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 Post subject: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:31 pm 
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Rock Me, Amadeus!
Rock Me, Amadeus!

Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:38 am
Posts: 174
Location: Austria
This thread is meant to help new mappers start mapping, but could contain information for older mappers too.

The tutorial is written for windows and GTK radiant 1.5, linux and 1.4 users will have to adapt some/most of the steps.

First of there is some software needed:
GTK radiant 1.5 aka the map editor, you can grab the newest package from here
http://zerowing.idsoftware.com/files/ra ... ghtly/1.5/

You also need a programm that can open zip files, I prefer 7zip, since it's totally free and can do a lot of other formats too, but you can also use winrar or winzip for example
7zip is located here: http://www.7-zip.org/

We will also need some other files later wich I list here, just dl them, we'll need them later on.
http://www.truecombatelite.com/files/mapping/common.pk3
http://www.truecombatelite.com/files/ma ... Custom.zip

Setup
When setting up my mapping environment I prefer to have everything in one folder (in my case D:\mapping), you can install everything here and there but I prefer the one folder setup since you can simply copy paste that folder to another pc and adjust some paths and you're running again.
The only important thing is, that you don't install the mapping stuff into the drive where the operation system is located (normally C).
Mapping takes time, and at some point you always screw your os, so it's better to have the data seperated from the os to decrase the chances of dataloss.

The first step is to create a clean install of TC:E to work with, so I create my mapping folder (D:\mapping) and make a full install of TC:E into that folder so that I have tc:e installed like this: D:\mapping\Wolfenstein Enemy - Territory

You might ask why you need another installation of TC:E for mapping, and the reason is quite simple, the editor loads everything from the path you tell him the game is, so if you play on some server dl some pk3s you have way more stuff in the editor to choose from, that not every play that dls your map has in the end, also the amount of stuff in a usual gaming TC:E installation can to lead to nasty compiler problems.

Now it's time to create some nice shortcuts.
Crate a shortcut to the newly installed et.exe open it's properties and add
Code:
+set fs_game tcetest +set sv_official 0
to the end of the target field (you can adjust the icon to the TC:E icon if you want to :wink:)
This is the basic shortcut for testing maps in pk3 form, it will start TC:E automatically and also prevents the "unofficial packs error"

now copy that shortcut and edit the new one again, this time add
Code:
+set sv_pure 0
to the end of the target field.
sv_pure 0 has the effect that when you load a map the game will not only search through the pk3s but also through all files in the folder of the game.

when I'm working a lot on one project I also prefer to have the game autoload that that map, so I copy the shortcut again and add
Code:
+devmap MAPNAMEWITHOUT.BSP

Make sure you can run your new installation of TC:E without problems (don't join a server with custom pk3s though).

Editor
The next step is to install the map editor (gtk radiant that is).
While running the installer, the only important step is, that you adjust the path where it gets installed too.
In my case I did set that to D:\mapping\gtk radiant
You can deselect all the gamepacks except for the W:ET ones but that isn't necessary.

Now it's time to start the editor for the first time.
In the first prompt select Wolfenstein:Enemy Territory
Then you'll be prompted for the path to W:ET ("D:\mapping\Wolfenstein Enemy - Territory" if you followed the tutorial exactly)

Technically you could start to map away from here now, but there still is stuff todo.

Editor Settings
The settings of the radiant have to be adjusted, go to Edit -> Preferences
Under Interface -> Layout I prefer to use the 2nd from the right, but that is up to you.
Important though is, that you set the "Default Texture scale" under Settings -> Brush to 0.25 since nearly all TC:E textures should be scaled like that.
It's also a good idea to enable the "Clipper uses caulk" option under Settings -> Clipper
Last but not least under Settings -> Autosave, enable the "Save Snapshots" option, it creates a bit of crap on your harddrive, but you'll love it when you work on your map for some hours just to find out you screwed it 2 hours ago, because you have a backup then.

Now the radiant is nearly set up, hit the apply button, and restart the radiant if you adjusted the Layout.

The last thing in the radiant todo is to go to File -> Project Settings
In the popup select "Custom ET modification" and under fs_game type tcetest.

Now the editor is fully set up, but there is still stuff todo.
If you're running win7 or winvista, you might have noticed that the editor windows look a bit weird (there should be a grid normally), that is a problem with the desktop styling, to get rid of it you have to go to the radiant folder and edit the settings of the GtkRadiant.exe.
In the compability section select "Disable visual designs" and "Disable Desktop styles" after that the radiant should run fine.

File stuff
Now come the tiny important steps:
The common.pk3 from the beginning of the post should be placed in the tcetest folder (it mostly adds images for loads of shaders in common that are not shipped with et because the shaders are invisible ingame, but you still need them when mapping)
Now go to the tcetest folder, if you don't have a "scripts" folder in there create one.
Place the DDCustom.def from the DDCustom.zip into that folder, it will enable you to use some of the TC:E specific entities.

