do you only have to merge once, or every time you want to compile? And do the compile times really drop enough to make up for the time spent merging? 

Only once. But I am impatient!

Problem solved - I have dug my old PC out of the cupboard and I am getting on with the next section of the map whilst the one-time merge of the terrain section is run on the old machine. Now it doesn't matter if it takes two days.

Also, having played around with aguiRe's lighting program, I now know that I can build the whole thing from smaller sections and will not have a lighting consistency problem when I join the maps at a later stage.

Finally, and this would also solve a lot of the issues for me, I seem to remember playing a set of maps that were linked through one map. Rather like a start map that you returned to and the effects of your previous visits were still evident e.g. the bodies remained, doors were still open, ammo that you took on a previous visit were not replaced.

Have I got the right game? 

However, numerous solutions to 'hub' maps have been bandied about over on http://forums.inside3d.com
I think the consensus is that you can do it for a very few objects with minor QC patching, or for more objects only with engine modding. 

...back to the 12,000 brush map then. 

In my next version of Light, I've added something I call local minlight which may help joining together map parts that have different ambient requirements.

Local minlight is created by new delay 4 lights that are similar to delay 3 lights, but non-additive and they can go below the global minlight. These lights "cast minlight" which I hope can be quite useful.

This makes it rather flexible in creating different ambient levels in different areas. 

... how about how kind of 'range' keyvalue on it? 

'Finally, and this would also solve a lot of the issues for me, I seem to remember playing a set of maps that were linked through one map.'

Was it The Demon King perhaps? 

That's an excellent idea. 

#1288 posted by HeadThump [65.140.55.94] on 2004/03/01 16:29:34
I had no idea UD has single player capabilaties. I have some older levels on my harddrive I could fix up for the mod...

Great, currently the download times are insane on fileplanet. Post your email here and i'll get in contact with you. Use spam bot protection.
namedon'tspammeyousickbastards@location.com

Thanks, as 

Actually, I shouldn't have any problems downloading it, but if you want to reach me directly alanr643@msn.com should suffice.

I worked on a retexturing project this weekend, so it will be later in the week that I can rework those maps for you -- let's shoot for Thursday (and if my honey Leah Remini's butt gets any bigger, maybe even Wednesday). 

Thanks aguirRe.

HeadThump, no I've never played Demon King. I was sure it was a Quake level 'cause I remember thinking how convenient it was: I build my maps big which leads to problems but if you could transport between smaller maps without re-setting everything...

Managed to reduce the 12,000 brushes to 856, so BspEditor Merge Brushes really does work even if slowly. And it wasn't crashing, if the mouse or keyboard was used, the display simply stopped showing the number of brushes being checked. I noticed this because the hard drive light continued to flick. So, leave it alone and show some patience.

Finally, I remember a map or mod with particularly accurate Ogres - either it was the grenades being lobbed a long way or they were using rocket launchers/bazookers. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

Regards, Mike 

Thanks, I will take a look. 

The Demon King is a Q1SP pak, look here: http://www.gamers.org/pub/idgames2/partial_conversions/tdk11.zip

Can't say I liked it though, especially its inter-map handling was bad and critical gameflow paths went via unmarked func_illusionaries etc. 

12000 to 856?
how does that work?! 

Mmmmm, seven years ago this was probably a great map to play. I had not seen it before.

AguiRe, I know you are very good at English, and I know the last sentence is English, and I recognise all of the words, and I know I should understand but I still don't understand "critical gameflow paths went via unmarked func_illusionaries". Is this something I, as a mapper of mediocre ability, should worry about?

What on earth is an unmarked func_illusionary? 

I haven't got a clue how the program works, but watching the disply suggests that it is taking each brush in turn and checking every other brush in the map to see if it can 'merge' the two. You have the option to merge selected brushes, those only with matching textures or those that fullfill some rather technical numerical parameters, which are way beyond my comprehension. After I had shut down all background tasks, it took about 4 hours to do.

It probably has a very clever algorithm to avoid double checking as one of the counters goes from 1 to the maximum number of brushes, and the other seems to always count to a number less than the maximum number.

The program was written by Yahn Bernier who is now on the Half Life2 (or is it Doom3) team. I have always used his editor it has the most Micrsoft feel of all that I have seen. Ooops, I might have given something away there.

Its only drawback is that the 3D window draws fairly slowly i.e. the more brushes in your map, the longer it takes to walk around, hence me always wanting to compile regularly to view the map.

Hope that helps. 

sentence was my [obviously] bad attempt to describe a situation in one of the tdk maps.

You had to cross a bridge by walking beside it (in thin air) and right after that, you had to "know" that you should walk right into a seemingly solid rock wall (unmarked) and thus find the path onwards to the next part of this puzzle pak.

Thus gameflow was very confusing, since you sometimes had to use invisible clipbrushes for support and then stumble through a func_illusionary brush to proceed.

Play the pak and you'll probably see what I mean. 

Ah, now I understand. It is not my kind of map at all: I have never liked attempts to mimic reality e.g. trees, normal buildings, furniture etc. Also wide open spaces with nothing going on.

Like I said earlier, seven years ago this was probably the dogs but some of our current mappers have moved everything on light-years ahead of this.

The only time I can remember clip-brushes alone being used for support successfully was in a map with an Indiana Jones theme and you had to cross a chasm using a 'leap of faith', just like Indie did :-) 

I e-mailed you re your mod but BT bounced it? 

have some conceptually good ideas.

but the implementation was poor.

resulting in a somewhat frustrating experience. 

Mike: yeah, typo in the e-mail in the readme there, should be andrew not andre. Hopefully that should get it through. 

Am I the only one who gets reminded of bananas by the name "The Demon King"? 

You are. 

Field hockey. 

Google claims this is the Demon King. and I agree!

http://www.nongnit.net/khonmask/kmynn003c.JPG