Ok, so now you are a pro at patching your own maps and you are enjoying transparent water. Why not create VIS Patch data and upload it for everyone else to use?

This page will cover the steps involved in creating and uploading VIS Patch data and assumes that you have already patched some maps as described here.

Requirements: You will need to download and extract Quake Water VIS Tools (Modern) to a folder in your system’s PATH.

Run these commands in a command prompt window:

c:
cd \temp
vispatch *.bsp -data example.vis -extract

This will run vispatch.cmd (which calls “vispatch-win64.exe” by default)

Example output:

The Vis data source is dm3.vis.
Extracting vis data to VisPatch.dat, auto-append.
Looking at file dm3.bsp.
Version of bsp file is: 29
Vis info is at 469840 and is 16744 long
Leaf info is at 17784 and is 18228 long

The step above should have created a new file called EXAMPLE.VIS. This file is the actual VIS Data that other people can use to patch their maps using the VIS Patch utility without having to manually (and slowly) VIS their maps.

STOP

The rest of this page is outdated and I will try to update it with current information soon.

You need to create one file on your own – an information file so that other people know what the patch does. So create a new test file named EXAMPLE.TXT and then enter something like this:

Found: Example Quake levels patch
Please enter the subdirectory from your Quake directory where these example
levels are located. This is most likely “example”. If you do not wish to patch
the original maps, simply press enter.

Exit and save the file, then rename it to EXAMPLE.DAT.

Now when people run the VISPatch installer they will know what your patch really does.

Ok, Now What?

If you really want to submit your bad ass patch so others can retreive it from the Water VIS website, jump into the game at a nice resolution like 640×480 and snap a screenshot – um… try to get a real cool one and concentrate on an area with clear water since that’s what people wanna see. Then take the screenshot (whatever.tga), example.dat and example.vis and put them all inside one zip file. Maybe include a TXT if you want to pat yourself on the back with some credits

IMPORTANT:

TEST YOUR PATCH!!!

Extract the zip file, and run this patch the the VISPatch installer just like you’ve done a million times now. Make sure that the maps are all patched correctly in the game – all of the water textures should be translucent – er… “see through”. Heh…

Did the test work? If so, take that ZIP file and attach it to an email message to Darren ‘SGT-D’ Winter. Once I post it, everyone can patch their maps!

That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to use the above link to contact me.