No custom material for env_steam: WHY?

[The Mighty Atom]

Hello. New here.
Im an experienced HL1 mapper but I only recently started mapping for Source. My first Source project is kinda unique. For this project, i need some particle effects:

- Smoke stream, provided by the env_steam entity. Works perfectly.
- Fire stream (like a flamethrower). Unfortunately, there are no entities available that are able to produce a stream of fire. So, i was thinking, perhaps i can tell the env_steam entity to use a different material. But then i noticed that there's no option for changing the material for the env_steam entity. Its default material (particle_smokegrenade) has unfortunately been hardcoded. The only way to force an env_steam entity to use a different material, is to actually replace that material (particle_smokegrenade) with my own. The problem is that many more things in Source use that same material, like:
- the smoke plume from RPG rockets
- the smoke that appears when you shoot at walls
- the smoke that appears when you launch an SMG grenade
- and of course other env_steam entities for normal smoke

All these now have the fire material. Pain in the butt.

So i would like to ask Valve:

Please update the env_steam entity and allow us mappers to specify a custom material.

-OR-

Create a new entity that can handle all kinds of particle effects, like:

- fire streams
- smoke streams
- steam
- fontain
- etc

-OR-

To anyone who's reading this, if you can code the Source SDK, im asking you to manually add this feature to the env_steam entity. Ill will give you full credit once i release my project.
Until then, STS-121 is grounded...





More screens:

http://www.themightyatom.nl/screenshots/sts_121_1.jpg
http://www.themightyatom.nl/screenshots/sts_121_2.jpg
http://www.themightyatom.nl/screenshots/sts_121_3.jpg
http://www.themightyatom.nl/screenshots/sts_121_4.jpg

Yes, thats my project: create a Space Shuttle launch in Source.
Now you see why i need a firestream: its for the exhaust flame of the Solid Rocket Boosters, but i also need steam, and a different fire for the Main Engines, which is not possible with that horrible hardcoded default env_steam material.

Please help, i'd like to get this project finished.

There are alternatives to env_steam, look here http://developer.valvesoftware.com/w...g%2C_%26_Smoke

[The Mighty Atom]

I tried all of those entities, but for my project, the env_steam works best. The problem with this entity, is that it doesn't allow you to choose a different material, which is rediculous, and a pain in butt.

If you know someone with sufficient coding skills, get him to this thread.