently thinking about the model converter. Would it really be used a lot?
    I think so, yes. If it is a proper converter that does everything it says, then it should become quite popular, given enough publicity/coverage. The tool’s been wanted for a long time. You can make a search for .mdl exporting on func_msgboard or inside3d and see for yourself.

    >I would like wide-spread support of those better model formats in the engines much much more.
    Classic engines used for SP mapping, such as FitzQuake will never have .md3 or anything more modern, since it’s simply not needed (.mdl works fine and supports up to 2000 polys), and high poly models look completely out of place in Quake’s environment, anyway. Additionally, .mdl is universally compatible and will work on any Quake engine, no matter what.

24. OneManClan Says:
    13.12.2009 04:05

    Hi everyone.

    The Weekly AGR Sessions (www.customtf.com) still regularly attract 20+ players EVERY week, and thus can provide an audience for the amazing mods being made.

    The trouble is, it’s using ancient server software (‘cpqwsv’), and needs to be converted to use MVDSV so all the new stuff (including Vweps) can be used. All thats needed is for a talented programmer to add customtf functions into a build of MVDSV. The work has started, but stalled. I’m sure if there was some $ in it, some programmer would be willing to do it, I’m told it would take a day at most.

    It’s not a ‘fun’ job, but it will mean that coders will be able to have their mods in a game people are actually playing, as well as allow us to record entire games!

    Everyone wins.

    OneManClan
    ps check out http://www.customtf.com for more info

25. Spirit Says:
    13.12.2009 16:01

    Nah, sorry. I am not interested in that.

    But another idea came to me:
    A tool that takes a (recursive) directory of image files like TGA and converts them to mip or even into a wad. It must notice when filenames are not compatible and either create symlinks right away or save a log of filename conversions so one could do that manually later. This would open the door for quick and easy 24bit texture borrowing.

26. dreadlorde Says:
    13.12.2009 18:32

    @Spirit “Symbolic links make the Unix file system non-hierarchical, resulting in multiple valid path names for a given file.”[1]

    @OneManClan Is the source to CustomTF (or any of the TF versions) available?

27. gb Says:
    14.12.2009 04:47

    what would be topping my list:

    .lit file support in AguirRe’s light (win/lin/mac) (this would be really helpful)

    Threading for AguirRe’s vis, Linux version (bjptools) (this, too, would be a huge help)

    Origin brush support for proper rotation in AguirRe’s tools or some other compilers (so it can be ported at least) (this is the way to do it, hiprotate sucks) (can be ported from Q2/HL tools hopefully, it’s basically adding a content type) (this needs support in engine and qc, too, but there is a tutorial for engine support / avelocity and mods like Quake-Life and RMQ support avelocity/origin brush based rotation)

    csqc support in more engines, this is happening though

    good csqc example mod and documentation (I have a feeling RMQ will do this out of necessity though)

    documentation in general – HOWTOs and really good tutorials

    give some of the money to Willem for Quaketastic support (good deed like)

    have a server where people can run their new mods on for others to test them

    provide Subversion/whatever repositories for the community

    gimp plugin that exports .wad files (odd chance that someone knows how to write a gimp plugin)

    port Willem’s map editor and upcoming model editor to other platforms

    write a good general AI improvement mod that other mods can borrow from

    Improve Gyro, the physics library

    Find someone who makes really good frag movies/game movies and have them create a Quake promo video to attract new players

28. gb Says:
    14.12.2009 04:58

    and, while I otherwise hate to do that, let’s all click on that poker link once in a while, shall we? Small concession to make.

29. negke Says:
    14.12.2009 10:41

    While many of the suggestions aren’t bad, I think most of them are ‘too special’, meaning they’d certainly be helpful to some people but not really be of much use to the majority of players. Though I also understand this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, as a ‘bounty’ system can also be argued to be particularly useful in such border cases.

    “give some of the money to Willem for Quaketastic support (good deed like)”
    Seconded, especially considering he also donated quite a bit for the Shubhub.

30. Baker Says:
    14.12.2009 13:55

    @25 Spirit

    You don’t need to pay for a tool ;) Haha.

