Hello quakeworld.nu community.
I have been working on a map named Two Towers and it's capture the flag (CTF) type of level that has two towers (suprised?) on islands that are connected to middle island by a bridges. Screenshot will propably explain it better so here it is:


Im planing for Team Fortress (TF) and ThunderWalker Capture The Flag (TWCTF) support but i dont have entity definition files for neither of TF or TWCTF. If anyone has information on TF and/or TWCTF entities i would like to know.

Anyway all and any feedback (critisism or praises) is highly anticipated and needed. :cool:

- Timpuktu

ps. This is my first post so ill hope you are gentle.

Looks cool, albeit a bit blocky (especially the thing in the middle). Good work.

Quake is blocky

But the map looks cool. Regarding the TF/TWCTF, can't you just find a map and extract a .ent?

Hi again.
Thanks Zalon and raz0 for comments. Its still very much an work in progress but im adding more detail as i go.
I didnt know that i can extract entity info from bsp file. Do i need different some special program todo that?

Anyway i have been working the map more and here some new screens to admire. :cool:
I also tested the map with night time settings and i think it looks better but ill let you deside.

Screenshot 1:

Top of a cliff where players cant get.

Screenshot 2:

In a doorway at red tower.

Screenshot 3:

Inside red tower, third floor.

Screenshot 4:

Lift system in middle tower.

Also i would like to ask about r_speed? How high it can go before map is unplayable? Back at when quake was released i heard something like 500 for mp map but on modern client like ezQuake, i have no clue.

- Timpuktu

you can try these ent files

http://twctf.org/files/doc_twctf/ent_twctf6.zip

http://twctf.org/files/doc_twctf/ent_twctf9.zip

Thanks for those files Batman!]ZFA[.
I have the ctf map ready for beta release but i havent been able to test it on TWCTF. :/
I have the necesary files for it from twctf.com (quake-aio.rar) but i cant get it work localy. Quake console just says that there is no spawn function for info_player_team1, info_player_team2, item_flag_team1 or item_flag_team2. I also tried it by creating QW server (mvdsv.exe -mem 64 -game ctf -zone 2048 -port 27500 +map ctf2tow_b1) but it didnt work either.
Basically what it means is that i cant take cool loking ctf mapshot with flags visible at both base. Flag spawns at the round pillar top of the tower(s).

But i have made version of it that sould work on FFA, TDM, Duel, Arena and Clan Arena.
So here it is finaly, i hope someone has time to test it and as always, all feedback (good or bad) is needed.
Also if i can find information how to create waypoints for frogbot, ill make fb support. :cool:

Here's the download link:

FFA, TDM, Duel, Arena and Clan Arena (466Kb)
http://www.quaketastic.com/upload/files/multiplayer/maps/2tow_b1.zip

2tow_b1.txt

And here is the latest screenshot.

Taken with gamma 1. Previous night shots was with gamma 0.8 so they where bit too dark. :lol:

- Timpuktu

Edit:
Spell checking, grammar, added zip size info.

I found a bug in my map and im not sure if can fix it. It has something to do with vis.
Here is a screenshot to explain:



On a left side of image doors and all items on blue tower is invisible. On right side about 3 feet forward, doors and items are visible. Im pretty sure that it has something to do with vis distance but increasing it with -visdist attribute has no affect. Ill propably have to make my map little bit smaller if i cant find any other way to fix it.

- Timpuktu

my local server command line is H:\qwmvds\quake\mvdsv.exe -mem 64 -game ctf -zone 2048 -port 27500 -log +map twctf1

my email is batman.zfa@twctf.org if you need more help

It sadly seems that i cant fix the visibility bug but i found out something. The map works perfectly on darkplaces and the bug occures only on ezQuake (havent tested it on any other client).
Maybe its possible that ezQuake dosnt support big maps or something malicious is happening. I still try to fix it but if i cant, then i release the .map file so someone else can take a whack at it. (or maybe just sort it into what you sould not do pile :lol.

- Timpuktu

Running thru the map (in EZQuake), I see that the red base does the same thing. I suggest making a copy of the MAP file and try an experiment by blocking off the middle section to where players will have to either go thru the middle building or over the top of it. I believe this would enhance the gameplay more and may help eliminate the problems you are having. Give it a shot.

Thanks for suggestion dregs. I have blocked that area you suggested already but i has no affect on the dissapearing entities problem. One (maybe only) solution is to shrink the map size but it will require alot of work. At the moment whole map takes an area of 2668, 4606, 1984 (width, depth, height) so it's propably why ezQuake goes crazy with it.



- Timpuktu

r_farclip no help?

No, it's an entity thing. Looks like ezQuake's "too many entities, I'll just not render some and not show a message" to me.

The map is way too open for standard Quake limitations.

The disappearance of entities is due to QW's protocol limit of 64 visible entities. While it is possible to increase it (although not all clients will support it), I believe it would be better to modify the map to avoid the problem. There must be a reason why the entity limit is never a problem on vanilla Quake maps or any of the popular multiplayer maps.

You can block off certain parts of the level with walls, or reduce the number of items in large areas. Note that the algorithm for determining the visibility of items, in mvdsv at least, is rather crude: an entity is considered potentially visible if any part of any of the leafs it touches is visible from the player's view point. This means some items will be sent even when no part of them would be visible to the client anyway.

You might want to walk around the map in an NQ engine with r_drawworld, r_draworder or any sort of variable that lets you see items through walls.

Thanks all for the help. Both Spirit and Tonik were right about map having too much visible entities. It works perfectly when i removed some of my entities. Im sure i can make this map fully playable but it will have less weapons and items that i had originally planed. So ill say it again, thanks for all the help.

My handicapped love child almost comited an suicide (erased itself from hard drive) but you saved it, maybe now it has a change for long life. :lol:

- Timpuktu

Why i dont have this problem?
http://img12.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=ezquake023.jpg
I see all items always o.o

but note that fps are around 200, when i have cl_maxfps 300

Finaly i got working FFA version of 2towers.bsp

Here is the link:
http://www.quaketastic.com/upload/files/multiplayer/maps/2towers.zip

2towers.txt

Now i only hope that someone would put it on some ffa server map rotation.

Also just noticed small error on the 2towers.txt. The commands for vis and light are, well up-side-down? dont know how to explain it better).

- Timpuktu

New builds of ezQuake and mvdsv will support up to 256 visible entities

Cool, what was the old limit?

64

Excellent, I see issues in Painkeep in old maps where the authors added way too much stuff.

Bonus item fell out of level at '-240.0 -1392.0 6.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at ' 80.0 -1520.0 198.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at '-112.0 -1072.0 198.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at '208.0 -1200.0 6.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at '-240.0 1168.0 6.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at '208.0 1360.0 6.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at ' 80.0 1040.0 198.0'
Bonus item fell out of level at '-112.0 1488.0 198.0'

I ran through this map real quick, nice so far. Server messages above about ents out of the world though.

5h17h34d: Thanks for comment. Bug concidering falling entities is fixed.

I havent posted any updates here because i have been working on it with guys at twctf.
I also desided to have only TWCTF version of this map because i dont think it would work very well as TF or FFA level, unless someone proves me wrong.

Here is couple of the newest screenshots:




The map is still in beta stage thought.

- Timpuktu