KatsBits ARCHIVES 2005 February

[back]Archive 2005 FEBRUARY

new Doom 3 tutorial [27th Feb 05] ^

Another Doom 3 tutorial to add to the previous Doom 3 - prepping models for use in and Doom 3 - lighting principles. This time on how to set up the Doom 3 Radiant editor to run correctly using default and custom content. If you're working from or creating a mod(ification) the editor won't see the contents by default so it has to be 'instructed' to read the files in a given location, this new 'how to' runs through what you need to do.

Doom 3 Radiant editor setup >>

Doom 3 : Chronicles chat [27th Feb 05] ^

Quake3Bits recently got a chance to have a chat with Cody64, the project lead for a Doom 3 single player mod(ification) called 'Chronicles', about how they're progressing now after their first public demo release. Without further a-do, a conversation with a 'mod' man..!!

quake3bits : How are you coping with the mod?

Cody64 : Good. This is the first "major" mod that I've worked on... So better than I thought I would... It was odd, going from a "small time" modder, to the leader of a huge d3 mod.

your friends *can* come out to play..!

quake3bits : You're the projects 'lead' so that requires lots of organisational skills..?

Cody64 : Yeah, which is the biggest thing I've needed to work on, and am still working on.

quake3bits : That's not something you can just do is it? It's ok when you only have yourself to answer for but when others are involved...

Cody64 : Yeah, and its a pretty big team, at one point, consisted of 23 people, though we're down to 16 now.

quake3bits : That's still pretty big

Cody64 : Yeah.

quake3bits : They all have the same amount of input,the 'core' team members?

Cody64 : Well, some definitely work more than others ;) and, you can probably remove a few from that final number, because some are just concept artists, and voice actors, so I only speak with them when they are needed.

quake3bits : You keep them in the loop though right?

Cody64 : Yeah, always include them in the group conversations. The opinion of the team is very important to me... I wrote the story... But, I allow input from everyone, and have changed and modified many parts of it... I figure, we're all doing this for free, so I prefer that everyone gets equal say in how things turn out.

quake3bits : Flexibility with a common goal

Cody64 : Yeah.

quake3bits : I reckon that's one of the main reasons why a lot of mods fail.. Not just the recent crop of D3 'dropouts' but in general, people are doing this for 'fun'

Cody64 : So many leaders are just way too pushy... And bossy... And have it "their way or no way".

quake3bits : So the team must be pretty 'jazzed' on this demo release?

Cody64 : Everyone is very excited. Also, the level of motivation has increased, after seeing all the positive feedback the demo is getting.

map shot

quake3bits : I guess in many respects this was probably the hardest part... getting to this point with a releasable candidate for the pubic to see

Cody64 : yeah... And we've had to "delay" this release many times. Originally, we wanted this out before Christmas but things kept coming up and we kept adding more features, and optimising old problems. We wanted this to be the best that it possibly could.

quake3bits : That, with hindsight, was probably a good thing.

Cody64 : Yeah, and still there are many things that I would have liked to release with this but could not. One of the big reasons is because of a lack of new models, however, our modelling squad has finally started to get things rolling.

quake3bits : Now *that* is time consuming, it can be tricky to get your head around

Cody64 : I've learned a little bit on animating, though not very well (as you'll be able to tell when you play the demo, and use the "melee" attacks). We've recently got a new animator though, so things should start looking better in the future.

quake3bits : So you're starting to get 'dedicated' team members now?

Cody64 : Well, we've always had dedicated members. However, we've gone through a few different modellers, and an animator. Our lead moddeller has finally got to a point where he can work more often now, and this new animator is working out great so far. We're doing pretty well on the mapping side of things, and everything is coming along well there. And the coding part of "chapter one" is at least 80% finished now, so that is looking great. Overall, there is not a too extreme of an amount of work left to be done on the first chapter on our mod. And the guys we got working now are all the most dedicated (any that were not as dedicated have been "removed" or have quit).

map shot

quake3bits : So that sounds like you're developing around each 'chapter' rather than doing the Full Monty and *then* releasing?

Cody64 : Yeah, our mod is separated in to 4 large chapters. Chapter one contains about 10 large levels.

quake3bits : And you're coding each as they're done?

Cody64 : Yeah, we are working on one at a time...

quake3bits : Interesting way of doing it, makes the project more manageable though yes?

Cody64 : Yeah, that also has to do with our name, Doom 'Chronicles'. The first chapter being called 'No Escape'. And yes, it makes the mod more manageable. Plus, it allows us to get large sections of the mod out to the community sooner, rather than forcing them to wait for the entire project to be complete.

quake3bits : Ooh heh, I didn't even think about that, 'Chronicles'...

Cody64 : Heh

quake3bits : Actually, that makes a lot of sense

Cody64 : Yeah. Unlike MP mods, you can't really have frequent releases with an SP mod, unless you want to give out all the 'surprises' that your levels have to offer...

quake3bits : yeah, tell me about it, had the with some RtCW SP maps, "Do I release now or wait until it done?"

Cody64 : That's what I considered when I decided to make the mod like this, I thought "Are people really going to want to continually play through the same levels over and over only to see a few modifications?". I rather give a small taste, and leave people drooling for the rest.

hot squad action

quake3bits : You can shoot yourself in the foot otherwise

Cody64 : Yeah

quake3bits : Well based on the feedback so far you'll at least be starting to gather a fan base

Cody64 : Yeah, I hope so

quake3bits : What sort of final target are you aiming at.. Or is that a 'when it's done' question..!?

Cody64 : that's a "when its done". I'd like to get stuff out fast, but I don't believe in 'rushing' stuff, it takes time to reach the level of quality we're going for.

quake3bits : Well that's good to hear at least... you don't want to release anything that's half arsed..!

