[article] Configuring Hammer 3.4 to use Steam

This is a discussion topic for the article "Configuring Hammer 3.4 to use Steam" by Crono which can be found here

Article description:

This tutorial will teach you how to use Steam with Hammer

Is it necessary for RMFs to be under the Steam/SteamApps directory when compiling? There were several 'extra' details included in this tutorial that I'm not sure are necessary, and need to know if this is another one (no offence to the author of course, tutorials exist to help others and I'm just exerting my editorial powers to make it simpler)

Very helpful tutorial, even though Steam isn't exactly mapper friend.

Ok, I understand what you're saying and have edited it some more. But are you sure that your RMF has to be compiled in the SteamApps folder? I don't understand how Hammer/the compilers would work differently if it wasn't!

Now I'll never map for steam. Ever.

wouldnt this be pointless for those using a third party compiler prog? as far as i know, once you make a map, all you have to to is put the bsp, and other files in there respective directories.

from what ive learned and always thought was that the "game config tab" was to setup where your .bsp file would look for such files needed for the map in question. so if you fill that out correctly, it doesnt matter where or how u compile the map, aslong as you put the files where they are needed to be after compile.

All that is needed to compile a map into a bsp is the .map file.
And yeah Sinner, you're right, but that's exactly what this is doing.

If you're using a 3rd party compiler console then why would you configure hammer at all? Past the FGD file and the Wad files needed for the actual map editing. Unless you want hammer to call the 3rd party compile dialog . . . which it can probably do.

All that's going on when you compile with hammer is a series of calls to certain programs (or compilers) in whatever order you want.

Ok, let me see if I can briefly explain what I was talking about in the previous comment.

When compiling in Hammer, in the Advanced compiler Dialog you list the commands.

I took out the Change Directory command, because it will default at the rmfs path directory (e.g. if your rmf is saved on your desktop, your desktops path in hammer is the same as saying $path) thus allowing you to have the rmf anywhere instead of in the $gamedir directory.

Now, as you said, once the map is compiled into a bsp, all you need is the bsp in the maps directory. ($bspdir) which is the part where you put your map directory "place compiled maps here before running".

The steam.exe is ran by the parameter $game_exe

These are all set up seperatly and they are all in the Build Programs tab, these are the only things needed for building the map (thus the name of the tab).

obviously the last parameter left is $file which is just the name of your rmf.

Lets assume you have an RMF file in 'C:/MAPS' called 'fubar'

When it says:

$csg_exe $path$file

It means:

Run "/ZHLT/hlcsg.exe" with "C:/MAPS/fubar'

The compilers need a .MAP file (that type of encription). What it most likely does is looks for fubar.MAP since it knows there should already be a .MAP file there, made by you or Hammer or whatever, it will add the .Map portion in on it's own, if it's not then it whines at you.

Everything else continues in the same way. So, if it never calls the mod directory (and for steam is doesn't, not as long as your map folder path and such is inputed properly) then it will never be a problem because it is simply not needed.

Now, I'm not saying these things aren't needed for compiling WON maps. Because I really don't know, I've never messed around with removing and adding compiling options there.

But this works well, and it is actually less work, I apologize that I didn't spend as much time before I wrote the tutorial as I did afterwords, I was just excited that it ran with steam lol.

But this will work well. And if you're using a 3rd party compiling console, why are you messing with it at all? Just open your rmf over there and let it be compiled.

This tutorial is basically just to have everything compile properly and run automatically with steam, just as it did when mapping with WON from within Hammer.

on a side note, matt, to be honest it's easier. But if it makes you feel better, HL2, I'm assuming, will ship with a brang-new Hammer which is 100% tailor made for steam, as was hammer 2.0-3.5 tailor made for WON (Which is why some stuff isn't needed for a steam compile). I assure you everything will work out well.

If you haven't noticed, the recent updates of steam have cut the system recource cost. Now, your internet browser takes up about 6 times as much recources as steam (both being Idle). While Steam is running Half-Life your Browser still takes up twice as much system recources, while the browser is idle and steam is not.

Anyway, I suppose Steam has no where to go, but up.

Yikes - comments that are almost as long as the tutorial, in order to explain the tutorial.

Don't forget that clarity of expression is fundamental to writing a tutorial, together with a well-defined and focused objective.

Hides gmdm2 tutes under the carpet

Yeah . . . . like I said I can't edit the tutorial, If I could I would. And that last comment was to clear up a lot of confusion people might have about how it actually works. Sorry about the length.

Honestly, I feel like a morron for posting the tutorial and then an hour later finding a completly different way, practically on accident!! Which happens to be easier and more diverse.

[EDIT]
I wasn't explaining the tutorial in that post, I found other ways to make this work better, but it's being annoying. Such as, Hammer insists on putting compiled maps in the SteamApps directory, which is not in any of the settings. It's doing some pretty random things suddenly. But for the most part, doing it the way I suggested in the tutorial will work just fine. I'm trying to figureout the reason why it's being so odd. If anyone wants to help out, by all means do so. If you can tell me why Hammer insists on everything being in the SteamApps Directory whence compiling finishes (literally, before the copy commands) then you get extra brownie points . . .[/EDIT]

Great this works nice tut, now i have to configure the model rendering in WC, along with the sprites.

Thanks Omega, Something to remember when using model viewing in Hammer with Steam is that, you must be able to actually select the models, which means you have to extract them (meaning there's technically two copies on your Hard drive) so that Hammer can use them.

Also, as you'll probably find, once you start importing models, you have to create a res file for the map. Seems like a lot of work, huh? But I think it's becoming a very stable and reliable system such that more games then just half-life can rely on.

Tis a 1000/5, but seeing as I cannot go that high, I'll give you the next best thing...

5/5

Where would you put the wads? In the SteamAppsadamnaser@comcast.nethalf-lifevalve folder?

If you're mapping for half-life, yes ... but on your computer lol

Does this work if you have "Half-life: source" instead of the normal Half-life?

No, you would use Hammer 4.0 for any source games. You might have to configure it yourself though (which there is plenty of information floating around on)

Ummmm, just so you know the links to the FGDs don't work, I keep getting error 404 page not found.

You're more than welcome to go search for the FGD's you need. The article is more than 5 years old at this point, and is also, largely irrelevant.

In any case, I'm not hunting down new FGD links.

I also notice that the slashes were parsed out for some reason ... all the directory paths are now nonsense.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Maybe you should have a way to retire old articles that no longer apply?

We could just lock them I suppose;

-and beat them with a stick.

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

can I hold the stick?

It still applies if you want to edit "GoldSource" junk and have it integrated with Steam in any way. It's just unlikely that people are still doing that.

And an easy solution is to allow a space limit for articles which would include attachments. You could then guarantee various assets indefinitely.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

dfasdf dsf fasd

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The best things in life, aren't things.