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How to install and run this map
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This map is designed to ONLY work with the Quoth v2.x
MOD for Quake. If Quoth
is not installed correctly the map will have various monsters and items missing and cannot be completed.
| Installation in standalone folder |
| - | Create a new folder called 'metmon' in your Quake folder |
| - | Copy the file (metmon1d.zip) into the new folder |
| - | Extract the contents of the zip file |
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| - | Create a shortcut to your preferred Quake engine |
| - | Add the following to the command line: |
| | -heapsize 64000 -game metmon -quoth +map metmon |
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| - | Run shortcut and make sure map loads |
| - | The first part of the map is a skill selection area |
| - | Remember to record a demo once you start the map! |
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| Installation using Quoth v2.2 Launcher |
| - | Create a new folder called 'metmon' in your Quake folder |
| - | Copy the file (metmon1d.zip) into the new folder |
| - | Extract the contents of the zip file |
| - | Rename the file 'pak0.pak' to 'metmon.pak' |
| - | Copy the 'metmon.pak' file to the quoth directory |
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| - | Make sure the file 'launcher.bat' exists in the quoth directory |
| - | Drag and Drop the new 'metmon.pak' file onto the launcher.bat icon |
| search google with 'how to drag and drop files' if stuck |
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After releasing 'The Horde of Zendar' I decided I wanted to go back to my
original Quake project 'In the Shadows' and try to finish it. The past couple of
months I have been busy adding new features and taking the project in a much
needed stealth direction.
Recently a mapper called mfx released a Quake map called 'Kleins Bottle' and it
was a beautiful skybox map full of strange architectural shapes floating
high above the clouds. Feeling inspired I wanted to create my own Quake skybox
map and I knew there was a long weekend coming up soon, which would be the perfect
opportunity to play around in the editor.
The initial layout was a haphazard collection of small platforms winding their
way around several small towers of metal. The platforms were arranged close enough
to jump between and they offered the benefit of multiple routes in lots of
different directions.
I did not want to use medieval monsters this time around and thought it would
be a nice change to try a tech/base theme instead. Unfortunately Quake lacks a
good collection of base enemies, but there is a mod called Quoth which does
attempt to fill in the gaps with many new AI units.
I downloaded the latest version of Quoth and created a small series of test
maps to explore the new features and various base monsters. The new AI units
sadly have excessive health bars, dangerous projectile attacks, but they do have
good range attacks which might suit my maps disjointed environment.
The primary focus of any skybox map is the skybox, its something that should
be visible from as many angles as possible and be a constant reminder that
one wrong misstep and the player will be falling to their death.
Recently I have been playing around with the latest version of Terragen
creating simple cloudy landscapes bathed in moonlight. One of my favourite
Quake skies is the purple clouds which is the perfect colour choice for creating
classic Quake elder world landscapes. Probably the most time was spent trying
to get the fog to match, so that it feels bright and purple all at the same time!
As more platforms and routes were added the overall structure was beginning
to take shape, but it still needed a believable mechanic for why it was floating.
The quake runic metal texture set has some lovely glowing runes which are often
used for teleporters. If the map structure was perched on top of clumps of
runic cubes then maybe the players might think that the runes are the logical
source of the power keeping the structure afloat.
As the mass of cubic runes supporting the base of the structure grew upwards it
felt like it was merging with the central structure and taking over. This gave
me the idea of the runes bursting out from various parts of the structure like
they were an infectious power source. This became a visual language to hint at
where buttons were and how everything is connected.
The original idea for the structure was to have a large radio telescope like dish
at the top, a natural progression goal for the player to climb towards. I imagined the
structure was a large teleportation tower sent by an elder race to observe other
worlds. The lift shaft up to the dish is also the perfect key objective!
As the structure grew under the shadow of the metal dish the upper parts were
beginning to look similar. I decided to try the lower runic detail on the top
of the structure and it created a lovely silhouette against the skybox. At first
the cubes and spires pointed upwards but on some structures I made them spill out
over the edge and slip down again, like the runes were organic and alive.
For a long time I had solid bridges connecting all of the various platforms of the
structure together. The downside to this approach was less opportunities to see
the skybox and feel the space below. In my original Quoth test map I played
around with force-fields and wondered what they would be like if the player/AI
could walk on them, instead of just acting as barriers.
