some more questions.

[porc-épic]

I thought I'd start a map for h&j and I have some questions:

Will there be a flags like in dod:s if so how do these work (I'm guessing there will be something like this)? How long does it take to capture objectives? (I know it'll be a while untill you release the fgd but I can test my map out with the dod:s flag objectives)

How do respawns work? is it like dod:s or like css?

Does h&j use the ep 1 engine or the orange box?

I'm guessing that that red thing on the map is an objective? How will I add a map to the mini-map with my map?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm newish to mapping (well I made my first map a year ago but I haven't made one since then) :D

[Ginger Lord]

I thought I'd start a map for h&j and I have some questions:

Will there be a flags like in dod:s if so how do these work (I'm guessing there will be something like this)? How long does it take to capture objectives? (I know it'll be a while untill you release the fgd but I can test my map out with the dod:s flag objectives)

How do respawns work? is it like dod:s or like css?

Does h&j use the ep 1 engine or the orange box?

I'm guessing that that red thing on the map is an objective? How will I add a map to the mini-map with my map?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm newish to mapping (well I made my first map a year ago but I haven't made one since then) :D

There are no "flags" per se, simply objectives. These are brush based entities which cover an area and have a multitude of properties. You can specify how long capture of the objective takes (individually for each side if you want!), how many people it takes, what happens if an enemy enters the capture area and many more. The objectives also have outputs to fire entities on capture and are able to be disabled/enabled and hidden on the HUD.

Respawns will be more like DoD:S, its not 1 life per round like CS (although the mapper could make a map like this, or limited lives)

HaJ is Ep1 engine currently, the move to the ep2 engine has not started or is in the immediate pipeline.

Those red things are added in Photoshop to the overview map file, we aim to have the game automatically place icons on the map to avoid manual work.

[porc-épic]

Another question about the objectives; if one team has captured it will the other team be able to take it back? And will the round end when all the objectives have been captured by one team?

In hammer should I build it in ep1 or orange then?

[surgeon]

Those are all things you can set in the capture entities. There are only 2 gamemodes in the fgd but already every one of the three maps from the last playtest have completely different objectives/gameplay.

You'd also be best working with HL2DM on the Ep1 engine, or at least sticking only to HL2DM textures/props. Those will work in any Source engine game whereas if you make it with dods assets you'll have to replace them all once you port it to HaJ.

[porc-épic]

Do all the hl2 dm textures come with every source game?

[surgeon]

There are a couple of GCFs in the steamapps folder with names like source materials/sounds etc which come with every Source engine game. If a game is running on this engine, you can use any of those files, while something like dod:s has it's own GCF with content specific to that game, and only people who own dod:s will have those files (unless they're extracted to the game's folder, which is how they were used in Haj).

[porc-épic]

What kind of size are the maps? The same sort of size as dods maps?

[zone trooper]

Im also making a HaJ map atm, using the EP1 engine and I'm using HL2DM so don't worry.

[porc-épic]

Couldn't I use dod:s but link to the hl2dm textures?

[Jed]

The only textures you should use, for now are what ever is in the "source materials.gcf" files and nothing else. Thats the common ones shared by all EP1 based games.

Just about every game, DoD:S, CS:S includes this file by default yes, you can use DoD if you want, just dont use any of the specific DoD textures.

[porc-épic]

Is there a haj wiki? When I type wiki after the url it comes up with a password thing. The wiki is secret for now?

[Hugo.B]

No, it's "Top Secret" :D.

But I'm glad if the HaJ team has and uses one, (it would appear to be the case) as they're extremely good for coordination.

[Ginger Lord]

The wiki will be opened up in due time, its more of a team notebook for stuff at the moment and reference guide for creating stuff.

[porc-épic]

Where do you think I should set it, France or Africa?

[spine]

Why don't you surprice us with that choice... :D

[Jed]

Italy would be nice for a change.

[fess]

Yea, Italy or Sicily, something Meditteranean (sp) would be nice.

[porc-épic]

Yeah I'll probably go for Italy but arnt most of the dod:s maps in Italy?

[fess]

Hmm.. off the top of my head only avalanche and anzio, so no reason you can't come up with something new and fun to play. :)

[porc-épic]

After 2 hours of trying to get custom textures into hammer I realise I've been putting .VMF on the end instead of .VMT [/hitshead]

[spine]

Lol :D

[fess]

Liking the new site lads ;)

[porc-épic]

Nice new site

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/4783/bug2we2.jpg
yes it is :D

[porc-épic]

Are you going to have a beta before you release it?

[Jed]

Liking the new site lads ;)

You lot make me paranoid? Is there any minute of the day you're not watching?

Are you going to have a beta before you release it?

No I'm pretty sure the new design doesnt need any new input ;)

[porc-épic]

¬_¬ lol

[porc-épic]

Are there iron sights in h&j?

[Jed]

Are there iron sights in h&j?

Not at the moment but we covered this in an earlier discussion.

[porc-épic]

I forgot :(

[zone trooper]

Just came on and saw the new site layout, much much better. :D

[Olah]

Will there be a lava level?

[spine]

Shure, and a low gravity level.... those are fun! :D

[Sam]

don't forget the underwater level.

[porc-épic]

And surfing

[spine]

What about orange maps, do we have any orange maps? We need to have an orange map? :O

[porc-épic]

lol

If anyone cares I've finished the design in hammer, now all I need to do is add buildings/props/skybox and I'm done.

One more question, I know you build the 3d skybox outside the map but do the 3d skybox brushes have to be inside the map in relation to it? (inside the 2d skybox I mean)

[Ginger Lord]

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/3d_skybox

What I tend to do is make the boundaries of my map, skybox them in, then carry on making the map outside the skybox and then scale this down for the skybox.

[porc-épic]

sexy metal bars:
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1807/newbarsdyz7.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9916/barsinhammeraj6.jpg
I'm having to make quite a lot of custom textures, I hope the map doesn't get too big.

[spine]

Is that texture the actual size?
It looks gigantic considering a player hight is a tad under the half that, about 256.

[porc-épic]

I scaled it down in game, it's only about a fourth of a player high in-game.

It's going to be this sort of size http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2474/wallhd8.jpg

I think I'll change the design so it's not stolen straight from dods ¬_¬

[porc-épic]

Do you think this looks ok? (plaster walls)
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5378/plaster1copybm9.jpg
.
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/8071/plaster2copyve6.jpg
.
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4152/plaster1bcopyzp5.jpg
The third one will have bricks in the worn out bit, I just haven't got round to doing it yet.

[fess]

I think the colours are too bright, and it looks a bit too artificial and perfect, if you get what I mean. Maybe tone down the colour and make it a little more worn.

[porc-épic]

Like this?
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/6529/plaster3copyve9.jpg

[porc-épic]

Could someone help me with lighting?
At the moment my map looks like this:
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/8291/lightingdd1.th.jpg (http://img384.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lightingdd1.jpg)
but I want it to look more like this:
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/9959/dodanzio0001yr1.th.jpg (http://img384.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodanzio0001yr1.jpg)
Could someone help with the light environment?

[spine]

I can't help you with the lighting but maybe with the texture.

Atm it looks to clean and some parts are blurry.
Add some more realism to it, like dirt cracks and groves.
The trick is to add enough to make it look real but not so much that it repeats
badly. You can safely add more, stay away from realy dark or realy light colors in
your details.
Check out www.cgtextures.com for ref photos, you should be able to find something plane but more 'real' looking.

[porc-épic]

Thanks for the link, I found a tutorial on there that I'd lost , I've been looking for it for ages.