Time for the orangeboxers to update your SDK.

The Source SDK has been updated with content and tools to create maps, models, and textures for Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. In addition to support for games in The Orange Box, the Source SDK can continue to be used to create content for other top-selling Source engine-based games, such as Half-Life 2: Episode One and Counter-Strike: Source.

Included in the Source SDK are:

<UL style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px">
[*] The Hammer World Editor, which provides the capability of creating custom levels for Source engine games
[*] Valve?s custom Faceposer tool that allows users to produce choreographed sequences in the Source engine
[*] A model viewer that allows artists to preview models and their animations quickly and easily
[*] Source code that allows mod makers to create their own game based on Half-Life 2 or Half-Life 2:Deathmatch
[*] All of the tools required to make build custom textures and models for Source engine games

</LI></UL>

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i eat paint

WOOOOOO! i'm dropping out of school. :smile:

EDIT:
I'm getting a tone of errors. Materials not loading and the new lighting preview isn't doing anything. I'd think i'm doing something wrong but the standard shaded textures is not working ether.
What about you guys?

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Reality has become a commodity.

... I'm getting a tone of errors ...

Really? What do they sound like?

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Whoo hoo! Updating now.
Edit: As far as bugs go, the ray-tracing-light-preview thingermabob made Hammer explode. I have no idea how long the preview should have taken, but then again, I only had a box with a light entity in it :/

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Breaking the laws of mapping since 2003 and doing a damn fine job at it

The update screwed me up completely. I can't open any HL2 maps now, get nothing but errors. I'm gonna try to re-configure Hammer whe I get home from work tonight to see if that works.

BTW...Great website you'all have here. I have learned quite a bit about mapping from all of you at the Snark Pit. Thanks.

Glad the place has been of use to you mate :smile: Hope you get to the bottom of your problems - I'm sure you're not alone in them.

I've not launched the new SDK yet, but I've heard there are a fair few issues and many of those... lets just say I'm all too familiar with :sad: The biggest hit for me is the broken 3D Textured Shaded view, which no longer seems to function any differently from the 3D Textured view. I'm a big fan of the shaded view as it makes it possible to discern faces from one another when they use the same texture. Losing that is really annoying as at the moment I'm blocking out geometry with a very limited texture set, and so having hundreds of faces lying of different planes yet looking exactly the bloody same makes it a real chore.

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[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net

? quote:... I'm getting a tone of errors ...

Really? What do they sound like?

Like a quire of retards. :smile:

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Reality has become a commodity.

Yea, I even refreshed sdk content, I don't know if that helps anything, but the ray-traced lighting preview worked for me. However it does take a REALLY long time; almost longer than a compile, so I don't see the point, however it is kinda cool. It opens in a separate window that can be closed separate from hammer; its own little program window. Hammer kinda screwed me up a bit as well, I hope this all gets sorted out pretty soon...

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

For people having problems or wanting a better description of the update, you should check out this post...

http://www.interlopers.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=248367

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[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net

The first thing I thought when I opened Worldcraft 9 years ago was "Why is there no lighting preview?". I have to check it out right now.

Bugs come with every major Valve update, but they tend to fix the obvious ones quickly. I hope the out-of-grid skewing issue has been addressed as well.

Exciting! :biggrin:

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Why snark works.

Lighting preview to the best of my knowledge doesn't work yet.

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Posting And You

Updated. :smile:
http://storefront.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=1299&s=0,5,79,102,217,482&i=0,70,380,400,420,440,211,215,220,240&cc=US&skin=4&client=1

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Reality has become a commodity.

Ah, thank you Valve! You rock!

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

3D view doesn't work at all now... and every time i load a counter strike map, it crashes.

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Reality has become a commodity.

Well thanks to Reno's link I managed to get the SDK to work again, but hammer crashes each time I try to use the vgui model browser. Meh. :sad:

Haven't had a chance to try it out since the update, but by the sound of things I'm not missing a whole lot at this point.

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o

I've already noticed a few new maps on various servers.

