Post your pictures of poses/pictures you've made in garrysmod. Mature images only. Any pictures relating to sex are not wanted here and an administrator may deal with you. Please use the spoiler tags for all imaged above 400px high (my images are exactly 400px). Post effects with say photoshop is allowed. Just as long as you use GMod for the general image. I'll start with a couple lazy ones.

Alright, lets get this down once and for all. I've been hearing things about how alliance members are dicks or elitist, stuck up vest whores. Now, it may seem like we are but really, we have some very good reasons to be defensive and exclusive and I will be sure to point those reasons out to you in this thread.

First think I want to make clear is why we don't let refugees in our base. First off, the bases are small and dark. it's difficult to see everyone and it's also hard to RP with others while others are also RPing close by thanks to the retarded recognise system that still hasn't been fixed. Second, we used to let refugees come and go as they please. However, we had to put an end to this. The amount of people, who have no clue how to travel the canals secretly, moving in, out, and around the headquarters was causing unwanted attention from overwatch and raids were a common sight to see in our headquarters. That's why we also try to keep people away from the entrances.

The next point I have to make is our exclusiveness. You're right, the alliance is exclusive. Its only open to good roleplayers and this is set for a good reason too. We used to have a couple members who didn't listen well and lacked the ability to RP fully. They almost killed the entire group and in the long run, got themselves PK'd due to their lack of skills. People ask to join the alliance and we straight up say no. This is because we aren't looking for people who ask to join, we are looking for people who can and will help us. If you see an alliance member in trouble, help them. You might find yourself working with that member soon. We're looking for people with skills, and being able to shoot a gun is not a skill we're looking for. Being able to retrieve a target without getting spotted is.

The third point I have is the trading. People are always wanting to trade with us. First off, don't ask in the middle of the open. That's the best way to get yourself spotted and killed. Second, people seem to have this idea that cause we have vests, heavy weapons, and a jeep, means we have tons of ammo and items. Well guess what, we have hardly anything. Ammunition is rare and we definately don't have extras of that.

So I hope this clears stuff up about the rumours you have heard about us. If you have any questions, feel free to post here.

Title says it all. its not all about getting but giving is a part of christmas too. Whether it was a card, a new system, or a poorly made cookie, post it here!

To my girlfriend. Actually has parts inside too. Only costed me $20 [Athlon II X2 Dual Core @ 3.0ghz, 4gb DDR2, 500gb HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4550]

To my Dad.

To my mom, a triple star champ of angry birds HD and angry birds seasons.

To my sister who plays too much MW3

To my grandma. Grandma's need hobbys.

Derrick Valswick's Civil Authority Application

OOC Name: Statua

IC Character Name: Derrick Valswick

1) Please write a minimum of 3 paragraphs OOC'ly detailing why your character wishes to join the Combine Civil Authority and what lead your character to do so.
    Derrick Valswick has always been loyal to the union. It might have been caused by the chemicals in the food and water that brainwashed him. It might also have been because Derrick tends to follow the superior side of things. Nevertheless, Derrick is a true loyalist and would never question a member of the union. At the start, he would in the back of his mind question them. However as time progressed and they became a part of his daily life, Derrick had come to see the universal union as the almighty.

    Derrick never thought of those performing rebellious acts as "good" or "revolutionary" citizens. He in fact, thought of them as a nuisance and one of the major problems in the current society of the city. In fact, Derrick not only disliked these so called "rebels", he hated them with a passion. One day, he would be minding his own business, cleaning a sign or picking up garbage, when suddenly someone throws a rock through a window with a sign attached saying "rebel". Now everyone must be searched and verified as well as punished for this single persons action. Derrick feels he is not helping enough when these things happen. This is one of the leading causes to his wish to join the Civil Authority.

    Derrick feels that all humans have a purpose in the world. He also feels that some people are not fulfilling their purpose or are going against it.  Some are set to help out in the civil workers union. Others are to do hard work such as cleaning up mass amounts of garbage or debris. Derrick thinks his sole purpose is to sacrifice his life for the integrity of the cities of the universal union. Derrick feels the need to fulfil this purpose and finally decided to fill out a civil authority application.

