OaR - Loop Mod

General Development Source 1
#201

Here’s the last of my feedback.

Feedback for On a Rail Loop Mod RC DOS(continued)

  1. Not sure if you can do anything about this, but at the very end of the map, there is a little bit of z-fighting here. https://i.imgur.com/PzgkltO.jpg
  2. In this area, this door needs to be lit up. https://i.imgur.com/exxBdvQ.jpg
  3. Similiar to Dadster’s feedback issue #82, I think this light is a little bit too far to the left. Please center it.
#202

Barf. Well, it’s safe to say that my interest in mapping has burned out. Not really surprising though, since it’s come and gone in the past and this is the single biggest project I’ve taken to date. Could I have been more prompt? Yes. Do I regret not being prompt? Not really.

Either way, I think it would be a good idea for me to put this project to bed for good. There is still one more thing I want to check up on before I do the last compile though, but hopefully the final version will be up tonight.

Until then, have some replies.

On the revisited issues, to be honest, I forgot all about it. I think the lighting will be fine, though.

For issue 15, not really. The glass is breakable in-game now and I had no difficulty reading it. Honestly, I doubt making it white would help.

For issue 35, I’ve reconsidered… and the answer is still no. Sorry. :3

For issue 47, I actually go into that a little in one of the item replies. Look for it.

  1. Fixed.
  2. Pretty much the same story here as issue 47. Notice I said angled, not curved. Hammer World editor likes to work on an X and Y system, and most brushes you want to have mapped to the grid. Which, as you can imagine, makes triangles and any other non-quadrilateral a pain in the butt. This wall is no exception, and it’s really not possible for me to fix this particular issue without having to do some serious numbering.
  3. Fixed.
  4. Fixed.
  5. Semi-fixed. The end of the pipe now clips into the wall slightly. It will have to do.
  6. Fixed. What happened is that the devs didn’t rotate that texture by 90 degrees, because that whole thing is the exact same texture file. Believe me; some textures will have more than one section to their pictures, and this is one of those cases.
  7. Extremely simple brush-based z-fighting issue.
  8. Well, this one is a puzzle, because I can’t remove the handrail under the table without removing the whole railing outside. Add on to that the fact that if the box contacts the wall, the railings becomes exposed. The only real fix for this is to shorten the railing. …This will create a z-fighting issue, and I will have to live with it, but thankfully the more pressing problem will be fixed.
  9. Z-fighting issue where track sides extended into the wall. Fixed.
  10. Nah, I’ll leave that one alone.
  11. Fixed.
  12. Done.
  13. Fixed.
  14. Done
  15. No, because they are still on angled surfaces. You cannot forget about the z-axis.
  16. Fixed.
  17. I haven’t checked for it, but I know why that corner is missing. There just happens to be a hint brush there and it cuts along that exact line. Why it is making part of the texture disappear, I have no freaking clue. For now I’ve moved the hatch over a tile so that they don’t intersect anymore.
  18. This is because there really where two rail props occupying the same space. Fixed, obviously.
  19. Fixed.
  20. Fixed.
  21. Fixed.
  22. Fixed.
  23. I actually almost did this, because yes, it does make design sense. But from a gameplay perspective it’s so much easier if the player is able to jump into the water, without having to climb over a railing or something.
  24. That’s not really a concern, frankly.
  25. Fixed
  26. I can place an info_lighting there to see if it helps. I don’t know if it will help any though.
  27. Fixed.
  28. I don’t know the first thing about wires, so I have to say “Zuh.” to that.
  29. Nah. The vents are centered relative to the ceiling area.
  30. Fixed.
  31. In consider that entire section transition area. Nothing I can do about it.
  32. Sadly, same situation as 78.
  33. Fixed. Going to say this now though; setpos doesn’t really help me. I work much better with pictures. That’s all~
  34. Decals. Unpredictable little buggers. Useful, but unpredictable.
  35. I happened to know this one was off, because the room right across the from the security office was initially copied from this one. The off-center lighting went as well.
  36. Shouldn’t need anything more than an info_lighting there. Consider it fixed.
  37. I think it would look even worse if it were below the cladding. So I’m not going to touch these.
  38. Fixed
  39. Fixed. Although the pipe now clips into the trim at the top, but that’s complete acceptable.
  40. Fixed.
  41. Fixed. Funnily enough though, I have no idea if your post made this catch my attention or if I happened to randomly find this issue and fixed it earlier.
  42. Funnily enough, it was because everything else in the room was wrong. Fixed.
  43. Fixed.
  44. Fixed.
  45. O_o. Uh… It’s too small…
  46. Actually, they do. Check again.

