Project Document DarkPlaces

[Baker]

I am going to be documenting DarkPlaces as best as I can using cmdlist and cvarlist as a partial guide. I expect early "manuals" or whatever form this takes to be incomplete, but a good start.

One thing I have already run across. I can't get the Quake Retexturing Project's brush model textures to work.

c:\quake\id1\progs

+0_med100.mdl_0.tga
+0_med100_luma.tga
+0_med25.tga
+0_med25s.tga
+0_med25s_luma.tga
+0_med25_luma.tga
+1_med100.mdl_0.tga
+1_med100_luma.tga
+1_med25.tga
+1_med25s.tga
+1_med25s_luma.tga
+1_med25_luma.tga
+2_med100.mdl_0.tga
+2_med100_luma.tga
+2_med25.tga
+2_med25_luma.tga
+3_med100.mdl_0.tga
+3_med100_luma.tga
+3_med25.tga
+3_med25_luma.tga
armor.mdl_0.tga <------ works fine after rename
armor.mdl_1.tga <------ works fine after rename
armor.mdl_2.tga <------ works fine after rename
batt0sid.tga
batt0sid_luma.tga
batt0top.tga
batt1sid.tga
batt1top.tga
bit.mdl
med100.tga
med3_0.tga
med3_0_luma.tga
med3_1.tga
med3_1_luma.tga
nail0sid.tga
nail0top.tga
nail1sid.tga
nail1sid_luma.tga
nail1top.tga
nail1top_luma.tga
rock0sid.tga
rock1sid.tga
rockettop.tga
shot0sid.tga
shot0top.tga
shot1sid.tga
shot1sid_luma.tga
shot1top.tga
shot1top_luma.tga

If I rename regular model textures (armor and such), DarkPlaces likes it and loads it. The Quake Retexturing Project's docs on how to use the textured models didn't look like it was going to work for brush models, and, in fact it didn't.

DarkPlaces: extract the files to quake\id1\textures\progs &&& you must rename the files to model.mdl_0.tga (so for example, armor_0.tga would need to be renamed to armor.mdl_0.tga ... the .mdl must be)

1. Any ideas anyone on how to rename the files so DarkPlaces uses the textures for health boxes etc? I want to make a DarkPlaces compatible install of the these models textures.

2. On another track, does anyone have a list of important DarkPlaces's only command line parameters? cmdlist and cvarlist and the brief descriptions per command/cvar are really helpful, but I suspect DarkPlaces has some relevant command lines parameters that may matter in some instances that are not the standard Quake ones.

[Lardarse]

Armour models aren't brush models.

I don't know how to do it.

[FrikaC]

wild guess here. Open the bsp models in something like Quark, name the tga textures as you would for standard map textures. Quark will tell you the name of each texture used in the bsp

[LordHavoc]

One thing I have already run across. I can't get the Quake Retexturing Project's brush model textures to work.

The med/batt/etc bmodel textures go in textures/ not progs/, because they are bsp files not mdl models, and they're in maps/ not progs/ anyway.

armor.mdl is a mdl and is in progs/.

2. On another track, does anyone have a list of important DarkPlaces's only command line parameters? cmdlist and cvarlist and the brief descriptions per command/cvar are really helpful, but I suspect DarkPlaces has some relevant command lines parameters that may matter in some instances that are not the standard Quake ones.

All commandline options are documented in the readme, slightly out of date but almost all correct, I'll update them in a future release.

[Baker]

One thing I have already run across. I can't get the Quake Retexturing Project's brush model textures to work.

The med/batt/etc bmodel textures go in textures/ not progs/, because they are bsp files not mdl models, and they're in maps/ not progs/ anyway.

armor.mdl is a mdl and is in progs/.

I was trusting the Retex docs. After some painful discovery time (and checking the DP source), I did finally figure it out.

All commandline options are documented in the readme, slightly out of date but almost all correct, I'll update them in a future release.

I'll play with those. I was actually hoping someone other than yourself would answer the questions (scar3crow, sajt, etc.) because I don't want to take up your time.

I think if the information to do the type of things players like to do is more readily available on a whim, players will enjoying using the engine more. Replacement models, MD3 and such.

