Journal #1156

Forums haven't changed a bit during 8 months. We're still the community where the lazy, arrogant and new folks just go straight to the forums with a new topic. Seriously: I knew more advanced map editing than most of the new guys around here when I didn't even have access to the internet. I wonder how many that has actually looked in the help file that came with Hammer.

So what if the answer isn't in the help?
The answer is simple. Perform an online search for tutorials. And to stick to them until the basics and the intermediate has been learned. It takes patience, and I've been really frustrated at hammer on several occasions. I can imagine how certain people feel when their dreams, of the greatest map in HL history, gets crushed for something as useless as a vertex manipulation error or a leak.

Something people tend to fear today, especially new mappers, is the will to experiment. Everything has to be taught and this is a shame. The things you learn by yourself, are the things you'll remember. Worthy of mentioning is also the lack of planning. Sketch out a map on a piece of paper, put out notes, scribble down some ideas along the side. Things will get so much easier when there is written information to refer back to.

What I definitively can't understand is the fact that many posters detail their topic with ":P", "lol" and ":D". What the... People want to avoid such things and just skip the topic. Which is exactly what the poster didn't want. He/ She wants help but instead sort of chase the repliers off. Use plain english to the best of your ability. Get your mom and dad to help you if you don't know how to properly spell a certain difficult word.

Enough ranting for now...