Comments

Commented 19 years ago2004-10-13 16:21:57 UTC in vault item: HL: Containment Comment #4487
Ok, I see.

Mhh, still those other files could be left out, they're only used during the compile process and serve no other purpose. For the map's source, only the .map or .rmf are necessary. You don't even need to provide both, as they both contain the essential data, the .rmf only stores some extra information for the editor like camera viewpoints and vis-groups.
For the playable maps, the .bsp and .pts files are all you need, and for some maps (that use info_nodes) you should also provide the .nod files. All other files can (and should, as it's quite ugly to have them in the maps folder and it also adds unnecessary to the downloads filesize) be left out.

Just so you know that... :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-13 16:10:18 UTC in vault item: l1p1 (Level 1 Part 1) Comment #4486
Killer, learn to get some patience. Posting posts like this won't get you help anywhere soon, instead, the community will rather dispise you as yet another 'freakin n00b'. So be patient and show a good attitude, it'll get you further on the long run.

As for your disappearing faces, you probably ran in Software mode. This mode can only display up to about 800 faces. Since you had over 1200 in some area's, some faces will not be drawn in Software mode. Go over to either Direct3D or OpenGL render mode to solve this 'problem'.
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-11 17:42:40 UTC in vault item: HL: Containment Comment #4405
Ok, I do have some tips for ya: only the .bsp and .nod files are necessary for the player. All those other prt, pts, p0 and so on files should be left out. There's no need for them. Also, you don't have to provide the game dll's with your mod. There's a way to set up your liblist.gam so, that you don't need these dlls as your mod will use Half-Life's ones. Check out my map 'The Playtest's liblist.gam to see how that's done.
Oh, and don't include your savegames in a final release. Neither should you provide your config.cfg as it'll mess up other people's key configuration. I made that mistake once... ;)

Also, you should make a models folder in your own mod folder.

As for your maps, I strongly recommend using Snap to Grid and toggling between grid sizes (goes pretty easy with the [ and ] keys). Not working on the grid easily ends you up with leaks, and it's always better to prevent them as to solve them later on.
In mylevel, the back wall of the office room, opposite of the fire alarm, left a little space between the ceiling. A half-unit thick space. Be advised with scaling objects. Try to prevent getting vertextes off the grid, as that may cause you several problems while you won't know where they come from.

I hope that helps you getting further a bit. :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-07 05:54:28 UTC in vault item: Subway Example Comment #4293
The conveyor method has a great advantage:
Shadows are correctly rendered, creating the illusion of real-time lighting.

In Poke646, a combination of both methods was used, resulting in a very good trainride level. The subway tunnel was made with the conveyor method, while architectural details like lamps and signs were done with func_trains.

So, I don't think this method is 'better'. It's just more usefull in some occasions...
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-05 15:33:08 UTC in vault item: Nightmare: A horror map Comment #4266
As for the clocks, I noticed some face splitting too. In the console, type 'r_drawentities 0' to make entities invisible. It's then easy to spot the clocks you forgot... :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-05 15:32:19 UTC in vault item: Nightmare: A horror map Comment #4265
Mhh... abstract...

I don't think the abstract style went well with the horror theme, but there were some nicely thought out scenes in there. Too bad I expected a real horror map so most stuff wasn't really horrifying. You should've created a more strong sense of... fear... The map doesn't build tension, it doesn't really give a lot of space to the players imagination, while especially that is very usefull for horror-styled maps.
Right now the horror is more based on unsuspected events rather than on tension. Personally, I expected more of this after your 'hyping' ;).

Oh, and next time, create a mod folder when you have custom resources... easier to install... :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-03 15:54:18 UTC in vault item: Paper Thin Brushes Comment #4234
No. That gives compiler errors.
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-01 06:40:16 UTC in vault item: Paper Thin Brushes Comment #4182
At least this example map has learned me to carefully explain what I mean... ;)
Commented 19 years ago2004-10-01 06:38:44 UTC in vault item: Multiple Triggers Cause Event Comment #4181
Actually, you have created an AND gate using geometry... A good way to explain how a multisource works actually. In fact, it's an AND gate too, but then done by coding.

