Commented 5 years ago2019-09-12 17:17:14 UTC
in journal: Made a Blender modelComment #102268
If I made a model and put it on G'Mod, I'd sure as hell be prettty proud about it and I'm sure you would be too.
If it'll be worth it is up to you, but I'm sure playing as your own personal made model will put a smile to your face (having experience made hundreds of aircraft model on 3DS Max and gotten them into flight simulators, etc).
My day's of Source Modding are long gone and I've forgotten everything I knew due to lack of practice so I can't help and wouldn't like to offer as I'd have to relearn, reinstall a lot of things and I don't have the time for that but maybe you can take a look into it?
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-09 13:31:55 UTC
in vault item: Open The Door...Comment #102265
Spent about 45 minutes in the map yesterday evening. Got down to 29. I shall attempt to complete this tonight. I get a feeling I will start to lose my temper with it when I start getting down to single digits.
Fun idea though. Really quite a simple concept that I've not seen before.
"Yeah, I noticed that the box kills the compile time but I must have seams somewhere on the map and as a result not having the box means that the map will be in full-bright. I have tried fixing it many times but I can not find this seam."
It's not a seam. It's a leak. I got a tutorial on GameBanana, "How to fix those leaks", which covers some possible causes and solutions. I'll have to port it over to TWHL some day...
"And as for consistency, I do acknowledge the issue however I am afraid that I am not entirely sure how to resolve it."
Transparent vent with texture ABC -> breakable Vent with black background, texture XYZ -> unbreakable, inaccessible. Also, Deus Ex for example has all metal crates unbreakable, but slightly pushable, while all its wooden crates are pushable and breakable.
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-08 17:28:44 UTC
in vault item: Open The Door...Comment #102261
Made that promised update. Windawz suggested making the buttons shootable and I agree. None of the locations changed. Totally forgot the +USE function ignores walls. This is likely a final but who knows.
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-07 03:34:07 UTC
in vault item: Open The Door...Comment #102253
Well, about 40 minutes in and I still have around 16 to go... I also had to noclip a few times because I'm not up to snuff on my speedrun techniques and don't know how to get that much vertical air. There's also an invisible wall near the ladder - presumably that's a bug. Will try to find the remaining buttons tomorrow, but for now I sleep.
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-06 12:38:15 UTC
in journal: TibetComment #102251
We were told not to discuss politics during the trip, but all we did was talk about politics, with the Tibetan guide and other fellow travelers.
The Chinese government forces the Tibetans to display a portrait of the Chinese president in each household, and there were patriotic banners all over the country (both within Tibet and outside). Everywhere there were evidence of the Chinese propaganda machinery.
There were yaks everywhere, including in the middle of the street. Sometimes yaks would decide to take a nap in the middle of a busy street. There were yak dung everywhere too.
Tibetans are very friendly and gracious. We were invited to various household for meals by random strangers. We shared many meals with monks at monasteries.
The Tibetan houses are gigantic, because they usually house the entire extended family of about 20 people. Despite the size and exterior grandeur, many houses lack runny water.
The scenery was simply breathtaking. You can browse through hundreds of photos here.
And as for consistency, I do acknowledge the issue however I am afraid that I am not entirely sure how to resolve it.
Well, say we've got one crate that's pushable and breakable and another one which looks identical but is static. How will the player figure out which one to push or break? They'll try doing that to each one until they figure that out. But what if you have 10 crates in the room that all look the same? Let's imagine there's a vent in the room but you have to push a crate to it to get in, but the player will have to try all the 10 crates before they know which one to push. The solution is to make pushable/breakable crates distinguishable. You don't have to make all static/pushable crates in your mappack/mod look the same so that the player can make no mistake. You may have two pushable crates with different meshes, but they both should have at least some parts, for example, be of a color that will signify that these are interactive. So the player will establish that all crates that have this cue somewhere on them are pushable/breakable/whatever. BTW you're not limited to just color coding, use whatever you can come up with if you're sure it will work nicely.
@Windawz Yeah, I noticed that the box kills the compile time but I must have seams somewhere on the map and as a result not having the box means that the map will be in full-bright. I have tried fixing it many times but I can not find this seam. Regarding game_text I agree and have already considered it's reduction or entire removal. And as for consistency, I do acknowledge the issue however I am afraid that I am not entirely sure how to resolve it. My only hope would be to check-out other maps/mods and learn from them.
I do thank you for the feedback though, it is a well needed wake-up call I will try to make some improvements based on it for the next file upload.
Always name your maps so that it's clear what map it is and so that it won't possibly conflict with other maps in the player's maps folder;
Never surround your whole map with a box, even during construction. Sometimes you, of course, may be working on a map that's a bunch of floating islands or a small floating station, but in most cases you should have only the geometry that you really need. Boxes around maps increase compile time and cause overdraw. Oh yeah, they also make HLVIS cry.
