Quake HD for new spawns

[_Smith_]

ModDB is exposed enough and profile on it is easy to update. I wouldn't want to overshadow real authors websites or their threads here.
A pack like this shouldn't have any other than quakeone.com home site. If no one mind I could fill an “official project homepage” field on moddb profile as quakeone.com.
I lack skills, including english required to design and manage community approved project with a nice website hosted here, so I prefer to stick to moddb profile only.
I am ready to remove this pack from moddb, if real authors of this content gather together and release something more official. It would be great.

As little as I've managed to contribute myself, made me fully aware of the total amount of work put into this content by community over years.
Our little argument Bluntz, helped me make it better and will help to avoid similar misunderstandings in the future, so it's all good.

What I personally like and use is not necessarily the best “default” in a pack like this. Especially considering someone may use it to play Quake for the first time.
I encourage new players to try unaltered original for their first playthrough, but majority of new young players probably will use HD pack anyway.
First timers are the ones that are most likely to leave settings as they are. This is why I wanted this pack to be conservative and faithful to original by default.
People who use mods are usually familiar with tweaking their games anyway and with some guidance, it shouldn't be an issue for most.

[TR2N]

Dear _Smith_,

i have updated your package and made some tweaks here and there, it would be QuakeHD 1.29 . Can i post a download link?

Regards,
Nico

[_Smith_]

Maybe you could just describe your ideas so anyone could apply them themselves ? I consider using them in the next release.
You could also post it in a form of an addon, like qhd_v1.28_tweaks_T2RN.zip, that would contain only new and modified files and a readme with setup instructions.

If you want to post another complete package, I would prefer it to be named differently. I am open for suggestions, but I won't sign under any changes blindly

Edit: If you have it already uploaded somewhere than post a link here if you want, just describe precisely what changes we are getting with it.

[TR2N]

Hi _Smith_

i have added the actual SMC from Seven, your HUD, Reflecting pack from Webangel, Ruohis' player model and my own skybox. I edited the autoexec.cfg for the effects from Seven`s SMC and set relief offset to 0.05.

If you want, i can send you a pm with a link to my Google drive so you can have a look over it. I think, that would be the better way, so you can choose between continuing your pack or telling me, that i should release it as my own (which is basing on yours).

Regards
Nico

[_Smith_]

Offset scale 0.05 looks distorted without relief and I don't want relief by default due to perfomance hit.
Relevant cvars are already written into console history and user is told about them in the readme.
Everyone can enable relief and adjust scale as he see fit by scrolling through history with arrow keys to select command.

I actually like OoPpEe's/Moo's model and hud face icons based on it.
Btw... Remove HUDz_Face_Andhex.pk3 and you will see PrimeviL's face icons from QRP hud pack that looks strangely similar to the one on Ruohis' model you are using now.

Webangel's animated and reflecting textures are inside id1\ folder by default and ent files with readmes are in the pack as well.
I don't want to include ent files by default due to performance hit and aesthetics ( I want it keep faithful by default ).
I have plans to make this stuff easily adjustable via autocvars anyway, with cvars for rain, fog, lightbeams, lava and other particle effects.
I am also going to make modified particle effects a separate, optional pk3 and my changes to gyro implementation optional, selectable via cvar.
Other stuff I had in the smc addon and want to keep is already implemented in SMCv4.0. There are also incompatible saves between qhd and smc, I have a fix for it in mind...

I just need to be in a mood to waste another evening to make and test an updade I've planned. I'll make it sooner or later.
For now everyone can just download new SMC, csqc hud, Ruohis' player model and adjust config himself...

Post your link and if you can change package filename without reuploading, than call it something like qhd_v1.28_tweaked_by_TR2N, or make an addon like described above.
I would prefer to make full package releases with updated version number myself and eventual third party updates/tweaks to be in a form of an addon to the current version.

[GiSWiG]

Nice...

Hey. Have to say, awesome pack. Seven had mentioned it to me before and, although I'm not one for AllInOne packs, you did a nice job and chose some of the same things I did. I love Seven's SMC but the death animations are a bit much (though awesome, friend of mine loves them).

I tried the Epsilon and I'm not sure what it is but I see lag on my PC, Phenom II X4 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM 6-6-6-18 @ 1333, Radeon 6670 with 1GB GDDR5. Seriously?
And to think, long ago I upgraded my CPU to 133MHz and 32MB RAM for the original Quake (I think I had a voodoo or Cirus Logic video card back then so I was good there)

I am curious of a few things...
The Bestiary...what did you 'alt'? (There are several 'alt's in your pack but cannot find info)
What is the DDS stuff there?

I look forward to a MP1 and MP2 packs if you plan to. You already have the Bestiary which covers MP1 and MP2. You just need to add Seven's SMCs, the SoA QRP map textures, rtlights, item packs and you're good. Think you could do that in a weekend, or even an evening.

[TR2N]

Hi _Smith_,

i am thinking about to upload the package as a new package, independend from yours. I don´t want to change your work to something, you do not want and you don´t stand for. Can i use your work as base (it formely is)? I would refer your pack in my readme file and would list the changes i have did, so it is clear for the user.

Best regards
Nico

[GiSWiG]

I look forward to a MP1 and MP2 packs if you plan to. You already have the Bestiary which covers MP1 and MP2. You just need to add Seven's SMCs, the SoA QRP map textures, rtlights, item packs and you're good. Think you could do that in a weekend, or even an evening.