I'd say, using a multisource is better as it's specifically designed for these situations, but you could use this map to illustrate how a it works. Fun...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-30 02:26:09 UTC in vault item: Paper Thin Brushes Comment #4169
Heh, in fact, my setup would be exactly the same as yours, except for the render FX, FX amount and texture used. The 'null' texture will suffice, no need for Solid, 255 and a 'pure blue' texture.
After all, the 'null' texture doesn't make a brush cast shadows. It's whether this brush is an entity or not that determines whether it casts a shadow or not.

I see I sometimes give incomplete explanations. I'll try to avoid that in the future. :)

Oh, and you don't need to cover your outside faces with the 'null' texture... the compilers will discard these faces for you. That's exactly why you need to use two entitities for this paper thin wall... since all unnecessary faces (as far as the compilers can determine) are removed... :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-30 02:12:06 UTC in vault item: Paper Thin Brushes Comment #4168
Mhh, indeed, I forgot to tell you need to make both brushes an entity. Otherwise, indeed, both faces are discarded. This would also happen when you put both brushes into one entity.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-30 01:37:42 UTC in vault item: Multiple Triggers Cause Event Comment #4167
Correct, 'multimanagers' in my first post had to be 'trigger_multiples'. Sorry for that misstake.

I've finally been able to do some testing myself and trigger_multiples targetting a multisource do work, although there is a little thing to keep in mind.
A multisource will trigger it's target once all entities that target this multisource are 'active'. For example, 3 buttons target a multisource. All 3 need to be activated before the multisource will trigger it's target. Should one of 3 buttons reset before all 3 are pushed, nothing will happen as the multisource requires all of them to be active at the same moment.
Trigger_multiples behave a bit different than buttons. A button goes to non-active once it resets. A trigger_multiple doesn't... you can only use it again after it is reset, but it's state, as recognized by the multisource, doesn't change when it resets. Instead, you have to trigger it again.
This may cause some confusion at first but it's really simple once you get how it works.

So, using trigger_multiples has some shortcomings indeed, from the side of the trigger_multiples, but this is easily avoided by triggering func_buttons with those trigger_multiples, effectively combining their possibilities. I made an example map for you, where you can either walk trough the trigger_multiples and so activate the buttons, or push the buttons yourself.

My way: 2 trigger_multiples, 2 func_buttons and 1 multisource. 5 entities total. Probably the same method as SlayerA provided.

http://www.websamba.com/captainp-home/custom/mt.zip
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-29 05:07:38 UTC in vault item: Paper Thin Brushes Comment #4152
Why not create a brush, cover it with the 'null' texture, apply a normal texture to one side, copy the brush, flip it and put the normally textured sides next to each other?

Ain't that difficult or time-consuming...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-29 05:04:44 UTC in vault item: Multiple Triggers Cause Event Comment #4151
Read up on the multisource before talking about it's 'shortcomings'. You are clearly not familiar with it. When you ue two buttons that target the multisource, the multisource will only activate it's target once both buttons are 'active'. And since you can set buttons to reset after a while...

Get the idea?
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-27 12:56:22 UTC in vault item: Multiple Triggers Cause Event Comment #4116
The multimanagers have to trigger a multisource, and this multisource will activate it's target once all things that target him do so. Go and read up on that entity, really handy now and then.

From the look of that screenshot, you did something way more complex. Cool, but unnecessary.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-21 17:06:06 UTC in vault item: Guidance Comment #4016
I like graphic effects, obviously. :)

I'll not continue this map but I do have some stuff to work on. We'll see...

Anyone that has a suggestion for another GFX bytheway?
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-21 05:34:30 UTC in vault item: develop_nuytsstraat_too_much Comment #4008
Err...

