My eyesight is better than 20/20 (thanks to Lasik) but I can't read the developer console on the big screen TV halfway across the room. I found a solution on the Steam developer's forum, and I have a little tweak to make it better.

The console font is specified in resource/sourcescheme.res, found in the pak01_dir.vpk file in the portal2 (no space) directory. You can edit it directly in there using Notepad++, which is what I found in the Steam forum. However, if you're careless, you can corrupt that file. Also, whenever you verify the local game cache, the OEM version will return.

I play all custom maps in a mod (see my sig if you want to do that too), so I just extracted the resource/sourcescheme.res file into my mod's pak01_dir folder, and edited it there. Just find the section "ConsoleText" under Fonts, and change the value for tall to whatever works for you. Rebuild your mod's pak01_dir.vpk file (not the game's), and the developer console in the mod will be fixed permanently.

I had hoped that just extracting the file from the .vpk into the game's folder heirarchy would be sufficient, but it isn't. Due to the way the game searches paths for files, a file in the pak01_dir.vpk will be found first.

If anyone can tell me how to fix the text entry line at the bottom, I'd really appreciate it.

EDIT: How to override the file in the native game directory (no mod)
Thanks to lpfreaky90 and spongylover123 for setting me straight on this.

• Create a portal2_dlc2 directory in the "portal 2" (with a space) directory- Create a pak01_dir.vpk file containing the modified resource/sourcescheme.res- When you start Portal 2, it will take a while to build the sound cache files. Don't worry, it will start normally next time.- Keep a backup copy. The next update from Valve might overwrite this directory. Then I suppose you could use the portal2_dlc3 directory instead.

lpfreaky90 wrote:
what about making a dlc_03 folder with a custom pak01_dir

Is that a question, or a statement? If you can override files in the game that way, there's quite a few other things I'd fix, too.

KennKong wrote:
Is that a question, or a statement? If you can override files in the game that way, there's quite a few other things I'd fix, too.

Yes, you can do that.
You can override anything with a new vpk.

spongylover123 wrote:
Yes, you can do that.
You can override anything with a new vpk.

I've never messed around in the portal2 directory. Would you be so kind as to give specific instructions on how to override the resource/sourcescheme.res file in the game itself? I tried a new portal2_dlc3 directory, with new pak01_dir.vpk and gameinfo.txt, but that didn't change anything.

If you don't, it won't work, the engine checks the folders by number orders when it comes to dlc* extensions.

spongylover123 wrote:
do you have a stocked dlc2 folder?

I don't know what you mean by "stocked". I created a portal2_dlc2 folder, with a gameinfo.txt and pak01_dir.vpk file in it. The game doesn't ever access either file.

My process monitor says the game checks the following directories for pak01_dir.vpk files in order:
1. platform (but not always)
2. update
3. portal2_dlc1
5. portal2

So if I had "stocked" the portal2_dlc2 folder correctly, it would have overridden the portal2 version. But the game only checks the portal2_dlc2 folder a couple times at startup, then never again. So what does it need to contain to make the game treat it as its own?

"GameInfo"
{
   game       "PORTAL2"
   title       "Portal 2"
   GameData   "portal2.fgd"
   gamelogo    1

   SupportsDX8     0
   SupportsXbox360 1

   FileSystem
   {
      SteamAppId            620      // This will mount all the GCFs we need (240=CS:S, 220=HL2).
      ToolsAppId            211      // Tools will load this (ie: source SDK caches) to get things like materials\debug, materials\editor, etc.
      
      //
      // The code that loads this file automatically does a few things here:
      //
      // 1. For each "Game" search path, it adds a "GameBin" path, in <dir>\bin
      // 2. For each "Game" search path, it adds another "Game" path in front of it with _<langage> at the end.
      //    For example: c:\hl2\cstrike on a french machine would get a c:\hl2\cstrike_french path added to it.
      // 3. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "MOD".
      // 4. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH".
      //

      //
      // Search paths are relative to the base directory, which is where hl2.exe is found.
      //
      // |gameinfo_path| points at the directory where gameinfo.txt is.
      // We always want to mount that directory relative to gameinfo.txt, so
      // people can mount stuff in c:\mymod, and the main game resources are in
      // someplace like c:\program files\valve\steam\steamapps\half-life 2.
      //

      SearchPaths
      {
         Game            |gameinfo_path|
         Game            portal2
         Game            portal2_sixense
         Game            portal2_dlc1
         Game            portal2_dlc2
         Game            platform
         Game            portal2_dlc3
      }
   }
}

Note: If you have P2SDK, open hammer and check the "messages" window.
If it has paths of all folders located in portal 2, then the game will load it too.

