Forum posts

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 23:01:00 UTC
in Mapping vs Modelling *ding* FIGHT! Post #168549

Just personal preference. I like both, actually, I think the only difference between them is basically the tools you create them with and the scope of them. You can use models as level parts just as well, and with some more specialized processing they suddenly become maps...

Quite some of the things you mention aren't really true, bytheway.
No specialization in mapping? How about the design part, lighting, architecture, art (after all, creating textures is for mapping what skinning is for modelling)?
Mapping all done by yourself? Reality is quite different in the bigger companies. Often multiple persons work on a single map in sequence.
No modelling limits? Sure are. Just as with mapping, this depends on the engine you're using.
You can request maps. There's people being paid for mapping.

So, in the end, I don't see a reason to fight, having experience with both.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 22:53:19 UTC
in Getting Custom Models To Work Post #168547

Those models were just cut from the game. Happens all the time - stuff gets made but for some reason it doesn't get into the game. Time constraints, design issues, whatever...

To use them as actual enemies, you're going to have to do quite some coding. Not something I'd attempt with your experience level. It may be a nice challenge on the other hand... you decide...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 22:10:32 UTC
in A big feeling of running a map Post #168538

Compile times of a day or more are possible, though only for either very complex and large maps, or very unoptimized ones...
So I assume you're having trouble with optimizing your map for compiling. Check zombies Optimizing page for some good info on that.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 21:14:06 UTC
in AHHHHHHHH!! This is ticking me off! Post #168533

I didn't take a look at your map, but fullbright often indicates a leak. Did you see anything about leaks in your compile log?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 21:11:55 UTC
in Source vs Halflife 1 Post #168531

Yay, I'm busy modelling some props for dm_mudanchee again!

Thanks for the inspiring thread, people. One of the things that finally got me going with this map again after 2 or 3 months...

//CP prepares for test-run...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 21:05:25 UTC
in using other mod textures in hl Post #168530

HL under Steam uses .gcf's, TigerStar... so yes, check out CS:CS'z .gcf files.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 14:54:42 UTC
in Source vs Halflife 1 Post #168461

That's where modelling comes in. I learned it back in the HL days and it serves me well for Source mapping.

For me, Source is better - it allows more and is more challenging. Not only the technical difficulties but also the additional things you learn to value, like the planning stage and such. Inspiring stuff.
Then again, I'm not the kind of person that goes with the default stuff - I'd create my own models and materials when possible. Takes more time but it's rewarding as well.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 13:27:55 UTC
in Hypnotic Chooks Post #168442

That's some food for thought indeed...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-15 10:53:08 UTC
in using other mod textures in hl Post #168410

Not to forget about including these .wads with the file if you want others to play the map... even better would be to include them in the .bsp (-wadinclude wadname parameter for csg).

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-14 04:16:39 UTC
in Strange HL2 Error Post #168130

No idea about this... since when does it happen?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-13 18:01:13 UTC
in Model Fade in/out values in HAMMER Post #168092

Afaik this is stored in the Options dialog. One of those slider bars.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-12 09:47:25 UTC
in Sky Problem Post #167909

I don't mean you should surround the whole map with a skybox, only create a small skybox 'room' so that that wall becomes visible. Skybrushes are just brushes when it comes down to dividing the map up into rooms, you know.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-11 19:51:02 UTC
in stciking brushes back together? Post #167818

You can't put multiple brushes into one brush, if that's what you're after. Just use grouping. Multiple brushes aren't a bad thing and using groups they're not too hard to handle either.

Also, there's several group-related buttons in the top button panel, I suggest you try some out. It shouldn't be difficult to find out which one ungroups.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-11 15:23:46 UTC
in Attatching things to a rope. Post #167755

Use a phys_lengthconstraint to actually tie an object to a point, or to another entity. This will make them behave as if there was a rope between them. You'll have to use keyframe_rope's for the visual part, parenting them to these objects.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-11 15:20:45 UTC
in Dark_Kilauea's Mapping Checklist Post #167754

True, hydeph.

Though, if it doesn't involve changing or adding brush-based entities, you can use the -onlyents compile parameter. Updates only the entities.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-11 07:13:55 UTC
in Sky Problem Post #167658

Just extend the skybrushes at this point a bit, to create a sort of skybrush 'room' outside the window, so the wall doesn't touch the void anymore. Voila, visible outside wall.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-11 07:10:02 UTC
in Dark_Kilauea's Mapping Checklist Post #167654

Looks like a good planning to me.

I use something similar. Except that after playtests, I sometimes go back a few stages to fix up certain spots. In fact I refine things more often, sort of going through stages C - E multiple times. First rough overall lighting, some main prop models, then in a next cycle puttins some smaller details in place and tweaking the lighting, and so on.

