- Dec 21, 2008
- 481
- 33
I had a debate with a friend about optimizing maps. I said it was easier to do it during the alpha stage he said after everything was in. What does everyone else think.
Alpha: no_draw
Beta: Area Portals
RC: Hints, Skips, etc.
Final: All of the above.
Thats how I see it anyway.
None of the above. There is no order to do optimizing in. Any and all of the optimization methods should be done as soon as they are needed, where they are needed. Or else if they are just plain easy to do. (I put area portals in my tiny Stormcaller alpha just because it's really darn easy to slap them in some doorways)
Ok from what i gather most people do the simple optimizing first and the more complex stuff later. I like to do the nodraw as soon as possible, just because it lets me compile my map alot faster. and I will stick in some area portals if needed.
There isn't any "working out" as VBSP will chop up the map and discard faces just the same. Even if a face is nodraw it still has to process the face to determine if it shall exist or be culled.Surely nodrawing a side means it skips working out if needs to be nodrawn, and hence there is less to do for the compiler?