I need a HL2 owner to test-run this map Created 19 years ago2004-12-07 18:47:44 UTC by Gackt

Hello, one and all!

In anticipation for making the jump to Half-Life 2 in a week or so (when I buy it, of course), I've started working on a very interesting level - at least, to me. It is a to-scale replica of the Cathedral of Chartres, a real-life building that would make an excellent multiplayer level in HL2, complete with the added novelty of the buggy and the fast zombies (you can do a google search and get pictures of it, I think). Knowing the problems that porting old maps into Source can cause (my friend has shown me all the horrors) I am using the old Hammer to make only brushes for the level.

Things were going fine until I completed the perimeter and then tried running it. Simply put, Hammer died. I think that it is simply because HL1 is so limited in terms of huge structures, so I want to see if I'm right.

Would anyone who owns Half-Life 2 and the SDK be willing to give my map a go? It's all ready for you, you just have to convert it and run it (don't worry about textures, I just want to see if it actually will load). It would be most appreciated, I assure you. Here's the link - sorry it's so long, but I was pressed for time:

http://groups.msn.com/HalfLifeMapRoom/documents.msnw?fc_p=%2FChatres%20Cathedral%20HL2%20Test%20Level&fc_a=0

Just copy it to your address bar and it should take you to the online folder I made with the file in it. Don't worry, Sir Laguna is just another user name I use. In any case, please feel free to try my level out and see if it runs, and please report your findings back to me!

What exactly did Hammer say when it died?

It didn't say anything - there isn't anything physically or technically wrong with the map - it just got overloaded and went into Not Responding mode. I assume that's because it's so large and it couldn't handle it. What I want to know is if HL2 can run it when HL1 obviously can't.

HL2 should be able to. But you may want to simplify the map a little for lag reasons.

BTW. Compiling tools doesn't crash if there's nothing wrong with the map. It common for them to go into non-responding mode. It might just take a few hours for them to complete your work.

All that Windows' labelling of programs as "Not Responding" means is that the programs are ignoring Windows' nagging pokes and so MS is getting their own back on 'em. You could run the tools with the argument -low if you wanted, or just be patient.

I suppose that gets at the root of my inquisition - I wanted to know if HL2 would run it more efficiently. When modding large levels, my goal is to keep the load time under five minutes (I've been at 22 minute load times with another crazy level - I may post it one day so you can see the insanity) so yes, there is something that needs to be said for simplicity. But in the mind of a fellow ambitious modder (me), do you not agree that striving for full scale replicas is the most desirable (however inefficient)?

Perhaps I worded my description of the compiling process a bit strongly - I DO know that it probably would have loaded if I had given it enough time, but it was going too long for it to be reasonable, so I pronounced it dead (in terms of its value as a map).

I have therefore concluded that replicating the Chatres cathedral in its full extent is beyond the normal reaches of Half-Life 1 and probably 2 (although I question how City 17 is possible while a HL1-quality building is not), so I will perform the suggested modifications that Steinin has recommended and simplify it somewhat. I invision cropping it at the end of the main hall (where those two smaller halls cross with it in the middle) and bringing the pointed end to that point. I also will probably end up closing the front end up from 3 doorways to 2, which will cut down the entire contents of the level by 1/3.

Lastly, and this is a tip for anyone making castle-like maps, I'll definately be using custom textured rectangular brushes with blue backgrounds for flying buttresses instead of modelling them (if that would be even possible). It will definately save on polys and I can actually make them look accurate (they'll be made using actual flying buttress images, after all).

In any case, thanks for the advice everyone, and once I am finished with the final product I'll have the map up for distribution.

I see.

Good luck anyway. Give it a try on ? when you buy it.

I would like to wish you good luck as well.