Original map stuff

[Lukitroy]

So I only just started learning how to use gtk radiant about a year ago. I need some help with a couple of things..... Hopefully these forms aren't too dead, but I will be uploading a couple of maps soon. But we are talking original geometry and textures. Nothing that any person who reads this has ever seen.

1: how do you place 3D sounds in an original map?

2: having trouble getting Windows to work. Any tips? I know the correct shader....

3: all of my maps have original textures as well, but I don't know how to use the water texture that I created on a water shader for a brush in gtk radiant.

4: not sure how to get teleports to work. I don't know how to specify a destination.

5: is colored lighting possible in gtk radiant??

Edited May 10, 2023 by Lukitroy
Don't know how to add tags

[Circa]

I recommend reading through the tutorials in our tutorial section that you posted to.

https://jkhub.org/tutorials/mapping/

Specifically the Rich Diesal pages, as he explains basic stuff in a simple way. That's how I learned the basics of mapping. The site is super old looking because it was made when JK2 came out.

https://jkhub.org/mapping/richdiesal/richdiesal.htm

I also recommend joining the JKCommunity Discord if you have Discord, which will have people there that can help you when you get stuck more quickly.

 

[Ramikad]

1. I'm not sure what you mean by 3D sounds. Could you elaborate? As far as I know sounds in general are pretty limited in Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy, as they have to be mono .wav files. Sounds in general are placed around the map with target_speaker entities.

2. There are two ways, a simple func_glass, or a func_breakable brushes with the thin and no_explosion option checked (spawnflags 264) and material 1 (glass). Not sure if there are any advantages in doing the latter, but it's there.

3. The water texture needs a shader to be recognized by the game as water. You'll have to create a new shader, like this one:

textures/common/water_1
{
    qer_editorimage    textures/common/water_1
    surfaceparm    nomarks
    surfaceparm    nonsolid
    surfaceparm    nonopaque
    surfaceparm    water
    surfaceparm    trans
    q3map_material    Water
    q3map_onlyvertexlighting
    deformvertexes    wave    100 sin 1 2 2 0.6
    {
        map $lightmap
        blendFunc GL_DST_COLOR GL_ZERO
    }
    {
        map textures/common/water_1
        blendFunc GL_DST_COLOR GL_ZERO
        tcMod turb 0.01 0.03 5 0.1
        tcMod stretch noise 1 0.01 1 1
    }
    {
        map textures/common/water_1
        blendFunc GL_ONE GL_ONE
        tcMod turb 0.02 -0.06 0 0.1
        tcMod stretch noise 4 1 0 0.01
    }
    {
        map textures/common/stars
        blendFunc GL_ONE GL_ONE
        rgbGen wave sin 0 1 10 0.5
    }
}

Modify it as you see fit (this is just an example of water shader taken directly from shaders/common.shader), then save it as a <shadername>.txt file, rename the extension from .txt to .shader and put it inside your shaders folder. The last step: open up the shaderlist.txt (also found in the shaders folder) and add <shadername>.shader at the end of the list. This last step is necessary, otherwise the game might still not recognize your shader and your water might end up being solid.

4. Teleports need to be linked to a target_position, that determines where the player is placed. Simply right click -> target -> target_position where you want the teleport destination to be. After that, first select the teleport trigger, then the target_position, and press Ctrl + K - that will link the two automatically. More technically speaking, what it does is it sets the trigger's target to target_position1 (that's the default targetname it gets if it's not specified when linked).

5. Absolutely! color R G B sets the light color to anything you want. color 255 192 0 gives a nice orangeish light, for example. Admittedly, though, I'm not sure if it uses 0-1 or 0-255, though from what I saw the latter seems to work.

I also advise you to read the tutorials Circa suggested as they cover many mapping topics, including these and more (like skyboxes, sky lights, scripting, and more advanced shader effects).

[Lukitroy]

So bear with me, I am new to JK hub. Really appreciate your guys's responses! I've downloaded from here, but only just recently set up an account like this morning.

For the record I uploaded three of my maps in a file called naos18. The thumbnail has a dark trooper getting attacked by a mutant rancor. All original texture graphics too.

 

1. Yeah, the target_speaker. When I say 3D sound, I mean a mono sound that is heard differently based on the listeners orientation or position. That's what I was trying to do, but I couldn't get it to work. But I do need to try again. The reason I call it 3D sounds, is because that's how it's described in DarkBASIC programming.

