Forum posts

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-09-06 15:50:45 UTC
in SoHL entity guide? Post #285114

fkyeah! You're a hero.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-09-06 13:52:45 UTC
in SoHL entity guide? Post #285093

Does anyone know of one that still exists on the internet or maybe happen to have a file of it or something?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-09-04 02:31:47 UTC
in replacing a deleted custom wad, need hel Post #284936

hitting ALT-P (check for problems) in hammer will give you an error for every missing texture.

Now why did this not occur to me? Just wow.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-09-03 21:16:05 UTC
in replacing a deleted custom wad, need hel Post #284922

That's cool thanks, but I can't seem to figure out how to open a bsp in this thing. The file menu has buttons to open models, textures, and paks. Help me out?

Edit: Nevermind I found it. You use "Open Half-Life Package"

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-09-03 19:23:47 UTC
in replacing a deleted custom wad, need hel Post #284906

Is there a way to list the names of all the textures used in a map, even if some of them aren't found in a wad? I accidentally deleted a custom wad and I'm trying to find the names of all the textures in that wad that were being used in a map, so I can name the textures in the new custom wad the same and they will be replaced automatically. It would also help tremendously if something could tell me which textures in the map aren't found, so I don't miss any.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-18 17:56:22 UTC
in clipping question(s) Post #284350

I need to know if brush entities create clip nodes the same way world brushes do. Does placing clip brushes over brush entities decrease clip nodes? If so, would using as few clip brushes as possible and overlapping the brush entity with them produce the biggest decrease? Or would it be better to only place clip brushes in the empty space between the solids?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-18 13:10:42 UTC
in angled walls and windows Post #284344

Wait, I think I understand what your issue is. It'll take some figuring out on your own. Carefully use the vertex manip and clip tools to get the shape you want, and remember that all vertices must fall on grid lines. That's really all I can say. Is there something specific that you're confused about?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-18 13:03:21 UTC
in angled walls and windows Post #284343

hello i would like to build a window but i have no idea because on the picture u can see that the wall is angled

. . .

do i need to curve a block or what

Please restate the question more concisely.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-15 15:21:34 UTC
in Post your screenshots! WIP thread Post #284272

IngSoc: I hope your boat doesn't run off the track.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-12 09:49:02 UTC
in Null texture Post #284118

You should be using the zhlt compile tools too, btw. They're so much better than the stock compile tools that tutorials pretty much assume you're using them.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-11 20:14:27 UTC
in func_tracktrains not stopping. Post #284110

Yeah, the speed parameter is used to control the speed at which the train moves from that path_track and the next one.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-11 18:13:07 UTC
in func_tracktrains not stopping. Post #284106

I wish the entity guides here actually explained what the flags did.

I've had no experience with func_tracktrains. Sorry.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-11 17:58:14 UTC
in Mapping for HL1 with the source sdk Post #284105

...it's buggy and broken no matter what you're mapping for. I can't imagine why someone would want to do this. It just complicates things.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-11 12:57:50 UTC
in Mapping for HL1 with the source sdk Post #284096

You must be REALLY embarassed having asked that question.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-10 10:13:26 UTC
in Post your screenshots! WIP thread Post #284065

I couldn't agree more but it still looks great!

Yeah, I think that was his point. And I too dig the aesthetic of those screenshots. They look low-res, polygonal, like a video game!

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-10 08:59:20 UTC
in Post your screenshots! WIP thread Post #284063

I like the sideways fuse box on the instruments panel.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-10 07:50:55 UTC
in 2 questions - func_areaportalwindow Post #284061

Thanks Captain Terror. I was planning on it. They were func_brush's before, which I thought meant they had the functionality that it turns out func_deatil has.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-10 06:44:15 UTC
in lol kittens (help) Post #284058

yeah I won't do it again.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-09 23:31:31 UTC
in 2 questions - func_areaportalwindow Post #284050

Thanks for the extended explanation, RotatorSplint. At least I know that my areaportalwindow system is set up properly, or at least not related to the rendering issue. Unfortunately, due to an unforseen problem expounded upon here, I won't be able to experiment with this any further until I'm once again able to compile ANYTHING.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-09 23:25:39 UTC
in lol kittens (help) Post #284049

I apologize for the aggressive tone, but I've just about had it up to here with Source. Compiling maps that had previously compiled fine are now suddenly giving me two errors in the HL2 console:

FS: Tried to size NULL filename

material "effects/huntertracer" not found.

... and all lighting has ceased to exist in-game.

All maps I compile are giving me these errors. Testing with the simplest possible map - a room with a light and an info_player_start - gives me these errors. I am not using a "huntertracer" material.

