Entity Editing

Belgarion

<div class="IPBDescription">without recompiling?</div> Let's just say a friend of mine had compiled his map, and then realized that there was one flag he forgot to check for an entity. Now it took a long time for him to compile, and he doesn't wanna do it again. Does he HAVE to compile the map again with the change or could he use one of those 'ripent' things to just change that entity flag instead? All this of course is purely hypothetical...

NerdIII

He will have to use ripents. If he edits the file manually (what is possible since the entities are listed in plain text) and the size of the bsp changes it can't be loaded. (Maybe not even a change in size is necessary, don't remember.) ripents takes care of the old and new file size (or checksum) and updates these values in the original bsp as well as the entities.
Once you have the text file ripents creates you can add/delete entities or modify/add specifics to them like when you disable SmartEdit in Hammer. A seldom used effect is that you can duplicate brush based entities because their geometry is saved in bsp-models. You'll find a specific called 'model' there with a number like *1. Some insiders use this to save on bsp resources. Just note that if you use it for two doors that look the same you'll have the same lighting and the same bullet holes on the second door because it simply draws the same model at a different location. So better use it for unlit, illusionary entities like repeating holograms or for stuff that consumes a lot of faces.

ChromeAngel

If it's only an entity property change then you can run CSG with -onlyents (and it only needs csg). It will update the exisitng BSP with the fixed properties.

NerdIII

Oh, right, that would be a *tad* easier <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
...of course only if you really have a friend that has a source to a map that he compiled and is his own map and so on... <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->

Belgarion

Thanks guys. I will certainly let my....friend, know about this... *looks around in a paranoid manner*