Mapping for Orxonox - The Tutorial

This tutorial explains you how to install and configure your GTK-Radiant and Orxonox files to build and implement BSP maps for Orxonox.

Preparation

Make sure, your data repository includes at least the following folders:

data
  levels
    baseq3
    · maps
    · scripts
    · textures

The "baseq3" folder is needed to access our files in GTK-Radiant.
The "textures" folder contains all textures you want to use in your map in several subfolders.
The "maps" folder contains all map- and bsp-files.

The "baseq3" folder must contain the "orxonox_common_textures.pk3" file (​read more). We need it to include the common-textures like caulk, nodraw or invisible into GTK-Radiant.

Installation

If you work on a tardis system, you can start GTK-Radiant simply by typing "radiant" into your console and advance to "Configuration".
If you work on your personal system, read the following instrucions.

Get the newest version of GTK-Radiant from ​www.qeradiant.com and start the installation. You can, if you want, uncheck all components except "Quake III Arena Support". We don't need them, we will just use the Q3A support.

Start GTK-Radiant. If you get asked for which game you want to build maps, choose "Quake III Arena". You will be asked where the engine path is. Choose your …orxonox/data/levels as path. GTK-Radiant should start now. Continue with the configuration.

Configuration

Open Edit→Preferences and make the following changes:

Global
  Game: Disable "Startup: Show Global Preferences"
Interface
  Layout: Choose the third option (four equal areas), disable "Detachable Menus"
Display
  Entities: Enable "Show Light Radii"
Settings
  Undo: Increase the Undo Queue Size to the maximum
  Paths: If you've chosen the wrong path, you can enter your ...orxonox/data/levels/ path here
  Camera: Disable "Discrete movement"
  Build: Enable "Build Process Monitoring"

Restart GTK-Radiant to make the changes take effect.

Click on Textures and verify whether at least the "common" textures are available (​read more).

Implementation

Go to your data/levels folder an create "youprojectname.oxw". Open it and enter the following code:

<WorldDataFile>
  <name>Your Project Name</name>

  <WorldEntities>

    <BspEntity>
      <Name>levels/baseq3/maps/yourmapname.bsp</Name>
    </BspEntity>

    <FPSPlayer>
      <name>Player</name>
      <abs-coor>Y,Z,X</abs-coor>
      <model>models/creatures/droidika.md2, 10</model>
      <md2texture>droidika.png</md2texture>
    </FPSPlayer>

  </WorldEntities>

  <LightManager>
    <Lights>
      <Light>
       <diffuse-color>1,1,1</diffuse-color>
       <abs-coor>0,0,0</abs-coor>
      </Light>
    </Lights>
    <ambient-color>1,1,1</ambient-color>
  </LightManager>

</WorldDataFile>

The name is your Project Name - it will be displayed in the levellist.
The BSPEntitys name is the path to your bsp model.
The FPSPlayer is your player in the game. You have to enter his start coordinates. Look into GTK-Radiant and search a nice place (it should be ~20 units over the ground). Enter the coordinates in the format Y,Z,X (that's because GTK-Radiant and Orxonox have two different coordinate systems).
After that, we add a light to the map, otherwise it would be really dark.

Open data/levels/DefaultCampaign.oxc and enter the following code:

    <SinglePlayerWorld>
      <identifier>#</identifier>
      <nextid>0</nextid>
      <name>Your Project Name</name>
      <path>levels/yourprojectname.oxw</path>
      <menu-entry>1</menu-entry>
    </SinglePlayerWorld>

Instead of "#" on the second line you have to enter a unique identifier number (best you increment the last identifier in the file).
The name can be whatever you want.
The path leads to your oxw file, which you have created right before.

Start Orxonox, click on "Play" and search your map in the levellist (usually at the end, depends on the identifier) and start the game.
Have fun!

Common textures

The "orxonox_common_textures.pk3" package contains several common textures for GTK-Radiant. With them you can realize special things in your maps like invisible walls or cubes without collision.

If you don't have "orxonox_common_textures.pk3" in your …orxonox/data/levels/baseq3 folder, download it from ​here.
If you got the package, but the textures dont't appear in GTK-Radiant, unzip the package (it's a zip folder) and move the textures to your …orxonox/data/levels/baseq3/textures/common folder and the common.shader file into the scripts folder. Now they should be available in GTK-Radiant.

If the texture are in the editor, but have no effect, you should export the common.shader file to the scripts folder.