HLDS and Customizing

Hey i'v recently been on some TFC servers which had modifications in the Valve Normal Maps, like helicopter on Rock2, and fish in the water on 2fort, also changing to FLAG to a animal etc...... how is this done, I belive its controled by a RES file?.... anyone got any links on where i can read up on more stuff?

not sure of the question/answer, but i think it belongs in editing..

i bow to my learned colleagues opinion.

Here's what I think they do...

...The person who runs the server has some light mapping skill. He also has a decompiler. (check this site for WINBSPC.) He decompiles the valve standard map, goes in, and reconstructs aspects of the map with Worldcraft of Valve Hammer Editor. Then puts in his server. HOWEVER, this would actually mean you would have to download his version of the map... Not entirely sure (hopefully they change the name of the map!) I guess that is a way you could do this... I also have a feeling though that this is a "server thing".

If you wanna try this (highly unsuggested :biggrin: ) then look for on this website:

WinBSPC

WorldCraft 3.3 or Valve Hammer Editor 3.4 (NOT Valve Hammer Editor 3.5... that is a beta version, and "isn't all there" yet.)

Yippiy Ki Yay!

I dont think it is done like that, cause i dont have to downlaod a new map....

Is there a way u can put in extra entities via a RES file...

cause all it downloads is 2fort.res and the stuff are there?

stuff thats changed, are fish in water and helicopter in air, and diffrent sky's etc.

I don't really know about .res files. Sorry. The way I suggested though, probably wouldn't be the best way anyway:

Decompilers do a crappy job at decompiling, usually resulting in deleted objects, and inproper objects that were not originally there.

Decompiling someone else's map is technically "hacking" the map. Unless you do it to learn something, (i,e. how did they make that 1 way window...) I wouldn't try it.

I don't know anything about .res files though. I'm sure someone wil come by and take a look into it though :smile:

As a heads up: Not to bich at you or anything, but next time you post a mapping question make sure it goes in the Half-Life Editing forum :smile: Mainly for your own safety :biggrin:

Yippiy Ki Yay!

I can understand why he posted this here to be honest, as its not exactly a typical editing question since it relates more to servers than worldcraft / hammer.

Anyway, I'm not certain, but I imagine it would be done by using the "ripent" tool in ZHLT. That allows you to change the entities in a BSP without needing to recompile the original map files. I don't know the details, but I suggest you search around for more info on that tool.

it isn't anything to do with a res file. a res file tells a server what resources a map needs. it's a list of models, wads, skybox etc, that it will download to you if you dont have them. it's so that if you join a server running a map you dont have, you wont download the bsp, and then get kicked for having no wad.

it's likely that some of the servers you've been on are running maps modified with something like stripper2. i've never used it myself, but i've been told it's much easier to use than ripent.

It is done in the same way i think that UK2, put thier tags in some cs maps, like ontop of the rock in militia.