Version 1.2 and QuArK?

[AbeAwesome]

Hi there, I hope someone from nVidia sees this and responds.

I really like version 1.2, but unlike previous releases, I now get an instant crash when I try loading custom maps I make in QuArK.

I don't usually edit Quake engine games, so I sort of stumbled my way through setting up the editor for version 1.1, and I don't quite comprehend the meaning of the crash report. Is there a specific editor/setup that is "endorsed" by nVidia?

Also, is there a proper procedure to adding new textures/materials for use with RTX? I currently just edit existing entries and replace the existing textures with my own.


If anyone has a working editor setup for 1.2, please let me know.

[MASTAN]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1921024536 this official guide may help

[AbeAwesome]

Originally posted by MASTAN:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1921024536 this official guide may help

Interesting, that's pretty close to how I stumbled my way to replacing the textures. Though I should definitely read the info about proper material authoring.


Now if only they made a similar guide about setting up a level editor (did they by any chance?).

[AlexP]

Originally posted by AbeAwesome:

I really like version 1.2, but unlike previous releases, I now get an instant crash when I try loading custom maps I make in QuArK.

I don't usually edit Quake engine games, so I sort of stumbled my way through setting up the editor for version 1.1, and I don't quite comprehend the meaning of the crash report.

If you upload the map file somewhere, I can take a look at what's crashing. Or you can try building and debugging the engine yourself.

Originally posted by AbeAwesome:

Is there a specific editor/setup that is "endorsed" by nVidia?

No, we didn't edit the maps.

[Rroff]

I still use QERadiant 1.1 for creating Quake 2 maps and all but one work fine with 1.2 so far and the one that crashes is probably because I'm doing some "advanced" tricks with brushwork to create geometry that the engine normally can't render properly.

For compiling the maps I'm using kmqbsp3.exe, qvis3.exe and arghrad.exe but I don't think the last one is actually needed for maps if purely intended to be rendered with RTX - for variants of the engine that use newer features than the stock engine then modified versions of the BSP and lighting compile tools are highly recommended.

I haven't modified my level editing environment in any way for RTX so far though it would probably make my life easier if I did make some changes to better reflect the newer textures - I created a few maps that serve as texture libraries I can fire up to find something that looks like I want out of the provided materials - haven't got around to building my own materials yet.

[AbeAwesome]

I use txqbsp39.exe, timvis3.exe, and arghrad.exe to compile the maps, but I tried with mqbsp3.exe and qvis3.exe instead. And my maps still crash on 1.2 in RTX mode.

Even a basic hollow cube crashes for me in RTX rendering mode, but it works on the Steam release of Quake 2, on 1.1 and on 1.2 in openGL rendering mode.

That said, I am 99% sure my issue is with my compile setup and not the map, since I can run downloaded maps just fine, but they stop working if I try to recompile them.


The issue is, I can't really understand how to setup the compilation process in QERadiant, which is why I use QuArK in the first place (it has a pretty simple UI and a list of suggested tools to use, and probably pre-defined parameters).

Unlike WAD or UT editing, it's hard to find any end-user friendly documentation on how to setup a Quake 2 editing environment properly.

[Rroff]

QERadiant's built in compile menu has long been broken - you have to compile the maps externally using a batch file or similar - this is simplified the commands I use in a DOS batch file:

kmqbsp3.exe -chop 240 -noorigfix mapname.map
qvis3.exe -threads 7 mapname.map
arghrad.exe -threads 7 -extra mapname.map

set threads to an appropriate number for your compiling machine and mapname.map to the map you want to compile.

When I've had time to fix a couple of things I'll share the batch files I use.

(If you are making a map purely for RTX then the arghrad stage is probably redundant - definitely won't gain anything from the extra flag).

[AbeAwesome]

Thanks you very much for the info. I was traveling yesterday, but I will give this compilation method as shot as soon as I get on my main PC.

[AbeAwesome]

Originally posted by Rroff:

QERadiant's built in compile menu has long been broken - you have to compile the maps externally using a batch file or similar - this is simplified the commands I use in a DOS batch file:

kmqbsp3.exe -chop 240 -noorigfix mapname.map
qvis3.exe -threads 7 mapname.map
arghrad.exe -threads 7 -extra mapname.map

Alright, I gave this a try and it worked!

