TF2 Mapping-Link Resources

Egan

Egan

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Feb 14, 2010
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Mapping Link Resources
"CTRL+F" is your best friend here.​

  1. How to start making maps for TF2
    Explains step by step what you need to do to set up Hammer World Editor, and start making maps for TF2!
  2. Guides on mapping for TF2
    A list of guides, tutorials, and resources created by members of TF2maps.net, or elsewhere. If you have created a guide and want it listed here, reply to this thread with the name of the guide, and a link to it.
  3. Guides on game design in general
    These articles discuss a broad range of topics. They range from other source games, to game theory itself. Must read articles for anyone who would like to further understand game design.
  4. Resources to help you create, share and customize your maps
    Need a file sharing site? Looking for that Photoshop or 3DS Plugin?

Still can't find what you are looking for?
Try the Archived TF2maps.net Level Editing Forum Threads
 
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Egan

Egan

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Feb 14, 2010
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How to start making maps for TF2​

Locate TF2's bin folder
1. Wherever your Team Fortress 2 folder is located, inside you will find a folder called tf, and inside of that a folder called bin. Bin contains the two files needed to start mapping. (By default on a 64-bit machine, this will be located here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\bin )

XoFIsKf.png


Run hammer.bat, and then hammer.exe
2. Once inside look for the file 'hammer.bat', double click it to run it (this will set up hammer directories if they aren't already). Next, run hammer.exe, which should be just under the .bat. This will open a dropdown menu allowing you to choose which engine version you are mapping for. Choose Team Fortress 2 and click Ok. Once inside hammer you can click File > New, to open a new .vmf file.

eMFIroU.png


That's all!

Also note:

Visit TF2Maps.net for the most up to date level editing links and news.
 
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Egan

Egan

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Feb 14, 2010
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Guides on mapping for TF2

---------------
TF2Mappers Chat
In the TF2maps Steam chat many questions are asked & answered.
----------------​


What is included here?
  1. Architecture, Environment & Level Design
  2. Cubemaps / Reflections
  3. Custom Menu Things
  4. Detail
  5. Displacements / Cliffs
  6. Doors
  7. Elevator / Lift
  8. Entities
  9. Errors
  10. FAQs
  11. File Hosting
  12. Game Types
  13. General Help
  14. Layout Help
  15. Lighting
  16. Mapping Communities and General Sites
  17. Map files
  18. Models
  19. Optimization Guides / Techniques
  20. Overlays
  21. Particles
  22. SkyBox
  23. Spawn Rooms
  24. Stairs
  25. Texture Creation
  26. Tool Use
  27. Water
  28. Your First Room
  29. YouTube SDK Video

Architecture, Environment & Level Design:

Cubemaps / Reflections:

Custom Menu Things:

Detail:

Displacements / Cliffs:

Doors:

Elevator / Lift:

Entities:

Errors:

FAQs:

File Hosting:

Game Types:

General Help:

Layout Help:

Lighting:

Mapping Communities and General Sites:

Map files:

Models:

Optimization Guides / Techniques:

Overlays:

Particles:

SkyBox:

Spawn Rooms:

Stairs:

Texture Creation:

Tool Use:

Water:

Your First Room:

YouTube SDK Video: - If you prefer watching and learning
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Egan

Egan

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Feb 14, 2010
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Guides on game design in general​


Level Design Theory

Game Design Theory

Indie Games & Shit
 
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Egan

Egan

aa
Feb 14, 2010
1,378
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Resources for Map Makers​

Map Packing / Distributing
  • Pakrat - Used to embed custom textures, Sounds, and Models in the .bsp file
  • VIDE - An alternative to Pakrat, includes many other features as well.
  • PackBSP - An open-source alternative to Pakrat.
  • 7-zip - Used to compress your .bsp's into .bsp.bz2's saving a TON of file size
  • Winrar - Great zipping utility

Map Decompiling / Extraction Tools
  • GCFScape - Explore GCF directories and extract files.
  • VMEX - Decompile BSP maps into VMF files.
  • BSPSource - Decompile BSP maps to VMF files, supports more than VMEX.

Model / 3D Editors

Texture Editors/Resources

Prop Library:
  • Prop Library - Contains 850 props across 19 categories. By A Boojum Snark

Prop / Texture Packs:

SDK Resource:
  • Improved FGD - Fixes to SDK, great for mappers. By A Boojum Snark

Screenshot | Image Hosting

Sky's and Skybox's

Sound Effects

Photo Referencing and Inspiration
 
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Egan

Egan

aa
Feb 14, 2010
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So.. I updated the mapping link resources thread cause it was a bit hard to read cohesively and some of the formatting didn't make much sense. Also I combined both the Guides & Tutorials posts and replaced the latter with a General Game Design post, where I'll link a bunch of crap I found interesting to read not totally related to TF2 stuff. Here's a link back to the old thread for reference.
 
Ælement

Ælement

I'm so happy :D
aa
Dec 21, 2010
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Last edited:
R

RubbishyUser

L7: Fancy Member
Feb 17, 2013
414
488
Warning that the "Don't get hung up on the details" detailing link no longer has the picture that is the focus of the thread. For those who do not know, the picture is of granary shortly after it was released where a "door 3" overlay directly overlaps one of the "granary/well" doors. It's unbelievably obvious and yet also went months without it being fixed/noticed.
 
ZeSpice

ZeSpice

L2: Junior Member
Mar 17, 2014
94
34
Good link library. How about to put this light tutorial to list?
Warning that the "Don't get hung up on the details" detailing link no longer has the picture that is the focus of the thread. For those who do not know, the picture is of granary shortly after it was released where a "door 3" overlay directly overlaps one of the "granary/well" doors. It's unbelievably obvious and yet also went months without it being fixed/noticed.
Click to expand...
Most of old tutorials no longer have pictures. =(
 
Fantaboi

Fantaboi

Gone and one day forgotten
aa
Mar 11, 2013
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RavenStryker

RavenStryker

Former Alias: †Blade†/Xi.Cynx
aa
Nov 25, 2008
782
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Just giving this a friendly bump. I noticed some of the links weren't working as intended and that maybe someone should go through and give them a nice check. I will do so later if no one gets to it before me as I'm at work right now. Just bringing that to attention!
 
Bogdy

Bogdy

L4: Comfortable Member
Aug 13, 2014
187
208
Also I think you could, you know, maybe, possibly feature my Map Dissection video?
 
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