Buy some Compile time?

[Dario D.]

So far it has taken over 18 hours to compile my map for the DM Mapping Contest and it hasn't even gotten to the lighting yet. (Athlon XP 2800+)

I cant waste 30+ hours before the deadline compiling, so I was wondering if someone who has a mega-CPU can sell me some compile time, or just "give" me some compile time for free, either way.

I'd be willing to pay up to $50 for a full compile if you have the resources to do it under 10 hours.

 

[Tizz]

18 hours x( longest mines taken is a hour, all options on full, if theres a leek ita be 5mins, but with no erros its around 30 - 40 mins i think, not to sure. i no any map ive made has never been more than a hour 1/2

pc spec, P4 3.0, 1GB ddr 4000 ram, abit max-3 mobo, radeon 9800 pro 128, not the best by today standerds, but was back in may 2004 when i built it lol.. well to my budget. Would have a beter gfx card, but i aint got no money, i do however need a new cooler for it. i would do it for one of these ;P

Arctic Cooling Rev.4 ATI 1 (9600/9700/9800) VGA Silencer

there about £15 over here , so like $25 or somin but of corse i cant say its gonna be as fast as my maps take not knowing whats involved with urs, i guess its a bad boy, as that procc isnt that bad i would of thought. and 18 hours is.

 

[Dario D.]

Hmm, something must be wong then.

The map is maybe 2x the size and geometry of dm_overwatch...

Whenever I compile (in fast mode, not sure about full mode) it says:

Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 48
Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 14

(I use a DOS batch file compiler so that I can work in Hammer while the map compiles. Even compiling within Hammer has gone 14 hours before I stopped it)

Fast mode compiles in about 4 minutes, and everything's lit fine and everything, I think (plus the memory leak message - not sure if it affects anything). Full mode goes 18+ hours, with the CPU useage at %100 the whole time, and in the DOS compiler window I can see that every once in a while it progresses a little bit.

 

[Dario D.]

I just made the outside faces of the "level box" nodraw texture... maybe that should help? The outside of the level box was the skybox tex (the blue one that says "skybox").

 

[Tizz]

i also get memory leak msgs, not sure if there the same numbers, but i always get 2, so they could be. Twise the size of overwatch, this is gonna be a badass then , u sure you've not made it overly complicated, sometimes simplisity is beter.

You say u want to enter it in the comp, id try and get it done by wed (today here) to garintie to get it to them by sat, thurs latest maby, hmm yeah thurs prob do it. if it does take that long , just make sure uve fin and theres nothing u want to amend lol

 

[Tizz]

hmm i got a feeling that the sky box has to have that texture all over, but ive noticed on overwatch that there sky box's are only over the areas which need them, not the hole map, this will save compile time. also any surfaces that are never gonna be seen, use the no draw, also any detail in ur map uve created via brushes, make into func_detail, this will save compile time too, but they cant be touching the black void, or u will get leeks, if u get me

 

[Dario D.]

yep, sure do.

Only question: what's a func_detail? What does it do the mesh?

 

[Tizz]

um im not sure what the actual definision of it is, i would go look for ya but its 6am here and i think i beter go to bed.

p.s if u want me to give compiling ur map ago tomorrow, just pm me on this site, ill check here when i get up, probably be around 12-1 pm gmt. anyway gl buddy, night night

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Func_details are integral to any form of brush detail in a map. If the details in your map (pipes etc) aren't made of this, or props, then compile time will be forever. And it hampers your chances of winning, because Valve like levels that are efficient with resources.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Xenethyl]

Basically, the difference between a structural brush (default setting of a new brush) and a detail brush is that the detail brushes are not taken into account when the vis calculation is performed. In less technical words, this means that if you make a large wall out of a func_detail brush and place a building behind the wall, the game engine will still render the building even when you're staring straight at the wall. However, if the wall remains a structural brush then it will be taken into account when the vis (visibility) calculations are performed, thus telling the engine that when you stare at the wall it should not render anything behind it. To create func_detail brushes, select all the brushes you want to be detail (or do them individually, it doesn't matter) and press control+t then in the class box at the top type func_detail and apply the setting.

I wish you luck in meeting your deadline for the contest.