AllocBloc : full Created 19 years ago2005-01-20 18:15:52 UTC by J.C

that f#ck#ng error message that doesn't mean anything is killing my project,
and me in the same time as I am on for almost five monthes now : ...

ok, I started this CS 1.6 map project last Summer :

http://www.ideaseed.net/maps/CS16/screenshots_hammer.html

(the screenshot is way out of date, I just mention the link here to help picture the map)

we (we are a team of 3-4 guys) had almost all the typical troubles of Hammer and ZHLT :

leaves

ok you all know what it is : quite stressing when you don't have the right methods, but after some tests, you finally point and fix the trouble, a hole so tight in my case I wasn't even able to see through ...

exceeded_map_maxpatches

I remember had posted something here about that, and some guys (sorry I forgot the nick) helped me fix that : that was about textures scaling.

wadinclude command that doesn't work : no problem, I used batch compiler instead of zhlt for the full compilation ...

all gameplay and typical level design troubles : ok I fixed the player that cannot move because he spawned too close from a brush, I lighted better some rooms, I moved some other lights to create a particular atmosphere, I added a crate to force players to waste some time to jump and crouch to prevent them to reach a special point before the CTs, I added a null face to really create a shadow because the spot that was supposed to do it wasn't finally doing it, I reduced some walls to enable players to fire through, I extended some floors to prevent them to do it on some special areas, I redid many times some rooms etc etc : you exactly know what I mean ...

the map was too large, too much VIS space to compile : no problem, I reduced the skybox, first it was possible to jump from the ship on the sea, and swim around and under the ship, now the skybox is around the deck (level 0), and there are dozens of clip blocks everywhere in the map the players can't go to optimise the VIS compilation.

and now ...

"allocbloc:full"

wtf ...

the curent bsp building report stats :
Object names Objects/Maxobjs Memory / Maxmem Fullness
---------- ------------- ------------- ------
models_______282/400__18048/25600___ (70.5%)
planes____26258/32767_525160/655340_ (80.1%)
vertexes__25639/65535_307668/786420__(39.1%)
nodes____10509/32767__ 252216/786408_(32.1%)
texinfos____2373/32767__94920/1310680_( 7.2%)
faces_____17765/65535__355300/1310700_(27.1%)
clipnodes__26284/32767__210272/262136__(80.2%)
leaves_____7254/8192___ 203112/229376__(88.5%)
marksurfaces_24879/65535_49758/131070__(38.0%)
surfedges___82668/512000_330672/2048000_(16.1%)
edges____43931/256000__175724/1024000_(17.2%)
texdata____ [variable]___6224/8388608__( 0.1%)
lightdata____[variable]___0/4194304____( 0.0%)
visdata_____[variable]___0/2097152____( 0.0%)
entdata_____[variable]___54267/524288_(10.4%)

I carefully followed those limits mentioned on this website :
http://www.siteduzero.com/wc/annexes/erreurs.php#infos

here is the last map information stats :
http://www.ideaseed.net/public/mapinfo.jpg

can you tell me what the f#ck is wrong with my map ? I don't have the feeling to have a too much ambitious project ...

now I simply cannot do anything on hammer : I add one wire netting (a func_wall with a texture with transparency) : allocbloc:full, I add three normal boxes (crates) : allocbloc:full, I just modify the mapping of some faces : allocbloc:full ...

.....................................

I am sorry to expose all that crap here, but I fear now to not be able to complete this project, and really need some help ...

why doe'nt you split the ship in six, or four?
split it right down the middle, so it loads when you cross sides and go down or upstairs..?? just a thought, as for the problem....

i think it may have to do with memory. what are your system specs?

I forgot to mention the system crash when the map loads : there's no problem in hammer or during the compilations ...

my system specs :
AMD athlon 2200+ (1.3Mhz)
512 DDR RAM
GeForce FX 5200

I really doubt there is a matter of specs here : I mean I already checked CS maps that were larger and with more textures with the same definition as mine (256x256), and never had crashes ...

not that much : I already took a look on the page and applied what I understood, that helped us with the first troubles, but this time it seems we need something else ...

this is an awesome map and i hope you can get it working again

Something tells me this map might be a little too complex for the HL engine to handle.

/me looks intently towards Counter-Strike Source

perhaps you could try the loading the map on another computer

perhaps you could try the loading the map on another computer

already tried.

Something tells me this map might be a little too complex for the HL engine to handle.

not actually : rescaling the whole map textures to 1.0 (instead of something between 2.0 and 0.2), and the map is fine again ...

/me looks intently towards Counter-Strike Source

a member of my team already suggested to switch the whole project on CSS, but I don't have CSS, then don't know the new gameplay and editor ...

this is an awesome map and i hope you can get it working again

thanks, it will ! what we are about to conclude in the team, is that the map is crashing while loading because of too much weird textures scaling on the map (I am a nub on mapping, especially with Hammer, but not with 3DSmax and Photoshop, and decided to make a lot of high definition textures (3DS rendered bump-mapping effects, 256x256 pixels) to provide the map a unique look, and as the first monthes the textures weren't always matching with the rooms, I sometimes applied some very weird scales, like 0.25, sometimes even 0.1 ... at the beginning there was no problem, then I thought "that's ok"...)

if it's confirmed it's only a matter of mapping scales, we will probably recruit a mapper in the team, in charge of remapping the whole map : I will complete it without texture (just a default one, with a unique scale of 1.0), and if the map when totally completed (every rooms, corridors, covers, crates, lights, doors etc etc etc) is running fine (except it will just looks weird ...), then we can definitely conclude the project is doable, and the mapper will be able to enjoy giving the map the look he wants (I personnaly would like to have an atmosphere between the derelict WWII aircraft carrier in Farcry, and those american action movies on ships or submarines (red october, U571, that steven seagall movie on a battleship etc ...)

Big textures with tiny scaling look good, but at great cost.

a member of my team already suggested to switch the whole project on CSS, but I don't have CSS, then don't know the new gameplay and editor frown - ...

Ah. Having the game is a bit of a problem, yes, but the editor is almost identical. Just to let yah know.

I cannot believe it.

I mean, when I take a look on a HL2 screenshot, it's something that cannot be done with Hammer 3.5, then how the hell the Hammer 4 interface may be almost identical as the old one ? a more powerful engine need a more complex editor in my opinion ...

Big textures with tiny scaling look good, but at great cost.

that was exactly my plan when starting the project : big textures and scales most of the time under 1.0, a CS1.6 revolution for the guys who are fed up that crappy crates fest ...

I hate super stretched low definition textures in CS, I feel like fighting in a jpeg 400% zoom on photoshop, then I planned to make the whole map with big textures : a good way to test my texturer/mapper skills in my opinion. if the project was less ambitious, that could have been a success, but I seemingly asked too much for our ol HL engine ...

The key to performing most of the complex stuff in HL2 is the new prop system - Most of the complex detail is in model format.

The rest is mostly achieved by the few new Source features - Ie, the 3D skybox, and the new lighting methods. The default 512x512 textures help, too.