I've just started mapping for ep2 and i have so many questions. Here are a couple:

1. I just made a map for episode two, and tried to open the console once at the splash screen to load my map, but the console doesn't pop up when i hit the tilda key. How do i achieve this?

2. I have textures.wad loaded in hammer 3.5 currently. What texture wads are good some good standard wads to load for ep2 mapping?

3. Do you guise use GUI to compile or is it fine to use the base hammer compiler? Same questions for ep2 compile tools.

4.If anyone knows of a good, tutorial geared for goldsource mappers making the transition to source, pleez let me know! = )

(thanks and sorry for the question barrage lawl)

1. Open up the options, go to the controls, click into 'advanced', and click on the "enable developer console" checkbox.

2. Source games no longer use wad files for its textures. Your textures should be imported automatically by the sdk.

3. I just use the hammer compiler.. it's fine

4. And no, I cant think of one :/

Nice thanks Mr. Reafer!

2. What if you want to use cs:s textures or other ones in an ep2 map?

Im not entirely sure if there's a better way to do it.. but..

I would open up the GCF that contains the counter-strike textures.. and then copy all of them 'out' of the GCF into the texture folder of Episode 2

Nice!

I got my first map to compile with lights. = )

5.This next is a piddly-sounding question but i must ask: Walking is really slow and the sprint button doesn't seem to have any effect... is there an option to walk all the time that's on or sprinting is disabled? (when i played the beginning of ep2, sprinting worked afaik.

6. What are .prt and .vmx files? do i need to save them for anything when archiving backup versions of my map projects?

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Prt
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Vmx
Do your research, man.

Yeah your right.

I doublechecked too, sprinting works when i play ep2, but not in ep2 maps that I make... anyone know why?

You don't have a hev suit?

awh. spag beat me to it.

And no, there is no easier way to get another games' content into the game you're mapping for, but note that base HL2 content is available in ALL source games.
Also note that if you DO use another games' materials, the end user will have to as well, which is a pain in the arse.

Sjeesh, even without ever mapping for source I'm amazed you didn't figure out some stuff. You need to place an env_suit. This will spawn the suit, which you will also see in the hammer camara. The suit lets you sprint, see your health.. all that stuff. If you place it right on the player spawn you will start with the suit automaticly instead of walking to some place in the map to pick it up.. but I hope you already figured that down.

..and I agree with Hunter; getting another games' material is a pain in the arse. The stock HL2 content should be more than enough to get you started tbh. For tutorials on how and how try TWHL, Interlopers & Halfwit. Good things to get started with are the displacements and basic stuff in the I/O system. May you deliver something great for the Rooms: Source project; I will look forward to it. Good luck!

info_suit :3

Item_suit.

Whatever, something with suit atleast.

2. I have textures.wad loaded in hammer 3.5 currently. What texture wads are good some good standard wads to load for ep2 mapping?

Uhm... Use the hammer 4 included in source SDK, unless you just made a mistake typeing. 3.5 only works for goldsource, and 4 has more features.
And Hammer 4 automaticly sets up the textures and models for the current game, as set in the SDK base window.

"noob questions?" i wouldnt say that

Never, ever stop questioning, because you will never find out. No question is stupid

Just make sure you ask Google first.

And no, there is no easier way to get another games' content into the game you're mapping for

Well technically you could create a custom OB mod and mount all the GCF files for the appropriate games. /snob

Thanks to everyone for your patient answers! Preview of my first map in the Rooms:S thread!

)

More newb question:

Why are model textures and skybox textures included when you browse textures in hammer 4? can you use them for anything? afaik the skybox textures you configure the same as hammer 3.x, and i have no idea what you would do with the model textures.

I'm reading the 3d skybox tutorial now... = )

Hammer doesn't differentiate between model textures and world geometry textures when you're browsing for them. It just loads up every single VTF it can find and lets the user decide what he wants to do. If you try to use a model texture on regular world geometry, though, you'll get some crazy lighting issues, so don't use them. Some model textures can be applied to brush-based entities without error, though.

