
 *** WHAT'S NEW -- QuakeMap 2.8 ***


Release : 29.1.97. For Windows 95.

THIS VERSION OF QUAKEMAP IS SHAREWARE. IF YOU USE IT, YOU MUST REGISTER.
See at the end of file QMAP28.TXT for more information.

More coherent selection method. You will find it easier to reach a polyhedron
or an entity lost in tons of other polyhedrons and entities. Multi-selecting
with the shift key and with the red selection square has also been improved.

Global Search and replace textures. Global search of entities' Specifics.
Helps to find out which Target go with which Targetname.

New pop-up menus when clicking on polyhedrons, entities, vertexes, duplicators,..

Animated textures (+0xyz, +1xyz, and so on) are now detected, and the whole list
of related textures is extracted in the temporary .wad file.

The movement palette can be set "always on top".

Better support of various versions of QBSP.

Easier entities' Specifics editing.

Too complex maps could crash the 3D textured view, when one given polyhedron
directly hides more than 256 other ones... Don't smile, it happened to me.

Bug on writing .map files. There where correct, but the plane definitions could
be unaccruate.

The 'tagged point' is now used as 'center point' for operations like Zoom,
Symmetry, Rotations, and so on.

I figured out how a wall can change its texture during gameplay.
See 'funcwall.qme'.

And lots of bug corrections - there are probably more...



*** What were new in QuakeMap 2.7 (7.1.97) ***


BSP HACKING : you can open any .bsp file, see it, and work with its entities.
You can't modify the level structure, only the entities. This is fully
compatible with QuakeMap add-ons : try adding new enemies and new powerups in
id's original levels !

VERTEX MANIPULATION : a lot of you asked me for this, so I finally made it.
Be warned : it is only a horrible hack. I works well on polyhedrons that are not
too far from cubes, but I don't garantee anthing on rombobicuboctaheronds ;-)

Another commonly asked question : in the movement palette, why did I use two
fields for Enlarge and Shrink instead of one single field where you would enter
a percentage ? Because you can't tell precisely "shrink 1/3" with percentages.
"33%" is not the exact opposite of "300%". Now I made the best of both world :
there is a single field left and you can type in either "75%", or "0.75", or
"3/4". You can even type "1/0.75" if you want to.

New icons for .map files, and .bsp files are now associated with QuakeMap.
Double-clicking on a .bsp file will directly launch Quake.

Display speed : wireframe maps are twice as fast to draw as they where.

.map opening : this has also been accelerated a lot.

Duplicators are shown on the textured view. .bsp's will be soon.

Numerous bug fixes : the textured view's textures where wrong if applied
offsets or angles; you got "Stream Read Error" when trying to save your map if
you made links to other files with the "Open" button in the "New..." window;
some .bsp's wouldn't get imported (e.g. e2m3.bsp); if your international
settings say that "," is the decimal separator, instead of ".", and if any
configuration change occured while QuakeMap were running, QuakeMap would
reload "," from the configuration and use "," instead of ".", although I asked
him at startup to use "."; and other minor bugs...

Still to be done : .bsp's on the textured view; map printing; .wad problems;
rotations should modify to Duplicator directions; better Description entry
(no need to have a Music field !); force group to grid; apply texture to group
(you can already do this, by clicking on the Texture button, but I will add a
context-menu command); better selection method; fixing "Shrink/Enlarge" applyed
in a single axis direction on non-cubic polyhedrons; and more...


*** What were new in QuakeMap 2.6 (19.12.96) ***


New selection method : you now have one red line per view, and optionally two.
Easier to use, in my opinion.

You can work directly on the 3D view. However, the whole scene must be
recomputed after each change - each polyhedron move, texture apply, etc.
I still plan to improve this in next version. Besides this, the 3D textured
view still needs work. Neither entities nor Duplicators are displayed for the
time being.

Reworked parts of QuakeMap. I think I managed to fix bugs that were creating
instabilities, such as Access Violations.

Found a bug with the DOS Run-Time version of QuakeMap - version 2.6 is required
to compile .qme files with complex "descriptions" entries.

A lot of new QuakeMap add-ons are available at Derrick's QuakeMap Page
(http://users.yknet.yk.ca/dmckay/qmap). Don't forget that you CAN mix several
QuakeMap patches together, and that you can even mix several QuakeC patches
if you don't have source code for one of them !  (See Derrick's QuakeMap Page
or file EXPLORER.TXT for more about this)



*** What were new in QuakeMap 2.51 (9.12.96) ***


Not a lot of stuff. Still needs a more interactive 3D view.

