Ok, so I just make a "frame" of a custom map. But, whenever I load it up in singleplayer (the 'create a server' thing, because there's no console) I can't spawn, and a few seconds later, after it loads, it switches back to the loading screen, and it says "Establishing connection to server" and is suck there until I end it with the Task Manager. Please help ASAP! Oh, and also, I did place spawns and a emp_info_params.
so you have 1x NF CV 1x NF RAX 1x BE CV 1x BE RAX 1x emp_info_params 1x emp_map_overview and the map isnt leaking?
Well, I do now. On a different note, I noticed that the barracks, all the buildings, really, seem like they're really hard to line up with the ground. It doesn't help that my map is on uneven ground because I used TerraGen. Is there a way to tell where to put the building?
on flat surfaces (youll need those to place buildings later in game anyway) if you use the origin to place buildings its exactly like the comm would drop them in game
Ok, how do I change the height map gen'd by TerraGen to make flat surfaces? I just compiled the map and tested it, and I can select my team and everything, but I can't spawn. Could that have something to do with the minimap? I don't have one yet. I'm also getting these weird shadows...
Screw TerraGen. Just make a black and white picture in something like Paint.net or photoshop (i.e. more black = lower and more white = higher). Make areas you want flat as the same shade. Also, you can sometimes make an area 'flatter' by using the smooth function for displacements. You just have to make sure there are no large cliffs or holes within the area you are smoothing.
Scardy, how do I make it smooth, though? I think that if you do white, right next to black, it'll screw up. And that's what you're saying.
Ok, I got the map to run, but, I CAN'T OPEN THE FREAKING CONSOLE. Therefore, I can't run the commands needed to make a minimap, like cl_leveloverview 32, etc. How do I open the console in empires?
Same as with every HL2 game. Either add the -console to the end of the launch options or go to the Multiplayer tab in the options and click enable console. As for terrain, Use the "Raise to" function of the paint geometry on the displacement tool. Decide what the elevations will be for the map, like 0, 500, and 1000. This will give more of a smooth steep sloped hill, all you need is to smooth out the edges just a touch. This is similar to how games like starcraft use 3 levels of elevation for their maps. The concept isn't the prettiest, but it's effective in making the barriers, though sometimes not completely fullproof. I would suggest not making very tall cliffs (anything taller than 750 or so) with just this method, as the textures will approach the limit as to how far you can move them without stretching. But yeah, if you set the "Raise to" value to specific heights with the base level of all the displacements the same, then smooth them out, it looks alright. However, nothing really beats actually making a displacement cliff that is based on a vertical face. If you can do it, it looks much better when textured.
Oh, I didn't know that enable console was in the mutiplayer, now. But, as of right now, I can't even load the map to get the minimap. It closes right after "Initializing World". After that, I think, is "Loading Resources" so I'll delete my temp minimap and see if that works.
You do different shades (which most more-advanced-than-paint programs should be able to do). 100% white = the highest point on your map 100% black = the lowest point on your map 50% black (or 50% white) = the middle height point on your map Essentially, you're making a picture which different shades of gray that represent different heights on your map. If you want a smooth and flat surface, make the area the same shade. If you want a smooth incline or decline, make a gradient between different shades of gray (i.e. gradient from 10% to 20% black would make a flat incline).
Ok, I've deleted my temp minimap, and it still crashes. No error, nothing. Just closes. If it helps, I saw that the loading meter went BACK one bar right before it crashed.
It's crashing due to a map error. Check your compile log with the error checker found on interlopers. http://www.interlopers.net/errors/ If you need the latest compile log for your map, hammer logs it in a single file named after your map. It should be named the same thing as your map, and i believe it will store multiple compile logs of the same name in a single file. Please understand that there are about 5000 reasons why your map could be crashing. there is a 100% chance that it is your fault as well. We need more than "It's crashing" to help you, just as we need more than "I can't place buildings well on uneven terrain" or whatever you've been saying. Give us something to work with you here. A VMF is a great start.
Nothing showed up when I posted the compile log. Here's the VMF: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=1cf5b37d6c0948f9d1014a7a667fa2b4f1b0891c630039794ca8d2a77d7aad89
The orange box added a feature for textures that detaches the texture position from the displacement vertices, which prevents texture streching.
