Creating difs...

#1 First of all, what works for you is what works for you, and only you can make that decision.

As for your points:

1. I've seen posts promising an imminent Constructor release from 2004, and recent posts don't give me warm fuzzies. I'm not actually being that hard on GG per se (hmm well maybe I am! :) the squeaky wheel and all that), but don't hold your breath just the same if you need to get work done.

2. It seems to me that 3D World Studio is a super-cleaned-up Hammer. I like the interface best of all the mapping editors. It's actually intuitive. For example, it uses WASD keys to navigate the 3d view. Who ever heard of such a thing? Right click to navigate 3d view. Simple brush selection. simple texture swapping. etc etc etc.

3. If 3dWS is too expensive for you, you might have to do that. Quark has cool features, but an interface designed by the Marquis de Sade after a bad acid trip. I'm mean seriously, it's damn confusing. Sometimes interfaces just seem bad until you "get it"...but I still don't get it. Hammer is better but just generally kinda weak and silly.

However, 3dWS still suffers from the same problems as the others, just not as bad. For some reason it is considered sinful to Carve, even though it makes perfect geometric sense and these days have have 3000 megahertz processors with 1000 mhz system busses, etc etc. Thus, it isn't well supported and can lead to frustration. Also you have to go through map2dif, which won't let you have lightmaps greater than 256. Mind you, you have the source, so go and fix it, right?

I haven't used DeleD Pro, so can't speak to it. I do, basically, LIKE 3dWS, but I don't like that it goes and talks to their web server every time you run it, and that can't be turned off. It returns a list of banned copies, apparently. I love being monitored...another reason I want Constructor (which I only presume will be better).

Mind you...GG just released a polysoup collison patch, and it works great with vehicles, with amazingly low overhead. Players are another issue, and so it will be some time before it's "standard", but I do believe the days of bsp are numbered. But if you're making a a level right now, you need it.

#2 From a long post to a short one, I would choose option 1.

#3 I was in your situation 6 mos ago, waiting for Constructor. I bought 3D World Studio and it has been absolutely solid for me. If Constructor ever comes out, I'll consider it on it's merits. I figure I'll have paid $80 for a year of using 3DWS instead of Quark if Constructor arrives within 6 mos. ( assuming it does at all ). For me, it's worth it.

#4 Yea, that's what I'm thinking about doing because I really like how 3DWS is set up.

#5 Hopefully Constructor has taken some pointers from it...!

The only real beef I have with 3DWS (other than what I mentioned) is that your textures have to be present in their texture directory when you start up. So sometimes you have to restart a lot if you are experimenting with textures. A quibble, really.

A quibble, really, compared to having to stick all your textures into a WAD file!

#6 Have you looked at Deled?? It's a great modeler for dif objects.

#7 You know, that's the only one I don't have a fair amount of experience with. How does it compare with 3DWS?

I'm kinda past my interior-creation phase for the moment, but I'm sure it will be coming back....

#8 I've never used 3dws, so can't tell you there. Deled is the only modeler I've been able to somewhat sorta figure out.

#9 Let's see....I have used Deled, Hammer, 3DWS, Gamespace, Cartography Shop, and Quark. They all have pros and cons. I will tell you this, is that if you get errors... I usually have to use Quark to fix them. One, get a copy of Quark it's free. I still use Quark 6.3 from the book " 3D Game Programming All In One". 3DWS is the newer version of Cartography Shop. Cartography Shop you have to purchase a .dif exporter to export, but works real nice. Deled you have to purchase a .dif exporter as well. Gamespace comes with a plugin for exporting .dif, but you also can use it to create dts files (dts exporter included).

Here is a link that you take should look at. It is a chart on all the current dif exporters and their costs.

I use 3DWS for creating things, but I use an older version 5.43. (For reasons why I use an older version I will not get into here). I use Quark 6.3 to fix errors or to add things that 3DWS can't do.

The main thing is to try out all the programs and see what you like using. No one here knows exactly what program you feel comfortable using but yourself. Take the time and try out the demos. Look at what your budget can afford. Maybe by then Constructor may be out or have a release date.