map lighting question

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map lighting question

G'day all.
I have recently returned to mapping and have forgotten more than I care to admit. I'm an old fart so go easy on me. lol
 
What's the best compiler set-up to do ambient light without it taking forever? I recently tried to compile with the Light set to "final" and twelve hours later it was still compiling. I know it was always a long process but that was years ago with a much slower computer and never twelve bloody hours.
In Radiant I use the "BSP_All" option.
I have made night maps before but can't remember how.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
 
P.S. Sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum.

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

You can use this one to compile the maps i dont know if will be faster to compile or not:
 

Re: map lighting question

ppfftthththththttpp (spits iced tea across monitor) hahaha
 
12 hrs lol
Yes what doublekill said.
 
Also keep eye on the directory settings. My MBuilder has a tendency to change them when first loading the program.
Maybe because I have a stripped down copy of the game in a directory that's not the default idk
 
I think the longest it's taken me is around 7 minutes maybe, but I have 12 GB of ram and that can make a difference as well
 
 
Also don't forget to remove custom skins or other mods unrelated to what your working on, things go wonky sometimes Tongue
 
Please keep asking questions if you need to we'll help all we can, and remember the forum is upgrading if you can't do something on a particular day.

Re: map lighting question

Cheers for the responses.
Thanks doublekill. I have both MBuilder and MOH Pile and even made my own compile program, years ago.  Nothing wrong with either program but MBuilder keeps going back to the "Single Player" option after every start.
 
Major_A, Perfect answer to my question, thank you. As I was chasing the best compiler "set-up". I'll give that a go.
 
Thanks again guys. Much appreciated.

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

It's still compiling two and a half hours later but I have found the problem. Besides the fact that Kaspersky decided to download upgrades to the database during compiling.
Excessive "NumVisBytes 54324648 exceeds 2097152" lol More than double even though I covered the map with Vis_Leafgroups manually. I managed to knock it down by 3,000,000 bytes just by resizing the leafgroups but that's not enough so I'll try it without Vis_Leafgroups.
 
Edit: Deleting the Vis Leafgroups only got it down to 40,000,000+. Sad

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

I had something I similiar  when I converted my second map,
idk if it will help but select all your lighting and lower the brightness and see what that does.
 
Queestion: does the map compiler you made do other q3maps? and will it decompile these and other q3maps?
 
this is something I think some of us have been looking for as well.

Re: map lighting question

Also I understand you've mapped before but just in case there is a little secret or tip, check these
I've only briefly messed with vis and I overlapped one and it acted funny so I imagine it's touchy somewhat.
 
 
 
 

Re: map lighting question

Thanks Major_A I'll give that a go.
 
The compiler I made has only ever been used for MOH. I'm not sure of the q3maps setup for compiling but I'm assuming it's the same. If so, it'll take nothing to change my compiler to also load q3maps or any file extension type. Do they have the ".map" extension or is it specifically ".q3maps" or something else all together?
 
My compiler is pretty much the same as MOHpile or MBuilder (a batch file maker) however it remembers your last compiled map and settings. Saves scrolling and selecting the map over and over again with each compile. Same with the compile settings. For example MBuilder is always set to SP no matter how many times you change it and restart the program. Just niggly crap that drives me mad. lol
No sorry, it doesn't decompile bsp files into map files. I wouldn't know where to begin making such a program.
There is a "BSP2MAP" program already available and I have it if you like. I haven't used it in years but I recall it was pretty sloppy in that each textured face of a brush became a separate brush in itself. You spent more time removing duplicate brushes and re-texturing than what it takes to make the map from scratch. lol I suppose it was something to work with, though. I'd love to have the open source for that in VB.

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

I selected all of the lights in my map and reduced the brightness from 50 to 10. No difference in the VisNumBytes. Sad

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

Well that stinks, I was hoping the lighting might have helped even though it's probly no relation to your error..
If I remember right my error was a vis_lighting and reducing the light level fixed mine, so wasn't sure.
 
On the topic of q3maps, almost any game that uses a .map file of is quake based can be used in moh.
Some have brush coords missing and need 0's added and then brushes start showing up in radient.
On that note my second map done was converted from Jedi Knight. Still unfinished atm because of summertime.
 
I asked about decompile because the bsp2map creates all those extra brushes and to my
knowledge there isn't one that doesn't so I was only curious about it because it could be a game changer so to speak.
 
Hopefully one of those vis tuts will help solve your error.
I'll pass it on to someone else as well they may know what to try, not sure but maybe.
 

Re: map lighting question

Thanks again kind sir.
 
The map finally compiled correctly last night. Just over an hour and has come with the intended lighting. All is good. Whoohoo! lol
 
Although I would like to get the Vis perfect and know exactly which brushed should be structural and which should be detail.

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

Geez I didn't even see the message you wrote with the three links. Thanks mate.
That third link is new to me "Manual Vis Help" and by far the best explained and easiest to understand. Well written.
 
The link to your map takes me to another forum. TWZ FragZone.
 
Edit:
BTW, Vis can overlap other Vis. Several of them can also be totally inside a larger VisLeafgroup.
For example: You can have several buildings close to one another each with their own Vis inside the exterior walls.Then have them all in a huge Vis blocking the view from the opposite corners of the map. It helps if the map has obstructions in the view path so areas don't just suddenly pop-up into view as you approach them.

We don't stop playing games because we get old.  We only get old when we stop playing games.

Re: map lighting question

Ok first, what fixed your compile I'm curiouse?
 
When I had a vis overlap weird thing I think it was on a map I had started to convert from Jedi Knight again.
 
Also glad it worked. It sounds huge if it took an hr to compile lol. can't wait to test it!
 
Which brings me to this, the other link to map took you to the blog section where you can post news on what your working on
and maybe get some feedback from testing or posting completed map announcment in blog after it gets into the database.
 
I think there was a link in there to where we post our nightly mappacks for what server we are playing in. You can find me there to if needed.
Just check the teamspeak block on the homepage there.
 
Here is direct link to the map I was going to. It had a BUTTLOAD of unneeded lighting and caused a compile lighting error of which I forget lol