Setting up a server with a custom map...

[Spamdini]

so basically i want to know from a guy who runs or has a custom server how to properly set up a custom map. because i have some people do it for me and the intro pics i provide dont show when joining the map and it seems complicated when i include a custom texture file or something.

so i understand u need to bsp zip it with 7zip. pack as a bz2 file, but do u do the entire hierarchy or do u have to do each individual file and then put those IN the hierarchy on the server...

thanks in advance guys.

[Pseudo]

You need to embed custom files into the BSP using a program such as Pakrat (http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Pakrat). Then after the custom files have been packed into the BSP you can bz2 compress it.

[Hampster]

Isn't it better style not to embed stuff into the BSP? I feel like that was a no-no while mapping for TFC, but there seem to be an abundance of 20mb BSPs for TF2..

[Hawk]

Well, it really falls down to whether or not there is custom stuff in the map. If there are custom textures or objects, they absolutely have to be embedded or they won't show up to people who download the map. Mappers concerned about map sizes need to not use custom assets in their maps at all.

On a side note, I love seeing custom assets in maps and I don't mind downloading a 20mb map file when they're included.

[trainRiderJ]

Connection speeds are faster nowadays I suppose. It's definitely something to consider when you think about how long people are willing to wait to download your map if they've never heard of it before. Word of mouth and sites like this one and fpsbanana can help towards distributing the map outside of game so players don't have to wait.

[Spamdini]

i have one custom texture... is the only way for people to get it when joining a server to have it embedded? im still running into some issues though.

for example, yes i can use pakrat to embed the 1 texture, and then i bz2 it so it can be downloaded right? but what about my intro movie and pictures. do those also need to be bz2 zipped so they are dled and work?

[Pseudo]

but what about my intro movie and pictures. do those also need to be bz2 zipped so they are dled and work?

The movies and pictures also need to be added to the BSP using Pakrat.

[phatal]

Isn't it better style not to embed stuff into the BSP? I feel like that was a no-no while mapping for TFC, but there seem to be an abundance of 20mb BSPs for TF2..

Sheesh.. mine is over 20mb and I haven't added my customs in yet. :laugh:

[Colt Seavers]

aye - as the guys say - pakrat it into thap bsp clients. as for vids and intro music generally - keep em small and only include if its essential to the map - in my experience people dont mind waiting for a 40mb file, as long as it's worth the wait (horus springs to mind - whatever you may think of it's sytle - theres no doubting it's spectacular). So, if the map is absolutely awesome - you can get away with a larger file size. but if the map is average, may be fun, but huge cos its got an intro vid, then it's not so good.

so far as everything else goes - its no different to running a stock map. add to map folder. add to fast ftp if you have one, as a bzp. add to map list and mapcycle if desired. change to map. and play :D

[Spamdini]

still my question isnt answered though. do i need to bzp all the files individually or can i bzp the hierarchy of folders and such? ie do i need to bzp the bsp file then bzp the intro movie then bzp the intro pics and place them as seperate bzps in the proper folders on the server or ftp, or can i bzp a team fortress 2 folder with a maps folder a materials folder (with vgui and maps folder in that aswell), so there is only 1 bzp?

[Pseudo]

You first add all custom content to the BSP using Pakrat. Your entire map and everything it requires are in that one BSP file. Then you can compress that BSP file using bzip2.

[Geuel]

So, TF2 won't make the bzip for you when someone is trying to download it?

[Hampster]

Wait, I'm confused. Is the ability to use .res files gone or do we just love pakrat a lot? :P

[Pseudo]

So, TF2 won't make the bzip for you when someone is trying to download it?
I don't think that the bzip is made automatically.

Wait, I'm confused. Is the ability to use .res files gone or do we just love pakrat a lot? :P
RES files are still supported I just thought that Pakrat would be easier to explain.

[Hawk]

I think in an ideal situation, Hammer should just automatically embed custom materials into your map when you compile (if some sort of "embed" box is checked). At least, that's what I wish would happen. It's kind of silly that somebody should have to create something like Pakrat to take care of something Hammer should have handled.

