The Dilemma

Maps (.bsp's) for quake/quake2 are getting larger and more complex. Most notably, gigantic multi-arenas made for the greatest mod on earth, Rocket Arena 2.

While most mappers have the processing power to design these maps, most do not have the power or the time to wait for them to compile. (Often taking several precious hours..)

Solution

MAPZ. An email-intercepting script for any platform server (able to run shell scripting) that does all of the work for you.

How it Works

A mapper simply zips up a standard .map file, attaches it to an email and sends it to a server running MAPZ. Within the subject line, you can specify whether you're doing a quick compile or the full ding-a-ling.

After each step (qbsp, vis, rad) an email is sent back to the mapper with a text file describing any errors during the process. If the compile went flawlessly, you'll recieve a .zip in the mail containing the final .bsp, the .prt and a log of everything.

So When is MAPZ Gonna Be Ready?

It's up right now for public beta. The address is mapz@nofadz.com
The source shell scripts will be released shortly after version 1.2 is ready. I expect this to be before February. Hopefully some powerfull servers will like the idea of donating their idle CPU time.