How are Quake maps made ?

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Coordinates and polyhedrons

Quake uses a standard right-handed (X,Y,Z) coordinate system. If you're not familiar with the reference of "right-handed" to a coordinate system, it basically provides a tactile and visual discription of the mechanics of the system. If you point your fingers towards the positive x-axis and bend your fingers so that your knuckles face the positive y-axis, your thumb will point towards the positive z-axis:


 












In QuArK, on the top-down view, the x axis is to the right, and the y axis to the top. On the other view, the x axis is also to the right, and the z axis is to the top. You should get used to the two 2D views of your map. Try selecting and moving polyhedrons on each view and see how it moves on the other view. If you prefer a more traditionnal 4-views layout, with three side views and a perspective camera, it is also available : in the Layouts menu, you can choose from a list of various layout types.

As explained before, a map is first made out of polyhedrons in 3D space. Polyhedrons are sometimes called brushes, too. Editing polyhedrons is probably the most complicated operations you will face while making maps, but QuArK tries to reduce these troubles to a minimum. In fact, you already learned the most important operations for editing polyhedrons.


Introduction to Entities

    The second primary components of a Quake map are the entities. Entities are all the Quake objects that can move and interact together. The behaviour of the entities is written in a Quake-specific language, the QuakeC (for Quake 1), the HexenC (for Hexen II), or in pure C (for Quake 2). As a map designer, the only thing you need to worry about is not how the entities exactly behave, but mainly which are the available entities. You find in QuArK all the entities available in Quake's original distribution; add-ons and TCs usually add new entity types. The list of entities is available from the New Items window (menu Commands, Insert map item).

Each entity is made of a list of parameters, which are called Specific/Arg pairs. Each Specific is a parameter name, and the corresponding Arg is the value for that parameter. This system allows for a lot of customization : in an entity you can set as many parameters as you want, just by putting Specific/Arg pairs in it. The list of which Specifics are actually recognized depends on the kind of the entity. The only Specific that is always recognized, and required, is "classname". Its Arg gives the generic type of the entity. For example, monsters are created by setting "classname" to monster_dog, monster_army, and so on.

Generally, you don't even have to worry about the classname, because when you insert an entity in your map it already has the expected classname. What you have to worry about is how you set other common Specifics. For example, most entities have an "origin" Specific, whose Arg is the 3D position where you want the entity to appear when your map starts. For each entity with an "origin" Specific, QuArK displays a cross on the map, at this position. You can simply move the entity with the mouse, but this simply modifies the origin Specific for you. Other Specifics may be edited visually as well, e.g. the entity start-up facing direction. Complex entities have a lot of other Specifics which cannot be edited visually -- door opening speed, button action, and so on. The page 2   displays all Specifics and let you change them. If you move the mouse over a Specific and wait there, a small help text will appear, explaining what this Specific is for (at least if QuArK knows that this kind of entity can have this Specifics).

Try double-clicking on "info_player_start" on page 1   to see the Specifics and Args of this entity.


Brush entities

    Some entities also accept attached polyhedrons. These entities are called brush entities. All the polyhedrons you attach to an entity become part of that entity and define its 3D aspect. Exemple : doors and lifts. Not all entities accept attached brushes : monsters, weapons, and items to pick up, for example, do not, as their shape is not defined within your map. For these, you just tell Quake where the entity should start, and not its 3D aspect. That is why all entities usually have either an "origin" Specific or attached polyhedrons.

In QuArK, you see in the tree view of page 1   the polyhedrons that are attached to a brush entity : they are simply the polyhedrons that appear "inside" the brush entity icon . Try inserting a door in your map (Commands menu, Insert map item, open the folder "Doors & Lifts" or "func_ entities" for Quake 2, then double-click on "func_door"). You see on page 1 the new entity "func_door" with a plus sign at the left : click on it, and you will see that there is one polyhedron attached to this entity. You can attach or detach polyhedrons simply by moving them inside or outside "func_door" with the mouse.

All the polyhedrons that are not attached to any brush entity are part of the map itself (as opposed to doors, lifts,...) But they are actually attached to a special entity that must be present once in each map : the top-level "worldspawn". You will notice on the top of the tree view that "worldspawn" has the same icon as brush entities, because Quake actually considers it as a special brush entity which holds all polyhedrons from the map itself.


Common Specifics

While some Specifics are parameters specifically for one entity type, as is the door opening speed for door entities, there are a few Specifics that are likely to be present in a lot of entities.




 
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