Don’t make a fool of yourself man. They should be happy to get you on their team and if they really decide to refuse your application,
which i doubt, then they are silly. It’s really that simple.
If you join the team you’ll have access to the original maps. Will you use them to update your de-/recompiled ST-maps in some way?
Thank you. That’s very kind. Hopefully I don’t let everyone down with this next update, but I doubt it, because it’s so good! It’s just a bit of a shame the whole voice acting/choreographing thing seems to be getting ignored, I’d have loved to have a little bit of that to help really bolster the map’s authenticity and detail.
Well, from what I’ve heard Joel say in an interview, their version of OaR was more their reinterpretation of OaR, I guess because it was so unpopular in HL1. Similar of course, to what they’re planning to do on Xen. Only they’re not going to shorten Xen. They actually thought the rail switching and exploration and stuff like that was bad as it all got a bit confusing, which is fair enough, plenty of people did. Whether they’re using this as a “cover” to hide their disappointment that because of certain constraints they couldn’t make it bigger or whatever, I don’t know, but I’d personally prefer to take their word for it.
Thanks man. That’s a very kind thing to say indeed. But, then again, I’m sure they have enough trouble keeping up with the some-30 devs they already have, who knows, they just might simply not want another at all.
As for the de/recompiled ST maps, probably not, no. Those problems that I mentioned don’t really come into play at all aside from on C3A1A (a map I didn’t change at all), where earlier versions had some areaportal bugs. I would just link C3A1A’s original to C2A5I and be done with it, that way the areaportals are all left as the devs intended.
Gentlemen, and perhaps also, ladies, maybe we should move the discussion OaR in a separate topic? While respected TextFAMGUY1 engaged perfected ST, we can discuss the options for the OaR, gather facts about how this was done in the original HL1 and build some conceptual line that it could rely on the developer, in the aftermath. Thus, we can free the subject of unnecessary debate and will not distract the developer from ST. If TextFAMGUY1 decides to recreate OaR, it will be able to find this thread useful tips and suggestions. What do you think about this?
^ this
Maybe I’m the only one but I really like the BM version of OAR.
I’m quite satisfied that they got rid of that confusing puzzle.
OAR BM version flows well and mapping-wise has some amazing areas.
They added the rocket puzzle that , IMO, is well-done.
I love the track “On a Rail 1”…
I just like the way it is now(except for bugs).
I agree 100%, it was a fun level. But i wouldent mine if we could see 1 more loading screen in OaR, i felt it was a little short. However, if no one decieds to add to it I wont let it ruin my experience.
2elivance
Yes, I agree that riding the rails in the original Half Life was too complicated for many players. For me too. I also agree that the developers tried to Black Mesa at the highest level in order to make this point more clear, atmospheric, as well as less boring and slow. But for me, after the Black Mesa, as well as the Strider397, left feeling that I had not seen anything. With new features the game engine developer can implement interesting puzzles and an environment that will fit into the overall concept of Black Mesa. Hell, it’s so great to play with a toy railroad! 
In any case, I just proposed to streamline the current discussion, so as not to distract from ST. I also would not worry if the head OaR will remain the same as it was. Still, the best is the main enemy of the good, as stated in a proverb.
Hey Text
SDK has been updated and It’s creating problems to develop in Hammer(source 2007)
more info in this thread I created
DO not Update Source SDK base 2007.
Prevent Steam from doing it!
By the way, I can’t test anymore until this issue will be solved… Sigh! 
Thank you for posting this.
Luckily I read this while my Steam was starting up and immediately stopped it, disconnected my internet, booted up Steam in offline mode, and replugged my internet. So I can carry on mapping while they work to sort this out.
Of course this means it’s totally pointless to release anything until they (being Black Mesa Devs or Valve, who knows which one) fix it. So, we’ll see. I’m IMAGINING that because this is of critical importance in terms of their games, Valve will fix it swiftly. But you never bloody know. But I’ll carry on mapping, and I won’t put Steam online.
A right pain in the ass too, as I had a big game scheduled for tomorrow with a group of mates.
Valve, releasing an update which breaks EVERYTHING? It’s unheard of!
Does anyone actually know what the update did, aside from breaking things? I’d quite like to know for what benefit Valve are breaking these games for!
