What Made You a Mapper? Created 18 years ago2005-08-31 15:46:09 UTC by Instant Mix

Yeah, but I dont know if he meant HL2 or Hammer itself. A two year old computer should have no problems running hamer IMO, but then again, he could have all sorts of addware eating up resources.

my specs :
Athlon 2200+ (1.800 Ghz)
512 RAM
Geforce 5200 series
Windows 98

HL2 = 100% fine (I had nothing to set and finished the campaign without a single slowdown, only short loading freezes between areas ...)
Hammer Source = (believe me or not) a framerate of 1 frame every 5-10 seconds, 30% chances of crash/freeze/blue screen/reboot for each mouse clic, and chances are X2 when it's about loading something ... I spent a week rebooting, rebooting and rebooting : ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO USE IT. I tried install winXP on this comp, but there was no change ...

I reported the problem on the official valvecollectivethingy forum but they totally didn't care : they just talked about closing steam windows, not run other programs in the same time, buying more RAM, reinstall, reinstall and reinstall again blablabla ...

HA HA HA HA windows98....

I tried install winXP on this comp, but there was no change ...

Install XP and update your video cards drivers.

Everything is fine on my comp except Source, then I have two choices :

_change comp
_change source

> as I shouldn't actually spend money for hardware (I am about to move), I decided (am forced) to not use Source. I was expecting a lot from this editor, but been quickly tired from this "clic-n-crash" experience ...

i bet you need your drivers updated. Update everthing you can

Infortunately I didn't even play Half-Life until around a little over a year ago. I think I got into mapping by finding Hammer or some mapping tutorials while searching for some help on a few puzzles in HL (lol).

I remember always wanting to create my own 3D enviornments. I had this ,cheap, $10 3D:CAD program which I picked up in the bargain bin at Office Depot. The dang thing kept crashing and such. So then I found out about Hammer. The first few times I got frustrated setting it up with all the correct files, so I quit for a while. Then I found some thorough tutorials somewhere and was on my way...

Windows 98? Give up, monsieur :P.

haha even I dont have windows 98...i have windows 2000

lol

I am not an updates addicted nerd : as long as things are going fine I am not looking for some change ...

Here is the typical discussion I have with most UAN (updates addicted nerd) who is giving his very important opinion about my very useless OS :

UAN : what ? you are really still running on Win98 ? time to switch on [insert here latest OS version ever] man !
me : bah, as my softwares are running fine, I don't care you know. Oh by the way, what did you do this weekend ?
UAN : I reinstalled, why ? and you ?
me : oh nothing, I worked ...

No offense, but I consider minor updates as nolifes meat, and actually newer versions of windows are just better from a network point of view, nothing else : they just need more RAM to run more useless sub-programs ...

I don't do minor updates...or any kind of updates, i just don't have the money. It seems there isn't any part-time job i can get..

I therefore advertise my services as slave

good at: being slaved
pay amount i want:bread...BREAD!

I seriously can't remember how I became a mapper all those days ago.
Although I didn't really stick with the mapping thing...

But I have put it on my todo list, to make a map...hopefully I'll get around to it...

my softwares are running fine

No they're not...

dun dun duuuun

as long as things are going fine I am not looking for some change

That's our point, they are not going fine. Your machine is able to run the game, it has good specs. But Hammer is probably running badly because of your OS. Windows 98 is about... 8 years old?
XP might not be the perfect OS, but it is miles ahead of 98. In fact, I dont recall a single software related freeze in my computer under XP. The only "blue screen of death" I have gotten with XP was because of DDR ram failure after a power outage.

