Forum posts

I have to agree with Archie. Most pre-built systems are already a year or so old and definitely way behind with graphics cards.

Case in point:

I went to purchase an Alienware thru Dell. I loved the system but even with Alienware you don't get what you pay for. The cards are behind and just on the edge of playability with these newer graphic intensive games. I decided against it because I just couldn't get the thing configured for a reasonable price. And then they throw 400 worth of tax on it at the end. Nice!

NewEgg or TigerDirect are two good places to build systems. They also have really cheap barebone systems that you have to put together yourself. Not really that hard once you get past the heatsink on the chip.

I am really glad that this subject came up because I wanted to ask the same question but on a more precise level.

What is a GOOD system to own right now for gaming, moding, and making movies. Something that is going to render fast. I probably just need a new card. Somebody recommend a good graphics card. Are the workstation graphics cards good for modding? The Quatro for example?

I really have a good asus board that I don't want to part with yet so I will probably just upgrade the memory and the graphics card.

Any help would be appreciated....

no, by no means would I try and light an entire area with a texlight. you would have to pump it way up to make it really visible and yes, there is no control. I probably use the texlights more simply because I DONT know what I am doing with lights. Like I said, I am no expert on lighting and most of my maps never make it to that overall stage of final lighting....lol

I must admit that I do like the overall softer look of texlights for smaller things like I said, elevators, etc. I think I use some in my shuttle, and the shuttle bathrooms.

and I haven't touched goldsource in years...sry. I am learning the finer points and limits of the source engine. Maybe when I get my new system configured I will re-install HL1. I know, I suck!

I know I am a little late in response but I don't understand why you are so against texlighting Archie. I actually prefer texlights over regular lighting and it's sometimes easier to parent a func_brush that has a self illuminating texture to something like an elevator. I have had some bad and mixed results with parenting a regular light to a moving object. I get some really weird shadows. There are various other reasons.

and I am no lighting expert by any means. explain please....

I actually got it from the Half Life disc as well....still have my original disc. I actually have the five disc Half Life 2 Episode 1 as well. This was before Steam got all big and I didn't like the idea of not owning the CDS.

I wish I still had that first real map I made. It was a small room with a floor spot light and a npc_metro police in it. I put some posters on the walls, I think movie posters cause I remember doing alot of movie poster textures right afterwards that I used in a theater map. I just loved the idea of being able to put your own textures in...well, and the fact that I shot that policeman over and over again. lol

I think my ACTUAL first map was an attempt to use the whole of the space in the editor which obviously turned out to be a huge mistake along with the fact that EVERYTHING was out of scale on first render....well, after I took out the huge box. I think it was an attempt at a castle...utter failure.

I actually started with the whole idea of mapping with Tony Hawk on ma PS2. Some level editor that I spent hours with. Half Life was like a hook in the mouth after that. I was also addicted to Final Fantasy 7 at the time. I love game where you have to make combinations.

I have actually been in the game making business for quite some time. Considering I am a bit older I have a total of 20+ years making games on various systems all the way back to some word adventure games I made for the TRS-80 model I and the Atari 800. I am actually a Graphic Artist at heart. I tend not to share alot of my work cause I am selfish like that.

My current work is in total contrast to my first work all those years ago. My current project is a Hope Shuttleport. Hope is my youngest daughter so I named the shuttleport after her. Kind of surprising what the source engine will do when you push it a little. All textures, models, and materials are originals. I have taught myself well along with the help of many online communities including the people here at TWHL.

Advice for anyone looking to do this kind of thing.....hmmmm....??

I think the phrase follow through applies here. Try to finish something before you move on to something new. For me, I have way too many open projects that are not finished simply because I had a whim to do it. Fight that urge and complete the task. This sometimes requires dedication and patience but it pays off in the end. Be balanced? Don't let mapping consume you because it has a tendency to do that. If you have alot of free time already then cool but don't stop your life for this shiat. Some people have a knack for this stuff and some people have to work entirely too hard to succeed. If it's just a hobby then cool but be prepared to learn and learn some more cause it's always changing. If you stick with Valve it will anyways. All platforms move up and you have to roll with the changes. And lastly, know who you are and stick with it. If you are a mapper then map your heart out. If you love lights then make some maps and become the best lighter you can be. If you like sound then I guess you know what to do. Stick with what you know best if you plan on being hired. This really applies to local hobbyist who stick together and create maps. Coders are the main stay and if you know coding then stick with it cause it's a dying art. Nobody wants to put the time in to learn it anymore. Soon we will have machines programming machines.....scary....