The SDK update is probably related to that patch for all the Source-based Half Life games. They added in controller support for browsing the menus, which I was pretty pleased about until I realized it meant the SDK would probably need updating for all mods and here we are
You’re welcome!
In the thread I created there are a bunch of links of other mod forums(you’ll find more info there).
One of BM devs thinks that Big Picture update on Source sdk 2007 broke something
Updated here automatically, so no longer able to play the different mods!
Okay. Well, hopefully it’s fixed within a day, I’d love to be able to play some Killing Floor with my mates tomorrow evening as we’d previously organized. When I go to properties and updates, the option to disable automatic update is greyed out, I can’t select it, which is annoying, otherwise it’d be fine. But I’ll have to leave steam offline for the time being.
Can someone possibly let me know when/if this actually gets fixed so I don’t wait around any longer than I have to? I’m really bad at keeping up with that sorta thing and I monitor this thread A LOT. I’d appreciate it. I’m still mapping as we speak luckily, so as long as it’s fixed by Sunday I can still ship the latest version.
Fixed for tomorrow…No way!
One of nmrih devs said this:
Ech, it’s possible. Valve have been known to very occasionally respond quickly to stuff like this. I’ve seen them fix serious issues with CS:GO within a day a couple times, and other times I’ve seen it within 2 months.
But, if it’s breaking ALL mods, that’s pretty serious, so maybe they’ll jump right on it. I’m sure the issue isn’t going to be so complex it’ll take them ages to fix, so all I can do is hope really!
EDIT: Whelp, my Steam crashed while compiling C2A5H and steam restarted itself in online mode, and immediately started updating the game. I now can’t do anything, not even map. Thanks Valve. I’m really glad you added controller support. Sort it out, ASAP, please!
EDIT 2: It’s fixed. Thanks Valve. Though it’d be nice if you didn’t break things in the first place, it’s sometimes unavoidable, and I appreciate the speed of response this got. Back to work. Business as usual!
Glad the SDK problem got sorted 
I just did another playthrough of your maps when I was testing if Black Mesa worked again and noticed something a little odd when I was under the helipad in C2A5G… https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=110971995
You can barely see it in the screenshot, but it appears to be snowing under there, with the little flakes falling through the ceiling. Not sure if it’s intentional or not, but I found it a kinda weird. Could be the ash off the dead Osprey above.
Might have been reported or changed since the last version, but I’ve got a minor nitpick later on at the start of your last map. The stairwell here has railings along the sides that seem to be two separate models not quite fitting together properly. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=110971943 It looks a little odd, and to be honest i’m not sure you need the handrails there in the first place, especially since one of them disappears on the second set of stairs… https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=110971844
I think you’re doing great work and know you’re closing in on a final version, but I just wanna suggest one more time that I think using natural light is a more interesting way of doing things than having strobes or lamps everywhere. There’s a lot of lamps you have dotted around that I think you could do without, especially in the parking lot where you have great holes in the roof and walls for the sun to seep in.
Keep at it, mate. Eagerly awaiting the next release!
For future reference, you don’t have to keep Steam in offline mode. Right-click the SDK in your library, Properties, Updates tab, and turn off auto updates.
It’s pretty much ready for release, I can definitely make tomorrow’s release date. Depending on how much mapping I get done, I may even release it this evening.
Just did a full testrun playthrough and it’s looking very, very solid. There are only 2 major problems at this point:
-The Alien Grunts not being able to attack the LAV from the front. They walk up to it, stand still, and look very, very stupid. I’m trying to come up with some creative workarounds for this, I’ll see what I can do. It’s not something I can fix, unfortunately, I have to use dirty workarounds.
-The Harrier take off still beginning at a 45 degree angle for NO REASON AT ALL!
There are also bugs with the Garg which testers experienced that I simply CANNOT reproduce. I cannot get him to glitch through or be seriously bugged in anyway. It’s a bit annoying. I’d like to be able to break it because I can then determine how to fix it - but I can’t. I’ll have to see what testers report in the next version.
I’ve fixed the railing issue already. The problems with overlapping railings actually happen all over Black Mesa, even in sections made by the devs. But that one was pretty bad. yeah.
As for the “snowing,” it’s debris from the structural damage caused by the Manta strike. It just lasts too long. I’ll tone it down.
