I started with Java and moved onto C. I've done a little C++ but I tend to steer clear of it as I like my OO programming seperate from my nonsense-pointer-based-hard-ass-source programming (meaning pure C).
I don't consider BASIC actual programming. I did loads of pointless QBASIC and whatever BASIC you got on the BBC micro and I didn't have a clue when it came to actual programming.
I still advise skipping C++ and starting with Java. It is honestly a much better language for begginers, efficiency means FA until you create something that needs it.
Plus if someone can write a bittorent client in Java, it's hardly just a learning language
You can copy prefabs across. I don't like it because it's inherintly unstable and crashes whenever I load a complicated map into it, something thats kind of required for the insane ent work I use hammer for sometimes.
Vismatrix size is not an issue, ignore it. Vis size increases exponentially when you include larger spaces. There are no limits in vismatrix size afaik, I've never hit them with some insanely huge maps!
Cmon guys, we're talking RETRO here, no mariokart nonsense goddamit!
I love my old adventure games: Cruise for a corpse (wow at the time, and still a great story) Beneath a Steel Sky (really gripped me when I played it again last year)
entities arent assigned any pictures, the only ones that are (ambient_generic, lights) were defined in worldcraft itself. If you are referring to env_sprites then just copy whatever sprites you want to a relevant directory, eg:
Mapping for Spirit Sprites folder - Halflife/Spirit/sprites/
So stick everything in that folder into hammer34/sprites/
As shown in the above directory name, VHE3.5 (which I wholly dont recommend) is not required.
Manic Miner - fun, although somewhat impossible (speccy!) James Pond - quality fish platforming action (amiga) Goldenaxe - far too easy, but the most polished game ever imo, a joy to play (megadrive)
or 'jedi academy was like playing jedi outcast but more of a waste of money, less fun, more random, and not involving a plot in any way, shape or form'
Honestly, I'd only care if a map came out with a huge chunk obviously ripped from one of my maps. Otherwise people can steal my ideas all they want, it's hardly something you can police and my version will always be better
in tfc you can increase the players speed with item_tfgoal and a %age > 100. However in normal hl you'll have to make a mod to do it, i'm sure its very simple though!