Some of them are pretty decent, but what's aggravating me right now is that
people are already creating "Killbox" and "Rats" maps and putting them in full rotation.

I know there are only 6 map to choose from, but... why make cheap crap just to have something new? It makes me want to make something just slightly above mediocre just because the standards have been lowered. I don't have to try too hard.

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don't sweat the petty stuff,just pet the sweaty stuff.

the only games my sdk will work for are the orange box games now

the only games my sdk will work for are the orange box games now

add '-engine ep1' to the launch options and you'll be able to map for the 'old' source games.

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Posting And You

I know there are only 6 map to choose from, but... why make cheap crap just to have something new? It makes me want to make something just slightly above mediocre just because the standards have been lowered. I don't have to try too hard.

It's because the general 'online community' is completely retarded in every way. If you've ever played an MMO for a decent amount of time you'd have a crystal clear window into the problem.

The very people who complain about a lack of Valve maps have no problem playing crappy killboxes and rats knockoffs, choking good and near-valve quality custom maps out of the 'market', all the while still complaining that there aren't enough good maps. It doesn't really matter cause in the end all the servers that run only or mostly custom maps will be empty and the 24/7 2fort+whatever fun map tf2 gets will be packed, and Valve will realise all the hard work and design they put into Hydro was a waste when all they had to do is make a big empty box with random floating platforms to entertain the masses.

Just look at the Halo trilogy's level design, both sp and mp, and then look at its huge popularity and how it has become a 'cultural phenomenon' according to the New York Times or whatever, and you will see the dire straits level design is in.

the only games my sdk will work for are the orange box games now

add '-engine ep1' to the launch options and you'll be able to map for the 'old' source games.

thanks dude

I figured out a good strategy to TF2 mapping.
You only really have to design half the map really well and the mirror the bastard
for Red and Blue sides. I guess that's obvious, but it makes me feel better. I think
I'll take any Hl2dm maps I was working on and re-tool them for TF2.

Killbox maps are a blight, but they really work even worse for a team-based game.
I still can't understand seeing full servers with Killbox Billy's House of Crappy 5-minute maps. I'd sooner swallow a running drill than play them, but to each his own.

...and thanks for the tip, Omega.

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don't sweat the petty stuff,just pet the sweaty stuff.

I figured out a good strategy to TF2 mapping.
You only really have to design half the map really well and the mirror the bastard for Red and Blue sides.

Maybe for CTF maps, wouldn't work for CP IMO.

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SourDough2.0 - With Strawberry Jam

Actually, I've seen a few CP maps "mirrored" like that.
At least two Valve maps are.

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don't sweat the petty stuff,just pet the sweaty stuff.

Oh god, anyone remember ns_siege? This is the mod that went out of its way to find the best and only the best mappers, and then this monstrosity showed up...

Seriously, I've seen amazing mappers sidelined time and time again. Custom map servers receive no decent play, no decent traffic. Idiots just want a stupid map and the hardcore want only a small handful of legitimate maps that they have memorized down to the finest detail.

I used to think that half the problem was simply the logistics of getting the players the custom content they needed to play, but even with awesome delivery mechanisms like Steam and the prevalence of high-speed internet, it's just not happening.

oh I remember ns_siege, the fps equivalent of Starcraft's $$$BIG GAME HUNTERS$$$ money maps. Pretty painful, but I'd probably rather play that than Combat, as at least the server would cycle back to ns classic maps eventually :/

I wish I had been part of the Quake 1 and 2 communities, cause then I'd know if this has always been the case or if it was a slide into stupidity as online gaming became more popular.

In hammer 3.5, press ctrl shift g. I never knew that.

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Aaron's Stuff

I used to think that half the problem was simply the logistics of getting the players the custom content they needed to play, but even with awesome delivery mechanisms like Steam and the prevalence of high-speed internet, it's just not happening.

Fine words were said here.

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Posting And You

I stopped playing NS before combat went live. I can't imagine it was much fun. I was kind of burnt out on HL as a whole when that was going down.