How the fuck am I supposed to develop like this? Literally nothing I've used for Source has consistently functioned as it's supposed to. I've run into constant problems that have put my work at a halt, all which were the result of some glitch or sudden change in behavior and none of them my fault. How bad is it when, out of the blue, no maps will compile properly? Am I the only person who this shit happens to? I was hoping to have a competition entry made in time. Slim chance when it's taking days just to get a tool functioning properly, only to find that another tool doesn't function after the fact.

Again, I'm sorry for being sour. It's amazing that you guys manage to produce things with this technology, and that I respect.

Edit: Fyi, the only conscious change I've made since my maps were compiling properly was installing Propper and setting it up in Hammer.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-09 02:18:18 UTC
in 2 questions - func_areaportalwindow Post #284036

Okay.... well it can't be geometry errors because as I said, this is an identical copy of geometry elsewhere that renders fine. I'll try shutting down my computer for a while and then compiling the map immediately on start up to see if it's a heating issue, though the consistecy of the "22" amount makes me doubt it.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-09 02:11:23 UTC
in 2 questions - func_areaportalwindow Post #284034

1. When using an areaportalwindow, does the geometry enclosed in and behind it effectively cease to render when the rendered window is fully opaque? And if not, what is the purpose of the rendered window?

2. What does it mean if I have geometry that's rendering like this in-game:

I assume it means there is too much geometry being rendered at one time. Thing is, I set up areportalwindows with hopes to remedy that problem (on the belief that the answer to my previous question is yes.) The func_brush pictured is identical to several others in the same room which render perfectly. If I put more than 22 of them in the room, the remainder render like shown in the image. But I have set up the areaportalwindows such that no more than ~10 of them are visible (not encolsed in an opaque rendered window) at any given time.

I have tried using func_lod's instead and got buggy results. That's aside from the fact that I need these brushed to cast shadows.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-09 00:50:45 UTC
in bump map doesn't look bumpy or decent Post #284031

Hm okay. VDC doesn't seem to mention the method being unadvisable, nor does it cover what a "proper" normal map is and how to make one. Can you point me in the right direction? You say "cheap gimmicks" ...does that mean that the fact that the gimp plugin is free makes it low-quality?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-08 23:58:21 UTC
in bump map doesn't look bumpy or decent Post #284028

oh

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq284/pellaamarilla/ninja_pi_white_noise_NORMAL.gif

I made it in the gimp normalmap plugin

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-08 02:36:06 UTC
in bump map doesn't look bumpy or decent Post #284006

...it just puts a bunch of drak blotches on my texture:

Also notice the black pixels here and there. From a distance, I can tell no difference between it and a non-bump version. Up close, the bump version just looks like shit. Is it supposed to look better than this?

Yes, I have the latest video drivers.

Thanks.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-04 02:21:11 UTC
in Huh?!@#11 Post #283889

Obvious yes. But not obvious enough. Thank you, Penguinboy. For making me feel stupid.

Issue resolved.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-04 01:50:08 UTC
in Huh?!@#11 Post #283882

SpaG: I know what RMX's are. And the extra files I'm talking about are no doubt supposed to be the RMXs. But what I mean is that hammer litterally saves a file, without an extension, that has the name of my map except that the last letter is replaced with an "x". So if my map's name is mymap, hammer saves two files - mymap and mymax - both with no extension.

potatis_invalid: Yes, I have, and even if I hadn't, "RMF File" would appear in the file description. These files literally have no extension. When I try to compile one, I get a "file not found" error, obviously because the RMF file doesn't exist.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-04 01:18:46 UTC
in Huh?!@#11 Post #283870

I reinstalled windows recently, and now I'm having a problem with Hammer 3.4 I've never had before. When I save a map, it doesn't look like it's saving as an RMF. There's no file extension; it's just labelled as a "File". It opens and saves in Hammer just fine, but I can't compile it. Also, it's saving an extra "File" to the same directory with the same name except that the last letter is replaced with "x". I try adding .rmf to the filename and openning it, and Hammer gives me this error:

Oops! SerializeRMF() v2.2 tried to load a file v0.0. Aborting.

:....(

Edit: I've tried reinstalling hammer.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-02 18:18:29 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283812

Problem solved. As ridiculous as this sounds, the problem was that I was right-clicking the MDL after compile and selecting Open With > HLMV, instead of openning HLMV from Source SDK and navigating to my MDL. Shouldn't make a difference, of course. But with Steam, there's no telling.

