n00b to maps

[bluezerosix7]

i know this is one of the most n00b questions to ask, but i'm wondering, what do i use to make maps for msc? i thought valve hammer was only for source maps (or does it matter?). also, any good links to tutorials would be nice. i have a nifty idear for a map that i think would give me something to have fun making, but no idea where to start.

 

[Oedipus]

http://collective.valve-erc.com/ has just about evrything you could want , you have to sift out quite a bit of non aplicable stuff but i dont think you will find a better entry guide on all the net , hope this helps.

 

[J-M v2.5.5]

Hammer v3.4 (or the v3.5 beta) is for Half-Life and mods, and Hammer v4.0 is for Half-Life 2 and mods (Source).

**Required**
Hammer v3.4:
http://collective.valve-erc.com/data/do ... er_v34.exe

**Optional**
Hammer v3.5 beta (you need v3.4 installed):
http://collective.valve-erc.com/data/do ... uild04.zip
Half-Life updated FGD (required for the v3.5 beta):
http://collective.valve-erc.com/data/do ... fgd_02.zip

**Recommended**
The Zoner's Half-Life Tools v3.3 (The ZHLT):
http://downloads.ammahls.com/zhlt/zhlt33.zip

 

[bluezerosix7]

hey you're awesome, thanks.

 

[bluezerosix7]

alright so another n00b question, ive found various tutorials online to guide me through VHE, but when i try to run it with half-life (full) it wont work? i want to be able to make a simple stupid map before trying to make an msc map, it just makes halflife collapse. i believe i have all my folders properly guided to halflife. any idea what may be my error?

 

[Jester]

Triple-check your configurations in the options.

Should come with a help file to help you set those up perfectly(you'll have to adapt for source of course).

 

[bluezerosix7]

oh im not doing anything source yet, im just testing with hl1, then moving to msc ^_^

 

[bluezerosix7]

leak in map?

sorry to keep asking, but there is a leak in a test map im making (literally a wide box with a spawn on top and a light). the log says im getting a leak from the light. im getting this text from the log (i think this is regarding the issue), what is my problem?

SolidBSP [hull 0] 7 (0.00 seconds)
Warning: === LEAK in hull 0 ===
Entity light_spot @ (-192,-320, 192)
Error:
A LEAK is a hole in the map, where the inside of it is exposed to the
(unwanted) outside region. The entity listed in the error is just a helpful
indication of where the beginning of the leak pointfile starts, so the
beginning of the line can be quickly found and traced to until reaching the
outside. Unless this entity is accidentally on the outside of the map, it
probably should not be deleted. Some complex rotating objects entities need
their origins outside the map. To deal with these, just enclose the origin
brush with a solid world brush

Leak pointfile generated

SolidBSP [hull 1] 7 (0.00 seconds)
Warning: === LEAK in hull 1 ===
Entity light_spot @ (-192,-320, 192)
SolidBSP [hull 2] 7 (0.00 seconds)
Warning: === LEAK in hull 2 ===
Entity light_spot @ (-192,-320, 192)
SolidBSP [hull 3] 7 (0.00 seconds)
Warning: === LEAK in hull 3 ===
Entity light_spot @ (-192,-320, 192)
0.00 seconds elapsed

 

[gamer_boy]

Hey,

I have done some mapping myself for both source and half life 1. As far as I know, you problem is that you have not enclosed the map completely from what is known as the void. The void is the area around the map tha Half Life doesnt render. If the map is not enclosed, it means that part of the map is open to the void and Half Life cant decide which bits are inside and outside of your map. The leak could be tiny and that gets to be a really annoying problem in larger maps.

If you have just made one brush (block) and put a spawn on it, then it is not enclosed. Try following a tutorial on making your first map, there are plenty around. Basically, you need to make a large brush and hollow it, and then put the spawn inside it. Hollowing is fine for basic maps but when you do more complex one, you will want to do each side of the room (ie 1 brush for floor, 1 for ceiling, and another 4 for the walls)

You should be able to find a tutorial for it on http://collective.valve-erc.com/ . If there isnt one on there, there are hundreds for Counter Strike 1.6 and Source, and the same basic mapping principles apply to both half life 1 and source games.

Hope this helps
gamer_boy

 

[Oedipus]

Gamer Boy got it in one , the outside and in inside are toutching, this or your light is outside itself , if you want a simple very first map just draw a brush or decent size and use the hollow tool , evrything inside the hollowed brush is now you world and outsdie the void.

 

[bluezerosix7]

so everything must be inside at least one hollowed box? kind of like playing a game inside a cardboard box? bad example, but that makes sense to me lol. because i did that and it was still complaining. i dunno, ill try to search the vast exanse of the internet to help me. thanks tho guys =)

 

[J-M v2.5.5]

No, not specifically a box. Your map can be inside a T-shaped box too, or an S-shaped box, or whatever you want.

Thing is, the inside of your map and the void (the outside) must not touch. That means you must seal off every part of your map with worldbrushes (standard, non brush-based entity brushes).

Example: You can create a skybox with five sides (without the bottom side) and create a rock floor as the bottom side. You will then have a box, but you don't need to put an extra skybox brush below the floor brush. Why? The floor is not a brush-based entity, therefore it's a normal brush (a worldbrush), and therefore it seals the map.

 

[Thothie]

Few warnings on that, as some of the above advice can get you into trouble:

1) The map must be COMPLETELY sealed. Meaning, you cannot even have the tiniest fraction of a unit exposure to "the void" - this is a lot harder than it sounds:

- Make sure all vertexes snap to a fairly large grid on walls facing the outside of the map. (16 unit +) - really, anything smaller should be used for detailed, inside brushes only. (Ladders, cupboards, wall trims, and the like)

- If you resize or rotate any outfacing brushes, do it vertex by vertex, on the large grid, and one brush at a time. Do not use the scale or rotate features on the outside facing brushes. (For instance, if you have a hollow box, with 64 unit thick walls, 1024 units across aligned perfectly to the grid, and then you rotate said box 49 degrees - you will almost certainly develop a leak from the odd angles and off axis grid).

2) Do your hollowing manually, whenever possible:

- Hammer does very inefficient hollowing. On more complex objects (such as spikes and cylinders) - it very often does it just plain wrong. If it's anything more complicated than a box, do it yourself - build it one brush at a time. Even with boxes, Hammer is very inefficient, leaving covered texture panes that will render to the player, even though he can't see them (although, this is generally a minor issue - it adds up).

Similarly, avoid the carve tool whenever you can, as tis even more screwy.

Generally, it is also best to avoid complex brushes: Two cubes, for instance, are less troublesome than an eight-sided cylinder, and are just as efficient, if hidden faces are painted with null texture and the object aligns to the 64 grid.

Failure to follow the above advice can lead to leaks impossible to perceive in Hammer, and invalid shaped objects, that Hammer may miss, and may prevent compile with bizarre errors.

DO NOT DRAW HUGE BOXES AROUND YOUR MAP TO AVOID LEAKS. This leads to FPS hell, and has lead to many maps, that otherwise would have been fun, being rendered more or less unplayable.

As mentioned, just to reiterate, brushes exposed to the outside cannot be entities (not even func_walls).

 

[bluezerosix7]

my problem is that i did do a box around my map and hollowed it to 32 in hammer, its a super small level, im talking just a light and a player start on top of a box inside a hollowed box, and hl collapses. im not sure whats causing it now, doesnt report a leak like before when i wasnt hollowing out a box.