Become a Quake Modder

[MadGypsy]

I reset my radiant to default and all of a sudden my build menu didn't work anymore. I isolated the problem and maybe this will fix problems for other people.

In edit/preferences/build - you have to uncheck "Enable Build Process Monitoring"

or open up local.prefs (while radiant is closed) and change the WatchBSP epair to false. Their in alphabetical order.

<epair name="WatchBSP">false</epair>

either way is the exact same result. Basically the menu is just going to change this for you if you use that method.

[MadGypsy]

Observations and opinions about QC

Observations and opinions about QC (that a beginner may find useful)

I've been playing with QC for about 2 years. Everything I have ever imagined as a mod I have successfully completed using 2 things.

1) an understanding of basic programming types (function, loop, array, etc)
2) a very effective method of finding exactly what I need to change

This combination starts to make QC smaller and smaller every time you use it. You begin forming a map in your head as to what is actually connected to what, very quickly. You also start grasping the flow of the code which allows you to quickly scroll to about where you would expect something to be.

An example would be health. If you change a few healths and notice they were all at the end of the class, well, you would assume that that's probably where it will always be (in an "initial set" sense)

This all sounds good, but there is another level and this is what really makes you a QC Programmer (in my opinion). When you understand the QC source. Knowing code and programming techniques is well and good, but they are just parts of an entire animal that you are trying to tame. My method will teach you how to hunt down the most minute thing and it will give you some insight on the flow and framework of QC, but you have to put in time to globally understand the source. I'm not at that level. R00k is at that level, Nahuel is at that level, there are plenty more. I mention these 2 people because they are who made me realize the even higher level. Where hunting down something (their way) would involve knowing things that "keywords" can't tell you. Often times the code solution becomes a bit simpler as well.

To wrap up this lil observation. If you are serious about being a QC programmer, I believe you should be striving for command of the entire QC source. If you just want to be a generic modder you should probably use whatever method which gets you quick and errorless(?) results. For me, quick and errorless results come from using source-wide search terms and an editor that lets me click the results.

If you are a noob, don't let the term 'generic modder' fool/discourage you. I would consider myself a generic modder and I have 100% confidence that I could complete any mod I ever attempt. The difference is the way that I would achieve my results may not be as elegant as a real QC Programmers.

Maybe you have a better method or even just an alternative one, feel free to share it.

EDIT: I thought of a comparison that I like. My method is based on what you find. The "higher level" method is based on what you have already found, understood and remembered.

[MadGypsy]

lol @ sylux

@gb - I like to have full control over these types of files. I will be purchasing a server for sitephyre soon (maybe tomorrow). I'll simply host my own files there. If someone wants to mirror from there, they are more than welcome to, but I own home base.

[Syluxguy28O3]

hey gypsy you're from LA right? this might ring a bell!
http://www.lougifts.com/edit/StoreImages/70002_l.jpg

[golden_boy]

You can email Willem to delete files if you want, I've done it before.

[MadGypsy]

That's an option, but not one that I like. If I decide to make changes, I would have to upload it again and then there would be the "garbage" first one hanging around.

QD2 is an entire game development pipeline, with a massive set of plugins and external tools included. Technically, you don't need anything else to make a Quake mod. However, that doesn't mean that other things can't be included. It's a bsp1 set-up, so... there is a whole friggin lot that could be added to the mix.

(random: there is this really huge mosquito-like bug with the worst coordination I have ever seen trying to navigate my lamp shade. Looks like he needs a lot of practice)

Anyway, quaketastic? Maybe.

[golden_boy]

quaketastic?

[MadGypsy]

Yeah merrychristmasusa.org is no more, so every single solitary link I have ever posted is broken. You're gonna have to give me some time.

1) I need to figure out where to reupload this stuff
2) My Q-develop package is outdated. I'm on QD2 but I need to break all my paths so when you first use it the correct paths will be assigned.
3) I'm tired

[Redfox1187]

Any chance I can get a mirror to the Q-develop.zip? The link in the top post of the thread gives a DNS error.

Thanks!

[MadGypsy]

Wow man, I have no idea what's going on. I have exhausted every possibility. It works for me

However if you find yourself wanting to give it another shot, there is another option. Use my runMap method, where you call a .bat and the .bat calls the file.

This makes no sense. All that build menu does is pretend to be a command line. All those compilers you are opening are just external files, which is all junk.txt is.

hmmm, maybe I'm just wrong, maybe you actually can't use a direct path in <command />. You should move everything in <command /> to a <var /> and then place the var name in the command, this is actually how I have it.

<var name="junk">"[RadiantPath]settings/1.5.0/junk.txt"</var>
<build name="Read Junk">
    <command>[junk]</command>
</build>

that is identical to my setup, but I took the liberty to remove the forward slash for you. To go 100% identical (I highly doubt this matters) put <var /> with all the other <var />s

if that doesn't work, I have no idea.

[foogs]

no dice. it's fine ill just open it manually it won't hurt me. if you were curious as to what the qe3bsp.bat now says though:

"C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt" > "C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt"

quickedit:

i opened up a command prompt (cmd.exe) just for shits and giggles and just typing C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt or "C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt" then pressing enter and it does open up junk.txt. so i dunno why it doesn't work still =[

[MadGypsy]

Oh DUH! my mistake man, put the command line in quotes. I'm sorry, that's entirely my fault. I know why I made that mistake. I don't do it this way. I was trying to give you a linear way that didn't involve <var />. When you use var you put the quotes in the var tag, so you don't need them in the build. This should definitely fix it.

<build name="junk">
    <command>"[RadiantPath]settings/1.5.0/junk.txt"</command>
</build>

[MadGypsy]

hmmm, you got me. Your code is correct...WAIT! is junk.txt actually in the path you are using?

[foogs]

Tried that and still the same result. Only thing different is now qe3bsp.bat now says:

C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt > "C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt"

[MadGypsy]

the answer was right in front of you the whole time.

C:/netradiant//settings/1.5.0/junk.txt > "C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt"

see the double slash

remove the "/" after [RadiantPath] in your junk build

must be a win7 thing cause I need that slash or it won't work. If I remove the slash, I get this:

C:/netradiantsettings/1.5.0/junk.txt > "C:/netradiant/settings/1.5.0/junk.txt"

its not doing anything because netradiant//settings is not a path to anything