[HowTo] - Prepare a Map for a Gameday

[BrainInBlack]

This Tutorial should help you, prepare your map for a gameday, the play testing events from the tf2maps.net staff.



Tools you need:
7zip (http://www.7-zip.org/)
Pakrat (http://www.bagthorpe.org/bob/cofrdrbob/pakrat.html)



Prepare your map in Hammer:
First make sure you have no leaks in your map! Here is a little guide how to find a leak (http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=867)

Then add some lights to your map. For example some light entities inside of buildings (they don´t have to look good, just be there) and a light_env for your outside area. Make sure you have at least one env_cubemap in your map. The pink checkerboard texture is a no no!

If everything works, save your vmf under a new name but add a version number to it (for example: cp_jaocpm_a1.vmf). The new name must be lowercase and it should have the game-type as a prefix (ie: ctf_, cp_, ...). Also, if make minor changes, for example tweak a light a bit or change a trigger a bit, don´t give the map a complete new version-number. Instead use "cp_jaocpm_a1a.bsp" or something like that.

Then compile it for the last time.


Things to do, InGame:
Build the cubemaps and check the map a last time, before you advance to the next steps. Here is a tutorial for building cubemaps (http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?p=24384)

Double-check if your map basically works. That means, doors, spawn points, resupply and all the other things should work, as they should work! That means, the enemy team should not be able to get in the spawn-room of the opposing team. There are enough spawn-points for every team-member (16 to be precise). Class-change should work in the spawn-room. And so on...


Add your Custom Stuff: [PICTURE] (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8260062/pics/pakrat.png)
Copy your bsp to your desktop (or any other folder) and open it with pakrat. Go to the "Preferences" (CTRL+P) and setup the "Game root directory" (example: "C:\%path_to_steam%\steamapps\%accountname%\team fortress 2\tf").

Then hit the "Auto" button. Pakrat will search your map for any custom content, that is not included into the default TF2 installation and add the missing content to your bsp. After Pakrat is done, save the map under the exact same name.


Help the Server-Staff: [PICTURE] (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8260062/pics/7zip.png)
Zip your new bsp as a bzip2. Right click the bsp and go to "7zip" -> "add to archive" (or something like that). Chose "Bzip2" as the format and hit "OK".

Don´t use any other method to zip your map! A renamed "cp_jaocpm_a1.bsp.rar" or "cp_jaocpm_a1.bsp.zip" is not the same as a real "cp_jaocpm_a1.bsp.bz2"!

Now upload the zipped file and your map is ready for play-testing on the TF2Maps.net servers.




Sorry for the bad english... it´s not my native language ;)

[Fr0Z3n]

With Pakrat, I'm pretty sure you have to search for your textures for the models, even though it may do it auto, you need to make sure its there.

Also, file names should be all lowercase (you should mention that) and have the gametype prefix before verything else (ie: ctf_ , cp_ , arena_)

[BrainInBlack]

With Pakrat, I'm pretty sure you have to search for your textures for the models, even though it may do it auto, you need to make sure its there.

Also, file names should be all lowercase (you should mention that) and have the gametype prefix before verything else (ie: ctf_ , cp_ , arena_)

Yeah... forgot to mention that you have to setup the path to the game folder. Then auto work properly.

And thanks for the hint with the lowercase file names, forgot that too -.-

[Okrag]

Couple things I might add, make sure all your spawns work. See if they open for the team they are intended for and don't open for the opposing team. Also, if you have to make a quickfix to your map, give it a different version name like cp_example_a1a, as opposed to just keeping it a1.

[BrainInBlack]

Couple things I might add, make sure all your spawns work. See if they open for the team they are intended for and don't open for the opposing team. Also, if you have to make a quickfix to your map, give it a different version name like cp_example_a1a, as opposed to just keeping it a1.

Added ;)

[Trotim]

I always pakrat first and then build cubemaps, had bad experiences the other way round (but that may be coincidence)

[BrainInBlack]

I always pakrat first and then build cubemaps, had bad experiences the other way round (but that may be coincidence)

hmm, i test that... maybe your way is the right one :D

[Jeremy]

Could be useful. Thanks.

[BrainInBlack]

I always pakrat first and then build cubemaps, had bad experiences the other way round (but that may be coincidence)

Ok, i tested this and it´s no problem building the cubemap before using pakrat. Maybe it´s a very rare problem :D

[Sgt Frag]

It's probably regarding a very specular model material (if at all)

You should also probably put 16 spawn points. Yes 24 man server is standard but so many 32 man servers out there, might as well play it safe.

I also just drag/drop my bsp onto 7z and that works fine.

[Terr]

I'd like to self-servingly mention that you can also try PackBSP (http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Packbsp), which I plan to clean up enough to open-source in a month or two. (Which may seem like a long time until you consider that Pakrat hasn't been updated in almost five years.)

[BrainInBlack]

It's probably regarding a very specular model material (if at all)

You should also probably put 16 spawn points. Yes 24 man server is standard but so many 32 man servers out there, might as well play it safe.

I also just drag/drop my bsp onto 7z and that works fine.

Thanks for the 16 spawn hint ;)

[BrainInBlack]

I'd like to self-servingly mention that you can also try PackBSP (http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Packbsp), which I plan to clean up enough to open-source in a month or two. (Which may seem like a long time until you consider that Pakrat hasn't been updated in almost five years.)

Sry, but pakrat is a much faster. PackBSP hung up in crawling on a relative simple map (just 3 custom models). For now, i recommend pakrat until PackBSP gives better and faster results.

PM me if you updated PackBSP or just reply in this thread ;)

[Fr0Z3n]

Sry, but pakrat is a much faster. PackBSP hung up in crawling on a relative simple map (just 3 custom models). For now, i recommend pakrat until PackBSP gives better and faster results.

PM me if you updated PackBSP or just reply in this thread ;)

I found Pakrat to be more reliable than packbsp. maybe I'm just using them wrong.