2) Please detail your characters traits. (Eg, Pure, Lawful, Trustworthy)
-Faithful: Will not break someone or something's word.
-Brave: Uses his testosterone levels to do some rather courageous deeds.
-Critical: Is a prick when it comes to judging someone or something.
-Pessimistic: Always sees the bad side to things.
-Sociable: Enjoys conversing.
-Ambitious: Will literally work his heart out toward a set goal.

3) Please provide 2 paragraphs about what you are expecting the Combine Civil Authority to be like for you and your character.
Authority to be like for you and your character.
Well I already know what the CCA is like for a medical character and a combat character so I know what to expect. However, a new character brings new possibilities. I expect Derrick to follow the path of advanced sociostability and do what he can to keep citizens in line. I expect him to slowly become more and more of a dick and an asshole to citizens as well as possibly to the younger ranks if he gets to that point but that all depends on his story.

    I expect the CCA to be the same it was with a few minor changes. I expect the work to be hard and time consuming but I can handle. I also expect to learn a few more things about the CCA that I didn't know. I expect to keep my CCA characters IC knowledge completely separate from my resistance characters IC knowledge.

4) Please provide a detailed back-story from an out-of-character perspective on your applying character. This section must be detailed and consist of a minimum of 300 words.
Derrick was born in Zagreb, Croatia on February 16th 1977. He went to elementary school in Croatia for five years where he learned his basic life and writing skills in the native language. His father got a job with Mann Co mining in 1987 in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, working as one of the higher up supervisors. He moved there along with Derrick and his mother. Derrick learned the english language after several years of tormenting, bullying, and hard, hard work. He took classes in automotive technologies and applied mathematics. He graduated in 1995 from his class of sixty three students with a dual diploma. Derrick went on to be an auto mechanic, working on his apprenticeship which ended four years later. Derrick worked at Kregs Autobody for several years, fixing vehicles and sweeping floors. He enjoyed working on vehicles. The physical work kept him motivated and alert through his ten hour shifts. He was also making a pretty penny. He eventually moved to Denver and opened his own shop in the down town area. He colourfully named the shop, Derrik's Fixxit House. He hired two other mechanics to help him run the shop which eventually became very popular for its excellent service. Even during the portal storms, Derrick kept his shop open to the public, repairing and maintaining vehicles. He saw some damage caused by Xen creatures such as deep gouges in the metal and even some Xen blood.
Then the war came in 2015. During the war, Derrick suffered severe physical trauma to his head due to some airborne rubble. He recovered but lacked the kind mental state he once had and lacked interest in all things mechanical like he did for so many years. Derrick became very critical to others and is a pessimist about everything. This state of mind resulted in lack of friends. The lack of friends resulted in him wanting to follow the superior race. Derrick became an all time loyalist, hating people who disobeyed socio stability rules even the slightest. If someone wanted to talk to him, he would ask them to leave or just leave himself. Derrick reported everything he saw he thought to be a problem. He follows the inaction rule very closely and follows the union, maybe even worships it.

5) Have you ever had a CCA character here at Catalyst Gaming?  If so, explain why it was removed.
NOVA-01.399 (removed due to self PK. Kinda regret this now but I needed to focus on Leonard) RAZOR-OfC.468 (removed by self PK. Didn't want to be merged with APEX and have a great character go to waste. Also, see above)


OOC Details

1. How long have you played on role-playing servers in general?
Roughly 5 years

2. How long have you played on serious servers?
Maybe 2-3 years

3. How long have you played on Catalyst Gaming?
9 months

4. What Time zone are you in?
CST (GMT -6)

5. In what country do you live?
Canada

6. How old are you?
17

7. WhatÂ’s your most memorable quality RP experience?
I think the most memorable RP experience I've had was playing farkle in the Alliance HQ on outlands with bobby's character Frank.

8. Do you consider yourself a good listener?
You shouldn't judge someone or something if you don't listen first. That's my rule so yes.