Just have fun with it....

I think it's a great idea if you can keep it up. Would be interesting to put them all together at the end to see what the look like in progression.

Having said that I don't think you will last as stated by many others. I would suspect a great start with some sort of ultimate break somewhere along the way. Even if I had time, which I don't, I don't personally think I could last creating 52 maps in a years time. There just wouldn't be any quality there.

Now! If you really want to get creative and utilize an idea that I have had and tried to introduce to Kuma Games. The didn't like it and they suck anyways. But, anywho.....

Write episodic maps that will utilize some or all of the same materials created for the whole series. It doesn't have to be big either. You just have to have some kind of story line and some main characters that will last throughout the series. Obviously creating a whole city would take a minute so you could start out small like I said and create "sets" that the actors would work from. You get the point....

good luck with dat!

Glad to see that sponsorship from Valve!

What's up people? Long time no see....

Have been caught up with life and car repairs. I have still been working on some levels but haven't had much time lately. I would love to enter the CS competition but I don't see myself having alot of time to start a new project. Maybe I will post some screenshots of the shuttleport I am working on (well, have been for a couple of months).

Do you smell your dick every time you put your hands to your face? lol

I think what pisses me off more than anything is the amount of anti-American attitude this site generates. I mean seriously....WTF.

I really hate getting mad about it but at least I am enough of a patriot to at least defend what I believe in.

If any one of your countries got attacked in three separate places as we did then you would want blood too. Even 10 years later....

Until you know what you are talking about you really shouldn't comment on something as serious as this. Go comment about Japan or something....

America! Fuck Yeah!

I don't think Bin Laden ever, ever stood up and said, "hey guys, I didn't do it. you got the wrong person".....

Please.....he's dead....bring it!

I really, really don't think any of you have a freaking clue what you are talking about. Imperial America? That's a laugh in itself.

Again, without Imperial America you would all be kneeling to Hitler....

If you want to defend someone then defend Saddam Hussein. At least we have something real to talk about.

Until then, learn some history, respect your position in the world, and stop belly-aching that America is the worst thing ever. Let's remember, if we go then you will probably not be far behind.

If you check your facts, we didn't start this little war with Libya. Hell, we really don't even want to be involved. We don't have the money for it. I do believe it's Britain and France that want him gone from their backyard, or frontyard. However, you want to look at it.

Europeans really have a slanted view of something they know very very little about. (world politics) Do you watch the news? (real news) and have you correctly read all your history books (not the ones from school).

I had thought about living in Europe but on second thought I don't think I do because I would be getting into these arguments all the time. I am a good patriot of my own country and I think I will stay.

America! Fuck yeah!

and Martyr's don't do well at the bottom of the sea!! Which is where he was dumped. His family didn't even want him so what does that tell you? Maybe they didn't want it to affect their Microsoft stock....

I really feel that America is vindicated and justice has been served on the right person. We, America, spend alot of money making sure that you can all make these asinine comments, so let's remember our places. At least we have the courage to stand up for injustice instead of sitting back waiting for something to happen. Nobody is safe from Terrorism or the radical ideas that go along with it. Nobody can afford to sit by and let them retain any momentum towards their final goal which is to rid the planet of everyone but themselves. Is that what you really want?

And nobody is safe, not even Poland....

"sober satisfaction"? yes! I personally remember 9-11 quite well.....

As it was posted before this "glitch" was caught I see no real reason to disqualify. The whole premise of the competition was a bit vague to start with. Didn't Dimbark use a completely "different" engine to create his submission; and this was allowed. I would have to re-read an older post to verify this. The HUD does not look familiar to me.

It's a screen shot for Jimmie's sake. I think everyone did great.

My vote stands....

and yes, I voted for your map captain...

Map from a screenshot is what I got out of it...does it really matter how you get there?

Loved ALL the entries...

I like and use Facebook but see no reason to integrate it into the site. There is a mapping site that does this very thing. I won't mention the name but it really is kinda confusing and unnecessary.