Tell me what you think for hipnotic and rogue. I THINK i've got everything covered (ammo, items, weapons, etc...) This does include things from id1, a good portion in your pack and some not...

--hipnotic
OoPpEe's weapon pack
romirtlights_soa (did Inkub0 make one for this MP?)
Seven's Small Mod Compilation
Music

--rogue
music
inkub0-RTLights
OoPpEe's weapon pack
OoPpEe's Plasmaball
QRP map textures with normals
Seven's Small Mod Compilation
shader-animated-b_boxes-ROGUE

--and from id1 which should cover what the above does not...
dpwater0.55.pk3
DP_Rtlights_v2.0_Inkub0.pk3
DP_Teleport_v1.2_QRP.pk3
HUDz_Face_AndehX.pk3
HUD_id1_v4.7_Nahuel_Dresk_Smith.pk3
HUD_QRP.pk3
IP_Ammo_shader-animated-b_boxes-ID1.pk3
IP_Armor_Plague.pk3
IP_Backpack_Ruohis_smc.pk3
IP_Health_shader_Ruohis_v3.pk3
IP_Keys_Runes_Ruohis.pk3
IP_Powerups_Ruohis+unknowns_v2.pk3
IP_RocketBox_OoPpEe_shader-animated.pk3
IP_Weapons_Ruohis_My-Key.pk3
QR-DP_QuakeBestiary_2048.pk3
QRP_map_textures_v.1.00.pk3
QRP_normalmap_textures_add-on_v.1.00.pk3
QUAKE-HQ-MUSIC.PK3
Quake_V3.80_small-mod-compilation_Seven.pk3

[_Smith_]

@TR2N
Putting together and reuploading stuff is not something that give me rights to any credits, or to tell what someone can, or can't do with it.
This stuff is not mine. You didn't have to ask me, but I don't mind.

@GiSWiG
DDS is compressed bitmap format designed for textures. It is the only compressed format that can be used by GPU.
All the other compressed formats like jpg will be decompressed before loading them into VRAM.
It is what your textures are being converted to, if you enable textures compression in graphics options.
But it extends loading times greatly and compression algorithm is optimised for speed.
I've used ATI Compressonator tool on highest quality settings to prepare optional compressed packs for people with older cards.
Precompressed textures should have better quality than the ones compressed in run time and loads lightning fast.

There is a txt in readmes\credits folder, that explains “alts”. I'll add a note in the main readme about this again, I had it in the past.
These are packs that are not exactly the same in content that the ones you can download from original source in some minor way.
It may be for better, or worse, depending how you look at it, so I wanted to mark them somehow and added a txt with details to make it clear.

In case of QR monsters skins:
There are included: altered Chton skin - classic version by Lightning Hunter and knights heads altered by OSJC
Textures are stored in uncompressed format in video memory even if source texture is jpg and tga format loads faster, so I converted jpg's to tga's.

Texture, that is not power of two in size, takes in VRAM as much space like the next ^2 one.
Now if you take take h_demon skin, decompress it, take into account that 2742x2742 takes as much space as 4098x4098 one, you will realise it eats ~ 200MB VRAM.
For a single head gib - overkill. With original QR pack level loading progress stops for 3s on it and I had mini lag each time I've gibbed demon for the first time.
Now, I've overdone it a bit – I'll use 2048x2048 not 1024x1024 in the next release, because quality loss while small is noticeable in game.
There were also few textures, mainly heads, in exotic sizes that were not multiplier of 4.
Such textures can not work correctly when in DDS format ( they won't work on ATI cards for example ). I've rescaled them.

MP1, can be almost complete, there is only a single head gib missing if I remember correctly... I was just waiting forever for a final, official release of Reforged stuff...
For MP2 too much is missing... I am not sure it is fine to release uncomplete, work in progress stuff outside quakeone borders.
Maybe I'll add MP1 pack, but I'll wait for MPs SMC4.0 with it.

[GiSWiG]

For MP2 too much is missing... I am not sure it is fine to release uncomplete, work in progress stuff outside quakeone borders.
Maybe I'll add MP1 pack, but I'll wait for MPs SMC4.0 with it.

Are you referring to what I have listed or of all mods that are available?

[GiSWiG]

--hipnotic
OoPpEe's weapon pack
romirtlights_soa (did Inkub0 make one for this MP?)
Seven's Small Mod Compilation
Music

--rogue
music
inkub0-RTLights
OoPpEe's weapon pack
OoPpEe's Plasmaball
QRP map textures with normals
Seven's Small Mod Compilation
shader-animated-b_boxes-ROGUE

My bad. QRP map textures are for hipnotic/SoA not Rogue.

[_Smith_]

I was somehow not aware that Seven has added missing head gibs to his MPs "starter packs".

As for DoE map textures. there is Webangel's "placeholder" pack.
Of course I hope QRP team will finish their DoE pack, their work is amazing.

[_Smith_]

I've put together a new version of QHD compilation. It now supports both official MPs. It is also the last time I am asking anyone to redownload everything.
QHD v1.3 will be a base for future updates, that will be eventually released as a small patches to it.

I can't upload files on modDB recently for some reason, so I've put a temporary upload on gamefront.
You'll have to unpack each zip individually into a single folder to get a proper multipart 7z archive and then decompress it with 7-zip.

Edit: It doesn't work either... removed the rest of description for now.

[gdiddy62]

Smith
Can you check part 1 it won't download for me. It says it can't find the file. I'd like to look at some of your changes!

Thanks

[_Smith_]

Right, none of the links works... Sorry. I'll look at it over weekend.