Revision 1:  11/05/98
Revision 2:  02/23/99


Title			: Alpha's Eclectic Collection

Filename(s)		: eclectic.bsp
			  
			  arena.cfg (modified with addition of 
			  eclctic.bsp settings for all 8 arenas, 
			  server operators, feel free to cut and 
			  paste, modify, or use this .cfg)

			  *Note* This multi-arena was also tested
			         with the normal (popular) settings found on
				 most ra2 servers (e.g. 100 health,
				 100 armor, no self hurt for armor or health)
				 and they were just as fun but definately 
				 more strategic and slightly longer matches. 

				 I know that the popular settings are the "fun"
				 settings but if you try being a rocketjumping 
				 monkey on most of my maps, you are nothing but 
				 a big flying skeet waiting for a rail hit ;)

			         I will let server admins decide on their own settings,
				 but when I personally play these maps, its fall 
				 damage on, health and armor damage on, but thats 
				 just me I guess ;)
					
Author			: David M. Mertz

Nicknames		: Alpha_Male
	  	          ]km[Alpha_Male	
  	                  [R2]Alpha_Male

Version                 : v1.0

Email Address/Contact   : dmertz@vt.edu
			
IRC		 	: Gamesnet: #clan_knightmare #rangers

Home Page		: (none yet) 


Other levels/projects
by author               : Quake 1:

			  Co-Author on Tribute: Quake Rocket Arena Map Pack 
			  In the Tribute Map Pack, I did the following maps: 
				1: The Caldera (caldera.bsp)
			        2: The Quarry  (quarry.bsp)
				3: Launch Silo (silo.bsp) 
			        4: The Grotto  (grotto.bsp)
				5: Ribcage     (ribcage.bsp)

			  Quake 2:

			  Torn Apart 3: Betrayal At Stroggos Movie Set 									  (ta3_set.bsp)
		
			  Against the Flow (against.bsp, Quake 2 DM)

			  The Proving Grounds (ra2map13.bsp, Official Rocket 								  Arena 2 Multiarena Level which was also 									  published on the Activision and id 							      			  Commercial CD-ROM, Quake 2 Netpack 1: 						      			  Extremities)
				
				1: Against the Flow - RA2
				2: Rib Cage
				3: Arena M I
				4: Over Pass
					
			  Alpha's Eclectic Collection (eclctic.bsp, Quake 2 
      			  Rocket Arena 2)

Description		: A multi-arena for Rocket Arena 2 which is an experiment in 
			  simplistic and minimalistic architecture while offering a 
			  unique game play experience.  I wanted to do 
			  something fun and relaxing after the more complex "Against
 			  the Flow" level and other projects.  Emphasis on uniqueness 
			  and bright brilliant colors was part of the experiment.  
			  Also, as opposed to my ra2map13 "The Proving Grounds", I made sure
			  to have some close combat maps along with some long to 
			  medium range fighting maps which dominated ra2map13.bsp 
			  unintentionally due to the fact that I had to cut many arena
		          maps out of ra2map13 due to the .bsp restrictions on various 
			  variables.					   
			  			   
			  After a lot of requests, and my personal fondness for these maps, I 
			  managed to include the Quake 2 versions of the The Caldera 
			  and The Grotto from the original Tribute: Quake Rocket Arena 
			  Map Pack.  Some of these maps are over a year old as of this
			  writing, and while they represent very early work from 	
			  myself, they are still fun and have retained their uniqueness.  
			  This multi-arena was originally offered for judging for possible 
			  inclusion in the Rocket Arena 2 official release, but the 
			  level was submitted late and there were some unforseen entity 
			  problems, etc.  
			
			  The whole level has sat on my hdd for over 3 months and with 
			  my Quake 2 editing coming to a close, and the upcoming Quake 3 
			  Arena, I decided to revisit the map and use some of the 
			  diagnostic tools that are available to me now that were not 
			  back when the level was first created.  No sense in letting 
			  a perfectly good level lay around doing nothing ;) 

		Included Arenas: 8 Arenas Total = 1 Pickup and 7 Dueling Arenas:

			  The Coolant Bed (Pickup Teamplay Map):

			  A techno-themed pick up map that is a railgunners dream.  Catwalks, 
			  ramps, unique locations to help with reference and communication for 
			  team games, and lower water for those fun underwater fights.

