Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Dark GDK / .BSP Load error

Author
Message
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 15th May 2008 08:01 Edited at: 15th May 2008 09:38
Link
Hello,

I wrote an FPS in db pro back several years ago, and it used BSPs made with valve hammer editor and zoner's compiler. It worked very well, and all was good.

I recently decided it would be a fun summer project to recreate and expand upon the original game, so I thought I'd re-write it with Dark GDK. So I make a map and try to load it and I get an access violation error. I've tried a lot of stuff and am getting pretty frustrated (I know it's free now, but I payed for it back in the day ) with this right now. Hopefully it's something I'm doing wrong rather than Dark GDK being really buggy.

Anyways, I'm simply placing my .BSP and .WAD file in the media directory that the "World" sample uses, and it's a no go. I've tried several things like placing different files in different directories (I thought perhaps the .wad belongs in the parent directory like CS has it?).

The error I get when I try to run the sample code is:


Thanks in advance for any help! Hopefully this will be resolved!
Back to top
Profile PM
jezza
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Mar 2008
Location: Bham, UK
Posted: 15th May 2008 09:28
Link
I don't know if u've got other problems, because what uve done from ur description is weird, but BSPs in GDK are dodgy. I believe Jinzai was doing some work to get them to load properly, but So far I've only managed to laod two different BSPs in GDk, and neither of I made, thjose all broke like urs.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 16th May 2008 04:19
Link
Maybe I can clarify what I described as weird? I'd really like this to work because I've already invested much time in creating several BSP maps.
Back to top
Profile PM
jason p sage
17
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 10th Jun 2007
Location: Ellington, CT USA
Posted: 16th May 2008 04:54
Link
You guys getting the paths right and stuff? I'm about to buy HalfLife for the BSP editor that comes with it... I hope this isn't a problem!


http://www.jasonpetersage.com/?PAGE=ironinfantry&SECTION=ironinfantry
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 16th May 2008 08:37
Link
Yeah, paths, I can assure you, are not the problem (I hope I'm not that dumb at least ). I place the BSP and the WAD in the same place as the .pk3 that the "World" sample loads from.
Back to top
Profile PM
jezza
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Mar 2008
Location: Bham, UK
Posted: 16th May 2008 09:23
Link
U might want to ditch the wad, and put it all in a pk3. that might help, but I doubt it.
I really don't know how to fix this, and I have asked the sdame questions everal times before with no result.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
jason p sage
17
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 10th Jun 2007
Location: Ellington, CT USA
Posted: 16th May 2008 16:42
Link
So should I not bother with getting halflife for the editor?
So sad


http://www.jasonpetersage.com/?PAGE=ironinfantry&SECTION=ironinfantry
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 16th May 2008 17:17 Edited at: 16th May 2008 17:22
Link
Since its going to cost you, what...$10, you might consider it because 3DWS can output a HalfLife compatible map file, which you could match up with the HL map/compile tools to produce bsps with 3DWS.

The trouble remains that the editors are tied to the game in such a way that producing maps that do not require the game's media is difficult.

I started down this road using Quark to make bsps for DBPro, which works, but there is alot of hacking required to produce a pk3 file that does not include the media belonging to the game.

I tried to setup Quark to remove this restriction, but I haven't as yet figured out how that can be done. I'm sure its possible to some extent because I can manually hack out the unneeded media from the directory structure and make a pk3 that has only my textures in it.

One of the files that jezza mentioned is the result of someone doing that. I will attach the pk3 here again because that map has some nice artwork in it, and it loads up into GDK fine. You can tell that it is using the PVS set to cull, which is nice. (If you print the polys drawn each frame, you will notice quite alot of culling is done automatically by the engine using the PVS set.) That is precomputed when you compile the bsp.

I have gotten as far as being able to provide the entities list, which I have already parsed from the text in the bsp.

What is needed (sorely) in this is the ability to take a bsp produced by Hammer, or Quark, or a Radiant flavor, and gather up the needed textures to produce a pk3 that will load on its own, and still have access to the entities and submodels, shaders, etc.

There is more support in DBPro for bsp format than any other world format. I won't belabor that here, but if you disagree with that assessment, that's just fine...I understand. Still, I prefer it because I know it well now, and all systems that mention CSG are referring to some arrangement that resembles bsp. (I know of quadtree and octree.) All the same rules apply.

I went with Quake III because id does not make you pay for using their technology anymore, but Steam is not my idea of a proper source code/game distribution system that favors indy development....and id's model is.

Attachments

Login to view attachments
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 00:37 Edited at: 17th May 2008 00:39
Link
Well, I am using media that is exclusive to CS or HL so I don't believe there are any issues with media dependencies.

I have made progress though!! I have attempted to recreate the structure of the pk3 files I've looked at and now the program loads. Unfortunately, only the skybox is rendered, nothing else, and it appears that I am stuck as well, as I can't move (the skybox doesn't move at all if I use the arrow keys).

So perhaps the BSP is being loaded, but the textures aren't being applied, making the level I created transparent?! Who knows!


