Mapping Is Tough

GSHound · October 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Yeah it's tough.</div> It's pretty tough. I took a break from mapping and played, and the ready room of ns_nothing has more textures than 5 of my rooms combined (I don't even have 5 rooms yet), and I don't even know how to align textures right! My map is supposed to have an outside area, basically a big box w/ the ridge texture. When I go in the game to test I don't have enough RAM to compile it (256 mb here) and its just 3 areas, and one is only a square! Btw this is a basic rant / pressure reliever / hopefully someone will post any comments on anything or just comment at all... I am going to ditch my current map plan and do a totally new inside base one. Hmm.. yeah.. mapping is pretty tough. Pretty freakin' tough.

Any tips?

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

Caboose · October 2003

<a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=SF&f=34' target='_blank'>NS Newbie Mapping Forum</a>

Soylent_green · October 2003

In big flat outside areas you can turn up the texture scale a bit. It will lower your w_polies, and it should reduce compile times a bit, at least for RAD(lighting).

gl_wireframe 2 allows you to see what the engine thinks it can see, very useful for finding problems. r_speeds allows you to see the current polygon count of what is on screen(including stuff that the game thinks you might be able to see and has to render even though it might not be visible in the end). Try to keep w_poly below 500 as an average and 700 as max if you want your map to run as smoothly as the original ones.

Avoid carve and hollow like the plague.

uffo · October 2003

It might be tough sometimes, but it also sure is fun <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Aea · October 2003

You can say that again <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

NerdIII · October 2003

I have 256 MB RAM, too and I would say it is fairly enough to compile any HL map. 512 is now becoming standard but I guess most of the official maps had the same amount of RAM to compile in. If you can't compile three rooms then you shouldn't be able to run NS either. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

RPG_Jssmfulhud · October 2003

It's a very energy and time consuming process, but also very rewarding. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

2_of_Eight · October 2003

Mapping is a no-no on my computer because of the stupid video card, 3Dfx Banshee.
*shakes fist*

NerdIII · October 2003

"Oh my god! What are you doing?" 256MB RAM and no 3D card at all are enough for mapping. Especially QuArK as a nice software renderer with assembler optimizations. Though it becomes a bit crappy with high res textures. But, yes, a Voodoo Banshee is a bit old. Get a Geforce 256. They are really cheap and support hardware T&L. This is the minimum today for some games. ...And for mapping of course it is more than enough except you get a horror when you have less than 50 FPS in a small editor window <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

DarkATi · October 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (NerdIII @ Oct 13 2003, 12:29 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I have 256 MB RAM, too and I would say it is fairly enough to compile any HL map. 512 is now becoming standard but I guess most of the official maps had the same amount of RAM to compile in. If you can't compile three rooms then you shouldn't be able to run NS either. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Yeah. I have overkill. 1.0 Gig of RAM, 2.66Ghz Processor (P4)

My maps compile in like 5 minutes, full vis and all the goodies. Oh and I just started using Nem's Batch Compiler which seemed to speed my compiles up a bit as well.

EDIT: Err, meant 50 minutes not 5, geez, me so stupid.

~ DarkATi

Aea · October 2003

WEAK!

System Info Version: 2.2
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
Processors: 2 x AMD ThoroughBred @ 2 GHz
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200
Total Physical Memory: 1022 MB
Free Physical Memory: 454.33 MB
Motherboard Manufacturer: TYAN
Motherboard Model: S2466 TIGER MPX

That's equal to about 4.8 Ghz of P4 power. The videocard is overclocked way past the normal for even a 4600 <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'>

DarkATi · October 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Aea @ Oct 13 2003, 05:15 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> WEAK!

System Info Version: 2.2
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
Processors: 2 x AMD ThoroughBred @ 2 GHz
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200
Total Physical Memory: 1022 MB
Free Physical Memory: 454.33 MB
Motherboard Manufacturer: TYAN
Motherboard Model: S2466 TIGER MPX

That's equal to about 4.8 Ghz of P4 power. The videocard is overclocked way past the normal for even a 4600 <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'>  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Nice PC.

~ DarkATi

Aea · October 2003

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tiny.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tiny.gif'>

Reese · October 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>That's equal to about 4.8 Ghz of P4 power. The videocard is overclocked way past the normal for even a 4600</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Umm, I don't see how you can make a judgement about the power of a 4.8 Ghz p4 when there's nothing within a gig of that range for overclocking. I don't really see anything aside from a specially made p4 chip being completley stable at that speed no matter how cool you keep it. Video card clock speeds are kind of subjective too... although the difference between a 4200 and a 4600 can be made up there I guess.

All in all it's a good system, but saying it's the equivalent of a 4.8 p4 sounds more like buzzword than fact.

(note: half the bitterness in the commentary is critique... the other half is envy <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'> )

Aea · October 2003

2.0 Ghz MP cpu has about 2.4 Ghz of equalivent P4 power, hence the name "2400+," 2 X 2.4 Ghz <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Haze · October 2003

Mapping is extreamly easy IMHO. Just figure everything out, and then you'll be all like "Oooh, so THATS how its done, I'm so dumb!!"

Its just time consuming and takes plenty of time. Aligning textures is easy, select the textures and <u>use the arrows next to the numberes.</u> This way you can actually see what effects are taking place, and its the easiest way for me.

GSHound · October 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Ha.ze @ Oct 13 2003, 06:10 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Mapping is extreamly easy IMHO. Just figure everything out, and then you'll be all like "Oooh, so THATS how its done, I'm so dumb!!"

Its just time consuming and takes plenty of time. Aligning textures is easy, select the textures and <u>use the arrows next to the numberes.</u> This way you can actually see what effects are taking place, and its the easiest way for me.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Oooooh so thats how you do it! You are toooo kind! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

2_of_Eight · October 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (NerdIII @ Oct 13 2003, 04:26 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> "Oh my god! What are you doing?" 256MB RAM and no 3D card at all are enough for mapping. Especially QuArK as a nice software renderer with assembler optimizations. Though it becomes a bit crappy with high res textures. But, yes, a Voodoo Banshee is a bit old. Get a Geforce 256. They are really cheap and support hardware T&L. This is the minimum today for some games. ...And for mapping of course it is more than enough except you get a horror when you have less than 50 FPS in a small editor window <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
I get about 25 FPS on NS... drops to about 5 on ubar-turre<b>n</b>t farms <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Mapping Is Tough

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