---

IC Section

Full Name: Derrick Valswick
CID: 68251
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"
Hair Colour Black
Eye Colour: Blue
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Weight: 114
Mental Distinctions: Ambitious
Mental Defects: Pessimistic
Mental Advantages: Thinks quickly, has courage, is faithful, can take mental stress
Notable Qualities: Loyal, good follower, prioritizes correctly


1. Have you ever been detained or apprehended for a Sociostability Infringement before? If so, explain?
N/A

2. Do you regularly eat Combine Civil Authority Issued Rations?
Y

3. Are you willing to give your life to the cause of the Universal Union?
Y

4. Do you as a Citizen and future Civil Protection Member accept ALL actions performed by you and those under your command as your OWN responsibility?
Y

5. Will you remain loyal and faithful to the Universal Union as long as you live?
Y

6. Why do you want to join the Combine Civil Authority?
I feel my life is destined to serve the Union with my own life. I feel there is a need for help in controlling anti-civil activity. I wish to fulfil my destiny of following the Union among the ranks of the Civil Authority


Please sign the attached oath using only blue or black pen.

[/b]

Because when I link to http://www.catalyst-gaming.net/index.php?action=form;n=2 I get the main forum and I cba to wait till someone finally fixes the damn thing, here's my application. P.S. don't forget to fix the application page

Also note that I still have CCA auths and am applying for this specific character just because of the timeframe since my last character.

Derrick Valswick's Civil Authority Application

OOC Name: Statua

IC Character Name: Derrick Valswick

1) Please write a minimum of 3 paragraphs OOC'ly detailing why your character wishes to join the Combine Civil Authority and what lead your character to do so.
    Derrick Valswick has always been loyal to the union. It might have been caused by the chemicals in the food and water that brainwashed him. It might also have been because Derrick tends to follow the superior side of things. Nevertheless, Derrick is a true loyalist and would never question a member of the union. At the start, he would in the back of his mind question them. However as time progressed and they became a part of his daily life, Derrick had come to see the universal union as the almighty.

    Derrick never thought of those performing rebellious acts as "good" or "revolutionary" citizens. He in fact, thought of them as a nuisance and one of the major problems in the current society of the city. In fact, Derrick not only disliked these so called "rebels", he hated them with a passion. One day, he would be minding his own business, cleaning a sign or picking up garbage, when suddenly someone throws a rock through a window with a sign attached saying "rebel". Now everyone must be searched and verified as well as punished for this single persons action. Derrick feels he is not helping enough when these things happen. This is one of the leading causes to his wish to join the Civil Authority.

    Derrick feels that all humans have a purpose in the world. He also feels that some people are not fulfilling their purpose or are going against it.  Some are set to help out in the civil workers union. Others are to do hard work such as cleaning up mass amounts of garbage or debris. Derrick thinks his sole purpose is to sacrifice his life for the integrity of the cities of the universal union. Derrick feels the need to fulfil this purpose and finally decided to fill out a civil authority application.

2) Please detail your characters traits. (Eg, Pure, Lawful, Trustworthy)
-Faithful: Will not break someone or something's word.
-Brave: Uses his testosterone levels to do some rather courageous deeds.
-Critical: Is a prick when it comes to judging someone or something.
-Pessimistic: Always sees the bad side to things.
-Sociable: Enjoys conversing.
-Ambitious: Will literally work his heart out toward a set goal.

3) Please provide 2 paragraphs about what you are expecting the Combine Civil Authority to be like for you and your character.
Well I already know what the CCA is like for a medical character and a combat character so I know what to expect. However, a new character brings new possibilities. I expect Derrick to follow the path of advanced sociostability and do what he can to keep citizens in line. I expect him to slowly become more and more of a dick and an asshole to citizens as well as possibly to the younger ranks if he gets to that point but that all depends on his story. I already know what the CCA is like. If another paragraph is needed for me to describe what I know, PM me.

4) Please provide a detailed back-story from an out-of-character perspective on your applying character. This section must be detailed and consist of a minimum of 300 words.

