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Quake 1024 Christmas Jam Released
The 1024 Quake Christmas Jam is upon us. Twenty-one maps of compressed Arcane Dimensions goodness.

Download it here: http://www.quaketastic.com/files/single_player/mods/xmasjam2018.zip

Jam Poster: https://imgur.com/a/pf7ZwwP

The Lineup:

Wintry Advent by Bal and Ionous
Entering the City of Pale by Bal
Train Station Infiltration by Ing
Shadow and Flame by Ionous
Abyssal Nimiety by Ish
Surrounded by Ish and Rhoq
Airgapped by JCR
Fully Integrated by JCR
Coal in your Socks! by Krampus
You see me, you a stranger. I see you, I see danger by Naitelveni
Hall of Shards by Pinchy Skree
Gift of the Boxlord by Qmaster
Cop Speed Gentlemen by Qmaster
Aftermath by Queenjazz
NoQuarter by Scampie
Chapel Perilous by Shambler
Moonlit Keep by Shotro
A Christmas Romp by Spipper
A Crooked Clergy by Strideh
Mutagenesis by Strideh
Frozen Demise by Bloodshot
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Final Stream 
Finished playing all the maps on stream just now, also did a kind of quick post-mortem on mine while I was at it.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/349921664

Was a great pack overall, so many cool maps. I'm still in love with Spipper's christmas experience, and Strideh's second gorgeous map.
Also thanks for all the kind words on my map! 
@Qmaster 
One more thing - your maps would have benefitted tremendously from using (a lot) more ambient sounds, even just the Quake sky ambience. 
 
xmasjam2018_bal 5
xmasjam2018_bloodshot 5
xmasjam2018_ing 3
xmasjam2018_ionous 4
xmasjam2018_ish 2
xmasjam2018_ishrhoq 3
xmasjam2018_jcr1 3
xmasjam2018_jcr2 4
xmasjam2018_krampus 3
xmasjam2018_naitelveni 3
xmasjam2018_negke 4
xmasjam2018_pinchy 3
xmasjam2018_qmaster1 3
xmasjam2018_qmaster2 3
xmasjam2018_queenjazz 3
xmasjam2018_scampie 4
xmasjam2018_sham 4
xmasjam2018_shotro 2
xmasjam2018_spipper 4
xmasjam2018_strideh 4
xmasjam2018_strideh2 4 
 
*evile growling voice* S̡͠҉̲͈ͅh̢̻̟̠̜̀a̮̪̠͇̫͞ḑ̸̹̦̝̕ͅo̸͕̗̼̦̪͙ẁ͍̤̺̰̪ ̸̢̭̫̪̦̞̟̕a̫̯̗̘͕͝n͏̛̣̗͓͚d̛̙̻̺̯̦̺̥̻̕͡ ̡̙̤̕F̠̲͖̫͈̬͢͡͝l̸̫͖͔̝̖̗̝̦a̗͔̰̟̕͢͡m̢̡̛͍͚̗̯̹̮̖̯̦ȩ͇͉̭̯̕ͅ!̧͎̭͕̻̤̖̕!̛̮̲̬̮͜!̧̹̹̠̖̮̮͚̝̘͘!͏̶͙̹ by Ionous


I'll have to eat crow for something I haven't even physically said yet. When I first saw screenshots of this map (in usual ionous fashion i.e. a high resolution of 1024x768), I wasn't actually very enthused by how the map appeared - I thought the colors were clashing and the whole thing was a bit too derived off Firetop Mountain.

So of course as soon as I loaded the map and took a few steps, I realised that I was a big doodoohead to ever doubt the ionous.

Obviously there are still shades of Firetop, but the architecture is chunkier, the metal is more prominent and more colorful, the fog is thick and sulfury, and the ceilings are ornate and intricate, all of which makes the map stand well on its own.

As was the case with Qmaster's both entries, though, the near absolute silence made the map a little unatmospheric, which was a shame.

In terms of reusing the space and fitting within the xmas jam limits, this map is a clear winner so far - Shambler managed to fit a Warp Spasm map within the 1024 cube, which is admirable but this map is a lot more elegant, and barely feels like it was anyhow constrained. It's not quite as tightly packed as the 2017 ionous map, but it's still a full size Q1SP.

And what a fun Q1SP it is, too. I played on Normal so I didn't experience any of the previously reported overcrowding and/or ammo starvation - the only "horde" was the big flock of lost souls up top, and that was easy to take care of with my shotguns. (I wouldn't have minded getting some other weapons than just shotguns, though...) If anything, this map helped me realise that there's still hope for me and AD to get along!

The trademark ionous secrets are here too, of course, tantalising and plentiful alike. I managed to hunt down a total of 5 in my demos, found one more while hopelessly noclipping later, and am completely dumbfounded with the last one. At least I found the one that's the most traditional of them all, and it did not disappoint.

