All the really good Source mappers are in a kinda weird place right now. Interlopers, notably, where there were once 10 map showcases a day is now lucky to have one map posted a week.
The current tools are so broken and everyone has kinda put their attention towards the Source2 beta tools released with Dota. It will make a resurgence when Valve release a game on it.
In terms of Source in its current state, pretty much only CSGO is being mapped for on a large scale, mostly due to the very successful Steam Workshop - but that'd be useless for a collab like this.
For the moment, and I say this with gritted teeth, Source simply isn't the best option.
Forum posts
Lmao stop putting the word 'official' in front of the SnC server. Haha, it's always open to you guys!
Recommend rephrasing that, Urby. It currently implies that at some point you've been right.
Returns was pretty good, and Dragonall was fantastic. If you like X-Com style combat, genuinely difficult moral choices and crazy cyberpunk-meets-fantasy worlds, you should definitely give 'em a shot.That's my jam, right there. That's my marmalade. Will buy, thanks for the recommendation.
Look at the image!
In the example texture I made (a circular steel door) you can see I used polar coordinates to align the scratches with the shape of the door.
The scratches of the original photo (leftmost of my image) are all horizontal. The Polar Coordinates version of the photo (middle of my image) bends all the scratches in a circle. You then apply that to your circular texture - in this case a door - and it looks like the detailing and scratches follow the shape of the texture. (rightmost of my image)
Can anyone else help me here? I can't figure out how to make this clearer.
In the example texture I made (a circular steel door) you can see I used polar coordinates to align the scratches with the shape of the door.
The scratches of the original photo (leftmost of my image) are all horizontal. The Polar Coordinates version of the photo (middle of my image) bends all the scratches in a circle. You then apply that to your circular texture - in this case a door - and it looks like the detailing and scratches follow the shape of the texture. (rightmost of my image)
Can anyone else help me here? I can't figure out how to make this clearer.
What don't you get, DiscoStu?
If you're creating a texture for some cylindrical brushwork and want to detail it with a photo (for example from CGTextures), you can use Polar Coordinates in your image editing software to quickly align the scratches to your cylinder.
Great!
If I put in £20 to the prize pool, can I still compete?
If I put in £20 to the prize pool, can I still compete?
xtra tickets for knife kills, bomb plants/defuses. Minus tickets for AWPI actually like all of these modifiers, especially the last one.
Vaguely irked that you took my #1 and #2 choices. I'll have to rethink what I'd put there...
5. Dawn of War II
Whilst nowhere near as good as the original (both in terms of this cinematic & the game itself), it's hard to deny the awesomeness of this video. It was used as the game's trailer and OH BOY did I let myself get hyped. Unfortunately the wet tissue of a game which actually followed this epic was dreadful. I'd put DoW 1's intro cinematic as my #1 spot if Urby hadn't stolen it.
4. X-Wing
I'm probably just looking at this through nostalgia-tinted glasses, but every single sound effect, every single pixelated ship and every single painstaking second the titles run makes my inner 8 year old jump for joy. I remember this frame-by-frame. (Although maybe just because the whole video has about 10 frames of animation :P)
3. Shogun 2 - Total War
From the two distinct settings plot device to the soundtrack - combined with excellent mocapped action - this intro set the tone of the game fantastically. Every Total War fan has had one of those battles where it feels so intense. The soldiers melt away into the periphery as it becomes personal. Total War devs know their audience (at least, now that those responsible for Empire have been fired).
2. Theme Hospital
If I can't have Dungeon Keeper 2 then I'll take the next best option. Totally hilarious and memorable romp ft. a cameo appearance from Horny the Reaper. Slam that eject button like you mean it, son.
1. Fallout 3
Utterly haunting. Utterly brilliant. The pace, the tone, the music choice. It's Fallout through and through.
5. Dawn of War II
Whilst nowhere near as good as the original (both in terms of this cinematic & the game itself), it's hard to deny the awesomeness of this video. It was used as the game's trailer and OH BOY did I let myself get hyped. Unfortunately the wet tissue of a game which actually followed this epic was dreadful. I'd put DoW 1's intro cinematic as my #1 spot if Urby hadn't stolen it.