I know this, I’m familiar with Steam.
But it doesn’t let you disable auto updates when you’re in offline mode, otherwise I would have gone to offline mode, disabled auto updates, and gone online. It simply doesn’t let you change that option while offline. Why? I don’t know. STARTING the process offline was unavoidable as it would start updating everything the second I booted up Steam. Starting Steam in offline mode and then rushing to disable auto updates wouldn’t have worked, and didn’t, because by the time I got to the menu it had already started updating.
EDIT: INTERESTING DATA HERE[/SIZE]
I’ve just spend the past 4 consecutive hours testing, tinkering, and re-testing the Abrams fight on C2A5H. I am literally on the verge of killing myself from the tedium. But, I think I’ve got it. I think I’ve finally got it AS BALANCED as you can have a dynamic and AI-controlled fight. We’ll see what others think with the new release tomorrow. I’ve spent untold, horrendous amounts of time working on this fight, just moving units around, timing, positioning, numbers. I’m doing it because, I suppose, in a way, I see the Abrams battle as the centerpiece of my maps, and in some ways, the culmination, the final climax of Surface Tension. It’s worth the trouble, I think.
For those of you who were skeptical of my claims about how damn difficult it is to balance these fights, I actually recorded lots of my findings. There’s some interesting data here.
Data set 1 represents 20 consecutive fights I recorded on C2A5H, one version (made about an hour) ago.
Data set 2 represents 20 consecutive fights on the current version, which I will ship tomorrow. It has HARDLY any difference from the version in Data Set 1. The only changes made for data set 2 is that I took the Shotgun away from the initial medic, and gave it to an initial grunt instead. I then moved the medic’s assault point from one end of the street (right side) to the left side. I also moved an Alien Grunt spawn to the right by about 2m. Very small, seemingly insignificant changes, eh?
Format:
x) Who won the battle? - Who survived?
Fights which are written in italics represent fights that I would consider to have too many survivors (>4 - 6ish).
Fights which are bold and italicized represent fights that I would consider to have an absurd and unfair amount of survivors; way, way too many (6+ish).
I did not consider the rooftop units to be a part of the surviving units worth measuring when determining how many survivors are too many, because ONE rooftop unit nearly always survives.
Info extrapolated from Data Set 1 (VERY general, take with a pinch of salt):
-85% chance of Alien victory, 15% chance of Human victory
-75% chance of Rooftop AGrunt surviving
-25% chance of facing too many survivors
-20% chance of facing ridiculous amounts of survivors
Now for Data Set 2 (current version):
**Though these values are high enough to be considered high numbers of enemies, the survivors here were so damaged they EACH died from 1 single MP5 burst. This was not the case with any of the enemies in data set 1.
Info extrapolated from Data Set 2 (VERY general, take with a pinch of salt):
80% chance of Alien victory, 20% chance of Human victory
15% chance of facing too many survivors
5% chance of facing ridiculous numbers of survivors
The average number of aliens left for the player to deal with is 3 - 4 on the battlefield, and 1 on the rooftop.
I find 2, the current version, to be much better balanced than version 1. There is a much lower chance of facing high numbers of enemies, at the cost of slightly greater chance of human victory, which is still pretty low. There is a fair deal of consistency with version 2 which wasn’t present in version 1.
Notice on both versions of the map there was 1 outlier on each, where the humans won by staggering amounts (8 in version 1, and 7 in version 2). I have no idea why this happens, and I simply have to hope it’s an anomaly!
As you can see, version 2 is pretty close to what the ideal balance for the Abrams battle should be. It’s an 80/20 balance with a 15% chance of facing more than 4 survivors. This is the version I will be shipping. What do you guys think?
Go with version two I suppose. The majority of people that play these maps after release, especially if they are integrated into the BM campaign aren’t going to play the same fight tons of times and notice small balance things like who won out of twenty fights. It’s cool that you’re balancing it so there’s not a majority of one side left over or the aliens winning 90% of the time, but beyond that it really doesn’t matter too much.
Read all of that. My brain = Wat.IDEK.
I’ll just keep it simple - As long as the aliens win, but don’t steamroll the HECU (because even though they lose in ST a lot, they’re still putting up a damn good fight), and you’re personally happy with it, then that’s what matters in my opinion.
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.