Dorm Map Instructions [ READ IT ALL, ITS A LONG READ]

[t00bz]

argh, here it is.
the vmf is inside the folder
the folder called "tf" has all my custom stuff, i think you'll know where to put it.
if there's anything missing, let me know. I sometimes forget what's custom and what's not.

[Beetle]

you are so on top of things it isnt even funny.

really. it isnt.

[t00bz]

http://filesmelt.com/dl/t00bzs_dorm_vmf ... stuff3.zip

[Beetle]

http://filesmelt.com/dl/t00bzs_dorm_vmf ... stuff3.zip

No. Your custom bed texture and tv model texture were not correct. and you did not read up on how to optimize.

You have one more chance. Otherwise, you don't get custom stuff in your room.

[t00bz]

fuck, i didn't know i had a custom bed texture
sorry beetle.

[Original]

when's the deadline? I got an idea

[Beetle]

when's the deadline? I got an idea

There's currently no announced deadline. I need many more rooms though.

[PhrozenFlame]

Beetle, you scared off everyone who wasn't sure about mapping with the intro post. I don't think you're going to get a lot more rooms.

[Original]

Ah, after seeing the light rule I think I'm out. Had a specific enviro in mind and that light and/or fixture just doesn't cut it.

I can see having a limit of lights (2 to 3 should be fine)...

Of course dynamic lights completely kill fps so I can see saying no to them.

[Beetle]

Ah, after seeing the light rule I think I'm out. Had a specific enviro in mind and that light and/or fixture just doesn't cut it.

I can see having a limit of lights (2 to 3 should be fine)...

Of course dynamic lights completely kill fps so I can see saying no to them.

ok

[the asylum]

Ah, after seeing the light rule I think I'm out. Had a specific enviro in mind and that light and/or fixture just doesn't cut it.

I can see having a limit of lights (2 to 3 should be fine)...

Of course dynamic lights completely kill fps so I can see saying no to them.

Speaking of dynamic lights, who made that epileptic pink heart room? I want to strangle him.

[LaN]

Ah, after seeing the light rule I think I'm out. Had a specific enviro in mind and that light and/or fixture just doesn't cut it.

I can see having a limit of lights (2 to 3 should be fine)...

Of course dynamic lights completely kill fps so I can see saying no to them.

Speaking of dynamic lights, who made that epileptic pink heart room? I want to strangle him.

[Beetle]

I made the light rule because of veryyes' room. it had like 20 dynamic lights in it. it loooked cool, but was just too much for what it did.

[FlaminSarge]

somebody check the clipping on the heart that makes the music. Client prediction causes your view to kinda sink into it and twitch (because client says it's not solid, but server/map says it is... I think).

[Beetle]

somebody check the clipping on the heart that makes the music. Client prediction causes your view to kinda sink into it and twitch (because client says it's not solid, but server/map says it is... I think).

it works fine for me. the only time you can tell its different is when you're trying to use helicopter. which I dont care about. its a simple as can be func_wall thats semi transparent.

[Daniel Is I]

Huh, well, after the disaster that was my failure to turn in my hotel map on time (And the subsequent deletion of it out of stupidity), I accept your challenge!

Hide and seek, eh? My room shall live again!

Shame about the No Music guideline, though. There goes my Hell idea. It's no fun without ambient demonic laughter and screaming.

[OldManJenkins]

Huh, well, after the disaster that was my failure to turn in my hotel map on time (And the subsequent deletion of it out of stupidity), I accept your challenge!

Hide and seek, eh? My room shall live again!

Shame about the No Music guideline, though. There goes my Hell idea. It's no fun without ambient demonic laughter and screaming.

You can always take clips of the characters screaming out of the game files without having to use custom sounds.

[Beetle]

Huh, well, after the disaster that was my failure to turn in my hotel map on time (And the subsequent deletion of it out of stupidity), I accept your challenge!

Hide and seek, eh? My room shall live again!

Shame about the No Music guideline, though. There goes my Hell idea. It's no fun without ambient demonic laughter and screaming.

You can always take clips of the characters screaming out of the game files without having to use custom sounds.

not clips. that would require it to be made a new sound. but what OMJ did with his room is allowed.

