Func_Msgboard: Will JACK Do The Trick?

Posted by WeeGee9000 on 2022/01/31 02:20:41

Hi there,
I've been wanting to go back into making maps. It's been at least 10 years since I last mapped for Quake and a lot of things happened since then, mainly the game getting an official update and new tools being released.

I used to map with WorldCraft. Do people still use it?

From what I found thru searching, people now use Trenchbroom, which is not what I want to use since it doesn't have a quad-view. On the other hand theres JACK, which (from what I understood), is a sort of updated WorldCraft, but it costs money.

Is JACK going to work for someone like me who is used to using WorldCraft/Hammer? How hard is it to set JACK up with the current version of Quake? (what I mean is that I want to be able to take advantage of everything the Steam version has right now, including the new enemies, weapons, colored lightmaps, etc).

And how important is it that I take into account other source ports when mapping? Do people still use different source ports now that the game has been updated?

Also I should leave this for later, but I'm also wondering how easy it is to assign custom music to my maps later down the road.

#1 posted by Text_Fish on 2022/01/31 10:56:55

J.A.C.K is solid and anybody with experience in Worldcraft or Hammer will be able to jump straight in without a life jacket. It's got decent documentation if you do find yourself in need of help. There are downsides, most notably that the developers don't seem that interested in keeping up with changes in the Quake community, so there are some Quake features now considered fairly "standard" that can be tricky in J.A.C.K, such as using custom models/props or mapping for mods like Arcane Dimensions whose latest FGD only works in Trenchbroom.

If you just want to noodle around in Quake mapping for pleasure or nostalgia J.A.C.K will be fine, but if you have some grand design in mind you might be better off learning Trenchbroom. DumptruckDS has a good Trenchbroom tutorial series on youtube, and as far as I understand you can use quadview if you prefer.

#2 posted by mankrip on 2022/01/31 15:59:51

JACK is good, and there's a free version in the official website. The Steam version is a little more improved, but the free version is also good.

Dumptruck's YouTube channel is here.

Do people still use different source ports now that the game has been updated?

Yes, mainly QuakeSpasm and its forks. And some mods require specific engines such as Darkplaces.

For Me

#3 posted by ijed on 2022/01/31 17:19:14

I came from WC to Trenchbroom without problems. The orthagonal view is weird at first but the 3D grid works fine and in many cases allows more freedom and faster building.

Jack was ok, but TB overall has a cleaner, more modern interface. Nothing against old school (quite the opposite) but TB is easier for me, after a very short learning period.

#4 posted by h4724 on 2022/01/31 22:27:38

You can get a 4-pane view in TrenchBroom, there's just not much point when almost everything can be done faster and more easily in the 3D viewport. Well worth learning IMO.

You shouldn't have much problem with source ports if you make sure your map supports QuakeSpasm, since all of the most commonly used ones are based on that, but it's still worth testing in others.

I Still Use Worldcraft

#5 posted by RickyT33 on 2022/02/01 10:57:55

And I am limited by not having some of the powerful functions that Trenchbroom has. And yes - you can enable 4 pane view in the preferences, under the View tab I think. Down-side is that the 3 2D views all zoom together, which is a little jarring when you are used to them being independent.
Pick up the 'Broom. You can almost move the 3D camera like Worldcraft, you can drag Mouse3 and Mouse2, and use the mouse wheel to move forward and backwards.
Here are some cool vids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjzYKGm_DQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E27I6JCn9jw

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