Just use specific filters when searching for your texture and you'll be fine. The skybox textures themselves aren't used on the sky brushes, but the skybox tool texture (search filter "tools") is what you'd use on sky brushes to let the 2D skybox show through.

After a while you get used to which textures to use and not use. Lighting in Source can be a bitch.

I sometimes use the skybox textures to see which ones I like and then delete after.

wow that would be a neat thing if you could load sky while in the editor though... = )

Would be but no point when Valve Wiki has all the skies uploaded and there are sites that show what the water textures look like in-game etc. Just do research. It pays off. I mean today I tried getting the old looping moving train tunnel effect working but it had too many problems so a simple fix was scrolling textures and I got that by doing a little research on Interlopers.

just do research. it pays off.

wise advice, because i never read any articles besides on this site for a while, twhl seems to lack an abundance of tutorials on many of the aspects of source mapping. (i've recently been using VDC, but i find it very general, and frankly unhelpful sometimes)

And about the sky comment, it was just that. Saying there would be "no point" to implementing sky in hammer though is just stupid... it would be really cool! (as well scrolling textures, simple water effects, etc.) Someday they will have a real-time-editor... = 0

well for lighting, i've heard that using spotlights for direct lighting and placing a pointlight in front of the spot for ambiance works quite well.
Throw a sprite in there and you have a life-like light source.

Make sure the pointlight is really dim compared to the spotlight.

And.... a real-time editor will be possible when half life graduates from the binary space partition. (BSP)

And.... a real-time editor will be possible when half life graduates from the binary space partition. (BSP)

A decade from now when Half-Life 3 is announced, leaked, remade and finally released. ;P

Though I do believe one of Valve's seldom spoken of 'secret projects' is a true next generation engine.

I certainly hope so.

It probably will be released with HL3, judging by Valve's tendency for a new engine every HL game.

More newb q's:

func_physbox:
For func_physbox does it have any bearing to how this brush-based entity reacts with the gravity gun in relation to it's origin? (i notice wherever you create or clone the item it puts the origin there and leaves it there, and if you move it later, the origin stays put?)

Also is there a way to adjust the mass of a big func_physbox to make it pickupable without the grav gun? (i've tried but not luck with this, i can push big objects but not pick them up)

I've searched around for an all-things-func_physbox tutorial, but haven't found anything too great yet, so if someone knows of a good one pleez let me no = 0

Minimum light level:
I've looked for info on this flag but haven't found anything except the standard definition at VDC. I found a promising thread on HLFallout forums that seemed to describe it in more detail, but that forum is not responding right now (is it dead?).

I try bumping up the values to brighten brushes but it doesn't seem to do anything. Am i missing a step? = (

Physboxes arent meant to be directly influenced by the player directly. Entities and such move them around for the most part. I dont think you can pick them up.

Im not sure about the minimum light level.. I never use it ;o

You can pickup physboxes. Just like any other physics prop, you can tell it to ignore or accept player pickup or gravitygun pickup in the flags.

Right I'm aware of that flag but it only works with the gravity gun afaik. Without it, anything bigger than a hatbox you can't pick up, regardless of any settings i've tried, specifically the "mass" setting.

btw i found making the "MinimumLightLevel" to a high number, i get the effect i wanted similar to goldsource textlights:

as im aware.. minimum light level should only be set from 0 to 1.. 1 being pure white

edit: Yeah you were right:I'm compiling a testmap with a wider range, but i expect the results to be disappointingly the same...

(

edit: maybe more variation than i thought:Maybe with some further foolin around i can make this work the way i want to after all.

)

I was looking at my compile log and found it INORDINATELY long, but then realized, it had cumulatively saved EVERY compile log i ever did for that map into the one logfile!

Is this normal?
(y/n)
Additional comments:

Can you turn it off?
(y/n)
Additional comments:

How are you compiling?

Hammer compiler. I tried using nem's for compiling today, but i've found nem's quits prematurely if it encounters certain errors, where with the same errors the hammer compiler will complete, and i have yet to complete a single compile with it yet(has anyone else encountered this?). I have yet to try VBCT by qUiCkSiLvEr...

I tried using nem's for compiling today

Don't bother trying. You'll get the same errors that i mentioned in my PM...