Where do I place these Area Portals?

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
Can someone edit my map and show me where each area portal should be? I've used area portals successfully in other maps before but this one I am having a hard time getting all of them to work because of all my doors.

here is a link to my map

https://www.sendspace.com/file/48ywxl

help would be appreciated since it'd help me figure out how to do it for future maps of a similar design
 

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
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I don't think most people want to take the time to download a map. Pictures and words work best on a forum.

Describe how you're having problems, post pictures to illustrate, and we can advise.
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
I don't think most people want to take the time to download a map. Pictures and words work best on a forum.

Describe how you're having problems, post pictures to illustrate, and we can advise.

The map should be fairly easy to download, it's not a huge map. But apart from that, would drawing my layout and having someone fill in where each area portal would be work at all for people to help?
 

puxorb

L69: Emoticon
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Dec 15, 2013
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That might actually be better since we would get an idea of the entire map.
 
Sep 7, 2012
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I downloaded your map and took a look around. Right now there is nowhere that would use an areaportal.
If you want to remake the larger building or even just un-detail some elements of it then you would be able to use areaportals to some effect.
 

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
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You don't need any areaportals in this map. What you DO need to work on is your func_detailing

deargod.JPG


That's what's cutting vis. It's an ungodly mess inside and out.
 

hutty

aa
Mar 30, 2014
538
444
zOAuEnp.png


rooms like this you can easily put portals in the doors (make sure the portals are touching the non-detail brushes on 4 sides)
although too many areaportals is bad, so you may want to cluster a couple adjacent rooms as 1 "room" while portaling

ASYso6a.png


In this one the portal would go in the front door ... buuuuut

pln5ZY7.png


you made one of the walls a detail, so the portal would leak out there

ioh9l1t.png


finally ... your map is almost all outdoors ... and is very straight. Unfortunately, even if your portal up the house, there probably wouldn't be that big of a performance benefit. Once you can see outside a window most all of the map would be instantly visible.

if you really want to portal up your map ... you must first prepare it propperly. make any brush that is not a key visual-blocking wall a func_detail, and put no_draw brushes inside your big terrain displacements. Displacements do not block visibility.

tl:dr ... no ... go up and read it ... its impossible to areaportal this map in its current state
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
zOAuEnp.png


rooms like this you can easily put portals in the doors (make sure the portals are touching the non-detail brushes on 4 sides)
although too many areaportals is bad, so you may want to cluster a couple adjacent rooms as 1 "room" while portaling

ASYso6a.png


In this one the portal would go in the front door ... buuuuut

pln5ZY7.png


you made one of the walls a detail, so the portal would leak out there

ioh9l1t.png


finally ... your map is almost all outdoors ... and is very straight. Unfortunately, even if your portal up the house, there probably wouldn't be that big of a performance benefit. Once you can see outside a window most all of the map would be instantly visible.

if you really want to portal up your map ... you must first prepare it propperly. make any brush that is not a key visual-blocking wall a func_detail, and put no_draw brushes inside your big terrain displacements. Displacements do not block visibility.

tl:dr ... no ... go up and read it ... its impossible to areaportal this map in its current state


For this;

http://i.imgur.com/ASYso6a.png


the white thing you circles is actually a custom textured picture. Were you thinking it was a door or something?

Thank you so much for your input.


Also, I understand my func detailing isn't the best. I'm trying to figure out what to detail what not but everyone I talk to and everything I read gives me such different answers so I'm usually just..guessing.


If I can't area portal I can add some fade distance to the models and fog, usually works very well for my outdoor maps. Thank you for the reply's so far everyone!
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
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Nov 14, 2009
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the white thing you circles is actually a custom textured picture. Were you thinking it was a door or something?
No, we're talking about the walls behind it, which you turned into a func_detail for some reason, possibly by accident.

If I can't area portal I can add some fade distance to the models and fog, usually works very well for my outdoor maps.
Fade distances would be distracting for all but the smallest props, and fog does virtually nothing unless it's so severe that you can't see to the other end of the map at all, which I do not recommend unless you want your map looking like Silent Hill. In either case, I'd be more concerned about the insanely long sightlines from one end of the map to the other.
 
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DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
No, we're talking about the walls behind it, which you turned into a func_detail for some reason, possibly by accident.


Fade distances would be distracting for all but the smallest props, and fog does virtually nothing unless it's so severe that you can't see to the other end of the map at all, which I do not recommend unless you want your map looking like Silent Hill. In either case, I'd be more concerned about the insanely long sightlines from one end of the map to the other.

I'm going to have to disagree because fade and fog has helped a ton with few of my maps that were very similar to this..one big building then a big outside. I also know a lot of people who use fog to help fps boost.


Apart from that... I should be able to have working area portals if I remove the detailing? Silly me. Thanks!