Compile map Takes forever?

[p0e$je]

Anyway i wanted to compile my map i worked like few hours on it but i waited and waited like 2 hours and notting happens i also use zhlt to compile my map but why does it takes so long to compile!!! anyway if anyone have a programm that can compile better then hammer plz let me know .... b.t.w on Hl2 hammer dont have any problems wen i compile my map its just wierd! :?

 

[J-M v2.5.5]

I had a very early version of some Half-Life 2 map take over eleven hours to compile once (I didn't really optimize yet), so two hours is nothing... just wait.

Or let your PC compile during the night, while you sleep.

 

[evilsquirrel]

hl2 maps ive made compile in under 10 minutes for the most part O_O""

course thats surf maps...not much detail, i'd say wait for it, unless it doesn't lag your computer...then its probably just stopping somewhere...

 

[p0e$je]

dude i dont want to wait 10 hours to test if what i made worked out well or not -.- ! gues wen u come around 1mb without light and vis it takes this long and that with this fast pc sucks!

 

[evilsquirrel]

i suggest making a very few ammount of tests if it takes that long to compile...

 

[Thothie]

If you make a detailed HL2 map with enough lights, it will take several hours to compile... I'm not entirely sure what a 'surf map' is still - but I smell box with 1 light.

If you use the ZHLT and a batch compile (ZHLT being the fastest compiler I know of), you can use these parameters to make a testable map in a few minutes - it'll just look like crap, and the FPS maybe a bit higher than the finished product:

hlvis -fast "%.map"

hlrad -sky 0.5 -falloff 1 -nomatrix -nolerp  -bounce 0 -nopaque  -low -estimate -ambient 0.01 0.01 0.01 -smooth 40 -chop 512 -texchop 512 "%.map"

You can also skip the HLRAD process entirely, but the map will look and run like crap, without even a hint as to where the lights may go. (just max bright everywhere)

HLCSG, and HLBSP have some parameters you can use too, but those two stages should never take very long unless something is fundamentally wrong with the map.

You can add the "-low" parameter to any of the ZHLT compile programs so that you can opperate your computer normally while it compiles in the background. (Highly recommended for the final 'overnight' compile.)

 

[J-M v2.5.5]

You can also use Cordon Compile to select a small area (must be a box) of your map. Then this 'Cordon Compile' will only compile that part of the map (and surround it with a temporary brush).

Let me find an article on that.
Ah, here it is:
http://forum.interlopers.net/viewtopic.php?t=3834
The article is for Half-Life 2, but it also works on Half-Life. You can click on the screenshots to enlarge them.

Edit: And Thothie, for an overnight compile, I'd suggest "-high", because the compile tools will eat all your CPU (making them go faster) while you sleep. You don't use the computer while you sleep anyway.

 

[p0e$je]

Tnx for all the tips. to bad what i wanted to build was to big il think il redraw a new map idee and start building that mabe a bit smaller and less detailed anyways this isnt hl2 so

b.t.w jm do i still got ur e-mail in my pidgeot29?
coz i want show u something

Anyways i have my town done now simpl small bugs to fix then a few more maps and my mappack is ready to lauch