Forum posts

I use DarkPlaces and DirectQ. DirectQ for the lagless, DirectX 9 experience (my GPU hates dynamic lights in OpenGL), and DarkPlaces for mapping, lol.

I completed Quake 1 in DarkPlaces, therefore, I'm assuming 20% of my playtime was below 10fps (3fps a couple of times). DirectQ gave me problems when I was making my map 4Way: the teleports didn't work.

I've recently completed Call Of Duty (the first one).
I'll just post some funny stuff I found during my playthrough:

The first thing in the game I noticed and found it funny.Lol. One is leaning on one side, the second one is looking at the other side. xD

(I noticed the Pvt. Bell sign at the training, but when I tried to complete CoD again, lol)How on Earth did I manage to throw a grenade there? I'm just so sad that this guy died later in the game. HAHAHAHAHA, like a fox which is hunting mice in the snow. XDWhat are you looking at? >:(

Lastly, it seems that Pvt. Bell still made it alive, despite not having followed his orders in the training:Lol.

MoH:AA, how could I even forget?
Try Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Breakthrough, too. I heard QuArK works with MoH:AA, but it's a bit limited, lol.

P.S. New, exciting screenshots of de_kobbl, version 1.0.2, coming out tomorrow!

@Windawz
Hey, since you're planning to take a break, I suggest you to try Call Of Duty 1 or 2. They're EPIC, you could even get some inspirations for industrial-styled maps.

@Windawz
Cd5 said he wanted to keep the map's filesize low, but shouldn't info_texlights be removed from the BSP after compiling? Yeah, better use info_texlights and/or light_surface.

Ha, in de_kobbl, I only used a variation of the Bevel texture on one place. It's the terrain at Mid.
Buuut, there's more terrain coming soon (it's pretty s3xy :3), so I'd guess there's more of it coming. xd

Over 4000 wpolys at some spots? Reminds me of my school map, which had them most of the time.

Looks like morningdew to me. (the skybox)
But yeah, it needs a little bit of tint to match the map.

Hmm, I think I know what you should do.
Open the .bmp file in Wally and make sure that the first colour in the index is the one which needs to be transparent. I assumed you want an alphatest sprite since it's a plant.

After that, save the .bmp and then make a sprite with it.
Also, use HL Texture Tools instead of Sprite Explorer.

They don't have collision at all.
func_detail; Passable: Yes.

Building the basement:According to the concept art:

http://i.imgur.com/sVAoAVLl.png

Also, inside the basement:Yeah, took some time to make, I hope it will work because I copy-pasted it from the test map. I've just realised that I need to put ladders here. Silly me! XD

And the thing in the basement was made for this:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CQ0aBoi7css

Now I just need to configure it so it can attack 3 places individually.

Well, even though it's part of Black Mesa, it doesn't have to mean the part where scientists do their work and/or take a break.

I.m.o. it looks bright enough, even on my phone's screen (which I always keep at the lowest brightness to conserve battery :3).

Yeah, I put 4 of them in de_kobbl.
The fun version will probably have more.

I can't wait for Deadlands either. It's far more high-poly than anything I've ever mapped. I wonder how it would run on my laptop. xD

Although, if you didn't do it already, could you convert some things (like arches and pillars) into func_detail brushes? After that, you could cover them with blocky clip brushes and set the func_details' Passable parameter to Yes.

However, xawari mentioned that our usual way of making overviews is wrong. I saw the overviews of default maps, and they had the green stuff! But in-game, you can't see the green. This is weird.

Imagine me opening the map in J.A.C.K., let alone compiling it. XD

Dude, you have your keyboard. Try pressing keys until something happens.
Of course, I can't tell you which one to press, because:Yeah, it's 2 of those... I pressed the - (minus, or hyphen) key to actually decrease the Z Min value, not sure if it will work on your end. :3

@GMK_5
I've never said it was in VHE, or any map editor for that matter.
If you installed VHLT, you would see this ripent.exe in the folder.

But I don't think that's the one you should use. Hmm, I think there's a compile command for either HLCSG or HLBSP which enables only modifying the entities, not the brushes. I should look more into that.

On the other end, I believe I once saw a BSP editor which can modify the BSP's entities. I wonder if that was just another fake memory generated by my brain, or it's actually real.

I figured out how to remove the roof on the overview:I basically changed the Min Z value.

Now I'll just open Paint.NET and stitch those together and call it a day.

Counter-Strike thinks that info_texlights is an entity which is used in-game. info_texlights, at least I think so, is supposed to be an entity which is used only by compiling tools, and it should be removed after compiling, no?

