ask awfuly easy questions

[fenderbender]

Hey everybody, this is my first post here, as you can see, and I've read through several threads which seem over my head. Perhaps I should have spent more time scouring the net before asking for help, but a push in the right direction is probably all I need. Links to newebie tut's and cvar explanations would be appriciated. Also I hope I picked the right forum for this type of question.

I don't have SDK, as the steam updates take all day as it is on 36kbps. I have been tinkering with npc_create and having a good time noclipping around the map beefing up enemy resistance. It's taken me this long to find out you can spawn them with weapons, so please bear with my lack of experience with developing. My first question is as such:

Is there a way to spawn entities other than npc's and pickups with in-game commands? I'm thinking, big tractor tires and oxygen bottles? saw blades? c'mon, got to have saw blades, right? exploding barrels? Is there a way to magically spawn such items at gordon's feet or in his sights without mapping them into existance beforehand?

Thanks to anyone who'll offer help, I practically feel welcome already,
Mike

[edit] found the wiki thing at hl2world, it is indeed helpful, I feel like a kid in a zoo with a slingshot.

 

[Ames]

Have you ever heard of Garry's Mod? Nice, small 3.2 mb download. It's a sandbox mod with a whole bunch of features.

http://www.garry.tv/garrysmod/

 

[fenderbender]

this looks like a lot of fun, so I'll hush for the time being. if anyone pops in to read this and has a similar question, please, be my guest. perhaps a more advanced one not so easily covered by a mod everyone else knows all about?

pointing me to credible resources such as what I'm finding at hl2world would be nice, also. I have no doubt garry's mod has been plugged a jazillion times, thanks a lot for the suggestion. I hate to let the first thread die after one reply but I'm quite content to do so. thanks shens

 

[fenderbender]

garry and those responsible are certainly wiser than I, this mod does exactly what it says it does. I don't think however, it's as aplicable as I anticipated. I'd be much more interested in learning the way different commands come together, syntax, and generally how to get the most out of the in-game console.

no lengthy response required if you know of a good starting point for me to learn more about the engine.

 

[bliink]

hmm.. if you have garrysmod, check out garry_props.txt for the object model names, maybe there are some hints in there

 

[fenderbender]

I took your advice too mr. super moderator. I feel smarter knowing the model id's, but I still feel pretty dumb about how to use that information in single player without garrysmod. If it's possible, I've got my single player cheats as cracked as I know how to, (I'm having fun flinging cars at groups of metro police) but I'd like to know as much as possible about developer mode.

I want to spawn the cars, not just make the physgun strong enough to fling valve's. Any good news for me guys? thanks for the info so far, I also feel somewhat familiar with the console now.
-mike

 

[Pesmerga]

I think you're interested in console scripting, which consist of aliases, binds, and server commands amond other things. Basically, you can execute long funtions via setting up .cfg files and running them in-game. I believe the SDK has a list of client and server console commands, but you might find it somewhere else.

I hope I was of some help.

 

[fenderbender]

I think you're interested in console scripting, which consist of aliases, binds, and server commands amond other things.
I hope I was of some help.

Indeed, I spent more time at hl2world and added a few new cheat binds to my arsenal. I already had binds for extending the smg grenade limit, ar2 alt-fire mass and radius, (made it smaller and heavier, cause I think that's badass) and half a dozen time scale cheat binds that slow and eventually pause the game.

my g-gun is about 10x normal, with the exception of weight because we probably all found out the hard way that picking up gordon's buggy is baad. I can grab static cars though, and washing machines and a few other big things. I have fond memories of an I-beam and a soldier pacing on the billboard in, sandtraps, was it? Cheating in hl2 already fulfilled an old wish for variable bullet time, a mod idea I tinkered with a lot for Max Payne 2.

back to developing for dummies:
anyway, I was unable to find any information about spawning entities other than npc's and pickups, so no spontaneously appering cars or explosive barrels in single player for fenderbender. yet.

you're probably tired of that question by now, can anyone tell me how to make the game differentiate between the normal combine soldiers and the ones dressed in white? When I use npc_name on either, I get npc_combine_s, so, is there a method to spawning the elietes instead of the blue guys? is that what they're called?

thanks pesmerga, et alia