Help Needed for Possible Mapping Project(s).

[Codename_Ty]

Well, I have a few great ideas for maps, though I am just getting started learning how to build them. I have no delusions that it will be easy, but I do have a couple questions.

1. How easy and how would you port a level from RTCW single player to ET? Can it be done (legally and practically)? How would one go about that?

2. Is it possible, while keeping good fps and playability, to have more interactivity on maps? For example…can I make every room in a village accessible? Can I make oil barrels blow up when hit, etc? Bodies scattered on the floor?

3. Convoys? A fantasy or possible reality? Whether it be tanks, jeeps, trucks, etc

4. I’ve seen downed fighter planes (like the one in Den of Lions), are there any prefabs of planes out there and where? Fighters are good, though I am looking more so for tactical bombers and cargo/paratrooper planes (forget the name off hand (don’t want to confuse anyone with the term glider)…

5. Mine fields in bodies of water, both to disable boats and when shallow enough to explode under unsuspecting enemy feet.

6. Is it possible to have planes dogfighting overhead?

If these are possible, would anybody like to lend us a hand? We’re getting a couple servers up here in a few days (Should be on-line no later than Monday the 18th and currently have 21 active ET players). We would be more than happy to help out with beta testing of maps or inputting ideas. Depending on interest, involvement and quality we might be open to more.

Should you be interested in helping out, giving me some ideas and/or need beta testers feel free to drop me a line with contact info through PM on the forums. Please, if you can answer the questions posed, feel free to post below. All feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

|WND| Codename Ty

[Ifurita]

1. If you have the source file, it’s not that hard. You can select and replace textures pretty easily and there are a couple of entities you have to replace/change out. I did this with Breakout. If you do not have the source file, it’s going to be a lot of mind numbing work.

2. Yes you can, but you probably don’t want to. People will get lost, won’t know where to go, and I think you’ll find that things that disperse the action tend to hurt a map.

3. You could attach a bunch of trucks in a train, that would probably be the best way to handle it. I think it would be a pain (logically) to have 3-4 autonomous trucks moving around, all being damaged/repaired on their own

4. C-47

5. Yes, it is possible

6. You can have scripted events overhead. This may involve 2 planes dogfighting

[EB1]

Slight change on the questions(u understand), better illustration of ideas this time.

[Ifurita]

Re: your PM

By source, I mean the source .map file. You’ll have to get this from the original author (unlikely if it was a Grey Matter map)

If you cannot get the source, then you’ll have to decompile the map (search on ‘Decompile’) and if you do so, expect to spend 50-100+ hours:

• Turning structural brushes detail (all brushes become structural when you decompile a map)
• Losing all hint brushes
• Losing any func_groupings (e.g., terrain)
• Retexturing every textured face
• Adding any misc_models back in (they get baked into the BSP)
• and much much more

[Codename_Ty]

Thanks for responding to the PM. Looks like I would have lots of work to do with porting the map over, not to mention the other projects I would like to get off the ground. Thanks for the input Ifurita, I appreciate it, same goes for EB, from the other forums.

The original offer I posted stands, for anyone interested. I know in the past mappers had been looking for such an arrangement (have read some of the forum posts from mid to late last year on the subject).

[Detoeni]

Q3map2 will only decompile maps made with q3map2.

The old wolf maps were made with a diffrent compiler, and all you get if you do decomple, is a mess.
Learn to map, it would be easier.