What I also do in planning stage is drawing themed sketches, to get a better feeling for the map I'll be creating. This helps planning some important landmarks in the layout and giving the map some sense.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-10 15:46:13 UTC
in Lol, explosion Post #167509

Obviously you would need quite some func_physboxes.

But you will also want to use some constraint entities with limited strength - at the explosion power they'll break and fail to keep the boxes tied together.

However you'll do it, it's probably going to be some work. Good luck.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 15:04:15 UTC
in Train backwards Post #167238

I'd say, rotate the train 180 degrees in the editor. At least in HL trains had to be oriented towards the right, HL2 doesn't seem to have changed in that habit.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 12:29:44 UTC
in Gripe Sheets Post #167191

Oh, it's a list of humor? Talk about presentating your fun in a good way... a quick scan through that post would say it was a missing mail to some avion maintenance officer...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 11:09:51 UTC
in Competition 19 Post #167174

No, you'll need patience...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 11:08:44 UTC
in Gripe Sheets Post #167173

Uhm... so what's the purpose of this thread?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 11:02:18 UTC
in Sky Problem Post #167172

How much time does it take for you guys to find out it's a design problem, not a compile problem? In real-life, you'd see the outside of that room through that window, but since you haven't placed one in your map and that room is in the potentially visibility set while looking through the room, guess what you'll see through the window...

Running VIS on full does more raytracings as far as I know, so it isn't a magical solution - it's just more precise. You may even get more polygons drawn to screen at some points because the fast VIS missed a few connections...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 05:39:04 UTC
in Bumpmaps are blocky Post #167124

What exactly is wrong about those textures? I mean, how did you intend them to look like?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 05:35:15 UTC
in Compiling The .qc File Post #167121

Can you post the .qc file, and tell what files are missing? It might be a pathname problem or such.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-09 05:34:15 UTC
in Problem Loading Post #167119

Neither do I see what the problem is, but you could try passing the map to some friends and see if they get the problem as well - that way, you can at least pinpoint whether it's a problem with the map or something else.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-08 14:31:49 UTC
in Custom produced "gibs"-How to make Post #167012

They're models, both in HL (where they were often saved into a single model file as submodels) and in HL2.).

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 20:12:45 UTC
in Good lightmap values Post #166906

You'd want to use lower values for surfaces with little lighting difference, not specifically only in the 3D skybox - those surfaces are smaller and there's less of them usually so it's not really a significant gain to do this in the 3D skybox imho.

Lightmaps aren't very expensive compared to shaders and more advanced effects anyway... but saving on their resolution can have a significant impact on the maps filesize.

Also, what looks good is testable...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 14:16:27 UTC
in The Steam "Preloaded" Post #166867

Deleting 4 GB takes some time so you should've noticed that while deleting them... are you really sure of this?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 13:32:04 UTC
in Cool Hand-Eye coordination game Post #166855

Heh, that Opera side-bar looks usefull. I've got a blog-reader plugin for FF that opens in the side-bar too. Good use of space.

Uhm, about the game... looks like a 10-minutes job for a programmer and I think I'd loose interest even before that. But oh well, that's me...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 13:29:34 UTC
in The Steam "Preloaded" Post #166854

It sounds like nonsense, yeah... I mean, you would probably have noticed some slowdown back then, right?

Just weird, dunno what to think of this... I wouldn't like un-asked-for preloads myself...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 13:25:57 UTC
in :Map idea: Quadrilateral Post #166849

Reminds me of what Dr. Glass tried on the Snarkpit - the Mosaic Map. As far as I know the succes rate of such projects is fairly low so sticking with a small motivated team and keeping the map small in terms of time is best, methinks.

I'd say, go with HL. Less entities, but more people who can play. Also, it keeps you more focussed, keeps things smaller so more 'change of survival', hehe.

I wouldn't sign up though, got other things to do (and you know what ;)).

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 11:18:45 UTC
in Button trigger multiple doors Post #166815

Read the link I gave you. At the bottom, it describes how to add entities that need to be triggered.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 11:17:27 UTC
in New Mod: "Turnstile" Post #166812

Heh, when it comes down to skinning... I'd rather model...

Looks interesting this, Rimrook. A bit alternative like we're being used to see from you. No bad thing methinks.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 11:14:36 UTC
in shb.wad Post #166810

Seek the shb.wad file perhaps?

Nah, there's a texture file that's missing. Make sure that shb.wad file is in the counter-strikecstrike folder.

