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MAPZ - Map Automated Processing Zystem
Version 1.10 Beta
Released for public beta 01/14/99 (January 14th, 1999)
Written by Creep of Team8088 in association with nofadz.com
contact: creep@nofadz.com| creep@team8088.org
(http://www.team8088.org & http://www.nofadz.com respectively)
Much code lifted from pscripts - turn processing for the PHOST system for
VGA Planets. "Bless you all for showing me the way" - creep
DISCLAIMER!
NOTE, PLEASE BE AWARE, REALIZE, CONCEIVE, ACCEPT that you are sending your
bread and butter, your hard work and toil to some server for compilation.
You could get screwed and have someone rip off your work. It is not a
difficult thing to modify the scripts such that your .map file ends up on
someone's web page with no credit given to the author. Please use your
own judgement on who you send you work to. We will be running a system
@nofadz.com. Check out the nofadz site for specific info on where to send
your map. We will not screw you. We want to help the online community.
Merry F'n Christmas ;) (Original Release of Public Beta 1.0 was
December 24th, 1998 ... thought i would leave that in for kicks)
HOW TO COMPILE:
1) build yourself a really cool map (or try someone else's that you know works).
2) You need to make a zip file containing your map. This is all unless:
a) you have strange textures to add to your map, also put them in your
zip file. Your directory structure must be as such:
yourmap.map
textures/whatever/youwant.wal
... etc ...
(you've just finished a really cool map for 128 people catch the
chicken, and you want to compile it on MAPZ, your map is death128.map)
example: ( you export "death128" to your baseq2/maps dir from qoole)
C:\QUAKE2\BASEQ2\MAPS> pkzip c:\death128.zip death128.map
C:\QUAKE2\BASEQ2\MAPS> cd ..
C:\QUAKE2\BASEQ2> pkzip -rP c:\death128.zip textures\*.*
(or something like that...just make sure the .map and the textures dir
are on the top level of the zip)
here is a sample unzip -v listing of a .zip file that works:
Length Method Size Ratio Date Time CRC-32 Name ("^" ==> case
------ ------ ---- ----- ---- ---- ------ ---- conversion)
59791 Deflate 5245 91% 12-22-98 10:14 9f6d85e8 sample.map
0 Stored 0 0% 12-23-98 09:35 00000000 textures/
0 Stored 0 0% 12-23-98 09:35 00000000 textures/fart.wal
137511 Stored 137511 0% 12-23-98 09:37 64c3d916 textures/mytexts/u.wal
------ ------ --- -------
197302 142756 28% 4
NOTE: Everything is in lower case! Get it right! GRRRRR! hehehe }8-)
3) Email the file to your local MAPZ host like so:
In the subject you MUST PUT: MAPZ compile "mapname" "level"
(for the above example, use MAPZ compile death128 1 )
(this will fire off a level 1 compile)
mapname - is the NAME, but NOT name.map. For example, we don't
put death128.map, just death128 (it will work, trust me)
level - is a number 1, 2, 3 or 4 (vis level, higher == LONGER)
NOTE: do a level 1 and make sure everything is good before trying
something that's gonna take forever just to find out your
map is wrong or you forgot a texture or SOMETHING.
In the email, ATTACH the .zip file of your map (and optionally textures).
It should be UUENCODED when sent. If it comes back with some problem with
encoding, try and find a UUENCODER for your platform (or ftp the file to a
UNIX/Linux system, and type: uuencode MYZIP.ZIP MYZIP.ZIP > MYZIP.TXT
(Replace MYZIP with the name of your file, etc..) then include that .txt
file in your email body...that should properly uudecode on the MAPZ end.
Play with it until you get it right, but I know that using PINE to attach
the file works just fine with no hassle. (Most email programs should
uuencode the binary file onto the email message)
NOTE: There is a VISONLY command, which does only the bsp and vis steps
of the compile (if you don't have any light sources, you can do this
and skip the rad part - saves a bit of time). The usage is just like
compile, so there are no real details on it here.
4) WAIT A LONG TIME! hehehe. Depending on your map complexity, the host's
system speed, and cpu usage, etc... you could be waiting a long time
to find out if your map works. You should get an email at every step (qbsp,
qvis and qrad..as well as an initial acknowledgment that the file has been
ingested into MAPZ) of the processing, followed by the final email.
I suggest sending a level 1 compile first, to make sure your map works at
all, before sitting around a day only to find your map textures are the
wrong case.
5) Compile Cancellation. You just realized that you forgot your self portrait
to include in your map, or you only need a quick look and not a full level
4 compile. Instead of smacking yourself in the forehead until loss of
consciousness, just tell the MAPZ host to STOP!
Send an email to the host with the following subject:
MAPZ cancel [mymap] [code]
When you first fire up a compile, you get an email back with the cancel
code for your map (it's randomly generated for each one). Without both
the name and the cancel code, you're just gonna have to wait. Email the
person hosting the MAPZ site if you like, but you're screwed if you deleted
the first email response and the host operator is off in Bangcock for a
week. (moral of the story...retain your emails, and only compile it if
you really mean it :)
6) Status is obtained by sending an email with SUBJECT: MAPZ status
Currently it shows you the process's from a "ps" function in linux.
Not sure if this will remain as is due to security reasons, but for
now i think it's ok.
If there is no map compiling, it tells you so, and away you go! Jump
on that bad boy if you were waiting!
SUMMARY:
MAPZ Command List and arguments required - and what you get from them:
cancel [mapname] [cancel code] - will stop your current job
compile [mapname] [vis level] - will run a compile on your map (can take long)
help - gets you this file
status - gets you a copy of the processes list currently running
visonly [mapname] [vis level] - will run a vis only compile on your map
You should receive your .bsp, .prt and the messages.txt (a 'cat' of all logs)
that came from all the compiling for diagnostics. Good luck and ENJOY!
End of Transmission