When I was young I used to make maps for Quake. I’ve just gotten back into it after my purchase of the recent re-release and I’ve decided to share my experiences here.
I am currently using a map editor called Trenchbroom, which is very easy to set up. All you need is what’s called a WAD file, which is basically a file containing textures that a map would use, and three programs used to compile the map data with, called bsp.exe, light.exe and vis.exe. You should use the updated “ericw-tools” to compile your maps with, as the older ones have harsh limits (the game was released 30 years ago, after all). There is a site called “Slipseer” that has a great community of mappers and modders for the original Quake game, and thanks to their help I have managed to get everything working.
Modern day mapping for Quake is a bit different from how it used to be; since the engine code became open source many years ago, there have been many community updates to the original engine. I am currently using one of those engines. I’ve decided to work on a professional map to showcase my skills. It will take time but eventually I hope to have a complete single player map that will be available somewhere for the community to play.
I will go over the installation of everything at some point in the future. Until then, enjoy the screenshots…
Jay's Arcade 