Questions

[Dodo]

hi,
im having trouble compiling my map...
here are my questions, please help !!!
1. i dont have any HINT & SKIP brushes in my map .... because i dont know how to use them, and the verc is talking about canyons and the sky bla bla bla and not telling really how to use them.. only what it does in theory. can someone explain ? (my map isnt a indoor setting.)
2. and what are "area portals" ?
3. can i use hl2 props in a cs map ?
4. do my custom textures work if I use them and then host a map ?


HELP ME AND I WILL RELEASE A VERY NICE MAP IN A MONTH OR TWO ...

 

[Raeven0]

1) Upon compilation, the map is split into different areas for visibility testing: if Area A can see Area B at all, then when you're standing in Area A, Area B will be rendered. The boundaries of these areas usually lie on the same planes as the faces of world brushes; HINT brushes allow you some control over the area boundaries. Look them up.

2) Areaportals are a special variant of HINT brushes that have two states, OPEN and CLOSED: in the OPEN state, they act almost exactly like HINT brushes; in the CLOSED state, they block visibility entirely, so nothing behind them is rendered. Also, if an Area can't be seen through the areaportal, then it will not be rendered, even if it can technically be seen. Look them up.

3) Yes. HL2 sounds, materials, and models are shared across all Source games.

4) Only if A) they're distributed with the map, or B) they're embedded into the BSP with BSPZIP.

 

[GonzoBabbleshit]

4. do my custom textures work if I use them and then host a map ?

Not if the people using your map don't have the textures, you either have to use bspzip to have them included in the bsp, or have them as a seperate file/download

 

[Dodo]

thanks for clearing things up my hl2 friends but i still dont know how to use them thar HINT & SKIP brushes and do i have to use area portals in a CS map... my compiling is taking hours :S

edit: cant i just make a big HINT brush around a building ? so if you dont see the building it wont render the building ?

 

[Dodo]

here are some screens, one of the show budget_texture screen... btw the map is called cs_baghdad

PLEASE HELP ME !

the second screen isnt what is is normally... everything is a bit smaller accept the lightmap texture ... it seems to have problems with the lightmap ? what must i do

(and i know my english is bad)

 

[Dead-Inside]

LOL. You should read up on visleafs and how they work... I can tell you right now that a hintbrush helps VBSP to make another visleaf.
http://www.student.kun.nl/rvanhoorn/Optimization.htm

 

[Dodo]

if youre dead inside ... ill love zombies thanks alot !

 

[Dodo]

ive got lots of high buildings and i was thinking ... isnt it a lot nicer if i make most of the building a prop or part of a 3D skybox ... and is it possible to have 2 or more skyboxes ?

edit: this is the screenshot of my +showbudget screen

 

[Ti133700N]

The problem is easy to identify, convert some brushes (the more complexe) into func_detail (entity).

 

[Unvision]

Assuming this is a rather open city (can't really tell), converting your buildings into func_details is probably a bad idea, since they don't block vis. However, if this map has big open streets, there's a good chance that almost every leaf must be rendered at the same time because there isn't much blocking vision in certain directions.

If you have any interiors, func_areaportal should help a lot - in CSS you can do the same thing for windows I believe with func_areaportalwindow, although it works a bit different. Anyway, it would mean when outside the building and at a certain distance you wouldn't render anything inside, which could be helpful if your interiors are prop-intensive.

 

[Ti133700N]

And use displacements instead of big brushes for the terrain, especially when you have a very large open area.

 

[Dodo]

well i found the real problem... my graphic card, i got a new computer with a 96MB graphic "chip" :O and i tested it t a friends and there it was ok...

 

[wizardjames]

well, if u want some help ..check out ocforums.com ..great computer place..

if u lived never calgary alberta ..well.. i dont think you would live in canada..noone ever lives here.. its always flooding

 

[Limpet]

You should always try to get your map to run as best as it can though, dont rely on the fact that all the users will have the best gfx card

 

[Ti133700N]

I 100% agree with Limpet. What about the other people with a 96MB graphic "chip"? They won't be able to play your map at a reasonable fps? If you can optimize it, do it!