Level Design

[luppak0rva]

Programs you might need before you start mapping.

Mapping tool: GTK Radiant 1.4.0
Terrain creation tool: EasyGen
Updated compiler: q3map2 2.5.16 (Enables DP2 style terrain blending in Radiant 1.4.0, not needed in 1.5.0 / net radiant)

Special entities for Radiant: RTCW ENT in ET Beta1
Compiling and testing tool: Q3map2Toolz
PK3 creation tool: PakScape
Model converting/editing tool: Q3Model Tool

SkyBox creation tool: Terragen
Plug-in for Terragen: Skyboxer

Some usefull numbers.

How high player can jump.
pmove_fixed 1: 66 units
pmove_fixed 0 and com_maxfps 333: 65 units
pmove_fixed 0 and com_maxfps >= 112: 64 units
pmove_fixed 0 and com_maxfps <= 111: 62 units

Maximum height before fall damage.
Running off the edge: 258 units
Jumping off the edge: 209 units

Maximum height before obliteration.
Running off the edge: 513 units
Jumping off the edge: 464 units

Minimum height for bunny-hopping to be possible: This depends on player speed and distance between pads.

Some extra info (minimums).
Opening for proning: 41 units
Opening for crouching: 49 units
Opening for walking: 73 units

Player width: 37 units

Spawn point entity size in radiant (info_player_deathmatch, team_bluespawn, team_redspawn):
72 by 36 by 36 good for fast measurements.

Video tutorials (Made by HeX|Fate).

Making the first room

Creating rooms.
Connecting rooms.
Adding textures, spawns and map coordinates.
Download


Various 1

Creating ladder.
2 types of doors.
Destroyable window.
Download


Various 2

Creating teleporter.
Liquid that kills you.
Download


Various 3

Curves and patch mesh.
Pipes, corners, vertices manipulation.
Download


Terrain 1

Creating terrain using EasyGen
Photoshop, Easygen, Radiant
Download


Objective 1

Creating gold box style objective.
Scripting.
Download


Mover

Creating simple moving plate
Scripting
Download


Skybox

Creating basic 6 sided skybox with Terragen.
TerraGen, Skyboxer, Shader.
Download


Destroyable wall

Simple wall that can be destroyed by using dynamite.
Entities, scripting.
Download


Basic lift

Lift with up/down buttons.
Scripting, entities.
Prefab only.
Download


Making terrain by hand part 1

Brushwork
Watch here.


Making terrain by hand part 2

Blending
Watch here.

Some other tutorials.

2bit ET Mapping Tutorial.
Great collection of tutorials and information.
Various tutorials for ET.
Useful information for mappers + nice scripting reference.
And many others. I can not remember all now, but for example www.splashdamage.com/forums can be found much more.

I hope these are useful to you.