You've seen the cool mods that other developers have created for games like Quake. Now you're ready to try it for yourself. All you need to dive in and start designing is a copy of Quake III, a creative idea, and this book! Master the fundamental skills you'll need as you start with the basics of mod development and Quake III weapons programming. Then move on to code interaction as you begin to alter the user interface. Step into the ranks of true mod developer as you examine the development of a custom mod and cover ideas for future enhancements. Get ready to put your ideas into action!
This guide gives you the opportunity to expand the functionality and playability of the existing game without having to write a 3D engine. Accompanying CD contains all source code freeware and shareware tools, and a full range of models, textures, and levels to support the development of the mod. Softcover.
This is my first book, and it was both challenging and a constant learning process from start to finish. Because of the unusual circumstances that led to my becoming the author, I have many important people to thank; without them I surely wouldn’t have been able to pull this off. The first of these people are Emi Smith and Estelle Manticas, two patient ladies who held my hand as I stumbled blindly.
Many of the tutorials in this book are based on the hard work of dedicated Quake III Arena fans, who took their own personal time to write up what they had discovered. My thanks go to Chris Hilton, Karl Pauls, Arthur "Calrathan" Tomlin, and Ian "HypoThermia" Jefferies at Code3Arena for their extensive help and knowledge. As well, thanks to my favorite 3D modeler and friend Dave Wolfe for his contribution in the modeling department. My passion for C programming would not exist if it weren’t for the support of Dave Sausville, and so I have him to thank as well. I need to thank Thaxton Beesely, too, for it was his laptop on which a great deal of this book was written.
Special thanks go to Robi Sen, my technical editor, for believing in me enough to get me on this project. Jared Larsen provided detailed information on Q3’s code, shaders, and wrote the Flag Indicator & Dynamic Spawn generating functions (all after having just welcomed a baby!), so thanks very much to him. Also, special thanks to Anthony Jacques, for providing the source to his "Domination" mod for Q3, which formed the basis of the Defend the Flag modification, handled in the last section of this book. Thanks also go to the team back at Breckenridge Communications, who dared me to write a book.
And finally, thanks especially to my wife, Julie, for her support and patience during this exciting and unpredictable project.
About the Author
Shawn Holmes first tinkered with an Apple computer in 1985 and write his first game for a Computer Science project in 1990. Today, he is Senior Programmer at Breckinridge Communications in Denver, Colorado. Shawn has played a role in several game modifications. In 1999, his Decay! mod for Heretic II was named "Mod of the Month" by the Australian gaming magazine PC Powerplay.
