Post subject: How to Make a Siege Map Tutorial (read nubby map makers) Posted: Aug 05, 2006 - 07:58 PM
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I've noticed that a lot of people have been making maps and are not sure how exactly to make a map. This is a guide describing a way to make siege map w/ explanations of how some important triggers work and some tools needed.
I. Starting
A. Required tools
B. Setting Up textures and tools
1. FGD
2. Build Progarms
3. Textures
II. Mapping
B.
1. The first things you need to do is set up textures and tools.
After you've downloaded ZHLT, extract hlcsg, hlbsp, hlvis, and hlrad into a folder (I prefer Valve Hammer Editor in program files). In hammer, go to tools then options and click on the Game Configurations tab. To the left of the box for Configuration press edit and then press add. Call this configuration Natural Selection or whatever you like (I called it he_dodgeball0 >_<). In the Game Data files, press add and browse into your ns folder (C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\yoursteamaccount\half-life\ns) and look for ns.fgd. Press ok and it's set. You can enter the game and mod directory if you'd like, but i don't bother since I copy and paste my maps into the map directory of ns.
2. Next, to set the Build Programs. While still in options, go to the Build Programs tab. For CSG, BSP, VIS, and RAD executable, use hlcsg, hlbsp, hlvis, and hlrad that you got from ZHLTs, respectively. You can set game executable too and where to place maps, but again, I don't bother with that.
3. Now to set textures. Go to the textures tab and add 2 wads. These wads can be found in your ns folder (C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\yoursteamaccount\half-life\ns) and are called ns.wad and ns2.wad. Optionally, you can add hl.wad that can be downloaded or found in you half life.gcf, but you'd have to downlaod a 17 MB zip of it or get GCFScape. Your choice. You could add more wads or your own custom wads, but since this is meant for beginners, theres no need.
II.
Ok, first thing you need is to make a plan of your map. Making maps off your mind or at the moment of making will map the map suck. I recommend using graph paper and using each 1 by 1 grid as 256 by 256 for the real thing in Valve Hammer Editor. Label things like Hive for H, Command Console as CC, res nodes as X, etc. Add a door room and siege room into your map. Siege room(s) has to be within about 800 units of hive. You don't want it to be exactly that many units away because the siege cannons would have to be placed really clsoe to the wall and aliens wouldn't be able to get healed from hive or siege walls. I suggest putting siege room right against the wall of hive room so aliens can heal and sieges can hit more things. Door room is inbetween the path to marine start and hives. For res nodes, I suggest around 9-11 res nodes for marines and 11-15 res nodes for aliens.
Note that for a plan, you cannot tell the elevation of your map because its only X by Y, no Z. Name each room or label it so that you can remember how tall your room is going to be.
After making your plan, create the map without using entities. Make sure to haev the map sealed completely so that you don't get any leaks. Leaks happen when there is an entity outside the map or theres a hole leading from inside the map out. There are many guides to get rid of leaks so use those. After making that map and making it leak free, add a ready room. A ready room needs to have info_player_start and also have no leaks. Its recomended that you have join team signs and info_join_team 's so that people can walk into the join team triggers, but you can always have the people use f1 f2 and f3.
(More indepth about making a map)
To make an object in hammer, simply press the grey 3-d box on the left toolbar and go into 2 views and customize the size. To see your stuff textured, click camera (the top left screen view) and click 3-d textured. You can change it but i recommend always using textured unless you want to look for leaks.
Now, back to the map. The map has to have a team_command at marine start so that marines can command the map. Add 16 spawn points at marine start called info_team_start with the key team have value 1 (in smart edit, just click team and change 1 to 2). On the alien side, create team_hive with team as 2 and info_team_start with team as 2. There should be a total of 48 info_team_start 's for aliens, 16 for each hive. In reality, siege maps only need 16-32 because the hives are usually close to each other.
For res nodes, put func_resource 's where you planned to put them. They should be maybe less than 1 unit off the ground. The func_resource closest to the hive/command center will automatically become the first res node for the team.