Derrick was born in Zagreb, Croatia on February 16th 1977. He went to elementary school in Croatia for five years. His father got a job with Mann Co mining in 1987 in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. He moved there along with Derrick and his mother. Derrick learned the english language after several years of tormenting, bullying, and hard, hard work. He graduated in 1995 with a dual diploma. Derrick went on to be an auto mechanic, working on his apprenticeship which ended four years later. Derrick worked at Kregs Autobody for several years, fixing vehicles and sweeping floors. He enjoyed working on vehicles. The physical work kept him motivated and alert through his ten hour shifts. He was also making a pretty penny. He eventually moved to Denver and opened his own shop. He colourfully named the shop Derrik's Fixxit House. He hired two other mechanics to help him run the shop which eventually became very popular for its excellent service.
Then the war came in 2015. During the war, Derrick suffered severe physical trauma to his head. He recovered but lacked the kind mental state he once had and lacked interest in all things mechanical like he did for so many years. Derrick became very critical to others and was a pessimist about everything. This state of mind resulted in lack of friends. The lack of friends resulted in him wanting to follow the superior race. Derrick became an all time loyalist, hating people who disobeyed socio stability rules even the slightest. If someone wanted to talk to him, he would ask them to leave or just leave himself.


5) Have you ever had a CCA character here at Catalyst Gaming?  If so, explain why it was removed.
NOVA-01.399 (removed due to self PK. Kinda regret this now but I needed to focus on Leonard)
RAZOR-OfC.468 (removed by self PK. Didn't want to be merged with APEX and have a great character go to waste. Also, see above)


OOC Details

1. How long have you played on role-playing servers in general?
Roughly 5 years

2. How long have you played on serious servers?
Maybe 2-3 years

3. How long have you played on Catalyst Gaming?
9 months

4. What Time zone are you in?
Central North America (GMT -6)

5. In what country do you live?
Canada

6. How old are you?
17

7. What’s your most memorable quality RP experience?
I think the most memorable RP experience I've had was playing farkle in the Alliance HQ on outlands with bobby's character Frank.

8. Do you consider yourself a good listener?
You shouldn't judge someone or something if you don't listen first. That's my rule so yes.


IC Section

Full Name: Derrick Valswick
CID: 68251
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9
Hair Colour Black
Eye Colour: Blue
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Weight: 114 LBS
Mental Distinctions: Ambitious
Mental Defects: N/A
Mental Advantages: Thinks quickly, has courage, is faithful, can take mental stress.
Notable Qualities: Loyal, good follower, prioritizes correctly


1. Have you ever been detained or apprehended for a Sociostability Infringement before? If so, explain?
N/A

2. Do you regularly eat Combine Civil Authority Issued Rations?
Y

3. Are you willing to give your life to the cause of the Universal Union?
Y

4. Do you as a Citizen and future Civil Protection Member accept ALL actions performed by you and those under your command as your OWN responsibility?
Y

5. Will you remain loyal and faithful to the Universal Union as long as you live?
Y

6. Why do you want to join the Combine Civil Authority?
I feel my life is destined to serve the Union with my own life. I feel there is a need for help in controlling anti-civil activity. I wish to fulfil my destiny of following the Union among the ranks of the Civil Authority


Please sign the attached oath using only blue or black pen.

I, Derrick Valswick hereby swear my mind, body and soul to the Universal Union forever so long as I draw breath. I do so knowing that my actions will be held accountable to me and solely myself. I also declare my knowledge that as a Member of The Universal Union that I will be required to perform tasks above and beyond as well as perform ANY task ordered to by ANY commanding person(s). I hereby acknowledge the fact that as a Civil Protection Task-force Unit that I will be losing most, if not all, communication and or past relationship with anyone outside of the Universal Union's operational bounds.

Kopypasta'd from GameBanana.com but it cannot be left without you all knowing it.

