The Q2DP maintains a set of documents, in an attempt to separate information and make it easier to access, download, and update. However, there is a certain amount of overlap, and some issues are closely related. The current collection includes:
You are currently working your way through the first one, which is an About document and the top level document hosting the collection.
This document lists the syntax of the Quake 2 MAP files, and is thus a reference for everybody working on level editing tools, including editors and processing utilities. It will also refer to QE4 editor sources and id's Q2 utilities as necessary to explain the parsing and storage of the MAP data structure. It will also list the way entities, hint brushes, and other stuff is handled. It lists reference coordinate systems, units and such.
Status: n/a.
This describes QE4, BSP/PVS/PHS processing, the various approaches to create illumination textures aka lightmaps, e.g. by raycasting and radiosity.
Status: n/a.
This lists the files generated by the various editing and processing tools, as used by the engine. This means BSP, WAD2, WAL, MD2 and so on.
Status: n/a.
This is a unified description of both the demo recording and the Q2 network protocol, as both are closely related.
Status: n/a.
This is supposed to become a concise description of how the client-server mechanism works, starting by booting each, file access, and connection, proceeding to use of the network protocol as described above during joining, and playing.
Status: Draft.
This is supposed to be a reference linking into the Game Subsystem source, annotating the source code, and explaining the interaction between server process and game subsystem. This should be the reference for all MOD authors.
Status: Sample.
This describes the details of the refresh library as known, that is source fragments as the headers posted, list of OpenGL commands as retrieved from the 3Dfx mini driver, differences between software and OpenGL renderer, and how special effects like the underwater warping are done.
This document might become useful if any editor or tool ever wants to use the Q2 refresh library for rendering.
Status: info from mini driver reference page and Kekoas QDP document on warping.
Client and server specific interaction, console commands, other stuff. Not all of this is part of the Game DLL, os it might warrant a separate document. Installation details might also end up here.
Status: n/a.
This document will list background information as useful with respect to Quake 2, but not always directly related. This will include bookmarks referring you to USENET and mailing list groups, archives and FAQ's, to web sites, to online copies of SIGGRAPH articles, PhD thesises, and other publications. It will refer you to sources and articles as published in Dr. Dobbs Journal and Game Developer Magazine, and list books and recommended readings.
This is the Q2DP's global glossary. Throughout the documents in our collection, we often refer to certain concepts, or use certain acronyms to make life easier for us, the writers. However, you might not know all of the common ones, and you will not know the ones we introduced. So here is the glossary with short, sometimes terse descriptions of what hides being a certain concept.
Status: Sample.
The maintainer will always try to process all contributions send in as soon as possible. However, in many cases this might not be possible, e.g. because
To increase the efficiency of the Q2DP, we introduce
a Supplement, to which all submissions that are not
processed immediately are simply added, includig
the contributors name, e-mail, and the date. If
necssary, this can be done automatically by creating
e.g. a q2dp-submissions@gamers.org e-mail
address, and a hypermail archive to which the
supplement will refer you.
The Supplement thus also serves as Errata document, listing corrections as soon as possible to prevent waste of time and effort because of a mistake in the collection. It is also a What's New of the Q2DP, along with the ChangeLog kept by the maintainer.
If you are looking for an area to research, experiments needing to be done, contributions direly needed, this is the place to look at. It is the Q2DP's TODO, and will list all areas that we deem important, the FAQ's raised but not yet answered, the mysteries waiting to be solved, and the submission that were never confirmed despite several attempts, and where finally moved from the Supplement into the more dubious realms of Open Questions.