Next, for a door, you create a func_door (since you're a beginner you don't mess with func_train 's) with the following properties:
Key-------Value
name------door (can be changed)
delay before close---- (-1) (without parenthesis)
Lip------- (-16) (can be changed depending on how much you want the door to stay in or retract, but having 0 lip can be ugly when in a wall)
Yaw Pitch Roll------ (-90) for straight up, (90) for down, 0-360 for anything else.
It needs no flags unless you want to customize it.
Next, for siege door, do the same thing except for name call it siege. Make sure that the wall is thick so that people can't build a pg through it.
And now comes some important entities. These entites you need to have.
light (put around your map to light up areas)
info_mapinfo (to control how the minimap is created and how much a commander can see)
trigger_random (to trigger the next entity)
multi_manager (to trigger doors, sounds, and more)
These are my recommendations for the trigger random:
shortest fire time, (8)
longest fire time, (10)
delay before reset, (-1)
You MUST turn off smartedit to do this. Add for key start and for value 0.
You need the following flags for the trigger random: Start On, and Remove on Fire
Now, for the multimanager, for the name put start. Turn off smart edit and add the following keys and customize the values:
door (number of seconds before you want door open)
siege (number of seconds you want before siege door opens)
And your siege map should work.
When compiling your map, make sure that for csg you have the parameter -hullfile nshulls.txt. If you do not have that parameter, expect onos half in the ground. Also, compiling takes a while depending on your computer and how complex your map is. On my AMD 64 w/ 1 gb ram compiles my maps in 4-5 minutes.
After compiling your map, open up natural selection and create your own server and play your map. Type sv_cheats 1 in console followed by buildminimap to create a minimap. I suggest you don't build anything as it might add bumps into the minimap.
Now, for the final uploading of your map, create a zip with the bsp and minimap in it. Also, create a .res (jsut type it in notemap and change the extension) with the following things (assuming you only need the minimap and res)
So finally, the zip should have 3 files:
yourmapname.bsp
yourmapname.res
yourmapname.spr
Then send it to a mapping site or post it here or something. Hopefully you'll get it on a server.
Note: I am missing a bunch of stuff I bet but I rushed doing this due to having to get off ym computer real soon. I'll add more later/update it if i have time. I plan to explain things in a bit more depth. Also, nexttime i'll spell check.
Last edited by BrownyMaster on Aug 09, 2006 - 07:12 PM; edited 2 times in total
Cerberus414
Post subject:Posted: Aug 06, 2006 - 01:01 AM
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When I used to play counter-strike, me and my friends decided to make a map. So I downloaded the Hammer and had no clue what I was doing. Believe it or not, I actually made a decent map (At least I thought I did). People played it and liked it. I think it was called navy_map. It's like one of those ak-colt maps where you just have one weapon you fight with. In that case it was a mp5. Whoa, I think I'm getting carried away. But anyways, Back in the days when I used to play on G4B2S servers, lots of people were making maps. So one day I was bored and decided to play around with the Hammer.... again.... I made a huge box then a wall inside (two boxes now). Then another and another. Somehow....this map turned into cerbsiege. Lawls.... I really didn't know what it would look like, key features, etc... but I knew I was making a siege map. The next day, I sat down and drew a rough picture of what it would look like. On paper it looked so complex, but when I put it together in Hammer, it looked too simple. So I decided to add more things like a rotating door ("The Death Door" is what xman called it). I think that was beta1. (If you guys want to see, I still have it). ever since, I just added stuff on the fly to make the map bigger, more fun, (w/ secret rooms)... stuff like that. I worked my way up to beta 13 and stopped. Maybe that's why it sux (too many betas) and has an average fps of 10. Lawls.... Carving FTL!!! Anyways I agree with browny master, Plan it out AHEAD OF TIME. I guess the rest of the stuff in this paragraph is pointless and irrelevant but I'm too lazy to erase it now =P
P.S. Fun Fact: Xman's favorite beta of cerbsiege is 6.
