Forum posts

Thought I would just create a new thread and stop posting in the desktops of march thread. I know this is somewhat frowned on.

Alrighty then....

Simple name your favorite band of all time! (one band) and why?

Linkin Park is my favorite band because just about every song is slamming and represents all the energy inside me. I am pretty raw when I want to be.
Grew up listening to classic rock and metal. When I heard linkin park for the first time I was hooked. Not much for Fort Minor, is ok.....

Captain: that's why I love you guys....your honest if nothing else. lol

soup: and what's wrong with LP? I figure out of all the members here that you would be the one to appreciate it. You are probably a little more alternative and over the edge with your music? What's your fav band?

sorry...not trying to start a new thread or anything....

I never really change my desktop--linkin park rulez!

what's wrong with the room captain? I like it....re-texture it dude. That room would really pop with some hl2 textures and some lighting of course.

your a mad man soup...keep up the good work!

no offense but I really liked everything BUT the stairs. Looks more like a ramp. In the real picture you have two rails for every stair and they actually touch the stair. I think you are a good enough mapper to make those rails by hand--they won't look that different. I would go for the six sided shape that the actual stair has too--I have always wanted to make some stairs that were shaped like that.

Actually, it isn't.....fully.....and you know it. Stop arguing with me dude!

Then why and the hell were there so many problems on it's release? Because nobody could get it to work on their older machines. My boss just bought an older computer a week ago and bought windows 7 and couldn't get it to hook to the internet because why? because windows 7 couldn't pick up the older hardware. IT IS NOT FULLY backwards compatible and I will never buy it.

I think you just like arguing with me penguin....lol....it's all good.

And Apple is the far superior product and has been for quite awhile. Too bad I sold mine long ago for this lovely piece of Bill Gates.

And actually, a few other machines had a chance to survive but did not have the capital to continue. Anyone here ever used a commodore Amiga or seen the operating system? Penguin? Since you are all knowing on the subject? I think it really would blow most people away to see how advanced it was for the time and the fact that microsoft didn't have anything like it. Multitasking was not a keyword then but the machine did it with little to no problems. Very modular operating system which makes it easy to swap out, update, and improve parts of the system on the fly. And yes, there was a point and click system way before windows 0.nothing. It's called Workbench and it was the FIRST point and click operating system.

You can all shave the finer points all you want but I know the industry was robbed as a whole when Bill Gates came on the scene and ruined it for everyone by monopolizing the way computers are sold. And god forbid your technology is close to his or he might sue you. So much for collaboration!

You guys think what you want. I guess I am just stuck in my ways! LOL

No, this discussion really is going no where because I don't really think anyone gets it anyways. No offense to any of the fine people here. It's just a conversation, ok? It's ok to talk.

I would just have liked to see what things would have been without Bills Gates and without Microsoft or the isolation that microsoft has created in the office world and the whole personal computer world as a whole. There were alot of other computer choices when this all started and now we are all pretty well forced to buy an IBM and the dreaded software that never works quite the way you want it to--windows 7 is a testament to this and you know it. Why in the world would you make a piece of software that is not backwards compatible?!? Half the people either can't use it or have to go and buy new equipment to make it work. This is counterproductive.

Wouldn't ya all like a world where you actually had a choice again? This is what google is doing--giving you back the choice. Firefox destroyed Internet Explorer and why was this? Cause it gave you the choice to switch to something else-something good.

I think the overall concept for the future is the open source! Bill Gates does not like this cause it does not give him a monopoly on the biz so he constantly fights it with copyrights and lawsuits. Perfectly within his rights but it won't last forever! Anybody ever use Linux? All Open source!

Like I said, Bill Gates is cool.....now...

I still like everyone....lol

Believe what you want....

Stolen or not Commodore was doing it long before QDOS. Too bad the machines cost an arm and a leg to buy or they would have been stiff competition.

And where exactly did QDOS originate? thin air? funny how similar the operating systems are once it was released for mass consumption. very modular of a sudden too...hmm. I guess you could say that everything was headed in that direction anyways I suppose.

and please don't brush me off like I am an idiot. I have lived through all this stuff. I might not know the fine business arrangements like you do but I remember alot of other things that add up to more than some buyout.

