Testing a HL Source Episode in Goldsource

Guys,

I've got a problem with my computer that means it overheats and screws up if I play certain graphics intensive games for more than a few hours at a time- eg Half-Life 2. However I've just about finished a single player episode for HL1 and I want to start making another for HL2 or HL Source.

Because of the problem with my computer I'm thinking of mainly testing it in the old Goldsource engine using standard HL1. Would this be possible, considering I want it to take advantage of Source's features? If so, what kind of increased level of detail should I put in, considering it's going to be for Source instead of Goldsource? Would Goldsource be able to handle that extra stuff just for testing purposes?

Thanks.

I think its highly unlikely that your graphics card is overheating (do you have any proof- funny smells?).

I think you either don't have a good enough graphics card or you have the incorrect drivers for it. What graphics card do you have?

Also, should have posted this in general banter :razz: .

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Aaron's Stuff

I don't think it the graphics card, I think it's the power supply/ motherboard/ fan, because I've tried a different graphics card and the problem remained. I downloaded a temperature program thing and it told me one of the temps was way too hot, but it's weird, because if I use the computer for upto 7 hours then give it 3 hours rest after that it's ok for another 7 hours. It's been like this for 2 years lol. It's annoying but there you go.

I'd buy another bare-bones system and transfer my memory/ graphics card/ hd over to that but I don't have a couple of hundred quid.

Well... it depends on what you are trying to test.

Perspective-wise Source and goldsrc are more or less identical. So you could test architecture and such in the older engine. One big problem is that player movement is much slower in Source so floorplans that seem right-sized for goldsrc will be huge (and terrible with HL2's default gameplay) in Source. Just as an example when I made dm_torque (in Source) I pretty much had to reduce larger open areas by half in order to get similar flow to the original goldsrc map.

... but outside of that I really cannot imagine anything else that could be tested in the old engine that would be applicable to Source. Entities and textures will be all different, texture scales would be off, no props, etc.

To be more specific to your questions about 'level of detail' and 'extra stuff' which I assume is purely number of brushes in a given scene, it is really difficult to say. The various technical tricks used in goldsrc to control r_speeds are archaic and more or less useless in Source, so what you would do performance-wise for one engine would be different in the other. Though, obviously, proper visblocking is still important in both.

I just don't see what positives you will be able to gain by testing in the older engine. So much would change between them that the testing would be meaningless.

Perhaps a more detailed explanation of what you are trying to test would help me help you.

brengreenwood said:
I've got a problem with my computer that means it overheats and screws up

What do you mean 'screws up', does the computer restart or get a funky error message?

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Aaron's Stuff

Aaron, it restarts itself, then once it's restarted, it just keeps on restarting continuously after that.

Yak, basically I'm not testing in it because I want to. I'm testing in it because my computer has a problem with over-heating, which means it restarts itself if I play graphics intensive games such as HL2 for say, 2-3 hours. On the other hand I can use other stuff such as HL1 for like, 7-8 hours before the problem arises.

Well actually also what I was thinking though was just using the original Half-Life entities, so that the player would be playing with HL1 weapons/ against old HL1 enemies etc. I mean, with Black Mesa coming up, I'm figuring that I could probably get it compatible with the stuff in that.

BTW I havn't actually even started yet, just figuring out what's possible.

bengreenwood said:
I downloaded a temperature program thing and it told me one of the temps was way too hot

What temperature was that?

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Aaron's Stuff

I dunno, it came up with three temps for the mb. Two were ok, but one was like 127 degrees!

I also checked the HD temp with a program but that was ok.

Hey mate did you get my email btw? You ok with testing Operation Nova? It's ok if you're not..

Ah, I see your email.. sent reply :biggrin: .

Anyway, you should find out what out what was overheating, I know I would.. may lead to permanent damage buddy.

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Aaron's Stuff

I hope it does, because then I'd have to get a new computer. Anything'd be better than this piece of junk. Actually it's funny, I've been using it for like, 2 years now, and it still works as well as it did (or didn't) when I first got it...

<span style="color: white;">Sounds to me like getting a new computer is going to be in your best interest. If you have to build a level in Goldsource first just to eventually port it over into Source, then you're creating a much more troublesome experience for yourself. Because even if you have it working nicely in Goldsource, the time it will take to finish getting it working in Source is going to be many, many long three hour sessions. So, if you're going to be designing for Source, then I think you're gonna need to get with the times and upgrade or get a completely new computer that will do the job for you. </span>

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
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if you want to play it in hl2 why not turn all the graphics settings in hl2 waaay down so it is not as much of a task on your v card.

that way you can still have physics and displacements and such

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the only problem with steam updating things every week is it doesent give the developers an incentive to playtest thier work, so we do it for them