			  No Contact I:

			  The most basic of the No Contact Series of 1 on 1 arenas offering a 
			  unique twist on Rocket Arena 2 gameplay. These maps should bring 
			  back memories for some of you old school coin op arcade buffs ;)
			  A map where each player stands off and are never brought into close range.  	
			  Separated by a force field, and a more forgiving fate if you fall off the 
			  platforms then the grandfather of these maps offered, its a true test of 
			  lateral movement, prediction and aim.

			  No Contact II:

			  A twist on No Contact I, moving platforms to make things a bit more 
			  interesting.

			  No Contact III:

			  The skill level is upped a notch with not only moving platforms, but 
			  center barriers moving in several configurations.
	
			  No Contact IV:
				 
			  Same as No Contact III but with no moving platforms.


			  TransLev:
				
		 	  Three color coded levels with 33% transparent tinted glass floors with 
			  corresponding color coded teleporters at the bottom.  The teleports take 
			  you up and opposite of your current position to give you that surprise 
			  advantage when your opponent is bearing down.
		     
			  While you may think you have the advantage at the top, you have to look 
			  through 3 levels of 33% transparent glass and you realize that blocks your
		          visibility to your opponent.  Of course, your oppoent is at the bottom 
			  hiding in the blind spot with a railgun waiting for your head to peak 
			  over the edge ;)

			    
			  The Grotto:
		
			  The Quake 2 version of the original Quake Rocket Arena Map that appeared in
			  the Tribute: Quake Rocket Arena Map Pack.  This in your face dueling map 
			  makes its return using the wonders of Quake 2 colored lighting!  A great
			  map for those that like in your face fights with no elevation changes.

			  The Caldera:
			
			  Another Quake 2 conversion from the Tribute: Quake Rocket Arena Map Pack.
			  This map was really popular and I got a ton of requests to make its Quake 2
			  equivalent, so here it is!  A great map for all styles from the 
			  railgunners and rocket launcher guys, to the in close and maneurvering 
			  player....just be careful of the lava :) I have to admit the colored 
		          lighting and my new custom sky does this level justice :)  
			  

Additional Credits 	: Id software for making such amazing games and technology
			  
			  Zoid for his technical information on my "no free edicts" errors.
	
		          Ben Morris for World Craft

 			  All the Authors of the programs mentioned and utilities 
			  used in the making of this level.	 

			  David "crt" Wright for making such an enjoyable Quake 2 mod.

=================================================================================


* Play Information *

Game/Modification 	: Quake 2 Rocket Arena 2
Single Player 		: NO
Cooperative     	: NO  
Deathmatch         	: YES (That's what Rocket Arena is all about!)
Difficulty Settings 	: NO

3D Accelerated Graphics	: OPTIONAL (But damn the colored lighting look so much                     
  			  better ;)

CD Music Implemented 	: YES (Quake 2 CD Track 6)
New Sounds 		: NO
New Graphics 		: YES  

		          New Environment Map: volc_* created by David "Alpha_Male" Mertz
                                              

Demos Replaced 		: NO


* Construction *

Base                	: New level from scratch
Build Time 	        : A lot
Level Editors Used 	: World Craft 1.6a Full Retail Version
                          QERadiant (Various Builds)
			  Notepad
			  Wordpad

Compiling Utilities 	: QBSP Compiler used: qbsp3.exe (Geoffrey DeWan variant) v1.051
		          	 
		          QVIS Compiler used: qvis3.exe (Geoffrey DeWan variant) v1.02
			   	 
			  QRAD Compiler used: Arghrad.exe (Tim Wright qrad3 variant) v2.0
             				
			  MapSpy v0.07
			

Additional Software 
Used			: Photoshop 5.x
			  Sky Paint Plugin
			  Paintshop Pro 5 (Trial Version)
			  Wally 1.x
			  
			  	

Computers/Hardware 	: 200 MMX, 64 MB RAM, Monster 3D Voodoo 1 4 mb Graphics 
  Card
			  P2 450 MHZ, 256 mb PC100 SDRAM, Canopus Spectra 2500              
    	  	          AGP 16 mb TNT

Compile Time		: 3 Hours total 

Known Bugs 		: Some testers reported visual anomolies on surfaces with 
			  transparent textures.  I believe this is just due to the 
			  mesh that software creates to simulate transparent textures.  
			  No such anomolies appeared in 3D Accelerated modes.  

