New user looking for guidance
- Thread starter Jay
- Start date
There aren't any "originals" when it comes to wad files. The original Quake did not ship with any wad files. Some versions of the re-master DO have wad files, but you seem to have got into some confusion trying to extract those so I suggest forget about that and instead download these Quake wads which contain all the textures from the original game:
Quake Original Textures wad files.
Or use this link to view Makkon's vast texture set, and download some of those (they're amazing).
Makkon's latest texture wads
And you can view lots of other wads on this site here:
Slipseer Texture Wads.
Wad files are generally safe to download, far safer than an app like Trenchbroom to be honest, so please don't worry about that (run a virus checker on the zip files you downloaded first before unzipping them, just to make sure they're clean).
Hopefully this will get you on the right track again...
That's right. Quake doesn't "load" any texture from any packs of folders. When you add one in your level save and compile it, texture automaticly saves in the bsp file. You can even open bsp file with program like TexMex, and map opened like wad file with all textures inside.
In fact, the editor doesn't really need this, all your errors are very strange, I think you just configured the editor incorrectly.
I got it working!! 
As far as I can tell Trenchbroom was not accepting the PAK file that I extracted from THE ORIGINAL GAME (the rerelease contained the original version as well as the updated one). I have no idea why and at this point I can only assume that the extractor program I was using must have been at fault, but thanks to everything just failing silently I really don't know.
After downloading a custom WAD file the editor found it instantly and loaded the graphics without any problems.
Thank you everyone for helping me. I'm still frustrated over losing a month of my life over this, though; it's a pity that the extraction program could not tell me that the extraction produced a broken WAD file. That would have pointed me in the right direction on day one. But oh well......
As far as I can tell Trenchbroom was not accepting the PAK file that I extracted from THE ORIGINAL GAME (the rerelease contained the original version as well as the updated one). I have no idea why and at this point I can only assume that the extractor program I was using must have been at fault, but thanks to everything just failing silently I really don't know.
After downloading a custom WAD file the editor found it instantly and loaded the graphics without any problems.
Thank you everyone for helping me. I'm still frustrated over losing a month of my life over this, though; it's a pity that the extraction program could not tell me that the extraction produced a broken WAD file. That would have pointed me in the right direction on day one. But oh well......
Yea 100% - I got it working and I'm so pleased I didn't have to switch. I've only spent a few hours in it and I'm already building faster and more precisely than ever before. The interface is probably the best I've ever used for this kind of thing; it's very intuitive and easily my favourite editor now
Great! I'm glad you got it all working. Trenchbroom is fun. After messing around in it for a few months, I discovered that I'm not good at making Quake gameplay, but just using it to make little architectural doodles can be lots of fun by itself. Looking forward to seeing what you create.
For God's sake I have more problems. I just tried to compile the map. Won't work. I've been looking into it. Apparently, while Trenchbroom is currently showing the textures on all the walls etc and is working just fine, when I go to compile I get an error "Cannot find (every f*cking texture in the game)".
I give up. It took me a month of banging my head just to get the damn editor to work and now this. Look, I'm using ericw's tools and... Honestly, at this point I no longer give a sh*t. Honestly, screw this hobby. I give up. Just delete this thread, I won't be back.
EDIT: Can't figure out how to close this account so it will have to stay open. Dont bother replying, Sorry for wasting everyones time
I give up. It took me a month of banging my head just to get the damn editor to work and now this. Look, I'm using ericw's tools and... Honestly, at this point I no longer give a sh*t. Honestly, screw this hobby. I give up. Just delete this thread, I won't be back.
EDIT: Can't figure out how to close this account so it will have to stay open. Dont bother replying, Sorry for wasting everyones time
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Heya Jay, I am replying anyway. I think that depending on how old you are (I get the feeling you might be fairly young) I think you should try and stick with it. Giving up at a very early stage on anything is not great in most cases. There will probably be a lot of things in your life which will be harder than this, where giving up might not even be an option. But yeah, I have no idea how old you are, but again, maybe sticking with it until you figure it out (and there should be plenty of resources out there. I reckon you have been linked this before:
Maybe not. If not I would recommend watching those tutorials in order, especially the ones regarding setting up things like textures and compiling, etc.
