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Engine getting started

From Quake Wiki

Revision as of 15:49, 16 April 2013 by Baker5 (talk | contribs) (Editing your own Quake engine (2013))

Editing your own Quake engine (2013)

We are going to use FitzQuake Mark V's source code and Windows for this example as GLQuake's source code doesn't compile without many modifications.

What you need:

1. CodeBlocks + MinGW (75MB) or Visual Studio Express 2012 (5 GB). Both are free.

2. FitzQuake Mark V source code Decompress the source.zip included.

Visual Studio Express 2012: Open Fitzquake_Visual_Studio_2012.vcxproj and press F5 [or click Build->Build Solution] to compile + run.

CodeBlocks + MinGW: Open Fitzquake_CodeBlocks.cbp and press F9 (or click Build->Build and Run).

That's it, the Mark V source compiles out-of-the-box. There are engine tutorials here and an engine discussion forum here.

Editing your own Quake engine

  • Get MinGW or buy Visual C++
  • Dowload whatever you want engine sources
  • Suggestion:
    • CleanSrc Simple and most likely to fit with general information about the Quake engine.
    • TomazQuake (web) - Like CleanSrc it will fit with general information about engine development but with enhancements and extra features already added. Will build on Windows (Visual Studio).
    • QMB (web) (git) - Moving away from the standard source layout, originally based on CleanSrc. Will build on Unix and Windows (GMingW).
    • DarkPlaces (web) - One of the most comprehensive feature sets. Unlikely to fit with general information about Quake engines. Better suited to experienced programers who want the features it offers.
    • FuhQuake (web) - Great starting point for QuakeWorld
  • Unzip
  • Open the *.dsw file (VC++) or the makefile (gcc/MinGW)
  • Edit some files (VC IDE, Dev-C++ ide, SciTE, notepad,...)
  • Recompile ( VC: build button, "make" command for gcc/mingw)
  • If the build failed...
    • Use your project *.s files? -> then you have to build these with Gas, also included often. Or remove these and substitute by c
    • Is your project for another compiler? (Darkplaces compiles on both Visual C and GCC for example, but some others only compile for Visual C)
    • Ask at Inside3D
  • Test Engine

Understanding the code structure

This is a list of source files and a list of some of the things done in them.

  • cl_ - client files (demo playback, input, temp entities)
    • _demo - demo playback
    • _input - keyboard input (higher level)
    • _main - assorted client functions
    • _parse - server command parsing
    • _tent - temp entitie parsing and beam parsing
  • sv_ - server files (physics, collision detection, movement)
    • _main - general server functions
    • _move - movement related functions like movestep and moretogoal
    • _phys - physics functions, gravity etc
    • _user - user/client related functions
  • net_ - network files
    • basicly convert quake client/server packets to be sent over a transport protocal like tcp or ipx, as well as network server/client stuff
  • pr_ - qc virtual machine (runs progs.dat)
    • _cmds - builtin commands
    • _exec - qc executing
    • _edict - loading progs.dat and other edict functions
  • gl_ - opengl drawing files
    • _rsurf - map and brush drawing
    • _warp - sky, water etc drawing
    • _mesh - alias model drawing
    • _model - map and model loading
    • _rlight - dynamic lights
    • _screen - statis bar, console etc drawing
    • _sprite - sprite drawing
    • _vidnt - video init functions, and other startup functions
    • _rmain, _rmisc - general draw stuff, cvar registering
    • _draw - texture loading
    • _rpart (for engines that dont use qmb partices its r_part.c or something) - Particle system, physics and drawing
  • snd_ and cd_ - sound files
  • and the rest are just bits and pieces, such as zone does memory managment
    • menu - drawing menu and stuff
    • sbar - sbar higher level drawing (calls functions from screen to do the actual drawing)
    • mathlib - assorted maths functions
    • wad - wad file loading
    • world - map stuff
    • console - console text control (calls functions from gl_screen to draw)
    • cvar - cvar functions
    • common - common low level functons (string compairs, file stuff)