If I remember, one could use an external tool to delete the entity from the .bsp. Windawz told me about it on one occasion. Ripent, isn't it?

In my opinion, you should put up light_surface entities which come with zhlt.fgd (which comes with VHLT).
They're basically like info_texlights, except one light_surface is for 1 specific texture on brushes.

So, if you have more than one light-emitting texture, then you should put more than one light_surface entity. Good luck.

Too late now, I'm so stubborn that I'll do a full compile again.

I don't have a screenshot of this, but I'll just write it:

In the Easter egg #3 room (the one where you can unlock all the doors), I had an issue: the bomb was making glass sounds when shot at.
That means: I had to change the Material to Metal, and I now have to re-compile all 4 maps. Seriously, I spent an entire day compiling the 4 versions, and today, I'll have to do it again. Poor lappy. :/

-texreflectscale 1.28 -chop 64 -texchop 32 -gamma 0.4 -texreflectgamma 1.5 -blur 0.1 -fade 1.2 -nospread -bounce 12

^
Now I see why. XD

I reacted like that because Shepard said something which caused me to react this way. But the point we should be at is:

@Vodka
That 'bug' you don't know how to fix is a VIS thing, I assume. Basically, GoldSRC renders that hall and then it gets visible behind the sky brushes.
You either used a sky"box" or your map isn't VIS-optimised.
If it's the first case, then don't just make a hollow box of sky brushes, but instead try carefully wrapping the sky brushes. Basically, use the sky brushes to seal the map from the void.

If it's the latter (needs VIS-optimisation), then you should really learn some stuff about Hint and Skip brushes. I had to learn them while I was making de_kobbl because I ran into VIS-bugs.

Although, aren't both of these VIS problems? Lol.

@Trempler
Great.
I'll send it to you on GameBanana. The full release should be released in either this week or in the next week.
The test team will get all 4 versions, compiled with final settings. I'll then make the fun version and call it a day (or 3 months, lol).

@Daubster
That's what CS is all about. Shooting with no regards to the surroundings and the setting. Someone could keep explaining how not-OK school maps are to a person for the entire day, but that mapper will be pretty stubborn and make the map, recklessly.

Unless someone makes a Half-Life mod where you're a victim of a school shooting. x)
But hardly anyone would prefer being a school victim, right? I'd rather blow up a school (like I do in my school map) rather than being under the influence of a random kid with a gun (in the mod, I mean).

A school shooting map would definitely fit Counter-Strike: Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes. At least it would be a lot less riskier (since you'd only play as a counter-terrorist) than a map for a game where you can choose to play either as a counter-terrorist or as a terrorist.

But a concentration camp map would probably go well with the Yugoslav wars setting. That seems very historical.

But then again, just let Vodka make it. I mean, what would even happen to him if he makes this thing and publishes it online?

Instead, let's focus on the progress of his map, and not the theme of the map. Because school maps used to be a serious thing 10 years ago, now they're a joke. Right?

sigh
I'm probably defending it because I made a map of my school and got praised for it, in my school. Sheesh, over-reacting parents who call the police as soon as they see someone playing on a school map. >:/

@Windawz
You know, I'm going to ask him.

@Trempler
Would you like to participate in the pre-release testing of de_kobbl?

I've also made a map of my elementary school, and I showed it in school when my classmate and I were playing CS 1.6 in that school.

Honestly, I'll make a map of my high school, too. I just don't care about what others got (expelled, in jail etc.), because in my country, no-one cares about those maps, just my classmates and my friends who play CS.

Shepard's comment made me a little bit mad, so I posted again, lol.

Also, what authorities get wrong is that most FPS games will make you worse at shooting in real life. Making a school map for CS won't make you a better school shooter. The only useful thing you'll get is a tactical plan to infiltrate the school.

@NineTnine
Now I'm getting an urge to install Worldcraft 2 on my Windows 98 virtual machine. xD

@everyone else
People, it's just another school map, not a terrorist attack simulation. Of course, the more destruction, the more fun it gets.

@Vodka
Snap On Grid = 1!?
But you're not abbadon. XD

Place lava there.

@Windawz
I don't know, really. It would be nice, though.
It solely depends on Trempler's decision, since the playtesting is completely voluntary - and I've got good feedback which led to me fixing 50 or so bugs and issues in the map.
If Trempler wants to see the map before the release, may his mapping highness inform me.

Thank you, Trempler, it would be my honour.

I dug through the source files, and apparently, I started working on it in the 1st of January, 2017. It truly meant something, lol. I stopped developement in the 22nd of January and picked it up again somewhen before the end of May.
So, that's around 2 months of work time on it. For a map like this, this would be my new record.

