I've been trying to figure out how to set a new line of text in a message lately but can't seem to get it to work. It appears that in id's maps they use a backslash followed by the letter n to do just this, but whenever I try it it doesn't work, and it just shows the command being written in the message in game. What gives? 

you're using TrenchBroom 2 RC3 right?

It's a bug in TrenchBroom. Not much you can do at the moment because they get converted to \\n whenever you save, though I guess you can open the .map in a text editor and find/replace \\n with \n before compiling. 

Yup, TB2 RC3. I didn't know it was a bug, thanks for shedding some light on this issue though. I'll try what you suggested. 

Anyone know of a good 'pile-of-skulls/bones' texture? 

skulls2 from februus 

Maybe also floorskull1 as used in ad_necrokeep (don't know where it's from originally). 

Here's something that wakes up a grunt, e1m3-style.

Quaketastic download: http://www.quaketastic.com/files/misc/hcmnstrtest.zip 

However, you can't play the level until info_player_start is in it. 

Alternatively, you could try this.

Quaketastic download: http://www.quaketastic.com/files/misc/hcmnstrtestips.zip 

...You get the "no info_player_start" nonetheless until it's fixed. 

I'm guilty of commenting too many times in any single thread within the span of 1 hour, but thankfully hcmnstertestips is fixed. 

Is there any way to deal with the double line of mortar that occurs if you use brick textures on large walls due to the edges of each 64*64 texture meeting? The only thing that comes to mind is clipping one row of pixels from the texture but I was hoping there was an option in-editor for this at seems like it would be a common problem 

Absolutely not. Quake's wad texture art cannot be procedurally modified like that, either in editor, at compile, or in-game. You'll simply have to make a new texture that just has a 1 pixel mortar line. 

What's the problem it's causing? 

most decent brick textures should tile properly without a double-thick mortar line. 

I assumed you are talking about quake's stock textures. If you're just using a poorly tiled custom texture then I can see how that would be pants. 

@Kinn
It's just an eyesore having double lines of mortar at regular intervals on brick walls, but it's a minor issue so i'll finish the map before looking into it.

Moving on, how can I include custom models in my map, I was able to modify the .fgd file for Trenchbroom and place the models but Quakespasm complains that there's no spawn function for the entities. 

Is it a custom texture? Sorry to be a pain, but any chance you could post a screenshot? 

No problem: https://s3.postimg.org/xxphtyncj/spasm0000.png 

To get custom .mdl files (things like trees, etc.) in to a map, one way is to run the map under a mod like AD or Quoth. Both of these have entities (AD's misc_model and Quoth's mapobject_custom) for this. 

So would that simply entail using the .fgd or .def file included with AD and then running the map under AD? 

*using the .fgd or .def file included with AD with trenchbroom. 

Ah, right - wbrick1_2 from rogue.

I've made a fixed version for you which you can download as a .wad here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B74rZcw0hvZpT0dOSzZCN0JlNWs