Attn Mod Teams: what do you need? suggestions thread.

(kamikazee) #61

Try .ASE instead. :wink:

Ehm… I think that this will still need to be coded. (Looks to CooperHawkes, coder of FATE.)

It was in, though it was said that it might get broken again.

(TheShniz) #62

@ []v[], lol… yeah, well… yeah… I hadn’t posted since Jul '05 and that’s what it was back then. Just imagine those tig 'ol distractions, sorry… loox like a mod/admin already removed my old avatar. Oh well…

Try .ASE instead.

Thanx, will search on that :slight_smile:

Ehm… I think that [EasyGen] will still need to be coded. (Looks to CooperHawkes, coder of FATE.)

Well… atleast in the mapping of Wolf:ET, height maps were the only way you could quickly & accurately recreate a terrain, atleast that I knew of. It will be a great pitty for me if this was lost :weird: Pleaz say it aint so, CooperHawkes??? :poke:

[Q3A .map Import] was in, though it was said that it might get broken again.

Last I checked (at the release of Q4), it was broken… I’m hoping it’s in again. If it were, it’s conceivable that I might be able to import generated terrain from Radiant, but boy would that be ugly.

Here’s to hoping :look:

  • TheShniz
(ayatollah) #63

The terrain mapping facilities seem to have been well thought out, as they have given extra thought to this due to the MegaTexture. They have said that if you make a map then want to raise some terrain, appropriate textures will be added, ie, rock, moss, etc. So we need to wait and see on that front.

(TheShniz) #64

While they may be very well thought out indeed (which I’m sure they are)… what you’re describing does NOT allow for easy replication from aerial photographs as was previously done in Wolf:ET w/ EasyGen using Height Maps.

A very hopeful ‘wait and see’ for sure, :o

  • TheShniz
(ayatollah) #65

All I am saying is how do you know heightmaps aren’t used in the default editor. I am probably wrong, but I think this was mentioned in a video or dev diary. Can’t remember if I just made that up!

(TheShniz) #66

Well… I’ve read all the dev diaries and seen all the videos, as any responsible ET-monger, but I don’t remember any mention of them (not to say there wasn’t). I understand what you’re saying, but made the post cuz I don’t know if they aren’t already in the default editor (only the devs would), and sincerely hope they will be.

My own perception says that the Quake series (Q4 included) hasn’t really had exterior/terrain scenarios until ET:QW (whereas the RtCW series has), and subsequently not had the public development tools (all indoor) previously available (no demand). Realizing ET:QW has been in development alongside Q4, here’s to hoping we see some new ones (regarding terrain and height maps).

Another request for SD’s Wish List :o

  • TheShniz
(kamikazee) #67

I believe that is what Megagen does: it takes the model and generates an initial Megatexture with the given textures.

It has been mentioned that the terrain for the official maps was modeled in Maya.

One way to do it if you have loads of time: make the terrain using Easygen, export it to map, convert it to .ase using Q3Map2 then use it as MT model.
However, I think it will be far more easier to use Blender and download some plugin which can use heightmaps to generate geometry. Then there sure are scripts to export it to .ase and you can start working again.

EDIT: In hindsight: this doesn’t belong here at all.

(iwound) #68

its a fairly simple process to convert topographic maps / height maps into a format that blender or maya can read. i have several ready for when the tools appear.

(kamikazee) #69

its a fairly simple process to convert topographic maps / height maps into a format that blender or maya can read. i have several ready for when the tools appear.[/quote]Here’s a quick tutorial on how to generate a terrain surface from a height map in Blender which I just Googled.
Ok, it’s a basic tutorial and leaves lots of details and inner workings out but it shows that it’s easily to do.

Couldn’t this be moved to the “what do we know about ET:QW mapping” thread?

(criminal) #70

We need either confirmation of the use of .md5 mesh + anims

or if not the scripts used in either or both maya and 3ds for import/export.

In addition the wiki sounds like a fantastic idea.

Another great addtition would be a few example vehicles full complete and fully rigged with bone structure as well as example anims. It would also be helpfull to have a general page on poly guildelines (possibly in the wiki)

http://www.mechlivinglegends.net

(Nail) #71

:roll:

so, in summation, what is wanted is a nice interface (no harsh colours) that we can drag and drop a topographic/aerial Google map into that will generate it as in game, with access to all models, animations, scripts in every format including broken down to code, plus video tutorials on every aspect including the ones no-one has thought up, so we can reskin and call our own. Oh yeah, vehicles, can’t forget about them…how about just being able to select vehicle type (land, air, sea) propulsion type (wheels, tracks, jets, propellor, etc) weight, and have the game design vehicle with proper physics for them

and the Strogg should wear white Nikes, cause they’re badass

/end

back to the wishlist
:lol:
:stroggtapir:

(Veneration) #72

YES!! MEGA DITTOS!!!

The Doom 3/Quake 4 exporter doesnt even work for me! I use Maya! I have the correct MayaImportx86.dll but the game crashes whenever I go to ExportModels!!!

I get a freaging “Fatal Error: Attempting to save in C:\BLAH BLAH BLAH”!!! I’ve had the same error SINCE DOOM 3 CAME OUT!!! There is NOTHING I can do about it, and other people have the EXACT same problem.

And worst of all, there is NO external exporter for Maya users. The community has made some for other 3dapps like 3dsmax and lightwave, but not Maya :(.

