Optimizing question

[EcGRooster]

did you turn hint-skips into entities or are they loose geometry?
also can you give us some screenshots showing how they go through your geometry?

i was thinking that just this morning, i may have clicked a hint/skip by mistake and made it a func_detail, ill have to check on that. i didnt think you could turn them into entities, not sure what "loose geometry" means and as far as i know how they work is they have to be touching world brushes and the hint face needs to be touching hint face or they dont work correctly. is this correct? i dont put hint/skips through geometry unless they are func_ or displacements. i had someone explain to me that the hint brush might cause the visleaf to slpit the func_detail causing to double making too many fucn_details. i dont quite understand this since func_details do not produce visleafs nor should they be affected by them. i will try to get some screen shots for you.

[jimonions]

Don't forget to use the visgroups list t the right to help you isolate the problem. Also the cordon tool.

[[KIRBY]]

i was thinking that just this morning, i may have clicked a hint/skip by mistake and made it a func_detail, ill have to check on that. i didnt think you could turn them into entities, not sure what "loose geometry" means and as far as i know how they work is they have to be touching world brushes and the hint face needs to be touching hint face or they dont work correctly. is this correct? i dont put hint/skips through geometry unless they are func_ or displacements. i had someone explain to me that the hint brush might cause the visleaf to slpit the func_detail causing to double making too many fucn_details. i dont quite understand this since func_details do not produce visleafs nor should they be affected by them. i will try to get some screen shots for you.

you can have hint/skip brush going through whole level, basically dont think of it as area portal or something, thing of it as a knife that can divide your map.

also if you have loads of open spaces, use func_viscluster

[EcGRooster]

not sure if this answered my question but im still working on it. i still have lots to learn about mapping, thanks for the info.

[[KIRBY]]

just post some screenshots from hammer so we can actually help you, I was guessing so far because I didn't see the map

[EcGRooster]

well i cant figure out how to get screen shots from hammer, the map is de_boston if that helps. i made one huge skip over the entire map from the top of the skybox to about mid section of the Ts in T spawn. i vaguely remember the original was like that. it compiled fine and all the func_detailing i did really cut down on visleafs as well.

[LordDz]

How to take screenshots in Hammer:
Printscreen + Paint.exe
Windows clipping tool.
A piece of paper.
Printscreen + Dropbox. (Enable it in the settings).

[EcGRooster]

OMG thanks for that LordDz.

[Knights]

Or get Fraps

[Riomaki]

If this boston is the same one shown here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37525

I don't think this is a good case for visclusters. Maybe you can clarify - are you trying hints because your map actually running badly and with high vvis time? Because I've got to be honest, your map is very basic. If it is running poorly, I have to believe that you need to revisit how you func_detail'ed things. I see a fair bit of building trims and insets, and if you aren't func_detail'ing those, that's half your issue. I trust you have been loading the portal file and looking at where the blue lines are concentrated right?

[EcGRooster]

If this boston is the same one shown here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37525

I don't think this is a good case for visclusters. Maybe you can clarify - are you trying hints because your map actually running badly and with high vvis time? Because I've got to be honest, your map is very basic. If it is running poorly, I have to believe that you need to revisit how you func_detail'ed things. I see a fair bit of building trims and insets, and if you aren't func_detail'ing those, that's half your issue. I trust you have been loading the portal file and looking at where the blue lines are concentrated right?

you are correct Riomaki, im under the impression that you need to make the map as playable as possible so i basicaly rebuilt the entire map, remade world brushes that were broke, eliminated world brushes that were inside other world brushes for no apparent reason, eliminated unnecessary func_details, altered world brush details to cut down on vis_leafs, deleted func_details and replaced all the window frames with models, and the list goes on so upon loading the portal file i am trying to eliminate even more vis_leafs until i hit the t_junction error. in reality i have no idea how this map will play with 32 players since i can not get anyone to play the damn map on their server. i play it all the time with bots and i have a great time but it would be even better with real people and a full server. so to be honest im just trying to do my very best at this. also someone said that the .bsp file is way too big for most servers to play, not sure why but i am trying to figure a way to lighten the .bsp as well. just so you know i used VIDE to pak it, not sure if that makes a difference.