The other point I didn't want to admit is that I am actually working on a projet ( www.de-raid.net) and that I fear a technology change in the middle of this could "generate" some projects failures, like, I don't know, software wrong compatibilities, harddrive crash while reinstalling, files lost, steam that is like "eh ? you got 98, and now XP ? ehhh ... no account available" etc, so as I am working on this project for monthes, as some guys worked with me, and as this project is about to be completed, no change are allowed on this computer until that stuff is 100% done.

oh and there is an other point too :
_in the beginning, everything is fine,
_an only software doesn't run,
_you say "update your OS",
_ok, I install a new OS,
_that new OS says "ok your comp is cool, but I would run better with more RAM (because I have been coded by nubs)"
_I buy more RAM,
_that new RAM doesn't work correctly because of wrong frequencies with the last RAM, I need to change my motherboard,
_an other guy come then and say "what ? you got this cool new powerful motherboard, and there is that proc shit on ? you really should change your processor man !!",
_then I change my proc ...

I am sick of that need to always have to change something : computers are so tiring about that, so actually everything is fine, and I don't give a f#ck about Source : they should have not coded it like nubs, and later when I will have a job, I will buy a 100% new comp and install 100% new softwares and games and editors on ...

well... i was bored and uh... yu know one thing led to the next and uh... here i am. lol
no i did mapping for civ3 and starcraft and warcraft 3 and i got half- life loved it, noticed worldcraft on the disk when i opened it installed, i got very confused with setting it up. uninstalled saying it was to good for me. month later i became less stupid and learned how it worked. TRY MY MAP EMPHASIS ITS UNFINISHED BUT I NEED THE PUBLICS OPINION

Thread reviver!!!

huh.. I never saw this thread before...

well.... I was bored... and I liked TFC... so I made some maps for it.

My Mapping started when I found TWHL... so... If I leave TWHL, I might as well stop mapping...

Probably about 5 years ago, I got a copy of HL (hax0red) which I played and enjoyed as a result of its super high res graphics and the violence (gibbing grunts with a crowbar - who would've thought? )

On closer inspection of the CD, I found a little program called Worldcraft. Back in those days, Worldcraft had an extensive help file, containing tutorials, setup information and the like. I mapped for a while, then stopped.

A year later, I picked up Worldcraft again, which I upgraded to the newly named "Hammer" and I've been hooked ever since. I discovered after a while that I was somewhat decent at mapping, so I've been doing it ever since.

And so we reach today: working hard to finish de_venice, as well as trying to get on a mod team (the most recent of which being BM:S). I'd love to go into Level Designing as a profession one day, but there's a long way to go yet (and a slew of more capable people than I).

Hmm... Well it was back in the days were i still played CS. I wanted to make fun and crazy maps. so i goolged around, found hammer... Tryed to map something, no success... googled... found TWHL and then i got better

as soon as i finished hl - a few years after its released i saw hammer advertised on the box (such a handy place to put it) and from then on mapping was a hobby.

When I first started mapping was.. last year - May 2005. My friend was bragging about how he could make 1337 CS maps. He showed me one, and it was crap. It was an fy map with 6 walls, invisible ladders (cuz he didnt know how to func_wall a ladder to make blue parts invis) and the top was a floor with a texture stretched the whole length of the floor. I though he just couldn't think of any good ideas, so I sketched him out a map and asked him to try and make it..
Weeks passed by, and finally had the finished product.. Utter crap, it was nothing like what I wanted. The kid didnt know how to make a wedge, clip, use VM, use the texture application tool, or even change the grid size. He brought his computer in and showed me how to use the editor, and I tooled around on his computer with it. I didnt know anything about it so, I attempted to make my own map. I finished it, and submitted it on a server, and was shamed for its utter crapiness.
He gave my the VHE install, the CS-expert fgd, and ZHLT, and the Half-life wad and set me loose. I was completely lost. I googled for tuts, and found egir.dk. I learned that my fgd was out of date, so I downloaded the most recent one. It helped for the basics, but I didn't know how to use 75% of the entities. I searched google for "CS entity guide" and found TWHL. I read the tuts, learned how to use the tools read every single description for CS entities, and now I can make decent maps (if I ever finish any of them.) And just for closure.. I am a much better mapper than him now.

win98?? Ahahahahaaaha

win2k? Aaaahahaaahhaaahhhaahh.. It sucks. And I use it..

just about 73 replies ago..