			  The "no free edicts" error which caused problems in the original
			  version of this level (which was never released to the public) 
			  and caused server shutdown has not appeared since the map was 
			  re-evaluated and repaired by cutting out a lot of entities, especially
			  those entities which used more than 1 edict and were not necessary.  

			  The testers stress tested the map trying to create as many edicts as 
			  possible simultaneously by putting as many rockets, hyperblaster shots, 
			  grenades and gibs in the air as possible. :) 

================================================================================

* Installation and Level Use *

*NOTE* Most of these maps were created pre-TNT based video cards.  Therefore, some of 
the maps may be a tad dark.  Maps like No Contact are meant to be darker due to the "neon"
blue themes inherent but not so dark as to impede gameplay.    I have revisited the 
maps and made sure to adjust lighting in some cases to try and reach a compromise.  
Since most players really crank up their gamma anyways, it might not matter, but it
is important to me that most people realize that voodoo based chipsets display scenes
brighter then the TNT in opengl mode does.  Basically, I just dont want you all to think
I have no clue how to do lighting :) 

1)  Take this pak4.pak and put it in your Quake2/arena/ directory.  If you already have
    a pak4.pak just rename it to the next number in your pak series. (e.g. If you have   
    pak4.pak, rename this new pak4.pak pak file to pak5.pak)  If you do not have a pak2,             
    pak3, or pak4, please make sure to renumber this pak to the next number in your pak 
    series.
    
    This pak file contains the multiarena map and the 24 bit and 8 bit versions of the 
    custom sky.

2)  Run Quake 2 with the +set game arena command line parameter, or from the Quake 2
    console type "game arena" 

    *Note* If you are a server admin, I have included an 
    arena.cfg with eclectic settings added.  Server admins please fell free to use this 
    config file, or you can just cut and paste these settings.  Of course, make sure 
    that the new arena.cfg is in the proper directories. 
    (e.g. quake2/arena/ and/or quake2/arena/server)

3)  Type "map eclectic" at the Quake 2 console to view the map, or just join 
    a RA2 server running the map.

4)  Like I said, this multiarena is an experiment.  It is vastly different from
    "The Proving Grounds" ra2map13.bsp.  I hope you enjoy my experiment :)  I
    know that myself and the testers had an absolute blast and we tried a multitude of 
    settings!

    Have fun and and good hunting!!!

================================================================================

* Additional Comments/Thanks *

Thanks to the gaming community for their nice compliments and support.

Thanks to my friends and family for their continued support.

Special thanks to all those that contributed to the testing of this level.

Special thanks to John Faulkenbury for his continued friendship and support and being the 
sounding board for my game design ideas.

Special Thanks to my roommate Ed "[TrF]Shockwave" Hertling for some cpu compiling time 
and for his play testing and suggestions.

Thanks to The Ranger Clan and Clan Knightmare for their continued support and friendship.

================================================================================

* Copyrights / Permissions *


No one is allowed to commercially exploit this level such as the inclusion of this project on CD-ROM and/or any other electronic media that is sold for profit without permission from the content author(s). 

You MAY distribute this project for non-profit uses through any electronic network provided you include this file, all associated files and leave the original organization of the project in tact. 

You may NOT use this level as a base for building other levels.

You may NOT reverse engineer this .bsp file in anyway such as converting it into a .map file.  

This multi-arena was completed to appease the Hoonis.

All other commercial symbols, names, proprietary software is property of their respective owners and legal restrictions apply.

Quake 2 is Copyright (c) 1997 by ID Software Inc.  All rights reserved.
The Quake 2 logo and likeness are trademarks of ID Software Inc.
