The Newbie's Map Making F.A.Q.

The definitive guide for the newbie that wants to
create maps in Return to Castle Wolfenstein

by nib

I've decided to create this guide to help the newbie get started. Creating a custom map for Return To Castle Wolfenstein is difficult. Learning how to get started creating your first map can be even more difficult and daunting of a task. That's where this guide will come in.

One thing I'm also going to do is show you how many resources are already out there on the net. I'll attempt to answer as many of the FAQ questions I can by pointing you to a tutorial. I think you'll be surprised at how much is out there if you put in a little effort.

Please report any errors or suggestions to nib.

Where do I go to ask questions?
Why does everyone tell me to read a tutorial or search the forums? Why won't they just answer my question?
Why doesn't anyone answer my question?

Where do I go to ask questions?

There are several good places to go and ask questions:
Planet Wolfenstein Level Editing Forum
Tram Desgn Wolf Editing Forum - This is where I consider "home"
Quake 3 World Level Editing forum - Not purely Wolf related, but it does have some good information in it

Why does everyone tell me to read a tutorial or search the forums? Why won't they just answer my question?

Well, this is mostly my opinion, but here it goes. Primarily, I think its because that's how we all learned. Most folks simply spend hours reading and researching topics to learn how to do it. We expect you to do the same before you ask a question. You know the expression, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime". It fits. :)

Why doesn't anyone answer my question?

There is problably a good reason. Either:
a) no one knows the answer
b) no one understands your question
c) the question has been asked a million times and a quick search would find the answer
d) you typed like an idiot and no one can read it. :)

I'd like to comment on "d" for a minute. I can't speak for others, but I know that it is a personal pet peeve of mine to see people ask a question that is so devoid of proper grammer, punctuation or capitalization, that the average person can't figure out what you're saying. If you're coming to a forum to ask for help, and you want an answer to a question typed out well enough so you can understand it, please have the courtesy to type your question coherently. I'm not talking about perfect spelling or perfect sentence structure, I'm talking about using basic punctuation and capitalization. (I'm not refering to folks who have English as a second language).

Moreover, another no-no is to come to a forum, declare that you are "too lazy" to look something up, then ask a question. This is a real question taken from a board that I saw the same day I typed this up: (name and board with held on purpose):


hm... i dont want to read the whole thread.
is there some document which shows all the new stuff and explains it?

I personally would NEVER respond to a post like this, but if I did, I promise it wouldn't be to help.

Moral of all this ranting? Please take the time to post a well thought-out question and please make it coherent. It will get you a much better response.