So you want to get into coding.
I started it in 2015 by getting Visual Studio 6.0 (it's from 1998, so I thought it would be good for Half-Life, LOL) and downloading Half-Life SDK 2.3 from ModDB.
That is wrong. VS6.0 is ancient and it's the best to use a modern development tool.
Since I don't know what's the best place to obtain the HLSDK (I'm using the edited SDK2.3 that's meant for VS2008, and I'm still using Visual C++ 2010 Express), we'll have to wait until somebody answers that.
If you want to get into [insert game here] coding, you must learn the basics of programming to at least understand some things. Trust me. When I started, I had no idea what is what. It's sort of like seeing a trigonometry test as a 5-year-old kid.
But also, if you implement new entities in the code (e.g. func_something), yes, you'll have to modify your FGD file. I use Notepad++ but regular Notepad can do it just fine.
Forum posts
I would've made the first post, but even if my 11-year-old laptop is terrible, it's got a fully-working keyboard and a battery that lasts 2 hours. 
How come you don't see the tiny amount of snow there?
sigh
These few pnotos are 5 hours old, meaning now there's even more snow. ^^
sigh
Omg. After 6, long years, it finally snowed in my village.
(I should consider taking a better picture)
SkyNET
For some reason, I decided to play this old masterpiece by Bethesda just because I needed to find a purpose for my DOSBox installation.
And it's better than what I remembered from the demo.
I prefer playing it in 320x240, because it looks more like it should (and runs faster lol).
For some reason, I decided to play this old masterpiece by Bethesda just because I needed to find a purpose for my DOSBox installation.
And it's better than what I remembered from the demo.
I prefer playing it in 320x240, because it looks more like it should (and runs faster lol).
Oh no... I took it seriously. Again! facepalm
So when somebody makes a joke, I take it seriously. But when I make a joke, literally everyone else takes it seriously. LOL.
Who needs 3DS Max or Blender when J.A.C.K. hammers them all? 
@SourceSkyBoxer
What do good boys have to do with that, lol?
Also, I think it's more like a "power beam" than a teleport. Let's see what Victor will say.
What do good boys have to do with that, lol?
Also, I think it's more like a "power beam" than a teleport. Let's see what Victor will say.
Software mode or gl_texturemode gl_nearest_mipmap_linear? (or it's just the GIF quality messing with me)
Something I like to do is to change my monitor settings. My ASUS monitor has presets and that's pretty useful when something is too dark.
So, Victor's maps are just fine in terms of lighting for me.
So, Victor's maps are just fine in terms of lighting for me.
GIMP can indeed edit images in 8-bit which allows you to rearrange the colours in the palette, as well as saving the BMP as 8-bit. Pretty neat.
Image -> Mode -> Indexed. Make sure to pick 256 colours instead of 255 (since 0-255).
I don't use Wally as much as I used to. I use HL Texture Tools instead.
HL Texture Tools is actually extremely useful if you just want to fix transparent textures. You use the colour picker and it automatically changes that colour's index to #255. It can also load, save and edit palettes as far as I'm aware.
Lastly, there was a tool I once used. I think it was called PixelScape or something like that. It was the time when I wasn't aware of GIMP's 8-bit capabilities.
Image -> Mode -> Indexed. Make sure to pick 256 colours instead of 255 (since 0-255).
I don't use Wally as much as I used to. I use HL Texture Tools instead.
HL Texture Tools is actually extremely useful if you just want to fix transparent textures. You use the colour picker and it automatically changes that colour's index to #255. It can also load, save and edit palettes as far as I'm aware.
Lastly, there was a tool I once used. I think it was called PixelScape or something like that. It was the time when I wasn't aware of GIMP's 8-bit capabilities.
I've used Paint.NET and GIMP together to create the grass texture in that stadium map I posted somewhere up there. (drew grass blades in Paint.NET, adjusted the colours and fixed the seams in GIMP)
The arena's concrete textures + CT & T wall textures were made in Paint.NET. :3
So, it really is about how you use them, not which one's better.
The arena's concrete textures + CT & T wall textures were made in Paint.NET. :3
So, it really is about how you use them, not which one's better.
Alright, Boss is happy. The tournament happens next week so I won't release the map until then.
In the meantime:
In the meantime:
Ninja probably doesn't want the zombie to eat off an empty floor while it's doing 'nothing', lol.
In the zombie's properties, try WaitForScript.
Last resort: aiscripted_sequence.
Edit:
Ah, here it is:
Zombie - WaitForScript
scripted_sequence - Idle Animation only, without Action Animation, otherwise the zombie would be frozen
Last resort: aiscripted_sequence.
Edit:
Ah, here it is:
Zombie - WaitForScript
scripted_sequence - Idle Animation only, without Action Animation, otherwise the zombie would be frozen
Try "No Interruptions" and/or "Override AI", I guess?
IMO this one has a nice skybox
It all ends tonight, I hope.
