voxel-radiant

Create maps like dretchstorm for Unvanquished, without using netradiant.

Dependencies

To run this, you will need: ocaml

Quick Start

Use this command:

./voxel-radiant.ml input.vox map-example_src.dpkdir

This will create a file map-example_src.dpkdir/maps/example.map, and some files map-example_src.dpkdir/maps/example*.navcon. You can open map-example_src.dpkdir/maps/example.map in netradiant, and compile it with q3map2.

Tutorial

A map is specified in a .vox file. Let us look at a few examples in detail. Create a file tutorial.vox, with this content:

++
 +
 ++

Then use this command to create a file map-example_src.dpkdir/maps/example.map:

./voxel-radiant.ml input.vox map-example_src.dpkdir

The map is composed of 5 basic rooms which we shall call "cells". By default, each cell is a cube 256 quake units wide. A + character denotes an empty cell. A space character (or no more characters in a line) denotes the abscence of a cell.

Once the file example.map is created, you can compile it to a playable map using q3map2. Look at the file run-q3map2.sh for details on how to do this on Linux. If you are on Windows or MaxOS, the commands will only require slight adjustment of the paths.

After compilation, you can load this map with the Daemon Engine and Unvanquished with this command:

daemon -set g_neverend 1 +devmap example

Notice that we had to force the game to never end, as there are no spawns yet. The Reactor is placed with the character R. Some Telenodes are automatically placed next to it. Eggs are placed with the characters < > ^ v, indicating at which of the 4 walls the eggs should be placed. The Overmind is created placed with O. Change tutorial.vox:

+R
 +
 vO

Load the map with

daemon +devmap example

Here is a screenshot:

Let us make the map bigger now. Change tutorial.vox:

    +RA+
     ++
     ++
   ^^++
   ++++
   +++
   ++
   ++^^
   ++++
     ++
    ^++
   ^+++
   ++++
   ++ 
   +++
   +++^^
   +++++
O> ++  +
 >     +
 > ^+> +
 B + + +
 ++> +^+

Here, we used the characters A to place an armoury, and B to place a booster. The human side of the map looks like this now:

This map is still two dimensional in essence. You can add vertical layers by separating them with the keyword #ply:

    
     ++
     ++
     + 
   ^
   +
   +
#ply
    +RA+
     ++
     ++
   ^^++
   ++++
   +++
   ++
   ++^^
   ++++
     ++
    ^++
   ^+++
   ++++
   ++ 
   +++
   +++^^
   +++++
O> ++  +
 >     +
 > ^+> +
 B + + +
 ++> +^+

Ladders are added automatically to aid human movement. The map looks like this now:

File Syntax

At the start of a .vox file, there may be configuration lines to change some aspects of the generated map. These are:

#cell_dim 512 256 256

Change the size of the cells.

#wall_tex shared_pk02/wall04b 0.25 0.25 0 0

Change the wall texture. Use scaling 0.25 in both directions, and offsets of 0.

#floor_tex shared_tech/floortile1b 0.5 0.5 0 0
#ceiling_tex shared_tech/floortile1b 0.5 0.5 0 0
#sky_tex shared_space/sky25 1 1 0 0

Change textures for floor, ceiling and sky.

#ladders off

Do not create ladders.