Post template shamelessly ripped off from Strider's TWHL Tower 2 post. Download the base map and mod template here.
Starting now and going until January 16th 2022.
Rules
1. Every member must work from the base map. Stick within the room space - 1280x1280x256.2. You can carve into the walls, floor and ceiling, add balconies, windows, lighting insets... whatever you please, as long as the player stays within the room space and nothing extends too obviously into where someone else's room will be above or below.
3. Make it as easy or difficult as you like, you don't even need much gameplay, just some reason to enter the room before moving upstairs. It could be as simple as pushing a button to open a door out in the hall.
4. Custom content of all kinds welcome (materials, models, sounds)- However, you should place any custom content in a folder named after you. For example, my name is Dr. Orange, and I have a very cool concrete wall texture, so my files would look like this:
materials/drorange/concrete/verycoolwall.vtf
materials/drorange/concrete/verycoolwall.vmt
The exception is if you're using content from another Valve Source engine game, in which case you can keep the original file paths, as long as it doesn't override any default Half-Life 2/Episode One/Episode Two content!All custom assets will be packed into VPK files to keep things organized.
5. If you're using third party content (with permission) please include a text file with the appropriate credits, otherwise no stealing, obviously!
6. You can change the hall as much as you please to suit your idea. Add another door, move the existing door down the hall, add lasers, forcefields, anything that doesn't greatly alter the shape of the hall. Just make sure you pass through the teal weapon stripper at the end, where a level change will occur.
7.There're some global environment entities, including light_environment, env_tonemap_controller, and env_fog_controller included right outside where the floor entrance is located by default. Please don't alter the entity properties of any of these. Instead, you may use inputs to change any environment settings specific for your floor. There are some helpful comments in Hammer on these entities explaining how you can use them.
7a. Unlike the two previous towers, TWHL Tower: Source will take place during late afternoon to evening, and the time of day will change as the mod progresses. The sunlight will always come in from generally the same direction, though, and will have a reddish-orange color, which the light_environment entity in the base map has already been set up for if you want to add any windows.
7b. Also please don't edit the default 3D skybox. Mapbase allows for a single map to have multiple 3D skyboxes that can be switched between. If you really need a different 3D skybox for your map for whatever reason, you may use this feature.
8. Final compile will be done with the Mapbase custom VBSP compiler and the Slammin' VVIS and VRAD compilers, with the following parameters for VRAD:
-both -final -bounce 100 -ambientocclusion -aosamples 32
If you're using any specific commands, let me know.9. Don't do anything Half-Life 2 wouldn't do. By that I mean no porn or sweary tirades, this is a community project. I don't expect any problems, just keep it M, not R.
10. Included in the base map is a Half-Life 2 DVD collectible. Hide it somewhere in your floor. If the player finds all of them, some sort of bonus content will be unlocked. If you don't want to put it in your room that's fine, just leave it out in the hall. 11. Have fun! The rules are essentially the same as for the last two TWHL Tower projects, so check out those threads if you need more info.
Please let me know if I've missed something, or messed something up.
Edit:
Don't send your map file to Strider!
Edit 2:
The deadline has been extended until the 2nd of January 2022.
Edit 3:
The deadline has been extended until the 16th of January 2022.
Original post: