Iranian Embassy? Like the one in England? That'd be a great level, especially if CTs did the grenade thing on the balcony! The Embassy looks really nice, I shall be adding this to my clanserver's map rotation!

I'm sure that Milkshape will update to support HL2 - it might only be suited to low poly stuff but thats fine for props and the like. Alternatively there is gmax, which is far more like milkshape and softimage.

Thanks Reno, I figured it was something along those lines. It's a shame the new modelling program is so complex compared to Milkshape. It's going to make it difficult for people to make custom models as easily as before. I don't see why they couldn't introduce a smaller modelling program for small, low polygon stuff.

Func_wall's are now obsolete in their use as performance tools, but still have uses as being able to switch textures and things by triggering them. The new entity to use for reducing face splitting (to reduce polycount) and stopping an object blocking vis (to decrease compile times) is the func_detail, which uses less memory than a func_wall by having absolutely no properties (ie. it is an entity purely for the sake of being an entity, not for having any functional use).

In the source engine it is encouraged to use props, as these are only held in memory once, and for every use in the map this data is referenced. On the other hand, if you build everything out of brushes, all this data is loaded in. Also, for reasons I don't know off hand, it is less expensive in terms of processing to render models than BSP stuff.

I think the idea blue is that you make detail into models, not actually using the old method of func_wall anymore. Most of the brush work is solid, but I did make the hand railing on the balcony, the little pillar things in that, a func_wall. I think we'd have to ask Reno or Lep about that, they seem to be the resident experts on all things source.

Out of curiousity, is everything on that building solid? I'm trying to figure out if I still need to "func_wall" things to reduce polygon count.

Looks good, only the pillars in screenies nr 3 area bit flat, you might want to make them round , itmight looks better that way, but maybe its just the angle the screenshot was taken from.

overal looks pretty neat.

Shouldn't there be a little more space on those balconies ? (So people can move around a bit on em)

Otherwise, looking good !

Looks good.