EDIT: I found out you need a least 1 vpk in a dlc folder for the game to load it.

I created a portal2_dlc2 directory in "portal 2" (with the space). It contains a copy of gameinfo.txt from portal2_dlc1. It has a pak01_dir.vpk file which contains only the modified version of resource/sourcescheme.res. Now when I start Portal 2, the developer console text is larger.

I am confused by your gameinfo.txt, which seems to have the paths listed in reverse order. In any case, it seems that I don't need any of the extra lines you have, just |gameinfo_path|. and portal2. Now, when I start Hammer, it lists the search paths as update, portal2_dlc2, portal2_dlc1, portal2, and platform, in that order.

I'll update the initial post to reflect this much more helpful information. Thank you.

spongylover123 wrote:
Is your gameinfo.txt like this
```
"GameInfo"
{
   game       "PORTAL2"
   title       "Portal 2"
   GameData   "portal2.fgd"
   gamelogo    1

SupportsDX8     0
   SupportsXbox360 1

FileSystem
   {
      SteamAppId            620      // This will mount all the GCFs we need (240=CS:S, 220=HL2).
      ToolsAppId            211      // Tools will load this (ie: source SDK caches) to get things like materials\debug, materials\editor, etc.

//
      // The code that loads this file automatically does a few things here:
      //
      // 1. For each "Game" search path, it adds a "GameBin" path, in \bin
      // 2. For each "Game" search path, it adds another "Game" path in front of it with _ at the end.
      //    For example: c:\hl2\cstrike on a french machine would get a c:\hl2\cstrike_french path added to it.
      // 3. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "MOD".
      // 4. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH".
      //

//
      // Search paths are relative to the base directory, which is where hl2.exe is found.
      //
      // |gameinfo_path| points at the directory where gameinfo.txt is.
      // We always want to mount that directory relative to gameinfo.txt, so
      // people can mount stuff in c:\mymod, and the main game resources are in
      // someplace like c:\program files\valve\steam\steamapps\half-life 2.
      //

SearchPaths
      {
         Game            |gameinfo_path|
         Game            portal2
         Game            portal2_sixense
         Game            portal2_dlc1
         Game            portal2_dlc2
         Game            platform
         Game            portal2_dlc3
      }
   }
}

>
> Note: If you have P2SDK, open hammer and check the "messages" window.
> If it has paths of all folders located in portal 2, then the game will load it too.
>
>
> **EDIT: I found out you need a least 1 vpk in a dlc folder for the game to load it.**




Just letting you know this is backwards; it won't override anything (unless it's in the mod folder) because portal2 is just under it. Change this:

SearchPaths
      {
         Game            |gameinfo_path|
         Game            portal2
         Game            portal2_sixense
         Game            portal2_dlc1
         Game            portal2_dlc2
         Game            platform
         Game            portal2_dlc3
      }

To this:

SearchPaths
      {
         Game            |gameinfo_path|
         Game            portal2_dlc3
         Game            portal2_dlc2
         Game            portal2_dlc1
         Game            portal2_sixense
                        Game                            portal2
         Game            platform
      }
```

And then the dlcs will override each other as expected.

The gameinfo.txt file isn't needed in the portal2_dlc2 directory. The pak01_dir.vpk is needed. gameinfo.txt isn't needed in portal2_dlc1 either, but since Valve put it there, I see no reason to remove it. gameinfo.txt is required in the portal2 directory, Steam won't even start the game without it. gameinfo.txt is required for everything you put in the sourcemods folder, Steam won't even list the mod without it.

If you have a directory named portal2_dlc3 without one named portal2_dlc2, it doesn't get loaded. Apparently, they must be sequentially numbered.

They must be called portal2_dlc#. Any other directory name I've tried doesn't get added to the path.

The paths are searched in reverse dictionary order. This means update will take precedence over everything.

spongylover123 wrote:
those extra paths i used are just backup in case the game doesn't load them.
P.S I tested the paths order, it doesn't matter, apparently to the game or hammer. It stills loads it in the same order

It does matter (in terms of overriding) because the topmost one is read first, and if something is found there it's ignored in everything below it (ie if portal2_dlc1 is in front of portal2, if the game finds it in the dlc folder it doesn't load it from portal2.) This is how it has worked for ages, so I don't think it'd change now.

ofc p2 dlcs are hardcoded, and thus don't apply to the sourcemod methods, but it's still applicable in portal 2's gameinfo.txt.

just use a magnyfing glass; its easier