don't use hammer to compile! It's more trouble than its worth and it's little dos window won't display values correctly.
get
HLCC1.4, the simplest batch compiler to use thats out there. Theres a few missing options for anything added to zoner within the last year or so, but these can easily be added manually.
For a normal RAD, use - bounce 0 and don't bother with sparse, if you don't NEED sparse (meaning you don't get MAX_MAP_PATCHES without it) then don't use it! It just lengthens the compile time. - chop 128 also decreases lighting time further for non-important compiles, it just makes the lighting a lot less accurate.
-extra increases the RAD time by a factor of FOUR as it increases the accuracy of it's lighting matrix, for a normal RAD, forget it!
my normal rad string is:
hlrad.exe -bounce 0 -chop 128 -lights "somerad.rad" -chart -estimate "mapname.map"
The last 2 options (assuming you are using zoners tools! If not USE THEM), chart and estimate, will allieviate your problem of RAD seeming 'stuck'. -estimate will show a much more accurate analysis of what RAD is doing, down to individual faces, so no more %age based nonsense.
Chart simply displays a detailed look at the compile, useful for debugging.
My full rad string is (for a full compile of a large map):
hlrad.exe -sparse -bounce 4 -chop 64 -coring 0.2 -smooth 80 -lights "somerad.rad" -chart -estimate -extra "mapname.map"
I try to get chop as low as possible (before the compile takes forever/the tools crash), don't worry about coring and smooth, they just give a better effect. I've used sparse here as all my final compiles end up needing it.
Hopefully my knowledge of compilers will help thee.