The worst that can happen is that you still can't figure it out after that (which would surprise me) best thing is you have a new fun hobby.
Just my two cents.
Maybe not. If not I would recommend watching those tutorials in order, especially the ones regarding setting up things like textures and compiling, etc.
The worst that can happen is that you still can't figure it out after that (which would surprise me) best thing is you have a new fun hobby.
Just my two cents.
I'm only responding cos I got a notification come up on my phone yesterday night.
I'm 49. I write code and make 3d models as a hobby. Every PC ive ever owned, I've built myself from the ground up. I studied gaming and animation technology at university (i passed). I've been making 2d and 3d games as a hobbyist for the last 20 years now. I am no stranger to technical challenges.
I was familiar with this game and was making maps for it like 30 years ago. But back then, everything just f*cking worked. But now?...
After five goddamn months of this horse sh*t I really am done, I think. I don't even care what the goddamn issue is anymore. And after making the decision to drop this sh*t from my life I feel even better about my decision today than I did yesterday. I hate to say it but I think it's time for me to say goodbye to Quake forever.
Please understand, at my age you just expect sh*t to work or you throw it away. At least I tried. And I've had so many tech issues that now it just feels like all the fun is gone and there's nothing but misery left. I no longer have the desire to continue with this bullsh*t. I've spent so much time investigating why sh*t is broken that I actually don't think I even care anymore. I'd love to carry on but the juice just ain't worth the squeeze. Instead of having fun I feel utterly f*cking miserable about the whole situation so I think for the sake of my own state of mind it's just time to stop.
Maybe I will come back again in a year's time. I really don't know. For now I'm just going to uninstall and delete eveything and try to act like I never even heard of this goddamn game.
Not gonna lie, I feel f*cking heartbroken, I really do
PS yea I used that video but it's sh*t cos he goes through it too fast and hardly explains a goddamn thing but thank you for bringing it to my attention
I'm 49. I write code and make 3d models as a hobby. Every PC ive ever owned, I've built myself from the ground up. I studied gaming and animation technology at university (i passed). I've been making 2d and 3d games as a hobbyist for the last 20 years now. I am no stranger to technical challenges.
I was familiar with this game and was making maps for it like 30 years ago. But back then, everything just f*cking worked. But now?...
After five goddamn months of this horse sh*t I really am done, I think. I don't even care what the goddamn issue is anymore. And after making the decision to drop this sh*t from my life I feel even better about my decision today than I did yesterday. I hate to say it but I think it's time for me to say goodbye to Quake forever.
Please understand, at my age you just expect sh*t to work or you throw it away. At least I tried. And I've had so many tech issues that now it just feels like all the fun is gone and there's nothing but misery left. I no longer have the desire to continue with this bullsh*t. I've spent so much time investigating why sh*t is broken that I actually don't think I even care anymore. I'd love to carry on but the juice just ain't worth the squeeze. Instead of having fun I feel utterly f*cking miserable about the whole situation so I think for the sake of my own state of mind it's just time to stop.
Maybe I will come back again in a year's time. I really don't know. For now I'm just going to uninstall and delete eveything and try to act like I never even heard of this goddamn game.
Not gonna lie, I feel f*cking heartbroken, I really do
PS yea I used that video but it's sh*t cos he goes through it too fast and hardly explains a goddamn thing but thank you for bringing it to my attention
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My God, dude, you're 49, why are you whining like a little girl? You want to give up on something so trivial, don't tell me you can't figure out a program for which there are HUNDREDS of tutorials online. If you quit now, you'll just quit—it's pointless. Are you sure you've connected the compilers correctly? Are you sure you've connected them AT ALL?
