Displacement Problems Created 14 years ago2010-11-02 15:03:55 UTC by TawnosPrime

I've got a weird problem that thus far, I've been unable to figure out on my own. My maps keep crashing and it seems to be related to displacements made with Twister.

These are the .vmf files I've included as examples; one inner dome, one outer dome, and a working one.

Example 1: WorkingThis map, anteroom_test, works properly. Doesn't crash. The displacement is on the bottom of the elevator shaft.

Example 2: Outer BrokenI was trying to see if it was displacements in general here. The hallway works fine, but when you approach the dome, it crashes.

Example 3: Inner BrokenThis was the start of my problems. The room on the right has a roof made from 5 brushes turned into displacements and subdivided. The one on the left uses a single displacement. If I cordon right, I can teleport in there in game no problem. If I cordon left, when I hit the teleporter, the game crashes.

Thus far, I've been unable to figure out a way to fix the problem myself. I can't explain why most maps crash, while the on doesn't. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Um, you're not trying to compile these maps exactly as they are in your .vmfs, right? Displacements aren't solid and won't seal holes in your level, so you need to fill in the space behind them with solid, world brushes so that your map doesn't leak.

Displacements are very versatile. Usually any errors you encounter with them specifically will be printed in your compile or console logs telling you that something went wrong with a displacement face; and if they're severe enough they should halt the BSP process of the compile itself.

That's another weird part.

With Example 1 and the hallway in Example 2, there's nothing behind the displacement, and, when compiled without the dome in Example 2, they work fine. The same thing with the 5 piece in Example 3, there's nothing behind it, and it works.

The dome in Example 2 is sitting on top of a solid brush as well, so there is something behind it. I've also tried compiling the dome in Example 3 encased in nodraw brushes.

Here's the compile log for Example 3. What I did was corden off the map, so just the spawn room (the nodraw blob) and the room with the perfect dome compiles, and did it as close to it as possible. As far as I can see, there are no errors outside of the skybox one, which comes with any fully enclosed compile to my knowledge.

Sure, the maps might run fine, but maps with leaks can and will often have unpredictable behavior. Make sure it's sealed and try again so we can be 100% sure that the dome is the issue and not something else randomly choosing to be problematic.

The log is fine for 3; nothing seems out of the ordinary. When you did a full cordon compile, did it still crash?

If so, did you try remaking the displacement surfaces? I only had a cursory glance at the maps, but does the teleporter cause the crash when you've cordoned a portion of the map (sending the player to a nonexistent destination in the 'hidden' dome or something?)

I've also noticed some Dystopia paths in your logs. Have you tried running the maps in another mod/game to rule out the possibility of any game-specific crashes? Sometimes crashes can be a problem with a mod's game logic and not even a map itself.

It did crash on a full cordon, and in multiple games (Dystopia, Episode 2, Counter Strike: Source).

However, remaking the displacement DID work. I was originally working with a displacement made with an old version of Twister (like to keep ones I've made so I don't have to make them again...I'm incredibly lazy). Turns out that was the problem. There was something wrong with the old displacement.

Thanks, RabidMonkey.

Glad to be of help. Sometimes remaking things is the best (if only) solution!