Q3map2GUI update

[MetalBeast]

Hi,

I plan to create updated version of my Q3map2GUI.

Supported games in this version are:
- Quake III Arena
- Startrek Elite Force
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein
- Wolfenstein-Enemy Territory
- Soldiers of Fortune2
- Jedi Knight2
- Jedi Knight Jedi Academy

Known bugs so far in the last version 1.1 build 1029 :

- lowmem (should be "lomem") spelling bug, makes the switch not working
- error and warnings counters do not restet with new compile prozess
- "map leaked" is not recorded as error

If you know any other bugs or have feature requests, please post them here or send it to my email : dartharth{AT}gmx.net.

Download link from our new site:
http://sots-dev.3d-get.de/files/q3map2/ ... 1_1029.zip

Old download mirror from jk3files.com:
http://jediknight3.filefront.com/file/Q ... face;72276

Our new support forum:
http://sots-dev.3d-get.de/forum/viewforum.php?f=12

Darth Norman's Q3map2GUI setup tutorial:
http://www.normansblog.de/old_site/tut_gui_en.php

Greetings,
Arth aka MetalBeast

[MetalBeast]

Q3map2GUI Version 1.2 build 2032

Download it here: > link <
New Q3map2GUI homepage: http://3d-get.de/q3map2gui/

What'S New in Version 1.2 Build 2032:

Bug fixes:
- "lomem" -bug fixed,
- "MAP LEAKED" is recorded as error now
- error & warnings counter fixed

New features:
- new game-option switches added
- game can be started with custom screen resolution now (widescreen, 16:10, 16:9, etc). Set "r_mode" to "-1" if using!
- small tweaks at frontend
- new icon and logo
- VERY BIG "build BSP" - button for all the older mappers
- html tutorial included

More details see README.txt and included tutorial.

Greetings,
Arth aka MetalBeast

[neoplan]

Hey MetalBeast,
it looks really good! Did few testcompiles and it works well. I have 2 suggestions for your next version:
1) Adding the possibility to change the compiler for each stage (if you wanna use different q3map2 versions).
2) Add information to the scale command in the bsp options that this switch only works for bsp files but not for map files when compiling.

[deqer]

Hey MetalBeast,

I've always enjoyed having a GUI for q3map. Your program reminds me of "q3map2toolz"

I have a couple questions.

1. Would it be difficult to build your GUI towards supporting the old q3map.exe compiler? I understand that this might double the work for you to program your tool, because the old q3map.exe does not use the same commands/parameters as the new q3map2.exe. You would have to create a second environment, with a second list of commands associated to a specific q3map*.exe tool, I suppose. I suppose if you were to make this system, then perhaps you could make it flexible enough to support multiple compilers, such as the future next-gen compiler: q3map3.exe or q3map4.exe, etc. etc. each one with their own set of commands/parameters.

2. Does this program run without required *.dll files to be installed into windows? For example, could I install this program, then move the installed folder to another computer and run it flawlessly on the other computer without having to run the install wizard again? I could not do this with q3map2toolz. Usually if I find the right *.dll files, I can place them in the installed folder of the tool, but this did not work.

Thanks,

[MetalBeast]

Hi,

thx for your comments guys

@neoplan:
1. I will check, if it is possible to implement something like this, without deep changes in the code.

2. you can do it already. All the predefined switches are just help. The text-lines are freely writable, so you can add whatever you want there. Also you can use the second stage (VIS) even for other things, like "scale" or "convert", see the predefined Quick-options and attachment.

@deger
1. never used q3map.exe, so I have to check it first. Possible, it would be a better idea to create standalone q3map.exe GUI. I will check the code, if it is possible to create compiler otional, without deep code changes. The main problem will be the port-listener.

2. This programm requires no installation, just unpack the files to whatever directory you want. If it does not start, you need a Vb6 runtime dll there. Since version 1.1 there is no installation wizard anymore

Greetings, MB

[neoplan]

@neoplan:
2. you can do it already. All the predefined switches are just help. The text-lines are freely writable, so you can add whatever you want there. Also you can use the second stage (VIS) even for other things, like "scale" or "convert", see the predefined Quick-options and attachment.

I meant to add a note to this compile switch in your bsp options (a lot of checkboxes with some info when you hover over the commands). When I first tried to use the "scale" switch, I wanted to just add it when i compiled my .map file into a .bsp file - which did not work. So I just wanted to add this piece of information to the scale description to clear it up for others: you can only scale bsp files.

[MetalBeast]

I meant to add a note to this compile switch in your bsp options (a lot of checkboxes with some info when you hover over the commands). When I first tried to use the "scale" switch, I wanted to just add it when i compiled my .map file into a .bsp file - which did not work. So I just wanted to add this piece of information to the scale description to clear it up for others: you can only scale bsp files.

Ahh, sorry,
got it now

Good idea, will do it for the new update.
Added it to the features request-list for the next release.

Thx, MB

[Eraser]

Nice tool. Reminds me of the Quake Toolkit I once made. If you want, you can take any cues from that you find useful

[neoplan]

hehe, RoQ Compiler

Edit:

This info section could be useful! One could also check it in Radiant but i think this would be a useful add to your Q3map2GUI MetalBeast.
Like a small map statistik - how many info_player starts, doors, buttons, lights etc.
Also a list of used textures and shaders would be sweet.

Edit2:

A working mappacker would be useful too. Q3map2tools has this feature but it poorly works (several textures are not added to the pk3)...

[o'dium]

Heres our ODMap, might give some ideas or even just take a look. Keep in mind its not for Q3, but you know...