You have very rich detail, but seem to have focused almost only on that. You should complete your map in the first place, detail comes later, so spend your energy on actually making the map and not sugaring it over and over. Also, maps with low detail often are better than many overdetailed ones. It doesn't mean that you always have to keep your maps' geo simple: add as much detail as your skill allows and as long as it doesn't take you away from finishing the map itself. As you get better, you'll be able to produce maps with even larger amounts of detail.
Try to restrict yourself from overusing game_text to tell the player what to do - show what to do instead. It's much easier to direct the player's attention towards something if there's no unnecessary detail clutter around. For example let's take that one blue monitor in one of the rooms: the whole room is dark, and the only thing that stands out in all this darkness is the blue computer screen. Of course the player will think that it's something important and, most likely, usable.
Try to establish consitensy. The first vent cap that the player has to break is broken by hitting the Use key. However, as you're crawling the vent you see another such vent cap on the left (if I recall correctly), but you can do nothing with it. And the third one breaks when you step on it, but not from hitting the Use key either. So it's not entirely clear how to actually break vent caps in your map, and which of them break. Mark breakable vent caps with a different texture or generally make them look different, and decide whether your vent caps break from touching them, Using them or smashing them with the crowbar or any other weapon. Same applies to doors (not in your map though, just in general). Sometimes some maps have a few doors that open by Using them and the rest are opened somehow else. Unless you have a very strong reason to break the rule, don't do that.
If I'm wrong at any of these points, correct me. It's 0:38 here and my brain is half-RIP. And happy mapping!
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-01 11:07:21 UTC
in vault item: dm_eightballComment #102240
@ToTac glad to see that it wasn't just my brain being retarded and you've actually tested it you've got a sign in the credits room btw, as some other people
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-01 09:55:56 UTC
in vault item: dm_eightballComment #102239
I've been playing it during the WIP phase (I suppose) and it had a real nice atmosphere. Great details and style, too. That little factory with its fumes on the upper side, just perfect.
Commented 5 years ago2019-08-31 21:18:15 UTC
in vault item: dm_eightballComment #102237
well, thanks @Urby
the balance may still be off tho but I was way too lazy to do any changes to it in the end. Also I really wish I had added any verticality because the layout is roughly an eight, or visblockers because one area can be seen clearly from another, resulting in overdraw.
and i wonder if anyone will ever find the secret credits room (it's actually accessible, you just need to do a good gaussjump)
Commented 5 years ago2019-08-31 18:23:54 UTC
in vault item: dm_eightballComment #102236
This is a really nice looking map. Tricky to say how it would play having only run around it alone, but damn does it look good. Seems to be nicely clipped as well, so as not to have players getting blocked by the small details during the frantic gameplay of HLDM. This could easily work as a small single player experience as well, with a few access restrictions thrown in here and there.
The lighting is nice and varied throughout and the only area where I struggled to see much was the cave area. but given that the lights in this area can be turned off completely I assume this was the point.
Finally, there are some nice little secrets which give the player access to the more powerful weapons. Every time I thought I had been clever and broken the map I was proven wrong and instead rewarded with a new toy. Very well done.
OK thanks. I actually love sometimes to go in DoD and have some shooting around with the old guns. That will be really helpful. Thank you Penguinboy. 👍✋
I got your birthday on my calendar (apart from others, so I don't forget xd). I was expecting this journal when I logged in here, and as such, I'm not disappointed. Happy birthday, Shepard!
Thanks Urby, and yes, the answer is right even if you've found an alternate way to guess it.
For one, it's the "greatest handgun ever made". - Reference to Revolver Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid 1 For me, I programmed it. - The Colt Single Action Army in Half-Rats: Parasomnia. I carry 4 of them. - Between 0 and 6 * 4 = 24 since each revolver can carry 6 bullets maximum. Fully loaded they are. - 6 * 4 = 24.
I'm basing this purely on "the most powerful handgun in the world" according to Dirty Harry, the .44 Magnum. Or at least a six shooter of some description.
Did you use Blender 2.79 or 2.80?
If it'll be worth it is up to you, but I'm sure playing as your own personal made model will put a smile to your face (having experience made hundreds of aircraft model on 3DS Max and gotten them into flight simulators, etc).
My day's of Source Modding are long gone and I've forgotten everything I knew due to lack of practice so I can't help and wouldn't like to offer as I'd have to relearn, reinstall a lot of things and I don't have the time for that but maybe you can take a look into it?
Well, I suppose the table of contents would still be okay. This just reminded me, I still gotta translate some Croatian magazines, lol.
Fun idea though. Really quite a simple concept that I've not seen before.
"and low res publishing" > "not to publish at all"
For consistency, I will try, hopefully I wont let anyone down.
Vent with black background, texture XYZ -> unbreakable, inaccessible.
Also, Deus Ex for example has all metal crates unbreakable, but slightly pushable, while all its wooden crates are pushable and breakable.