I was dismayed to see yesterday my brother in law using my PC to play HL2DM - a ray of hope initially, as he loves his Halo (most overrated game EVAR!) and insists that FPS are "better to play" on consoles.

After initial erring on HL2DM he told me of a map he was really enjoying. It was a giant box criss crossed by dev texture platforms and sv_gravity set to some floaty value. Sigh.

As regards to Quake, I used tro play some real turd maps for Action Q2 when it was in its heyday. Not enough to make a judgement on the scene as a whole, as I was still saddled with a 56k internal.

My theory is that the player movement is to fast in HL2DM. When your in a wide open area it's much easer to get a bead on someone. and when you turn down the gravity the game just plays so much smother. Lockdown just fells so cluster f**ked. Half the time when you die you never sew it coming.

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Reality has become a commodity.

I blame the combination of slow-ish run (jog) speed and sprint. Sprint pisses me off. That's been my main gripe with HL2DM since it came out.

As for the other thing, just look at any FPS with SDK tools available, they're all afflicted with killbox maps. Just means you've gotta be designing levels for the love of level design. 'Killbox mappers' don't generally have much of a chance at getting level design jobs in the games industry, mapping to them is just an extension of playing the game. And the truth is people play these maps and enjoy themselves. People also sit at their computers typing /dance and other such time wasting crap on MMO games for hours, some people are just easily amused I guess. ", he says hypocritically, whilst posting on an internet forum.

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o

I agree that the sprint is the problem, but as far as my experience goes, the HL2DM killbox experience is by fare the worst. In Counter Strike Source the closest thing to a killbox is snow, snow arena or some other crappy variant of that. snow sucks, but it is by no means a killbox. It has cover, and a attempt at a lay out.

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Reality has become a commodity.

I blame the combination of slow-ish run (jog) speed and sprint. Sprint pisses me off. That's been my main gripe with HL2DM since it came out.

I absolutely agree. Sprint is an euphemism for stamina bar. One keyboard key wasted. Based on my trivia knowledge, HL2DM was made by a single guy at Valve in his free time. I guess if HL2DM ever went through a proper cabal process (or whatever they call those meetings), they would have removed sprint and reduced the weapon load at spawn. Not even CSS has sprint.

Imagine spawning with only a (more accurate) pistol and gravgun, instead of the Rambo-style all-purpose weaponry and a constant, faster speed. It would play so much better.

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Why snark works.

...and here I thought HL2DM was clearly the weapons, movement, and combat from HL2 only on a server with 31 of your closest friends, just like HLDM, and Q2DM, and Q1DM, and so on and so forth. I can't believe that 'single guy' had the nerve to do such a horrible thing. That 'single guy' must have done something right since HL2DM is the codebase for multiplayer mods in Source...

I know I've said this before, but the reason for starting with all those weapons is balance. The gravgun is too powerful to spawn with, but it is a required tool for movement through the map and for preserving an equal playing field (imagine the nightmare of people with gravguns being able to block off paths people without gravguns need to use to succeed/have fun). The SMG is not as powerful as the gravgun, so there'd be little point in picking it up. It also has the same range as the gravgun, which makes it somewhat redundant (spread is so wide that it is useless at range, hitting somebody with a prop with the gravgun at range is mostly pure luck). It would essentially be the booby prize like those 17 bullet pistol clips in HLDM. However, the gravgun's power can be random, depending on the size of the area you are in and the number of available props nearby. So you have one weapon that is not very powerful but is predictable in performance and another weapon that is very powerful but random in its combat usefulness (especially immediately after a respawn). Put them together and you make both weapons better. Like chocolate and peanut butter!

Gravgun is essential, yes, and one can argue about the SMG, but TWO handgrenades? Cooked they are almost more useful than an SMG grenade and those things are deadly.

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Why snark works.

reaper47 said:
Gravgun is essential, yes, and one can argue about the SMG, but TWO handgrenades? Cooked they are almost more useful than an SMG grenade and those things are deadly.

ROPER47! I MISSED YEH BUDDEH!

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my website: http://halflifedude46.googlepages.com/