MAPPING: Links and Stuff

[SteveMcqueen]

BASE FILES
URT.NET LINKS

http://dejgaming.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=5&Itemid=67

ESPECIALLY: http://dejgaming.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:urtmappingstarttut&catid=35:mappingtuts&Itemid=67

[SteveMcqueen]

screek said he already did some mapping for q3, and he will tell me the things he knows...

if you decompile a map, you need new textures, new lighting and maybe also new vis-blockers...
vis stands for visibility, and with vis-blocking stuff you make sure that urbanterror just renders what you really can see instead of the whole map, else you most certainly get framedrops... example: http://www.forums.urbanterror.net/index.php/topic,7427.0.html and theoretical solution: http://www.modwiki.net/wiki/Visportal

in other words: simply decompile, new textures, new lighting most certainly is not enough.

vis-blocking issues may be the reason ut4_suburbs has such bad fps? another problem may be that weapons and models that you cannot see are rendered, too. i don't know enough about this subject yet, i just mention it so you get the idea that brushes, lightning and textures are not everything you have to check.

so... i am back to searching information...

edit:
For 1.6-maps there are two I know of:

WinBSPC
Bsp2map

Both of these programs will decompile a bsp into the .map-format, which can be opened by Hammer.

Warning: The map-file created by the decompilers is crap, you wont be able to re-compile without re-building the whole map. Decompilers should only be used to learn how a map was created not to steal other peoples work. If you want to edit a map you should ask the original author for persmission, and if granted, ask him/her to send the original rmf-file.

########
^^
seems like i slowly get to the bottom line of it all.

[SteveMcqueen]

model lightning adjustment & final checklist http://www.levelart.net/articles.html

model lighning is better than setting up several single lights... you can change brightness, color etc of all light entities at once via the shaderfile...

[SteveMcqueen]

what the fuck are hints?? they are said to stay when you decompile a map...

edit:
hints mean "hint brushes"... they are a possibility to make sure to have better fps, the important part is to understand them so you can consider them when designing your map... making mistakes here can cost dearly, and you may have to start from scratch.

they work like this:
http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17188
http://www.student.ru.nl/rvanhoorn/optimization.php?chapter=hints&PHPSESSID=06ee7b87044f684307fad7a879e6eaca, both chapters before are very helpful with understanding, too.
the last url contains many links, here is another explanation:
http://www.wemakemaps.com/hintbrushes.htm

with hints you divide the map into different areas the player can see. what he cant see will not be rendered. SweetNutZ has not used a single hint while making ut4_casa, and did it like described here: http://www.twisted-strand.com/ut_tutorials/map_tut1/index.html, works the same way, from my current point of view.

EDIT: HINTS REVISITED
http://tremmapping.pbwiki.com/Understanding%20Vis%20and%20Hint%20Brushes

[SteveMcqueen]

some VERY useful tips are here http://forums.guildhall.smu.edu/showthread.php?t=47

[SteveMcqueen]

another faq, although for q4:
http://www.quake3world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19720&sid=8db1537de517cdbe6bffc448747e7893

[SteveMcqueen]

on the technical stuff of mapmaking: http://hosted.planetquake.gamespy.com/spog/stuff/technical.html

[SteveMcqueen]

creating deformed brushes is easier in worldcraft (hl-editor): http://cardigan.planetquake.gamespy.com/tips_WC2GTK.html

[SteveMcqueen]

radiant 1.6:

http://forums.urbanterror.net/index.php/topic,15908.0.html

[SteveMcqueen]

surface generators....

http://mapgen.nerius.com/