Forum posts

From tommies site:

Exceeded MAX_PATCHES

When hlrad runs, it takes all the visible faces in the game, and divides them into sections called patches. These patches are the textures used as the lightmaps for the world. There is a hard limit of 65535 patches that hlrad can deal with. By default, a 64x64 game unit chunk of space is the size of one patch. If the texture scaling (not texture size) is larger or smaller, it will directly affect the lightmap size as well. This means a texture with scale of 2, will have at best 1/4th as many patches as a texture with a scale of 1.

Putting a 'box' around the level to protect from leaks is the most commmon cause of this error, beyond excessively large maps. The box causes vis to keep the faces on the outside which would normally be thrown away. These faces are then required to have lightmaps. Worst case, is that putting a box around the level will usually cause an extra 40-80% more lightmaps to be created than necessary.

Barring having a box, the other cause is large maps. The fixes are varied but can only help so far.
Remove any "box" from around your level and fight the leak leak leak war the right way.
If you have not boxed in your level, then the #1 fix is running HLRAD with the -sparse flag - but compile will be slower.
Using -chop values larger than the default 64 for hlrad will cause the light patches to be larger. However, for values larger than around 96 the map's lights start looking bad, and will more prominently show the 'staircase' effect on shadows.
Using a larger scale on large textures (dirt, rock walls, concrete) will help those large surfaces consume fewer patches for lighting.
see also: skyboxing

You didn't add my preferences, i wrote above >_>

I was thinking of making a "Big book of optimization", but i have little/to none experience with SKIP/HINT textures.

I think we should gather data from all memebers that know a lot about this topic and refine it into a PDF every one can download.

Also Captain T, thats skals not me xD I did drew those black and orange pics tho.

Maps for: GldSrc
Receives: Any

Zdravko Colic - Mjerkam te mjerkam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei61f1uOgwY&feature=related

Here is mine :>@ ZombieLoffe - Lol your desktop looks like this:

Also, if not RAR, than 7z, since its free and open source.

Suggestion - ability to upload RAR-ed files with map file in them.

What the fu**ing hell are you watching boy? O_o

Mapping for HL 1 is like dating a hot chick! MEEEN!

No worry, im used to it.

Hehe, I bet it would be awesome! : D
Lucky one who gets it xD

Lol @ every one writing my name wrong

I wish i could get Captain T xD

Count me in!

Hey guys, ive got a strange one here, ive made a func breakable using a few blocks (next to each other) and ive made it stand on to activate.

The block is there, and everything works great, but, its invisible O_o

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/8907/invisiblefuncbreakable.png

Can any one guess why?

--

[Edit]

Stojke - retarded

Invisible = yes / was set >__<!!!

Thanks Lajron, this helped me solve it

Bad person is bad.

Whats the color of my underwear?!

Dragos, Y U so rude all the time

Wait, so i can only put 2 teleports that swap targets between good place and bad place?

That is actually what i want to make, 1 teleport teleports to death, other one to save spot.

Cool, thanks Scotch. Im trying to remember my way, if i do, ill make sure to post a map example. (Im slowly remembering the key part xD)

There are 4 teleports, devided into a group of 2. Two teleports have one exit, the other two have an other exit. Lets call them A teleport and B teleport.

A | A
B | B

Thats how they are placed.

How do i make it so, when i turn on a button it swaps teleports, that is, when i push button 2 teleports turn off, the other 2 turn on. And so on, like this (X - teleport off):

A | X
X | B

or

X | A
B | X

Or if thats too complicated, than just so i can turn on 1 B and off the other B, like so:

A | A
B | X

or

A | A
X | B

[ EDIT ]

I know how to set up teleporters and stuff, but i have no idea how to turn them on or off, that is i knew how, but the mapper that thought me how to do this isnt on ICQ for quite some time so i cant contact him...
He used to use Multi source and some other combination...

Some times when i used null, a texture that should have bit lit a little was pure black, but when i used sky it was lit the way it should be.

Well, i've also noticed it fixes some light errors. I am thinking of exploring this a bit more, if i find a practical/good use i will make a forum thread.

Also, i don't worry about compile times, intel i5 compiles quite fast i have to say

Yeah seems like it, thanks. If any one knows that its not, please tell.

But ive done some testing with sky, and on some parts it generates less Wpoly than when i used NULL.

And bevel yeah i know about Bevel, but i avoid it when it comes to angles >90/180.

Also one more question:

How can i increase rendering distance of Hologram render mode (disort + fade)??

Question: Shouldn't sky be as good as/better than NULL texture?

Welcome back, i luv your maps

@ Dragos - No, you didn't explain anything here, all you did is say that GS can look nice and you posted some interesting pictures.

Start explaining more dude.

@ Barney in blue - Now i finally get whats this all about, thanks.

@ Crollo - So if the "cool" kids like it, I'm gonna do it? Thats no way a technician should act. It may not be interesting top active members of the forum, but it will definitely be interesting to some one else.

@ Skals - dont really know what kind of a guy he is, but i agree with Madcow at the moment

What Skals mon said.

Its not cool. If you have discovered something neat or found a cool way to improve something, share with others, its not like we will think of you as a lesser mapper if you do.

You know, you could some times "not brag" your self and tell people what they want to know.

I have no idea whats supposed to be shown in those pictures thats new and awesome (except maybe the smooth solid curves in picture 1)

@ Dragos

Yeah I know dude, but I really want to practice more and improve skills, this could probably get in handy some times.

And most of the people playing CS on the servers I post my maps on have older computers. So I want to make it able that they play normally, because I used to play on an old pc and I know what horror it can be.

@ Srry

Well, as i said, i already know that, i mean with out it being func_wall i have like 300Wpoly in that area, max.

As for viewing cuts i use BSP viewer, much easier.

@ Atom

Didnt work :<
Gonna try some other things, if that fails too, im gonna make them all world, lol.
But i remember once fixing this, but i dont remember how.

@ Dragos - if you;re doing something, do it right.
@ Atom - Thanks man! I will try this and reply.

Intersecting -> creating retarded sides -> more wpoly -> lag

Hello guys i have a problem with entity lighting! I have a func_wall and it is always full bright, well kind off. How do i fix this?

Here are the pictures, pay attention to the stuff marked with orange:No matter what i tried didnt work, either it went full bright or it went a bit dark like on the pictures.

I am using that program Lanpar. But the compression seems to be Windows media audio. But still, makes good quality wavs with extremely small size.

Question:

What compression methods can HL read?

I have compressed a Wav file using Windows Media Audio V2 (DivX WMA V2)
| 32kbps | 22KHz | stereo

And the game wont read the file.

Those demos are compressed assembler code if i remember correctly, and they call on pure Open Gl rendering.

Damn, if this is real, than explain how do they render all those little atom shitz.

You can tell by noticing nothings wrong xD

Some bios dont beep on boot up when nothings wrong. Or if started from hibernation/stand by.

I guess 8192, or more, is ok. But in case if you get compile errors, reduce it.

I sign this petition.

The grass photo - amazing!

The 2nd one seems more organized and visible.

Probably could be organized a bit more.
It would really be a good thing. Quite useful. Im yet to see a forum that has ALL about GS on one place, all hints and tips, and how does it function and stuff.

Yeah i saw some of your maps and RMF's, thats why i asked. Should have asked you first.

There really needs to be a part of the forum only concentrated on optimization of maps...

I see, thanks guys.

@ Dragos:

He probably meant the map looks that good that a person should ask it self is it really GS. And the map does look very cool.