| merlin1991 | Also, rotation and scaling of models if done directly with a couple of mouse clicks whereas Radiant required you to enter the [X,Y,Z] rotation and scale values for each model not so true, in GTK 1.5 you could at least use the rotation tool on models (and it updated the x,y,z) |
| After having stopped mapping for several months, I decided to move on and discover a new game engine : Valve Source. This starts with the learning of Hammer map editing. I must admit I was quite frustrated at first when I saw how long it could take to just create a simple room... You have the feeling every operation takes twice as long as in Radiant. Then you quickly realize how efficient Hammer editor can be. In my case, I tested Hammer to make my first Left 4 Dead custom map Here is a short list of differences I noticed between L4D and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory: The layout of Hammer L4D standard map is very different from Quake 3 engine maps mainly due to the huge quantity of models it hosts. Even though Hammer's basic brushwork is very simple and remains unefficient compared to radiant, it shows all its power when you start fiddling around with models. Radiant stays miles ahead when it comes to brushwork and quick editing / texturing. Models, just like Q3 engine games, can be declared in 2 different ways : static or dynamic. In Enemy Terriroty, all model movement and animations was limited to scripted stuff, meaning there was no real player freedom. Valve introduced the props_dynamic which is the clone of the Enemy Territory misc_gamemodel but went one step further and created props_physics models. These are models that intereact with the environment (you can move them, pick them up, throw them, knock them over, shoot them to cast an explosion of fire...). Also, rotation and scaling of models if done directly with a couple of mouse clicks whereas Radiant required you to enter the [X,Y,Z] rotation and scale values for each model Another interesting feature is the introduction of displacements. These can be compared to the mesh editing in Call of Duty maps. Here again, Hammer gets thumbs up for overwhelming power compared to Radiant's Gensurf / Easygen pluggins. Displacements heightmaps are painted directly in the editor, can be changed any time with incredible flexibility and can also be sown together to make larger displacements. The alpha blending of textures on the displacement is done natively in hammer and not during compilation like in good old Q3 engine maps. Decal textures can be handled in a different way when using Hammer. You can just pick your texture using the overlay tool and apply it on a wall, as if you had just drawn the stuff... It avoids getting a brush, texturing it with nodraw, scaling it and apply your decal on one face... This info_overlay also works on displacements, which would be hell to do on a GTK Radiant terrain with a decal texture... |
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My first L4D campaign is now on it's way. It should be ready for release in the upcoming days. I'm also adding L4D Hammer prefabs in the Mapper's Database
