News posts

An update has just been released for the SDK; along with speeding up the time it takes to load through Steam it should also fix cubemaps, so if your PC has been crashing when running "buildcubemaps" try it again after updating.

Note you may need to click the "reset game configurations" button on the SDK menu if you get "GameInfo.txt not found" error messages. We'll also update our tutorials on Hammer setup, etc.

WARNING: A map pack has been recently released and brought to our attention, simply because it's the first set of maps to be released for HL2, that contains unacceptable levels of crappiness and guideline-breaching amounts of killboxes. It can be identified by the moniker "HL2Files.com Map Pack" and should be avoided at all costs.

Side effects from downloading and installing this map pack may include physical discomfort, being brought to tears that such a beautiful game could be abused so badly, increase suicide desire, and death.

If you know someone who has been affected by this map pack, or themselves were involved in its production, please show them directions to map making tutorials post haste or disconnect their internet. Good places to start include the VERC Collective and Interlopers.net.

Thank you for your attention.

Strangely, I'm more excited this morning than when HL2 came out the other week, as there are 3 great pieces of news to mention.

First of all, HL2DM has been released, which comes with 2 maps and gravity gun goodness. And apparently it's awesome.

Also, the full SDK has been released, and it comes with HL2-compatible-Hammer and various modelling tools.

And combining the two, Valve are holding a map making competition with a top prize of $5000. Feel free to put up your entries-in-progress on this site :wink:

I have created a small physics test map for use in Counter-Strike: Source. It contains a see-saw, falling barrels, dominoes and a breakable computer, and is made to complement the Source physics tutorial. I will also put up some beginners tutorials next week when the full game comes out- there are a few too many bugs and un-implemented features right now to be able to write one safely!

Download it from here. (116kb)

Update: I am an idiot and put the wrong VMF inside! Download it again and there will be a map you can edit showing all these features inside.

Our HL2 editing section is now open, and I've added two tutorials to get it started.

Also, you can now review maps yourself- just click the "add review" link on their profiles; it will need to be checked over by an admin first before it appears on the site, as with tutorials.

You can now register for this site again, since the strange e-mailing bug that was stopping authentication e-mails from being sent out seems to have been fixed. Unfortunately I've had to delete all accounts that have registered but not received/followed the activation link e-mailed to them, so please re-register if this applies to you.

I have finished looking over all the maps (at last!), and the results are up on this page. The map that I deemed the best was Pulse by Adam Hawkins; perhaps a controversial descision in some peoples eyes but check out the page for why. But all the same, congratulations to Mr Hawkins, and thanks to everyone who entered all these amazing maps!

And as for the voting results:

• Joint 3rd place: Flatshaded & Parralaxion
• 2nd: DM Fairytale
• 1st: Persian Letters

So well done to you guys, especially Campaignjunkie!

Voting ends tomorrow (Wednesday 8th); I have been away quite a lot recently again hence the delay in getting these maps reviewed and the results up but expect announcements next week!

Below are all the entries for our last Half-Life competition. I've started running around them making notes and doing the funky-review-thing; the public voting booths have been opened so [url=features.php?page=articles&id=85]<b>head here[/url] and choose your favourite map!</b>

• Abstract Towers by Loco
• Atrium by Forceflow
• Black by mrnatural
• dm_fairytale by Ferret
• dm_fishy by fishy
• dm_hogwarts by $loth
• dm_pulse by Adam Hawkins
• dm_sorrow by Adam Hawkins
• Flat KillBox by CrazyBomber
• Flatshaded (working title) by ReNo
• Melee Town 3D by jokipoki
• Omni-Arena by Biological Component
• Parralaxion by Agent Smith
• Persian Letters by Campaignjunkie
• reclamation by Yak_Fighter
• Skull Cave by fraggard
• Smallest map ever by ghost of evilspy
• superman by JMW
• Thanto by Alien_Sniper
• ZGZ by beer hunter

Check out this thread for an "interesting" SnarkPit related game, if you get bored making your competition map... And by the way, the winner will receive a copy of Half-Life 2 when it comes out (or a similarly priced game of their choice) sooo get mapping, 3 days left!