Small Mod compilation

[Bitcrusher]

talisa/Seven: Thank you both for the files - excatly what I needed to make it "complete"
Seven: Will you be include the MP color fix in the next version of SMC?

[Mr.Burns]

Excellent ideas as always Seven and I'm a big fan of subtle changes to improve the atmosphere without dramatically changing the gameplay. I shall try the particle add on tonight and report back.
Additionally the new monster looks very good, I cant wait to play it

Keep up the good work Seven, we really do appreciate it

Monty

[PrimalLove]

@Seven

Ah yes the dust particles are nice. Hope to be able to make them adjustable. Could they be used in effectsinfo.txt files as well? Maybe make map specific dust effects in certain locations for greater effect? Very nice edition so far! Thanks!

[Seven]

Hello,

Thank you all for your posts and feedback. I am very happy about it !

How about having color change with armor?

Why not ?
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3IFsVJEdAI&list=UUbX7uVIXqMzBza0YmLJuMdw]Quake player changing armor colors - YouTube[/ame]

Excellent ideas as always Seven and I'm a big fan of subtle changes to improve the atmosphere without dramatically changing the gameplay. I shall try the particle add on tonight and report back.
Additionally the new monster looks very good, I cant wait to play it

Keep up the good work Seven, we really do appreciate it

Monty

Hello Monty,
Thank you for testing the flying dust particles. You can adjust the quantity. Default amount is really not much (very subtle). I suggest to stand on one spot for a while to better see them. If you like them you can increase the quantity a little bit.

Will you be include the MP color fix in the next version of SMC?

Hello Bitcrusher,
The reason why they are not included is that default player color settings are '0 0'.
That means white shirts and pants. Which looks really weird.
I was thinking that people would complain more about the "weird" looking "snow player" model compared to the missing possibility to adjust its colors, as the diffuse texture uses already a very nice color mix as is.

That only affects single player players of course, as multiplayers already have set their shirts/pants colors (others than white).
SMC is focused on single player as you know ... But maybe, when having a shirt color switch according to the used armor, it is also interesting for the "small mod compilation"

Ah yes the dust particles are nice. Hope to be able to make them adjustable. Could they be used in effectsinfo.txt files as well? Maybe make map specific dust effects in certain locations for greater effect? Very nice edition so far! Thanks!

Hello PrimalLove,
Download it and you will see its mechanics.
You will of course still have DarkPlaces usual builtin-possibilities as always. map specific effectinfo.txt is still possible, sure.
You can now have your snowy maps have real snow without the need of additional .ent files. Or flying embers in lava maps for examples.
The decision lies in your hands.


Best wishes.

[Mr.Burns]

Hi Seven,
Always happy to help. Unfortunately it didn't work for me but it's probably something I'm doing wrong as a DP/SMC newbie.

Here's the process I followed:
1. I downloaded your "00 Quake-Small-Mod-Compilation-V5.00--Seven-flying_dust_Update" from Anonfiles and placed the folder in my Quake\id1 directory.
2. The readme directed me to extract the "Quake_V5.00a-small-mod-compilation_flying-dust_Update_Seven.pk3" file and place it in the Quake\id1 folder
3. The readme also said that there was a cvar to enable/disable this effect inside the smc_config.cfg file. I'm guessing that this was "set cl_particles_custom_effects 1" which should enable custom particle effects in maps
4. The readme highlighted the fact that custom particle effect .ent files are needed in order for this effect to work. The 00 custom particle+sound effects Updated 19-01-2014 folfer is already underneath my quake\id1 folder but still no particles on e1m1.
5. I wondered if the e1m1.ent and e1m1.effectinfo.txt needed to be directly underneath my quake\id1 folder so i tried copying them there but still no particles on e1m1.

Like I said it's probably something obvious I'm missing or doing wrong, rather than any reflection at all on the mod, but I promised to post back in case this may be of use to others.

Kind regards

Monty

[Pringles Man]

Hello, Mr. Seven. I would like to present you with a few ideas that might be interesting for your consideration. You of course know about the four awesome-looking runes of Quake. The problem is they do nothing. What if they actually provided you with active abilities that would really help you beat Shub Niggurath instead of just accessing the pit? And what if Shub Niggurath didn't sit around and do nothing all day, but instead directly attacked you? What if they provided you abilities that would make a certain episode easier? I understand this would be impossible to code, but bear with me here. The Quake final battle is trash and we all know this. What if it weren't? I am hoping you understand what I'm trying to say.