Also:If you're wondering what this is, well, the wall is 240 units long, and I managed to fit 3 256x256 textures with no seams. XD
The side trims have a scaling of X=1.000 and Y=1.000, while the middle one with bricks has X=0.904 and Y=1.000. Cool, eh? I downscaled the middle one so it fits between the normal ones.Also, I think the street lamp situation is better.

Looping the multi_manangers with a train, I assume? Sure, use it.

Adding up to the resurrection:I've added a nice ambient sounds system. It basically consists of a train which goes around 4 path_corners. When it passes each, each one triggers different multi_managers which, in return, trigger different sound combinations (e.g. gunshots in the background + wind).Basically, this screenshot shows that I halved the walls' thickness wherever needed. They used to be pretty thick and now I halved that.
I also fixed the texture scaling on those wooden windows. :3Oh mah gawd, look at them barrlz! Those are 16-sided barrels:They're almost seamless. There's only 1 micro-seam to be found on the sides, and the seam between the sides and the top is, well... unavoidable. But at least I prevented the seams from the sides (and yes, I used Alt+Left-clicking, so that I can avoid that stretching...)The trash cans probably have a more noticeable micro-seam, but I guess that won't be a huge gameplay issue.At the balcony, I sort of skewed the wall here. Try to surf that if you're a daredevil, and you might fall to your death! >:DI also added some sort of a dumpster.Now I have an excuse for not having a door at that entrance. I clipped the bricks! YAAAAAAAAAAAAYI converted the RUSH B CYKA into a sprite and it's far better-looking compared to the func_illusionary with a transparent texture on it.This thing... this is my mechanism for locking and unlocking the secret doors which lead to the Easter egg rooms.
Basically, what I've added is a small, invisible func_door.

The door is triggered by the C4 explosion (be it site A, or B, or whatever). After triggering, the door closes. And when it closes, it triggers a multisource entity, which is both the door's master and the master of all the secret doors. If the multisource is OFF, the door won't trigger it, because it's its master, so it won't unlock the doors after the C4 blast.

However, if the multisource is ON, the secret doors are unlocked, but so is the invisible door. The invisible door will then close, disabling the multisource and locking the secret doors.

In theory, it should work, but I'm yet to test it in practice.I've also made this neat entity setup for fun_kobbl. Basically, this is a mortar bomb. I'll add a secret basement into fun_kobbl where I'll place a monitor which will display the map, and you'll have buttons on it (but no, it won't be like the Half-Life mortar where you can bomb any place). You will have a few options to choose from: site A, site B and the T spawn, respectively.

What will I do next?
I'll move that stupid street lamp 16 units away so it stops blocking me every time I try to walk between it and the wall corner. I'm just so mad at it that I'll even knock it down, literally.

Lastly, remember Vodka95's thread about multiple mapping questions?
Well, here's that map, too:xD

It should work. In my map, ambient gunshots which have the Not Toggled flag don't repeat, but they just wait to be triggered again.
Hmm... yeah.

And it's easier than CryEngine. One thing is certain, though, if you learn any of those up to a specific level, you'll be able to do wonders with them. :3

But if one decides to put this into a mod, one could easily code some timer entities etc. (trigger_timer, I'm looking at you xD)
But then, there are people who don't know how to code (like me, although I have the potential of learning it), so it's a nice thing that it's a universal timer.

I wonder, though, why 100fps? I know that physics in Quake-engine derivatives are framerate-dependent, but this (probably) doesn't use that. I'm confused. (my laptop can't even get to 70fps on standard HL maps. Of course, speedrunning isn't something I'll ever do, so I'm not worried xD)

Edit:
*facepalm
I didn't read it slowly enough, but I could've assumed that the timer desyncs.

@Vodka95
Looks hard? Well... what else can you expect from an engine which is pretty superior compared to GoldSRC?

Don't worry. If you want to learn this stuff, you can always start off with the basics and then do more complex things. Just don't be lazy, that's one of the worse things that can happen to you. :3
See, I was lazy and I still haven't learnt any C# yet. I'm still fighting that. Organise yourself some time to learn making textures for Source, then practice audio editing, and finally, you can do all of this stuff!

Look at me, I actually didn't know exactly how to do animated textures, Source sounds, sprites and packing stuff into BSPs before. I learned it all in one day because I've already had experience in making regular textures, working with audio and simple file management.

Alright, that's it.

Any more questions? >:)

Edit: Really? No more questions? That makes me legitimately sad.

And now, custom sounds and packing your stuff into the BSP file.