And Bill Gates never had an original idea in his head. All was either bought as you say or he bought the people to make it happen. And the operating system really hasn't "changed" all that much to actually help anyone--just how many copies can we sell for a hundred bucks a pop.

Don't get me wrong...Bill Gates is a great guy.....now.....lol

Yes...finally something I can definitely sink my teeth into....

I can appreciate you enthusiasm satchmo but I but hotdog is absolutely right. Everything you pretty much use was, at some point, stolen from hard working people who never really got any credit. These people worked for Commodore and the machine was the Commodore Amiga. I still have the Amiga 1000 which pretty much is set-up the same way as windows but was released and operational before windows for the pc. Amiga's were multitasking long before IBM's. The operating system was modular as well...funny huh?

I owned one of the very first personal computers....no not the stone tablet. I had a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1. This was put out right after the Pet computer. My dad still has it somewhere. I think I owned an Apple //c after that. I have been pretty anti-Bill Gates for awhile. I finally broke down and bought a pc really not too long ago--bout 10 years.

Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ! or at least a good rip-off artist!

the toggle part of the entity should have been a dead giveaway for you!

toggle the wall silly when the conditions are met...

or just do what Atom said.....

I know this is prob another thread but why can't you use caps?

I don't but would like to know why this would effect ANYTHING.

Just remember that the landmark goes after the trigger--if you are walking in a straight line and name it the same in both maps. I usually place mine like 24 to 32 blocks away from the trigger but you can always experiment with this. Just don't leave the landmark in the middle of the trigger-lol.

Trust me---this entity alone has caused me more problems than any other.

just remember the rule-landmark after trigger (24 to 32 units away)

ps. the triggers don't really need names under normal conditions unless you are triggering them from some other entity--which is feasible--not likely.

I totally agree huntey....and this is why I re-created it last night...

I had re-made it a while back and couldn't find it so I re-did it last night. If anyone is genuinely interested then I will post it.

I am a little late to chime in....as usual...

I do believe those posters were in HL1 and they were in a rotating sign. The actual sign was made a three triangles though--this way they don't hit each other as they turn. I know cause I actually re-created this because I too was fascinated when I first saw it--like 20 years ago.

ha.ha. I know I pick on HL1 way too much....

Half Life 1 has the "toggled" texture anyways so just use that....

you could switch programs and get yourself a better boost plug-in.....

are you headphones coming from the computer or a receiver? I feed all my sound into a real stereo receiver that way I can boost it and adjust it manually. this works out great while you are running a program or playing a game and don't want to switch back to the desktop. Get yourself a nice used receiver from a local pawnshop--I did....$20

you could probably get that with a func_movelinear. This is taking into consideration that you are not using it as a rotating door. As long as it moves up or down or forward and backwards you shouldn't have a problem. When you assign the sound to the func_movelinear it will automatically speed up and slow down the sound you assign.

You can adjust the "door" speed with the input if you wanted to make it accelerate/decelerate. Would just take a little tinkering.

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Func_movelinear

Hope this helps...not sure if that is what you are looking for.

starting to get maps for what?

I have been waiting like...hmmm...years for all of you to get on board. Nobody seems to want to map for source-like it's any harder than half life 1. I think the i/o system is much easier to use than the half life 1 system and the texture detail is alot better.

Loved it!---moved on!

Working on my lame entry....will post some screen shots soon.

sure, you can use the setparent/clear parent to attach/detach them. Like I said, I have gotten it to work on an elevator moving up and down with no problem. It's only when I try to move something horizontally i get the little glitch action. I am going to try the actbusy myself cause the level it's in actually has it setup already. Will let you know if I have anymore luck with that.

I would like to know the answer to this one as well. I have had some problems parenting npc's to moving object-like a train-in my case a shuttle.

I have had luck parenting to an elevator, up and down but I always get a jerky movement from the npc when I try something like a train. Is the train simply moving too fast and the npc is literally compensating for the movement? I got frustrated with it and gave up.

I am sure there is a way...maybe I will decompile that...

you can use a ladder model as well--depending on the size and height.

soup miner: did you convert them all or just the ones you needed? LOL

I still use half life 1 textures--just very sparingly! I usually just make a new textures if I need it anymore. I don't see the need to convert a bunch of textures, add text files, modify all those text files, just to get some textures that you may or may not even really use.

awesome looking map though! always love your attention to detail soup.