4. X-Wing
I'm probably just looking at this through nostalgia-tinted glasses, but every single sound effect, every single pixelated ship and every single painstaking second the titles run makes my inner 8 year old jump for joy. I remember this frame-by-frame. (Although maybe just because the whole video has about 10 frames of animation :P)
3. Shogun 2 - Total War
From the two distinct settings plot device to the soundtrack - combined with excellent mocapped action - this intro set the tone of the game fantastically. Every Total War fan has had one of those battles where it feels so intense. The soldiers melt away into the periphery as it becomes personal. Total War devs know their audience (at least, now that those responsible for Empire have been fired).
2. Theme Hospital
If I can't have Dungeon Keeper 2 then I'll take the next best option. Totally hilarious and memorable romp ft. a cameo appearance from Horny the Reaper. Slam that eject button like you mean it, son.
1. Fallout 3
Utterly haunting. Utterly brilliant. The pace, the tone, the music choice. It's Fallout through and through.
Sometimes we discover things whilst mapping that we can't believe we ever lived without. These barely-documented featurettes of design software can completely change a workflow, so if you think you know a cool tip for modders, share it here.
To make the thread easy to read at a glance, mark your tips with this arrow symbol: http://hunter.weebitmagic.com/gfx/linkies/greenarrow.png (using simg tags) to separate discussion from tips.
I'll start us off with an unbelievably handy photoshop tip that, mind blowingly, most people don't seem to know about:
To select a layer in photoshop perfectly; that is with its exact alpha values and little pernickity stray pixels, simply ctrl+click the layer's thumbnail in your layer list. Ctrl+shift to select multiple layers.
To make the thread easy to read at a glance, mark your tips with this arrow symbol: http://hunter.weebitmagic.com/gfx/linkies/greenarrow.png (using simg tags) to separate discussion from tips.
I'll start us off with an unbelievably handy photoshop tip that, mind blowingly, most people don't seem to know about:
To select a layer in photoshop perfectly; that is with its exact alpha values and little pernickity stray pixels, simply ctrl+click the layer's thumbnail in your layer list. Ctrl+shift to select multiple layers.Urby is quite a reputable personI call bullshit on that.
It's like Dr. Orange arrived through a time portal from 1998, uploading bitmaps, using the original Half-Life tools and not knowing basic netiquette.
Secondly, I use the compile tools provided with Hammer
env_model is reason enough on its own. The rest of the benefits are mostly in terms of far better control over trigger conditions and parenting.
As for the "tools and code from Valve" nonsense, I assume you're using Vluzacn's compile tools, zhlt tooltextures, updated FGDs and probably Sledge for mapping?
As for the "tools and code from Valve" nonsense, I assume you're using Vluzacn's compile tools, zhlt tooltextures, updated FGDs and probably Sledge for mapping?
Go for spirit, my man
You've still posted tiny images, haha! Looks like it has a lot of atmosphere, but the brushwork is fairly blocky. You could hide the overall lack of detailing with more striking lighting - at the moment there's very little contrast. Also notice that the fire isn't casting any light.
Great WIP!
Great WIP!
3 people. Urby, Archie and [REDACTED]
I've played The Core and can confirm it's the best. You can trust me, I'm completely impartial.
That's really cool, I never thought of using invisible textlights before. That could be really useful for big screens with varying content!
So you have one texture generating multiple light colours? How?! 
There's nothing preventing you from using PNG, rufee. I use PNGs on TWHL all the time, but only when I need to use the alpha channel.
Youtube converts every video to a h.264 file anyway, so the original quarter-terrabyte file would not be retained. It just makes the upload and encode time utterly pointless.
Youtube converts every video to a h.264 file anyway, so the original quarter-terrabyte file would not be retained. It just makes the upload and encode time utterly pointless.
Bitmaps are uncompressed - they are a fully accurate representation of the image captured in the game. For promotional purposes such as printing or box art, a high quality bitmap is the best option as a starting point.
As with any destructive process (e.g. image compression) you always want to start with the highest quality - in this case a bitmap.
Further, as an uncompressed format, bitmaps are faster to write than a compressed format which was important on older tech.
These are the same reasons FRAPS records uncompressed video, but you don't upload the 250GB uncompressed video to Youtube; that would be madness. Exactly the same as uploading the 3MB uncompressed image. Neither are fit for web.
You convert them first to suit the medium you're using them in - in the case of web use, that means using a compressed format.
As with any destructive process (e.g. image compression) you always want to start with the highest quality - in this case a bitmap.