Boss is going to be happy.
Don't worry SSB, I'm not trying to recreate a French stadium. Just a little fake 3D skybox for a map which will be used in GSU's upcoming 1v1 tournament.
Also, this does not look like a stadium to me any more:
Sure, maybe a bunch of Germans and the French will hate me because it looks like something that makes them remember a bad memory, but it's just a coincidence.
Also, this does not look like a stadium to me any more:
Sure, maybe a bunch of Germans and the French will hate me because it looks like something that makes them remember a bad memory, but it's just a coincidence.
Hey, you're right.
It kinda does!
It kinda does!
I was kind of inspired by Trackmania Forever. 
(and Nadeo is a French video game company, if I remember well)
Besides, Slade told me to make a stadium around the playable area, so I had to make something.
(and Nadeo is a French video game company, if I remember well)Besides, Slade told me to make a stadium around the playable area, so I had to make something.
Here are some old screenshots:
I'm easily getting around my OpenGL problem, too, since I can run OpenGL games on Windows XP.
I'm easily getting around my OpenGL problem, too, since I can run OpenGL games on Windows XP.
@Shepard
I still believe that a GPU and its drivers can mean a difference of 20 to 50fps, or more, in a game like Half-Life. :3
I'll have to make a comparison one day to see it for myself.
I still believe that a GPU and its drivers can mean a difference of 20 to 50fps, or more, in a game like Half-Life. :3
I'll have to make a comparison one day to see it for myself.
Uh, there is at least some difference. A GTX 1080 will run any map far better than my Intel GMA X3100 Mobile.
I don't think how one could torture an engine in the most literal way possible. In any case, it's the hardware that gets tortured. 
"if that's considered torture then mappers are doing pretty unspeakable things to Goldsource these days.What I meant by "torturing" was simply pushing the engine to its limits. I like doing that until I actually hit the limits. :/
For some reason, I just love torturing this engine sometimes. >:3
This had to be taken in D3D, but that's because my Windows 7 x64 drivers for Intel GMA X3100 Mobile don't work well with HL in OpenGL. They work just fine on Windows XP, though.
I'm back at mapping in J.A.C.K., after 3 months of being left in the pitch black. I wonder if my mapping skills have decreased.
Welcome to TWHL, Satchmo the 2nd!
On the topic, I'm actually quite curious to see if Black Mesa will even run on my laptop, haha.
On the topic, I'm actually quite curious to see if Black Mesa will even run on my laptop, haha.
Because the vents were intended for the players, not the air.
I love those "cages" on the lights. 
(or are they called grates, I don't know)
(or are they called grates, I don't know)
@SourceSkyBoxer
I let my 7-year-old brother use Vivaldi before I installed an antivirus on Windows 7 (I also have XP, but that's where Firefox is at).
No problems at all!
By the way, I use AdwCleaner. It's a very nice tool, actually.
I let my 7-year-old brother use Vivaldi before I installed an antivirus on Windows 7 (I also have XP, but that's where Firefox is at).
No problems at all!
By the way, I use AdwCleaner. It's a very nice tool, actually.
I've heard of Vivaldi once and asked myself "What's so good about it that they're praising it?" and I saw it for myself. It's pretty cool.
My I.T. teacher from elementary school uses Opera, I guess I'll recommend him Vivaldi.
My I.T. teacher from elementary school uses Opera, I guess I'll recommend him Vivaldi.
I can confirm. Firefox Quantum runs just like it should, especially in my laptop's case. Vivaldi is nice, too. It's pretty neat if you want to try something new.
(I use both, so...)
(I use both, so...)
Well, I'm sorry about that. It's not the same for everyone, I guess.
Mirillis Action is something you'd also want to look into.
For the record, I've also used Corel VideoStudio X7's recording tool and it was fine, given my hardware specs.
Mirillis Action is something you'd also want to look into.
For the record, I've also used Corel VideoStudio X7's recording tool and it was fine, given my hardware specs.
My laptop is 10 years old, and I use Camtasia Studio 8. It's the best-performing recording tool for my old potato bucket. :3
It didn't just affect games, but also real life for me.
Ever since I had become a mapper, I've been obsessed with analysing tne designs of things around me. I take photos of things, I want to know how those things were made, I want to model those things.
In my school's basement, I was looking at how the pipes were placed. Every pipe goes in its own direction, but as if it were the result of good cable management. One of my classmates asked me "Admer, what are you looking at?" and I responded "I'm looking at the pipes, what do you think I'm doing?", and she laughed. Of course, I only do the analysis when I have nothing else to do, or when I'm just bored.
So yeah, when I play games, I tend to observe the design more than enjoying the actual game. Interestingly, that has proven just as fun as playing the game like other people.
Therefore, mapping did not ruin games for me. I just look at them from a different perspective which I enjoy as much as the other one.
