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12:20am JST - My last day of QExpo

Actually, my last day of QExpo is already over, but I wanted to get the final page up before I go away for a few days. Anyway, I just felt like summing up how QExpo was for me this year and to make sure everybody is going to be hanging around for all those maps that were intended to come out during QExpo, but didn't... more on that in a moment.

The first and only QExpo I have taken part in prior to this one is the original 2001 QExpo. I don't think I released a single thing that year, but I was online the whole time and was able to take part in the speedmapping challenges. There was also a lot of new stuff released that year, with a couple of the most influential people still on the scene. For one, the mighty (grumpy) Shambler was still reviewing maps, and even though his main site was slowing down, he set up a booth to review all the maps, including the speedmaps that got released. There were several more mappers that had booths that year too, and I think a few big releases. I distinctly remember Biff releasing his awesome map IMP1SP2: House of Spikes during the expo, as it was included as part of the speedrunning event, along with my own sm24_than - my first ever speedmap. Tyrann also had a booth set up, and he was wowing us all with shots of his next big map - an idbase map that he has yet to release. Along with many other map previews and releases, it surely was a great event for mapping.

Compared to 2001, 2006 feels a little calmer. I think some of this is because I haven't been so active online recently, so haven't really been hanging out in IRC and keeping track of all the happenings as much as I did before. I'm also in a different time zone now, so I am asleep when a lot of fun stuff happens. Still, there has been a lot of stuff going on, and certainly more than we normally see in an average week. The QExpo organisers have done a great job with updating the front page, and as a result I've seen a ton of cool looking mods I want to try out (but haven't had the time yet.) RenegadeC's The Ascension of Vigil is one mod in particular I'd like to try out.There have been four map releases, and both RPG and UnderworldFan have covered them. There's been the incredible Quake Done 100% Quick Lite 2 speedrun, which, along with the Romero interview was one of the highlights of the week. All in all, not bad going for a scene now over 10 years old...

But there is more to come. Remember I mentioned that there are a lot of maps that were due to be released during QExpo but didn't make it? Well, over the next few months we will surely see the trickle of high quality Quake 1 map releases continue. Tyrann is nearing completion of his enormous idbase map - probably the idbase level to end them all. CZG has an absolutely mind blowing map tucked away, although he told me he's stopped working on it because it doesn't work in Fitzquake any more... perhaps we should all pester him about it, and perhaps get poor old Metlslime to release a version of Fitzquake that will handle large maps. Travail has a date now, and as it's going to be a 2 episode map partial conversion, there will be a lot of fun to be had come October. Then there is a large and interesting looking map in the works by HeadThump called Mortisville, a LOT of cool looking maps from Hrimfaxi and something from Tronyn and Pulsar. There are also a lot of other projects by authors that are still on the scene, or at least hang around in terrafusion, so perhaps some of those will see the light of day before the year is out. This isn't to mention all the activity still going on with mod, models, textures, engines, speedruns etc. The sun isn't setting on Quake just yet.

I'll just finish off my QExpo with information about what I will be releasing over the next couple of months. First off is likely to be my turtlemap. This is certainly not going to be finished before the deadline, because I just haven't spent enough time on it, so instead it will become a regular map, most likely quite small and simple, but hopefully still fun and packing in a lot of gameplay. The next level I wish to work on is APDM3. A long time ago, when I first got into Quake, I made a series of crap deathmatch levels, APDM0-APDM5. One level that was planned but never got made was APDM3. This has annoyed me for years, but I've never really had the motivation to do anything about it. During QExpo 2001, I mostly made an interesting deathmatch level set in a wizard's house built into a rockface by a waterfall. It was crap and thus never got finished and released, but I like the idea, so am going to return to it and finish it up - hopefully with a mini singleplayer mission built in. Finally, I will finish off my large Knave textured map. This is already over 10,000 brushes, but nearing an architecture and lighting complete state. This map will use the Quoth addon, so there will be a few not so common monsters in there to fight, as well as the usual bunch. I've popped up a couple of screenshots for you to look at. I hope you like it.

I guess that's it for this year then. It was fun.

12:00am JST - Just who the hell is Tony Snow?

Whilst I was perusing some of the other booths today, I came across that of QuakeC code guru, FrikaC I looked through the list of items on the site and found Tony Snow Video. Now, I don't know who the hell Tony Snow is, but I thought it sounded vaguely funny, Tony Snow, after all, is quite a funny name. Well, seriously, check this shit out. AWESOME. FrikaC, you are a genius!

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