I don't see where it would be a big problem converting anything to anything. We all know there are ways to do anything you want and yes, you could scale every texture. As long as you aren't making money from it or mass distributing it I still don't think there would be much of a problem.

I have to agree that it is rather pointless to convert from source to hl1. If there are just a couple I could see but not all of them. I have used some of the textures from hl1 for source and they really don't look that great--I never thought they looked all that great to begin with. I don't map for half life 1 anymore so I couldn't really tell you how they look when you convert them back. I know the old textures don't look all that great in source. Not to mention you have to edit every single text file and add the material types and other information--that's alot of textures.

Basically, you are talking about two different texture packets that were created for two different scaled games, one at 1.00 and the other at .25. Big difference there when you trying to convert or actually use one of these for the other and the scale is visually out of whack.

Plenty of texture packs and websites out there for new ones--make your own!

This one gonna take a year too....? LOL

Already got some good stuff all lined up....

Not EXACTLY sure why you are having the purple problem. If you don't already have a cubemap in your level then it shouldn't be doing this at all. It's only when you put the cubemap in and you do not render as described in the last post. buildcubemaps and all should be fine.

As for the skybox texture--it is in your tools--pull up the textures and type tools and it will pull up all your tool textures. The bigger skybox texture is what you need. I think there are two--one small and one big. I will double check that in a minute and edit if I need to.

hint from one mapper to another: start with nodraw and only coat the six inside textures of your box. If you don't need the floor texture or plan to do other things with the actual floor of your box then don't coat this. Some will say this is not recommended or will cause the box to leak but I can assure you that you are only making the performance better. I also start with nodraw anyways--keeps me from leaving a texture where it shouldn't be.

You should have fun learning displacements but they are the shit too and aren't counted when rending your map. You can make that floor a displacement and change the actual elevation and create stuff like mountains and the like. I usually put a big ass nodraw box under this to keep it all sealed up. The displacement will cause a leak other wise.

And to all your source nay sayers: give it a try! Hell, the I/O system is worth it alone to give it a try. I admit that left4dead is a little crazy to map for and I haven't tried portal so I don't know the score there.

Let's do a source room compo--single player of course!

I have a couple around here somewhere. I don't remember where I put the zip file. You can find them at

http://www.halfwit-2.com/?page=materials&filter=texture

along with a bunch of other materials and tutorials. It should have instructions but put them in your mod materials folder in the skybox folder. Each one has to have it's own folder inside the skybox folder so don't take them out and dump them all together. It won't be able to find them either. Then go in where you normally change the sky--make sure to get the name right. Some of the names are a little confusing and you might miss that underscore at the end. Test run the map before you compile to make sure it is picking up the sky texture.

Hope this helps.....

Edit: If you have any problems with the scale of your textures--say you download the decal pack and they are too big---you can scale these textures thru the little text file that comes with every texture. Get used to this--it always you to control the size, material type and various other things. You can go to the valve community to get a list of all the material names and all the items that can be edited from this text file. If the texture does not come with one it is set to default--you have the option to add that text file to get that control over the texture.

This obviously does not apply to the sky textures--don't mess with those.

Pretty much the same as gold source but you have alot more room to work in and the textures are alot more sweet at .25 instead of 1.00. You will notice alot of subtle differences as you map.

The biggest problem I had was the I/O system which is a godsend once you figure it out. Pretty much everything has an input and an output. I spent alot of time just researching and experimenting with these I/O. Pretty much any and everything can be used as a trigger now. I think you will find the I/O to be far superior than that of goldsource.

I don't map for goldsource any more so if you have any questions I will try and answer them for you. I am sure there are better people here with better answers.

And do we really need to have an env_cubemap to complete ALL maps? what if I am inside and I don't have any textures that I want reflected? a cube_map used the wrong way can also make you map look screwed up because it is reflecting whatever skybox you are using. There are "some" cases where you wouldn't need it at all. I have plenty of maps that run just fine without them.