This really is a solid testiment to how Steam just gets in the way. Aside from the unpredictability of how automatic updates may fuck up a tool or file at any time, you shouldn't have to have a software distribution program running in order to do your work, and you shouldn't have to nagivate through 7 or 8 subdirectories to get to the folders you need. You should have freedom to set up a directory structure of your choosing based on your prefered workflow, and the freedom to only have the applications/processes you need at a given time running. Tell me I'm not the only one here who understands that the development process really has nothing to do with the Steam platform, and that the restrictions Steam enforces are just unnecessary.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-01 20:05:12 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283750

Don Punch, nothing you've said in this thread has anything to do with the problem. And as an aside, did you read the citations in my reply to you?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-01 17:44:58 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283733

So, any further ideas? If I get this working, there's a chance I'll have a competition entry in time. Otherwise there's no chance.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-08-01 02:56:35 UTC
in Competition 28 Post #283690

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I should not be laughing at this should I?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-31 23:50:39 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283680

It occured to me that you may've meant upload the MDL file. It is here. I ran the program MDLTextureInfo on it, which verified that the right .vmt file is referenced. The program even says the model has 1 texture. But it won't show up for anything!

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-31 22:33:47 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283678

For reference, here is my updated VMT and QC:

[quote]VertexLitGeneric
{

$basetexture	models/gear_y_lg00/tex_gold_y00
$bumpmap	models/gear_y_lg00/tex_gold_y00_normal

}[/quote]

$modelname "gear_y_lg00/gear_y_lg00.mdl"
$body body "gear_y_lg00_ref.smd"
$staticprop
$cdmaterials "models/gear_y_lg00"
$sequence idle "gear_y_lg00_ref.smd" fps 1
$collisionmodel "gear_y_lg00_ref.smd" { $mass 1 }

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-31 22:32:01 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283677

Don Punch: Upload what exactly? The XSI scene file? Texture? SMD? VMT? VTF? QC? All of the above? Since my compiles are succeeding (or appear to be), I'm not sure how uploading any of that will help. But I'd be happy to upload any/all of that, I just need to know what to upload.

The model isn't animated, but according to this article,

All models must have at least one $sequence, even if they aren't actually animated!

and this tutorial says

For a static prop, there's no movement so the "idle" model is the same as the reference model.

. . .

$sequence idle "sec_cam_ref.smd" fps 1

Also, I assumed that a phys model wasn't necessary since the first article I cited doesn't explicited say that it is. But if it is necessary, it seems from the tutorial I cited that the refence model will suffice for this as well:

For a prop_static model, only the reference file is needed

. . .

$collisionmodel "sec_cam_ref.smd" {
$Mass 20
}

I'll try adding a phys model and see if that solves it.

Edit: Tried it, still no luck. The line I added was:

$collisionmodel "gear_y_lg00_ref.smd" { $mass 1 }

Note: I've changed the model name since I last pasted my QC.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-31 21:47:34 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283672

I've tried your suggestion with the quotes, and made sure all the references are correct. No luck. I just don't get it. Is it possible that something's going wrong when I compile the texture?

Maybe I can get a hold of a sample model, complete with all the source files, to compare with? If anyone would like to unpload this for me, I'd be very grateful.

I appreciate you offering to compile this for me, but I'd much prefer to figure out what I'm doing wrong and correct it. I'm going to be making a lot of models in the near future, and sending them all off to someone else to compile would be very impractical. Btw, this is my first Source model.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-30 23:31:32 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283633

doh.

[quote]VertexLitGeneric
{

$baseTexture models/md_gear00/tex_gold_dust_drk00

}[/quote]

$modelname md_gear00/md_gear00.mdl
$body body "md_gear00_ref.smd"
$staticprop
$cdmaterials models/md_gear00
$sequence idle "md_gear00_ref.smd" fps 1

^there are tabs between parameter/value in the qc.

edit: not that it matters, I know.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-30 00:42:25 UTC
in texture not compiling with model Post #283616

I went through the steps to compile a model, and openned up HLMV to find that the texture wasn't there. It was just the purple/black checker texture instead. Here are the steps I did:

-put TGA in sourcesdk/materialsrc/models/
-applied and UV mapped TGA in modeller
-compiled TGA with vtex
-made VMT in same directory as VTF
-exported ref SMD to sourcesdk/modelsrc/models/
-made QC in same directory as SMD
-compiled QC with studiomdl

I came up with a bad collision box error in studiomdl, but I know how to fix that and it shouldn't be a part of the problem I don't think. Help appreciated.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-29 00:23:49 UTC
in Hammer 4.1 zoom problem Post #283584

Weird. Well, until I find a solution, I can just use the zoom tool and guess as to where my cursor is...

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-28 23:57:03 UTC
in Hammer 4.1 zoom problem Post #283581

Actually, it might not. Using the number keys tends to distort the grid.

Edit: Oh, the problem might be that I'm on a laptop, and don't have a numpad, so I'm having to use -/+ next to backspace. Possible? What would I do then?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-28 23:45:14 UTC
in Hammer 4.1 zoom problem Post #283580

Tried both, no luck. I did however find out that the number keys change the zoom level. This will suffice.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-28 21:42:13 UTC
in Beginning Source Post #283578

Well, I talk a lot of shit. But there's always room for me to change my mind.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-28 21:34:27 UTC
in Hammer 4.1 zoom problem Post #283577

The zoom shortcuts, - and +, aren't working for me. I can't use the zoom tool because of the bug with the cursor disappearing. I would prefer not to use the wheel because I like to zoom in 2x increments. Any help? Thanks.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-28 13:10:38 UTC
in Beginning Source Post #283562

Steam isn't needed to distribute content digitally, nor is any standardized platform.