Eventually I found the right combination of entities, lights and special textures
to create the illusion of laser walk ways and they did feel good to play with.
It never got old flicking a switch and seeing AI drop to their death. This also
solved the skybox visibility problem and nicely added a strange tech vibe to the
structure to match the AI units.
The final battle was to be on the dish at the top of the map and I wanted the
fight be the usual multi wave affair. I setup the waves to be spawned in at
various points around the arena, but it felt weird there was no reason for
the teleporting effects. One of the cool features of Quoth is the ability to
generate lightning strikes and it seemed a perfect way to setup the AI.
I spent a while creating a huge brushwork sphere and then connecting all the AI
spawns via lightning strikes from the sphere to the floor. The system looked
so cool that I extended it to randomly strike the ground while the final battle
was in progress. It created a nice side effect of players and AI being hit and
sometimes being comically killed during the battle.
After playing with the original Quake entity set for so long, I sort of know
where items should go and how to balance the monsters against player resources.
The new Quoth AI are typically mid range monsters (due to excessive health) and
there is a tipping point where certain weapons just dominate them.
Initially the map had all the weapons and once the player got the SNG/RL/LG
it was game over for all of the AI. I did not want to add high end monsters
like Drole and Shambler's to balance the high end weapon fire power, but
I wanted to stick with various combinations of low to mid monsters instead
which is why the available player weapon set is limited.
One Quoth tech style monster that has gained notoriety amount the Quake
community is the flying monster called Bob.
It fires a large burst of plasma,
moves very quickly and has awesome fear inducing idle sounds. I wanted the
player to hear the idle sounds long before they know where they were.
Initially I setup a couple of Bob's on very long 90 degree turn patrols
underneath and above the structure and this produced some amazing random
encounters. With the map having so much sky space the Bob AI units really
excel at inducing fear and loathing in this map.
Probably the greatest disappointment is the lack of good secrets in this map.
There are plenty of areas to explore, but nothing really satisfying to find.
The map has a lovely Swiss cheese layout with loads of opportunity to explore
but this does nothing for traditional secret locations. The secrets in this
map fall into one category, ledge hunting.
As much as I have enjoyed playing with the Quoth MOD and entities I can't help
but feel that the MOD goes against the spirit of the Quake community.
The source QC is not freely available (even on request) and that means you are
limited to what the MOD can offer and nothing else. I know plenty of people
from the community have asked about the source files and have always received
the same reply, a stone cold wall of silence.
With so much of the map exposed to the skybox the vis and portal information
is completely missing. You can pretty much see everything all of the time.
The r_speed/wpoly counts are extremely high, thou not as high as the map
'something wicked'
by Tronyn. So if any machine can handle that map they
can certainly handle this one too!
After a while of creating this map I stopped worrying about r_speed/wpoly
counts and just added detail where I thought it be cool to see. There are no
special hint surfaces or any real mapping effort to reduce the poly count
in this map. If you got a modern day pc, you should be fine!
With such a limited amount of floor space available and lots of vertical space
to explore it was difficult to find locations for the AI to exist and not trip
over each other. Each group of AI are setup to wake up in small clumps so that
the pacing is controlled as much as possible by the player.
There are a couple of locations where triggers will fill up the floor space
behind the player with more enemies. I know this can be a sensitive issue
for most players but there was little choice and the map would be far too
empty otherwise. The back spawning triggers are spaced far apart and only
re-populate areas far behind the player.
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| Map Type | SP (Single Player) only |
| Difficult | Easy 60, Normal 84, Hard 101 - Monsters |
| Development | Three weeks |
| Skybox | Moonrise was created with Terragen 3 by me |
| Textures | Some by Kell, some by ID and the rest remixed by me |
| Source | Map and texture WAD included in the PAK file |
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| - | ID software for creating Quake |
| - | Additional map feedback and testing by Daz, Negke and Spirit |
| - | BSP/VIS Compilers - TYRUTILS v0.14 by Kevin Shanahan |
| - | Light Compiler by Bengt Jardrup |
| - | Coloured light and LIT support by MH |
| - | TexMex 3.4 by Mike Jackman (good for organizing textures) |
| - | AdQuedit 1.3 by Hicks Goldrush (perfect for pak files) |
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