Not exactly sure if QuArK uses parameters that 1.2 doesn't like, or what, but anyway, thanks a lot. I will still try to diagnose exactly what I was doing wrong. But this simple set of batch instructions really helped me!

[Rroff]

I've not touched QuArK in years but it is possible it is compiling with options that are supported by newer modified clients but not the RTX version.

[AlexP]

If you find some features used by map editors that our engine doesn't support, please let me know, or file an issue on GitHub. Especially if the map works in the GL renderer of Q2RTX, but not the RTX renderer.

[NoOne]

Originally posted by AbeAwesome:

Originally posted by Rroff:

QERadiant's built in compile menu has long been broken - you have to compile the maps externally using a batch file or similar - this is simplified the commands I use in a DOS batch file:

kmqbsp3.exe -chop 240 -noorigfix mapname.map
qvis3.exe -threads 7 mapname.map
arghrad.exe -threads 7 -extra mapname.map

Alright, I gave this a try and it worked!

Not exactly sure if QuArK uses parameters that 1.2 doesn't like, or what, but anyway, thanks a lot. I will still try to diagnose exactly what I was doing wrong. But this simple set of batch instructions really helped me!

arghrad.exe -threads [n] -bounce 8 -extra mapname.map

[n] your threads (8 , 16 etc)

-bounce 8 for better radiosity

Geoffrey De'wan's compilers (he did arghrad). They're the best imho :-

http://home.insightbb.com/~gryndehl/q2compile/quake2.html

[AbeAwesome]

Originally posted by AlexP:

If you find some features used by map editors that our engine doesn't support, please let me know, or file an issue on GitHub. Especially if the map works in the GL renderer of Q2RTX, but not the RTX renderer.

If I find any as I work on new maps, I definitely will.


I think it would be fantastic if the team at nVidia could roll up a little guide to help users setup a map editing/compilation environment. Unlike Doom and Unreal, it's much harder to find guides for this game, and new maps are a great way to showcase RTX.

[NoOne]

Originally posted by AbeAwesome:

Originally posted by AlexP:

If you find some features used by map editors that our engine doesn't support, please let me know, or file an issue on GitHub. Especially if the map works in the GL renderer of Q2RTX, but not the RTX renderer.

If I find any as I work on new maps, I definitely will.


I think it would be fantastic if the team at nVidia could roll up a little guide to help users setup a map editing/compilation environment. Unlike Doom and Unreal, it's much harder to find guides for this game, and new maps are a great way to showcase RTX.

They're remastering the graphics, not teaching people how to be game developer. There's a ton of tutorials out there on map editing, decades old. You just need to look.

[AbeAwesome]

Originally posted by SpacialKatana:

They're remastering the graphics, not teaching people how to be game developer. There's a ton of tutorials out there on map editing, decades old. You just need to look.

Obviously, I found tutorials and figured it out. The issue isn't learning how to map, but figuring out a good pipeline and set of tools to use when mapping.

The fact that the tutorials are decades old is part of the problem. It's not trivial to find the compilers, especially when compared to finding a copy of UnrealEd or any Doom editor.


And before you tell me to google the compilation tools. Obviously I figured it out already, the issue is that it's not simple to do, whereas the process of actually making a map is quite simple. So there's just an arbitrary limitation to getting started.

[NoOne]

Originally posted by AbeAwesome:

Originally posted by SpacialKatana:

They're remastering the graphics, not teaching people how to be game developer. There's a ton of tutorials out there on map editing, decades old. You just need to look.

Obviously, I found tutorials and figured it out. The issue isn't learning how to map, but figuring out a good pipeline and set of tools to use when mapping.

The fact that the tutorials are decades old is part of the problem. It's not trivial to find the compilers, especially when compared to finding a copy of UnrealEd or any Doom editor.


And before you tell me to google the compilation tools. Obviously I figured it out already, the issue is that it's not simple to do, whereas the process of actually making a map is quite simple. So there's just an arbitrary limitation to getting started.

Fair enough.

It took me about 1/2 hr to google and sort out a .bat file (as I'd forgotten that bit from the 90's). I think some of us are just better with Google-fu than others. No disrespect.

GL .