The boss battle caught me by total surprise, while I really should have seen it coming. I think a more peaceful denouement than a Firelord at the exit would have been appropiate, though - unlike in real life, one climax is just enough ;-)

Basically, an excellent map, and a hell of a ionous Q1SP to cap of a year full of ionous Q1SPs. Thanks for making it! 
PS. 
I found it interesting how this failed-SM185-entry-cum-xmasjam-map was named Shadow and Flame - my own SM185 entry was titled "Forged in Flames" before I realised I could make the map a brief encyclopedia of the denizens of Quake. 
PPS. 
Since when does AD actually have the Death Brigade from Quoth?!

All that we need know is the Polyp and the Gug and we can get rolling! 
Short Comments 
A Christmas Romp
Small, but very interesting. I liked solving puzzles, but not everything was obvious the first time. A wagon with demons looks cute :)

Hall of Shards
Too simple, but thanks :)

Chapel Perilous
Very cool! I liked the sound atmosphere. But most of all I liked a lot of moves. The map was linear, but due to the fact that I had to constantly raise and lower somewhere, I completely ceased to realize where I was. Very cool done.

A Crooked Clergy
Beautiful and atmospheric. I liked the detailing.

Aftermath
Some incredible jumble of metal. It was interesting, but too short

Airgapped
I liked it. Detailed. For a while I ran around in circles for a long time, not understanding what to do. In the end, I found the buttons that I needed to shoot. But even after destroying all the monsters, I unfortunately did not find a way out. And I broke everything that could break :)



Shadow and Flame
Interesting architecture, interesting gameplay, a lot of unexpected moments, it was fun.

Gift of the Boxlord
Beautiful architecture and beautiful game. I was very careful. I had to move in small steps. :)

Train Station Infiltration
Simple enough architecture and a tough fight. Not enough beprivopasov. I tried to go several times, but not always successfully.

Moonlit Keep
I could not pass the map, because there are a lot of mistakes. In one place I closed myself. I tried to start over and go the other way. I managed to pass this place, but then I closed myself in another place and could not get out. In the end, I stopped trying again.

Surrounded
Good but too short

NoQuarter
Good performance. I liked the template idea. Good gameplay. There were some interesting solutions.

Fully Integrated
I liked it. Technologically. Small but nice



Cop Speed Gentlemen
Simple enough, but good gameplay. Feature: a lot of knights, but they were not very effective.

Abyssal Nimiety
For several attempts, I could not go far. Perhaps it was necessary to choose some other strategy. The space was too closed. There were several places where it was impossible to pass without loss. And the ammunition was not enough in my opinion.

You see me, you a stranger. I see you, I see danger
Not great, but very pleasant. I liked the detailing. Perhaps in the end it was necessary to put a stronger monster. I played at level 1.

Mutagenesis
Technological. Good detail. The gameplay was good. The last arena was a bit complicated, but that was her interest.

Coal in your Socks!
Nice, nice map. I liked the secret areas. Creation of a full lock of secrets was created.

Frozen Demise
Real winter, good atmosphere.

Entering the City of Pale
Awesome atmosphere! Good details! Interesting gameplay. Many different passages, but they did not allow to get lost.


Doomic Recycling
Good Doom style map. It is a pity that there were no secrets 
 
Short on time tonight, so here's 3 quick ones.

Aftermath by Queenjazz

I've played this one before of course, but not with the lower gravity (which was a good addition if I dare say so myself). Very interesting theme, must have been more annoying to put together than it seems. I think that a full map in this theme, with several of these kinds of "stations" floating in the void, would be probably a real treat.

Surrounded by Ish and Rhoq

A collaboration, pretty cute. This time round the layout wasn't as interesting as ish's other offerings, but it was still decent, and rather nicely populated. Not sure what was the deal with all the pushables, seems like they were more for decoration than something functional, unless I missed something obvious.

Train Station Infiltration by Ing

Sorry, didn't really like this, instant death traps and being forced to use no ammo isn't my idea of fun. There already are other mods that explore the idea of stealth in Quake and they're much better at it. It's a shame since the actual train station map idea is interesting. 
 
There were some breakables that if broken keep you from getting up to the key without the pushable. Its a sub-puzzle. Only necessary if you, like me, shoot all crates, barrels, wood, windows, globes, red things, Q symbols, and demons. 
 
Airgapped and Fully Integrated by JCR

The zip is twice as big as my other ones combined, nice.

I liked this pair of maps, both were really pretty (save for some minor misaligned textures) and seemed to flow into eachother well, as both used the Rubicon 2 texture set rather extensively, with similar characteristics.

Both were pretty hardcore gameplay wise, even on skill 1, but nothing that was overly difficult or unfair. After what was way too many axe starts, I enjoyed that both maps gave me heavy weaponry relatively early on - it made for a nice change of pace, and opened up some different gameplay possibilities.

Map 1 was off to an interesting start, and was very interesting looking, but to be fair I wasn't a big fan of the layout, the progression was done nicely but it felt like I was moving across a box rather than a real place.

I remembered little of map 2, despite having tested it, so some of it was a nice surprise. This time the warehouse/military base justified the somewhat boxy layout, and I felt it was more interesting than map 1. Really liked the sinister "story" of this one.

Are these two maps meant to form a coherent unit together? It felt that way when I played both in a row.

Good work overall! 
New Promo Image For Bal's Map.... 
 