P.S. 2 Why the hell is it still in beta.......
This thing is more targeted to ppl who actually know how to map... geez took my about 1 week to find out how to setup for at least making HL maps and then I found a great page with lots of examples and exercises on how to make a HL map, then one day when stix showed me his map sketches for Nexus, I was really anxious to make one myslef... so I dll Hammer again... now i dont have the cluest idea on how to setup or make anything on hammer... so plz if anyone has a great link on how to learn to use hammer, and another on how to use hammer for NS (and i need a detail and prefferblae with pics) manual it would be pretty apreciated... I really want to learn how to map, o have a big imagination...
im sorry to changing the topic a little... and BTW i want to do Classic NS maps or maybe a Co map...
and BTW if they have the manual on spanish is a big plus!!!
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BrownyMaster
Post subject:Posted: Aug 06, 2006 - 06:19 PM
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I think most mappers learn how to make a map on their own by messing around. I never bothered to make CS maps but when I played NS it seemed like a good idea. I worked on a co map named co_alpo that never got finished due to me nto knowing how to do anything, but after that I made my first map to ever get on a server, ns_calvinsiege. Meh, I should go find the rmf and work on it. It was an ok map, and now that I think about it, I spent a week on it. A lousy week, and the doors didn't work in the first playtest.... heh. At least v5 worked.
BTW, i'll update how to set up tools and stuff now.
I really need to work on my old old project, ns_sod_b1. Guess what SOD stands for
Also, cronxs, i've updated to incluide tools so you can look at that. I believe theres a v2.1 guide to make NS maps somehwere. Really good to learn how to use NS specific entities.
UHU i finished my first little map for HL... now i need to learn more complex stuff about it... and then jumping to ns who now i think it wont be that complicated... (maybe it is)
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TooCuteBabyHeadcrab
Post subject:Posted: Aug 30, 2006 - 11:29 PM
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You know I've been mapping for 2 years now and I just learned how to make a door, thanks a lot for the info.
Magnet
Post subject:Posted: Dec 15, 2006 - 04:04 AM
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Time for magnet to make a new map... at least learn how to make one... hmmm take me about half a year..... ns_magsiege..... sweet. Lol
_________________ Michael Phelps
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Blankster
Post subject:Posted: Dec 15, 2006 - 04:42 AM
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A tutorial on how to make maps by brownymaster.....
Jesus do they just let anyone post on the internet these days?
_________________ iba: that was the first time a chick ever tried to put her finger in my ass while giving me a blow job
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BrownyMaster
Post subject:Posted: Dec 15, 2006 - 05:02 AM
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LAWL bump ftw.
This is not about structure, which makes or breaks a map. And not about textures and lighting either, which causes eye cancer. It's about entity setup and basic components.
[I AM] turnip
Post subject:Posted: Dec 15, 2006 - 08:16 AM
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Joined: Feb 17, 2006
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Make a decent map browny without eye cancer and with good lighting and ill give you a cookie.
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Magnet
Post subject:Posted: Dec 16, 2006 - 04:57 AM
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Lol magnet will make maps better then anyone.. (Clue: no eye cancer) gonna take me awhile to get this map going and make it fair.... mite need sum help on it...
_________________ Michael Phelps
[I AM] Thats Enough wrote:
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BrownyMaster
Post subject:Posted: Dec 16, 2006 - 06:55 AM
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I hope everyone realizes eye cancer's problem was textures. They were at max color (255 etc) so little light makes them glow.
Magnet
Post subject:Posted: Dec 16, 2006 - 01:15 PM
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Make it lower then
_________________ Michael Phelps
[I AM] Thats Enough wrote:
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[I AM] turnip
Post subject:Posted: Dec 16, 2006 - 03:58 PM
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Magnet, if you need any help (if you do get round to making a map) just ask and ill help.
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Magnet
Post subject:Posted: Dec 16, 2006 - 05:26 PM
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Lol ok.... imma make it PERFECT before I release this siege map..
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