EntityPlus - A single player Q3 mod

[Eraser]

Well, what do you know, there's a new version of EntityPlus :olo:

The past few months I've been working on and off on a new EntityPlus map. Why? I don't know. Because I like doing it.
I ran into some issues in version 1.1.8 of the mod as well as having need of some new features, so I did some fixes, added some new stuff and there you go, version 1.1.9!

The new map is available here.

[DaEngineer]

It's really nice to see that the mod is still alive and kicking I started working on a new backpack model yesterday, the highpoly is done already. Lowpoly and textures will follow soon.

[Fruity]

It's really nice to see that the mod is still alive and kicking I started working on a new backpack model yesterday, the highpoly is done already. Lowpoly and texturs will follow soon.

Cool :-)

[Fruity]

I have a few questions about additional map capabilities with EntitiPlus:
1. What are the limits of the additional "entities" example (number of destructive walls etc.)
2. Can destruction be used, for example, in "curve brushe" or only structural brushes?
3. While I can use "BotClip" for Bots, so in the case of a player the location of portals visible through VIS may be a bit neglected?

[DaEngineer]

Here's the new textured backpack. The lighting on this shot is fully baked. It's a 1k texture, the mesh has 3220 tris. I'll prepare the files for integration into Quake soon, probably tomorrow.

[Eraser]

Here's the new textured backpack. The lighting on this shot is fully baked. It's a 1k texture, the mesh has 3220 tris. I'll prepare the files for integration into Quake soon, probably tomorrow.

Oh wow, that looks really nice!

[Eraser]

I have a few questions about additional map capabilities with EntitiPlus:
1. What are the limits of the additional "entities" example (number of destructive walls etc.)
2. Can destruction be used, for example, in "curve brushe" or only structural brushes?
3. While I can use "BotClip" for Bots, so in the case of a player the location of portals visible through VIS may be a bit neglected?

1. I think Quake 3 has a hardcoded limit of 1024 entities in a single map. This includes players (bots), rockets, plasma/bfg bolts, etc. Some entities don't count, however, like light and info_null entities. EntityPlus does have a target_mapchange entity, which allows you to move from one map to another and create an entire experience consisting of multiple BSP files. So if you run into entity limits, you might be able to cut your level up in multiple maps and stay under the limits.

2. There is no physics based destruction in Quake 3, so EntityPlus doesn't offer any either. There is the func_breakable entity, however, which can be applied to a brush or group of brushes (including curves). You can set an amount of damage the func_breakable can take before it is destroyed. Technically this means the entity simply disappears, but you can set certain spawnflags so that it emits debris. Here's an example:

[youtube]BZoWnELVhpc[/youtube]

3. I'm not entirely sure what you mean here. botclip and VIS aren't really related to each other, are they?

[DaEngineer]

Oh wow, that looks really nice!

Thank you Here is a zip with the latest files. I've updated the readme file and added a simple shader, so the mesh is always rendered fullbright. This should help a bit with the visibility problem.

I've also changed the mesh format from md3 to obj. The mesh works in-game as a regular prop, but when I replace the item with it, I only see a placeholder mesh. Is the file extension hardcoded somewhere?

[Eraser]

The filename is hardcoded, yes.
But two things. First thing is that your assets are packed directly in the "powerups" folder, whereas they were in "powerups/backpack" before. Second thing is that I don't think Quake 3 supports obj models in-game? I know q3map2 can convert obj to map geometry, but I believe that's a q3map2 thing. Even with the pathname fixed and the reference in the code changed to the new file name, I still get the red/blue/green placeholder thing.

[Fruity]

3. I'm not entirely sure what you mean here. botclip and VIS aren't really related to each other, are they?

Are not.
For bots, I can use BotClip (+ ClusterPortal - in some places) wherever there are brushes with the possibility of destruction / demolition (walls, ceilings etc.) in order to create an .aas file easier, of course, if it does not affect the map scenario.

As for the player, the number of portals seen may be important, because (it seems to me) that all brushes with "func_breakable" will be treated as if they were not present at all by the VIS compiler and you have to bear this in mind when designing the map. Am I right or is it a completely different ...?

[Eraser]

For bots, I can use BotClip (+ ClusterPortal - in some places) wherever there are brushes with the possibility of destruction / demolition (walls, ceilings etc.) in order to create an .aas file easier, of course, if it does not affect the map scenario.

I tend to throw enormous amounts of botclip in my EntityPlus maps. For starters, I pretty much wall off each area where bots spawn to keep the bots contained to roughly that room where they spawn. Otherwise you sometimes end up with bots just roaming around the map, in worst cases to some point of "interest" and they just stick around there. With Dimension of Evil, I did actually run into problems where Q3 would crash for some mostly unknown reason. I can't exactly remember what happened or why I realized it had to do with the AAS file, but after that I clipped off large sections of the map where bots would never come (including upper parts of rooms with high ceilings and such). It massively improved compile time and solved the error.

