I will be adding more to this over time, if you have any questions feel free to ask. I don't have an example map to post right now but that should be up in a few days time. How to Make a Jailbreak: Prisoners of War MapNeeded files: JBPoW.def file, unzip the zip file and place this file in your scripts folder. You can download this file
here!This will cover the basics for the entities needed for a JB: PoW map as well as what is and isn't necessary for core gameplay. To start things off I'll discuss the basic layout for a map to give you an idea on its setup.
Map LayoutYour basic JB: PoW map is pretty much the same setup as a CTF map would be, you have your red/blue bases and some sort of middle/connections to each base. Each base will have a jail area in which players are sent to upon being fragged by the enemy team. You can place the jail wherever you wish but it is usually a good idea to put it in a location that is somewhat near the release button that opens the jail. Another thing to keep in mind for the jails is that you don't want to place the escape/exits in direct site of a weapon that can be used to spam the escapes, such as a rocket launcher, grenade launcher, or plasma gun. That will just annoy players and ppl will not play the map.
Your map can have an escape inside which is basically a tunnel or path that usually requires at a minimum 2 players to access, you can use your imagination to come up with whatever method you want but team work should be required. If the map does not have an escape system then it is good to place in some teleport items in the map or the jail itself in tough or tricky places to access so they provide another means to escape.
Another feature you can have in your map as well that isn't necessary but can work well if placed correctly is an armory. This is usually a team specific area that can only be accessed by either the red or blue teams in their own respective bases. Armorys usually include weapons, health, ammo, armor for a team. If an armory is included in a map it is a good idea to allow some means for the enemy team to be able to break into the armory, through either a team specific button that needs to be held down while other team mates break into the armory, or by route of a tunnel system. It is up to the designer how this is done.
EntitiesThe following is a break down of the entities used in JB: PoW. I will outline the purpose and use for each entity. Entities marked with a ** are entities that are required in a map to allow for the basic gameplay to function properly, everything else is extra that is not needed but can be added if you wish to use some of the additional features of the mod.
Player Spawns
**pow_red_start_spawn (pow_blue_start_spawn) : This is your initial in base player spawn where teams will start from at the beginning of each round. Usually these are placed in the base somewhat close together in 1 area for everyone to have a equal chance to begin.
**pow_red_prison_spawn (pow_blue_prison_spawn) : This is the entity that is placed inside the jails you have created in your map, players will use this entity to spawn in the jails once they have been killed during the gameplay round. The pow_red_prison_spawn will be placed in the blue base jail, and the pow_blue_prison_spawn will be placed in the red base jail. It is also a good idea to include at least 4-5 prison spawns in a jail, and to have them at least 64 units above the floor of the jail to prevent telefragging in the jails.
**pow_red_prison_escape (pow_blue_prison_escape) : This entity is used on the exit to jails, usually placed inside of the door. It acts like a jump pad and pushes players through the entity and prevents them from re-entering the jail. The pow_red_prison_escape goes in the red base jail exits and pow_blue_prison_escape goes in the blue base jail exits. This entity must have a targeted position tied to it or it will not work.
**pow_red_prison_button (pow_blue_prison_button) : This entity is used to open the jail exits to free the captured players, only the red team can press it if it is the pow_red_prison_button, or only blue if it is the pow_blue_prison_button. It is usually a good idea to have it so the button can only be pressed once every 3-4 seconds especially if you have a sound file triggered to play on activation on the button as well.
pow_red_button (pow_blue_button) : This is a team specific entity that can be used to create a button to open a door or activate another entity for either the red team (pow_red_button) or blue team (pow_blue_button). This is most commonly used to open up armory doors.
pow_red_trigger_push (pow_blue_trigger_push) : This is the same entity used for jump pads but it is team specific to either the red (pow_red_trigger_push) or blue (pow_blue_trigger_push) teams. Usually used in areas to only allow 1 team to have access to specific routes or locations. This entity must have a targeted position tied to it or it will not work.
pow_red_trigger_hurt (pow_blue_trigger_hurt) : This is the same entity used to hurt a player in an area such as acid, lava, etc. It hurts a player over time but it is team specific to only hurt the red (pow_red_trigger_hurt) or blue (pow_blue_trigger_hurt). Usually used in areas to only allow 1 team to have access to specific routes or locations.
pow_red_trigger_teleport (pow_blue_trigger_teleport) : This entity is used to teleport either the red () or blue () teams only. Usually used in areas to only allow 1 team to have access to specific routes or locations. Can also be used in executions to teleport teams to an execution sequence created elsewhere in the map. This entity must have a targeted position tied to it or it will not work.
info_execution_cam : This entity is used to show the execution for either the red or blue teams. It is usually positioned in an area to display the best view of the execution sequence. If you do not have an execution sequence in the map you do not need to use this entity but it is usually a good idea to at least have it in your jail to show the players who have lost the round. A key of spawnflags and value 1 is used for the red team and a key of spawnflags with value 2 is used for the blue team. You can set the field of view for the execution camera as well by using the key of fov with a value you desire for the field of view. The default view in Quake 3 is 90, a higher number will give a more fisheye look and a lower number will zoom in more. You can also set the length for you execution as well by setting the key to time and a value of how many seconds you wish to use. Try to keep the time no longer than 15-16 seconds as a long execution can get boring. It is also a good idea to have this entity target a position entity so that you can more easy adjust the angle for your camera by just positioning the position entity.
