Interlopers.net Forum - Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials

Gary wrote:How about we do that with the UDK, as people(including myself) seem to be learning that right now.

Udk and modeling? You can't do that much with UDK if you don't know how to create 3D models.

darkpivot wrote:

Gary wrote:How about we do that with the UDK, as people(including myself) seem to be learning that right now.

Udk and modeling? You can't do that much with UDK if you don't know how to create 3D models.

you can't do much with any engine besides source if you can't model

if nothing else, make placeholder art.

I dl'd UDK the other day. I really need to re-install maya. Which tool is better for UDK, Maya or 3ds?

I'll be waiting here for that learnin' thread.

Valve better step up and fix the SDK or Source will die like the Quake 3 engine did.

Ark11 wrote:Valve better step up and fix the SDK or Source will die like the Quake 3 engine did.

Personally, source wont be dead any time soon.

jangalomph wrote:Personally, source wont be dead any time soon.

jangalomph wrote:Personally, source wont be dead any time soon.

yeah hopefully I will have 70 ~ years left

source-maps wrote:

jangalomph wrote:Personally, source wont be dead any time soon.

yeah hopefully I will have 70 ~ years left

Ah yes, I'd love to see 70 more years of the generic alternate half-life story mods.

darkpivot wrote:

source-maps wrote:

jangalomph wrote:Personally, source wont be dead any time soon.

yeah hopefully I will have 70 ~ years left

Ah yes, I'd love to see 70 more years of the generic alternate half-life story mods.

I hate those mods, theres nothing wrong with Source mods. But when they just re-hash Half Life, they suck.

i'm gonna have to wait for my new rig before i can participate in the "lets learn" sessions.

Ark11 wrote:I hate those mods, theres nothing wrong with Source mods. But when they just re-hash Half Life, they suck.

Likely the reason people don't make total conversions is due to the toolset, I would end my own life if it was the only alternative to making a TC HL2 mod.

Ark11 wrote:

darkpivot wrote:

source-maps wrote:

jangalomph wrote:Personally, source wont be dead any time soon.

yeah hopefully I will have 70 ~ years left

Ah yes, I'd love to see 70 more years of the generic alternate half-life story mods.

I hate those mods, theres nothing wrong with Source mods. But when they just re-hash Half Life, they suck.

(I was kidding)

I've been away from modding for a few years working and playing live music. I came back about 2 months ago to start on a map for CS:S, and the SDK hasn't changed much. Did valve care more about their SDK developments in the early days of the source engine, when they expected everyone to release content for them? Did they realize by mid 2009 that there was a lot of low quality content being created for their titles (namely orange maps in CS:S, and DOD:S); which in turn made their titles look like showcases for amateur level designers who don't have the wits to use the tools?
Secondly, are the fundamentals of the engine too outdated for a true need to upgrade the editor/compilers? The source engine is still using upgraded quake2 technologies. It was released in 2004 - that's 7 long years of minor upgrades, and few improvements. If you want to factor in that the Source engine is still a modded Quake2 engine we're griping about 15 year old technology.


1997 1 (December 9th)quake2 engine released
1998 2 (November 19th)half-life engine released
1999 3
2000 4
2001 5
2002 6
2003 7
2004 8 (November 16th)Source engine released
2005 9
2006 10 (Engine update)
2007 11 (Engine update)
2008 12
2009 13 (Engine update)
2010 14
2011 15 (I now have the option of 'Source engine MP' in my list and nothing new that stands out!)


On a positive note, veteran developers of all calibers are comfortable with the Source engine. It's very flexible and powerful in the right hands. You can always count on a *.qc with *.smd run through studiomdl.exe with basic/advanced parameters will give you a model which the engine can run. I think this ancient proven technology still has a lot of power and potential. This engine is wonderful and people have done amazing things within its boundaries. We'll have to wait and see if they give us a re-vamped Hammer editor. Or even a more dynamic and powerful non third party model and material compiling GUI, which works with hammer.
If any of you keep up with Id software's tech5 engine, and the IW engine (COD engine). You'll notice that modding and indie development are not at the forefront. Big developers aren't too interested in community driven content. Carmack set us all straight in his keynotes about open development on the Tech5 engine, it was a 10 minute "Yeah... but no.". Are they closing their doors to the average Joe mapper, to ensure top notch content? Are they saving the average Joe from a mental melt down from the learning curve that comes along with the engines? Or is it both?
UDK is downloading to my PC right now. It looks like the UnrealED from the original Unreal game, and all the titles throughout. Their encouraging people to get into the game development industry. Sweet! I remember making maps for Unreal Fortress in the early 2000's. Coming from the quake worldspawn where leaks can ruin 10 hours of work, subtractive worldspawn is a dream to work in. I still love the source engine, and feel like I have a lot to explore within it.