2. I will take a look at that, but I suspect one of the leaves that sees through these panes of glass I wanted to build, was just too big. So it glitches badly. With that file in your base folder, if you type in the command /devmap naos6 in your client, you will quickly realize where I wanted the windows.

3. This is past my skill level LOL I got some stuff to learn. Whenever I'm using water, I'm just borrowing from the factory version of Jedi academy.

4. Ohhhhhhhhhh...... That's all I can say to that, I am trying that after work today. Completely missed that one LOL thank you

5. I figured there was a way to do RGB values, I just haven't figured out how to yet in gtk radiant. But yeah typically it's 255. That's another thing I got to try after work tonight. 

 

Currently in the process of building the backrooms. For Jedi academy. But yeah take a look at the maps that I made, I'd be really interested in your guys opinions

And another thing, I will definitely check out those forums! This is my file here:

https://jkhub.org/files/file/4113-naos18pk3/

I just remembered another one but I do know that I need to check out the forums, because it's probably there. But....

6. How do I change the sounds of footsteps on different horizontal surfaces?

[Ramikad]

46 minutes ago, Lukitroy said:

1. Yeah, the target_speaker. When I say 3D sound, I mean a mono sound that is heard differently based on the listeners orientation or position. That's what I was trying to do, but I couldn't get it to work. But I do need to try again. The reason I call it 3D sounds, is because that's how it's described in DarkBASIC programming.

This is already done more or less automatically in-game, although very simply - your position and orientation only determines how loud and which speaker/earphone channel to use respectively, so nothing advanced like doppler effects or the likes, unless the EAX option somehow uses them.

As for 6. it is determined by the shader, precisely by the q3map_material line. Unfortunately there are only a few available materials, and they're hardcoded - Water, SolidMetal, HollowMetal, ShortGrass, Gravel, Mud, Dirt, Wood, Stone, Snow, Sand, Rug, Pipe (unless pipe in sounds/player/footsteps stands for HollowMetal).

[Lukitroy]

Yeah that sounds pretty sufficient for what I'm trying to do at this point in time.

I also need to figure out how to do sprites for things like grass. You are helping a lot thank you so much

 

Also, you might be describing ambient sound. I would like to figure that one out too, but maybe that's what you've been telling me how to do

[Ramikad]

Sprites like grass and flares are specified (once again ) in shaders. See this Yavin grass texture with sprites for example:

textures/yavin/grasspatchy_swampsprite
{
    qer_editorimage    textures/yavin/groundjungle
    q3map_material    ShortGrass
    q3map_nolightmap
    cull    twosided
    {
        map textures/yavin/groundjungle
    }
    {
        map gfx/sprites/y_grass_tall
            surfaceSprites vertical 32 36 42 500
            ssFademax 1500
            ssFadescale 1
            ssVariance 1 2
            ssWind 0.5
        alphaFunc GE192
        blendFunc GL_SRC_ALPHA GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA
        depthWrite
        rgbGen vertex
    }
}

The surfaceSprites line and below indicate the amount of sprites, their type, their size, how far they are visible, and whether or not they move in the wind (and how much).

Only thing to point out is that sprites don't work on patches, only brushes and, by extension, "closed" models.

[Lazarus]

As a note on sprites:

Preferably, textures itself shouldn't contain the sprites itself, i always prefer to make a separate layer on it (1 tile above the surface) and place my sprite on there, since sprites can be finicky when it comes to use them in combination with different area, thus giving you more control. I use sprite combo's (3 different ones) on creating a dynamic surface of grass, in my case, one brown grass, one green grass and flowers, and in combo, you get something like this.



it helps making terrain come alive.

As truth on what Ramikad says, bevels and endcaps in combo with sprites dont work (never understood why, but mesh in common is a pain in the editor)

[Ramikad]

3 hours ago, Lazarus said:

As truth on what Ramikad says, bevels and endcaps in combo with sprites dont work (never understood why, but mesh in common is a pain in the editor)

From what I found, it's because the geometry it's applied on needs to be "closed", if that makes any sense.

If I make a simple terrain model with a grid in Blender, apply the Yavin grass shader, and export, it doesn't work. If I take the same terrain and "close" it (by extending the outer grid vertexes downward and merging them together, essentially making a terrain lying on an inverse pyramid) the grass sprite suddenly works.

That's why patches will never be able to support sprites, they're inherently "open" geometry.