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I'm 53 and have been tinkering with game modding since the 80s. I knew nothing about Quake modding when I rediscovered the game in 2023. Watched a couple of vids, found Quaddicted and this place, played a ton of maps and thought I'd try to make some. Setup TrenchBroom by reading its user manual, a bit fiddly getting all the compilers in place with the right commands, but it's there right in the manual if you read it properly.
I don't like telling others that something is "easy" because we all learn differently and have different mindsets, but honestly, to spend weeks on this and still not get it working... that's either a comprehension problem or an attitude problem. Either way, it's probably best to move on, but no need to get so darn angry about it. It's just a hobby that turned out not to be for you.
I don't like telling others that something is "easy" because we all learn differently and have different mindsets, but honestly, to spend weeks on this and still not get it working... that's either a comprehension problem or an attitude problem. Either way, it's probably best to move on, but no need to get so darn angry about it. It's just a hobby that turned out not to be for you.
I have a little time to browse the forum here. How can someone be so frustrated at your age? Two days ago, I installed and set up the latest version of Trenchbroom. I had done this a few years ago as well. Of course, I used dumptruckds tutorial. I can't thank those people enough, because they're the reason so many mappers were revived on the market. Back then, I created many small projects but never finished them. Now, with the new installation, I'm browsing through them. I also had some initial difficulties with the WAD integrations in the new Trenchbroom version, but I persevered. That's what's defined me for the last 60 years. If I'm interested in something, I investigate it until I understand it. If something doesn't interest me, I quickly decide whether it makes sense for me in the long run. At 49, and considering everything you should have learned, your behavior really surprises me. No offense intended, and this isn't a personal attack, but these are simply my conclusions. Thanks to the community and for the wonderful maps, mods, and tutorials.
Hey...if you only knew how old I am (hahaha) Youngsters here
Seriously though...I've started mapping again after over 20 years. In that time, I've created quite a bit for Q3.
I only started Q1 a year ago. Sure, the beginning is really tough, especially when you see maps by pros like Sock, Makkon, FW, and many other great mappers. But if you enjoy it, with more and more practice, you'll develop the routine and understanding.
So...don't complain or get angry, don't give up, and if you're keen, just try it out and learn. You'll get there!
Seriously though...I've started mapping again after over 20 years. In that time, I've created quite a bit for Q3.
I only started Q1 a year ago. Sure, the beginning is really tough, especially when you see maps by pros like Sock, Makkon, FW, and many other great mappers. But if you enjoy it, with more and more practice, you'll develop the routine and understanding.
So...don't complain or get angry, don't give up, and if you're keen, just try it out and learn. You'll get there!
Funny. A young dude at work asked me a few days ago if I knew of other people around my age making maps. I actually feel better knowing that in fact we are legion 
If it makes you feel better I have been playing Quake since the 1900s and made maps for Doom and all three Quake games. Every few months (like Charlie Brown kicking the football) I attempt to set up Trenchbroom and get it to show Quake textures from the base game texture wad.Ghaa this is all so tediousI'm already close to giving up and now the journey has gotten even longer
No such luck. Not on Windows, not on Linux. It might be a terrific editor. I'll let you know if I ever manage to install it.
I would love to see a step-by-step tutorial, starting with a clean Quake install folder and the Trenchbroom appimage, with screenshots showing how to create a Trenchbroom install capable of creating a Quake 1 map with a player start inside a textured cube.
It must be possible. People apparently use it to make quake maps with. But they keep the installation a closely guarded secret.
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Edit: Possibly got it to work. Trenchbroom appears to not support the gfx.wad (edit to the edit: rather the textures in the pak files- as gfx.wad does not include map textures) that is included with the base Quake game.
Downloading "quakewad.zip" from here:
And using the included QUAKE101.WAD instead works for me. Thanks to the unknown quaker who shared the solution here:
I would still like to see someone create a working Trenchbroom install the "right" way just to affirm it is possible. Unfortunately the tutorial on Youtube by dumptruck_ds is for a version before Trenchbroom changed how to add textures so the video description says it no longer applies.
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