Corrected a bug in the QuakeC compiler. Now I can release my new Quake add-ons !
(check http://users.yknet.yk.ca/dmckay/qmap)

I also have a new, shorter e-mail address :     arigo@alphanet.ch   (no file attachments !)



*** What were new in QuakeMap 2.5 (3.12.96) ***

3D Textured View !! Still need work, but it works. You will soon be
able to work directly on this textured view.

New sample add-on : "ExpWal1.qme". Exploding walls that don't look too bad.

The middle mouse button can be used to zoom in.

You can define a plane by selecting three entities together. The plane
can be used to glue a polyhedron's side to it or to cut a polyhedron.
See in window "New items...", below "Duplicators&misc".

Minor stuff.


  [ Dropped What's New from previous releases ]



 *** SHAREWARE ***

This is the final QuakeMap 2.3.
You may *not* use any longer the previously released beta versions.
QuakeMap 2.3 is Shareware. Registration cost is not too much ($20).

Please read the corresponding instructions at the end of file QMAP20.TXT


 *** What is QuakeMap Explorer ? ***

  It is no more centered on MAP files, altough you can still use it as
  you did with version 1.1; instead, it is centered on a proprietary
  file format, near than PAK files, which allows me to store some
  information about maps that couldn't be stored in a standard MAP file,
  like grouped polyhedrons.

  More interestingly, we can now regroup several other datas than maps
  in this proprietary file format. For example : new textures, or new
  files to replace or complete ID standard files, like sound and model
  files.

  Consider this : large maps often require A LOT of computing power, a
  lot of time, and a lot of RAM to compile (I've "only" 16Mb - and I'm
  having trouble compiling some large maps). That's why it would be
  useful to distribute BSPs instead of (or with) MAPs. But BSPs are
  large files, and it is illegal to distribute them, anyway, because it
  usually contains some of ID's original textures. So I added the
  ability to import BSP files, textures removed, in QuakeMap's files.
  Not only does this reduce size, it makes the distribution of BSPs
  legal. Then, on another computer, QuakeMap reconstructs the original
  BSP, using textures from the local computer's PAK (or unPAKed) files.

  Right now, I have even included parts of the REACC program I made and
  distributed (see DEACC & REACC). REACC is a compiler like QCC, which I
  wrote without knowing that ID would release QCC. The purpose of
  including REACC into QuakeMap is double.
                                                First, it will provide
  another way to distribute QuakeC patches - a better way, because you
  will distribute only portions of files that changed, not full files
  like now. The interest of it is to allow you to use several patches at
  once. This is usually not easy with the current method of distributing
  complete modified files : to play with several of the patches,
  you have to figure out what really changed in which file, and regroup
  yourself the changes. QuakeMap's integrated patch compiler should be
  able to deal with multiple patches from multiple sources.

  Second, it will allow us to associate QuakeC patches with particular
  levels. We'll then be able to build level-specific programs, like we
  did in Hexen. For example, we could do something like Hexen's first
  level, where there are walls that make a half turn, fire a few fireballs
  on you, and then rotate back in place. This could be done in a standard
  QuakeC patch, but associating this patch with the level make it far
  easier to use, and prevent oneself from playing the level without the
  patch or vice-versa.
                
  It also provides a consistent way of assigning actions with new keys -
  you know, "impulse" commands. You'll be shown a list of new actions the
  installed patches provides, and you'll have to choose a key for each
  of them. QuakeMap will then automatically remap impulse numbers as
  needed (useful for several patches from serveral sources) and
  write the "autoexec.cfg" to bind them with the keys you choosen.


  I have also made a light-weight DOS run-time, easily distributable
  and configurable, which can expand files of the proprietary file
  format into playable files, with the correct directory structure, add
  textures to BSPs, as well as compiling QC patches and prompting for
  key assignment.


 ***

Any comment, suggestion or bug report is welcome.

You may distribute this program on any support, as far as you conform to
the requirements found at the end of file QMAP28.TXT.

As usually, I won't assume any responsability for whatever might occur by
using my program, either directly or indirectly. No warraties !


Armin Rigo.                            (arigo@alphanet.ch)   
                   (no file attachments nor mailing lists at this address !!!)