[Mr.Burns]

Hello, Mr. Seven. I would like to present you with a few ideas that might be interesting for your consideration. You of course know about the four awesome-looking runes of Quake. The problem is they do nothing. What if they actually provided you with active abilities that would really help you beat Shub Niggurath instead of just accessing the pit? ....

This sounds a lot like RuneQuake

[talisa]

@mr burns
check if there is any progs.dat in your ID1 folder
if there is, remove it. then the progs.dat from smc flying dust update will be loaded

its cuz of same thing as in your question in another thread about maps.
DP prioritizes files found seperately in maps over files in paks and pk3s

.

@pringles
yeah if you want epic chton and shub battles, try Rquake coop mod

the mod is running on one of polarite's servers:
flanders.quake1.net:26001

and also running on these servers:
qrf.servequake.com:26003
rage.quakeone.com:26003
quake.thisserversucks.com:26003
fragnation.quakeone.com
newyork.servequake.com:26001


an epic shub-battle you can find at the end of the 'RPG' map-set there
and there's also an epic chton battle at end of another map-set there, but afraid i dun remember which map-set

[Seven]

Hello Monty,

I doubt that you have a progs.dat inside your id1 folder. Otherwise you would not see any of the standard SMC V5.0 features as well, do you ?

The "small mod compilation" V5.0 only needs 1 single file to work. Which is the big .pk3 file in the main winrar download.
Everything is included in this file. That was one of the main reasons why I switched from "autoexec.cfg" to "smc_config.cfg" in V5.0. You do not need to have or edit an autoexec.cfg file anymore now.

So, putting this single file in any subfolder inside your Quake folder will do the trick.
If you put it into the "id1" subfolder directly, please start Quake with your "darkplaces.exe" file (no extension or shortcut needed !).
If you put it into a new mod folder like "Quake\smc" for example, please start Quake with "darkplaces.exe -game smc"

That is basically all you need to do to run the "small mod compilation" with the default settings.

Only if you want to change the default settings, you need the file "smc_config.cfg" in your mod folder (right beside the big .pk3). Do all your modifications that you want in this config file. Every single cvar/feature is explained in it.




Now lets get back to the "flying-dust" feature:
You have to paste the "Quake_V5.00a-small-mod-compilation_flying-dust_Update_Seven.pk3" right beside the big SMC V5.0 pk3. That is it. Nothing else.
The new/updated files (progs.dat, effectinfo.txt, smc_cnfig.cfg, etc) are all in there and will be automagically be used due to the naming order of the 2 .pk3´s. I am sorry for the long filenames, I will switch to shorter ones with next release.
You should test the dust in start map, as it is easier to see in darker maps. Or increase the dust quantity via effectinfo.txt (it is commented) if you want.


The cvar that you mentioned: "cl_particles_custom_effects" is not the one that enables/disables the flying dust.
The cvar for the flying dust is the newest smc cvar and therefore only available in the update (not the basic V5.0) smc_config.cfg. It is enabled by default and called: "flying_dust"
You do not need any .ent files for it, as it is map independent, so you can completely ignore the "00 custom particle + sound effects Updated 19-01-2014" subfolder for now. We will talk about it later, when you are a bit more familiar. It is not needed for the smc. It only brings things like weather effects, lava haze and some other effects.
Those effects will be enabled/disabled via "cl_particles_custom_effects", "cl_particles_rain" and "cl_particles_snow" cvars. But as mentioned, first of all we can live without these things and first get a bit more familiar with basic SMC.

Later we can make use of these addition as well as the multimodel/multiskin and the advanced weapon effect features. That is the next chapter…


For the next official Update I will make the flying-dust effect adjustable directly via cvar, which will make it a lot easier to control. You will then be able to set its intensity and choose between different particles for it:
- dust
- embers
- snow
- rain
- …

Best wishes and Thank you very much for *trying* the smc. I really appreciate it. It helps me to understand where the difficulties are in handling/understanding the mod.
Writing documentation and instructions and trying to keep everything as user friendly as possible is always the most difficult part.

Thank you.


=====================


Hello Pringles Man,

I would not say that the runes do nothing. They open the gates back to start map for you and tell the game mechanic what to do when coming back to start map.

As Monty said, there are other mods which do a fantastic job in changing the boss fights, so there is basically not much need in reinventing the wheel.
There will always be features in other mods which are great, unique and a lot of fun. Trying to bring them all into 1 mod is impossible I am afraid. Nevertheless, if you want you can use the included source and create your own versions/updates/forks of the mod.