Fixed all of these except for 23, which is in the transitional area. And you probably know by now my stance on transitional areas :stuck_out_tongue:

#203

Hi .RK. I just want to say that you have done a great job working on On a Rail Loop Mod and I’ve been very happy to help you out with it. I’ll play the final version of your mod when it’s released.

#204

Superlative job .RK!

Sorry to heap all of that feedback on ya, but you asked for it! A good portion of the issues were in areas that were originally produced by the BMS Devs. Hopefully, they’ll incorporate these sames fixes into BMS sometime in the future.

Thanks for your patient and tireless efforts and for taking the time to “fix’n what t’was broke”. It’s so gratifying to see that all my hard work and efforts are rewarded by your motivated dedication to and implementation of my feedbacks, and those submitted by others.

Looking forward to your final release and playing it with all of the improvements. Should be very enjoyable!!!

Once again, my deepest thanks. :smiley: :slight_smile:

#205

https://www.moddb.com/mods/black-mesa-on-a-rail-loop-mod

I thought it will be compatible with OaR Uncut?

#206

It is, there are 2 versions included, the one inside the folders goes to c2a2b, and the one outside the folders goes to c2a2a1 (OARU).

It says it in the readme, it’s a bit cluttered, but it’s in there.

#207

Hi .RK. Just played through the final version of the loop mod and I thought you did a great job. However, I have some pieces of feedback for it.

Feedback for On a Rail Loop Mod (Final Version)

  1. In this area, I believe that the lighting for this light needs to be consistent with the other lights in this area in the very beginning of the map. https://i.imgur.com/51wCfJ2.jpg
  2. Good job centering this light, but the light emission is off to the right. Please center that as well.
  3. There is z-fighting in the beginning of your loop mod. Here’s 3 images to show the z-fighting more clearly.
    A. https://i.imgur.com/LgT3KN1.jpg
    B. https://i.imgur.com/NYCVTJE.jpg
    C. https://i.imgur.com/SyPxqRE.jpg
  4. In this area, this part of the track has a little bit of z-fighting. https://i.imgur.com/ZH408MY.jpg & https://i.imgur.com/SpOnjyD.jpg
  5. In this area, this is not quite aligned to the pipe unlike this one.

Edit: Please implement this when Xen is released.

#208

@ .RK

I’ve found 1/2 dozen or so minor issues, some of which were supposedly fixed. Let me know if you want me to post them.

#209

I didn’t actually forget, I just wanted to make a proper last post on the project. But… it was 4AM at the time and I had a long day ahead of me so I had to put that off. Again, my initiative to map is pretty gone now, despite how proud of the map I am.

But anyways,

[COLOR=‘Red’]The final version is now up for download!
You can find it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q8ik53e37wgefxt/LoopMod.zip[/size]

As always please go over the readme. It contains important installation instructions.

Although it’s probably just a bit redundant at this point, since I’m willing to bet a good number of you got the jump on the ModDB download. But hey, I wanted a good quality post here.

On that note, I am hereby ending my involvement on Loop Mod, at least for the time being. I do expect though that I will revisit Loop Mod once Xen is complete and the game is updated, and I’ll probably take care of the issues then. So yes Dadster, please post them. It will be nice to have them documented somewhere where I can see them. But know this. I will not be doing anything. I won’t be editing the maps, I won’t be looking for the errors, and I won’t even reply. I don’t want to spend another minute editing/compiling.

But yeah, here we are. End of the line. I mean, what is there to say? It is… safe to say that I did not imagine I would reach this point? When I started this project 3 1/2 months ago (and I still remember the exact hour I started to, because the Oscars was on), I didn’t know what to expect.

And to be honest, I started out having no real motivation to begin with. Sure, those first couple days were where I mapped the most because I was on an adrenaline rush. But I knew better from my Portal mapping days that while I could make a decent map, I wasn’t anything special. Looking back now, it might have been because I wasn’t doing anything terribly unique.

And I also felt pretty intimidated by this project the more I got into it, because there is a lot more going on than in a Portal map. To go from those simple easy geometrys to detail of a Black Mesa standard is a pretty large jump. And then learning enemies, scripted sequences, ragdolls… and the list goes on. I’m still surprised how much I learned about mapping just from this little section addon. I know so much about the technicalities now (which will undoubtedly help me when I’m looking through Uncut for errors. …And Hazard course if/when they release a beta).

