Custom maps for Q3A - 2024 Release finally incoming!

Moderators: pcwzrd13, deluxux, VasiliyRS

moi
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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#11 » Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:18 pm

pcwzrd13 wrote:This is great! It would be awesome to have some new maps to play. Does the Dreamcast version of Q3A have the ability to download maps or do all the maps have to be on the disc?


You need to rebuild a Q3A image and burn it to CDR or put it on an SD-Card.


VasiliyRS wrote:So maybe we should have public testing? I can record a video if needed.
In short am in for testing it just tell me what to do.


Sounds good.
Impulse was going to set up an experimental server in order to test online gameplay past weekend. Once he's confirmed that custom maps are working for both server and client, I'm OK with having public tests.
But as I said before my DC isn't connected to the net and atm have no idea how to run a server, so I can't yet join hosting and testing process.

Also I'm not decided yet on how a release of the modded game should look like mainly legal wise.
Some DC scene sites(dcemulation comes to mind) are pretty strict when it comes to copyright violations and warez.
It'd be nice to make custom maps accessible to users over there as well.

We need at least a user friendly selfboot script so people could get Q3A files themselves(ripping from original GD or getting a "backup" on the net), put additional files to some folder and leave it to the script to rebuild either an SD-reader compatible ISO or an ISO to burn on CDR.

In the past years there has been an awesome fan translation for a PSX game called "Policenauts".
All you needed to apply the patch was the patch program and the ISOs of the game.
Something like that would be ideal for a custom Q3A image.
Servers running custom maps could link to a download page for the maps and the patch program.

As for a possible release for the MAP converter itself, I can say it will eventually be released some day.
But it'll be after I've fixed remaining issues, made it user friendly, cleaned the source code etc.

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Impulse
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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#12 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:30 am

I can now confirm that these maps do work on the server as well. For now its a bit of hoop jumping to get to the mod maps but I have a feeling I can find a way for the server to appear more accessible for the Dc client. This opens up a lot of possibilities with making your owns maps and the massive library of PC mod maps! Thanks moi! Now we just need to get a 4 person game going and run some of these maps through the ringer.

Check out me just going through the maps on the server here:
-Impulse

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pcwzrd13
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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#13 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:03 am

Looks like it's working great! Now we can almost play Unreal Tournament online with clone maps! :D
PSO Characters:
Teal'c - lvl 119 HUcast - GC# 11666
Alto - lvl 39 FOnewm - GC# 12964

YouTube Channel : Dreamcast Live

moi
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Posts: 143

Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#14 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:43 am

I can now confirm that these maps do work on the server as well.
For now its a bit of hoop jumping to get to the mod maps
but I have a feeling I can find a way for the server to appear more accessible for the Dc client.
This opens up a lot of possibilities with making your owns maps and the massive library of PC mod maps!
Thanks moi!
Now we just need to get a 4 person game going and run some of these maps through the ringer.

Thanks Impulse,
this sounds awesome!
I'm going to dust off my old laptop and my phone line adapter
and try to get my ass online so I can join some matches in the future :D

EDIT: I sent you a PM in reply, but it only seems to show up in my "Outbox" rather than under "Sent Messages". After multiple attempts it still looks this way. I hope you still received my PM.


pcwzrd13 wrote:Looks like it's working great!
Now we can almost play Unreal Tournament online with clone maps! :D


The map's BSP file is 8megs alone. No way the DC could handle it ram-wise.
(The maps I got working are never over 1-2 megs at max.)
However you could decompile it, fire up GTKRadiant and try to reduce geometry and stretch out textures hoping to get a 2megs BSP file as a result.
This method could also be used to create speed wise optimized versions of stock DC maps.

There are still issues I need to figure out the fixes for issues regarding special textures such as skyboxes, lava or transparent glass textures.

Does anyone know of any of the original maps had transparent textures?
Last edited by moi on Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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pcwzrd13
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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#15 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:48 am

moi wrote:The map's BSP file is 8megs alone. No way the DC could handle it ram-wise.
(The maps I got working are never over 1-2 megs at max.)
However you could decompile it, fire up GTKRadiant and try to reduce geometry and stretch out textures hoping to get a 2megs BSP file as a result.


