Those familiar with my Worldcraft page know what this page is all about, but for you new folks, a quick introduction.
Back when I first started map building, the most common answer to questions in the #quakeed channel was "Go read the Quake MAP specs page. " Usually that came from lazy ops who didn't know the answer. ;-) I did consult the MAP specs, but they didn't help because there was no context. That's because the MAP specs were originally written before Quake level editors hit the Net, and I think before Quake even came out. The MAP specs page doesn't account for how MAP builders handle placing entities, spawnflags, etc., nor should it. The original spec should be editor-independent.
The most common questions in the #QuakeEd channel are people wanting to make monsters move, moving platforms, secret rooms, etc. Basic functions that you won't get just by looking at the Quake MAP specs.
After the Worldcraft page went over well with WC users, I decided to support other editors for my encore. BSP came next, followed by Qoole. I think I've got the three most popular editors covered now. This page is a combination of what I've learned from the Qoole tutorial, people on EFNet #quakeed, and the developers of Qoole. This is a first. Ben Morris and Yahn Bernier did not respond to my requests for assistance or to check on the pages for their editors. My hat's off to Paul Hsu.
The original document that I used to derive this page is a part of the Unoffical Quake Specs. This standalone version is here to provide you with the most up-to-date information about Quake Map Editing. It is also a part of the Quake Documentation Project.
You can get the most up-to-date version of the Quake MAP Specs from Quake Technical Resources.
Portions Copyright (c)1996-97 Niklata and Thomas Winzig.