[t00bz]

i'm afraid to ask, but how many hints should we have?
because i only have one, and i'm unsure of whether it even works

[Beetle]

i'm afraid to ask, but how many hints should we have?
because i only have one, and i'm unsure of whether it even works

dont worry about hints. hints are the most complicated form of optimization that, if used wrong, can make a map LESS optimized. just dont name things that do not have an output pointing to them, and make brushes func_details.

[Daniel Is I]

Quick question: You say no environmental deaths. Does drowning in an inescapable tank (An example would be Twister's room in the hotel) count as an environmental death? Or do you simply mean no zones with a trigger to hurt you?

[Beetle]

I mean no ways to die in a room except from another player shooting at you.

[Daniel Is I]

Alright, then I have to remove my tank. I suppose it clears up a corner for more awesomeness.

[t00bz]

i'm afraid to ask, but how many hints should we have?
because i only have one, and i'm unsure of whether it even works

dont worry about hints. hints are the most complicated form of optimization that, if used wrong, can make a map LESS optimized. just dont name things that do not have an output pointing to them, and make brushes func_details.

em, for the func_detail part.
How do i change it, i always assumed it was control-t.

[Beetle]

it is

[Daniel Is I]

Map's almost done, just need to optimize and give it a once over to make sure none of my props are from half life. But I have a question about it. I followed the stuff you posted and none of it really helped.

The hints thing just flew right over my head and the func_detail thing confused me even more because I went into the game and typed that console command that removes all func_details and it removed some of them but left others.

I suppose my question is this: Are there any telltale signs of a poorly optimized map that can be seen in such a small scale?

[Original]

In Hammer on the right side menu is a box with check marks.

You can un-check func_detail (that hides them), so then you still see what needs func_detailed. Basically everything that isn't the walls/ceiling/floor/doorway (and displacements or water).

That just makes those details not cut up the terrain brushes so you get fewer tris and a lot fewer visleafs
(vis_leafs are basically the air spaces around brushes - if you only have the starter room you will probably only have 1-6 vis_leafs [optimized], if you have a bunch of brushes not func_ed then they cut those leafs up into a lot more which kills performance)

------------
in the hammer>maps menu (I think) there is a 'turn on vis portal' or show vis_leafs... something like that. It draws blue lines around the leafs (air spaces). In this room you should have very few blue lines.

You can make a brush in middle of room, compile, and turn this on to see what the leafs look like. Then delete the brush or func_detail it and compile again (don't go in game).
And you'll see the blue lines change.

[Daniel Is I]

You can un-check func_detail (that hides them), so then you still see what needs func_detailed. Basically everything that isn't the walls/ceiling/floor/doorway (and displacements or water).

That's part of it that confused me. I haven't changed the floor at all apart from altering the texture, and it still disappears, along with half of the wall the door is on. I figured that, since the template is from beetle, that's intentional but if the floor and walls aren't supposed to be func_details, I'm confused.

Edit: Also, that vis_leaf thing you mentioned is Map > Load Portal File. Just figured that out.

[Beetle]

You did turn the wall and floor into an entity. You might not realize you did, but you definitely did.

[Daniel Is I]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=72G3FY46

Well, it's about as finished as I think I'm gonna get it with my meager skills.

Let me give you a run-down real quick of any problem areas:

13 Static Props: 2 out of water, 11 in. Two of them, the two ivies at the top of the aquarium, are from Half-Life 2. Feel free to remove those if I can't persuade you to keep them in.

8 Dynamic Props: All on the table, all weapons.

No props cast shadows.

6 custom textures

Possible flaws in optimization, I did the best I could and pointers would be nice.

Weird-ass glitch with the back wall I couldn't figure out. When standing directly where you spawn, the back wall in the water disappears. It only happens in that spot and it's not linked to the spawn point (I tested it by moving the spawn point, same spot as before). I'm not entirely sure what may have happened, but it's not a big deal to me. Edit: Just tried removing the water and it stopped disappearing, so it's probably linked to the water. Edit2: It seems it's not just in front of there, multiple areas have it, only at different angles. It just went from no big deal to deal.

Water has reflection issues. Tgame suggested it was the skybox, but after testing, I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I assume it's just because of something that is included in the full map but not the room.

Feel free to say it's shit and throw it back in my face in the event I need to improve it.