Which is why, without a doubt, I couldn’t have asked for a better community. Through all of your steadfast support, providing feeback and cheering me on, I definitely found the motivation to continue on. It feels great not to go forward in the dark, as you all illuminated the passage with the various bug reports. Hell, the fact that people were even interested in my work just blew me away. That’s awesome.

Special thanks to Dadster and PCGameCrazy for their mountains of feedback. Seriously, you two drove this thing into the ground. And it was a bit much at times but it was needed, and I greatly appreciate it.

Special thanks for TextFAMGUY1 for being a mapper, because I know there was no way I would have booted up Hammer if he hadn’t been doing so many awesome things with the Uncut projects. I know he hasn’t been in this thread much lately but I know it’s because he’s busy doing lots of other important things.

And special thanks for everyone else who has given me their support and feedback, because you are all the reason this project exists. The fact that you all are enjoying it and have taken the time again and again to see that it is improved makes the entire process – from the fun parts to the tedious parts – completely worth it.

Thanks for coming with me on this wild ride everyone. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to sap some enemy buildings and stab through an entire team.

Cheers!

#210

.RK, you might want to edit your original post so that others who want to download this don’t mistake the final version of your mod for the release candidate.

#211

Congratulations, .RK! Cheers!

#212

Congrats on the final release of your OaR Loop Mod. It’s fantastic and you should be very proud of what you accomplished. Kudos for maintaining your drive and focus through the good, and the bad and seeing this difficult project through to its fullest potential.

I can perfectly understand you wanting to walk away from it, and taking a break for the time being. Glad to hear that you’re willing to accept ongoing feedback that you’ll implement, following the upcoming BMS update release.

To that end, here is the start of my feedback for the OaR Loop v1.0 Final release (it’s turning out to be more than “a 1/2 dozen or so”). It’s comprised of old issues, that were supposedly fixed, and new issues that I’ve discovered. I’ll keep adding to it as I find any additional problems, in my subsequent playthroughs. The listing is in no particular order, and the images are all new. Thanks for allowing the community a further opportunity to improve and further polish your great mod.

