Show off your levels :D

[Skibur]

Speaking of texture, I have yet to find a tutorial on how to "reuse" textures from the library rather than creating a custom defined one to preserve the map's size when using pakrat. Remind me in a few days to create a youtube video.

[episoder]

Originally Posted by Skibur

Speaking of texture, I have yet to find a tutorial on how to "reuse" textures from the library rather than creating a custom defined one to preserve the map's size when using pakrat. Remind me in a few days to create a youtube video.

reuse textures and pakrat? what's the problem with this? you just need a to use generic textures. simple basetextures, some basetexture2 overlays, a couple different normal maps and perhaps some detail maps and the rest is done random combining that stuff in vmts. that's small and game independent. just saying.

[Skibur]

Originally Posted by episoder

reuse textures and pakrat? what's the problem with this? you just need a to use generic textures. simple basetextures, some basetexture2 overlays, a couple different normal maps and perhaps some detail maps and the rest is done random combining that stuff in vmts. that's small and game independent. just saying.

Well, my idea seems better to preserve the map file size. Instead of having multiple of custom texture for a whole bunch of models on the map, you can reuse the texture that everyone else already have. This changes a lot from a 512x512.vmf with 500 kb file size into less than at least 100 bytes size that you can load from the library.
I'll see about creating a tutorial about how to achieve this.

One of my map have done this method before, where the final size is actually 34 MB. Without the method, the map file size would be exceeding over 100 MB http://www.wallworm.net/index.php/topic,476.0.html

[IcarusNine]

Models don't store any information about the texture they're expected to use except for its name and directory. Just make sure the paths are identical to those of a texture in the library and the game will do the rest.

[plagueofburia]

Hi,

Skibur yes, using the same textures that are from the game is probably the best thing one can do to keep the size down I would imagine. For me regarding this bridge the textures I had were either too bright, too dark or not the correct colour so I have had to edit a fair few textures.

Is there a way to link all the textures into one texture? I am not even sure if that can be done.

How many textures can HL episode 2's engine hold for a single map?

This is a bridge that has been textured and eventually will be cut in half. I re-made some of the textures.

I am not sure if designing these props, such as this bridge in hammer is the best idea. Though this is the only way at the moment I know how to do something like this. I have edited and created unique textures for this prop bridge the amount of textures I created is about 50 though it says 55. The size of the map level file for area 1 will be very large. What can I do to solve this, this prop is already 34MB.

The graffiti on some of the textures are not overlays or decals but are part of the textures.

I am sure the map for area 1 is going to hit limits soon and I have not even started on the inside of the building. I guess I can make the inside of the building as another section of the map. It would have to load the building though.

This bridge is still not complete as I need to cut it in half and make the handrail for this bridge.

I also used window frames that are not from HL2 but they were the correct size and the colour matched so I have decide to use the frames instead of having to build new model frames.

It is not func_detail yet as i have not decide if it should be a prop.

Any ideas comments suggestions would help.

Additional: Relating to hammer. Every time I minimize hammer and it goes to windows task bar and then reopen the window. The transparent textures of my windows that are part of my bridge are not transparent for some reason. If I close hammer then re-open hammer it returns to being transparent not sure why this is happening.

[IcarusNine]

Originally Posted by plagueofburia

How many textures can HL episode 2's engine hold for a single map?
[...]
The size of the map level file for area 1 will be very large. What can I do to solve this, this prop is already 34MB.
[...]
I am sure the map for area 1 is going to hit limits soon and I have not even started on the inside of the building. I guess I can make the inside of the building as another section of the map. It would have to load the building though.
[...]
Additional: Relating to hammer. Every time I minimize hammer and it goes to windows task bar and then reopen the window. The transparent textures of my windows that are part of my bridge are not transparent for some reason. If I close hammer then re-open hammer it returns to being transparent not sure why this is happening.

A. Source can probably handle an arbitrarily large number of textures. It'll just take longer to load and use more memory. Many textures on one prop might slow down rendering; I'm not up to speed on the nitty gritty of model rendering.

B. The only solutions to texture size are compression (including making the textures smaller) and reuse (including tiling smaller textures).

C. You'll simply have to segment area 1 into even smaller locations. You might as well use placeholders to represent details like this bridge in-situ, until you know how you're going to cut things up.

D. Probably a rendering bug (AMD/ATI card? Hammer never kept up with their driver updates); I've never seen it before, but it can't affect your map... Unless it causes a crash and you lose an autosave.

[plagueofburia]

Thanks IcarusNine.

A-I do not want to have a large map that no one wants to play but I do want to have map that is detailed enough and fits into the HL2 world.

B-Compressing the textures this is interesting is this a long process? Or should I have done this compression when I created the textures in the art program I used.

C-I feel the next step is to place the bridge as one whole group of brushes into the area. Just so I can see if it all links up to the other side. Then I will begin to cut and shape the bridge, the player never reaches the other side the bridge. The bridge also acts as a vista. The player needs to go to the bridge to pick up the crow bar.

D-Ah I see, yeah this hammer error does seem not seem to affect the map so I guess things should be okay.

Thanks again for the advice

[Skibur]

Finally decided to release this map, originally made in tf2, ported into cs:go with the corresponding textures, added twice the amounts of details, and optimization was set nearly "Valve like" standard expectation. More custom texture has been added, and some particle FX/sounds too!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=134805014

Feel free to play and comments!

[SourceSkyBoxer]

Hey good happy easter,

i would like to tell about awesome xen world for Half-Life 2 and Source-Engine. I have remade into Xen SkyBox surface With different nice moons for Xen world and i am working yet.. Because i have created and designed some textures for Xen Remake And i am trying how does xen worlf get real nice look for Xen world into Source-Engine Black Mesa: Source is not finish :/ Isupport same developer for Black Mesa : Source Thank you. Don't worry... I will create same nice screenshots - if my xen maps are completed than i will show same nice screenshots

I would like to say happy easter. But it isn't not April Joker!

Thanks best regards and happy easter for monday

[ProdigalMaster]

You are that German guy on the Black Mesa forums right?

[Aazell]

HL2: Deep Down
Back in production and aiming for completion for beginning of May.







http://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-2-deep-down

[ProdigalMaster]

Looks interesting. I enjoyed your mod, Daylight.

[Aazell]

Still need to do displacements on the cavern walls but this was fun to build!

[Aazell]