pl_beachside - Need some help here!

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
Okay all my mapping pals, I'm working on a fancy new PL map for the fancy new contest. First, though, I need help fixing up a couple bugs or two in my systemworks.

A) My timer is totally bankrupt. That is, once setup time starts, the timer doesn't more. Like it just sticks at 1:15. Doesn't move at all.

Bee) The payload's a-moving like it should now, thanks to handy-dandy tutorials! However, the little diagram at the bottom doesn't seem to update. Like, it always says the cart is at the first bit. Why could this be?

If more detail is needed, I can answer most questions or just upload the .vmf file. Your choice.
 

Dox

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Oct 26, 2007
588
62
VMF is always preferred by me, that way you can DL it and fiddle with it to make it work, then tell the person how it was fixed.

But personally I have no experience with PL, so I might not be much help.
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
VMF is always preferred by me, that way you can DL it and fiddle with it to make it work, then tell the person how it was fixed.

But personally I have no experience with PL, so I might not be much help.

Actually I just figured it out myself. I had the round timer entity's initial pause value set to Yes. Also, I didn't specify the name of the cart train entity I wanted the watcher entity to watch.

I still have a bit of a problem though. Any instances of cheap water tend to reflect this weird purple pattern. Expensive water seems to do fine until it transitions to cheap water. So I'll be needing help there. Note that this problem didn't come up until I stopped using the default sky texture. Is this a common problem of sorts?
 

Dox

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Oct 26, 2007
588
62
Very common, you need to put env_cubemaps entities in your level and use the buildcubemaps command in-game... you might want to look up more info for the correct way to do it for HDR/LDR
cubemaps are used to render reflections of things around shiny things.

EDIT: wait... might not be cubemaps, sounds like something different since the expensive water works and it didn't appear till you changed your sky... not too sure what it is if its not cubemaps. If you dont have cubemaps made yet, though, its probably the culprit.
 
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Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
Very common, you need to put env_cubemaps entities in your level and use the buildcubemaps command in-game... you might want to look up more info for the correct way to do it for HDR/LDR
cubemaps are used to render reflections of things around shiny things.

EDIT: wait... might not be cubemaps, sounds like something different since the expensive water works and it didn't appear till you changed your sky... not too sure what it is if its not cubemaps. If you dont have cubemaps made yet, though, its probably the culprit.

*** Error: Skybox vtf files for skybox/sky_dustbowl_01 weren't compiled with the same size texture and/or same flags!
Can't load skybox file skybox/sky_dustbowl_01 to build the default cubemap!

Think that has anything to do with it? It returned this error in the compiler. I definitely definitely certainly did scatter a couple env_cubemaps around the map as seemed appropriate, IE, in sort of the different "areas" of the map. I haven't tried typing buildcubemaps into the console, however.
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
Yeah, I think the default skybox has a default cubemap (so you wouldn't see the purple checkers on your water), but using the Dustbowl sky (or any other TF2 sky, I think...), you have to build the cubemaps.

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Cubemaps#Cubemaps_and_HDR

Let's... pretend I'm an amateur and I don't know what that means. ._.

Can I put an entity or something in the map to make it so you won't have to type commands into your console to render the map nice and proper?
 

Nineaxis

Quack Doctor
aa
May 19, 2008
1,767
2,820
No, you can't. You have to place env_cubemap's in your map so that reflective things have something to reflect. What a cubemap does it take 6 pictures of what is around it (so it gets cubed in), and then reflective objects apply those pictures of the world to themselves so that you get a reflection.

And to make those cubemaps take their pictures, you have to follow the list of commands in that dev wiki article.
 

Dox

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Oct 26, 2007
588
62
you have to follow the instructions in the link that nine posted, and then the checkers should go away.
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
No, you can't. You have to place env_cubemap's in your map so that reflective things have something to reflect. What a cubemap does it take 6 pictures of what is around it (so it gets cubed in), and then reflective objects apply those pictures of the world to themselves so that you get a reflection.