If youre still interested I can take photos of the content for you.
hfc I will see if I can get it scanned somewhere. What do you think, maybe a better resolution one exists somewhere?
The retail model is clearly high tech, I would like to know what Half Life would have looked like if it went more story indepth rpg like.
> Alien grunt
Fascinating combination. I'd love to read that. uwu
It's taunting me.
I also had to noclip a few times because I'm not up to snuff on my speedrun techniques and don't know how to get that much vertical air.
There's also an invisible wall near the ladder - presumably that's a bug. Will try to find the remaining buttons tomorrow, but for now I sleep.
The Chinese government forces the Tibetans to display a portrait of the Chinese president in each household, and there were patriotic banners all over the country (both within Tibet and outside). Everywhere there were evidence of the Chinese propaganda machinery.
There were yaks everywhere, including in the middle of the street. Sometimes yaks would decide to take a nap in the middle of a busy street. There were yak dung everywhere too.
Tibetans are very friendly and gracious. We were invited to various household for meals by random strangers. We shared many meals with monks at monasteries.
The Tibetan houses are gigantic, because they usually house the entire extended family of about 20 people. Despite the size and exterior grandeur, many houses lack runny water.
The scenery was simply breathtaking. You can browse through hundreds of photos here.
Regarding game_text I agree and have already considered it's reduction or entire removal.
And as for consistency, I do acknowledge the issue however I am afraid that I am not entirely sure how to resolve it. My only hope would be to check-out other maps/mods and learn from them.
I do thank you for the feedback though, it is a well needed wake-up call I will try to make some improvements based on it for the next file upload.
- Always name your maps so that it's clear what map it is and so that it won't possibly conflict with other maps in the player's
- Never surround your whole map with a box, even during construction. Sometimes you, of course, may be working on a map that's a bunch of floating islands or a small floating station, but in most cases you should have only the geometry that you really need. Boxes around maps increase compile time and cause overdraw. Oh yeah, they also make HLVIS cry.
- You have very rich detail, but seem to have focused almost only on that. You should complete your map in the first place, detail comes later, so spend your energy on actually making the map and not sugaring it over and over. Also, maps with low detail often are better than many overdetailed ones. It doesn't mean that you always have to keep your maps' geo simple: add as much detail as your skill allows and as long as it doesn't take you away from finishing the map itself. As you get better, you'll be able to produce maps with even larger amounts of detail.
- Try to restrict yourself from overusing
- Try to establish consitensy. The first vent cap that the player has to break is broken by hitting the Use key. However, as you're crawling the vent you see another such vent cap on the left (if I recall correctly), but you can do nothing with it. And the third one breaks when you step on it, but not from hitting the Use key either. So it's not entirely clear how to actually break vent caps in your map, and which of them break. Mark breakable vent caps with a different texture or generally make them look different, and decide whether your vent caps break from touching them, Using them or smashing them with the crowbar or any other weapon. Same applies to doors (not in your map though, just in general). Sometimes some maps have a few doors that open by Using them and the rest are opened somehow else. Unless you have a very strong reason to break the rule, don't do that.
If I'm wrong at any of these points, correct me. It's 0:38 here and my brain is half-RIP.mapsfolder;game_textto tell the player what to do - show what to do instead. It's much easier to direct the player's attention towards something if there's no unnecessary detail clutter around. For example let's take that one blue monitor in one of the rooms: the whole room is dark, and the only thing that stands out in all this darkness is the blue computer screen. Of course the player will think that it's something important and, most likely, usable.And happy mapping!
Welcome to TWHL and keep up the mapping work. ^^
glad to see that it wasn't just my brain being retarded and you've actually tested it
you've got a sign in the credits room btw, as some other people
the balance may still be off tho but I was way too lazy to do any changes to it in the end. Also I really wish I had added any verticality because the layout is roughly an eight, or visblockers because one area can be seen clearly from another, resulting in overdraw.
and i wonder if anyone will ever find the secret credits room (it's actually accessible, you just need to do a good gaussjump)
The lighting is nice and varied throughout and the only area where I struggled to see much was the cave area. but given that the lights in this area can be turned off completely I assume this was the point.
Finally, there are some nice little secrets which give the player access to the more powerful weapons. Every time I thought I had been clever and broken the map I was proven wrong and instead rewarded with a new toy. Very well done.
40th. XD
Happy birthday, Shepard!
For one, it's the "greatest handgun ever made". - Reference to Revolver Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid 1
For me, I programmed it. - The Colt Single Action Army in Half-Rats: Parasomnia.
I carry 4 of them. - Between 0 and 6 * 4 = 24 since each revolver can carry 6 bullets maximum.
Fully loaded they are. - 6 * 4 = 24.
I'm basing this purely on "the most powerful handgun in the world" according to Dirty Harry, the .44 Magnum. Or at least a six shooter of some description.