Lately i was publish review of Your HL2 Addon:
http://www.grinder74.com/hl2-mapy/courtyard.html

my blog only in Polish, but You can use one
of online translate sites for reading the review

if You have any important informations for this addon
please send me this by e-mail i will publish this

if You publish any other addon send me a info too

HL2 & HL1 SP Maps & Mods Polish Database
http://www.grinder74.com

First, I'd like to say, compared to the early, early maps you posted some time ago, this is a HUGE improvement. The architecture looks pretty nice (although standard HL2) and the entity work is pretty well done.

But still, there's way too much missing.

• I was greeted by a big, pink error texture beneath the tree, probably a custom one not included with the BSP. Some files mentioned in the readme were nowhere to be found in the ZIP file, also noone needs the VMF. (google for a program called packrat, it lets you include all files in the BSP)
• cubemaps aren't run or existing. Unacceptable for any map release.

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Cubemaps

• Gamplay is WAY too hard. It was frustrating. Remember to multiply the felt difficulty of your own game experience by a factor of 3 or more, as others have no idea where the goodies are hidden, what enemies to look for ect. ect.
• It's a friggin' killbox! A SP killbox. That makes it feel like a testing ground for someone who learns to map (what is probably the case) but you need to hide it better. I felt very constrained in there. If you had at least added a few more height levels, cover ect. it would have been more fun. But add some progression next time.

Nice demonstration of your improved mapping skills, but the final product feels too much like a "test" map.

Not happy, just less unhappy. Downloading now...

<DIV class=quotetext>[quote=ron Von Snickers]1) Not everyone has broadband, believe it or not.
2) Some people have monthly transfer limits, for them every MB counts.
3a) It's the generally accepted way to distribute a map pretty much everywhere in the FPS mapping community as a whole.
3b) It shows you're not a lazy bum or dense as a post and critiquing your map will likely be worthwhile.[/quote]</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext> </DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>1. Everyone except Orpheus at the SnarkPit does, and he doesn't map for H-L 2 anyway so...</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext> </DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>2. Okay, point taken.</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext> </DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>3a. I'll have to take your word on this.</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext> </DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>3b. Well there is no way a dumb person can make a map so that is a moot point. </DIV>
Okay, now I have added the .vmt file with the .bsp file and overwritten the original .bsp file with the one that I added the .vmt to. It has the .vmt file in it, but there is no tick in the box next to it, even though I hit "Auto" in PakRat.

Well even thought it is totally pointless...

I have zipped it...

Here you go:

http://s21.quicksharing.com/v/3456285/courtyard.zip.html

Happy now? :rolleyes:

Thank heaven nothing changed while I was gone!
relieved sigh

As has been said, zip it. Think of all the poor children in the world that would love to have your internet connection. I swear there should be a "the more you know" poster for teh internetz.

1) Not everyone has broadband, believe it or not.
2) Some people have monthly transfer limits, for them every MB counts.
3a) It's the generally accepted way to distribute a map pretty much everywhere in the FPS mapping community as a whole.
3b) It shows you're not a lazy bum or dense as a post and critiquing your map will likely be worthwhile.

I don't get it apart from the compression part of it only one and a half megabytes! I mean-who can't download one and a half megabytes!? Also, it makes more trouble for you as well, because you download it, then the WinZip/WinRar thing comes in your face saying how many days you have used it and stuff, and then you need to go into it, find your hl2\maps folder (Opening alot of directorys which is bothersome) and then unzip it into there! When you download the .bsp you can save it straight to your maps directory! Please tell me how zipping it is courteous. I'm all for that but I simply don't see how it is. I for one am always caught out when I download a map then it wants me to unzip everything. It always catches me offguard.

The point is, it's a courteous gesture, if nothing else. Plus, Bsp files zip up quite a bit.

Sure, playtesting is fun...but so is working on my own level, and I've only got about 2 hours out of the day to do that. The people who have been here a while, who can give you real quality advice, have played so many maps that after a while it isn't so much 'fun' as it is an effort to help YOU improve YOUR map.

Where the hell is Orpheus, the file size nazi, when we need him?

Anyway, I'll download and give some advice when I get a chance....but do us a favor, and please 'be bothered' to do those little things that make it easy for us to help you.

What is the point? It's only one file...

Edit: anyway, playtesting is fun.

"I can't be bothered with all that WinRar nonsense, sorry."

......

Whether you realize it or not, Snarkpit members taking their time to critique and help you with your map, do so at some loss of their own personal time. The least you can do is accomodate us with a zipped file - if you can't be bothered with that, then I'm afraid you will find many who can't be bothered with downloading. Right click...compress to Zip; how hard is that? :wink: