Forum posts

Ok, that should still be fine.

I'll have to try the multisource thing when I get home.

Progress from the office!
So, I'm working on my actual floor while I'm at work. This is the progress made today during my breaks. Apparently the screen texture in the last shot doesn't cast light... I'll have to change that to something else, or make a new one.

but you don't upload the 250GB uncompressed video to Youtube

Actually nearly did that once by mistake. I think it was going to take a couple of months on my connection...

Because the Internet wasn't as big in 1998. I know I certainly didn't have internet access at home.

The screenshot function was mostly for personal use (creating wallpapers and such) and BMP was the best option for quality.

JPG / PNG has been internet standard since the beginning of time and everyone in the universe knows that...

Surprised 6-D has not yet been mentioned Rim.

I'll think of something else if I can't get it working.

I'm going to start mapping my actual floor in the office during lunchbreaks. The lobby is almost done.

Participants update:
JeffMOD
DiscoStu
Penguinboy
Potatis_Invalid
Strider
NineTnine
Jessie
Tetsu0
Stojke
Rufee
Dr.Orange
Archie
TJB
Zeeba-G
Luxasz
The Mighty Atom
Captain Terror
Joebama(?)

Technically you wouldn't be restricted by the balcony limitations of other players and could tunnel into the ground if you wanted. Of course you could be honorable and stick to the dimensions. The bypassing issue still stands however. No basements.

Also, does the 'Master' field not work properly with the standard HL tools? I'm attempting a simple puzzle which should work as far as I understand it. Door is opened by a trigger, trigger has a master names button, button should be active so player can pass through trigger and open door...

It definitely works like that in the Spirit engine.

That blame shall sit firmly on my shoulders.

Some good news. The healing and freezing trick work like a charm. The numbers have to be pretty big for it to work correctly but here goes.

A freeze damage of 100HP will strip 20 units of power from the suit every .5 seconds. Any higher than this and it will instakill any player who passes through with no armour at all, regardless of how strong the countering heal trigger is. Unfortunately, if the player enters these triggers with less than 100% health, this will also kill them.

The solution I have come up with is that the player will enter a strerilisation chamber on each floor. This will seal them in for 3 seconds, strip their weapons, regen their health (at a power of 100000 so this will be instant) and then sap their armour. That way they will always be at 100% HP when the freeze hits. Then the door opens and the triggers are killed (stops players back tracking to get more health if your level is tough)

This does of course mean I will need more room in the stairwell... Not a great deal, just a square space beyond your blockade which can be accessed once your floor is done with. Editing options there are getting limited in the stairwell huh?

Nothing is finalised yet but I'll let you know asap.

Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are amazing for breakfast but way too sweet for lunch or something

The freezers in Apprehension in HL1 also drains your suit power.

Peanut butter is pretty popular here in blighty

I'm pretty sure Half Life has a section that can drain your suits power.

Other than that, the main challenge is the use of the limited space and mapping quality, not difficulty. An empty room full of zombies isn't going to get much praise. Some areas might just contain a puzzle.

Not a rule, but use him if you like.

At least GearBox didn't make the scientists and security guards yellow. That would completely remove you from the Black Mesa feeling.

That's kinda what I was going for. This isn't black Mesa.

Yeah, you can build a little info the floor and ceiling for detailing so heady crabby hidey holes are fine.

@Suture. Gonna say no. The goal is to go up. Based on my ground floor map, the player would have no need to go down there and could easily skip it. Also, it would remove a lot of the restrictions and as such, doesn't seem fair.

As long as you send me your sound files and entries for the sentences.txt file that's fine.

Also I can take the custom models out. Just bear in mind some people won't be using default models with their HL installations. Most people use Gearbox's HD pack nowadays as far as I know.

Cheers.

To make things a little easier, let's say to leave the stairs themselves alone. Level changes will be at the top and b bottom of the staircases.

Participants (updated)

JeffMOD
DiscoStu (?)
Penguinboy (?)
Potatis_Invalid (?)
Strider
NineTnine
Jessie
Tetsu0
Stojke
Rufee
Dr.Orange
Archie
TJB
Zeeba-G
Luxasz
The Mighty Atom

People with (?)s are yet to officially confirm that they are in.

"Urby knows best. He's a God damn genius." - everyone ever

Nope, all you need is the textures and the mesh from the original construction model and assign it to the bones of the player model. You don't need to EDIT the .QC file at all when doing simple model hacks like that.

Doorways and textures are fair game as some people will block the stairwell in different ways.

Just bare in mind that the change levels will be in the stairwell so the less complicated things get the better.

if anyone wants to offer any replacement models by the way, feel free. Some TWHL realated medkits or weapons. I'm literally recycling a bunch of models I never used, namely the scientists, barneys and maybe some human grunts if I can find them.

You can still contribute Rimmeh. Anyone can.

i would like to map a medievel room with zombies inside

Within your four walls, it's fair game.

