Texture issue

[Roadrage]

This isn't really an error, but I didn't know where else I should post it. It's more like a missing feature. I dowloaded 6.6.0 Beat 1, I create my Q2 addon like normal, and then copied all my textures over to the tmpquark folder in my Q2 directory, and noticed now that I have to use .wal textures. In every other version I could use .tga and there was no problem at all. I'm just hoping that I don't have to convert all my textures to .wal format  now.

[cdunde]

I'm not sure if a change was made in the source code for the QuArK.exe that would effect that or not,
but the tmpQuArK folder is just a place used by QuArK to export things to when you do a map build
such as the textures you are using in the current map you are editing at the time of the build.
And for Quake 2 QuArK converts all textures to wal files automatically because that is what the
original game uses.

That folder is not normally used to place custom textures into.
Try putting your custom textures into a folder called "textures" in your Quake2\baseq2 directory
and make your addon pointing to that folder, or make it from your textures in that location.
Then you should be able to use them and QuArK will turn them into wal files in the tmpQuArK folder.

HTH,

cdunde

[Roadrage]

The reason I put my textures in tmpquark instead of baseq is because the game I make my maps for doesn't have a baseq folder, after I build my map, when I test it in the game I get no textures because it's expecting to find the textures in "baseq/texture/what evefolder the texture is in". I put my texture folder in tmpquark, then the game looks in "textures/whatever folder the texture is in".

Here's a couple of images to perhaps show what I'm taling about a little better. Sorry their so big, I forgot to sesize them before I uploaded them.





the top image is from version 6.3.0, and the the other is from 6.6.0 beta 1. In the 6.3 version texture arena3/floor2_nm which is a .tga (the light blue one) shows up with no problems, but 6.6 version gets some kind of error.

[cdunde]

Oh-Boy ! So what you are dealing with is a different Quake2 type game engine....
and let me guess....it can use shaders? 

If so, then yes there was a change in the source code as to how shaders are handled
which more then likely is the cause of this problem.

BTW, even though it does not show up in the Texture Browser, if you applied that "shader"
does it show up in the game? If the correct name is applied to the face(s) and in the exported map file I have a sneaking hunch that it does.

When the change to the shader handling was done a special "optional" code function was also added.
Take a look at the shader file itself for that texture and see if the others are using the keyword qer_editorimage that gives the path to the texture to display in the editor's Texture Browser something like this:

textures/metals/silvermetal
{
   qer_editorimage textures/metals/metal_light.tga
Again, the ones that do show up will have that keyword and path
and the ones that do not are the ones that are "broken" in the Texture Browser.

If all of this is the case then you need to use that special code option which specifies which keyword to use to display that texture.....another guess.....the keyword you need to use will most likely be map

The problem is, I do not believe that keyword option was added for Quake 2 since, under normal circumstances, Quake 2 doe's not use shaders. But it's worth a try anyway....here is an example on how to use the option:
old way
materials/SomeShader  { a="base" }

new way
materials/SomeShader  { a="base" e="qer_editorimage" }


The above option was\is only in a test stage and I think it only applied to Doom3 and Half-Life 2 at this time.
So this may not work....in which case.....there is no solution at this time.

HTH,

cdunde

[Roadrage]

Yeah, it's a game based on the Q2 engine, It does use shaders, but I haven't even began to see if I can apply them in quark yet. That particular texture is actially a normal map. Though now I am curious to see if I can get the shaders to work if I applied them. I'll see if I can't decifer exactly what you just told me and try and figure it out. Once yu start mentioning technical stuff it all becomes Greek to me. But I guess this is how you learn

[cdunde]

Well the "arena3/water" (greenish texture) and "arena3/floor2_nm" (bluish texture) look like "bump map" shader textures to me....that's why I made those guesses. 

But actually I wasn't aware that QuArK would even display any shaders in Quake2 game mode in the Texture Browser 

Is that the game mode you are editing in 
Anyway....good luck with it and let us know what you come up with. 

cdunde

[Roadrage]

Yup, I edit in Quake 2 mode. I was wondering if you might be able to help figure out where I might find the little bits of code you showed me in your previous post.

[cdunde]

Those were pretty much just examples that Dancing Dan (the Banana Man) had sent to me. 

But if you post a .zip file with a couple of your textures your having problems with (and their shader files),
be sure to send all the textures for a shader, then I can do some testing to see if I can get them working.
Then I'll let you know what I come up with. 

HTH,

cdunde