And I do alot of source mapping so I welcome all the comments. You want to try some screwed up mapping--try Left 4 Dead. I still can't get the dam thing to render a simple map for me without crashing before it loads the rendered map.

have you tried disabling shadows on the possible models/geometry causing the shadows? You can post the map and I will take a look at it for you.

i really only have these problems on moving things like elevators, etc. I always get some really weird shadowing/lighting there. I am not a light expert though.

good luck

what's the big deal about the big bang anyways? we know it happened so why do we need to re-create it. I don't see how this really helps us. they are probably dead wrong about the bang anyways. all the freaking black holes are going to swallow each other and everything anyways. what then? huh?

what would be screwed up is if they actually do create a black hole in europe. what do you do with that? any safety procedures for this event? we gonna just blast it off into space? people need to stop messing.....

Zombieland was disappointing at best! Not one of better movies Woody has done. I thought it needed less story line and more killing! Too much plot!

I gave it a dismal 6 out of 10.

LOL. Some of the buildings will ultimately have to be the same.

This is just the next installment for Monte Cristo and their lame attempt at simulation software. I didn't like City Life so I doubt I will like this either.

I have to agree with Striker! These games really do get 2 dimensional after awhile. So, I guess I am kinda jaded with my opinions. Sorry!

Doesn't really have that replay ability like say, Left4Dead. I have been playing it alot lately. I like Zombies, sue me!

ps. on a side note, Zombieland really kinda blew chunks but I guess that's for another thread.

Yeah, I can see me getting really bored really quick with Left4Dead.

Thanks for the info Huntey....glad I didn't waste my time trying.

Thanks for the info. I use a few gmod car models and no most of the stuff I couldnt release without paying someone. It's all hobby for me tho anyways.

and I wouldn't really need any of the functions of the models. I just like the new models. I am a mapper not a modeler and don't have time to make what I need. would I still get errors simply from trying to jerry-rig it and simply stick them in there.

I guess I just need to try. gmod models work pretty well and don't have many errors to speak of. The car pack is nice. The general lee is priceless but the viewmode sucks from the back of the car. anything is changeable I guess.

I did notice that alot of the models from source actually did make it into left4dead. I noticed this when I loaded a few source maps into the left4dead hammer. Just thought it was cool that they recycle stuff.

what the heck do I really know? It is very similar though but the compile is actually broken down a little differently now.

I will stick with source for a minute until I can adjust.....

What can you really do with a bunch of zombies anyways???? Rescue all you want but I wasn't all that impressed with it all. The levels are really cool as always but the outdoor forest levels left me feeling like I was playing in a box. PlayerClips Suck!

It's all good....

hmmmm, well I wanted it to be simple and I also wanted it to be close to source because that is what I am most used to.

however, I am getting the crazy memory errors which I have never really had with source or half life 1. It's not really identical and it does compile differently--at least from hammer it does. I know most people use stand alone compilers for their work but I am a bit lazy sometimes--mostly for test purposes.

So, the whole model library is loading with hammer huh? That's really not good. I was used to the other way really and it doesn't bother me to wait a few more seconds. By the time I get to models everything flies anyways.

Oh well, I will tinker with it a bit more. I still like source and no one really ever answered the question for me. Can I use Left4Dead models in source?

Has anyone else even attempted to map for Left4Dead yet? What a freakin pain in the arshe that is.....

I don't have any problems what-so-ever with HL1 or HL2. I know when I start getting major errors that I have usually have made the map too big or just used too many textures or something. I can't even get a medium-sized map to render at all before I get some memory error. And no, I have plenty of memory. Like I said, I run some pretty complicated maps with source.

Anyone know why source and left4dead are so drastically different? Are we compiling things differently now? Anything I can do to fix this? It really doesn't even take a large map for this to happen either. I understand the NAVS point and the stupid exit doors, etc. I think I am going to wait awhile before I switch from source.

Not to mention that it takes hammer forever to load with the immense volume of textures it has to load. Is this what is robbing my memory. I do kinda compile from the editor quite a bit. You would figure that 4 gigs of memory would handle this?

Maybe bump up the pagefile memory a little?

The game really doesn't impress me all that much! Love all the new materials though. Can I "port" these puppies "backwards" to source?

Pretty simple really. I have done a ton of elevators. If you are in hl2 then it's a snap. Just use a brush-based func_movelinear and set the distance. Instead of using the open/close commands use the setposition from your trigger. Set the override with the "floor number". Position 0 is your start and then 1,2,3,etc. All it's doing is taking the distance times your number input and setting the movelinear at that distance. You can manipulate this many many ways with the logic_relays and triggers. Just remember the math.