As for the player, the number of portals seen may be important, because (it seems to me) that all brushes with "func_breakable" will be treated as if they were not present at all by the VIS compiler and you have to bear this in mind when designing the map. Am I right or is it a completely different ...?

func_breakable brush groups are entities and entities never block vis. I don't know what sort of tris counts are doable by the engine on modern day hardware, but I guess you'd have to really push the game hard to run into problems there. Honestly, for my EntityPlus maps, vis was never something I actually considered optimizing. There's not a single areaportal or hint brush in there. It was never necessary.

[DaEngineer]

The filename is hardcoded, yes.
But two things. First thing is that your assets are packed directly in the "powerups" folder, whereas they were in "powerups/backpack" before. Second thing is that I don't think Quake 3 supports obj models in-game? I know q3map2 can convert obj to map geometry, but I believe that's a q3map2 thing. Even with the pathname fixed and the reference in the code changed to the new file name, I still get the red/blue/green placeholder thing.

My bad, I messed up the path inside the zip file, but had the right folder structure when I tested it.

I finally found a working md3 exporter for Blender 2.80, which is still somewhat recent at this point. I've attached a copy of this script to this posting, in case the linked thread goes offline.

Note to my future self and people who find this using a search engine: set the timeline's end frame in Blender from 250 to 1, otherwise the exporter will export 250 frames with full copies of the same mesh and you end up with a large file.

Here is a new working version of the backpack. Changes since the previous version:

• rendered a new icon
• tweaked the lighting a bit, the sides were too dark around the buckles
• split some mesh edges to help with vertex shading
• removed the shader again. because the mesh integrates better into the level if it's not fullbright

[Eraser]

Yeah, it works! I've also added a green glow. Not sure if I stick with that.

[obsidian]

Are they free to use in other projects tho?

Just send me them bitcoins.


@Eraser: the green glow is a bit... much IMO. Maybe a faint glowing sprite? You can add some shader effects to make it pulse or use some particle effects.

Example:
[lvlshot]https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/32709291/126039972-39c12a3a-7e86-4493-abf4-35f745f61146.png[/lvlshot]

[Eraser]

@Eraser: the green glow is a bit... much IMO. Maybe a faint glowing sprite? You can add some shader effects to make it pulse or use some particle effects.

What do you think, is a smoke effect like this better?
[youtube]B1NkmvEECtE[/youtube]

[sst13]

What's in the backpack, working socks after a 16 hour shift?

[obsidian]

Maybe try something like sparkles or a floor decal? It does look like there's socks or old lunch inside the pack.

[Hipshot]

I actually think you should make this more consistent to what the other items are in Quake 3, not go for some more "personal style". You have either the torus that circles around the powerups, you have the transparent sphere around health items, or just "nothing" except for the shine that goes across the medkit and teleporter.

Actually, it sounds a bit unappreciative but the item should perhaps have been designed to suit the more metal/scifi style of items that Q3 has, instead of the more army style that looks more like quake2, but I understand that this is a whole other deal.

Maybe try something like sparkles or a floor decal? It does look like there's socks or old lunch inside the pack.

Or maybe it's Socks old lunch in there =)

[Eraser]

I actually think you should make this more consistent to what the other items are in Quake 3, not go for some more "personal style". You have either the torus that circles around the powerups, you have the transparent sphere around health items, or just "nothing" except for the shine that goes across the medkit and teleporter.

I get what you're saying. Maybe the green glow effect similar to the armor shard would be an idea:



But I guess that's part of the model itself, so it would require DaEngineer to make this change.
I'm actually quite fond of the idea.

[DaEngineer]

I agree, the shell effect sounds promising. I'll create it in the next few days and upload it here. Contrary to what I said earlier it's probably more sensible to also make the pack fullbright and not lit by the environment, because all other items are too.

@Hipshot: It's true, the backpack doesn't fit the Q3 universe that well. If we find something that's more fitting, I can create a different mesh. This one didn't take long to make, I'm not overly attached to it

[DaEngineer]

Here are two videos of the new backpack FX. One without rgbGen identity in the shader and one with rgbGen identity.

I recreated the armor effect instead of the armor shard one. The backpack is now also back to fullbright to improve visibility. Thoughts?

[Eraser]

Looks great. The one with rgbGen identity looks a bit overexposed somehow? I guess the one without is preferable. The effect looks good. Certainly makes it much more visible.

[DaEngineer]

Thanks Here are the latest files, without rgbGen identity. The backpack texture is included again, but it hasn't changed.

[Eraser]

Cool. Will try and put it in the mod after the weekend

[Eraser]

Here it is, version 1.1.10 of EntityPlus!
It includes DaEngineer's new backpack, as well as a pretty important bugfix for multi-bsp levels (like krep1 and ep_procedures) and it gives level designers the ability to make bots drop loot when they die.

https://github.com/TheEnginesOfCreation ... tag/1.1.10