Quake MOD - In The Shadows

[frag.machine]

4. FQMV fiend is under-lit in the shot. I noticed monsters flash from bright to dark k as they move around the map.

Possibly the same problem I found on Darkplaces: http://forums.inside3d.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5111

[qbism]

This is what the screenshot files look like in PhotoShop CS5 :-

Would you mind uploading a pcx to quaketastic or somewhere? Have you tried taking a pcx at lower resolution? Issue is possibly related to some arbitrary limitation in PCXwrite code.

There is a cvar which is just a list of filenames for models to NOT lerp. Adding custom torch models to this list would disable lerping for those models. It's a clunky way to do it but i didn't know of another way. Ideally it would be a new flag on the mdl file, but of course that would break file compatability.

At least a modder could change it easily vs. hardcoding filenames into the engine.

think super8 looks good, but so does your mods native engine. i think they're just too different styles really. i could agree that in super8 the shadows might look a little nicer if they were more dense but (also my opinion) thats purely because its more of a stealth game and it would make the maps feel more darker and more appealing to stealth gameplay.

Style is a factor but I was hoping to hit a little closer to intent of the map. r_colmaprange is a super8 cvar that I'd forgotten... and possibly should be removed. it gives brighter/smoother shading at the expense of contrast by eating into the overbright range if set above 1. When set below 1, overbrights get smoother at the expense of the colormap side of the continuum. The default was set too high. Here's fixed aspect ration and better shadow:

[ceriux]

thats screenshot looks pretty awesome!

[sock]

Here is the original PCX file ( http://www.simonoc.com/images/design/sp/qbs8_000.pcx )
Here is one at a lower resolution ( http://www.simonoc.com/images/design/sp/qbs8_001.pcx )

Both of these images do not load correctly in PhotoShop, I suspect this is an index palette problem, I have seen it before.

Your latest screenshot looks damn amazing, that is certainly the look I was going for. I tried to use the overbright feature a lot with the lighting because it gives the scene an extra range with the ability to have hot spots around lights. I was checking out your video menu in you engine and WOW that is some amazing features you have added, there are so many things you can tweak. Awesome stuff.

[leileilol]

The PCX loads correctly in Paint Shop Pro 5, with colors. I suspect a regression in Photoshop?

[qbism]

Fixed aspect, shading, and view direction on spawn. Added r_nolerp_list (torch animation doesn't lerp). Current super8 build:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/qbism/ ... urce=files

[r00k]

@Sock,

My teleport textures arent showing, though, on S1M2, when u trigger the button that opens the two teleporters to megahealth, they teleporters are visible.
What is happening in the mod that switches that texture?

[sock]

@qbism, looks awesome, I am glad you found the time to add the new features to your engine.
@rook, all the teleporter textures in the map are on func_wall entities with a skip texture on all sides except the warp star texture. The entity not showing is happening on a couple of different engines and I am not sure why. I do use a skip utility which takes the surfaces I mark with skip and moves them around in the BSP. This process might be doing something weird with the entities. For example the start map with the rune pillars has two teleporters with func_wall entities so that the warp surface is not split up and the front surface is maintained as two triangles.



Making this MOD has always been about a labour of love for me but regardless of how much I enjoy doing this, the reality is it cannot be sustained as a full time exercise. My original idea for this project was to produce a high quality demo to spearhead a Kickstarter campaign to pay for my time to make more content. I am sure most people are going WTF this is a MOD, you can't sell this stuff!

MODs have traditionally been about free stuff, but I thought that people would love to see new content professional done for Quake and the idea of the Kickstarter campaign would be about paying for my time, not selling finished content. The plan was to let backers influence content like for example adding extra routes and secrets to the developing maps. The final release was going to be free, it was the process of creation that was going to benefit.

I spent a long time creating the content for the demo to hopefully highlight to people what sort of quality level to expect in the future. I made sure the environments were rich in details, consistently textured and the AI was fun to play against. The maps were designed for both stealth and vanilla gameplay and were finely balanced to take advantage of a dynamic skill system. I had hoped that the quality of the demo would gain plenty of interest but sadly the Quake community is really small and mostly like an extended family rather than a serious fanbase anymore.

I thought that a MODdb page would hopefully spread the word about what I was trying to do and I spent over a month writing articles, listening to feedback and trying to gain interest, but it highlighted one major problem, very few people have the original game anymore. Probably the lowest point was emailing lots of internet news/magazine sites and getting absolutely no replies. I thought it was a quake thing (game over 15 years old and not looking like the latest GFX candy) but this is not the case, they do report quake news but not this MOD.