Will the elevator ever be usable, or am I safe throwing an "out of service" sign on the door? (also it doesn't have a button, should I add my own?

The elevator will never work. There is an out of order sign on the ground floor. You can board it up, block it off or just leave it be.

Will there be an outside space on the ground floor? As in, if the player can stand on the sidewalk/plaza/whatever and look up and see how tall it is.

The player will start in the lobby but I will add a glass entrance door and windows showing a street outside. Looking up at the tower will not be possible.

This tower be gettin' tall. It would be a shame if something happened to it...

I'm not going to be spending too much time on it. Let's say have your entries submitted by Saturday 28th at the latest.

We can extend if anyone needs longer.

Welcome aboard Mr.Atom

I've started working on the ground floor which will be a lobby area with no combat. Basically the pre-disaster area. I also found some models I made for a previous TWHL thing that never came to light. Always recycle!When we've got some WIP media up, I might put this up on moddb. Might gain a little attention and bring a little traffic to the site. That is unless you guys wouldn't want that.

Sadly no. Your focus should be the interior over all. All exteriors in maps will use the same sky box and environment light settings for consistency.

The stairwell's dimensions must not be altered, but you can put stuff in there if you like. You will also need to add some form of blockade to be cleared for the player to proceed.

OMG SHHH! Spoilers!

Ok, so here it is...

The TWHL Tower
A singleplayer mod for the Goldsource engine.

Rules:
1. Every member must work from the base map.
2. Aside from the stairwell, the player should only be able to move within the 1024 x 1024 x 160 unit space provided. The challenge is to use the limited space to make something interesting / enjoyable.
3. You can add windows on the external wall, however this area should not be accessible by the player and should not exceed more than 128 units away from the outer wall. It must also fit the tower theme. (see point 9)
3. You can cut into the floor and ceiling for detailing purposes but within reason. Bottomless pits wouldn't really work. (see point 9)
4. Feel free to include custom textures, but prefix them with the first three letters of your username (e.g. "urb-wall1"). These will all be merged into a single WAD before release.
5. Feel free to include custom models for props, again prefixing the filename with your username.
6. If you use third party content, you MUST include a text file with credits to the author in your submission. Any textures / model credits not accounted for WILL be removed or replaced.
7. Feel free to make things as easy or as tricky as you like. The player will be stripped of their weapons and given a chance to replenish their health on each floor.
8. The goal of each floor is to open up the access door to the next floor. This can be a simple button, a key puzzle, or something more elaborate.
9. The entire mod will be based on ascending a tower. Therefore, in the final compile, the exterior sky boxes will all be set to a night time city theme and environment lighting will be included as such. Every floor must have a name and will include your name as the administrator. These details will be included on a plaque outside each members room, as well as on an index board in the lobby.

Participants:
JeffMOD
Alberto309 (?)
DiscoStu (?)
Penguinboy {?}
Potatis_Invalid (?)
Strider
NineTnine
Jessie
Tetsu0
Stojke
Rufee
Dr.Orange
Archie
TJB
Zeeba-G
Luxasz

Notes:

I will be doing the final compile on all maps using Vluzacn's 2014 tools. I will also be compiling vrad with the lights.rad file so take care not to use entity lighting where it's not needed.

Mod file with base map, .wad file (which you WILL need) and Vluzacn's 2014 tools should you need them can be gotted HERE!

Any questions should go in this thread and all submissions should be sent to coffee@scotchandcoffee.co.uk

I'm in. It's not like I have anything more important to map

Yeah... me neither.

I'm out at the moment. I'll write up a list of of participants and rules later on with a link to the base map

Each floor will be a new map yes.

You're yet to paste the content of your .qc file...

Or, as I said

The best method would be to decompile both the player model and the construction model and then apply the entire mesh of the construction model to the players bones.

Well, it's a tower. Outside would be limited to balcony space so I'll say no access, just Windows. Balcony cannot exceed 128 units wide. The challenge is to use the space within the tower floor you invested in.

This will be in mod format so I will be compiling the maps with a daylight city skybox.

Ok, so I'm thinking 1024x1024x160, space to work within and a stairwell that you can add little things to if you like.

Six people (maybe) in so far. I'll leave this tonight and if anyone else is up for it I'll lay out some rules and post a link to a base map.

Hahaha

The TWHL Tower
A singleplayer mod for the Goldsource engine.