Well, yeah, Half-Life 2 supports open maps a lot better. As far as I understand, it uses another system then a bsp-tree for outside area's, but I'm not expert enough in that area to tell you exactly what's going on.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-18 13:05:59 UTC in vault item: Guidance Comment #3978
Thanks. Yeah, I planned some interactivity but alas, not enough time to execute it. Texturing is pretty much in beta-stage too. But then again, nice you liked the effects. :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-18 13:04:03 UTC in vault item: Glass Contest Entry Comment #3977
Looks nice. Nice use of that mirror and the maze. Nice details also. A few flaws now and then but overall hits the goal pretty well.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-17 10:47:41 UTC in vault item: DSR_JUNGLE Comment #3966
Oh, and some moving leafs and ambience sound would add to the athmosphere greatly... don't forget such little touches!
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-17 10:46:50 UTC in vault item: DSR_JUNGLE Comment #3965
Including a readme file is advisable...

The map featured some nice textures, brushwork was less apealing although not that bad. This map needs some more tweaking. For example, the leafs were all on the same height, wich made it look less interesting as it could have been. The ground and rocks did have variation in height/surface, wich looked quite well.

I'm not a CS player, so I can't tell you anything about the gameplay. Visually however, it looks like you're on the right way. Just some tweaking would make it more natural (think of using models for plants, or even sprites for the smaller things like grass and the like). The floor is a bit empty at the moment.

Nah, after all, it's an arena-styled map so visuals are probably not really that important. I just like to see great visuals, you know...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-15 06:44:15 UTC in vault item: develop_nuytsstraat_too_much Comment #3938
http://www.slackiller.com/tommy14/errors.htm#maxlim

Ook al in die thread gezet maar hier herhalen kan geen kwaad. Oh, en misschien vind je het leuk eens op 'mijn' forum te komen, daar zitten we met een paar andere mappers (onder andere MuzzleFlash en Pepper) en we vinden het altijd leuk nieuwe leden te zien. Aangezien de meesten van ons al enige jaren ervaring hebben valt er ook vast nog wel wat te leren. :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-14 05:14:49 UTC in vault item: Detention Comment #3930
But indeed, it's pretty boxy yeah.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-14 05:14:27 UTC in vault item: Detention Comment #3929
I'd say jump off the ledge indeed, that's what I used to do a lot. 10 pct damage maximum is really helpfull then... ;)
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-14 05:13:12 UTC in vault item: develop_nuytsstraat_too_much Comment #3928
Quark, jij gaat Half-Life 2 zeker weten te waarderen. Helaas heeft Half-Life een, zeker voor deze tijd, vrij lage polygoon-limiet, moderne computers kunnen dan wel 2000 a 3000 w_poly's aan maar dat geld niet voor elke computer. De limiet in HL zelf lag ongeveer bij de 800.

Wat je wel zou kunnen doen is meer detail in de textures stoppen zodat je minder polygonen nodig hebt voor ongeveer hetzelfde effect.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-13 13:21:33 UTC in vault item: Halo Cafeteria Comment #3925
Screenie: press F5 in-game, open up Paint (or any other program that can put .bmp's into .jpg's) and save it as a .jpg. Be sure not to have a too great size as this site will resize it, wich takes quite some time.

I'll check the map later, gotta go now.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-12 14:41:10 UTC in vault item: Agamemnon Icarus Glass (Glass Compo entry) Comment #3917
It doesn't force you to go out and 'run a gauntlet'. I found that approach to be, well, fatal.
The ammount of grunts, their placement, the whole map layout... it didn't gave me an interesting combat.
But it seems that's just me?
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-12 14:37:21 UTC in vault item: Maze Comment #3916
Looks like a combination of a HOM-effect and full-brightness. I thought you were improving? It doesn't look like that...

Sorry, Tomaatti, but I was expecting something better this time...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-10 08:16:50 UTC in vault item: Deadcentre Comment #3880
Not all places are wide, so not all places have good movability. That's what I tried to stress: the map moved bad in a lot of spots, I felt really trapped now and then. The map could've used some more thought on that.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-10 07:19:09 UTC in vault item: Playing as terrorist crashes the game - forest Comment #3879
Submit a .rmf and explain your problem here, only then we can help you. Threads get old pretty fast and people don't remember everything they read.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-10 07:15:29 UTC in vault item: Agamemnon Icarus Glass (Glass Compo entry) Comment #3878
Nice idea, but hard to get right in HL.

The planet levels looked, well, bad, and movability often was a real pain. Combat came down to just glocksniping, wich I personally do not find too challenging or entertaining.