Sadly the financial pressures of life insist I move on to other projects and this means that this MOD is finished, the released demo is the final release. I still have a couple more articles to write about the various features of the MOD and will add them over the coming weeks. I do plan to release the source materials for the MOD, but I need to sort through all the stuff I created first.

I hope everyone who downloaded the MOD had some fun with it and maybe this MOD will inspire everyone to give stealth games a try in the future!

[leileilol]

I thought that a MODdb page would hopefully spread the word about what I was trying to do and I spent over a month writing articles, listening to feedback and trying to gain interest, but it highlighted one major problem, very few people have the original game anymore. Probably the lowest point was emailing lots of internet news/magazine sites and getting absolutely no replies. I thought it was a quake thing (game over 15 years old and not looking like the latest GFX candy) but this is not the case, they do report quake news but not this MOD.

Doom had the same effect too. Their fanbase got a resurgence only due to that sensationalist "Brutal doom" crap as put through reddit and kotaku, which is unfortunately helped by software piracy since the brutal doom page provided full copies of Doom II. There's far less attention to even years-in-the-making full 32-level mapsets and beautifully well-done levels (like Back to Saturn) than a package of tasteless overhyped hyperbole.


Maybe it's a blessing that the fanbase is small. Something new will cause an eternal september cycle some day (possible future Bethesda Quake rerelease plans will catch the eye of Xbox children due to the overrated elder scrolls and fallout3 games)


modDB isn't a great place for news anymore anyway due to lazy authorization of articles. When I last posted OA news there, it was authorized far too late - it was never on the front page since it was already buried by a queue of hastily authorized news from days before, so practically no one (but watchers) knew of my release.

[frag.machine]

Sadly the financial pressures of life insist I move on to other projects and this means that this MOD is finished, the released demo is the final release. I still have a couple more articles to write about the various features of the MOD and will add them over the coming weeks. I do plan to release the source materials for the MOD, but I need to sort through all the stuff I created first.

I hope everyone who downloaded the MOD had some fun with it and maybe this MOD will inspire everyone to give stealth games a try in the future!

Oh man, sad to hear things haven't turned out as you expected.
On the bright side, you now have a first class showcase of your skills to add to your resumé. Don't give up!

Cheers!

[Dr. Shadowborg]

[qbism]

Maybe let it ferment in a cool dark recess for a few months. Get some objective distance.

[Seven]

Hello sock,

That is definitely the saddest thing I have heard/read in a while.
Your mod rushed in like a giant wave that turned everybody it touched into a stealth fan
You overwhelmed many many people with its style, ideas, gameplay and maps.
That even almost every engine dev coded support for it immediately.
I think this is self speaking.

I can fully understand your point regarding the fanbase though.
Quake is for lovers. And not for the young "call of duty" like generation.
So you will not have thousands of people playing your mod.

But let me tell you something:
You had almost all the Quake lovers on your side. I think the given feedback doesnt leave a doubt.
If this amount of feedback and fans is too small for you, then yes....
... there will most probably not be a bigger response for any other Quake mod.
And even the biggest wave of enthusiasm will tone down after a while, so you can also not excpect high amounts of replies over a long time period.

Seeing all the things you have done on your homepage leaves no doubt as well:
You are one of the few talented people who could turn every game into a jewel.
Please do not stop to work with/on games.

I am very sure to read your name again.
Maybe at another game, maybe at another time. But I am sure.

I wish you all the best and hope that your financial situation will not last too long...
Seven

[r00k]

@rook, all the teleporter textures in the map are on func_wall entities with a skip texture on all sides except the warp star texture. The entity not showing is happening on a couple of different engines and I am not sure why. I do use a skip utility which takes the surfaces I mark with skip and moves them around in the BSP. This process might be doing something weird with the entities. For example the start map with the rune pillars has two teleporters with func_wall entities so that the warp surface is not split up and the front surface is maintained as two triangles.

You must understand that Quake now looks like a utility, like a closet, or belt. But after you have made your mod, u are only illustrating the possibilities.
You didnt meet Your goals, but, you have set a tone, a bar of excellence that monarchs achievements for future modders.
your efforts are not something ignored. You are a Wizard that just spiked the ground that rippled cracks of enlightenment.!.

Thank you for your effortand achievement.

[Spirit]

(...) years-in-the-making full 32-level mapsets and beautifully well-done levels (like Back to Saturn)

Just finished map 2. Thanks for that recommendation! First custom Doom wads I really play and enjoy (tremendously).