I just don't get why I could do it with DB Pro back years and years ago, but I can't do it TODAY with Dark GDK.
Back to top
Profile PM
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 00:59 Edited at: 17th May 2008 01:28
Link
Look in your pk3. There should be a folder named textures. That folder should contain all of the textures the map uses. Does it? I suspect that it doesn't, which might explain your map's invisibility. You might have to copy textures from the pk3 that the textures are in manually. What I did was take all of the textures from pak0.pk3 by extracting the textures directory, and copying it to the folder that I was using to build my pk3. (I used WinZip, and changed the extension from zip to pk3.)

Another thing you must account for is that you will not be spawned at the place the map gives to spawn to, and might be spawned in the floor, a wall, or even outside the map altogether.

I tried to use QIII maps first, and had this issue. Sometimes, you can see the map, disappearing in the distance as you "fall" into oblivion.

Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:04
Link
Well, I'm stilllll trying to muck with my map I made with valve hammer editor because I spent a lot of time making it, assuming that I'd have the same functionality that I did when I used DB Pro years ago....

But I do have a folder called textures and I have put my textures in said folder. There is no "falling through to oblivion" issue because I'm using the "World" sample to test my maps, but I MAY just be loading outside the map, making the map invisible. HRM
Back to top
Profile PM
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:26
Link
You can check the texture paths/names if you open the bsp in VS, using the binary editor. (Select that by pressing the open button's arrow on the side.)

The pk3 must match that for the textures to be found/loaded.
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:34
Link
Well, I removed the possibility of spawning outside of the map. I made a gigantic box filling the entire bsp "world" and updated my pk3 with that bsp, still no dice.
Back to top
Profile PM
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:40
Link
But, did you check the textures in the bsp using VS? That is where the trouble is, I think.

I just loaded that ikzdm1.pk3 version in DBPro. What a difference from the lame one that comes with DBPro!!!!!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:47
Link
I'm having issues looking at the BSP map with the binary editor. I'm using the Express version, does that have the binary editor?
Back to top
Profile PM
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:51
Link
I believe that it does. When you press the arrow on the Open button, and drop down opens...select Open with...

That opens a dialog with the types you can use. Binary Editor should be there.
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:55
Link
The dialog box that you are referring to, for me at least, doesn't list binary editor.
Back to top
Profile PM
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 01:59
Link
Aaaarrrggghh! You could open the .map file that Hammer saved before it made the bsp...its text, and has the textures in the brushDef section.
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
jason p sage
17
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 10th Jun 2007
Location: Ellington, CT USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 02:00
Link
I just read the license for valve ... I was GOING to buy the full VALVE package for a hundred bucks - then I read the editor license was not for anything but mods... fine... so I bought the basic game for fun... they lost a few bucks from me today.. they got less than half of of what I was gonna give them until I read that eula.

What BSP editor you guys know of without such a crimp in my style?


http://www.jasonpetersage.com/?PAGE=ironinfantry&SECTION=ironinfantry
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 02:06
Link
If you could please, perhaps, take a look for me? Here is the pk3 that I'm dealing with right now. The textures section used to be in .jpg, which I can revert to quickly, I'm just trying different things by converting my textures to different formats? (You can tell I've exhausted all obviously useful things to try)

Attachments

Login to view attachments
Back to top
Profile PM
jinzai
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 19th Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posted: 17th May 2008 02:34 Edited at: 17th May 2008 02:37
Link
jsp - Quark is totally free, and I think the id ones are, too. See what I meant about Valve?
http://quark.planetquake.gamespy.com/

That still references a WAD file, and I don't think that is supported at all. The texture names are weird, too. I can see the names, but there is no extension on them, and also it looks like there is some overwriting going on. For example, the first thing listed is "mosaic1", next, is this "ssing.." string, which is repeated after the texture names, but only in parts. For every texture name that is the same length, it is exactly the same. Longer texture names overwrite more of it...I think it might be a message, like "File missing.." or something like that.

Anyway, Valve bsps are not the same as id bsps. Valve is type 220, defined in the entity list and QIII has the text "IBSP" at the start of the bsp file. If you look at the bsps TGC provides, they are "IBSP" types.

Is there any way you can tell Hammer not to use a WAD file?
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
dbcoder2006
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Nov 2003
Location:
Posted: 17th May 2008 06:26
Link
Not that I can tell. I think I'm just going to take the hit and start over with quake tools.

I really do appreciate the help you all have given me, still seems like DB's community is just as helpful as when I was involved!

Thank you for all the help! On to recreating my maps with QuArK
Back to top
Profile PM
jezza
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Mar 2008
Location: Bham, UK
Posted: 17th May 2008 12:47
Link
Gtk Radiant is much easier than QuarK, from my experience
and also:
Quote: "Unfortunately, only the skybox is rendered, nothing else, and it appears that I am stuck as well, as I can't move (the skybox doesn't move at all if I use the arrow keys)."

THe skybox isnt suppsoed to move is it? Thats the point of skyboxes. If you wanted it to move you would jsut created a normal box with massive walls and texture it with a bg texture.

And jsut to warn you, don't hope to get much better results with another editor.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-11-20 11:25:19
Your offset time is: 2024-11-20 11:25:19