Two maps are getting the treatment today — ctf_squarebox and ctf_slide.
If you’ve never heard of them it’s probably because I made them over the past couple days. Yeah, I’m pretty much making maps now. I’m a map maker. That’s me. That’s how I roll.
In all seriousness, I’ve had very little exposure to the SDK and Hammer, so this series of YouTube tutorials by PH4T3 here was very helpful. By the way, it’s pronounced “Fate”. I was calling him “Fat-3″. I’m not very hip or with it. Anyway, there are seven of them so far — I’m hoping there will be many more — and they cover the absolute basics a noob like me needed to get started: how to make a basic compilable map (a room with a skybox), a respawn area, a resupply locker, working doors, windows, stairs, intel and capture points, and a few other things you need to get started from scratch.
So, let’s take a look at squarebox! Squarebox, as promised is squarish and boxy, and about as ugly as the inside of a hobo’s butt.
It consists of two bases, which are really just spawn rooms and are notable for the fact that I don’t yet know how to prevent the RED team from running into the BLU team’s spawn, which would result in a lot of severe spawncamping if anyone ever played it, which no one ever will or would.
This shot takes you inside the blue spawn, where you can see a window with a nice view of the intel on an ugly platform thing, a decal on the wall that I had to put there because I kept forgetting which team’s spawn room I was working on, a resupply locker — it works! — and a door that took me a really long time to get to work but now it works. You can also see part of the floor has a different texture and I have no idea why that is but frankly, it’s about the only personality this map has.
The red spawn room is similar, only it’s a different color (red!)
But the really exciting thing about this map, the thing that sets it apart from all the other maps out there, is the set of stairs almost dead smack in the middle of the map. This is where the main action will take place if there’s ever any action on this map which there never will be.
Just look at that design work. The craftsmanship. Note how the stairs almost all touch each other seamlessly except where there’s huge seams and gaps.
Still, everything functions. You can spawn, run across, pick up the intel, and score it, so hey, working map. It’s step one.
Step two is ctf_slide. My approach for slide was to slow things down a bit. Rather than just crudely throw together the essentials, I thought I’d start in one specific room — the red spawn room — and pimp it out. Add all the props and entities and everything, really spend a couple hours doing nothing but this one room.
So, I did. And everything was looking fine. Not terribly original, of course — just lockers and benches and a scale and a towel rack and little vents on the walls, but still, kinda nice, I think. So, I complied it up and jumped in to take a look.
Hm. Okay, it’s more original than I thought, what with the thoughtfully arranged giant red ERROR messages, but not quite the look I was going for. I see the problem — I was creating detail props instead of static props. I think. I don’t actually know the difference, but I think that’s why the clock is the only thing that actually showed up — it’s the only static prop. At least (one of the two) resupply cabinets work! The door doesn’t, however. Ah well, it only took me three hours to do everything wrong — next time I’m sure I’ll do every wrong much more quickly.
Despite the setbacks, I’m enjoying using Hammer and I’ll continue working on my map. Thanks — big thanks — to PH4T3 for the tutorials — they’re just the pace I’m looking for and the only time I’ve had problems was was when I skipped ahead or simply didn’t follow the instructions. I hope to see more of these. Maybe one on um… props? That’d be cool.
Another thing I could use is a way to see only TF2 textures and props and things while I’m making my map. One of the things that takes so long when looking for walls or floors or whatever is having to browse through all the textures from all the Valve games. If anyone knows how to filter out everything but TF2 stuff, lemme know in the comments.
EDIT: Yup, that was the problem. Fixed it. Go me.
EDIT: Door still doesn’t work. Go me less.
EDIT: I fixed the door! Go me at the originally agreed upon amount!
24 responses so far ↓
1 ImperialCreed // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Fun little read, thanks for linking to those tutorial vids. I’ve been tinkering a bit with Hammer but haven’t been able to get much out of it. This may be because I didn’t know what I was doing, but thanks to you that’s all changed!
2 nebuchandezzar // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Its still sunday here,
I demand reimbursement for blatant lying,
like a new comic…….????
3 Pentadact // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:21 pm
If it’s anything like mapping Portal, in the texture browser you should be able to enter ‘tf2′ (or similar) as a keyword or a filter, and that’ll do it. Basically there’s a box where I type ‘Portal’ each time and it shows me only Portal textures. There’s probably a better way to do it.
4 Slamhound // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:25 pm
That’s it, there is a ‘tf2′ filter in the texture browser (Might be “tf” though, can’t exactly remember).
5 Mike // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Man, what next? World Peace? Is that what’s next?
Eh?
6 scrimpy // Apr 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Type tf in the filter.
Also,
1. developer.valvesoftware.com
2. Never use the carve tool, while it may come in handy, carving more complex structures like cylinders will ruin your brushwork, cause brush errors in the final product, make compile times incredibly long
Otherwise, I’m looking forward to this
7 [@] Chronos[Ha-G] // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I was wondering what you were doing in SDK so much recently…
(I’d have asked, but I figured it would be a bad time to bother someone, actually creating things)
8 Draco_2k // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Didn’t quite imagine to find actual helpful info on mapping here of all places.
Thanks.
9 Christopher // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Hm. I was finding the carve tool useful for doors and windows.
10 Lemonpieman // Apr 27, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Awesome, your making maps!
11 MK // Apr 27, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Is it possible that you are creating maps to use for a comic? Eh, eh?
12 Ninja // Apr 27, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Funny, I see 8 videos not 7.
Did you miss advanced room design?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbo2Ww3oICQ
13 Christopher // Apr 27, 2008 at 10:13 pm
He must have just added that eighth one. It’s not really advanced, it just goes over doorways and windows again using carve. Plus, there’s techno music playing the whole time.
14 jordan // Apr 27, 2008 at 10:33 pm
yeh those maps you made look kinda fun, maybe you could make some more so- START THE DAMNED TF2 COMIC ALREADY!!!
15 Encephalon // Apr 27, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Why did you shoot your brand new room in the floor?
16 Punjabi Fury // Apr 28, 2008 at 12:30 am
Yeah I used PH4T3’s video as well. Useful stuff. I can’t map for toffee though.
17 Baggie // Apr 28, 2008 at 1:56 am
If you’re looking for specific things, there’s a really good resource page at http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?p=6379
It taught me how to map well and good.
18 Gothic // Apr 28, 2008 at 6:28 am
“Just look at that design work. The craftsmanship. Note how the stairs almost all touch each other seamlessly except where there’s huge seams and gaps.”
Oh god I laughed out really loud at that.
Go Chris!
19 Christopher // Apr 28, 2008 at 6:34 am
Ooh, thanks Baggie! Your link has cliff tutorials and a flowing water tutorial, two things I want on my map. Plus, the guy who did the Jinxed map wrote several of them. Great link!
20 Maximillian Riese // Apr 28, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Since you’re a scout in the last picture, I have to say.
“Oh man, dat’s beautiful.”
21 john w // Apr 28, 2008 at 2:05 pm
just type ‘tf’ in the keywords box :)
22 zealot_guy // Apr 28, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I prefer to leave the map creation to the programers who know what the fuck they are doing. I just kill things.
23 chris12 // Apr 28, 2008 at 8:40 pm
well, nice map
24 Smee // Apr 29, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Would it be possible to put up a download link for squarebox, and schedule a little bash one evening through a steam group? Basic, yes, but I doubt it stops it being any less fun. The, ahem, spartan design would at least make for some very stripped-down combat.
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