changing texture pool

[BrainChemistry]

There is a huge texture pool provided with OA.

Since the author of an external texture pack didn't provide it under GPL I have to re-texture my map (in the text files provided with it was nothing written about it and the download source stated the textures are public domain...).

I'd like to use the textures provided with OA, BUT with any release textures are added, shifted or removed. Especially shifted and removed textures are a huge problem since the map won't be able to load properly in later releases of OA. So as mapper of a third party map you have to check for any new release if the map is still loading without texture issues.

My suggestion to solve this:
Introduction of a static and a dynamic texture pool. The static texture pool contains all textures that are granted to not be shifted or removed. If you use them in your map you can be sure it will be compatible for many releases. Adding of new textures is possible in new releases. The dynamic texture pool contains any texture that might be changed, shifted or removed. New textures might also be added here of course.
Maybe with the time some textures of the static pool need to be reworked or shifted or even removed for some reasons. This should only be possible in e.g. milestone releases: 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 or something. What do you think?

This problem applies especially to third party maps since official OA maps always get fit to the changed texture pool of the new release.

[pulchr]

if we ever get a total remake of all the textures in quake 3 arena & team arena that would be a good textures to rely on. that might take some time though

[Cacatoes]

I'm not sure I understand. I think every texture is meant to stay in OA.
It just happened some were removed due to some unclear copyright story.

Your suggestion wouldn't change the fact we could still find non-GPL material in the static textures pool.

[cosmo]

Besides the removal there are issues.
Lei exchanged several textures by ones with higher resolution that look plain and pretty featureless. Maps like kaos2 and oa_koth1 don't look like they should until the highres ones get replaced by good textures.

[BrainChemistry]

if we ever get a total remake of all the textures in quake 3 arena & team arena that would be a good textures to rely on.

Indeed.

I think every texture is meant to stay in OA.
It just happened some were removed due to some unclear copyright story.

That would be great but in the past I got the following situation: I did a fully textured map and took textures from whole OA texture pool. Next release on loading my map textures were missing. Since on re-applying any texture properties (scale factors, rotation factor and such) are lost you will end up spending much time redoing this. Also you have to spend much time on finding out if the textures are removed or just shifted and IF they got shifted, where they are located now - this time is better spend in improving the map's brushwork and such for sure.

Textures with unclear license or copyright issues should be taken to the dynamic pool since they are not granted to be in the next release.

Besides the removal there are issues.
Lei exchanged several textures by ones with higher resolution that look plain and pretty featureless. Maps like kaos2 and oa_koth1 don't look like they should until the highres ones get replaced by good textures.

This is exactly what I meant by changing. Even if a texture is located at the same position with the same texture name the map might look strange or ugly IF the texture content got manipulated from one release to another. Suddenly perfectly fit textures won't fit anymore. Texture updates of the kind described by you should only be done to textures of dynamic pool or at milestone releases.