@discostu: you can map but you can't figure out Facebook? lol

No Facebook please...

It doesn't matter where you have it as long as you only have ONE. And if you have a sun or moon then you need to keep the two entities close. Meaning the light_environment and the sun/moon together. Not one in the skybox and one in the map. This screws with the lighting and can create mistakes.

Don't matter whose tutorial you got it from, my information came straight from the Valve Wiki. I didn't pull the answer from my arshe.

lol

Yeah, it's all a scam.

Had some recurring charges on my phone awhile back that I didn't fully get reimbursed for.

Try not to give too much personal info or give them some wrong info.

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Light_environment

in case you need to be sure check the wiki....

The light_environment entity is a light controller, that casts both diffuse and parallel directional lighting from the toolsskybox texture. This is to approximate the light cast from the Sun or Moon.

The properties of this entity apply to the whole map. Multiple instances of this entity within a map may cause errors. A 3D Skybox does not require an extra light_environment placement. If multiple light_environment entities are placed, Vrad uses the keyvalues from the first placed light_environment to calculate the lighting.

They were made with Filter Forge and I have already converted some of those textures the old fashion way.

He should have them up by today or tomorrow.

He should be getting ready for his big trip instead of worrying about these textures. I guess completion is a good thing.

Hell, I wish him all the luck.

Yeah, I don't think the 96x96 is going to work out for you.

And somewhat larger textures will scale "down" alot better than smaller textures being scaled up. Anytime I want something to look crisp, and contrasted I just make the texture a little bigger than I need it to be, i.e., one size up.

Take it to 128x128 and maybe crisp the contrast just a little in your favorite editor and re-try it. I bet you have better results.

just checking...I think I remember myself making this boo boo when the cards first came out. I bought a new motherboard and a pci card and it turned out that they had switched the formats on me.

Guess it pays to do a little research first.

Just checking to make sure but....

Do you currently own a PCI-E (pci-express) card?
Does you motherboard support PCI Express?

Some of the older motherboards do not have a PCI-E slot, which is totally different than a PCI slot, which is the older format.

Make sure your motherboard can take this card before you shell out a bunch of money on something that's not going to plug into your system.

And I know this is the wrong forum for this but who know a good lcd monitor that handles burn-in better than the piece of crap I have now.

Which is a Sceptre LCD....

I can't map for long before I get an incredible amount of burn-in. I fix it with the old black and white pic switch technique.

Any suggestions on a monitor that can handle this sort of thing?

Probably wouldn't hurt to upgrade the PSU. You are probably right on the line. Wouldn't hurt to get a 500 or better.

And why can't you find the card? Do you mean you can't find it in the UK?

Try Amazon.com and TigerDirect.com. I didn't have a problem finding new at either and Amazon has a few used ones but they aren't much cheaper.

I agree with Satchmo and Luke...

I am doing my comparisons now but as Satchmo stated it is pointless to buy a top of the line card if the system can't maximize it. And this goes along with what Luke said. Check the PSU rating!

And the older boards can't maximize PCI Express cards. You can use the card with no problems but usually at half the bandwidth. I read it really shouldn't matter all that much but senseless to buy more speed than you really need.

I think I am going to go with a nicer card but I am also going to upgrade my motherboard soon because DDR1 sucks. Bout time to upgrade everything anyways. I really want to just win a nice gaming rig. lol.

hackers and crackers smile -

Tell me more please....

How did this get to be a power supply issue? lol

It was a sub-question but I think Luke got it covered nicely.

And I don't buy computers that are already put together.

I had a nice Ultra 500w power supply but it went south like I said. I had that one under warranty but they couldn't match it because they didn't have a 500w so I got a 450w Ultra. I was just asking because I am considering upgrading the video card.

I looked at the GTS450 but didn't know how good it was. I don't think I would need anything over 512k but it would be nice to have it.

Be nice to have this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6809990&CatId=4044

Who pay for stuff like this? Graphic Designers?

Funny, I was just getting ready to ask the same question....lol

My card is ok and does the job overall but it's still an older card and needs to be replaced. 6600 NVidia series with a whopping 256 Memory.

No need to clap, I know....