    I’ve made it. That’s what I used to create Nexuiz .wad in lower resolution (24 bit color), 256 independent palette format and, well, I cheated for 256 color Quake palette format and let TexMex convert it without fullbrights but that was because I was too lazy to import the Quake palette from a .pal file.

31. Baker Says:
    14.12.2009 14:07

    @27 “Origin brush support for proper rotation in AguirRe’s tools or some other compilers”

    That is so important.

    Still the Sajt thing would be the most revolutionary/user-friend change.

    I say this because if I were determined enough, I could add the origin brush support to the Quake’s map compiler. It’s just that I have so many enginey things I want to do.

    “port Willem’s map editor and upcoming model editor to other platforms”

    Pay someone to provide the secret sauce to allow his editor to support rotating brushes with texture lock like Worldcraft 3.3. Or that Radiant derived editor @ Func that hasn’t been talked about lately.

    “write a good general AI improvement mod that other mods can borrow from”

    AI guard. A monster that is guarding/defending something and isn’t just going to follow the player around after noticing him.

    Or monster AI where after the player gets too far away, loses interest and meanders back to where he initially was.

    Personally I’d like to see a “drop from the ceiling” monster. Like spawns (but not spawns) that will fall to the ground if a player passes under them.

    @Dreadlorde. Team Fortress 2.5′s source is available and likely the Mega-TF ones made by Avirox.

32. scar3crow Says:
    14.12.2009 18:39

    Just a few off the top of my head:

    Verbose CSQC documentation.

    Verbose SSQC documentation, perhaps a walkthrough of a diverse mod (ai, weapons, new map objects, game modes).

    Highly modularized plug-in mod for map entities, such as rising water, pushables, and a whole lot more. Think FrikbotX but for map entities.

    I’d love to see a repository for great Quake deathmatch demos, basically recovering from the loss of Demoland so many many years ago.

    Database of Quake mods including idgames2 and such, with tagging and categorization.

    Plug-in mod of a waypointing system with hooks for monster ai to use.

33. mh Says:
    14.12.2009 19:02

    My vote would go to a bugfixed set of classic ID1 maps. Tidy up all the places where there are bad texture alignments, vis them for translucent water, include the e2m10 intro on e2m6, add a little bit more detail and trim perhaps (but don’t overdo it, and don’t totally remake the map), fix any other bugs in the maps that are well known, add proper coloured light, convert them to HL format even, then release the whole lot.

    It would be a nice easy project so it’s probably not worth a huge bounty, but it would be a great thing for the community to have.

34. s_a_j_t Says:
    14.12.2009 20:23

    I’m just waiting for the go-ahead from Spirit on the model converter.

    It’ll be worth a lot more than the money. Not only will it be a useful tool, but it’ll be a resource for programmers who want to know about 3D models, animation (both vertex and skeletal), the specific formats involved, and interesting things such as converting .map brushes to models. And in the future it could be extended, to support more formats, or to become a model viewer or GUI tool as well.

35. Mic H3y Says:
    14.12.2009 23:24

    Ehu Spirit..

    I guess you shoud keep that money for yourself,

    for going on with the wonderful Quaddicted !

36. Baker Says:
    15.12.2009 04:53

    Momentum …

    Spirit, if you intend for Sajt’s project to be one of the benefactors for this project, I’d pull the trigger.

    Nothing is more annoying for someone who is eager to get started on something than indecision.

    Just my 2 cents.

    (Last year when I offered to help with the Solitude project but told them I was unwilling to work on closed source projects and unwilling to work on trademark infringing projects … they wasted 2 weeks internally to make decision arguing amongst themselves [essentially wasting my time] when I had plenty of free time. 4 weeks later … my free time took a huge hit. Strike while the iron is hot.)

37. Baker Says:
    15.12.2009 05:05

    scar3crow’s ideas are killer; and MH’s idea of remastered ORIGINAL maps is cool (recompiled for transparent water and fixed, like e1m1 quad area z-fighting).

