Hi guys,
I'm sorry to have to start my posting with a request, and quite a desperate and urgent one at that, but I am in great need of someone to help me fix a Half Life 2 map for my final year Psychology project.

Basically I paid someone (friend of a friend) to make the map for me but there are some problems with it that they don't have time to fix. What basically needs doing is some button panels need rotating, some forcefields/doors/walls need putting up, and some corridors need to be made longer.

This is quite a lot to ask I know, but I was hoping I could find some kind soul to help me. Of course I can compenstate since it needs to be done quite soon. I would love to be able to do it myself unfortunately I have never used Hammer editor before and the VMF file I was given makes no sense to me at all. Plus I don't actually have a machine that can run hammer editor very well!

And if you want to know why on earth I am running an experiment on a program I can't even operate....it was my supervisors idea. And he has not been forthcoming in suggesting how I fix the problems with the map. So I am turning to you all in my time of need.

If anyone could help me I would love to hear from you as soon as possible... And hopefully I can post something less needy and desperate soon

Thank you so much in advance!
Laura (Cardiff University, if you were wondering!)

Well from what I read it doesn't sound like a lot to me? Madcow wont help you cause I asked so I'll try I guess. Post the VMF or whatever. If it's SECRET then I only use MSN or you could host it somewhere...

Wow, what a fast response! I have uploaded the file to my webspace and you can find it here: http://www.digitalsurvivor.net/Misc/experiment(1).vmf

Basically...I can't make sense of it at all. Here's the gist of the experiment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_hall_problem

The aim of the experiment is to find the short paths through the map. The player is presented with 3 doors. Behind 2 of the doors is a long path to the next room. Behind one is the short path.

What is happening at the moment is, the player presses a button on the top row of the panel, corresponding to the door they wish to open. This button press opens a DIFFERENT door which leads to the long path through the map. The participant then has to decide whether they want to open the door they originally chose (by pressing the same button on the 2nd row) or to switch to the other door (press corresponding button on 2nd row). They then proceed to the next room.

What I want to measure is how often participants decide to switch doors, which I can only assume I do through looking at which buttons are pressed on the game console.

The current problems with the map are:
1)Room 16 leads to a dead end if you go down either of the long paths

2) The participant can see the other doors when they make their way down the long path. These doors really need to be hidden so there is only one 'route' visible to them - I assume this would be done by having doors close somewhere in the interconnected path system after the 2nd button was pressed or after the participant goes through a door.

3) the 'long paths' are not long enough - they need to be longer and more winding.

4) the button panels need to be facing the doors, so that they correspond more clearly to the doors when pressed.

Hopefully that makes some kind of sense. If not then you have some idea of the theories I'm trying to work with here, on a platform I cannot program!

each button press can trigger 2 outputs. So i believe there can be a counter of some sort triggered from the second output of each button. (The first being, the switching of the door)

1)Room 16 leads to a dead end if you go down either of the long paths

How many paths / possibilites are you dealing with?

There are a total of 24 rooms with the 3 door/6 button setup.

The 'correct' door needs to be randomly assigned in each room so there is no clear pattern as to where it will appear, although the door needs to appear in each place a vaguely equal number of times.

All the doors lead to one path which leads to the same room. Except one of the doors leads to a path much closer to the room than the other two doors do.

It all sounds a lot more confusing than it actually is, I think.

Heh I'm sorry but maybe it is because it is late or the fact my IQ is low but I'm finding it hard to understand the experiment. At least the map doesn't play how I expected when reading your above post.

Also how much did you pay this dude? It's really bad : > No lights except one and that doesn't help.

I'll see how I am tommorow but for now someone else can try.

The main structure of the experiment is there, badly made or not. I would be fine with someone just making the edits I need rather than doing the whole lot again. In fact, just one or two of the edits would be better than none!

When i get home (at school now) I'll check it out too.
I'm not to keen on source entities, but i'll give it a try regardless.

That's fantastic, thank you so much, I shall check back here in the morning

Edit: I'm actually away until Sunday evening so I will have to check back again then. If someone could have a go at hacking something together with the (apparently rubbish) map I have at the moment that would take a massive load off my mind.

Also since you asked, I paid the guy ?25 which I think is about $50. That's pretty much what I am offering again if someone can help me. I know it's not a massive amount but I am an undergrad and extremely poor as it is!

I'm really thankful for the help

I just looked at that map - I don't think it's really as good as it could be.

I knocked up a short map of one room that I think does the right thing, but it'd take a fair while to do it with 24 rooms.