Cody64 : No, I don't.

quake3bits : Well thanks for taking the time out for a quick chat.

Cody64 : No problem.

So there you have it, things are looking up for the mod and the feedback has been good. If you want to find out more visit the links below or download the demo and take a first hand look at what's going on.

check your bookmarks [24th Feb 05] ^

If you've bookmarked or IE 'fav'd' any of the editing or modelling tutorials or pages on the quake3bits site you may need to double check them because I recently rejigged the site to make it easier to maintain and 'index'. Unfortunately this may mean that any previous bookmarks you had could be pointing to 'dead' pages ('page not found' errors). If this is the case don't worry, I haven't deleted the page, it's more than likely just been renamed. Just visit the page again under it's new title and re-bookmark it.

RtCW : DeGeneration 1.0 [21st Feb 05] ^

It's been a while since we heard from the guys so a recent post to the quake3bits forums with some news pricked the proverbial ears. It looks like they've done the 1st fully fledged final release.

"Calling all DeGenerates!

DeGeneration v1.0, the team based mod for Return to Castle Wolfenstein, is being released soon and in addition to all the goodies we brought you with the beta we have a whole jolt load of new goodies for you!...."

For more info check out the forum thread and the links therein included.

DeGeneration news >>

Doom 3 : 'Bob' test movie [17th Feb 05] ^

The next stage in the soup opera that is 'Bob'.! I've just uploaded a .avi file showing Bob walking around a test map in the 3rd person perspective. Quality is low to keep the file sixe down but it does show Doom 3 being put to a different use.! Download via pcgamemods or for more info check the forums

Quake3World forums are back [17th Feb 05] ^

Yup, it's taken a good few months to sort out the mayhem since the 'hack' - during which time GameSpy bought out another major players online games portal - but the Quake3World forums are back in business. It's still a good place to find answers to all those Quake 3 questions you may have, so pop along when they come to mind.

Quake3World forums >>

Doom 3 : XBox & RoE DATE..! [09th Feb 05] ^

From the official press release...

ID SOFTWARE CONFIRMS NEXT DOOM 3 INVASION

SET FOR WEEK OF APRIL 4

Santa Monica, CA – February 9, 2005 – Make a date with death. id Software™ and Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today confirmed the week of April 4 as the worldwide release of never-ending evil, with the arrivals of both DOOM 3™ for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil™, the official PC expansion pack to what critics and gamers have raved is one of the scariest games ever created: DOOM 3™.

“Brace yourself for a new breed of fear and excitement,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “DOOM 3 for the Xbox brings gripping action, unparalleled graphics and sound, and a truly terrifying experience to the home theater. This is DOOM 3 built for the Xbox, including 480p and wide-screen support, full Xbox Live multiplayer, and the Xbox exclusive 2-player co-op campaign. For fans of DOOM 3 on the PC, Resurrection of Evil takes you to the undiscovered depths of the UAC’s Mars base and back to Hell itself for a vicious new battle with the forces of evil and the most ferocious demons imaginable.”

Rated 10 out of 10 by XBN magazine, DOOM 3 for the Xbox brings the sci-fi horror masterpiece to console gamers everywhere. In addition to the most frightening and immersive single player game ever created, the heart-pounding title features a new co-operative campaign and exciting Xbox Live multiplayer action. The exclusive Limited Collector’s Edition also includes full versions of the original Ultimate DOOM™ and DOOM II® playable in single player, or split-screen co-op or deathmatch with 2-4 players on one Xbox. DOOM 3 for the Xbox is developed by Vicarious Visions and id Software.

Co-developed by Nerve Software and id Software, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil continues the terrifying and intense action of the top selling, critically acclaimed and instant classic DOOM 3 -- awarded 94% from PC Gamer and five out of five stars from Computer Gaming World -- in an all-new assault on humanity. Resurrection of Evil picks up two years following the events of the original in a once forgotten and remote UAC research facility on Mars. Players wage a brutal war against an army of new demons and zombies including Hell’s own Hunters, while utilizing incredible new weapons like the physics defying “grabber” and the return of the classic double-barreled shotgun. Featuring new locations, puzzles and mysterious powers like the ability to slow time, Resurrection of Evil will have players reloading for the bloodiest battle yet.

Both titles are rated “M” for Mature (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence) by the ESRB.

Well there we have it folks, it's officially 'official'. Both the loooong awaited XBox version and the expansion being released on the same date (fingers crossed). It's safe to say that's at least when the USA and Canada will get their grubby mitts on it, as for the UK and the rest of Europe it'll probably be a further week or so after that date before we see it (similar to the release of Doom 3), the rest of the world numerous weeks there after that (unless you buy it online and have it shipped over to where you are..!).

For more info and screenshots of what to expect in both the XBox release and Resurection of Evil visit the sites listed below.

New rock textures [08th Feb 05] ^

It's been a while since the last set so here's a new set of rock textures. Born as the love child of a Doom 3 texture with a similar appearance, this new set is for games powered by non-dynamic engines, ie. Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Half Life 2 (*cough*), Quake 3, etc.

As with all previous textures they can be used in any game that supports the *.tga image format. They're also not packed into the zip with any file paths so as to allow none Quake 3 / PK3 games use of the assets. For further info and samples click the link below.

kt_rock_6 texture pack >>

RtCW map list [08th Feb 05] ^

I've been looking for something like this for a while and here it is curtosy of WildStars Maps; a comprehensive listing of all the currently available Single Player maps for Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I've still not played through all of them myself but they're a good distraction whilst we wait on news for Wolfenstein IV (more commonly known as RtCW 2).

WildStars RtCW SP map list >>