What goes in a PK3... Things I forgot?

(Flippy) #1

Hi,

My PK3Creator application is already near a very early alpha release. It does not yet automatically add textures and models (it does add shaders) but you can add them manually.

Now, before I continue with what I have now it is important that I don’t have to go back and make major changes later. Therefore, I have to be sure that my program now supports everything you would wish to put in your pk3… I don’t want to find out later that I forgot the script file for example (not so obvious things ofcourse, but just for example :stuck_out_tongue: )…

So far I have:

[ul]
[li]BSP File
[/li][li]Lightmap Directory
[/li][li]Tracemap
[/li][li]Script File
[/li][li]Objective Data (objdata) File
[/li][li]Arena File
[/li][li]Textures
[/li][li]Shaders
[/li][li]Models
[/li][li]Sounds
[/li][li]Sounds (.sounds) File
[/li][li]Loading Image (levelshots)
[/li][li]Commandmap Image (levelshots)
[/li][li]Locations (_loc.dat) File
[/li][li]Readme File
[/li][/ul]

In addition, there is a “Misc Files” section where you can add whatever file you wish should you need to…

So is this everything? Did I miss something obvious? If it is not something most PK3’s will have then it will probably fit in the Misc category… Or don’t you agree?

(IndyJones) #2

can’t think of anything right now, but i would like mappers to include map source - even in protected zip/rar, just for future references… loosing map source is very common lately.

(Pegazus) #3

Or upload to a secure file host (not those lose your file in 30 days), protected zip files are not so protected anymore.

(Pytox) #4

Would be nice to also see something like this for ET:QW. PK4 Creator :smiley:

(Flippy) #5

In my opinion the map source is not an essential part of a PK3 file. If you want to include it you can do so via the Misc Files category.

Since my application is also aimed at new users who have no clue what to put where in a pk3 file, if there is a button “Map Source” that asks them to add the map source they might feel obliged (or think that it is required) to add their source…

I do agree that adding a map source should be encouraged, but I can understand completely if someone wishes not to do so.

I have no clue about ET:QW (let alone mapping for it) so I probably won’t extend this to PK4 files… Unless the PK4 files require much the same files? In that case it won’t be much trouble at all… :stuck_out_tongue: I will need some help with that though if I ever decide to do it.

(IndyJones) #6

well, i included italyfp2 source in pk3 as protected rar. the map has so many mirrors all across the web, so i’m 100% sure it will never get lost in the internet. :slight_smile:

don’t even think about adding quake wars - noone is playing it, and noone is making maps for it.

(FireFly) #7

Only thing I can think of is perhaps the command map icons?
Some maps have custom made icons that will show up on the command map: Normally these files would go in the gfx/limbo/ directory…

EDIT: nevermind, this should go in the misc category: I’ve just checked some of the maps that contain custom made command map icons and most of them are just in the textures folder.

(Pegazus) #8

[quote=IndyJones;187664]
don’t even think about adding quake wars - noone is playing it, and noone is making maps for it.[/quote]

You must be blind :slight_smile:

(th0rn3) #9

Some kinda readme generator, like
“map by:
map name:
date:
…
Notes:”

(Miki) #10

On xfire, ET has around 2300 servers running.
ET:QW has around 300.

I agree that its less, but ET:QW stays a great game, but not as good as ET. I would love to see a game like ET, but grapically better, and with more options as a mapper… :frowning: You can do way more in eg the source engine, then in the id tech 3’s engine :frowning:

(Pegazus) #11

But don’t forget how many of those servers have bots in it. Nevermind, let’s not go offtopic.

(Flippy) #12

[quote=th0rn3;187668]Some kinda readme generator, like
“map by:
map name:
date:
…
Notes:”[/quote]

That is not something to put in the PK3 file… It’s just an extra tool, which I might still add at a later stage. I already have a Arena File Generator however. :slight_smile:

(th0rn3) #13

Just to mention pakscape crashes when if theres radiant open while saving. Have you checked if your program does this? If so, make some guard that tell to close radiant, or something…

(Flippy) #14

I have not yet implemented the actual ‘export to PK3’ code, I will do that tomorrow, but I don’t expect any troubles…

I can also not imagine why pakscape crashing and radiant being open have anything to do with eachother? I don’t think radiant uses any files that pakscape might try to open…?

I will check if I find the same behavior but I doubt it! I will also make sure to implement the correct error catching in my program (as I have everywhere else) so it is very unlikely that my program will crash. The worst that can happen in such scenario is an error box saying “blabla could not save file because file is in use blabla”.

(Don’t quote this when you find a bug btw :wink:):smiley:

(th0rn3) #15

Radiant is reading pk3 all the time afaik. And packscape actualy saves pk3 as tmp and tries to rename it to pk3. Then theres some kinda blocking. Pakscape starts looping or something and crashes.

(Flippy) #16

Maybe the original game pk3’s (pak0, pak1 etc) but certainly not your own map’s PK3…? If you claim that, then how can you explain that you are perfectly able to build, compile, do anything with your map before putting it in a pk3 at all?

Obviously all maps are created and compiled before they are put in the PK3 so it cannot be true that radiant needs to read your map’s pk3 file, since it doesn’t even need to exist!

(th0rn3) #17

Not that what I ment… It reads files in etmain

(th0rn3) #18

And btw, what about .sps files?

(Flippy) #19

What is that? Something with sounds? Where does it go?

(-SSF-Sage) #20

sound/maps/mapname.sps

It is the file that contains ingame speakers.