Name That Engine

wild guess here. Open the bsp models in something like Quark, name the tga textures as you would for standard map textures. Quark will tell you the name of each texture used in the bsp

I wish I had thought of that early on, I did figure it out but it was a painful and time consuming process and that would have saved time.

I can't remember if that was correct because I was using MD3 and discovered unlike bsp brush models, they get lighting from the map making them solid black in some circumstances whereas health boxes and ammo are never pitch black (so I decided MD3 brush models = no)

[Entar]

Name That Engine

Even though it looks like FTE, judging by the filename I'm gonna have to go with DP... :p

[Baker]

Name That Engine

Even though it looks like FTE, judging by the filename I'm gonna have to go with DP... :p

Hehe.

If any one knows ... I improvised on the above and used ye old PCX files for HUD replacement elements (aka low res).

1. Does DarkPlaces support replacing the contents of gfx.wad with 24 bit, higher resolution elements ideally that supports alpha channel transparency? If so what is the naming convention? Or if not, just let me know. I was wondering because a lot of DarkPlaces mods/TCs appear to have nicer looking HUD graphics.

Playing with the HUD is one of the most fun aspects of JoeQuake and QRack and of course the various QW clients.

2. If sv_protocol Quake is used, does DarkPlaces keep track of it in the DP master server list?

3. Just an observation, I noticed DP doesn't support c:\quake\id1\textures\<map name>.

It would be better if someday it did, the main map that gets foobar'ed by that is Aerowalk, which gets a patchwork quilt effect.

However, last year I actually made a "compatible" Aerowalk set that meshes with another texture pack seamlessly and can exist in the same folder eliminating the patchwork quilt look of Aerowalk, making it a non-issue. (unless someone doesn't like that single texture set).

[Preach]

If any one knows ... I improvised on the above and used ye old PCX files for HUD replacement elements (aka low res).

1. Does DarkPlaces support replacing the contents of gfx.wad with 24 bit, higher resolution elements ideally that supports alpha channel transparency? If so what is the naming convention? Or if not, just let me know. I was wondering because a lot of DarkPlaces mods/TCs appear to have nicer looking HUD graphics.

Yeah, the info for this is in dpextensions.qc

[LordHavoc]

Preach! People are looking for you, wanting source to aerowalk...

And umm, why aren't you on IRC these days?

[Preach]

Preach! People are looking for you, wanting source to aerowalk...

And umm, why aren't you on IRC these days?

That's a different person I'm afraid, his name was Preacher. I carried this nick from somewhere else, and it does cause confusion.

[LordHavoc]

That's a different person I'm afraid, his name was Preacher. I carried this nick from somewhere else, and it does cause confusion.

[Baker]

Does DarkPlaces load up just any old .pk3 sitting in a gamedir when using one?

Looks like it does to me. Just would like confirmation that no required naming convention exists, aside from the .pk3 extension of course.

[Lardarse]

Correct. And it treats .pak files in exactly the same way. FTE does this as well.

I don't know if it does alphabetical order like Q3 does, or the order received from the file system like FTE does.

[Baker]

Something small I noticed: cl_rollangle is not saving to config.cfg

I don't know if it does alphabetical order like Q3 does, or the order received from the file system like FTE does.

Thanks for thinking of that, that IS important.

Anyone know the order for multiple pk3s?

That could be critical if multiple optional downloads are made available in pk3 form (and I plan to make some).

[LordHavoc]

Something small I noticed: cl_rollangle is not saving to config.cfg

I don't know if it does alphabetical order like Q3 does, or the order received from the file system like FTE does.

Thanks for thinking of that, that IS important.

Anyone know the order for multiple pk3s?

That could be critical if multiple optional downloads are made available in pk3 form (and I plan to make some).

Alphanumeric sorting in DarkPlaces.

Nexuiz patches have taken the form of dated archives like data20060606.pk3, then a patch as data20060607.pk3 (but it could just as easily be patch20060607.pk3 since that is later than data).

Note however that if using both pak and pk3 in a mod directory any pk3 will override all the paks (that is, a.pk3 overrides b.pak).