Anybody suggest a good replacement for this, keeping with NVidia and possibly a little more memory. I don't need to break the bank but I do want a nicer card that can handle Left4Dead a little better.

Mafia II bombed on me the other day so I know it's time to upgrade.

May need to upgrade the 450w Power Supply as well...it was a warranty replacement for a 500w that went out. That's all they had in stock. I know some of the newer cards need more juice.

Three Days Grace is one of my new favorites!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ekz_CSBVg

I think Atom and I handled this problem in another thread. Not going to look for it.

A surface may only be lit by up to 4 lights with different targetnames. This means a face can be lit by unlimited different light styles as long as they share up to 4 names.

And I read somewhere that if the styles are the same, meaning the light values are the same, then it doesn't count either if they are named something different.

Inception

It was ok but it's not like it was a blockbuster or anything.

And I too, like the World Builder video...

It's the same virus, lol. Sometimes they come in multiple pieces. Looks like your just renamed itself and started over. You really have to know your task manager and what is supposed to be running. Go in safe mode and kill the processes, find them in docs and settings, and then clean the registry. If you are not cleaning the registry then you might as well hang it up because it is just self-replicating.

And you don't need to format your pc every time and I get alot of these annoying viruses from searching yahoo images. Mostly re-directors tho.

Have you tried safe-mode?

This will allow you to get to regedit and the taskbar to kill the little bastard. It's just a running program that is cutting off access to primary functions, such as regedit and possibly the taskbar.

Have you tried killing the process that is running this?

If you can't get your functions back in safe-mode chances are that you might not be able to handle it on your own. Seek more help locally.

My wife's and daughter's computer always get these things and most are harmless and easy to get rid of. You can also get rid of most of these things simply by making a new user account in windows. Alot of stupid malwares sit in your created user directory and not windows actually. If you have a folder called windows in your c:documents and settings/(your name) then you might want to be cautious.

Old malwares used to sit in the windows and sometimes the windows/system folder but Microsoft has done something to limit this now and like I said most malware ends up in your documents and settings. I usually just find my user name and search that entire folder for new items that were created maybe within the last day or two or whenever you got this "virus". Then, like I said, go into safe-mode and do some shredding. Most of the files are pretty easy to spot. If you are not comfortable with this then get some better advice.

The only reason I break it down is so that you will understand it a little better. It's better than the generic, "get spybot" response. These programs don't really work. I don't care what anyone says.

HiJack this is a nice little registry editor that will help you clean up alot. Google it and I am sure you will find a free version. If not, I have it around here somewhere and it's small enough to mail. lol

Hope this helps...

Nicely done! Been waiting for you to do something extra with LiveStream.

I have been playing around with it a bit and find it alot of fun. It reminds me of my old broadcasting days. I will have everything set in a month or two.

Cheers!

Or it's like you're paranoid.

Whoa! I just woke up but I feel paranoid now...lol...

@potatis: Gman is not going to knock on your door, ok?

oh screw it...I am going back to bed...(i think I have a headache now)

What's wrong with TWHL4?

It is pretty easy to get a job....as long as you aren't TOO picky about where you want work. You gotta start somewhere.

I totally missed this thread but it looks like Luke the Duke has already taken care of you. Anything I say now just won't be relevant. lol

I have built most of my systems and never had any of these problems you are all talking about. And what's wrong with AMD? I happen to like AMD products.

Did you actually exchange the chip or get a new one?

And when all else fails put a box fan on it? lol. Don't laugh! I keep my system on 24 hours a day 7 days a week so when I use my computer extensively and it is "warm" in the office I just use a large fan directly on the side of the computer. It really does wonders for the temperature.

I know, I am ghetto.

You can't assume that everyone has the means to pay $50 a crack on a software title.

Most of the under 18 crowd here does not pay their own bills.

So, your statement really doesn't make much sense.

www.twhl4.com is.....available.

I am sure it works the same way as all the other engines. It's basically free use until you make a bunch of money and then, like I said, they will have their hand out asking for some kind of royalties. Usually, it is about 10,000-20,000 dollars. And you are paying for the engine. All your materials should be pretty much custom.

Here are a few links that explain the rigorous process. Good Luck!

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Making_a_Mod

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Building_Mods_with_Valve_Technology

Yeah, I looked at 'em and wasn't too impressed myself. I do like all the cave work it just reminds me of episode two caves.