38. Spirit Says:
    15.12.2009 10:08

    I need some time to comment on the other suggestions. Original map bugfixing is not an option. Too controversial (starting with “the liquids are supposed to be non-transparent” and I don’t see any benefit anyways.

    Sajt and me talked yesterday and he has the ok already. :)

39. negke Says:
    15.12.2009 10:08

    Yeah, in my view the ‘Quaddicted for mods’ idea seems to be the best one so far.

    A “bugfixed set of classic ID1 maps” sounds good in theory (as a neater base people can start from), but the problem is where to stop. It would also have to include fixing lots of awkward brushwork, for example. Which textures are supposed to be aligned in the first place – only the obvious 128*128 ones (e.g. in E1M1), metal bars as well, or wouldn’t it also require to create better transitions? “Add a little bit more detail and trim perhaps” – this would probably be the most complicated task as here it’s easy to get carried away; or not getting carried away would bring unsatisfying results…

40. rudl Says:
    15.12.2009 12:40

    Take the money, lean back
    You did a great job

    Maybe some projects without money as incentive?

    What about some videos that show the workflow of mappers, including shortcutkeys?

41. Anonymous Says:
    15.12.2009 13:25

    >“the liquids are supposed to be non-transparent”
    Indeed, transparent water lets you see things that clearly weren’t supposed to be visible, e.g. the Ring of Shadows secret in E1M3 or another underwater secret in E2M4.

    Anyway, since everyone’s brainstorming, another idea that I think is worth mentioning is the support for reading audio from the HDD instead of using the CD Audio in the engines. Similar to the OGG/WAV support in Darkplaces, but I’d also include MP3 (if only for the sake of compatibility reasons, as, unfortunately, many music tracks are being released in this inferior format, e.g. Project-Aftershock, Travail) and FLAC for people who care about sound quality. Sure, most people use Daemon Tools or the like for their Quake soundtracks, but I think eliminating the need to juggle CD images would be a welcome change. Moreover, this would also make it trivial for mappers to include custom music in their projects.

    As for the implementation, perhaps, the best way would be to make patches for the popular engines and/or write a tutorial on how to add the new code to your favorite engine.

42. Anonymous Says:
    15.12.2009 13:32

    >Sajt and me talked yesterday and he has the ok already. :)
    Thanks! Can’t wait for the awesomeness.

43. Baker Says:
    15.12.2009 17:02

    More thought about bug-fixed maps and I have to agree. They weren’t supposed to have transparent water, etc. The mention of e2m10 made me remember browsing through the “extra” maps in the quake map source release and wondering what it would be like if integrated.

    neg!ke: “Yeah, in my view the ‘Quaddicted for mods’ idea seems to be the best one so far.”

    I have to say that no one really knows what and where these are. I know Spirit isn’t necessarily as interested in mods but it would be great to get those organized.

44. negke Says:
    15.12.2009 18:53

    Inside3d crowd to the fore. Maybe start with the most popular mods first, then slowly add smaller ones.

45. Baker Says:
    15.12.2009 19:15

    Neg!ke,

    A couple of years ago I had to ask LordHavoc for a list of DarkPlaces mods because no one knew.

    http://quakeone.com/forums/quake-talk/single-player/599-sp-darkplaces-mods.html

    Some recent DarkPlaces ones:

    StealthQuake, Spacewalk, lth’s Left4Quake one.

    Then there are the ones from the QuakeExpos:

    http://qexpo.tastyspleen.net/
    http://qexpo.quakedev.com/
    http://qexpo2005.quakedev.com/
    http://web.archive.org/web/20031009061958/http://www.qexpo.com/
    http://qexpo2001.quakedev.com/

    The normal Quake mods are easier to track down because most of them are older and many are in the PlanetQuake mirror or on the Quake Terminus — at least the “completed” ones.

    http://www.quaketerminus.com/addon.shtml
    http://www.quakewiki.net/archives/retroquake.planetquake.gamespy.com/blog/index3b72.html?page_id=3

    Just contributing info. Categorizing mods is a harder thing, some of them aren’t going to work with just any engine and some of them work only with a dead engine.

