I've used the BEE mod for quite some time without issue. When I switched my OS to WIN 7 64 bit, I also added BEE2. It seemed to work fine at first, but now Portal 2 crashes every time I use it, whether I create a level or just play. Once, I loaded Portal 2, then was pulled away from the computer for a few moments. I got back just i time to see it crash again, while it just sat idle. Anyone know what the problem is?

Also, both BEE Mod and BEE 2 seemed to cause uploading my levels to Steam time out very, very often. When I contacted Steam about the issue, they sent instructions on clearing certain directories and letting the program restore the needed files. Doing so wiped out the BEE Mod. I could upload non-BEE modded levels once again. When I put Bee Mod back, I was able to upload one level without problem, but the upload connection error resumed after that. Any help here would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

Have you run the stylechanger exe yet? I assume steam got you to vertify cache, so that's not the problem.

Yes. That was the first thing I did after installation. After that, I set up one style for the BEE2 tools that work and I want to use. I switch between those and the standard Bee Mod tools. And yes, I make sure Portal 2 is shut down before I change between them.

It was definitely BEE2 crashing my Portal 2. I cleared the Portal 2 files and did a fresh install without BEE2, and was able to create and upload levels without any issues. I really want the BEE Mod tools. Not sure what to do now. Anyone have a suggestion?

Anything that can be done using the BEE Mod can be done in Hammer. Stop using the PTI and learn to use the * real * map making tool. By all means use the PTI to rough out your puzzles, but then make them in Hammer. It might take you longer to learn and it is a steep hard learning curve, but once you start making progress and producing decent maps you will feel like you've achieved something more substantial ...

Anyone can whip up a chamber in the PTI (that's the whole point of it) .. only real mappers use Hammer.

Love to learn to use Hammer, but real life keeps me from devoting the needed time. The PTI and BEE Mod tools at least gives me the ability to exercise my creativity in creating some fun Portal 2 puzzles. And now that I've gotten used to having the Once/Multiple Triggers and the And/Or Logic Gates, it's very limiting not to have them. (Not to mention the other items in BEE Mod.)

Sorry to hear that you don't have the time.. I average 4hrs a week (usually 1hr for four days). Been learning for over a year now. Haven't felt comfortable with the level of my work compared to others... haven't released a thing. Still learning. I know people that have been learning for less time then me with entire 6-odd part mappacks on the workshop. Learning Hammer is doable if you WANT to.

Wife. Three young children (5,2 and 10mths). 2 Dogs requiring lengthy walks. House to tidy. Demanding military job working currently 08:00-20:00 6days a week. If you have the time to spend on PTI and BEE then you could devote some of that to learning Hammer.

Try using PTI all week to get your creative bursts out. Once a week instead of using PTI open Hammer. Even in 20minute bursts you'll feel better for learning the real thing.

Well, I spent most of today playing in Hammer. Watched and followed along with some YouTube videos. I'll definitely keep playing with it. Unfortunately, It seems such a waste of time trying to reinvent the wheel on everything that has already been created by BEE Mod and BEE2. Why doesn't anyone create a collection of Instances of common objects found in the BEE2 that will enable placement into others custom Hammer maps. If someone has, please let me know where to find them. Also, thought it would be nice to create my own objects in Blender and import them into Hammer. I've watched lots of videos about doing this, but none of them address how to determine the scale to fit into Portal 2 properly. Anyone have any information on that?

Samot wrote:
Well, I spent most of today playing in Hammer. Watched and followed along with some YouTube videos. I'll definitely keep playing with it. Unfortunately, It seems such a waste of time trying to reinvent the wheel on everything that has already been created by BEE Mod and BEE2. Why doesn't anyone create a collection of Instances of common objects found in the BEE2 that will enable placement into others custom Hammer maps. If someone has, please let me know where to find them. Also, thought it would be nice to create my own objects in Blender and import them into Hammer. I've watched lots of videos about doing this, but none of them address how to determine the scale to fit into Portal 2 properly. Anyone have any information on that?

1. Just use the beemod instances in hammer, if you are wanting to.
2. I think you are missing the point. Beemod items were created in hammer. PTI is a bad level editor, and that is for reasons too numerous to list.
3. Just decompile a valve model like a button and use it as a scale reference.