How soon do you need it? (yes, I realise I won't get an answer for a few days.)

You'd have to consider that if I made it, it would work, but it'll look rather crappy
...Although no crappier than the one you have currently.

Did you say ugly :> Send it my way and I'll beauty it up

I get the impression this is the phychological experiment. The effect of a young female upon younger males asking for their help and offering rewards in return kinda thing. Probably for a laugh (to see how many people are like "omg omg I will! I will!" or an actual test to gauge how deprived of femininity the internet culture is.

Whatever anyway. No offecnce anyone its just what I thought when I read the thread.

Its just it seems way too perfect. Young collage girl pleading for help, offering money etc. I mean what are the odds?

If its genuine good luck to you and the guy you paid and only did half a job is a bastard, should have seen it though to the end especially if you paid him.

Out of curiocity;

• Surley if the map is meant for an experiment then you would want it to be functional and not visually stimulating?

• If you did want to give it a theme would you have a sterile hospital like them (as it relates to a testing place of sorts) or would you have it Portal Themed where the place is an actual construction (trying to be true to life).

• How would you pay the ?25?

I'd happily make this map for you myself but it seems you've already got a small army of volenteers. GL

I don't know about you Tycell, but I'd offer to help no matter who was asking for it, and I wouldn't take any money for doing it. Not only (in this case) to help out a fellow uni student, but because it's a fun way to keep my entity work up to speed.

Tycell: If you haven't noticed we're all pretty bored around hear... chomping at the bit to help in anyway we can, for pretty much anyone who needs it. (not that that's a bad thing)

I will admit the fact that it's a girl asking for help doesn't hurt the odds of people volunteering to help... heck If I was a source mapper, I'd get in line too!

)

Hi all, just to let you know I am back. In response to how soon do I need it... as soon as possible really. The guy I had do the first map has been working on it since January! Getting the map correct is my first priority. The entire completed experiment is due in 20th April and I need to have tested and analysed 50 participants by then, so that might give you some idea of timescales!
Basically though if the map is crappy I will not get a very good classification on this module. Which is worth 40% of my final degree. It's obscene I know that a psychology degree hangs on how good a half life 2 map is, but I guess I just have a sadistic supervisor.

Just to answer the other questions:
Yes, functional and not visually stimulating. Plain and unobstrusive.

?25 can be paid via paypal or cheque in the UK if required. It's less of an incentive and a more of how I really need someone to help me out, otherwise I'd be offering a lot more!

Yes I did think this whole process (girl asking for help) sounded like a psychology experiment... I am actually thinking about running something like that on World of Warcraft in the near future. However this is not an experiment and I really am female and I really am requiring someones help. It just seems most people who are good at mapping tend to be male!

You really should have asked TWHL to do the map before you asked that asshole!

TWHL is a box stuffed with angry, horny penises, the map would have been done in no-time and it would have looked awesome aswell, we are a group of very dedicated dudes when we are showing our skills for girls or not-as-talented dudes.

Im not a source mapper so I can't help you, but as someone in here said, you have a small army of dudes wanting to help you out!

So good luck to you and the helpers!

Wow. I'll quote that and put it my bio.

well heres what i did:

http://www.penguinboy.kkore.net/hallway_test.zip

play the bsp and see if it's right - the player picks a door, and a different door is shown as a bad path, then the player can pick which door to open from the remaining two (touch the door)

if it's right, someone else can make 24 versions of it, because i'm not.

I think I can rig a different verson of it.. one that can be copy/pasted 24 times and still work off of the same entity names.. It could look good too, hehe

Ill look at it tomorrow I guess -

you do that

I'm just taking a look at it now!
Should probably reiterate that each room has to have a different 'correct' door. So as long as there are 3 different sets of rooms that have the correct door in different places, they can be copy-pasted in a random order.

Hey all.... I was just wondering if any of you had come up with anything in the past few days? Only I am very quickly running out of time!

Edit: The whole long/short path isn't set in concrete. Instead, there could be 3 long paths, but only one of them is a 'clear run'. The other two could have a series of crates in the way that need smashing before the player can continue. Just a thought! That might be easier that winding corridors?

Edit#2: What Penguinboy has come up with is SPOT ON! If of course the blocked off door/short path door is different each time.

I thought I'd give this one last try in case anyone had managed to come up with anything...otherwise I'll stop spamming!

You're not spamming I guess but editing your post BUMPS the topic for all to see

If i were in your shoes I'd ask as well...Anyone gonna aid?