When compiling custom map/RipEnt

[Littlefrodo]

well i saw some threads at this fourms about ripent and stuff, Im abit confused about ripent, is it just a tool to change entitys without compile the rest of the map, do I need to use ripent when making a full compile?
Or can I use ripent when changing the entitys after a compile?

I dont really understand when and how to use the ripent XD im a bit confused ...alot

Well when I compiled The_keep I didt compile with the Ripent tool, Is it necessary to include ripent when compiling a custom map?

btw I was using the Batch compiler.

I wonder becuase im worried if the map wont work in further patches.

 

[evilsquirrel]

no, don't think its necessary frodo

 

[J-M v2.5.5]

I'll explain to you how it works:

When you compile a map, the CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry), BSP (Binary Space Partitioning), VIS (Visible Information Set) and RAD (Radiosity calculations) tools build the entire map. Everything, from worldbrushes to brush entities to point entities is put together into the file .bsp file.

A .bsp file has an "entity table" compiled into it. This entity table holds the information on all entities in your map. The colour of the lights, the sprites you used, the models you used, the monsters you placed, even the name of the skybox, and of course the locations of every entity.

This entity table can be "exported" from the map using RipEnt. When you export an entity table from a .bsp file, RipEnt leaves you with an .ent file. The .ent extension stands for entity table. You can open this .ent file in Notepad and Wordpad (I prefer Wordpad) to see all the entities in your map. This is usually a huge list.

Next, you can start editing things. Let's take a look at one of the entities from the Thornlands:

{
"origin" "-1216 1392 192"
"note" "========== Skeleton in Closet Added by Thothie"
"spawnchance" "100"
"spawnarea" "closetskel"
"angles" "0 184 0"
"defscriptfile" "monsters/skeleton2"
"lives" "1"
"delayhigh" "11"
"delaylow" "10"
"classname" "msmonster_skeleton"
}

This is the closet skeleton in the Thornlands which was added by Thothie. If you would change the 'defscriptfile' to, say, 'monsters/giantrat', a Giant Rat would be spawned instead of a Walking Ashes.

After making such a change, all you have to do is save the .ent file and "import" it back into the .bsp file, again using RipEnt.

Of course, RipEnt can be used for much more complicated things, once you know how it works. If a monster spawns in the ceiling, export the entity table, find that monster, lower it (by lowering the value of the z-coordinate), save the entity table, and import it back into the map.

So to summarize: RipEnt is only used to make changes to the entity table of your map.

If a server hosts a map with only differences in the entity table, clients do not have to redownload the map.

is it just a tool to change entitys without compile the rest of the map

Or can I use ripent when changing the entitys after a compile?

Yes, you can use RipEnt to edit entities without having to recompile your map.

do I need to use ripent when making a full compile?

No, you don't need to use RipEnt for a full compile.

 

[Littlefrodo]

yey thkz!

 

[Thothie]

Generally, if you have the map source and need to make minor updates to your map, you don't want to use Ripent, rather, you want to update the RMF, export, and then compile again using only the command:

HLCSG -onlyents mapname

This does, basically the same thing as Ripent, but uses your .map file as the source entity table, instead of an ent file generated by Ripent. So long as you don't add, move, or remove any brush entities, you can add/modify/remove all the point entities you want, and modify any brush entities properties, without worrying about making people download your map again.

Ripent lets you do a few things you can't do with Hammer through low-level entity manipulation, but for the most part, its just a method of updating maps you do not have the source for, or for which the source does not line up well enough with the current release to use -onlyents (ie. brush entities have been added). Also useful for making very compact map updates, as Ripent tables tend to be just a few K, while maps tend to be several megabytes.

 

[Littlefrodo]

Aha! Thkz for ur explanation guys