Section Contents
1 - Keyboard Shortcuts 2 - New Mappers Info 3 - Tips & Tricks 4 - Do's & Dont's
Section 1 - Keyboard Shortcuts
For The Tools
Shift + A - Texture Application Tool
Shift + B - Brush Tool
Shift + C - Camera Tool
Shift + D - Decal Tool
Shift + E - Entity Tool
Shift + G - Magnification Tool
Shift + O - Overlay Tool
Shift + S - Selection Tool
Shift + T - Apply selected texture to brush
Shift + V - Vertex Editor
Shift + X - Clipping Tool

File Commands
Alt + B - Export Again
Ctrl + N - New File
Ctrl + O - Open File
Ctrl + S - Save File F9 - Compile Map
Ctrl + Shift + S - Sound Browser

Edit Commands
Ctrl + Y - Redo
Ctrl + Z - Undo

Clipboard + Selection
Ctrl + C - Copy
Ctrl + V - Paste
Ctrl + X / Shift + Del - Cut
Shift + Q / Esc - Clear selection
PgUp - Previous selection
PgDn - Next selection
"Alt + Enter" when brush is selected - Open object properties

Grid Options
[ - Decrease grid size
] - Increase grid size
Shift + R - Grid on/off
Shift + W - Snap to grid
 "P" whilst cursor is in 3D view - 3D grid on/off

Grouping Options
Ctrl + G - Group selected brushes
Ctrl + R - Create prefab
Ctrl + T - Tie to entity
Ctrl + W - Toggle ignore groups mode
Ctrl + Shift + W - Move solid entities to world

Carving + Hollowing
Ctrl + Shift + C - Carve (may cause crashes)
Ctrl + H - Hollow (may cause accuracy issues unless hollowed perfectly to grid size)

Viewports
Ctrl + A - All viewports to center
Shift + Z - Restore/maximize current viewport
Arrow Keys - Nudge selected brushes in current viewport
Shift + Arrow Keys - Clone and nudge selected brushes
F6 - Cycles active viewports
Shift + F6 - Reverse cycle of active viewports

2D View Shortcuts
Ctrl + B - Snap brushes to grid (based on the bounding box)
Ctrl + E - Center brushes in 2D views
Ctrl + I - Flip brush vertically
Ctrl + L - Flip brush horizontally
Ctrl + Shift + B - Snap brush to grid (individually)
Tab - Switch views between top, side and front + & -
Mouse wheel - Zoom in and out (hold Ctrl to synchronize all 2Dviewports)
Keys 1 to 9 - Cycle between Hammer's preset zoom levels
Space and drag - Drag view position
Alt - Freeform brush sizing, does not snap to grid (may cause accuracy issues later on)

3D View Shortcuts
Left Click Drag - Rotate angle of view
Right Click Drag - Move about the view whilst angle of view stays constant
Ctrl + Shift + E - Center view on selected brushes in 3D view
Mouse Wheel - Zoom in/out W, A, S, D - Moves around 3D view
"I" - Show bounding boxes
"O" with cursor in 3D view - Display FPS and yaw/pitch
"P" whilst cursor is in 3D view - 3D grid on/off
"X" - Display selection handles for resizing brush
"Z" - Toggles 3D view "noclip" mode
"1" - Decrease far clipping pane (where it goes black when being a certain distance away from something)
"2" - Increase far clipping pane

Selection Tool
Ctrl (hold) - Allows selection of multiple brushes
Shift (hold) - Constrains rotating to 15 degrees in 3D view
Shift (hold) - Move a brush and release to create a clone in the new location
Left Click (drag) - Selects objects within a box in 2D view
Left Click (hold) - Cycles brushes below selected brush in 3D view (hold when brush selected in 3D view)
Esc - Cancel selection

Camera Tool
Shift / Alt - Click and drag to create new camera in 2D view
PgUp - Cycle to last camera position
PgDn - Cycle to next camera position (if you have gone to the previous one)
Del - Delete current camera position
Ctrl - Drag camera/point of interest to move them together

Block Tool
Left Click (drag) - Create new brush shape in 2D view
Enter - Create brush after a brush shape is created
Esc - Delete brush shape without creating it
Alt + Shift + C - Insert default prefab

