This jam is now over. It ran from 2022-03-03 02:30:00 to 2022-05-01 16:34:00. View 3 entries

The idTech4 Map Jam

The Quake block-out map to be used during the jam.

PURPOSE

The idTech4 engine is a classic from 2004, but mapping and modding never quite took off for it like earlier id Software titles, or for games like the Half-Life series. We'd like to get people excited about making content for Doom 3 and idTech4 games in general, including possibly inventing their own standalone games with the RBDoom-3-BFG source port. To encourage this, Robert Beckbans, the lead programmer of the source port, has created a Doom 3: BFG Edition-compatible fork of TrenchBroom, which is known in the Quake mapping world for its newbie-friendliness.

THE JAM RULES

Since the intention of this jam is to showcase creating Doom 3 maps with TrenchBroom we ask that:

all entries use TrenchBroom from start to finish for map geometry and entity/model placement.
all entries must use the provided block-out map (see below), though some liberty on final map layout is allowed.
for the sake of everyone's sanity, entries be created in a new sub-folder in the root game folder for easy distribution (use +set fs_game subfoldername on command line to work with your entry, with 'subfoldername' being in the form of idT4mapjam-yourname).
no entry have sexually obscene content, or content that promotes racism, sexism, homophobia/transphobia, or hate speech in general.
the entry feature effort at constructing a functional, textured and lit single-player map.
if non-Doom 3 assets such as textures/sounds/models/music are used, the entrant must prove permission to use those assets.
entries be turned in either here at itch, or in the #mapping-jam channel of the idTech4 Community Discord server by April 30th, though this is a soft deadline, with May 1st being the true end.

GETTING STARTED

A Quick Note About Unit Size :

Unit sizes are different between Quake, Doom 3, and Blender, so if you're coming in from Quake, and are finding things a little cramped, you may need to adjust units a bit. The units are as follows:

Quake: 1 unit = ~1/32 metre
Doom 3: 1 unit = 1 inch
Blender: 1 unit = 1 metre

Thus, there are ~39.37 inches in 1.00 metre, and one Quake unit is 1.230 Doom 3 units. QuakeGuy is 56 units high in a Quake map, whereas DoomGuy is 74 units in a Doom 3 map, so keep this in mind, especially if porting Quake maps to Doom 3 is of interest to you. Apologies for the omission!

A Crash Course in Mapping using TrenchBroom

The best way to get up to speed on mapping for Doom 3: BFG Edition is this tutorial video which walks viewers through fetching and installing everything necessary to begin mapping, as well as giving a brief tour of TrenchBroom functionality, and finally providing a walk-through of making a basic Doom 3 map. The tutorial is in German, but English subtitles work just fine!

THE BLOCK-OUT MAP

The block-out map we will be using is from an older Quake mapping jam. We've already asked Markie for permission to reuse the map for our jam, so no worries there!

Download the map from this link: idTech4 Block-Out Map

WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE DOOM 3: BFG EDITION?

Unfortunately, the software made available is really only meant for use between Doom 3: BFG Edition and the custom TrenchBroom fork. You can purchase the BFG Edition either from Steam, or the DRM-free BFG Edition from GOG.

It's possible to have TrenchBroom interop with vanilla Doom 3, though it's not supported, not up-to-date with the latest source code, and therefore not recommended. You can read about Doom 3 TrenchBroom support in general on the Doom 3 TrenchBroom git page.

IDTECH4 DISCORD COMMUNITY

We do have a Discord server dedicated to all things idTech4: Doom 3, Quake Wars, Prey (2006), Quake 4, etc. Click to join the idTech4 Discord Community to hang out, catch the latest updates on source ports, ask for help, peruse resources, and lurk in the #mapping-jam channel to discuss and show off during this map jam! If you have any questions or comments, please post them there.