Custom sounds:

1. Open GoldWave or your preferred audio-editing software
2. Open the sound file you want to convert.In my case it's Mile Kitić i Južni Vetar - Ja neću ljepšu ("I don't want a prettier one", wow, in south-Slavic it's just 3 words)

3. Save it as a WAV file:It should be PCM signed, 16-bit, mono. Not stereo!
Now, after you've done that:

4. Resample the sound to 44.1KHz:I'm not sure whether you can use 48KHz, though. xd

5. Save it again and copy it to your "sound" directory:I just put "radio_456" because... well, that's some sort of a signature by me. :3

6. Create an ambient_generic in Hammer and find your sound.
Also, untick "Start Silent" in the properties and set Start Volume to 10.

Hmm, let's bring all of this into the BSP file:

Download Pakrat. It's a nice little tool. :]

After you've downloaded it, extract it somewhere and run the .jar file.
When you open Pakrat, it will ask you to find the BSP you want to open. Find it and then open it.As you can see, I've already added some things there, and it's looking good so far. Basically, there's the Add button at the bottom of the window.

When you want to pack files into the BSP, Pakrat will also ask you if you want Pakrat to fix the paths (like C:/Program Files/blah blah blah). Just say Yes.

Edit:
And I've just realised - I have Source games on Steam, why did I even do this on a... uh, screw it. Now I'm going to get rekt. x)

Alright, I prepared the animated textures and sprites.

In order to make an animated texture:

1. Open VTFEdit
2. Go to File -> Import

3. Select the first texture:And then hold Shift on your keyboard, and click on the last one.

4. Press Enter.

Now you'll get this:Normal Format: DXT1
Alpha Format: DXT5
Texture Type: Animated Texture

5. Save the file, like this:NOTE: It doesn't necessarily have to have "animated" in the name.
And yes, save it in the VTF format.

6. Go back to VTFEdit, and go to tab Tools and press Create VMT File:animated_blin/animated_blin is the path to the texture.
Basically, you put the textures into the materials folder.
A VMT tells Source where the VTF files are. It also tells some characteristics about the texture.

So, if the VMT has "blahblah/texture" referenced there, then you'll have to put "texture.vtf" in "materials/blahblah/".Aaaand, there's more.

The shader will be LightmappedGeneric if you're planning to use it as a texture for maps. Surface1 should be Default, unless you want different sounds and decals for it. If you have a wood texture, then it's more likely that Surface1 will be Wood_Plank or something like that.

And then create that VMT file.

However! However, however.
You need to make it animated.

Open that VMT which was created by VTFEdit, and it should look like this:There's something left to add there.Everything with // are comments.
For example, "x = 1 //This makes x have a value of 1".
Only x = 1 is taken into consideration. Everything after // is pretty much ignored.

And after you're done with that, save the VMT and make sure they're in the same folder:Oh, by the way, the animated_blin2.vmt is the one I used while writing this thread. I used the first one just to make sure if it works, so I can write this later. xd

I think that we're done with this rough overview of animated textures.

Now onto sprites:It is possible! I think they can be animated in the same way, lol. XD

Anyway, the process is roughly the same.

In VTFEdit, while creating a VMT, just do it like this:The shader should be Sprite, and if you want it to be additive, well... just tick the Additive flag.
The VMT should look like this:Easy peasy. xd

Although, I don't quite know how to solve this:The sprite's centre, for some reason, is wrong. xd

Music + embedding stuff into BSPs coming right up in a matter of hours.

"Source Engine Discussion"
Oh, epic fail for me. xD

Ah well, as I've said, tomorrow-today. Technically today, just not now.

Before I leave, I think you can include the textures into the BSP with PakRat, there are some nice tools at Nemesis' website.

The animated textures are pretty easy to do with VTFEdit, you basically imporr multiple pictures into 1 texture file and it's automatically animated. Of course, my memory doesn't serve me the best, so I'll have to go through all of that stuff again.

As for sprites, I wonder how to make them, too. Maybe it's easier than I thought.

And sounds? Well... it's a little bit different, but it can still be done with GoldWave and the format is WAV.

Eggcellent idea! >:D
I'm not sure why you're recommending me to switch it to Belarussian, but I guess it's funnier. xD

@Windawz
Absolutely necessary.
Russian is the only language where I'll ever say bad words, lol.
I was just making a joke out of it because I actually set J.A.C.K. to display it in Russian language, because I wanted to see how many words I'd recognise.

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow to extend my original answer. Well, it's 0:30 here, so I guess tomorrow is today. So, I'll do it today.