Optimization, compared to Hammer world editor (intermediate-expert mapping questions)
Phantom Peanut
Join Date: 2010-05-13 Member: 71747Members
Join Date: 2010-05-13 Member: 71747Members
in Mapping
Hello.
I've been mapping for a bit over a year with Hammer world editor, and I've gotten to a pretty high point in level design and optimization. One thing I noticed was that through my beginning-level escapades with the editor, I ended up making a lot of things that were horrendous in many ways. Failing to line up with the grid, leaks in the walls, lack of "nodraw" optimization, lack of areaportals and occluders, designing long straight paths that resulted in performance hits - you know the whole deal. Now I ended up having to redo a TON of work after I realized what I had done - hundreds of hours worth in fact, and I want to avoid that with Spark editor. Any higher level mappers have any key tips to give me about building things properly from the get-go in this editor? Is there anything like areaportals, leaks, or anything else that I need to keep an eye out for?
Yes I will read the manual but sometimes when you read stuff like that it's not as painfully obvious what the most important parts of the documentation are. ie. it wasn't until I was actually compiling my map and running it that I really noticed the necessity of areaportals in Hammer - even though I had read about them before mapping.
Lastly is there a section in the documentation that covers necessary dimensions - ie. jump height, height of the different aliens / walk height / crouch height / step height / etc. Just yes/no is fine - if no any information would be appreciated. Sorry I'm being lazy here and not searching first it's just a question I had but I don't have time to look it up right now.
Thanks for any information.
Oh PS. having played the first NS, I know that the commander is heavily reliant on the map being relatively horizontal, is there any visual fix for vertical layers? I was thinking of making a vertical-based map but I was like wait... how would the marines know where to go.
I've been mapping for a bit over a year with Hammer world editor, and I've gotten to a pretty high point in level design and optimization. One thing I noticed was that through my beginning-level escapades with the editor, I ended up making a lot of things that were horrendous in many ways. Failing to line up with the grid, leaks in the walls, lack of "nodraw" optimization, lack of areaportals and occluders, designing long straight paths that resulted in performance hits - you know the whole deal. Now I ended up having to redo a TON of work after I realized what I had done - hundreds of hours worth in fact, and I want to avoid that with Spark editor. Any higher level mappers have any key tips to give me about building things properly from the get-go in this editor? Is there anything like areaportals, leaks, or anything else that I need to keep an eye out for?
Yes I will read the manual but sometimes when you read stuff like that it's not as painfully obvious what the most important parts of the documentation are. ie. it wasn't until I was actually compiling my map and running it that I really noticed the necessity of areaportals in Hammer - even though I had read about them before mapping.
Lastly is there a section in the documentation that covers necessary dimensions - ie. jump height, height of the different aliens / walk height / crouch height / step height / etc. Just yes/no is fine - if no any information would be appreciated. Sorry I'm being lazy here and not searching first it's just a question I had but I don't have time to look it up right now.
Thanks for any information.
Oh PS. having played the first NS, I know that the commander is heavily reliant on the map being relatively horizontal, is there any visual fix for vertical layers? I was thinking of making a vertical-based map but I was like wait... how would the marines know where to go.
Comments
Models are included in the occlusion culling, so if a model seals the level in you don't necessarily have to put a face in behind it. Again up to your style and how the culling works when you get in-game.
Faces not brushes now, so you get fuller control. Tinker about and check out the tutorial page on the naturalselection2.com site; links go through to such things which show you how to extrude, mendasps videos etc.
As with all things in mapping, it's down to your own style.
Oh and before I forget there's no jump height, but there are in the guidelines some sizes.