(DMNE) #73

What would be really really nice is a good plugin interface. After working with the HL2SDK setup its a train wreck. The metamod some users created helps alot, but can only do so much. It still requires hacking vtables and in some cases sigscanning to get to features. From what I have heard the doom 3 engine sdk is nice, but I myself havnt coded anything for it.

So just a really nice, open, plugin interface that feeds us plenty of info and no classes that are full of broken member functions that total the server would be amazing. The more stuff I can access the better. Weapons and vehicles would be amazing.

We have a windows shell, but making GCC compiling as painless as possible is also a huge plus.

(nUllSkillZ) #74

Sorry haven’t read all of the posts.

  • [li]documentation
    [/li](I’m waiting for “RTFM!”)
    [li]examples
    [/li][li]tools
    [/li](if tools are only available for one program may be also the source)
(CH4NDL3R) #75

Few considerations :

Production pipeline mustn’t be bottlenecked
(…'cause a team member can leave at any time for whatever reason)

  • Standalone Exporting and Converting Tools, so a programmer/sound artist won’t need 3DSMax or Maya to convert a model the 3D artist left behind.
  • Interoperability with available free software, so you can use Blender and run the appropriate exporter.
  • Anyone should be able to quickly modify a terrain mesh with some kind of Easygen/FATE software; then export it.

Smooth integration with a source control software
(…'cause everyone needs a bit of organization)

  • Perforce or SVN integrated to WorldEdit
  • ‘Unlink’ of map contents:
    ¤ Terrain
    ¤ Megatexture (aka the bigfile)
    ¤ Entities & Scripts
    …so you can check out/in via source control separate parts without having to wait too long if you’re just checking in entities

Accessibility to newcomers
(…Atmosphere & Weather editor should lead the way)

  • WYSIWYG Editor for GUIs

  • WYSIWYG Editor to define and script objectives

  • PK4 packing tool, checking which ressource is needed and which is not.

  • Video guides (‘my 1st stuff’)

  • Design/gameplay guides

  • Wiki

  • Easy “OMG-My-Map-Is-500MB-What-Do-I-Do” Distribution system

(hsnopi) #76

I think two things I would like.

a glossary of terms, which could be on Wiki but pssibly have a ET person verify them. and clear comments in the code we are allowed to access whether they be con files or templates or whatever.

As a new modder the most difficult thing I ran accross was just getting information in one place. There are forums but they are disperate and usually arguementative, not purposefuly, but because the answer is vague. Comments would help a lot with this. BF2 has bfeditor.org. fine bunch of people who work very hard. But to get info you have to run through over 80 thousand posts. Even with search this still takes a great deal of time.

I am not against work, nor am I against investing large amounts of time. I just see no point in reinventing the wheel continually. Although for some it is a padge of pride t have figured out this or that mod, it really should be that difficult.

btw can’t wait for this game:)

(kamikazee) #77

If we help contributing to Modwiki.net, we might just have all in one place.
The “glossary of terms” is in fact quite easily placed on such a wiki, if the most common terms haven’t even been listed there yet.

(kamikazee) #78

These are mostly community tools/programs. I can’t see them writing a standalone converter, plugins for Open source apps AND a fully-fledged terrain editor in what little time they have.
We could still modify FATE if we would have to, the MT model can be written in the .ASE format.

Ehr… What about throwing the .map and .world files into SVN and reload just the whole map? I know it’s nice if you can see your map growing, but if you’re reluctant to reload the whole map completely than you are using it somewhat wrong.
Besides: the files written by the map editor can change each save, causing a complete resync of the file.
Or even better: make sure you can work without syncing the whole time. That’s how it was done in W:ET, I believe Ifurita pulled it off.

A GUI editor or even a preview could be nice.
However, while all newcomers are welcome, WYSIWIG editors just make them dependent of those tools without knowing how to do without.

Video guides will probably made by any advanced newbie who is eager to give something back to the community, and the distribution is still to be awaited.

Sorry to be so utterly negative, but lots of these wishes are almost unreasonable. I can imagine that the devs want to do their best in supporting the modding community, once being modders themselves.
However, you can’t make everyone happy and newbies certainly need a lot of time to help them forward.
Wouldn’t it be better to get some intermediate users into mapping/modding, hoping that they help the new generation?

(SCDS_reyalP) #79

<rant>
A lot of people seem to think that if SD just provides the right documentation and tools, modding for ET:QW will be easy. Just point, click voila a brand new TC on your desktop ready to play :wink:

This is a fundamental mistake. Modding a modern multi-player FPS is not going to be easy any time in the foreseeable future. It is a complex technical task that will require a significant amount of skill, time and effort to master. Working around a few clunky tools or undocumented APIs is the smallest part of making a good mod. That’s true of ET, and it will be true of ET:QW

This isn’t to say that documentation or friendly tools are a bad thing. In some cases, the lack of critical tools or information is a significant handicap (the situation with player models in ET, for example) However, the biggest hurdles to making a quality mod will always be the skill, time and effort required to produce quality work. By the time it is released, ET:QW will likely have over 100 person-years of labor invested. Think about that when you set out to create something of equivalent quality.

IMO, SD should put it’s efforts into making sure the the critical information and tools are available, rather than some misguided attempt to make modding easy.
</rant>

(kamikazee) #80

I have read some topic on Doom 3 World converging into such a discussion.
Here is the POV of BloodRayne, a Doom 3 modder working on a TC: D3W: D3 Machinima

Also note the posts above the linked one, it might be informative in the way people have been doing things for Doom 3 and what might have caused their frustrations.