And you completely missed the point of my Super Wal-Mart analogy. What does "of the game industry" mean to you?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-28 12:05:40 UTC
in Beginning Source Post #283558

That's simple-minded, Saavik256. Realism and technological capacity aren't synonymous. Realism is the style that has dominated the gaming market, presumably because people want to "immerse" themselves. But why can't people immerse themselves in something abstract, surreal, or at the very least DIFFERENT? Contemporary technological capacity equips developers to pursue those goals with every bit as much next-gen graphic complexity as the realistic goals they're instead pursuing. Unfortunately, the normal consumer's mindset seems to be that the more realistic it looks, the more amazing it is.

Wolfenstein 3D was as realistic as it got at the time, and was commercial garbage all the same. But I do enjoy working with a few older engines, from the Doom to Half-Life time period.

JeffMOD: Well, for one, I think it would do justice to say Valve STARTED the realism plague. They basically created the stardard model for a next-gen FPS with HL2. And speaking of standardization, Steam. I don't like standardized platforms for game distribution or anything else involving the creative process. Valve is the Super Wal-Mart of the game industry.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-26 11:59:37 UTC
in Beginning Source Post #283487

Thanks for the replies. As for my problem with a 5 gig game... I just really like the aesthetic of the games of the early to late 90s and find it far superior to the realism-obsessed technology of today; so I've kind of kept out of the loop for a while and 5 gig sounds (to me) like far more than should be required to make an absolutely astounding video game (which it is, as System Shock 2 and Descent 1 & 2 are proof.) Call me old-fashioned. I work on a dual-core laptop with a Quadro NVS 100m and a beautifully-sufficient 40gb hd. I love my hard drive and am very conscious of what I put on it. Much of my problem, I'm sure, is that I have no passion for games like Portal, or HL2 for that matter.

If a game is a work of art, games of the 90s are to contemporary games what avant-garde was to socialist realism: experimentation, misdirection, and spontanuity versus reality, glorification, and propagandization (and BFGs.) Sadly, I don't share the gaming industry's enthusiasm for the latter.

Sounds like an aspiring level designer who doesn't like any of the aspects of level design or the game he's chosen to map for, and has some odd hangups about HD space allocation.

Why don't you just pick another engine if you're going to get all worked over over dedicating 5GB to so-called "pop-culture hype"?

Fair point. Thing is, I can't name another contemporary engine which doesn't also fall under this category. Nonetheless, I've decided I'm going to try picking up the UE3 enigne to see if it's any less of an annoyance. Yeah, I'll be sacrificing more hard drive space than I had hoped; but at least it wasn't made by a company I have a serious grudge for.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-25 17:42:06 UTC
in Beginning Source Post #283456

I meant that I want to map using Source technology. And the only reason is because I'm trying to get a job and I need to pick up something newer than Goldsource. But would you recommend another route? Prolly not, as this is TWHL.

That 5 gigs isn't just entity code and whatnot. I'm willing to bet most of it is level files. Is there a smaller game that uses Source with a basic set of entities? I'm unsure what you mean by "shared game files". I'm not sure if I'm really looking for an answer here, because I already know what the answer is. I'm just complaining. I have more important things than some pop culture hype with shamelessly blocky level design to fill 5 gigs with. Cheers.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-07-25 16:58:40 UTC
in Beginning Source Post #283449

Yeah so, I want to start mapping for Source. Portal takes up 5 fucking gig of hd space. That's stupid and ridiculous. I'm not installing a 5 gig game on my comp. I'm not going to even play the damn game. I just want to map for Source. Is there a simple way to do this?

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-03-18 08:31:41 UTC
in Weapon coding... Post #279804

I don't want the silencer to be switchable. I'm unsure what you mean by "Are other things okay?"

As for Spirit 1.7, does it have a silenced pistol entity whereas previous versions don't? I've never used Spirit, but I should probably start using it for multitude of reasons.

quailcreek

Posted 14 years ago2010-03-18 05:13:24 UTC
in Weapon coding... Post #279801

I'm trying to get a silenced 9mm pistol into my map. I noticed that there are models for the silenced pistol in valve/models, but apparently they just weren't used in HL. Since the silenced pistol was never used, I take it there will be some coding involved to get the pistol to make the right sound, position the muzzle flash correctly, make it an entity, etc. I know absolutely nothing about this. Would anyone be willing to help me out with this? I'll be sure and credit whoever does.

quailcreek