Wow. Even with an HD texture pak it still looks good. 
 
Hall of Shards by Pinchy Skree

A late write-up to a demo I recorded two days ago, so apologies for not remembering too many details.

A decent mix between a classic Quake map and one that is totally off the rails, with all the unique detailing that I appreciated (but not necessarily liked). Definitely felt like the most lived-in map from the jam together with Bal's, but for different reasons entirely. Big props for using the more obscure textures like the marble walls and the ornate carpets.

The layout could have been more interesting (the top floor was decent, despite being just 3 rooms, while the bottom felt like a box was placed first and then bits were added) but the progression through it was fun. I never want to fight another spider or scorpion in AD again, though.

Nice map overall! 
@Qmaster 
I noticed that your map "Gift of the Boxlord" has a line in the bsp where it says:
"_texpart_sky_xsnow" "fte_weather.tex_skysnow"

but there is no snow falling from the sky, even when i write r_particledesc fte_weather or r_particledesc weather on the console :(

I'm using the last version of quakespasm-spiked-win64, but i also tested it with Mark V and quakespasm 0.93

Is there something that i have to write on the console to make it work?

Thanks! 
XMAS Jam 2018 Part 2! 
Here's Part 2! This episode finishes up the final maps within the pack.

https://youtu.be/2oCtxQzcCMA

Here is the list of maps in this episode, again sorry, list is not in order:

Shadow and Flame by Ionous
Abyssal Nimiety by Ish
Surrounded by Ish and Rhoq
Coal in your Socks! by Krampus
You see me, you a stranger. I see you, I see danger by Naitelveni
Gift of the Boxlord by Qmaster
Cop Speed Gentlemen by Qmaster
NoQuarter by Scampie
Chapel Perilous by Shambler
Moonlit Keep by Shotro
Frozen Demise by Bloodshot

Overall amazing pack! I can't believe we have another 5-6 hours of Quake we can play here (for free!) and the majority of what is in here is good! There are a few maps that I was not the biggest fan of and you'll hear my thoughts on those when I play them. To those people I say, please don't give up and don't take the criticism to heart, just keep working your craft and you'll get there. ;)

Merry Quakemas all! 
 
I'm not sure how to get the snow working myself actually. I slapped that line in there because ionous said that was what was needed for snowy maps to have snow effect....oh well. 
 
For Qmasters map I believe it should be adjusted to this:

"_texpart_SKY003" "fte_weather.tex_skysnow"

Which translate to this:

"_texpart_(your standard 2D sky's name)" "fte_weather.tex_skysnow"

Since he didn't USE "sky_xsnow", his 2D sky's name is SKY003, nothing happens.

At least that's what I think is going on. 
Additionally... 
"fte_weather.tex_skysnow" is the engine directive of what to display, hence:

"fte_weather.tex_skyrain" would be rain instead of snow.

hth's 
Lastly... 
Sorry for the triple posting on this but:

Using MarkV's "copy ents" console command plus Notepad2, I successfully created a "xmasjam2018_qmaster1.ent" file. Where you can change the incorrect Worldspawn key/value pair to:

"_texpart_SKY003" "fte_weather.tex_skysnow"

Then snow will fall in "Gift of the Boxlord"

HOWEVER, it will not be correct :( The snow particles lifespan is not long enough to reach the lower part of the map and so, it looks really odd ingame.

To correct this, I had to edit the "fte_weather.cfg" inside my "...xmasjam2018\particles\" folder and set "die", under section "r_part tex_skysnow", to "14". It is initially set to "8".

This of course has an effect on the whole pack and so may not really be a viable solution.

Wrapping up, I don't know if it's possible to set this on a per map basis in Worldspawn. If possible, the .ent file alone would resolve this without a recompile/release.

Anyways... just thought I'd let you guys know. 
 
A Christmas Romp by Spipper

About to have Xmas dinner so keeping this short.

Probably the funniest map from the pack, had me loling from the first time I saw a screenshot. I knew right away I'd have to wait to play this until the 24th.

The gameplay was fine, but a bit too many pushables than necessary, and that one blue Death Knight was a very harsh spike in difficulty.

I adored all the destructible detail like the boxes or the snowmen. The map pretty much ended up getting destroyed too, with lots of clever AD entity setups. The only way I'd improve this is if maybe the presents were actually a hollywood timebomb (since the family is already dead).

I didn't mind the music but after 2 minutes I ended up switching it off.

Only 1/5 secrets found, while some of the items I got I'd definitely have marked as secrets personally (like the mega in the basement).

Nice map overall! 
PS. 
Had to cheat twice, once because the chimney killed me when I was falling down with 1HP, the other because the Minotaur wouldn't stop spawning Imps infinitely. 
@Qmaster, @Tribal 
I figured it out!

http://www.quaketastic.com/files/misc/Gift%20of%20the%20Boxlord%20-%20SNOW%5Bent%2Bcfg%20files%5D.zip

Deposit that into your xmasjam2018 folder and you're set. 
 
Sweet! Thanks and Merry Christmas dumptruck! 
@damage_inc 
Thanks! You're awesome!! =D 
Map From The Poster 
Where is map from the poster? 
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