Further, as an uncompressed format, bitmaps are faster to write than a compressed format which was important on older tech.
These are the same reasons FRAPS records uncompressed video, but you don't upload the 250GB uncompressed video to Youtube; that would be madness. Exactly the same as uploading the 3MB uncompressed image. Neither are fit for web.
You convert them first to suit the medium you're using them in - in the case of web use, that means using a compressed format.
You just need to take it into an image editing program (even something as basic as MS Paint) and resave it as a JPEG first.
Indeed, plus I know several members including myself who browse TWHL from their phones. Mobile data is often still capped and unnecessarily huge filesizes are problematic for that.
Or, you know, just direct them here?
I'm in. It's not like I have anything more important to map
It's quite hard to make this a discussion when nobody is providing any reasons! 
Fuck yes!
Top 5 Boss Fights:
5. Alora - Jedi Academy, 2003
You've finally been given a taste of real power. This game (albeit well received critically) seems mostly forgotten by most people, but I consider it a masterclass of ability pacing. For a mostly action-based game, the vague RPG element of improving your force power through training adds such a sense of progression and keeps you resolutely coming back for more.
So we're about half way through. We're on Hoth in the old Echo base ruins. It's about as iconic as a Star Wars game can be and you've finally maxed out a force ability. All of a sudden the storm troopers who have been a genuine threat throughout the game are mere playthings, there to do your bidding with a carefully executed Mind Trick or be tossed aside like ragdolls with Grip.
Then you meet Alora.
You've faced dark jedi before and won a few meagre lightsaber fights, but this is different. She's a force user too, not just a rookie with a lightsaber. She's more acrobatic than you; she can jump higher, faster and with greater precision. She's the perfect personification of the game saying "Ok, you've had your fun, now I'm going to have mine." Beating her takes finess and skill and unlike the final boss fight against Tavion which is simply unfair and exhausting, you never feel overwhelmed. Just fantastically challenged at the exact moment where you need to be.
4. Wheatley - Portal 2, 2011
It was a real toss-up between Wheatley and Glad0s for this position. Both are immaculately thought-out puzzle-fights (who knew that was a thing?!) but Wheatley's wins out for two reasons:
Firstly, the inclusion of more elements wasn't a burden at all. It made the fight seem more strategic and less linear, whilst also making it all the more fun and frantic.
Secondly, the ending? Yeah. Being sucked into the ceiling is cool and all, Glad0s, but Wheatley is in fucking space.
And I genuinely didn't see the betrayal coming!
3. Ganondorf/Ganon - Ocarina of Time, 1998
You've beaten him. You're standing at the foot of the ruined castle. Your princess isn't in another castle and you're about to get a much deserved victory snog. WHEN SUDDENLY.
I shat my pants when I first saw this. I'd already won, it didn't seem fair to crush me like this! But that was all part of the genius that is Ocarina. Ganondorf is such a wonderful bad guy that the satisfaction of beating him once wasn't enough, and the sense of achievement when you finally defeat him as Ganon? Damn. Perfect.
2. Ninja / Gray Fox - Metal Gear Solid, 1998
This is one of those iconic gaming encounters that sticks with you for years. One of the most intimidating, brilliantly designed characters ever who at first glance is superior to you in every way. You don't stand a chance! You have to outsmart him in a tense game of cat and mouse that is both incredibly suspenseful and utterly strategic. You're given a fairly simple shaped level - a set of rules that escalate as he takes damage and the knowledge that most of your weapons are useless. Go.
Whilst the solution to Psycho Mantis was arguably cooler, it was nowhere near as tense as Ninja. And that hallway. That hallway.
1. Scarecrow - Arkham Asylum, 2009
The least traditional boss fight is also my favourite. It's hard to exactly say where this battle actually begins, but I'm willing to bet it's around the time Scarecrow tricks you into thinking your graphics card is overheating. Literally digital distorts the game then replays the opening cutscene as if the game has crashed. You're swear in frustration before you notice that it's the Joker driving the Batmobile, not Batman. Something is awry. You're inside Scarecrow's game and he's inside your mind. It's beautifully executed, insanely captivating and completely turns the boss fight concept on its head. This is literally genius.