Rules:
1. Every member must work from the base map.
2. Aside from the stairwell, the player should only be able to move within the 1024 x 1024 x 160 unit space provided. The challenge is to use the limited space to make something interesting / enjoyable.
3. You can add windows on the external wall, however this area should not be accessible by the player and should not exceed more than 128 units away from the outer wall. It must also fit the tower theme. (see point 9)
3. You can cut into the floor and ceiling for detailing purposes but within reason. Bottomless pits wouldn't really work. (see point 9)
4. Feel free to include custom textures, but prefix them with the first three letters of your username (e.g. "urb-wall1"). These will all be merged into a single WAD before release.
5. Feel free to include custom models for props, again prefixing the filename with your username.
6. If you use third party content, you MUST include a text file with credits to the author in your submission. Any textures / model credits not accounted for WILL be removed or replaced.
7. Feel free to make things as easy or as tricky as you like. The player will be stripped of their weapons and given a chance to replenish their health on each floor.
8. The goal of each floor is to open up the access door to the next floor. This can be a simple button, a key puzzle, or something more elaborate.
9. The entire mod will be based on ascending a tower. Therefore, in the final compile, the exterior sky boxes will all be set to a night time city theme and environment lighting will be included as such. Every floor must have a name and will include your name as the administrator. These details will be included on a plaque outside each members room, as well as on an index board in the lobby.

Participants:
JeffMOD
DiscoStu (?)
Penguinboy
Potatis_Invalid
Strider
NineTnine
Jessie
Tetsu0
Stojke
Rufee
Dr.Orange
Archie
TJB
Zeeba-G
Luxasz
The Mighty Atom

Notes:

I will be doing the final compile on all maps using Vluzacn's 2014 tools. I will also be compiling vrad with the lights.rad file so take care not to use entity lighting where it's not needed.

Mod file with base map, .wad file (which you WILL need) and Vluzacn's 2014 tools should you need them can be gotted HERE!

Any questions should go in this thread and all submissions should be sent to coffee@scotchandcoffee.co.uk

---

(original post follows - mod)

---

I'm thinking of putting together a small project in Gold source, called The TWHL Tower. Every floor of this tower will be mapped by a different person. The floors would be separated by a stairwell, the door accessing the next floor will be locked and the key is somewhere on that floor. Player will be stripped of all weapons and given health top ups on each floor, essentially being given a clean slate to tackle each mappers challenge.

I'll lay out some rules if enough people express interest in taking part. This is by no means a huge project as everyone will be bound to one floor and some set dimensions.

How the Hell did you get that screenshot Jessie? Have we had a leak?

Didn't even know it was a thing. Third person half life sounds... Awful.

I can confirm that people doing that in The Core will see Gordon.

Or, I might make a player model that makes it a bad idea. Like a screen filling flat plane with a photo of a penis on it. Hmmm.

So any updates?... Oh wait...

Why do you want to edit the player model so badly anyway? If it's a single player mod then you'll never see it right? If you're using it for cutscenes, surely the original model would do?

The best method would be to decompile both the player model and the construction model and then apply the entire mesh of the construction model to the players bones. That's a lot of work though.

But this construction worker model used in the HL intro is similar to the unused one. And wears a yellow helmet and a green outfit. And he's called, supposdly, Gus.

That's the forklift driver model. The model in the image is also used right at the very start of the tram ride, off in the distance.

The contruction model wasn't cut by the way. It's used in the intro tram ride.

I can't even think of one... I've completely drawn a blank.

We're not so different from the mainstream. There must be literally hundreds of games that never see the light of day. I remember Colony 42 Jeff. It was actually one of the mods I was looking forward to.

I've started a crap ton of mods over the years, and finished none. The Core looks to be the one to change that, but I decided to think back to mods I've started and put them up here. Thought it might be interesting to see what you guys have done in the past as well.

I'm no coder, so a lot of them were simply map packs with new skins and models.

Mod: MCF
Details: This is the only one I can remember working on before I even game to TWHL. Set in a fictional city in the UK, the Morris Chemical Facility (MCF) was Gordon Freeman's next assignment by the GMan (This was long before HL2 was announced). During his first experiment with the MCF, a chemical leak was to create a series of mutant creatures which Freeman had to eradicate.
Reason for cancelling: No modelling ability, texturing with MS Paint. Then the mod Chemical Existance came out and shat all over my attempts at mapping. Just kinda gave up.

Mod: Kinetix
Details: Set in a fictional city in the UK, the Kinetix Labs were hastily established after an alien craft crash landed in a park. Under the guise of a simple plastic manufacturer, the underbelly of the complex housed the alien lifeform known as Kinetix. The player was to control an unnamed security recruit on his first day who was sensitive to the alien's telepathy. The alien would guide the player to him in an attempt to be released from his chamber. On top of this, the city was to be assaulted by a hostile alien race who were pursuing Kinetix for an unknown reason. There was even a terrible attempt at a trailer for this one. Following the release of The Core, this is probably the only past project I would consider revisiting.
Reason for cancelling: Started working on OiFH.

Mod: Half-Life: Off it's fucking head (HL:OiFH)
Details: A collaboration between myself, Tosse, Espen180 and Daubster under the label Demonic Puppy Games. This was simply a spoof mod with no real plot and ridiculous features. The very kind of mod I have come to loathe after a few years on moddb. The top 4 videos in this search for OIFH on Youtube are related
Reason for cancelling: Team kinda just fell apart after a while. Tosse and I considered starting a zombie mod in Source but this never got past the planning phase.

There are many many more but that's all I can think of at the moment...