Texture Application Tool
Ctrl (hold) - Select multiple faces
Shift + Click - Select all faces of a brush
Ctrl + Shift - Click a face to add all faces to current selection
Right Click - Apply material settings to clicked face
Alt + Right Click - Apply material settings to clicked face with wrapping

Displacement Tool (selection mode)
Ctrl (hold) - Select multiple faces
Shift (hold) - Select all faces on a selected brush
Ctrl + Shift - Click a face to add all faces to current selection

Displacement (paint geomotry mode)
Ctrl (hold) - Select multiple faces
Alt + Drag - Alter size of editing brush
Shift + Drag - Hold and drag a vertex to nudge the vertex along editing axis
Alt + Right Click - Click a displacement face to make the face's normal the current painting axis

Displacement (paint alpha mode)
Ctrl (hold) - Select multiple faces
Ctrl + Shift - Click a face to add all faces to current selection

Overlays
Shift (hold) - Drag overlay vertex to snap to another vertex
Ctrl (hold) - Select multiple overlays

Clipping Tool
Click (drag) - Make a clipping plane
Shift + Click (drag) - Make a new clipping plane ignoring the previous
Enter - Perform clip
Ctrl + Click (drag) - Move both points of clipping plane in synchronization
"O" whilst cursor is in 2D view - Toggle clip distance display
Shift + X / Click clipping tool - Toggle clip modes

Vertex Editor Tool
Ctrl + F - Split faces (whilst 2 edges/vertices are selected)
Shift + V - Cycle vertex/edge display modes
Alt + E - Open vertex scaling dialog
Enter - Close vertex scaling dialog and perform scale

Misc.
Ctrl + M - Open transform dialog
Shift + L - Toggle texture lock
Alt + P - Open check for errors dialog (USEFUL!)
Ctrl + Shift + F - Find entities dialog
Ctrl + Shift + G - Go to brush number dialog (if there is an error reported on it this is useful)
Ctrl + Shift + R - Replace entities dialog

Section 2 - New Mappers Info
Hey, if you are reading this, I assume you are new to Hammer, and here are some things you will probably benefit from knowing:

1 - When you create a brush, you will notice that in the 3D view, you can't see anything, fear not, it's not broken! Just go into the camera tool (picture of a camera in the toolbar) and click and drag a camera so the line is facing your brush.

2 - Your map is totally black when you compile? Make some lights, you will need to use the entity tool (lightbulb tool) and select a light entity, light_environment only works if you have made a skybox.

3 - Is your map all glitchy when you start? if so, it means that you are seeing into the big black void which you were mapping upon, to fix this, just place a skybox around the map, or walls, so the player cannot see into it. This may also be known as a leak.

4 - It says all teams are full when you try to join a team in your map? Make sure your player spawns are above the floor, if they are too close you will get this error. Also, are you using the correct player spawn entity, for counter-strike, the spawns are infoplayercounterterrorist and infoplayerterrorist which can be found under entities. For other games it may be the infoplayerstart and infoplayerdeathmatch.

5 - You can't see textures in 3D view? You are in the wrong camera mode, click "camera" in the 3D view box and select something with "textured" in it. I use Textured Shaded Polygons.

6 - This is just a little information to get you on your way, I suggest checking out some beginner hammer tutorials on video hosting websites such as YouTube to get going.

Section 3 - Tips & Tricks
These tricks are things which will greatly help your mapping, some are well known, but others are not very well known and you may find yourself learning a thing or two here

Texture Application Tool Specific
1 - Face selection comes in handy, to use it, simply open the texture application tool and click a face on a brush to select it. From there you can make it a different texture to other faces without having to hollow or create another brush over the top.

2 - Using the fit tool to fit a texture over multiple brushes perfectly - So you know how to do it with one? But when you select multiple and choose fit it fits to the individual brushes? No problem, tick "Treat as one" in the menu and then fit.

3 - Prop properties - You can check which prop types a model is compatible with by clicking the "info" tab when you select a model in the model browser.

4 - Rotating a texture (flip horizontally) - Tick face in texture application to flip the texture so it is facing the opposite direction.