======================


@ all

Is the player-changing-armor-color something that could be interesting, or shall we paste it into the trash can ?

[JDSTONE]

seven i like the armor changing i say put it in! that lafe is grate maybe it could be randomly added to be played when you gib a living monster. the new monster looks cool! always love new monsters. this is a old mod but could the lighting gun do both the coal effect and the vanishing effect at random i cant decide what one i like best. lots of nice work on this one keep it up!

[gdiddy62]

Yes, color change is another great addition.

[vegetous]

awesome new monster!

[Mr.Burns]

The armour colour change would certainly get my vote.

Would you mind if I made a [humble] suggestion for another feature? Feel free to say no but I have often thought that the idea of incorporating the effects of blast inertia on entities would be another subtle yet realistic addition to any mod/engine. To explain a little further, I've envisaged the scenario where if for example a grenade or rocket lands in a reasonably close proximity to an item like a health pack or ammo, then the force of the ensuing blast should move the entity away from the blast as it would do in real life. The closer the entity is to the origin of the explosion the more it is likely to be moved.
Like I say it's just a suggestion, feel free to use it as you see fit

Kind regards

Monty

[talisa]

i tried the 'flying dust' beta and must say its a quite nice subtle effect

when you add options for the flying dust, could you also add an option to pick in which type of maps to have the effect?
in medieval maps like castles and caves and such its great but in base maps it seems out of place...

so could you add a cvar to select wether to enable the effect 'in all maps' or 'only in non-base maps'?

[Seven]

Josh,

That is a great idea to have an evil laugh (rarely+randomly) when gibbing living monsters.
It should match the other Quake player voices though. So a little pitch and tone work in audacity is needed. I really like this idea.

Regarding the lightning gun death effects: My personal favorite is the coal effect. Because I love the "statue-like" monsters coaled death position. And beeing able to shoot them into 1000 pieces, hehe. As far as I remember this clip shows a WIP version of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgNr...MzBza0YmLJuMdw
But yes, I will add a new cvar value "3" which will play both effects randomly 50/50.



Jeff,
So shall it be then Thank you for your post.



For the new monster lovers,
I am still experimenting with its abilities. It will have ranged and melee attacks, that is the only thing I am sure about. The melee attack of the original reiver is leeching health from his enemies. Which should be his ability in Quake as well. He will most probably also have a standard "scratch" melee attack, that only does damage.
His ranged attack shall be something spectacular. I thought about projectiles flying in a spiral formation. Something that looks nice and makes the player want to watch it, instead of escape from it

I do not know if the reiver shall burn like in the wip clip. I liked the idea because of this LoG monster (The Guardian), which also only consists of the upper body part. It also flies and its flying ability is because of fire burst, coming out of his upper body. I love this kind of monster.


The rest I do not know now. Ohhhh, one more thing: Its ability to raise from the earth (like the spider) will very likely also find its way into Quake. While the spider´s "breakout" consits of digged up dirt, dust and stones, the reiver´s "breakout" will most probably be accompanied by flames, sulfur and vapor/steam.



Monty,
The "small mod compilation" uses Matt´s Gyro, which enhances Quake´s physics. It is not a full-blown ODE physics library, but is capable of some very interesting things.
The smc already does the things that you described to the following entities:
- (living) monsters
- corpses (extended to a custom "ragdoll" feature)
- gibs
Controllable via cvars.
I did not include it to items due to the fact that it would be possible to "ruin" gameplay. Imagine if you are in a heavy fight and the golden key will be shot into lava --> game over hehe

But with only a very few lines you can extend gyro in the smc to items as well. As the arrangements have already been made. Please do the following to activate gyro on items:
1.) Open "gyro_smc_settings.qc" and delete the /* and */ around the existing function "ItemPhysics()"
2.) All items in Quake will have to go through "PlaceItem()", so open "items.qc" and add this to the very end of the function "PlaceItem()":

var float autocvar_itemmass = 1000;
autocvar_itemmass = autocvar_itemmass + (crandom() * 100); // gives each item slightly different mass, so they do not stack
ItemPhysics (self, autocvar_itemmass);

Compile it, start SMC and shoot (preferably with explosive weapons) at any item and it will be blown away from the impact. Shotguns and nailguns will also work, but it is not that fun.

Have fun shooting around your health, ammo, armor, powerups, keys, etc (be aware that custom potions will not work out of the box, as they are "flying" objects. Some additional code is necessary for them.)



talisa,
Just like the custom health/megahealth models, yes sure.



Regards