Download and source:

http://team-blur-games.com/odium/ODMap.zip

[MetalBeast]

Hi,

thx for comments

@Eraser : awesome toolkit, it's already giving me few ideas for the future of q3map2GUI

@o'dium: thx, will look into it.

@neoplan: MAP - info section sounds good, I have already played with this idea in my mind, but now I have a concept how to realize this.

Map-packer should be possible, already found working ZIP-libs. The main problem will be to identify all the right files.
I think, a "map-tools" subproject will be the best solution. Than I can integrate it into q3map2GUI without messing up the whole code

Greetings, MB

[neoplan]

An option to hide autosave files from the .map list would be nice...

Edit:
Not having to switch to the .bsp file in order to launch the map via "play SP" or "play MP" would make things easier .

[deqer]

Why you building a map-packer?

Personally, I think you're going way off track and OOS (out of scope) of your project.

Can you focus on the tool itself first, and the compiling options, etc.? GUI for q3map2.

I would not worry about expanding your project to a point where it can do a whole bunch of fancy things. I would focus on just the primary feature and make it work and release another version of your tool.

[obsidian]

I actually think a map packer that works well would be more useful than a front-end GUI. Just because you don't need one doesn't mean other people don't as well. It's not like a GUI is terribly complicated to program and he needs to fix a million bugs.

[dghost77]

I still like to have a dedicated GUI for compiling, but I never understood why there was no option for bot compiling with it in the first place. I've always used the Q3Map2GUI with the QuakeToolkit in parallel.

[neoplan]

Bug that pops up a lot of those error windows:

[dghost77]

With Q3map2GUI when compiling with the following settings for light:

LIGHT : -light -cmpa -dirty -dirtmode 1 -dirtscale 4 -dirtdepth 64 -dark -deluxe -lomem -fast -fastbounce -filter -patchshadows -shade -v -bounce 2
-samplesize 16 -lightmapsize 256 -samples 16 -super 3

I always get a warning for an Unknown argument "64" or whatever value I will put for the dirtdepth field.

Am I the only one getting that?

[MetalBeast]

An option to hide autosave files from the .map list would be nice...

That not so easy, because in the standard file-list you can only filter files, by extension. Excluding single files is not possible. Writing my own file-listing will be needed.

Not having to switch to the .bsp file in order to launch the map via "play SP" or "play MP" would make things easier .

I have new version in test, where you can switch between the files with one klick only. Combined with intelligent file association. So, if you compiled "mymapname.map" and switch to BSP's, the GUI looks automated for file "mymapname.bsp" and does highlight this one. You have just to klick on play...

About your bug, It seems the IP-Port which is default used by Q3map2GUI listener is blocked by another application. Try another port-nr.

Why you building a map-packer?

Why not ?
I think it could be usefull if it is well done. The problem ist not to write the packer, the problem is to write intelligent file-search, which can find all the needed files.

Do not think, it's "out of scope", because it will be a part of "toolkit", which will be an addon to q3map2GUI.

... I never understood why there was no option for bot compiling with it in the first place.

Bot compiling ? It must be something Q3-related, I never mapped for Q3, so if you can explain it to me, I will implement it, if it's possible.

I always get a warning for an Unknown argument "64" or whatever value I will put for the dirtdepth field.

Am I the only one getting that?

It seems to be a q3map2 "bug". Anyway it works, and it will be set. (I have no idea, what this is needed for ).


@ALL: If possible, please post bug-reports in our support-forum.

Greetings,
MB aka Arth

[deqer]

Bot compiling ? It must be something Q3-related, I never mapped for Q3, so if you can explain it to me, I will implement it, if it's possible.

Yeah, it's kind of separate from the rest of the tools.

Here is typical command:

Code: Select all

"X:\Games\Quake3\Tools\bspc.exe" -bsp2aas "X:\Games\Quake3\EntityPlus\maps\krep01.bsp"

Personally, I use:

Code: Select all

bspc.exe -forcesidesvisible -optimize -bsp2aas

, but as of lately I've had to remove the -optimize parameter because it crashes on my big map.

[neoplan]

An option to hide autosave files from the .map list would be nice...

That not so easy, because in the standard file-list you can only filter files, by extension. Excluding single files is not possible. Writing my own file-listing will be needed.

Not having to switch to the .bsp file in order to launch the map via "play SP" or "play MP" would make things easier .

I have new version in test, where you can switch between the files with one klick only. Combined with intelligent file association. So, if you compiled "mymapname.map" and switch to BSP's, the GUI looks automated for file "mymapname.bsp" and does highlight this one. You have just to klick on play...

1) Autosave files always end with ".autosave.map" - A button that filters that argument would do it (on/off).

2) About play SP/MP feature: Why do you want to switch between .map/.bsp files? One would only use this after the map was compiled. Think its easier that the button just tries to load the map - if there is a bsp, it will load.

[MetalBeast]

@deqer: I will implement it, as experimental feature in the next release.

@Neoplan:
1. unfortunately, the standard file-list box does not work this way. You only can specify one file filter, for example "*.map", there is no option for excluding single files. To do so, I have to write my own file lister. Writing it is not the big problem, but the used file-box is already very deep intergrated in the code. Changing it may cause tons of bugs.

2. Well, the reasson is, that way you can use the gui for starting SP maps. SP custom maps are not listed in any way by the game menu, so you have to start them manually.
With the GUI I just have to extract the bsp-file to the maps folder and can start it per mouseclick.
In this case you have a bsp-file but not the corresponding map-file.

But you are right, I will expand the file-check AI and if there is a associated bsp-file, the "Play" button will be enabled.