    I know you know this stuff, I’m just generally talking out loud.

    Baker

46. Baker Says:
    15.12.2009 19:16

    WordPress broke? Tried submit a comment with some mod links and failed?

47. Urre Says:
    15.12.2009 20:18

    This is the opposite of the point in this thread, obviously, but I’m totally signing up for doing any sort of QC for money

48. Spirit Says:
    15.12.2009 23:17

    Sorry Baker, you ran into WordPress’ spam protection.

49. mh Says:
    16.12.2009 00:58

    > reading audio from the HDD instead of using the CD Audio in the engines

    Already been largely done, but the problem is that it’s OS-specific (unless you want to butt heads with the MP3 patent).

50. Trinca Says:
    16.12.2009 10:43

    Spirit

    Quaddicted your work your money!

    Invest in Quaddicted forever? :) that sounds good…

    Big hug my friend ;)

    (I edited some bad word above, Spirit)

51. Trinca Says:
    16.12.2009 17:24

    ts ts ts nasty Portuguese ;)

52. gb Says:
    16.12.2009 18:31

    > My vote would go to a bugfixed set of classic ID1 maps. Tidy up all the places where there are bad texture alignments, vis them for translucent water, include the e2m10 intro on e2m6, add a little bit more detail and trim perhaps (but don’t overdo it, and don’t totally remake the map), fix any other bugs in the maps that are well known, add proper coloured light, convert them to HL format even, then release the whole lot.

    …

    This was what the original Remake Quake tried to do, at least partially. I had this idea to “fix” Episode 1 in the way you describe, and that was the idea I entered the project with. I believe ijed also tried it like that for a while. However, the id maps are really, really hard to retexture because the textures usually don’t easily fit onto the brushwork. Basically, they built whatever seemed cool to them without caring too much for texture alignment, and then slapped some texture that looked remotely fitting on there. Instead of looking at the texture, and then building brushwork to accomodate that. Apparently that method wasn’t discovered until much later…

    You’ll have to take my word for this, as someone who sank several years into this exact thing, the texture alignment issue was the last straw to just rebuild the maps from scratch instead. We ended up pulling our hair out and it was simply the only reasonable thing to start over.

    You could get away with retexturing in some maps that have very simple, endlessly tiling textures that can be cut in any place, like some metal maps (metal4_4 and similar textures come to mind). I dare you to properly retexture e1m1 or dm3 and NOT go insane. There is a reason why Than remade dm3rmx from scratch, same for e1m1rmx (the slipgate complex remake).

    A nice easy project? Nope.

    “Fixing” the original maps is an illusion. If you have no life, I mean even less of it than me or ijed, then you might manage two or three maps before you die from frustration.

    I have a halfway retextured (with proper alignment) version of GPL e1m1, but I ended up doing lots of brushwork (to make textures fit…) to the point where it was simply *easier* to rebuild from scratch (without massive help from ijed I would just have quit). Only then was Remake Quake in its current form born. So we did try it the way you suggested first.

    I had to cut up most existing brushes several times and align textures to weird numbers just to give the impression of a continuous stretch of wall. This was because most idbase wall textures are 128×128, but the walls are not cooperating. ;-)

    If I’m not mistaken, that sort of thing (slicing up the walls even more) also introduces technical issues with regard to how the polygons are created and stuff, so the map may actually run slower.

    You could probably create fitting textures for each single wall by cutting and cropping in Photoshop after you took notes how big each wall is etc. If you like pain, or if Quake is truly your religion, or you want to completely live in the slipgate complex instead of real life, try it sometime.

    What I mean is, we had good technical reasons to remake from scratch, instead of just getting carried away. That came later ;-)

53. mh Says:
    16.12.2009 21:49

    Fair point. :)

54. Tronyn Says:
    17.12.2009 02:24

    I haven’t read the whole thread but what about a bounty for making a new monster, a bunch of people could post 10 ideas and there could be a vote on which ones should be made

55. negke Says:
    17.12.2009 07:44

    It’d be nice to have a link to each map’s text file on the description pages (of course blocked from bots and crawlers).

