How long does it take Valve to compile an official map?

[Immortal-D]

My contest entry is nearing the size of Dustbowl in terms of space. I've barely begun detailing, just doing brushwork and now basic hint optimizing. Yet the compile time is taking freaking forever. Roughly 12min. at last count. I know that doesn't seem like much, but bear in mind this map is pretty devoid of details. Which got me thinking. Just one look at the decompiled Valve maps is enough to make your head hurt. So how long do you think it takes them to make something like Dustbowl or Badlands?

[drpepper]

a few months. 3 or 4 im guessing. and its probably a team of people. 1 does brush work, others model, another one does texturing etc.

/pure speculation

[Koei]

I think he is talking about the actual compile time. Although the last sentence got me confused again :). Please enlighten if you are talking about the mapping process or the compile time.

[l3eeron]

I would imagine over-night-ish (to compile)... pure guess

@ dp - I've always picture the same team of specialists. How awesome would it be, to be on that team. You're just sittin there clipping brushes and painting geometry... you could yell across the room "Any way I can get a model of a minig cart?" or what ever you wanted.

[Doran]

32 computers took 40 minutes to compile lost coast.

[ryodoan]

32 computers took 40 minutes to compile lost coast. I was going to say they probably have a build farm of some sort.

Where I am working now our main program takes about 30 minutes to compile on a Pentium 4 @ 3 Ghz. So basically every time I needed to do a test build this was the case:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/compiling.png

However, we just got this pretty sweet utility program called incredibuild. Basically everyone in the office installs this program on their computer and it sits in the background. Then when one person initiates a build the program goes out and sends a workload to all the idle computers on the network and gives them all a section of the code to compile. Using this distributed build environment we now can compile debug versions in about 5 minutes. Its pretty awesome.

[DJive]

^^ THAT would be awesome =)

I have a p4 HT 3.0ghz pc i dont use *backup pc* but it would be nice to have it share the compile 50/50

[Snipergen]

LOL

But what the hell 40 mins for 32 pc's..??? This is just wrong lol if you look at other editors.

[Spike]

Depends on wich processor u have. I've got Quad Core and is extremely fast, my last pc was a P4 2,4 GHz so what a big change!

[MangyCarface]

God damn, I've got a quad core and I'm still taking 2 hours at least for vvis. Next map is going to be all squares, I swear to god optimizing is impossible sometimes. I would kill for 12 minute compiles.

[BurninWater]

God damn, I've got a quad core and I'm still taking 2 hours at least for vvis. Next map is going to be all squares, I swear to god optimizing is impossible sometimes. I would kill for 12 minute compiles.

quite honestly 2hours is quite badly optimized even if ya think its optimized well =P ya followed the comuterzombie guide over at interlopers?

[ryodoan]

quite honestly 2hours is quite badly optimized even if ya think its optimized well =P ya followed the comuterzombie guide over at interlopers?

It probably depends on the size, complexity and details included in the map. But then again, I know jack crap about mapping...

[Spike]

This room took me around 1 minute and 20 seconds to compile with a Quad Core 2,4 GHz. It's optimized but not very much.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/382/metalgearsolid20002nh5.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3716/metalgearsolid20004fz5.jpg

(if you see it too dark, don't know what's causing it because I see it dark but not too much)

Now you can compare with it.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3313/4coresni0.jpg

while compiling and after compiling.

[ryodoan]

This room took me around 1 minute and 20 seconds to compile with a Quad Core 2,4 GHz. It's optimized but not very much.

(if you see it too dark, don't know what's causing it because I see it dark but not too much)

Now you can compare with it.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3313/4coresni0.jpg

while compiling and after compiling.

What is your gama / brightness set at? If you keep it set high then you will see stuff much brighter than it actually is.

[Koei]

If it looks good at his place his gamma/brightness is fubar, that's what I know. Watching this on a calibrated NEC Multisync 20WGX, and it's way to dark :).

[Spike]

The gamma ingame is as default, and my monitor gamma is default too. I see it well :S

[Scotland Tom]

Part of the issue is that they are dark screenshots posted on a white background. If you can find a way to block out the white of the forums and see just the screens they are much lighter than they appear. (Though still pretty dark as far as maps go.)

[Brandished]

It took me around 40~45 minutes to do a full compile on Granary from a decompiled vmf I'd was fixing up. The map ran fine after the compile as well, completely playable, only a few minor visual bugs. (as to why I was doing this, that's a for another thread :P ). I was using an Intel Core2 e6600 w/ 2 gigs of ram, XP-Pro.

[MangyCarface]

quite honestly 2hours is quite badly optimized even if ya think its optimized well =P ya followed the comuterzombie guide over at interlopers?

Yes sir but honestly my map was DOA with some of the architecture I started off with. Definitely will not make the same mistake again. But optimization and compile time are not necessarily related. For example adding hint brushes will almost always increase vvis time due to adding cuts in the visibility nodes.

[BurninWater]

Yes sir but honestly my map was DOA with some of the architecture I started off with. Definitely will not make the same mistake again. But optimization and compile time are not necessarily related. For example adding hint brushes will almost always increase vvis time due to adding cuts in the visibility nodes.


my experience have been exactly the opposite, if ya place a hint brush at the right point it helps the vvis, but in open area's etc hint brushes always extend it. I tend to use them mostly in enclosed (small) area's or area's that got several hight lvles where i know one hight cant see (part of) the other map level

[Dox]

try loading up the portal files, definately helps you see what needs streamlining.