You might have wondered why you need a zip program, now we need it.
Open the pak2.pk3 with your zip tool and extract the shaderlist.txt and the custinfoparms.txt to the scripts folder. These 2 files are used by the compiler.
shaderlist.txt tells the compiler wich .shader files to load, and custinfoparms.txt tells it how the special surfaceparameters for stuff like bricks should be translated (without it you'll get maps where everything acts like concrete)

Also extract the complete models folder from the pk2.pk3 into the tcetest folder, you need this because the radiant can't load the models from the pk3 and therefore you wouldn't be able to place models without doing it.

Now the setup is completed but there is still one thing todo.

Compiling
When compiling a map the compiler (q3map2) converts the editorformat (.map) into a bsp file, putting various information there.
Technically the radiant has a menu to start the compiler, but I never liked the system of it so I use a pack of .bat files instead.

Code:
@set MAP_PATH="D:\mapping\Wolfenstein Enemy - Territory\tcetest\maps\MAPNAMEWITHOUT.MAP"
@set FS_PATH="D:\mapping\Wolfenstein Enemy - Territory"
@set Q3MAP2="D:\mapping\gtk radiant\q3map2.exe"

%Q3MAP2% -game et -fs_basepath %FS_PATH% -fs_game tcetest -samplesize 4 -meta -mv 1024 -mi 6144 -v -custinfoparms %MAP_PATH%
%Q3MAP2% -game et -fs_basepath %FS_PATH% -fs_game tcetest -vis -saveprt %MAP_PATH%
%Q3MAP2% -game et -fs_basepath %FS_PATH% -fs_game tcetest -light -fast -v -samplesize 4 -samples 2 -patchshadows -external -lightmapsize 256 -custinfoparms %MAP_PATH%
pause


You can simply copy paste this into a text file and rename it to .bat
to compile a map with it adjust the paths in the first 3 lines, and you should be going fine

The bat compiles a map with light with average quality.
If you want to just do quick compiles without light, you can copy the bat and remove the line above "pause".
Also this is the light line I use for final compiles:
Code:
%Q3MAP2% -game et -fs_basepath %FS_PATH% -fs_game tcetest -light -fast -v -samplesize 4 -samples 3 -bounce 3 -bouncegrid -bouncescale 1.0 -patchshadows -external -lightmapsize 256 -custinfoparms %MAP_PATH%


Now you have a complete setup to start mapping
I just have a few more tips here:
You can find loads of other Tutorials and nice links here: http://www.truecombatelite.com/forums/v ... php?t=1384

Binding map_restart to a key in your testing install helps a lot, because you can bypass warmup by pressing it.

Also there is the unofficial "mapping development kit" from liquid, it's bascially a map file and a text file with some tips, but it helps a lot to get a feeling for scaling and/or how the bombspots work.
You can get it here: http://www.truecombatelite.com/files/ma ... ce_mdk.zip

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 7:15 pm 
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Master
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Ty. I had to bother a few people to get GTK 1.4 for ET, because I couldn't figure out how to run 1.5 correctly.

I've often had ideas for maps, but I'm terrible with paint software, so this could be my way of sharing some ideas. Thanks again.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:26 pm 
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Marksman
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Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:20 pm
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Location: Florida, USA
Thank you, Merlin.

BV

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2010 10:32 am 
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The thing I do with the mapping environment is copy the "tcetest" folder and rename it to "tcedev". Since ET calls mods from their folders, you can have as much of them as you like.

In the "dev" (development) one, I unpack all the .pk3 files so I have all scripts, textures, models and other stuff ready to check out if I need to. Also, that way I can make sure no filename conflicts will be generated.
The .pk3 files use .zip compression so you can open/extract them with any archiving software which supports that filetype.
Note: when creating a "tcedev" folder, I use a clean TC:E install, no custom stuff.


After that I install GTKRadiant 1.4 (better suited for Q3's .map format for me).
Get it Here (33Mb - the one I use) or here (65Mb)
To setup it, there are a few different steps:

1) Making the default texture scale 0.25
Open the folder where you installed GTK Radiant. Then open the one called "Games". In it you will find three .game files. Open et.game with notepad.
You should see something like:
Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" standalone="yes"?>
<!-- generated by Radiant setup, modify at your own risks -->
<game
  name="Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory"
  enginepath ="some path"
  gametools="some other path"
  basegame="etmain"
  engine="ET.exe"
  gamename="et"
/>
What you want to do is add:
Code:
default_scale="0.25"
after the gamename='et' string and before />.

2) tcedev instead of tcetest
When setting up the Radiant to work with a specific mod under File>Project settings, instead of adding tcetest under fs_game, you add tcedev. Now you can use that folder for mapping while having another one for playing the game. But that's just my method.

