A few new things have creeped onto the page recently
including a TV model and a carnosaur skin.
Somebody donated a conference table and some chairs
to the FMP but I lost the information I need to contact them because I
had to delete the message to save space and they didn't include a text
file. I wanted to write and ask if they could throw together a zip
with the models, a text file, and maybe a gif for the web page too.
Just to make it clear. Preview Release 5
is a step back to an alpha test and not a beta test like Preview Release
4. Ironically we decided NOT to use re-skinned Quake models for a
shareware TC at the same time as other conversions that will remain unnamed
were deciding to do exactly that.
We may still use the re-skinned models if we get
someone to write a little proggy to "install" the skins (by copying the
models from the id1 pak files)
DEVELOPERS: What do YOU want to see in the
next CyberDawn developer's kit? QuArK 3.9 is out as well as a new
version of QBSP that uses (imagine) floating point numbers.
Today's level design tips:
Keep your grid snap on, use 16 or more wherever it
looks good.
Group your objects, group your groups and name all
of your groups (I'm not sure you can do that with any editor other than
QuArK)
It's about time I started listing projects that
use the FMP models, but to make sure your project is listed, e-mail me
again. Also I'm unofficially making It my policy not to add any new
models to the FMP unless I get them zipped with the text file already written.
Sorry about the inconvenience but I am trying to accelerate progress on
CyberDawn.
The formatting of the rules have changed a lot.
It should look much better printed on paper, and slightly more legible
in some web browsers. These rules are still being tested but I encourage
anyone interested to try them out.
The artwork, setting and rules of the Squawk RPG
are all our own original creations. Paper RPGs are very fun in a
way that can't be recreated in a computer game, so try it out.
No cool new models in a long time. Hmm...
Expect more from me after I finish CyberDawn. (Want to help me finish
CyberDawn? Get hopping on those CD levels!)
SPAM: I got a lot of mail this weekend.
Feel free to explain your problems in detail. It seems like I get
too many short clipped sentences.
Levels: Want to help us compile maps?
Right now we are using 2 computers for design and compiling:
Cyrix 5x86 120Mhz, 32 MB RAM (compressed HD)
AMD K5 75 Mhz, 32 MB Ram
In othe words, not the ideal hardware for compiling
maps. But if you want to help us compile maps there are some requirements:
Total secrecy (until it's done and we put
YOUR NAME IN BIG LIGHTS)
No compensation (other than YOUR
NAME IN BIG LIGHTS unless you want to
work out a deal that doesn't requre any money or time from us because we
don't have any of either)
The ability to take a WAD and MAP or a QuArK QME
file and compile a BSP using QBSP, VIS, and LIGHT at their slowest, most
accurate settings.
The ability to send and receive files from us quickly
over the internet. (Quickly meaning you are regularly or frequently
available, and you have a connection that isn't too much slower than our
pokey 14.4 kbps modem:)
Some things I didn't mention in the text file:
TSP is single, coop, and DM with all difficulty settings
(see below)
Camera style A is a traditional "shoulder cam" BUT...
You can turn the camera relative to the player with
Del and PgDn
You can turn the player relative to the camera with
Ins and PgUp
Camera style B makes the player face in the direction
they move. There are several ways to make this work groovily
Always strafe
Use +turnleft and +turnright keys to rotate the camera
Use an "analog" controller like a mouse or joystick
for maximum coolness (though keyboard strafing is cool too
Why are all the keys bound to the number keys?
Which keys do you hit first when you try a new Quake mod?
The Quake Guy (XQZ-me) told me the map I was using
wasn't the latest version. So I'm uploading PR5 again. It should
be a little easier to beat this time around. Here are some features
of this map (features we hope to implement in all of our maps.)
Single, coop, and Lots of Deathmatch Starts
Different monster population at each difficulty
Flexible architecture for DM, coop, single, and difficulty
settings.
In other words, what every level should have.
BUGS:( This is what Preview Releases are all
about. If you encounter any bugs let me know. But don't forget
to also let me know if you DON'T find any bugs. Here's what I've
run into so far:
"No Free Edicts." This crashes the game.
It happens when a buncha stuff blows up. I do not know exactly why.
It does not always happen at the same time to everyone, but for some people
it always happens at the same place in the level. Prevailing theories:
There is a maximum number of entities (edicts are
entities) and TSP has too many (I checked, it has 335 when you start off)
There is a maximum number of entities that can be
spawned per frame.
"It's too hard." Crybaby! (just kidding)
The Quake Guy (XQZ-me), who made the map, can beat it on Nightmare without
cheating. I think part of the problem is that the version I uploaded
was as hard on Easy as Nightmare. I just uploaded a new version.
I need your help: If you encounter this or
any other bug. Or if you DON'T encounter a bug, LET
ME KNOW.
New skin for the carnosaur by Matthew
Grum. Not exactly what I wanted but he included a screenshot
and text file so it was easy to add. Thanks, Matt.
August 4
Continuing the weekly update trend...
ICQ users: need to contact me? Look
for The Serpent Lord on ICQ (no I won't bother to list my UIN here).
Don't try to use my old ICQ account ('simitar') and don't use ICQ to pester
me about Questions I can answer by mail. I personally am never available
to play Quake (play The
Quake Guy instead), and If you send me any chain letters it's very
easy to find out where you live...
Since we are 90% finished with everything else
we are working on maps now. I will try to post at least 1 new screenshot
every week on the CyberDawn page.