    As for monsters, I like the way the Doom bestiary (at Tormentor667′s website) works. It’s a large collection of custom monsters ready to be plugged in to a pwad. The same could be done for Quake. Models, sounds and QC for each monster + respective description neatly bundled so that it can be added to a mod without much hassle and QC knowledge.

56. Tronyn Says:
    17.12.2009 08:49

    hey also whatever happened to that coffee-table book idea of shots of Quake maps?

57. Baker Says:
    18.12.2009 01:51

    Additional idea: pay the BSP editor guy to make the BSP Editor open source.

    (Never really tried that editor, but if he has abandoned the project, then why not open source it?)

58. Gnounc Says:
    20.12.2009 12:06

    @baker Toetag level editor?

    So the bounty idea is how to spend Spirits sponsorship right? So spirit gets final say over what gets .. well sponsored?

    Everybody seems to have great ideas, and there isnt money for ALL of it. Also the notion of personal interest was addressed.

    I think it would make more sense to create an entire bounty page. Anyone here should be able to request a job and offer a bounty (like the speed demos archive does). And at the top could be jobs sponsored by spirit, and underneath that could be available bounties from forum-goers and quakers. That way the more interest there is in a project, the more people there are to throw money at it, and everybody can suggest their own special interest and offer to cough up some cash for it to get done.
    ..or is this whats already been proposed and I’m just a bit in the dark?

59. Steven Says:
    20.12.2009 13:19

    My vote is to encourage Q3 single player map development. Entries could be anything from a SP episode, to a whole framework for future map development. IINS the main issues are to do with saving games, but since it’s now GPL-ed, perhaps it is do-able.

60. grahf Says:
    24.12.2009 04:24

    Lots of good ideas here. For me the most important thing would be to improve the compile tools – Aguire’s tools are great and they have become the de facto standard, but they could be so much more.

    Colored light and origin brush support were two interesting features already mentioned. What I’d really like to see, however, is something I occasionally rant about over on func_, integrated support for hint/skip/detail brushes. This already exists in the ancient Quest tools, and in a much updated but still very old Mac port of said tools called eUtils:

    http://quest-ed.sourceforge.net/dl/index.html
    http://www.quaketastic.com/upload/files/tools/mac/misc/eUtils_r10.zip

    I used those mac tools a lot back in the day and I know the huge difference in shorter VIS times and greater complexity that was possible with the detail brushes. I think this is important because the compile tools are the number one factor that restrict how far quake map design can be pushed. Also, it’s worth bountying because very few people in the community have the skills necessary to decipher the map compiler code.

    I could be very wrong but I don’t think this would be a very hard feature to add, as the code already exists, unless the two codebases are more different than I realize.

61. RickyT23 Says:
    25.12.2009 05:22

    Yeah – I would kill for a light tool with exoanded olimit AND .lit file support. Using AguirRes tool as a base would be good, because it was such a good tool with -extra4 and the sunlight system.

    Would be nice if you could have effects coloured lights to. Like a red light for example which can be triggered on and off would rule (not currently possible in Quake)!

    Happy Christmas btw :D

    When do we get the map polls Spirit (not to take u for granted ;)

62. Bounty hunters be alert Says:
    26.12.2009 18:33

    [...] Quaddicted is being sponsored, let’s sponsor you in return [...]

63. Spirit Says:
    26.12.2009 18:36

    gnounc: Yes, the purpose of this post was to find good ways to spend the money. I only accepted it to do that. If this brainstorm spawns natural motivation it would be fantastic.

    Ricky, I will wait until next year to be on the safe side. ;)

64. OneManClan Says:
    26.01.2010 15:35

    @Dreadlorde
    The source to CustomTF is available here:
    http://www.moddb.com/mods/custom-teamfortress/downloads/full-package-for-customtf-33

    There’s also discussion about the MVDSV situation here:
    http://www.customtf.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1938

    Next Session is this Sunday 22:00 GMT @ tastyspleen.net:26666 – come along!!

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