=================================================

Feedback For OaR Loop v1.0 Final

  1. At level start, the rails on the tram elevator platform are way too high https://i.imgur.com/4LZipyS.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/GBBvlRy.jpg. Also, the entire surrounding ring seam has z-fighting issues, See attached images 1 and 2 below.
  2. Prior to this cave in, there would have been a light on the wall, directly across from this one https://i.imgur.com/dP41yEQ.jpg. To add some realism, consider placing a light fixture somewhere in this vicinity https://i.imgur.com/hneYu63.jpg, that would imply that the light became dislodged as a result of the cave in.
  3. In this area https://i.imgur.com/55BcIMJ.jpg, the light above the door is not attached to the wall https://i.imgur.com/ZQykVNJ.jpg
  4. The footing of this tunnel support frame https://i.imgur.com/4ylZ5mS.jpg extends beyond the end of the sidewalk https://i.imgur.com/5TNQgIP.jpg. Also, because of this, the overhang portion of the footing has no texture https://i.imgur.com/aWwmZI7.jpg. You fixed the upcoming tunnel support frame, but not his one. I provided you with the map position for this one, and not any images.
  5. In this area https://i.imgur.com/vOkp2si.jpg, consider moving the light above the door, from the wall onto the wall cladding https://i.imgur.com/c5WCrFv.jpg
  6. Just past the top of the second ramp https://i.imgur.com/mklW79F.jpg, there’s an overly darkened track bed area https://i.imgur.com/NfnWpU7.jpg with a straight-line shadow, as opposed to a diffused one.
  7. At the base of the ramp that’s past the security office https://i.imgur.com/HOGYwhI.jpg, the wall cladding below this light https://i.imgur.com/qpIOKJt.jpg has a texture seam issue https://i.imgur.com/ewmra3L.jpg. You fixed a similar seam issue just to the left of here, which may have caused this one to occur.
  8. In this area https://i.imgur.com/978v9nC.jpg, the thermostat portion of this prop https://i.imgur.com/hEp7iD6.jpg clips into the wall https://i.imgur.com/LEECAuw.jpg
  9. For these three lights https://i.imgur.com/oIBxhyG.jpg raise them so that their circular mounting discs contact the ceiling https://i.imgur.com/ZFLaV8K.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/6basddk.jpg
  10. In this area just before the start of your level https://i.imgur.com/UQHvwcu.jpg, when these barnacles are killed the HECU leg gibs that appear are stuck to the ceiling https://i.imgur.com/L6nWxhQ.jpg. Also occurs to the barnacle further down the stairwell https://i.imgur.com/3EUSQ2U.jpg. The same problem exists on the ceiling above your pool area https://i.imgur.com/d02wk6T.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/jLQtls9.jpg. If you shoot the gibs, they will splatter blood and shift their positions.
  11. In the same stairwell as item #10, this pipe has incorrect lighting https://i.imgur.com/wrjgAFr.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/8Njy1yQ.jpg
  12. In this stairwell, adjacent to the security office at the electrified water https://i.imgur.com/cfrsi2y.jpg, this light https://i.imgur.com/q3oPLyc.jpg is floating in mid air https://i.imgur.com/dDWKSN9.jpg
  13. Just prior to your water pool, this red light https://i.imgur.com/k2jVklh.jpg clips into the wall https://i.imgur.com/dbwvtli.jpg
  14. Across from the security office https://i.imgur.com/m2XgDYG.jpg, this PA speaker clips into the wall https://i.imgur.com/dVLiQ5t.jpg
  15. In the dead-end tunnel with the red flashing light, these electrical boxes https://i.imgur.com/RdBVLLs.jpg clip too far into the wall https://i.imgur.com/FwYXiGF.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/6bbzKmO.jpg
  16. At the elevator https://i.imgur.com/49ZdASM.jpg, the direction indicator panel does not contact the wall https://i.imgur.com/jqJEYR9.jpg
  17. Almost all of the props in the security office are floating above their surfaces. The coffee table, chairs, water cooler, coffee maker, microwave, steel shelves, computer/keyboard, wastebasket and fan (floats big time). No pictures provided.
  18. The houndeyes in the security office react to the player better now. Consider having the initial houndeyes that teleport in, both facing the player when he/she enters.
  19. Just past the security office https://i.imgur.com/rKPe4Br.jpg, this PA speaker https://i.imgur.com/WNe9y5s.jpg clips into the wall https://i.imgur.com/rttJnFx.jpg
  20. This PA speaker at the electrified water https://i.imgur.com/XH45EsV.jpg clips into the steel beam https://i.imgur.com/GLQU9CS.jpg
  21. At the electrified water, the body and base of this track signal https://i.imgur.com/Y4zWmJc.jpg clips into the curb https://i.imgur.com/ANf4kj0.jpg. You’ve already fixed the other two instances.
  22. At the electrified water, there’s a z-fighting issue on the left side of this blast door https://i.imgur.com/nRZhmGI.jpg. Please see attached pictures 3 and 4 below. The same issue existed on the other side of the door, but you’ve already fixed that one.
  23. In the security office at the electrified water, this left control box https://i.imgur.com/0MTNMNL.jpg clips into the window frame https://i.imgur.com/y7nCl6x.jpg. Bringing it forward will better align it with the adjacent control box https://i.imgur.com/CEpeCOK.jpg
  24. In the security office at the electrified water, reposition the right monitor https://i.imgur.com/0uDWe43.jpg to eliminate its mounting bracket extending beyond the mounting shelf https://i.imgur.com/YhyD9vg.jpg
  25. At this location https://i.imgur.com/aE9jZA0.jpg the PA speaker clips into the wall https://i.imgur.com/vY1B3TB.jpg
  26. Just past the level start, this pipe has a lighting issue https://i.imgur.com/8TaWth2.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/K56y9HU.jpg. This lower pipe across from it has the same problem https://i.imgur.com/THtQGT9.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/QWsiLRB.jpg
  27. At the base of the ramp past the security office, can this darkened track bed be brightened up? It’s overly dark https://i.imgur.com/Bn4FwVD.jpg
  28. At the electrified water https://i.imgur.com/3Z1UFVk.jpg, can these handrails be better aligned https://i.imgur.com/wHwhm5L.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/BR5XjNs.jpg
  29. At level end, prior to the tram elevator https://i.imgur.com/dD0bOT1.jpg, this red light https://i.imgur.com/4vYVKIZ.jpg seriously clips into the wall https://i.imgur.com/fBjM4lk.jpg
  30. Traveling left past this alcove https://i.imgur.com/6c3BnVp.jpg the first light on the right https://i.imgur.com/TQRm8V1.jpg needs to be clipped further into the wall as you can see through the back of the fixture https://i.imgur.com/HLjfZg8.jpg
  31. In this area https://i.imgur.com/M0fS8Q8.jpg, the tunnel wall light on the right located here https://i.imgur.com/2CJee5K.jpg needs to be clipped further into the wall as you can see through the back of the fixture https://i.imgur.com/X41L8m6.jpg
  32. In this area https://i.imgur.com/QJJhJS7.jpg, this group of electrical boxes https://i.imgur.com/ZI9yK9V.jpg needs to be clipped further into the wall as a couple of components don’t contact the wall https://i.imgur.com/t0RNnRS.jpg
  33. In this area https://i.imgur.com/mezvpoP.jpg, consider repositioning this fence as follows:
    a) Shift it to the left https://i.imgur.com/Hvf43KX.jpg so that it clears the ceiling’s metal trim https://i.imgur.com/swKy09M.jpg
    b) Clip it further into the ground https://i.imgur.com/bz5WhTi.jpg, so that the fence post caps are visible https://i.imgur.com/YvdqUo8.jpg
    c) Shift the fence to the right, so that it’s not clipping into the wall https://i.imgur.com/kaMfc7g.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/T6afmoO.jpg.
    All of this will display the fence in its glorious entirety for more realism, and eliminate a number of avoidable/unnecessary clipping issues.
  34. In this area https://i.imgur.com/X7Rf5Tu.jpg, consider clipping this fence further into the ground https://i.imgur.com/UQDZnhg.jpg so that the fence post caps, that are clipping into the concrete above, are visible https://i.imgur.com/90uJxVA.jpg. Any resulting clipping anomalies for the bottom of the fence will be hidden by the curb.
  35. Just past the second ramp https://i.imgur.com/tlW1AR7.jpg, the second tunnel light on the right https://i.imgur.com/npUgeOM.jpg, needs to be clipped further into the wall as you can see through the back of the fixture https://i.imgur.com/bSuSTzU.jpg
  36. At the top of the second ramp https://i.imgur.com/708RzZH.jpg at the base of tunnel support frame https://i.imgur.com/1f3jUIE.jpg, consider changing the end of this curb to the angled type https://i.imgur.com/LTlBQBK.jpg. Also, place a piece of angled wall cladding here https://i.imgur.com/ByEWH15.jpg. Apply these fixes to the other side, and also to both sides of the preceding tunnel support frame, once its overhang issue is fixed, outlined in issue #4 above.
  37. At this area https://i.imgur.com/TFxXubt.jpg, consider removing the lower curb and extending the taller curb all the way to the support frame https://i.imgur.com/6A8sAsU.jpg. This will look much neater/polished.