Don't know that I would pay for either...maybe 99 cents. lol

kidding

Not mine but interesting!

Now, if you say it's free then it has to be free. Ask for donations, whatever...

And that's why I said as low as .99 cents. For those games you might not necessarily want to pay for but at least the author gets a little something.

Prime example:

The 14 year old kid that wrote the Bubble Ball app and it got more hits than Angry Birds. Although it was free I bet he wish he had charged that 99 cents now. I guess that's why he is writing his 2nd App. lol

I am not up for raping anyone's wallet but I think if you want, you should be able to make a buck or two off something that already makes money, peoples ideas.

Alot can be said for people who donate their work as well.

What wrong with someone making money from their hard work?

You know Valve is getting money from it so what's the problem?

I love mapping as a hobby but if I could make even 99 cents a game I would be more than happy to open my pocket and let the money fall in. lol

And yes, I believe these "mods" should be significantly cheaper. 99 cents is just a baseline. Somewhere between .99 cents and about 10 dollars. Then you need to work it out with Valve as to what they get out of it.

Trust me, you go making a butt load of money from the engine and Valve is going to be knocking with their hand out even if they say "it's cool" initially. I don't know all the details from the mods mentioned but I am sure they are paying Valve somehow.

Another Source Tip

This kind of goes hand in hand with the above post...

Add -tools to your launch parameters when launching HL2. I believe this works for any Source related games, i.e. Portal and Left4Dead.

This will not load your game but instead put you into tool mode. This will allow you to edit particles, materials, and commentary.

I have not used this but so much. Only to view particle systems. Tried to create a new particle system without success but I believe it is because some of the used materials simply won't unpack-repack from the .gcf file.

Cool to know.

my bad...

that is a Half Life 2 tool.

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Showbudget

This should help you a little as well...

The only I get in my compile log is this:
10%...Warning: Too many light styles on a face(238.000000,-1999.989990,-708.000000)
Warning: Too many light styles on a face(250.000000,-1999.989990,-708.000000)

This is usually caused when you have too many named lights. I believe vrad.exe makes a new lightstyle for each named light so it can light the environment properly. When you have these named lights too close together then you get this error.

Try un-naming them or move them apart. If you are getting this error then the overall map is not rendering correctly. I am not sure about the lag.

I don't post here to be relevant...

I post here to keep this thread moving forward and to keep people thinking about what the want in the new site. I really really don't see where any kind of changes are going to be all the major. I simply don't agree.

And please, if you are going to call me a child at least check your facts before making such an asinine statement. I was probably mapping, making games, and RUNNING web sites when you were all in diapers.

You are all like a bunch of bitchy little girls that don't get you way.

It really makes me mad that nobody takes me seriously on this site. I don't know why I continue to come here.

Peace. and good luck.

I noticed twhl.co.cc was available, so i quickly grabbed it before anyone else could.

Did you actually purchase it? That's awesome. Someone is trying to help.

lmao

Unlike some of us...

I would put the money up for the new .com if I had it to give just so we could resolve this issue. I, seriously, don't think we need a .com or need the old name. Why is everyone so stuck on the name for pete's sake? It's just a name; you will get used to the new one.

Is the focus of the site really the name or the people and the actual content. It's not like we would be starting from scratch or anything. Even if you did start from scratch I don't buy all the hype about the soul of the site simply dying.

Take this site to a new place and go from there. At least we will still be up and running, you know?

I am still waiting for this site to just blink out....:(

Honestly, I think we are all splitting hairs over basically nothing.

It doesn't matter either way, whether we support other engines or not. You aren't going to loose people just because you EXPAND a site. And I don't think changing the name is going to have any massive impact either. A simple redirect will take care of anyone trying to get to the old site.

I am not advocating that we cover every engine out there but I don't think it would hurt to add a few others and possibly expand on some other ideas that have been mentioned.

All the posts here are like broken records repeating themselves.

Worldcrafters.net and Worldcrafters.org are available....

Worldcrafters.com is being sat on...

Same with Worldcrafter.com...

Worldcrafter.net and Worldcrafter.org are also available...

I like WorldCrafters personally.....

What the heck would we call the map vault then? I mean if we name it that.

And please, no Twitter...