[Spamdini]

You first add all custom content to the BSP using Pakrat. Your entire map and everything it requires are in that one BSP file. Then you can compress that BSP file using bzip2.

this is great i get it, but my question still stands. what about the intro movie and intro pics and intro text file (the one that appears on the chalkboard as your map description) do they also need to be bziped SEPERATElY from your pakrated bsp file? or can i bzip the bsp, intro movie, intro pics etc... all together?

[phatal]

I think in an ideal situation, Hammer should just automatically embed custom materials into your map when you compile (if some sort of "embed" box is checked). At least, that's what I wish would happen. It's kind of silly that somebody should have to create something like Pakrat to take care of something Hammer should have handled.

Especially with such limited texture selection.

[Pseudo]

this is great i get it, but my question still stands. what about the intro movie and intro pics and intro text file (the one that appears on the chalkboard as your map description) do they also need to be bziped SEPERATElY from your pakrated bsp file? or can i bzip the bsp, intro movie, intro pics etc... all together?


You first add ALL custom content INCLUDING PICTURES, MOVIE, AND TEXT FILES to the BSP using Pakrat. Your entire map and EVERYTHING it requires are in that one BSP file. Then you can compress that ONE BSP file using bzip2.

Your entire map and all of its content, including stuff for the intro screen, will be added in to one file such as mapname.bsp. To make your map download faster, you then have the option to compress your map file to create a file such as mapname.bsp.bz2. Bzip only compresses a file, it does not "archive", which would be to combine several files into one. All of the files your map needs should already be in the BSP before you create the compressed file. Both the BSP file and the compressed BSP.BZ2 file should be uploaded to the server.

[Spamdini]

ok thank you ill try that.

[phatal]

Both the BSP file and the compressed BSP.BZ2 file should be uploaded to the server.

You would put the bz2 and the bsp in the maps folder of the server??

You wouldn't put the bz2 on the redirect instead?

[Youme]

We put our bz2 files on a redirect

[crazychicken]

I don't understand what you're actually trying to do, adding stuff that goes in the map as seperate files taht have to be downloaded on top of the map file it seems to me. If you are I would ask you to try and get everything into the bsp file as it's a pain uploading seperate folders and then having to allow them access on the whitelist, usually I don't bother, nearly all maps fit everything into the bsp so maps that don't I usually ignore them and see if it works without them without having large areas with checkerboard etc.

Anyway to do this on a server you have to set up sv_downloadurl so that th emaps are downloaded from a seperate host for speed purposes. You upload the entire bsp to the server maps folder and compress the map and upload the bzip2 to the sv_downloadurl host. Steam unpacks this itself so clients have to download a file half the size from a much faster location.

[Spamdini]

ok im still testing pakrating the intro movie into the bsp. but now this raises another question for me. lets say i do get everything in the bsp with pakrat, the intro movie, the intro pics, the custom texture, the description txt file, the .ain file. THEN i bz2 zip it. do i put the bz2 with everything on the server AND on the redirect? or do i put the bz2 only on the redirect and everything else NON bz2ed on the server?

[Spamdini]

alright so... pakrating doesnt work. i tried it, the auto button doesnt work. the scan button can scan but i cant ADD anything from it, i have to add manually. ive tried adding 1 custom texture, intro pics, .txt map description file and the maps .ain file and ive tried multiple times with different file paths and i get nothing. they are usually just missing. and one time i was getting a bad path error in console and the displacement that the texture is one was wireframe instead of purple checkered and the place where the intro pics are supposed to be was a wireframe white box. wts...

[crazychicken]

only zip things for download server, the game server needs everything unzipped

[Spamdini]

ok well i seem to of figured it out, the only thing left to test is if i CAN pakrat the intro movie. what i was doing wrong was, and i imagine this would be good to know for everyone is, the pakrat files need to be extracted to and run from the map directory of the game ur map is for. so in the case of tf2, in your <email address>/team fortress 2/tf/maps folder.