[COLOR=‘SandyBrown’]Feedback For OaR Loop v1.0 Final Closed
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#213

For some reason, it’s not working despite the fact that everything was extracted to the right folder.
Edit: Never mind, I got it to work. My download didn’t include the hot-fix.

#214

Glad to hear you got it working. How are you liking it, after all the updates/changes?

#215

I thought it was cool. There are some ammo issues (for instance, the Glock magazines still only give 17 bullets even though I set it to give 102 bullets per pickup. MP5 magazines still give 102 bullets). Also, to say I suck against bullsquids is an understatement. I managed to make it all the way through the map… Until I finally lowered the bridge. I was killed by a headcrab due to previous injuries. So, I’m gonna wait until On a Rail Uncut full Final is released, so I get the whole experience next time I do On a Rail. The cuts are specifically why I’m stalling

#216

So I did a little update to Loop Mod.

There’s actually a very good reason for this, one of which I’m pretty excited to talk about.

So a little over a month ago I got contacted by a fellow who happens to be at the head of a dev team. They told me that they were impressed with my work with this mod and wondered if I could design levels for them.

Well, hell. How am I supposed to turn something like that down? If this game we’re making sells, I could make some money. So now I’m making an indie game with some people. It’s called The Contract and it’s a sorta FPS/Stealth game that’s being made in Source.

Again, it’s a really exciting prospect. Especially given that I essentially lied about being tired of making games. I think, now that I reflect on it, that is was project fatigue. Solely doing Loop Mod really burnt me out on it.

And this… is why LoopMod is getting a small update. I haven’t actually deviated from using the Source SDK like I said I did. I have been doing quite a few things with Hammer since late June, and I don’t expect it to slow down for some time. So that gives me a chance to revisit it.

I’ve gone in and made a few changes, all of which should be for the better. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, because it looks much nicer than before. As always, you’ll find a download link in the first post.

#217

Wow, congratulations RK!

#218

That’s really great news! Congratulations, .RK! :smiley:

#219

Congrats .RK!

I’'m pretty curious to see what changes you may bring. Frankly I’d recommend you to reduce the bridge’s height a bit, since the slope is a bit abrupt, though only if you can change said slope (I’m not really sure BM has variable angles for track slopes). But for the rest, it was really nice. I kinda like how you made the security office look like, must be a pretty boring place to guard. =D

#220

Congrats, .RK! Good luck working with The Contract team!

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.