Ever since I had become a mapper, I've been obsessed with analysing tne designs of things around me. I take photos of things, I want to know how those things were made, I want to model those things.
In my school's basement, I was looking at how the pipes were placed. Every pipe goes in its own direction, but as if it were the result of good cable management. One of my classmates asked me "Admer, what are you looking at?" and I responded "I'm looking at the pipes, what do you think I'm doing?", and she laughed. Of course, I only do the analysis when I have nothing else to do, or when I'm just bored.
So yeah, when I play games, I tend to observe the design more than enjoying the actual game. Interestingly, that has proven just as fun as playing the game like other people.
Therefore, mapping did not ruin games for me. I just look at them from a different perspective which I enjoy as much as the other one.
"Quake II style movement (movement I've never quite been able to get down, I suck at strafe jumping)"I really love Quake II-style movement. I'm thinking I should fire up Paintball 2 as well. Childhood memories have to be re-experienced, right? :3 (even though I never got to play with players or bots)
Also:
@MistaX88
Having played Digital Paint: Paintball 2 as a kid, I'm quite surprised that I've never seen or heard of Graveyard Siege before.
Having played Digital Paint: Paintball 2 as a kid, I'm quite surprised that I've never seen or heard of Graveyard Siege before.
"at the limit of playability with 20-30 FPS"
How would you play at 4fps, then?
How would you play at 4fps, then?
@Ghost129er
Once I'm done with the base map, I'll port it to other games, including CS 1.6, Sven Co-op and maybe Cry of Fear as you mentioned.
Once I'm done with the base map, I'll port it to other games, including CS 1.6, Sven Co-op and maybe Cry of Fear as you mentioned.
Considering what you're thinking, yes. But the needed brushwork is just a fifth of the map, not half a map!
I'm talking about what I call "necessary brushwork", the core geometry of the map, excluding the details and everything. It's low-poly enough and such that adjustments will be very easy to make!
Once I'm 100% sure that the scale is right with the core geometry, I can continue adding detail geometry.
Oh, and besides, school maps don't have to be 1:1 replicas of the map. I can always miss a dozen units or so, at least with the bigger brushes.
I'm talking about what I call "necessary brushwork", the core geometry of the map, excluding the details and everything. It's low-poly enough and such that adjustments will be very easy to make!
Once I'm 100% sure that the scale is right with the core geometry, I can continue adding detail geometry.
Oh, and besides, school maps don't have to be 1:1 replicas of the map. I can always miss a dozen units or so, at least with the bigger brushes.
I know that. I've seen the top-down view of the school in Google Earth, and most things are off.
I'll adjust everything later when I complete all the needed brushwork.
But first, I think I'll need more reference photos. -_-
I'll adjust everything later when I complete all the needed brushwork.
But first, I think I'll need more reference photos. -_-
Pretty early screenshots:
Not just going to impress my classmates this time. My class teacher (she's what people would call a "computer freak") is also interested in my project.
Not just going to impress my classmates this time. My class teacher (she's what people would call a "computer freak") is also interested in my project.
Wait, why did you even come to this platform if you hate it?
You're attracting attention, yet you act like you don't want it.
You're attracting attention, yet you act like you don't want it.
You may stop making HL maps for TWHL. But there are other sites!
Also, you may stop mapping, but you may start modelling, coding, texturing, etc.
Really, there is no escape!
Also, you may stop mapping, but you may start modelling, coding, texturing, etc.
Really, there is no escape!
What made you hate PCs in the first place?
What's the meaning of this?
I knew you'd return! Welcome back.
@James Luke
Well, my desktop's purpose is primarily decorative. What you see is not what I actually use to do stuff.
For example: if I want to go to some files and folders, I just press Windows+E to open Windows Explorer. If I want to launch a game, or a tool quickly, I go to the "Games" or "Tools" pop-up folders in my taskbar and I find whatever I need, because it's all nicely organised. :3
Exceptions, however, are: my work folders on the desktop.
Half-Life, Half-Life 2 etc. are my work folders where I put my stuff related to those games (compiled .bsp files, textures, models, tutorials etc.). But they're so easy to access, no additional "digging" is needed.
If you want, I'll record a video of doing everyday stuff on it, so you'll exactly know how I can live with that.
Well, my desktop's purpose is primarily decorative. What you see is not what I actually use to do stuff.
For example: if I want to go to some files and folders, I just press Windows+E to open Windows Explorer. If I want to launch a game, or a tool quickly, I go to the "Games" or "Tools" pop-up folders in my taskbar and I find whatever I need, because it's all nicely organised. :3
Exceptions, however, are: my work folders on the desktop.
Half-Life, Half-Life 2 etc. are my work folders where I put my stuff related to those games (compiled .bsp files, textures, models, tutorials etc.). But they're so easy to access, no additional "digging" is needed.
If you want, I'll record a video of doing everyday stuff on it, so you'll exactly know how I can live with that.