3)Possible custom .def issues
The DDCustom.def entity list brings me back. :) Who knew someone would save and still use it.
Anyway, I really should fix those dummy and player start entities so they are positioned correctly after you add them to your map.

So, when adding the custom .def, you'll get a double list of entities. That's because there are now multiple .def files in your scripts folder now. Just change the old one's extension to .de_ so Radiant doesn't use it. You might need to do this with the .def file located in the ../etmain/scripts folder as well.

4)shaderlist.txt
To use ALL of TC:E's shaders, make sure you have these strings to your "shaderlist.txt" located in the "scripts" folder:
Code:
_build
bruce
bruce_base
bruce_brick
bruce_crete
bruce_decal
bruce_door
bruce_floor
bruce_fx
bruce_light
bruce_metal
bruce_misc
bruce_mod
bruce_plaster
bruce_sky
bruce_snow
bruce_tile
bruce_trim
bruce_wall
bruce_window
bruce_wood
common
coroner
coroner_common
coroner_decals
coroner_dust
coroner_fx
coroner_models
coroner_models2
coroner_northport
coroner_skies
coroner_snow
coroner_village
dem_district
dem_ersatz
elite
elite_media0
elite_media1
elite_media2
elite_media3
gfx_misc
headware
hos_concrete
hos_decals
hos_floors
hos_metals
hos_misc
hos_misc2
hos_models
hos_signs
hos_vents
hos_walls
hos_wood
liq
liq_models
models
models_elite
models_weapons2_elite
obj_dust
obj_northport
obj_railhouse
obj_snow
obj_village
q3tc
q3tcsfx
race
race_skies
routa
sfx
skies
skies_sd
terrain
twy_addon
twy_doorsGates
twy_grate
twy_metal
twy_misc
twy_models
twy_nature
twy_roof
twy_sandGravelgras
twy_skies
twy_textures
twy_water
twy_window
twy_wood
ui_elite
weapons


Note: sometimes ET's shaders pop up on this list when you don't want them to. In that case go to ../etmain/scripts folder and rename shaderlist.txt to shaderlist.tx_. 2nd, in radiant, select textures>shaderlist.txt only.

5)Additional step for Windows 7 users:
Right click the Radiant's shortcut>properties>Compatibility tab and turn on "Disable desktop composition".


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:17 am 
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Another problem with win vista or 7 with Radiant1.4

If you modify an existing map and save it, everything goes OK. If you create a new map and try to save, you get a message saying "No brushes selected." or similar.

1st trick: Since Radiant has no problems with existing maps, duplicate a working .map file and rename it to something else. Then, save the new map into that file.

2nd trick (recommended): Start Radiant and go to edit>preferences. In the "layout" section untick "use win32 file load dialog". This fixes the problem but don't forget to manually add the .map extension when saving since the old dialog doesn't do that for you.


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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:13 pm 
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Sharp Shooter
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Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:00 pm
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Cannot access common.pk3 and DDCcustom.zip provided in 1st post. Also liquid's unofficial MDK. User name and passwors required. I'd like to give a try in mapping...


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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:16 pm 
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Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:52 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland.
EDIT>>> Sorry for misunderstanding. I will put some files together for you now. Link coming shortly.

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Last edited by Dim$tar on Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:58 pm 
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Sharp Shooter
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Posts: 84
As i was saying, I dont have access to these files.
http://www.truecombatelite.com/files/mapping/common.pk3
http://www.truecombatelite.com/files/mapping/DDCustom.zip
http://www.truecombatelite.com/files/mapping/tce_mdk.zip
These links are provided in 1st post of this topic.


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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:51 pm 
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Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland.
yks wrote:


go here -> http://goo.gl/0QlYTv <-- file you want is tcedev_stuff.7z

Code:
/////////////
/contents
/////////////
dir/A SAMPLE MAP
dir/q3map_2.5.16
dir/scripts
dir/textures
zip/matchstickBSP-MAP
win&linux versions of netradiant
zip/pakscape-PK3MAKER
Batch/*Mr.G* Map Compiler
/////////////


Hope it helps :comp:


P.S ... Googled and found http://goo.gl/0QlYTv <--- look for tce_mdk.zip.

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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:32 pm 
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Marksman
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Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:52 pm
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Quote:

Can someone upload these files? Unfortunately I can't find it via google.


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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 1:45 pm 
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Master
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Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:13 pm
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Location: Slovenia
MDK is at WolfFiles, for rest wait for Dimstar, I guess is password protected because of the bandwidth
TCE_MDK is here
http://www.wolffiles.de/index.php?filebase&fid=2666


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 Post subject: Re: [TUTORIAL]Setting up the mapping environment (win)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 6:18 pm 
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Bibson wrote:


I pm you.

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