View Full Version : ***Stupidity contest #1 Mapping in notepad***
If you didn't already know .vmf files are just .txt files this isn't the contest for you!
You have one month from now (post entries in this thread before 22nd may) to build the best tf2 map you possibly can ONLY using standard text editing programs such as notepad.
Rules:
Nothing, not a dickie bird may be edited in hammer, you may compile in hammer though as long as you alter no core brushwork.
Leaks must be found by hand, you may use the compile log to tell you errors and use whatever sources you can to find what the error is but you must locate it and fix it using your desired text editor
You may open existing maps as a reference but nothing must be directly copy pasted from them, please type everything out by hand, copy/paste is ok within your own map though.
The map doesn't have to be functional in a gameplay sense, it just has to be compilable and impressive.
Questions? shoot.
*brain explodes* That's a great idea. But the question is will it blend? I mean work. Like will enough people do it? Becuase I hope so.
EDIT: Exact requirement for map? How complex should it be?
NovaSilisko
04-22-2009, 04:49 PM
This...will be interesting.
how will no cheating be verified?
EDIT: Exact requirement for map? How complex should it be? As complex as you can make it in a text editor.
how will no cheating be verified?trust. Anyone who submits anything is signing a non existant agreement that they're just going with the spirit of fun rather than competing to win.
Xi.Cynx
04-22-2009, 08:06 PM
TBH, I think at the MOST your going to get like 5 people to attempt to do it and out of them 3-4 will give up. Lol Alot of people have trouble making a part of a map in hammer in a month let alone texting it out which is outrageous!!!
What I have so far:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/560531/pl_text0000.jpg
Next thing to do: env_tonemapcontroller!!
:D
Using ctrl+h (find and replace) I am able to make brushes much faster using this:-
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/560531/brush_template.txt
i tried it briefly last night, the vmf crashed hammer.
Xi.Cynx
04-23-2009, 03:11 PM
If I may say... Youme, you are crazy... T_T You should've asked to see how many people would participate in this one honestly. Wouldn't it be sad if you were the only one to actually finish?
If I may say... Youme, you are crazy... T_T You should've asked to see how many people would participate in this one honestly. Wouldn't it be sad if you were the only one to actually finish?I don't think you get the point....:sleep:
Its just for fun its not a serious contest. it doesn't matter if no one really gets anywhere.
And anyone who does make something cool gets the right to say they're officially badass.
Xi.Cynx
04-23-2009, 03:24 PM
BAHahaha!! Okay, aiight, I guess it's okay...
Bot190
04-23-2009, 03:37 PM
lol, im participating, and i plan on actually finishing a map like this.
Nineaxis
04-23-2009, 04:14 PM
I think this would be a great way to learn the nuances behind Hammer. It'd give you a much more developed understanding of how it all works. I'd be willing to mess around, but I don't see anything amazing coming out of this.
FaTony
04-23-2009, 04:38 PM
Notepad maps gameday?
NovaSilisko
04-23-2009, 05:59 PM
I'm... I'm scared.
When Void is scared of something involving mapping...Oh god.
ratclaw
04-23-2009, 06:11 PM
I'm throwing my hat into the ring, despite the evident lack of any.
It might help though if I actually had finished a map before...
I have a friend who swears by only building maps in the text editor--but he's a code junkie of all sorts, so I must say it doesn't surprise me, even if he is completely crazy.
This is going to be a cool contest!
Pink_Panther
04-25-2009, 12:55 PM
I love the contest idea. Reminds me a lot of the way that some cheap 3d modeling programs worked in the mid 90's.
Not sure how much I can get done since i dont have a lot of time...but I think this crappy old Pentium M laptop can handle this type of map editing. So much to learn...so little time.
AntonJ3000
04-25-2009, 04:52 PM
I thought the other mapping contests was too hard to enter, but this? Freakin overkill!
Pink_Panther
04-25-2009, 07:36 PM
I thought the other mapping contests was too hard to enter, but this? Freakin overkill!
lol
This is definatly not a contest for the faint of heart. I spent an hour or so trying to understand the order of brush sides and their corner coords. After that, its not hard to do, its just hard to track what you have done. I had to make a list of my brushes to know whats what. And heres a hint for people that are thinking about doing this...take good notes.
Oh, if you cant picture in your head the difference between a room thats 256x512 and 512x1024 in size and which is approprete...you will have a hard time with this as you will have to do brush calculations over and over.
so, 5ish hours in and i have a room brushed out and textured. Nothing fancy, but its not a basic square either.
But, overall...its a great contest that makes my brain work overtime. Been a while since I have had to think through brushwork this much.
ratclaw
04-25-2009, 08:16 PM
Wow, youme I finally checked out the outline you made. AFTER spending a few days figuring out how it works on my own.
Things should speed up quite a bit now, especially when I figure out why all my vertical textures are stretching for no reason...
cornontheCoD
04-26-2009, 03:23 AM
I wouldn't even know where to start.
Fogold
04-26-2009, 05:39 AM
I don't even know what notepad is!
zpqrei
04-26-2009, 05:56 AM
I don't even know what notepad is!
