What Do you Use?

I have the Full Version of CounterStrike, and not Half Life. Can that hender my compile?

Wild Card sent me a cool program I had never used ( I always used the Hammer 3.4 with ZTools ) called HLCC, and man its pretty cool, I can see what its doing.

I was looking around and found what is said to be the newest HLCC, but now called TBCC, and its pretty cool.. I just need to figure it out..

What do you all use? And why?

($)

P.S. What does a FGD do? I see there is a new one for download.. for HL.. should I have this?

it makes no difference to the compiler (hammer included) if you have an hl installation or not.

i seem to be back with hammer. i used hlcc for a while. i dont really know why i stopped. it could be that i dont compile too often, and i forgot about it. :rolleyes: but from what i remember, the error reporting in hlcc was a bit better than hammer.

the fgd is the file that has all the entity info in it. without it, your entity menu would be empty. each mod has its own fgd, with it's own set of entities.

it's always a good idea to have the most recent version. the one you mention is probably the one (dont know the number offhand) that allows model previews in hammer3.5 beta. dunno if it does anything else though.

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I use Nemesis' batch compiler. In my opinion it's loads better than TBCC, looks nicer and has more options. It also has a nice GUI and doesn't look like some geocities .gif-a-thon. And about hammer, if I were you I'd use a combination of 3.4 and 3.5. Using 3.5 for most of your mapping, and 3.4 for some of the angles and settings of entities (just a bit easier right now since 3.5 is only a beta).

i myself use a custom batch compiler that i wrote myself :wink: makes for easy compiling, simple drag and drop :biggrin:

P.S. money, it really doesnt matter if you have HL installed or not, its suggested as if your mapping for HL to have it installed for testing purposes of course, but other then that, all you need is the HL(or any other mods) fgd file, and any wanted wad files inorder to map for such mod.

the fgd file, as far as i know, keeps all the information regaurding your entity properties and such. a newer version would most-likely have new entities, or new entity property settings, but if you have the hl expert fgd file, your pretty much set.

Hammer 3.4 and Merl's build of Zoner's compile tools 2.5.3.

HLCC has nothing I can't accomplish myself with a couple command line switches.

You know, to be perfectly honest, I run either through VHE or manually through a command prompt. shrug I run overnight compiles quickly from VHE so I can just start and forget, and if I want to actually monitor something I'll toss them in a command prompt and keep it off to the side while I do other work. Why use a third party program when my current method works and the end compile ends up the same anyway? :smile:

general guideline:

HLCC for new mappers, its just to user friendly not to.

TBCC is crap.

batch files for more experienced mappers.

do whatever works for you...

Hammer/Merls

I use my own set of batch files - I export to the same filename every time, and then just double-click on one of the preset batch files :smile:

Show off your beta or completed maps here

And this is relevant how..? Moved... again.. this is getting annoying.

Leperous said:

Show off your beta or completed maps here

And this is relevant how..? Moved... again.. this is getting annoying.

...What?

Hornpipe2 said:

Leperous said:

Show off your beta or completed maps here

And this is relevant how..? Moved... again.. this is getting annoying.

...What?

you need to be here a while to comprehend, its a quote from the map forum, telling you whats proper content to the area..

only maps belong in map, editing belongs here, compiler questions qualify as editing.

Long story short, this thread got moved from the maps forum.

HLCC is good for newbies, but it simply doesn't have the options available to make the best use of Merls / Cageys compile tools. I went on to use my own set of batch compile tools like Gollum in order to get access to the other options, but lately I've been using Nem's frontend. Its nice and simple, well laid out, and gives access to all the commands in any compile tools provided you use the right config files.

Someday I plan to make my own just as an experiment, perhaps for coursework for one of my programming modules this semester.

I also use Nem's compile thingy - though I should probably get the newer version as i've been running the same version for about a year or so now.

i still use HLCC faithfully, for fast to moderate compiles, and a batch file for my last compile before i release ( to use all the bells and whistles reno mentioned)

HLCC will never let you down, its old tho, so don't expect it to make you wet yourself :biggrin:

Nem's is a pimped out version of HLCC Orph...it IS a frontend, you aren't writing the batch files yourself. You can if you wish...but this is just as simple, looks nicer and has more options. Try it sometime.

Gorbachev said:
Nem's is a pimped out version of HLCC Orph...it IS a frontend, you aren't writing the batch files yourself. You can if you wish...but this is just as simple, looks nicer and has more options. Try it sometime.

write a tutorial just like mine and we'll see..

the difference IMO is, mine is easy and has a tutorial :smile:

if you can do that, i will pimp yours just as much..

my compiling days are numbered.. i don't even know if HLCC is compatible with HL2, but i do know that F9 works the same, so it all depends on if my computer can handle the workload needed to use F9.

i had another bad thought today, after seeing the new editor, i wonder if QuArk will have a new version so that people familiar with it will be able to map???

it sure would suck for them to have to learn VHE at this late stage :sad:

has anyone heard if QuArk has said anything?

Why write a tutorial when Nem has already done so?

I use Nemesis Compile-thing. I'm far too busy to bother with command lines or actually making the .bat myself! :razz:

Pah, it doesn't take much time to write a batch file :razz: Not that there's anything wrong with the other methods.

I only had to write one batch file - then all the others are variations/truncations of that full compile script.

Orpheus said:
i had another bad thought today, after seeing the new editor, i wonder if QuArk will have a new version so that people familiar with it will be able to map???

it sure would suck for them to have to learn VHE at this late stage :sad:

has anyone heard if QuArk has said anything?

I doubt the compiling will be so much an issue as all the new options that will be available to HL2 mapping. Some serious modification of the mapping tools will be necessary to make it work, and I am uncertain of whether any of the QuArK codemonkeys have the drive or time. I sure wouldn't.

Gorbachev said:
Why write a tutorial when Nem has already done so?

HLCC is IMO totally idiot proof, yet people still use/used my tutorial..

maybe you could do the same..

i have always used the newest/best compilers/tools during my time at HL mapping, but between HLCC and my own batch files, no one has convinced me there is a better way.. i admit HLCC has lots of limitations now, but it is still IMO the best n00b tool available for error free compiles..

why cannot still be useful along side nems? :sad:

i use vhe 3.4 and zhlt v.original