Well , Elon , I want to change my name to Solid Snake(Co's that was my CS NAME
Previous Names -
PIRATE_454
Then-
The pick-on-me chum
after-
Dual Elite master
Finally-
Solid Snake.
(will a moderator (Seventh) plwease figure out some wway of changing my name. You've seen it.)

I am pretty crap at maps and about 1 maps come here.(pretty pee)

--

100

So come and change my name!

I recently went from 98 to 2000. Around 2 years ago

hmmm... clears throat OFF TOPIC!!!

...had Hl, and thought "how good would I be if I could make that!" and, well, here I am!!!

I started playing TFC.. Got fed up with everyone playing damned 2fort all the time (yet it is a great map.).. So, I went to the custom map only server named "Axl's TFC where 2fort is a bad thing". And sure enough, it was a bad thing.... If you ever switched the server onto 2fort, "axl" had it edited to where it would crash your computer. I had played here for a long time and wondered how he had made these, so I went to his forum.. http://www.axlstfc.com There, I had the link to download hammer and there was also a conveniant link to twhl. I tried to map and got mad at it because the "in the beginning" tuts tell you to use carve, and it doesnt explain in any way how to actually use carve.. So, I took a break, came back with fresh spirits and got to where I am today.

oh comon... 2 fort was awesome...

Mapping is a lot more enjoyable than playing the game itself. Of course, able to play your own maps is crucial in mapping, so the game itself is obviously important.

My life was changed forever the day I found Worldcraft.

I could sort of say the same thing. I probably wouldnt be in architecture school is it wasnt for mapping.

Anyone here ever thought about doing this professional, or taking small mapping jobs for money?

Well, I know that Rabid and I want to get into Level Design positions within game companies...

Yes, I have actually Captain.

But... I work with Game-Music.

I Compose it. Then they get me the musicians I want, and I have them play it, the way that I want.

Its Great to have total control

In other words, you do this, or would like to do this?

I've done Music before, and I would like to do level design.

I'm doing a small paid mapping project at the moment. I didn't expect it and it's not that I really aim for a level-designers position in the industry - the game-design industry is small in the Netherlands anyway - but it's nice to do. You get to understand the role of concept art and design documents better and I'll have to get familiar with other tools, which is a challenging experience as well.

I've never done much with music though, while I believe it's quite interesting I don't know if I can invest that much time in yet another area...

Anyone here ever thought about doing this professional, or taking small mapping jobs for money?

Yeah, if i wouldnt have gone ot the HAVO i would have done the study animation and gamedesign at the GLR(grafisch lyceum rotterdam).

I've also been approached once by a friend to do a paid mapping project, deu to there lead mapper being sick for weeks. Didnt really know what to expect so i decided not to dive into it.

For now, i just map for fun. And i will always keep doing it as i find it interesting to bang a crowbar against a door.

There are tons of Jobs of that sort here in America!

I mean, there aren't enough jobs that require no skill, but for people with some form of talent or expertise, there are plenty of jobs! The game industry here is growing emmensly, and improving all the time...

Though I'll just stick with Music...

Yes, so it is in europe, mainly in germany and france, but already some succesfull games are being produced here.

I bet its harder to break through in the music world, you should try making music for games, could be interesting.

Well, one day while i was reinstalling Half-Life (retail of course), I decided to look at the files on CD. I noticed that the Worldcraft 2.1 program to install was on cd, so i installed it. I looked at the help files, found out all about texturing, clipping, vertex editing, and whatnot.
It was all real interesting. I knew quite well there was a later version, so i looked around and found v3.4. So thats how i got started, by i haven't released any maps. I have one amazing map in progress called de_pipeline for cs. I might make it an HL deathmatch map but its huge.
The map is actually from Americas Army (www.americasarmy.com), but im remaking it for CS, and so far progress is good. Well anyways, thats how i got started.