The other parts however did look decent, although I feel you had a bit too much polygons for that level of detail. Some things just don't really get noticed (like the cammo netting at first?) so they shouldn't get too much polygons assigned.

Overall, I was not impressed by the maps themselves nor by the whole game experience, but the idea was somewhat funny.
3/5
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-07 12:29:12 UTC in vault item: train Comment #3841
Strange problem. But it's a really weird map you have here too. Lets face it: that train is just way, way too long. Might cause the problem...
Why the last part of the train? The player will never see it as long as he's inside the train...

Strange, but unworkable. I'd suggest you keep it smaller. Smaller trains, smaller area's. Half-Life doesn't support larger area's, sorry.

A way to fake things could be usefull though: just let the station move past the player, while the train is stationary. That's done in Poke646 and the OpFor intro. Might be better here.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-07 04:04:17 UTC in vault item: Maze Madness Comment #3834
Signs? Some 'landmarks' would be better. Recognizable places that the player can use to orient himself at. Right now it's really just a... maze...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-07 04:02:13 UTC in vault item: Agamemnon Icarus Glass (Glass Compo entry) Comment #3833
Too bad I'm at school now but sounds like a lot of fun. You definitely made a lot more of it than I did...

stupid school... :|
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-06 16:54:41 UTC in vault item: Deadcentre Comment #3823
What I remember of the map was that it was very small and felt really cramped. Never knew it was your work though...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-06 12:51:00 UTC in vault item: train Comment #3818
Just open .map files like you would open .rmf files. There's an option to look for .map instead of .rmf...

I'd like to check the map but I'm a bit busy with school right now. So, it's going to be later...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-06 08:34:38 UTC in vault item: Deadcentre Comment #3799
Why does this give me such a deya-vu feeling? I think I've seen this map before... somewhere... is that right?
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-02 15:44:12 UTC in vault item: aa2 Comment #3763
Oh, and don't include files we already have. No need to make the filesize unnecessary large...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-02 13:58:35 UTC in vault item: aa2 Comment #3762
Mhh, it's the two blue beams that start too late, right? I'd say, just enter something lower than 13 as their trigger value in the multi_manager. Also, use info_targets for both start and ending points. It seems using the env_beam itself as start point gives some strange effects... Not recommended...

Some other things on this map:

1. Use 'Align to grid'. Much easier to work with as you can easily align your brushes to each other. Leaks will appear much less frequent also, you'll see... You can switch trough the various grid sizes with the [ and ] buttons.

2. Try to keep texture scales to 1:1. Looks a bit weird now and then when you see stretched textures and different scalings everywhere. But maybe that's just me...
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-02 05:58:32 UTC in vault item: Timefall (SP Mod) Comment #3761
I've finished Timefall now. The last part was better executed. I liked the combat more, although the last part was just 'glock-sniping' instead of some challenging smart combat. A bit more tactical environment would've been nice, something like in 'On a rail'.

The time-travel was appealing. Well done indeed. You show you can pull off some interesting entity setups and trickery, the problem often is that the player does not know what you know. I also felt some setups were buggy or not prepared for some player actions.

The mod floats somewhere between nice and unplayable. Still, it's obvious you devoted quite some time to it and that shows off.
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-01 03:28:13 UTC in vault item: Space Lasercore H-L Single Comment #3736
I've taken a look at Timefall now and commented. Late, yes, but maybe uesefull for you. I hope... :)
Commented 19 years ago2004-09-01 03:24:19 UTC in vault item: Timefall (SP Mod) Comment #3735
The first impression I got was that of mediocre visuals. Although later troughout the game some spots were nicely done, most just didn't do it for me.

The story was nicely thought of, and well implemented, although a bit more contact with allies would've made it all some more interactive, sometimes I felt it all fell down to the 'tell them with text' level. Nevertheless, you've done a good job at this compared to most mods.

Playability. Combat is decent, puzzles are too hard or barely give a clue. I often found myself wandering around, trying to figure out how this or that could be accomplished. At the start, there's not a single clue that the second window is breakable. No crack, nothing. The small entrance in the sewers towards the first computer console is just... very unobvious. No fun when the road ahead could lie anywhere else in that maze. Just a few issues with the gameplay I had during my (short) play.