And to make those cubemaps take their pictures, you have to follow the list of commands in that dev wiki article.

Yes, yes, I do have cubemaps in my map. And I'm pretty sure they're at least working somewhat because the sniper's scope seems to not have that checkerboard texture on it so I guess they're doing their jobs.

I suppose that solution is okay, but... well, let's say I get this map to a game day test run session or something eventually. Will everyone who plays my map have to enter those commands into the map to make it reflect properly? Or is it like when I enter the commands in the console, it changes the map and makes it so when I distribute it, everything is built? I really don't know the deal behind this.

Maybe I'm just missing something entirely.
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
aa
Nov 2, 2007
4,775
7,669
Or is it like when I enter the commands in the console, it changes the map and makes it so when I distribute it, everything is built?
Yes, when you render cubemaps they are written into the BSP


Dox said:
wait... might not be cubemaps, sounds like something different since the expensive water works and it didn't appear till you changed your sky... not too sure what it is if its not cubemaps. If you dont have cubemaps made yet, though, its probably the culprit.
Because expensive water does real-time reflections, that's why it's expensive. :D
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
Yes, when you render cubemaps they are written into the BSP

Okay, cool. Thanks for you guys' help, Dox and Nine and Boojum. Now, I'm going to finalise the geometry of the first capture point, and once I do, I'll upload the .vmf and some screenshots for you guys to poke your magical advice-sticks at. :thumbup1:

Note that I'll still have dev textures for the time being.
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
Well, here's three screenshots of my map. I have the first capture point's geometry finalised and such, but that's all.

The first screenshot is Red's side of the point. They can charge straight through the passageway into Blu's side, or they can use that ramp and go through the building to get on top of that dam, which serves as sort of a sniper deck for the reds. Note that inside the building is a glass window where the red team can look at what the Blus are doing without risk of getting murdered.

Next screenshot shows the dock that the cart moves along. The poles are to restrict the snipers' advantage in this area, obscuring their vision. Under the dock is a bunch of water. If you wind up in there, you can use the ramp sort of sticking off the side of the dock to get back to the cart. There's also somewhat of a sentry spot in that area where it gets dark.

Last screenshot shows the blu team's spawn . The cart comes right out of the garage sort of thing. Note the upper level, where blu snipers can snipe out of either that window or the roof. A raised pathway extends over along the canyon wall, where the engineer is ready to build a sentry. It looks like a good spot.

Also, a bug I discovered: when the timer runs out, it just stops. The red team doesn't seem to win at all. It doesn't even say "Overtime!" or anything. It's as if the timer was still going.

I just realized I forgot the obligatory noclip-aided top view of the map. Oh well, there's not much to look at yet.
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
Sorry for triple-post, but... I was really hoping for some feedback here. Does it look good so far? Should I be doing anything different? Does it look too advantageous for one team or another? What might I be doing wrong with the timer?
 

laghlagh

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 15, 2008
389
53
It looks fun and well-planned from what I've seen!
 

Shadow Scythe

L2: Junior Member
Aug 8, 2008
51
0
It looks fun and well-planned from what I've seen!

Fun? I hope so! Well planned? Uh, well... it actually changed quite a bit from the original idea. In the original, I had a couple buildings spanning the left wall, well above the water. One of them, farthest from the blu spawn, would be accessable from the water. But I realized it was a bit too much like goldrush's second stage. So they got scratched and replaced with the single watchtower on the right side of the dam and the pathway that you see the red engineer on.

Also, I originally had a pathway planned an exit from the blu spawn that goes directly to the underwater area, but I never really got a good design for it. Although I might want to keep working on that.

And I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do for the next point... probably I want to do something with elevating the land so you have to get the payload upwards. And more water somehow. Probably the capture point is in a tunnel made in the wall... Actually I just got a really good idea whilst typing this. Time to style it out!
 

laghlagh

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 15, 2008
389
53
Heh, yeah, I wasn't thinking of well-planned as a whole, I meant more like well-planned like in well-thought out spots for different classes :)