I hope to god that's a joke! ;)
RichT
04-26-2009, 06:38 AM
I know we're not allowed to directly copy and paste, but can we get another map from hammer, and steal chunks from it? of course i would type it out by hand and not copy and paste ;) (OH GOD)
Pink_Panther
04-29-2009, 08:47 PM
I know we're not allowed to directly copy and paste, but can we get another map from hammer, and steal chunks from it? of course i would type it out by hand and not copy and paste ;) (OH GOD)
That defeats the whole point of the project in my opinion. If you create something in hammer and just retype the file you may as well just turn in the hammer map.
The point is to learn how the file is constructed and create a map by constructing the map using y,x,z coordinates and thinking through all the brushes instead of laying them out graphically. I have to admit, I load the file in hammer to make sure my typing is correct and to roam around a little, but thats to skip the compile process and run around in it from TF2. (Im hoping that is still within the spirit of the contest at least.) but all the creation is done with notepad.
Im thinking that the idea of copying from a known map was to get the format for brushes and particular entities so we dont miss something important.
Shadow Monkey
04-30-2009, 09:31 AM
OMG! I didn't even know that you can make a map in notepad^^
Maybe a tutorial? :D ^^
Ravidge
04-30-2009, 09:48 AM
CTF Codebreaker pre-alpha!
http://213.115.191.55/~ravidge/images/ctf_codebreaker0000.jpg
features:
HL2 sky
retarded glass wall in the middle
5 (!) spawns for each team
a cubemap
working intel and capzones
multiple 6 sided brushes
light_environment!
spawncamping (probably)
Just wait until I add props and ramps and maybe lighting! It's gonna be awesome. (not really)
DaBeatzProject
05-01-2009, 04:04 AM
CTF Codebreaker pre-alpha!
http://213.115.191.55/~ravidge/images/ctf_codebreaker0000.jpg
It looks wonderful. :P
grazr
05-01-2009, 10:15 AM
I'm waiting for someone to submit something that was blatently made in hammer and f***ing amazing. Just for the Lolz on everyone's faces.
What... the... hell..
Shadow Monkey
05-02-2009, 06:38 AM
I'm waiting for someone to submit something that was blatently made in hammer and f***ing amazing. Just for the Lolz on everyone's faces.
What... the... hell..
Yes, me 2 :lol:
Can someone pls submit a tutorial? :D
Pink_Panther
05-03-2009, 10:02 PM
Can someone pls submit a tutorial? :D
Its actually really easy.
Open hammer and make 1 brush in the middle of the map area.
Save it.
Open file with notepad
scroll down until you find a section called 'world'
there will be one solid.
the sides defines a side of the brush
get some paper and start plotting each side until you know how to change it
try to change it
try and open in hammer. if its wrong it will say it cant load the brush.
fix it.
try again.
get that right, make a second brush in notepad....
repeat.
---
as for the comment about making a map in hammer...Yea, that would be fitting.
Not knowing what people are going to come up with, mine may appear like it was made in hammer vs. the couple screen shots people have posted. But, if people compare it to other maps I have made, i think it will show through that it really was notepad.
Pink_Panther
05-09-2009, 10:58 PM
well, im about as finished as I am going to be. 14hour work days are eating all my time so I sped up my texture lights by cheating a tiny bit. I had all the math done on the brush positions but had to add them in hammer because I only had 6 hours instead of the 12 I would have needed to make them. Lining up textures manual on 20+ brushes is just a pain in the ass and combine that with typing them all in, I just didnt have the time. So, if you want to throw out the map, thats fine. The rest of the map was done with notepad over 45+ hours of typing, planning, math and tweeking.
heres a couple pics...
http://pinksrealm.com/External/stupidity1_pinkpanther1.jpg
http://pinksrealm.com/External/stupidity1_pinkpanther2.jpg
and the files...
http://pinksrealm.com/External/stupidity1_pinkpanther.zip
This will be my last map for a very long time since I will be leaving for Iraq in a couple months and will be gone for a year. So, hopefully yall like the overall map.
Shadow Monkey
05-10-2009, 01:33 PM
OMG!!!11oneoneone!
Awesome for a map in Notepad!
Pink_Panther
05-10-2009, 09:22 PM
Awesome for a map in Notepad!
Thanks.
Its got a lot of the old HL1 feel and TFC styling to it. Just a clean overall look, no pointless props to get in the way...ok, i just didnt want to type out a bunch of props.
bittman
05-12-2009, 07:46 PM
This is not the contest for me...
...but now I know that vmf files are txt files...
ratclaw
05-13-2009, 02:26 PM
I'm too ashamed to show what work I've managed after seeing what some people have done. I'll just settle for finishing something I guess.
Pink_Panther
05-15-2009, 09:40 AM
Ratclaw...Keep working on it. We all know how hard it is to just get a brush to show up in notepad. Theres nothing to be ashamed of simply because we understand the effort you have to put into it.
Also, dont base your map quality on mine. I have done a lot of work like this and am a programmer by hobby. Meaning I basically knew how to construct the map from notepad and just had to learn the syntax used by hammer. So, I had an unfair advantage.
I really hope you keep going. It would be great to see what you came up with and where you were going with it.
ratclaw
05-22-2009, 01:50 PM
Hmmm. no one else has posted any submissions yet. Does that mean I win?:wow:
Too bad I can only seem to submit the recompiled version.
EDIT: w00t, first map
Yes I know it's ugly, but I'm feeling ugly this week.
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