Movability. I've often found myself in area's that were hard to move trough, either trough confined spaces with lots of detail brushes, or trough steep brushes. Getting out of the water was often a pain too. I felt you should've given that more attention.

The (nearly) clueless puzzles and hard movability took away much of the fun for me. I've been stuck in every level multiple times so I stopped playing. Too bad, as you are capable of finishing a project. I just think you need to give attention to these things.
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-31 15:23:17 UTC in vault item: Space Lasercore H-L Single Comment #3718
Nice thing to play trough. Architecture and texturing and such isn't outstanding but not all that bad overall. Just... nice to play trough. The laptop indeed is a nice touch, good to see you've put work in incorporating the story into the level itself. Keep up the good work!
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-31 12:57:09 UTC in vault item: tournament Comment #3716
No problem. After all that feedback I got interesting in the progress, you know. Let me know the outcome of that crossfire modification, sounds like fun.
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-31 02:06:49 UTC in vault item: ravine Comment #3712
Entities can touch the void without problems, ZL. Just make sure the map is sealed off with world brushes. As far as I know now only the center of an entity needs to be outside the void (thus inside the map or inside a brush).

Ctrl+Shift+G, go to brush 246. The leak is very close to that brush, somewhere below.
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-29 14:02:06 UTC in vault item: tournament Comment #3683
How's progress?
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-28 08:48:40 UTC in vault item: dm_terrain Comment #3665
Looks nice at first, but I don't think it'll make a very good DM map. Connectivity is pretty bad, movability on such terrain too. The HL engine doesn't really coop well with such terrain...

As I said, looks nice, although texturing is somewhat boring and could use some tweaking too, like the edges between grass and rock, and the stretched textures. Some tree's and such would be nice too, maybe a beach or something as it looks tropical for some reason. It's bright, yes, and I like it.

With a decent layout this style can make up for some good fragging, especially the vertical variation.
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-27 02:20:43 UTC in vault item: Carbaseus Comment #18260
Really unique setting, feels like some sort of theather. The architecture fits nicely, I like the pillars and the walkways especially. Texturing is fine but a bit boring at some places. Overall, I liked the map. Looks bright, comfortable to play in.

I played at an average of 40 fps (AMD 1800+, GeForce FX5600, 128MB, 384 MB RAM), so that's decent. Nice you've warned us before... ;)
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-20 03:22:08 UTC in vault item: tournament Comment #3463
"Textures- I would do well as half of a team of two mappers... one who builds and one who textures. I hate texturing. I would build..."

Heh, true... I'm texturing now and then but I feel it's not really my thing. It takes lots of time for just a few textures, and often I'm not satisfied with them. Maybe it takes just more time to learn than mapping did...

You're right about the hint brushes, only that side is used. Beware though with using them, often they have no impact, only cases were otherwise too much would be rendered unnecessary. An important thing to know is that compile times can increase exponentionally, so only use where necessary. Read this:
http://www.gamedesign.net/book/view/266
Very helpfull, and although for Quake, the principles are the same.

I had some performance issues on this map now and then, it ran on 40 fps (system specs: AMD 1800+, 384 MB RAM, GeForce FX5600) at some spots.
It's a layout issue here. I'd suggest drawing out a layout first, think about what area's have line of sight to each other, then test it. After the rough layout is made you know what area's allow for more detail as they have low r_speeds, and what area's are best left less detailed as they already have higher r_speeds.

Another thing I noticed when I looked trough it again was texture stretching. Try to keep the scales equal, preferrably 1x1, this makes them look better.
Oh, and while you do pay attention to detail, several surfaces were flat and boring, with nothing to break up the monotome texturing. Something I often fail on too, but it could be improved on.

Heh, and I like to give some beta-comments. Nice you like it. After all, I need betatesters too now and then and it's indeed a powerfull way to improve.
Commented 19 years ago2004-08-20 02:54:10 UTC in vault item: aim_glasspit Comment #3462
Please remove the other 3 map submissions and put up a screenshot, FoxFire...