Now live in Steam!
They've included three badass architectural style guides in the sample maps, and also added a pretty major new feature to hammer - .vmf instancing! 
Left 4 Dead 2 Tools!
-
Downloading it now. Its great to have this, I can't wait to check out the new weather features have some ideas for how I want to use those.
-
Quote from KungFuSquirrel
... a pretty major new feature to hammer - .vmf instancing!
I don't own L4D2, what's the .vmf instancing?
-
It's similar to using prefabs, only instead of adding a group of objects directly to the level, it adds instanced references to separate .vmf files. Any changes you make to the source .vmf file automatically updates everywhere you've instanced it, and the instanced geometry and entities are added to your level at compile time. It's pretty much the best feature ever added to Hammer. You can use it on the small prefab level, where you have lots of repeated objects all referencing a single file - for example, a light prop with player clip brushes and light entities. It's also good for large objects, where you can have an entire building at a weird angle in your level, but reference an axially-built file for any changes you need to make. And it'd work great in a team setting, where you could instance out entire chunks of a level for someone to work on in a separate file, and have their changes automatically update in the main file.
Infinity Ward has had this for a while in COD and it lets them do some insane stuff that would be brushmonkey suicide otherwise... Should open up some really badass possibilities for L4D2 work. Hopefully they'll be kind enough to roll it back into TF2...
-
Quote from KungFuSquirrel
It's similar to using prefabs, only instead of adding a group of objects directly to the level, it adds instanced references to separate .vmf files. Any changes you make to the source .vmf file automatically updates everywhere you've instanced it, and the instanced geometry and entities are added to your level at compile time. It's pretty much the best feature ever added to Hammer. You can use it on the small prefab level, where you have lots of repeated objects all referencing a single file - for example, a light prop with player clip brushes and light entities. It's also good for large objects, where you can have an entire building at a weird angle in your level, but reference an axially-built file for any changes you need to make. And it'd work great in a team setting, where you could instance out entire chunks of a level for someone to work on in a separate file, and have their changes automatically update in the main file.Infinity Ward has had this for a while in COD and it lets them do some insane stuff that would be brushmonkey suicide otherwise... Should open up some really badass possibilities for L4D2 work. Hopefully they'll be kind enough to roll it back into TF2...
That's really cool
The level editor I use at ubisoft (which is fairly simple) has had this feature forever though 
-
I want that shit for TF2. NOW.
-
Too bad the Instancing dialogue is broken as per usual Valve.
(You have to type the filename/path by hand instead of using Browse and hitting Ok)
-
Quote from KungFuSquirrel
It's also good for large objects, where you can have an entire building at a weird angle in your level, but reference an axially-built file for any changes you need to make.
Woop.
-
Finally. Referencing is a sweet new feature if it works. No more clipping the angles - works well in Radiant.
-
Sounds also great for reusing stuff. Or working precodural while just changing 1 file.
-
So 3 years later valve decided to add old ideas used by loads of other editors already. Nice :monocle:
-
Quote from dux
So 3 years later valve decided to add old ideas used by loads of other editors already. Nice :monocle:
Atleast when they make it, it WORKS.
err.. wait...
-
Aww christ, they go and add this right when I'm done working with Source. I would have KILLED for this feature a couple of years back. I resorted to horribly contrived visgroup structures to mass change lighting/entity setups and therefore achieve something approximating the same effect, but obviously that was never applicable to geometry. Not only that, but hammer even had trouble with visgroups - add too many and you end up with the whole visgroup system of your map breaking and the need to manually remove visgroups using notepad to get them working again!
Still, nice development for them to add. I guess they're not quite done with source yet then...
-
I almost feel like making a campaign.
-
There was a rumour about being able to customize weapons, characters etc for custom l4d2 campaigns, we all know this is not true for current release. While it doesnt sound Valve-ish at all to give that kind of scripting powa I find it reasonable for this to be available once "The Passing" DLC is out (l4d2+l4d1 characters in one campaign).
These SDK upgrades are nice, especially vmf instancing.
-
CS:S weapons available in game now.
Anyone know how to use the heatmaps feature?
-
Quote from Buddy
There was a rumour about being able to customize weapons, characters etc for custom l4d2 campaigns, we all know this is not true for current release. While it doesnt sound Valve-ish at all to give that kind of scripting powa I find it reasonable for this to be available once "The Passing" DLC is out (l4d2+l4d1 characters in one campaign).These SDK upgrades are nice, especially vmf instancing.
They've added a scripting entity called logic_script so maybe this will allow more room for modifications.
-
this what the rumour was all about though:
Code
Display MoreaddonContent_BackgroundMovie 0 //Provides a replacement for the background movie. addonContent_Survivor 0 //Provides a new survivor model. 0=false, 1=true, String in quotes if replaces specific single character, i.e. "Francis" addonContent_BossInfected 0 //Provides a new boss infected model. Break these out? addonContent_CommonInfected 0 //Provides a new common infected model addonContent_WeaponModel 0 //Provides a new appearance to existing weapons, but does not change their function addonContent_weapon 0 //provides new weapons or new zombie killing functionality, i.e. guns, explosives, booby traps, hot tar, addonContent_Skin 0 //0 if no new skin textures for existing models. 1 if multiple skin pack. String in quotes if specific single skin addonContent_Spray 0 //Provides new sprays. addonContent_Map 0 //Add-on provides a standalone map -
Quote from Buddy
this what the rumour was all about though:
Code
Display MoreaddonContent_BackgroundMovie 0 //Provides a replacement for the background movie. addonContent_Survivor 0 //Provides a new survivor model. 0=false, 1=true, String in quotes if replaces specific single character, i.e. "Francis" addonContent_BossInfected 0 //Provides a new boss infected model. Break these out? addonContent_CommonInfected 0 //Provides a new common infected model addonContent_WeaponModel 0 //Provides a new appearance to existing weapons, but does not change their function addonContent_weapon 0 //provides new weapons or new zombie killing functionality, i.e. guns, explosives, booby traps, hot tar, addonContent_Skin 0 //0 if no new skin textures for existing models. 1 if multiple skin pack. String in quotes if specific single skin addonContent_Spray 0 //Provides new sprays. addonContent_Map 0 //Add-on provides a standalone mapThat's fucking awesome!
-
I'm surprised at how long it takes to do a full compile of the demo maps even with a "high end" machine
Participate now!
Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!