Dev Wiki: Suggested Edits/Additions

Kube

Not the correct way to make lasagna
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Aug 31, 2014
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Valve Developer Community:
Suggested Edits/Additions


This thread is dedicated to compiling a list of suggested edits for the Valve Developer Community. If you would like to suggest an edit/addition to be made, please do so below. If you are willing to pick up any of the projects listed (which may require 'research' into TF2's mechanics, maps, map theory, etc.), that would be highly appreciated- just announce so below, and link to the change once you are done.

Here's a link to the "Team Fortress 2 Level Creation" page of the Wiki.

To-do:
  • Work on the entity documentation (to go here)
  • Better Func_detail/Func_brush documentation, especially regarding how important they are to TF2 mapping and Source mapping in general
  • Gamemode theory pages, and editing the original page about Payload Theory
  • Theming theory pages, and editing the original page about the Spytech Theme
  • Bring the comment list in the particle section that discusses each pcf file to the appropriate article
  • Describe the functions of tf_logic_training_mode in context for TF2 here. I think it's already used to restrict class selection in maps.

Done:
  • Class jumping heights out of water (Here; done by Tumbolisu and KubeKing4556)
 
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Kube

Not the correct way to make lasagna
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Aug 31, 2014
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Thanks for adding in the part about the jump heights coming out of water. Explained a weird issue I was having in Glasswork's basement.

Thank Tumbolisu. He looked into all the heights, I just put it in the Wiki.
 

worMatty

Repacking Evangelist
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Jul 22, 2014
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Get Tumbo to post here so we can thank him.
 

Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
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Maybe it's just me, but I think the wiki needs better instructions for creating and using func_brushes, and especially func_details. Nowhere on either of those wiki pages does it tell you how to create one of these in hammer, which is especially inexcusable if we're telling new mappers things like "go look up what a func_detail is and how it's used" as in this tutorial: http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=22355. When I was new to mapping, this slowed me down significantly, and I think it's a simple easy fix that would benefit a lot of people and save a lot of time.
 
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worMatty

Repacking Evangelist
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Jul 22, 2014
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The wiki pages for each entity are only meant to tell you what the entity is for. They are just references when you need to look up inputs, outputs, spawnflags and limitations. How to tie a brush to an entity is the kind of thing covered by a Hammer tutorial. Such as this page, found via: Main Page > Source SDK docs > Level Design > Your First Map > Creating Brush Entities.
 

Muddy

Muddy
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Sep 5, 2014
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I noticed there's a page for Payload Map Theory but nothing on any of the other gamemodes. There's also a page about the Spytech theme and that's it for the themes. Maybe some more pages could be made for the other gamemodes and themes? The existing pages could use some work too.
 

killohurtz

Distinction in Applied Carving
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Feb 22, 2014
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It's also been brought up that the Displacements article is poorly worded. In some places it says that the base brush "is discarded when the map is compiled," "is no longer a solid object and is removed when you run the map," etc. when in reality it still exists in the .bsp (otherwise you wouldn't be able to destroy/reset displacements in decompiled maps). At least, I think that's what was said - if anyone could word it better than me, it would probably make a worthwhile edit.
 

Kube

Not the correct way to make lasagna
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Aug 31, 2014
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I'll work on putting this all up in the description when I get the chance.

Edit: Done!
 
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Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
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It's also been brought up that the Displacements article is poorly worded. In some places it says that the base brush "is discarded when the map is compiled," "is no longer a solid object and is removed when you run the map," etc. when in reality it still exists in the .bsp (otherwise you wouldn't be able to destroy/reset displacements in decompiled maps). At least, I think that's what was said - if anyone could word it better than me, it would probably make a worthwhile edit.
All of the compiler-only entities are described that way as well, if I recall.
 

Freyja

aa
Jul 31, 2009
2,994
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Someone with an account go edit the fact that skip on the non-occluding faces will cause an occluder brush entity to not work at all, it needs to be nodraw. At least in the TF2 version of the engine.

Also maybe update that page so that notes that the error "Occluder straddles multiple areas!" is nothing you need to worry about.
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
493
191
The water height thing is based on head height, which differs between classes. Scout is the shortest.
 

iiboharz

eternally tired
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Nov 5, 2014
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The water height thing is based on head height, which differs between classes. Scout is the shortest.

As far as i know it's just the hitboxes which make them "shorter"? Every class is exactly the same height according to the engine.
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
493
191
No, the view height is actually different. It's the hulls that are the same.

Jumping out of water is based partially on the view position, you see. Which is why it's harder for scouts.
 
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Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
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Um, heard people want me to post a thing.

Hi
B1



I thought the Engineer was the shortest class. Or is that just visually?

That's only in the reference pose. Not while actually standing around ingame.
 

worMatty

Repacking Evangelist
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Jul 22, 2014
1,257
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I thanked your post there for your water jump height research.
 

fubarFX

The "raw" in "nodraw"
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Jun 1, 2009
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It's also been brought up that the Displacements article is poorly worded. In some places it says that the base brush "is discarded when the map is compiled," "is no longer a solid object and is removed when you run the map," etc. when in reality it still exists in the .bsp (otherwise you wouldn't be able to destroy/reset displacements in decompiled maps). At least, I think that's what was said - if anyone could word it better than me, it would probably make a worthwhile edit.

actually, the original brushes for displacement are discarded, the only thing you can get from a bsp is the original face the displacement was made from. decompilers use that face to create a 1 hammer unit thick brush to support that face.
 

Kube

Not the correct way to make lasagna
aa
Aug 31, 2014
1,342
1,849
actually, the original brushes for displacement are discarded, the only thing you can get from a bsp is the original face the displacement was made from. decompilers use that face to create a 1 hammer unit thick brush to support that face.

Should I remove the displacement request from the description?