5 - Rotating a texture (2) - Use the "rotation" option in texture application.

6 - Texture resolution - In texture application tool, you can alter the "units per luxel" option to be alrger or smaller. A smaller number = a higher resolution. A high number would mean less expensive lighting in sacrifice for a low quality texture and vice versa.

7 - Replacing textures - Don't like that grass texture you used about 1000 times in your map? Fear not, you don't have to select them all and change them one by one, no that would be a nightmare. You can simply use "Replace." In the texture application menu, choose replace... From there you can choose the texture to search for, and the texture which will replace it in all found instances.

8 - Mask hiding is another thing which can be toggled in the texture application menu, this makes it easier to see the texture as the red tint is not shown.

9 - Fast face property application - Got faces aligned dodgily? Just align one, and whilst that face is selected, right click the other faces to give them those properties.

Texture Browser Specific
1 - Specific texture searching - There are tickboxes in the texture browser where you can filter out textures with certain properties such as transparency.

2 - Easy ladders, light blockers etc. - Have you ever actually searched for tools in the texture browser, there is some really useful stuff in there, such as the invisible ladder, which means you can create a ladder without needing to tie anything to the func_ladder entity. Simply place the invisible ladder where you want the player to be able to climb and viola! Do not use origin, as that can cause crashes in CSS, and maybe some other games too.

3 - Search through textures already used in your map - Simply tick "Only used textures" in the texture browser.

4 - Marking faces which have a particular texture - Want to resize a texture throughout your whole map? Open the texture browser, find the texture you want to rescale, and choose "Mark" you can now resize, scale, rotate or whatever. This can also be done through the Replace option in the Texture Application Tool.

5 - Opening the VMT file of a selected texture - When you have a texture selected in the texture browser click "Open Source." Unfortunately default game textures cannot be opened like this, but only custom ones. You will need something like Notepad, which you should have, I mean everyone has notepad.

6 - Filtering for multiple texture names - If you put something such as "Brick Wood ," in the filter, it will display all textures including the word Brick OR Wood.

Models, Entities & Brushes
1 - Overriding prop properties - You can force a model not compatible with a physics model/dynamic model to have the properties of a physics or dynamic entity. Use propdynamicoverride and propphysicsoverride respectively.

2 - Parenting something which doesn't have a parent option - In the entity edit box, turn off smart edit and add the keyvalue "SetParent" minus the quotes, you can then set the value to the name of an entity you want to parent to. This does not ALWAYS work however.

3 - Parenting lights - This can be done, use the light_dynamic entity, as it has the parent field included. This can create VERY cool effects where a light moves with a swinging lamp, a perfect addition to discos, haunted houses, you name it.

4 - Custom sounds - If you would like to put a custom sound into a game, place a chosen wav/mp3 file into the music folder. Then create an ambient_generic and go to choose a sound the normal way. However choose "Raw" in sound type to search from and then you will be able to search for your sound and use it. Remember to restart the SDK after you have put your music file into its place.

5 - Fake brushes (ie, brushes you can walk through and into etc.) - Tie a brush to the entity "func_illusionary" you may want to change the minimum light level to make it fit in with the other walls, or it will be darker than the rest of your walls.

6 - Changing the brightness of a light - In brightness, where you change colour, change the LAST 3 numbers, as they are the brightness settings.

7 - Changing default indoor lighting - If you are using a light_environment, change the last 3 numbers of "ambient" interestingly, you can change the default indoors colour (indoors as in places where the light is blocked) so you could have a green indoors and a red outdoors... Trippy!

8 - Overlays vs. Decals - Overlays have more features such as stretchability and the ability to be placed on displaced surfaces, whereas decals are extremely simple to use, each can be used as needed.

9 - Prefabs - When in the block tool you can change "Categories" and "Objects" if you are mapping for CSS you probably won't find Categories of much use because the others (default ones) are for Half Life/other games, but you can choose other shapes such as spikes, arches and spheres from Objects. Don't try clipping a sphere when you don't have to... lol. And also, be sure to save a complicated shape you think will be of use to you in the future as a prefab by using the shortcut "Ctrl + R" as explained in "Grouping Options" shortcuts section.