Top 5 Boss Fights:
5. Alora - Jedi Academy, 2003
You've finally been given a taste of real power. This game (albeit well received critically) seems mostly forgotten by most people, but I consider it a masterclass of ability pacing. For a mostly action-based game, the vague RPG element of improving your force power through training adds such a sense of progression and keeps you resolutely coming back for more.
So we're about half way through. We're on Hoth in the old Echo base ruins. It's about as iconic as a Star Wars game can be and you've finally maxed out a force ability. All of a sudden the storm troopers who have been a genuine threat throughout the game are mere playthings, there to do your bidding with a carefully executed Mind Trick or be tossed aside like ragdolls with Grip.
Then you meet Alora.
You've faced dark jedi before and won a few meagre lightsaber fights, but this is different. She's a force user too, not just a rookie with a lightsaber. She's more acrobatic than you; she can jump higher, faster and with greater precision. She's the perfect personification of the game saying "Ok, you've had your fun, now I'm going to have mine." Beating her takes finess and skill and unlike the final boss fight against Tavion which is simply unfair and exhausting, you never feel overwhelmed. Just fantastically challenged at the exact moment where you need to be.
It was a real toss-up between Wheatley and Glad0s for this position. Both are immaculately thought-out puzzle-fights (who knew that was a thing?!) but Wheatley's wins out for two reasons:
Firstly, the inclusion of more elements wasn't a burden at all. It made the fight seem more strategic and less linear, whilst also making it all the more fun and frantic.
Secondly, the ending? Yeah. Being sucked into the ceiling is cool and all, Glad0s, but Wheatley is in fucking space.
And I genuinely didn't see the betrayal coming!
You've beaten him. You're standing at the foot of the ruined castle. Your princess isn't in another castle and you're about to get a much deserved victory snog. WHEN SUDDENLY.
I shat my pants when I first saw this. I'd already won, it didn't seem fair to crush me like this! But that was all part of the genius that is Ocarina. Ganondorf is such a wonderful bad guy that the satisfaction of beating him once wasn't enough, and the sense of achievement when you finally defeat him as Ganon? Damn. Perfect.
This is one of those iconic gaming encounters that sticks with you for years. One of the most intimidating, brilliantly designed characters ever who at first glance is superior to you in every way. You don't stand a chance! You have to outsmart him in a tense game of cat and mouse that is both incredibly suspenseful and utterly strategic. You're given a fairly simple shaped level - a set of rules that escalate as he takes damage and the knowledge that most of your weapons are useless. Go.
Whilst the solution to Psycho Mantis was arguably cooler, it was nowhere near as tense as Ninja. And that hallway. That hallway.
The least traditional boss fight is also my favourite. It's hard to exactly say where this battle actually begins, but I'm willing to bet it's around the time Scarecrow tricks you into thinking your graphics card is overheating. Literally digital distorts the game then replays the opening cutscene as if the game has crashed. You're swear in frustration before you notice that it's the Joker driving the Batmobile, not Batman. Something is awry. You're inside Scarecrow's game and he's inside your mind. It's beautifully executed, insanely captivating and completely turns the boss fight concept on its head. This is literally genius.
JED'S
Enough is enough.
Dr. Orange, Jessie's explanation is not a guess or a theory. It is factual; that is how Goldsource handles model lighting. It is interpreted from the brushwork below the model. This is widely known, documented, understood and even now demonstrated.
I can't decide if you're trolling so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but this thread is definitely done.
Dr. Orange, Jessie's explanation is not a guess or a theory. It is factual; that is how Goldsource handles model lighting. It is interpreted from the brushwork below the model. This is widely known, documented, understood and even now demonstrated.
I can't decide if you're trolling so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but this thread is definitely done.
This is the most pedantic non-conversation we've had in a while. Continue.
That's quite a coding challenge. I know TWHL's chickenfist did something like this entity spawning system in Goldsource, but I'm not sure he's still around these days.
Unfortunately the documentation for HL Coding is... sparse... to say the least.
Unfortunately the documentation for HL Coding is... sparse... to say the least.
I don't want to commit to this because my spare time is really up in the air at the moment, but I wish you all the best of luck.
I've been pattering away at a layout whilst rendering at work, so I may enter solo if I get a chance to bring it into Sledge, but it'd just be as a break from The Core rather than a serious entry.
I've been pattering away at a layout whilst rendering at work, so I may enter solo if I get a chance to bring it into Sledge, but it'd just be as a break from The Core rather than a serious entry.
