In the next update of the SDK

[Gsccc]

In the next update of the sdk, will we be given more user friendly tools? Because the whole command prompt is really giving me a headache. Maybe someone could help me, Is there a tool other than vtex that can convert my TGA to a VTF? And when is this update coming?

 

[Sharrd]

Maybe it's just to keep people who shouldn't be making mods from trying to do so
Anyway, I haven't checked it out myself, but I've got a feeling it's quite user friendly already compared to alot of other modding tools.

 

[Orion.Instrument]

Maybe it's just to keep people who shouldn't be making mods from trying to do so
Anyway, I haven't checked it out myself, but I've got a feeling it's quite user friendly already compared to alot of other modding tools.

You haven't tried any other modding tools, have you?

 

[The Dark Elf]

Bah you kids, This is like the old days of DOS. We didn't have cutesy GUI's to make our games with, we just had command after command and if we got really lucky we'd have Deluxe Paint for the graphics.

Honestly, command line tools are fine. I'd rather them be quick and simple, do what they are supposed to do, giving the user more control over the actions than simply having some glorified wizard interface that held my hand past all the complex typing bits

Besides, as anyone who's familiar with those days will tell you. Can easily create a batch file to process thousands of materials at once, no dragging and dropping and clicking for each one. Just setup a batch file and bobs yer uncle, automatic.

Just takes practice if your not familiar..

And another thing. If ya'll think Valve's command line exe's are a headache.. Your gonna be screwed when you see XSI's scripting language, which you are gonna have to learn at some point if you want to get really good models made.. Same goes for Maya's MELscript. and Lightwave's LScript, and I imagine Max's scripting language, etc. and so on.

 

[RabidJester]

When I was making mods, you had to walk 3 miles just to code a new weapon...IN BASIC!

 

[The Dark Elf]

When I was making mods, you had to walk 3 miles just to code a new weapon...IN BASIC!

BASIC!? you lucky sod.. we had to get up three hours before we went to bed, eat a lump of coal and program advanced 3D engines using nothing but binary, on pencil and paper while our dad whipped us with a bag of floppy disks.

 

[RabidJester]

BASIC!? you lucky sod.. we had to get up three hours before we went to bed, eat a lump of coal and program advanced 3D engines using nothing but binary, on pencil and paper while our dad whipped us with a bag of floppy disks.

3.5 or 5 1/4?

 

[The Dark Elf]

3.5 or 5 1/4?

the big old 5 1/4 kind, bag full of em, was like a thousand paper cuts at once

 

[polypod]

Dark Elf: How did you know I had an uncle named Bob? *creepy*

Okay, i'm a newbie. But having said that, Far Cry's map-making tool Sandbox is very well designed, powerful and easy to understand. I realize that ease isn't always best, but it also has some superior tools like the terrain generator. Of course the shear capability of the Source engine puts it into a different league, but the designers of Hammer could have learned something from the designers of Sandbox..

With all due respect to coders, the new tools are giving incredible power to those who don't code. Using triggers and such in complex ways is essentially coding, just in a visual form, so it isn't that you don't need to understand the logic, but learning an arbitrary language doesn't make as much sense as representing things visually(ie entities).. of course text is important when using these entities, and we might be getting into semantics..

so to recap: bob's my uncle, sandbox is better designed then hammer, and coding is no longer necessary at all (jk=)

 

[The Dark Elf]

Dark Elf: How did you know I had an uncle named Bob? *creepy*

Okay, i'm a newbie. But having said that, Far Cry's map-making tool Sandbox is very well designed, powerful and easy to understand. I realize that ease isn't always best, but it also has some superior tools like the terrain generator. Of course the shear capability of the Source engine puts it into a different league, but the designers of Hammer could have learned something from the designers of Sandbox..

With all due respect to coders, the new tools are giving incredible power to those who don't code. Using triggers and such in complex ways is essentially coding, just in a visual form, so it isn't that you don't need to understand the logic, but learning an arbitrary language doesn't make as much sense as representing things visually(ie entities).. of course text is important when using these entities, and we might be getting into semantics..

so to recap: bob's my uncle, sandbox is better designed then hammer, and coding is no longer necessary at all (jk=)

dont forget Hammer used to be Worldcraft and has been around since the early days of Quake.

Sandbox might be easier, but it still has its failings.

 

[StardogChampion]

UnrealEd/Epic set the bar when it comes to inserting custom content for their games. The fastest way in most other engines in twice as long.

UnrealEd > File > Import

In Hammer you have to go through all these conversions and model compiles which just takes too much time. I don't get why they made such a big thing about their material system either, it seems like the .vmt's are just like Quake/Doom 3's shader files.

 

[Gsccc]

Rrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggght. Well, I have modded many times before, Kotor, JK3,2 Doom 3. And I dont remember having to use dos tools. I guess i should be more specific in what i am asking, I read the documentation on the Vtex tool and it doesnt tell you how to set the VPROJECT path all it does is TELL you to set it. Do i do this in the path of the vtex?

 

[Achillies]

OMG, what a ******* loser. How newbish do you have to be to not know how to use the command prompt. I have an Idea rather than modding all these games and causing us trouble with all your newbie questions, why dont you just take pre-school over again and find out what a computer is.

 

[Nostradamus]

wtf archilles get a break, not all people are used to cd.. and dir... I mean it... stop your flamming.

 

[polypod]

OMG, what a ******* loser. How newbish do you have to be to not know how to use the command prompt. I have an Idea rather than modding all these games and causing us trouble with all your newbie questions, why dont you just take pre-school over again and find out what a computer is.

yeah for your first post that WAS a bit negative.. :|

 

[Ti133700N]

I made a GUI for VTEX, you can find it here: http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56048&page=1&pp=20

 

[Gsccc]

Thank you very much Ti133700N.
Geeze, one little question sturred up quite a storm, lets keep the comments "G" Rated people.

-21st Century Modder