So.... Brush-based func_movelinear

Set distance and speed
Distance=Height between floors
Parameter Override=Floor Number or Multiplier

This is a great elevator set-up but doesn't allow you to use the on-fully open or on-fully closed commands which are useful for things like opening the doors when it stops. I use a trigger with the func_movelinear on each floor to open the doors. Others might have other opinions or a better solution for you on this. Elevators are fun!

I log on at least once a day....

this is the only decent place to come anymore for mapping....

all the others suck!!!

Actually bevel sounds more like an angle or something--not a texture.

I have not run across this texture and I have downloaded a few of the zlht packs in the past. I have not done so since I switched over to hl2 so I have not been aware of any changes. I have used the null texture but I was under the impression that it was the same as nodraw, which it is.

I am definately surprised to hear that there is something better than nodraw. I will give it a try and thanks for the explanation.

I am still a bit lost. I thought I was up to speed on all the tool textures but I guess I am still missing something. I know what a null texture is but isn't it like nodraw? And where do I find this bevel texture? Seriously, I don't think I have ever seen this.

bevels? Please explain this a little more. I usually try and make anything that is big, like a skybox, "beveled" on all the edges. Is this what you are talking about and does this really help anything? I know the more surfaces that don't touch are better so when possible I literally vertex manipulate all the square edges so they don't touch.

I love all your maps rimrook, you are a very good mapper and I appreciate the way you put so much attention and detail in all your maps. Maybe I will start posting more of my stuff. I have like 100+ maps that I don't ever post.

dunivan

Here we go with this conversation again......

I have never had ANY problems finding the leaks with the "point file". The point file does get a little weird with an entity leak such as a ladder because it is not exactly clear to you what is happening unless you know what to look for. The "single" red line is always there to point the way tho-- and there has only been "one" single red line for me. Not exactly sure what kind of crack you people are on but I have been mapping since Half Life 1 came out and never seen more than one red line--maybe in the .lin file which I have never used.

A leak is a leak and is easily found with the point file in camera mode. If you want to keep the wall you have at the bottom then move it in and place a nice no-draw brush behind it to seal it. You can also move the wall itself back to world and simple brush state. I don't see a need to move the sky down as it appears that is the way you want the wall to look plus running a sky texture behind something is simply wasting sky. Use as little sky as you can as it sucks the performance out of your map and makes it slow to render.

http://twhl.co.za/tutorial.php?id=129

That is a source tutorial but should work just fine with Half Life 1 as well. Hammer didn't really change at all from HL1 to HL2--well, other than steam.

Hope this helps.
Dunivan

All that and nobody explained to the guy how to find his own errors.

Do you even know how to check for errors with hammer? If you are to be a good mapper then you must learn how to check your errors, r-speeds, and overall quantity of brushes. Lots of brushes are really not good unless you turn them into something, i.e., func_wall or func_detail or even something that is useable like a door or any entity. Once you take it from the brush state to entity state it is helping you. I don't like to go over 10,000 brush faces but this could be up for huge debate so experiment for yourself.

You can check for "over-all" mapping problems by going to hammer->map->check for problems and it will check for entity and brush problems. I usually do a test complile to see if there are any errors--which you will see in the compile report. If there are leaks present then it will tell you. Go back to Hammer->Map->Load Pointfile and it will give you a red line in the location where you first leak is. You may have to re-test-compile to see where your next leak is cause it won't give you multiple red lines or show you where all of them are in one shot.

I work on maps for weeks sometimes before I even test compile them. This is bad for me because sometimes things are totally out of scale and I have to spend more time fixing it. Test and re-test my friend for good results.

Another tip.....get rid of all the colored brushes. I haven't even downloaded it and I know that has to be bad, real bad. How about a nice repeating texture. Make one text with all your colors and then just let it repeat itself. Better than having a million different brushes.

And by the looks of it you are still in Half Life 1. Come on fellas, I know you like it but please.....are we still mapping for quake and doom too? I think we are up a couple of engine modifications. I am ready to map for Left 4 Dead just so I can get some new characters, LOL.

http://twhl.co.za/tutorial.php?id=129

peace
dunivan

Wow! What a can of worm everyone has opened up.