Bummer! I have no idea how to do any of that but if someone else were to do it I would be very grateful! :D There are quite a few UT maps for Q3A so it would be pretty awesome to set up a server with just those maps. I'd settle for that until we get UT back online for real!
PSO Characters:
Teal'c - lvl 119 HUcast - GC# 11666
Alto - lvl 39 FOnewm - GC# 12964

YouTube Channel : Dreamcast Live

moi
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Posts: 143

Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#16 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:58 am

pcwzrd13 wrote:
moi wrote:The map's BSP file is 8megs alone. No way the DC could handle it ram-wise.
(The maps I got working are never over 1-2 megs at max.)
However you could decompile it, fire up GTKRadiant and try to reduce geometry and stretch out textures hoping to get a 2megs BSP file as a result.


Bummer! I have no idea how to do any of that but if someone else were to do it I would be very grateful! :D There are quite a few UT maps for Q3A so it would be pretty awesome to set up a server with just those maps. I'd settle for that until we get UT back online for real!


True that. Someone could also try to recreate maps from Outtrigger in Q3? :D
I mean with emulators it shouldn't be a problem to rip the textures.
The difficult part would be to reacreate the level geometry and mod the weapon models and weapon behavior to match Outtrigger.

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pcwzrd13
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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#17 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:33 pm

moi wrote:True that. Someone could also try to recreate maps from Outtrigger in Q3? :D


Ooooo! I like that idea too!
PSO Characters:
Teal'c - lvl 119 HUcast - GC# 11666
Alto - lvl 39 FOnewm - GC# 12964

YouTube Channel : Dreamcast Live

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Impulse
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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#18 » Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:41 pm

moi wrote:
Thanks Impulse,
this sounds awesome!
I'm going to dust off my old laptop and my phone line adapter
and try to get my ass online so I can join some matches in the future :D

EDIT: I sent you a PM in reply, but it only seems to show up in my "Outbox" rather than under "Sent Messages". After multiple attempts it still looks this way. I hope you still received my PM.

This forum is a bit weird like that :oops: . The message stays in your outbox until the recipient actually opens it, then they go to the sent box lol. I think it's a phpbb thing.

Yeah man would be awesome to play some matches on this maps!

I would love to see Face classic on Q3. That's my fav level on UT for sure. :D
-Impulse

moi
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Posts: 143

Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#19 » Mon Apr 06, 2015 8:45 am

After a relatively long hiatus, some updates!

I've been working on optimizing my converter.
Now I can convert a map with a couple of mouse clicks.
Most task are now automated so converting a map, creating an iso,
running and testing it in NullDC now takes less than 10 minutes.

I made an interesting discovery. Maps that I thought were not possible to run on DC due to their huge BSP size can indeed work if you turn the bots off! Some maps running on DC are over 5megs in size!
It'd be important to know if those huge maps still allow human players.

I also created a universal game.zip that contains game data(sounds, weapons, items, screen gfx) from all regular DC maps, so there won't be any issues with missing weapons or sounds anymore.
In this thread I found out that original map that start with "SS_" are splitscreen maps:
http://dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com/php ... 0467#80467

I assume those maps include their own game.zip with low(er) quality models and sounds, which can be used in my game.zip in order to boost framerate on more complex maps

Additionally I've been excessively testing Open Arena maps:
-Out of 70, I got 37 to load on DC
-15 are working just fine(some missing textures, 4 bots supported )
-9 tend to crash(probably due to special textures, some allow bots, some don't)
-12 will only run without bots
-2 would only allow 1 bot player
-1 would only allow 2 bot players

I'm going to compile and upload a new image for Impulse soon,
so we might know more soon!
Last edited by moi on Mon Apr 06, 2015 11:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Custom maps for Q3A, looking for betatesters

Post#20 » Mon Apr 06, 2015 9:07 am

moi wrote:True that. Someone could also try to recreate maps from Outtrigger in Q3? :D
I mean with emulators it shouldn't be a problem to rip the textures.
The difficult part would be to reacreate the level geometry and mod the weapon models and weapon behavior to match Outtrigger.

O-M-G, that's a great idea. Really hope someone with the talent and the time can look into that someday.

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