If you don't use any textures from this .wad file, remove it from the texture list in Hammer before compiling (it's best to do so for any .wad you don't use, as the map will deem any .wads loaded into Hammer as necessary files even if they aren't used).

If you did use this .wad, there's two possibilities: either distribute the .wad file with the map, or include the used textures in the .bsp itself. The latter is obviously the best way (less space used, less files to worry about). This is done by adding a compile parameter to the csg process:
-wadinclude wadname

So in your situation, that would be something like this (in the Hammer Run Map dialog, Expert mode):
Command: $csg_exe
Parameters: $path$file -wadinclude shb

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 11:08:24 UTC
in Button trigger multiple doors Post #166808

Trigger a multi_manager and make it trigger the first door with a delay of 10 seconds, the second door with a delay of 15 sec.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-07 06:27:05 UTC
in Custom Materials Post #166789

You'll have to use a tool called bspzip, which is already in your SDK bin folder. However, there are more user-friendly versions of this program like WinBSPzip and PakRat available. PakRat has a function that scans the map for files that need to be included (models, materials, sounds...), for example.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-06 20:56:42 UTC
in Question Post #166764

Wedge, vertexing, clipping tool... whatever you like. Just use the one you work best with.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-06 18:33:45 UTC
in Sky Problem Post #166746

I'm with Rimrook here. This is not a vis problem, it's a design problem. In real-life, you would naturally be able to look into that room from that window, or actually, onto the wall that surrounds that room...

But oh well, it has been said above...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-06 06:13:19 UTC
in HL2 - MINERVA: Metastasis 2 Post #166632

I finally got around playing it.

Just astoundishing. Amazing. There's many little things to look for that add to the immense feeling of the Combine structures there. Of course, things could've been better, but just show me a single map that does...

For me, this sort of maps are fantastic. I like the cynical text comments, too. Go Adam.

// And yeah, props are the way to detail nowadays. Learn to go with it, or bite the dust...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-05 22:42:12 UTC
in Tutorial Skinning ( And something else ) Post #166613

Hmm, I assume you're taking .vtf's and try to open them with Photoshop?

Well, for starters, .vtf's are Source specific files, so don't expect them to be readable by other paint programs. There are programs that allow you to browse through your .vtf files and export them to other filetypes like .tga, .jpg or .bmp. Try VTF Explorer.
To compile images into useable texture files, use vmtCREATE.

You've got tools for this already in your SDK folders, but those are console programs, that are generally much harder to work with.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-05 21:09:05 UTC
in scripted_sequences not working Post #166603

Nope, Wally also can browse through .pak files. Pretty usefull tool.

And was posting the complete content of your sentences.txt really necessary? Man, long threads enough in this forum already...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-05 21:05:56 UTC
in Annoying Bug Post #166602

Does the player ever get at that position? If not, then who cares?

How did you create the sky brushes btw? In what shape are they placed around that map?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-04 21:06:22 UTC
in scripted_sequences not working Post #166416

Well, what do you think is the difference? Sequences aren't sentences - they're meant to make a character play a certain animation, not to make him talk... use a scripted_sentence for that.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-04 19:17:35 UTC
in LUA Coding Post #166406

You can create Garry's mod mods in LUA simply because Garry's mod has LUA support, but the mod itself is indeed done by modifying the gamecode, which is done in C++.

Bytheway, using scripting languages has advantages, like faster testing and no need for a recompile after every change, but it does run slower and is often more limited (simply to keep the scripting language simple enough for artists to pick it up fast - otherwise they could just as well learn how to program).
So you wouldn't want to use LUA for the all and everything anyway.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-04 19:13:48 UTC
in scripted_sequences not working Post #166404

I assume you used a scripted_sentence, not a scripted_sequence as you just said in your post?

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-04 05:34:53 UTC
in HL2 - MINERVA: Metastasis 2 Post #166220

Not everyone has the same taste. I really loved that map - finally a HL2 map that was polished and well-executed. To me it really stands out in the crowd.

But meh, gotta work now, so there's little time to play part 2 now. I'll see this evening.

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-03 21:24:11 UTC
in Whole map a func_train? Post #166198

Whatever you desire, or think is easiest to pull off. Experiment with it...

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-03 21:23:16 UTC
in Missmatched Textures??? Post #166197

Textures with a certain prefix (which I can't remember on top of my head) are chosen randomly from their serie. Usefull for large surfaces, to avoid a repetetive pattern, but not so usefull because the edges between the various textures are so obvious. I'd say, use another texture (one that doesn't have the randomize prefix).

Captain P

Posted 18 years ago2006-03-03 21:18:14 UTC
in HL2 - MINERVA: Metastasis 2 Post #166194

Wooh! Definitely gonna play this one.

Captain P