Any alternatives to MAP tools on the mac?

#1 Currently, the only real option is to hook up an old PC and use QuArK on it. Of course, you could use a PC emulator and use Hammer if you get permission from Valve. The other option seems to be to pay id for a Radiant license ($5000). If you have Lightwave or Maya licensed, there are MAP exporters of varying quality available. AFAIK, there's not a Blender one in the works (at least not that I've seen). The DTS exporter is nice, though.

You could also check out Quiver. The site was last updated in 1999, and the OS version is 7.5... Since some of the graphical Classic apps are often wonky, I haven't tried it yet. If you do, let me know it if works for you.

EDIT: Looks like Quiver isn't available there. I'll sniff around a bit more.

#2 So basically i am screwed...a pc is not an option it will just make the workflow a nightmare and i wont be spending money on windows.
Maybe i expect too much, but if TGE uses dif as it's main format there should be tools to create dif's. How does someone create maps with full TGE features if there is no editor? I fear that if i use Radiant that it will only add problems cause there must be differences in what ID's engine and TGE supports.

Is there a map2diff for mac?

sascha

#3 Map2Dif works for the map, but it's only a compiler and not an editor.

Back in the day, I believe that Dynamix was using 3D Studio Max and Hammer (then WorldCraft), both PC applications, to create their content. The engine itself supports multiple platforms, but they were using third-party tools to create the content. They simply had to make sure it worked fine on all of the supported platforms.

The lack of a CSG editor on the Mac goes much further than GarageGames. I don't know of a single Mac Quake editor other than Quiver and Radiant. Ever.

GarageGames wants full suite support on all platforms, but since there are few cross-platform CSG projects, the development would have to occur in-house or through sub-contracting. I don't know if GG is in a position to subcontract or develop an in-house solution at this time. After all, they already have a lot on their plates. It would be nice, and there have been several hintings at features to come, but I'm not sure what the roadmap is. I *do* know, that TSE will have a new map2dif, but I'm not sure about any editing facilities.

If Greenbriar Studios Map Exporter was 8.0 compatable, I'll take a look at it.

#4 I hear you, i can imagine the dificulties they have. I am just trying to find a workflow that will actually work. If i have to buy a PC i can also buy Radiant or Maya or Lightwave (if they have map exporters that WORK with TGE).

What i would like to know is what works best. ( I fear it will be pc + quark).

I have installed Radiant now, works fine, but loading map files from the starter like landtower_1.map i get a loa of errors and thats it. Is there a someone out there who worked with radiant + TGE and can give me some hints on how to set it up.

Sascha

#5 Since I don't have $5000 to throw at id, I haven't used it for Torque. Maybe someone else can help.

#6 On Quiver : if you haven't registered it yet, DON'T !!!
Scott Kevill is not interested in supporting it anymore, or passing on the torch to anyone else.

It does run in Classic, sorta, or if rebooting in 9 is an option, it works there too.
But, and of course, there is a but : it uses the quake 1 .map format, while the valve 220 is q2 based, iirc.
What that means is that you can't use the texture information as is from Quiver : you have to process the resulting .map file so that the texture information becomes relevant, eg valve 220 compatible.
The geometry info is fine.

You might have better luck running Quark in VirtualPC, although your 3d preview fps will be abysmal.

#7 Can't use radiant directly with TGE b/c it doesn't support the same .map format. On Windows, you would resave the map in the correct format using Quark but that isn't an option on the Mac.

At some point I am going to release a slightly updated version of map2dif that supports q1, q2, q3, and hl .map formats but that may have to wait until after IGC (Oct). Ideally ,I'd love to walk around IGC with some of those business card cd thingies and hand out a newer version of map2dif to everyone I meet, but that is entirely dependent on how much "spare" time I get between now and then.

#8 Quiver seems to be available from the Macintosh Map Editor Project.

I have no idea what it is like though, as I don't use a Mac.

#9 Nope. It points to the telefragged site, and the download has been removed. I like the Project, though!

#10 The site owner has also linked to a version on his own server. Just under the Quiver title/link, there's some text with the word "here" linked.

That link leads to the file at another location.

#11 Ah! I missed that when I started looking at the Quake 1 tools page!

Thanks!