Actually, back when minimum wage was still 5 something waiters and waitresses were getting 2 something an hour plus tips. I am not quite sure how this is legal but it is and I have lived in a few different states. I am not quite sure what the minimum is now and if they got a bump with the wage increases over the last two years.

I don't necessarily agree with you World Crafter on your opinion on tipping. No, I shouldn't assume to get a tip "everytime" but wouldn't that be nice if everyone did. Some restaurants now simply add 15% to your check--everyone pays and the economy goes on.

I have been in food for 10 years now. I actually deliver the food. I am not a waiter and until recently was paid pretty nicely. I got minimum wage for driving and being in the store and then got 1.25 per run and tips. This was all good until the minimum wage increase because now we are considered "waiters and waitresses" so the can pay us less. I make a split wage now--minimum wage in the store and 5.25 on the road.

Now how wrong is that? Been making minimum wage for eight years and all of a sudden, I am at a split wage? What!?

And yes, people should tip ALL the time. Good god people, we have to make a living too. Someone has to serve up your food "everytime". LOL

peace
dunivan

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. I have a Belkin router as well--actually it's pretty old and I have alot of the same problems. I have two computers plugged into it so I know it's not the computers that cause the problems.

Login to your router http://192.168.2.1:88/ and check your firmware. You will still have to manually download but you will have to login to the router to make the upgrade. It's pretty simple.

Also someone had mentioned bandwidth choking. I have this problem as well cause I USE alot of bandwidth and I think my internet provider has put me on some blacklist. Companies do this when you use more bandwidth than they think you should use. Read the fine print--they can do it.

I am not sure which yours is but try upgrading the firmware and see if it makes a difference.

No one has seen Kung-Fu the TV series? Google it kids.....This is were he pretty much made his start and then tried to transition into movies and never really got the roles he wanted. Pretty much a grade-b actor.

I use multiple brushes, well, 3 of them to make up the water in a level I have created. Is this bad for some reason? Seems to work just fine and I get the water to show up just fine.

I do have a question that I hope somebody can answer.

With this water I get alot of lines across the surface of the water. I don't get this when I load an actual game level from the HL series so I know it's not a graphic card problem or a video setting of some sort. What causes this and what the heck am I doing wrong. Is this where its not fully rendered or is it a cubemap thing?

sure you don't have a short on the motherboard? Didn't you say you just got the RAM? And the Ethernet cards are pretty durable so I don't just see that just going out--probably fried too. You may want to check your whole system, i.e. voltage and make sure everything is in spec. You can check some of that from your cmos menu but a professional with a volt meter would probably be better.

peace.dunivan

When you say that you "reset the cmos", what exactly do you mean? Did you do it from the computer itself or did you actually do a hard reset on the motherboard itself? Doing the hard reset can mess up custom hard drive configurations, happened to me once but I think that was an older system. This in turn would basically screw up your startup config and your system won't boot. (don't tell me it don't happen people cause it did for me)

Just a thought.....

The power supply was my first guess but since you have already replaced that I am not sure what else to tell you. I had a ram stick mess me up for a few days before I took it to a shop and the guy simply unplugged it and the computer came on no problem. Try unplugging things one at a time.

peace.dunivan

Why not put a camera in the car instead and freeze the player until you need to start the actual level play. You can make the camera "eject" from the jeep with no problem , i think.

Somebody help him out on the exact entity set-up. I forgot which camera he needs. Parent the camera to the jeep, move the jeep (drag it if you want, laughing my ass off), and then eject the camera and resume from player prospective, game-on!

peace
dunivan

I have a slight problem that I don't have the answer for. Maybe someone can help me out here.

I want to make a func_movelinear move on the press of a button--one button that is. It's actually a reloader/elevator for a javelin thrower. The func_movelinear needs to move 9 times to reload the gun. I am using the setposition input to move the elevator obviously. the problem I am having is telling the elevator which position it needs to be in with the one button/trigger. You need to be able to press the button 10 times to fire all 10 javelin rounds and 9 moves of the elevator.

I have tried a few things that have failed utterly. I have tried dropping the javelins to the firing pin but the causes the gun to jam or fire multiple rounds. I can upload what I have done so far if someone wants to try and fix it. It's really in the rough stages right now It's basically a javelin thrower for a castle wall.

Any suggestions would be great!

Dunivan