10 - "Multiplayer" props? - You see the propphysicsmultiplayer entity in your entity browser, wondering what it does? Noticed how weird it acts in game if you have used it? Well here's an explanation from the developer wiki: "This class is identical to prop_physics, aside from the runtime collisions which use a more bouncy method avoiding the prediction errors associated with normal physics objects." You can edit the keyvalue physicsmode to change the way the prop acts. 1: Solid, pushes the player away, 2: Non-solid but pushed away from payer, 3: Non solid, clientside simulated only.

11 - Brushes which allow light to pass through as though they aren't there - If you tie a brush to entity func_brush you can change the values "Disable Receiving Shadows" and "Disable Shadows" to yes meaning light is able to apss through. Using this and the block light tool can create interesting effects if used properly.

12 - Rotating precision - Mentioned in the shortcuts, you can use Shift + I to flip the brush vertically, or Shift + L to flip horizontally.

Compiling & Map Specific
1 - Fast compile - In the compile dialog you can choose Rad, and Vis to run at different speeds, you should use normal for a final compile, but if you want a quick test, use the fast speed settings. You'll be amazed by how much quicker it compiles.

2 - Letting others see custom content you put into your map - Get a nifty program called "Pakrat" it allows you to insert files such as sound and textures directly into the map itself.

3 - In depth log decoder - Go to http://www.interlopers.net/index.php?page=errors and put in your log by copying the log to your clipboard and pasting it into the box. When it is decoded you will be able to see what is wrong with your map and get information on fixing it.

4 - Other skyboxes - You can change the skybox by going to Map > Map Properties... and then changing the SkyBox texture name to something else. You can find other skyboxes by using the texture browser and filtering for skybox. Note that the last two eltters should NOT be included, jsut the actual skybox name... eg if it was the militia skybox, you will find multiple textures like militiahdrup, militiahdrrt etc. But you want to put militia_hdr into the field. You can create a nighttime map by altering the skybox texture to a nighttime one.

Misc. Mapping Specific
1 - Copy & Paste vs. Shift, drag, release - Shift drag and release can be used for precise movements of objects and is what I find myself using the most often. However if you want to move something a long way, copy it, move your cursor close to where you want it and paste. You can move it from there. Shift drag and release comes in VERY handy when trying to place brushes next to each other.

2 - Using the grid - My suggestion to you is that you create a wall which is two squares tall on the default grid before you make more grid squares, especially if you plan on making the squares go to VERY small sizes, as two squares tall is the right height for a wall (Player fits in right). Getting this height when you are working with the very small sized grid squares can be tricky and misleading.

Section 4 - Do's & Dont's
Here are some things I've learnt are best to stay away from, and better alternatives.
Freeform Sizing - Use this as little as possible, freeform sizing is when it doesn't stick to the grid when sizing an object. If you use this a lot you will find tiny spaces in your map which you haven't completely closed up 9 times out of 10. Just make the grid squares really small and work with them.

Hollowing - Will usually end up with you having to use freeform sizing because the size of the "walls" and stuff it makes does not entirely fill up a grid square and will often cause inaccuracy. Try to only use hollowing when making your skybox or things which you won't need to connect anything else to. You could of course, keep messing with the numbers untill it fills the grid squares right, but it's a waste of time, just do it by making brushes seperately, and cloning the walls etc.

Don't use overrides for everything, if a prop IS compatible with the physics entity (which you can check in the model browser) use the real entity. Override can cause loss of physics info included in the REAL physics entity.

Get into the habit of hitting Ctrl + S, if your map crashes you will have it saved. In Hammer saving your map takes no time at all unless you have an awful computer. If you don't save a lot and Hammer experiences a technical hitch that's all your work since your last save gone.
Don't carve, the tool has problems, it crashes and all sorts, steer clear of it.


Starving Hobo

Just a couple pictures of valve characters (including me) at the con this weekend.