It doesn't clip surrounding brushes, doesn't count towards the entity limit (func_wall does) and still casts shadows (func_wall doesn't).
hlrad.exe -texdata 524288 -lightdata 524288 -ambient .001 .001 .001 -extra -bounce 16 -estimate -verbose %mapName%Just for my curosity, can you try duplicating your compile profile and simplifying your RAD settings to just bounce and extra? Also take bounce down to 3 and see if that improves anything.
The Core literally wouldn't exist without func_detail.
Hi Kaner,
There are a couple of things I'd recommend here to avoid unwanted results like this. You may already have some of these applied, but perhaps one will be the golden ticket to fixing this.
Firstly, make sure you're compiling with the best compile tools available. At the moment, it doesn't get any better than Vluzacn's tools. I expect simply switching to these tools will fix your problem.
Secondly, try tying the pillar to a func_detail. If that doesn't work - try a func_wall. This will prevent the cylinder from cutting into the floor during the compile which is potentially what's causing your hard edges.
Thirdly, I'd always recommend compiling your radiosity with a few bounces for more even, natural lighting.
Lastly, make sure all the faces on the cylinder are mapped to 'World' in the texture application tool (shift+a). 'Face' will sometimes produce odd results if you don't use it deliberately.
Hope that helps!
There are a couple of things I'd recommend here to avoid unwanted results like this. You may already have some of these applied, but perhaps one will be the golden ticket to fixing this.
Firstly, make sure you're compiling with the best compile tools available. At the moment, it doesn't get any better than Vluzacn's tools. I expect simply switching to these tools will fix your problem.
Secondly, try tying the pillar to a func_detail. If that doesn't work - try a func_wall. This will prevent the cylinder from cutting into the floor during the compile which is potentially what's causing your hard edges.
Thirdly, I'd always recommend compiling your radiosity with a few bounces for more even, natural lighting.
'-bounce 3 -extra'Lastly, make sure all the faces on the cylinder are mapped to 'World' in the texture application tool (shift+a). 'Face' will sometimes produce odd results if you don't use it deliberately.
Hope that helps!
There are currently thirty maps in The Core. Thirty. This is what they all look like:
...In text form.
Hoorah for clickbait!
Hoorah for clickbait!
Completed Far Cry 4... Just gonna come out and say it: Game of the Year 2014. By quite a margin.
What... the fuck is that a screenshot of? 
Maytember 32nd!
eyes dart around
I have no idea what you mean...
I have no idea what you mean...
Fuck, it's 2015 and this isn't released yet. I say we march on Washington and demand some answers!
I'm in! 
Check page 1 of this very thread
Pretty extreme measure to go to just to increase the number of female members on TWHL, Jessie, but we sure do appreciate it! 
Nah, that's genuinely awesome. All the best to you!
And all the best to everyone for 2015! My resolution falls pretty close to CapT's wherein I intend to get proficient at 3DS Max. I feel like it'd be the next big step up for my career in VFX. Whilst Maya and C4D are perhaps the more standard options for TV and Film, I want to choose the platform I can continue my love of game development on as well as using it for TV work.
Nah, that's genuinely awesome. All the best to you!
And all the best to everyone for 2015! My resolution falls pretty close to CapT's wherein I intend to get proficient at 3DS Max. I feel like it'd be the next big step up for my career in VFX. Whilst Maya and C4D are perhaps the more standard options for TV and Film, I want to choose the platform I can continue my love of game development on as well as using it for TV work.
Haha, that's remarkably professionally presented given its MS Paint origins!
We had an incredible winter fog the other day, so I grabbed my camera, my tripod and my best mate and headed to a loch to take some snaps. Really awe inspiring views, I hope the photos captured some of the magic!
Also, just whilst the topic of remote controls is prominent, it's quite neat to note that the photos with me in them were taken by using my phone as the shutter release. You can see it in my hand in every one
TECHNOLOGY!
We had an incredible winter fog the other day, so I grabbed my camera, my tripod and my best mate and headed to a loch to take some snaps. Really awe inspiring views, I hope the photos captured some of the magic!
Also, just whilst the topic of remote controls is prominent, it's quite neat to note that the photos with me in them were taken by using my phone as the shutter release. You can see it in my hand in every one
TECHNOLOGY!
That is SO freakin' cool!
A remote shutter release will not cost you much
A remote shutter release will not cost you much