1. Just use the beemod instances in hammer, if you are wanting to.
Would love to, but haven't a clue as to how to do so. BEE Mod was removed when I reloaded the original Portal 2 settings in steam. Detailed instructions on where to find these instances and how to implement them would be a great help. All I've been able to find via searches either show you how to reinvent the wheel (create things that are already available in BEE Mod) or how to do simple room designs. As stated before, what is needed is Hammer files with each feature saved by itself as an instance, and some clear instructions on how to implement them.

2. I think you are missing the point. Beemod items were created in hammer. PTI is a bad level editor, and that is for reasons too numerous to list.
Maybe, but creating a complex chamber with standard Portal 2 features is far faster. Item placement is locked into the proper place, and can be far easier to move if need be. No need to zoom into an already hard to see line diagram of the level you're working on, with so many visuals blocking the view. PTI did a few thing right. You can clearly see what is in the level you are working on, and how triggers are connected to items. Also, level shapes can be easily changed whenever you need, with very little hassle.

*3. Just decompile a valve model like a button and use it as a scale reference. *
Once again, you tell me the most complicated way to do things. First, I (as well as other people new to Hammer) wouldn't know where to begin to do this. All I needed to know was a number to assign to a common element in Portal. I actually found this in some comment under a YouTube video. FYI for other people with this question, a standard room building block in the PTI is 128 Blender Units. With this information, I now have a rough scale to work from. I even found a YouTube video that had a link to a scaled human character that can be loaded in Blender.

In closing, yes I can clearly see that Hammer has far more flexibility, but it is at a cost of usability. Not everyone has the time or the aptitude for working in an environment like Hammer. That doesn't mean that they can't have good, creative ideas that can be implemented with the PTI, and even more so with BEE Mod.

Using PTI and only a few BEE Mod items, I was able to create a chamber that requires the player to actually be able to convert numbers into binary in order to solve the puzzle. I'm sure not many Portal 2 creators, even those using Hammer, have thought to do this. And I've played many user levels that were challenging and creative that only used PTI. And I've played levels obviously created with Hammer with very little challenge to them, and had nothing of interest except some eye candy. So please, try to avoid looking down your nose at people who rely on PTI. Technical know how and creativity are not always linked.

Yeah, the player is 72 units high. Weighted storage cubes are about half that, which gives you an idea of how ridiculously huge the buttons are compared to the player. But hey, this is Aperture.

More information about scale: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Scale

The PTI instances are saved in sdk_content/maps/instances/p2editor, the BEEMOD ones are in instances/bens_extended_editor/. The last map compiled in PTI is saved as sdk_content/maps/preview.vmf, or maps/styled/preview.vmf for the stylechanger version.

You'll probably want to actually use the other instances, they are simpler and better a lot of the time. (Valve had to make PTI instances complex to handle all the logic and make them easy to use.) in the sdk_content/maps folder Valve left copies of some of the campaign maps to show how they made them. There's a zoo_mechanics map that has basically every test element, to demonstrate how they were made.

TeamSpen210 wrote:
The PTI instances are saved in sdk_content/maps/instances/p2editor, the BEEMOD ones are in instances/bens_extended_editor/. The last map compiled in PTI is saved as sdk_content/maps/preview.vmf, or maps/styled/preview.vmf for the stylechanger version.

You'll probably want to actually use the other instances, they are simpler and better a lot of the time. (Valve had to make PTI instances complex to handle all the logic and make them easy to use.) in the sdk_content/maps folder Valve left copies of some of the campaign maps to show how they made them. There's a zoo_mechanics map that has basically every test element, to demonstrate how they were made.

Thanks for the info. Just what I needed.

If you are curious, I exclusively use hammer for my level design. I created the BEEMOD and the BEE2, and I've never made a map with those items.

You aren't re-inventing the wheel. You're making a new type of tire. You'd be re-inventing the wheel if you had to code physics for every prop, or make every model by hand every time you used it.

To make a toxic pit, you need 3 brushes. One for the appearance of toxic waste, and two for triggering player damage and killing props.
To make a fizzler, you need some prop_dynamics and a single brush.
to make a laser emitter, you need one entity, and to wrap it with some brushes as you embed it in a wall.

Hammer is easy, and structuring each element individually in each level you design is the benefit of using hammer. Everything can behave and look exactly like you want it to. Not just the limited functionality the PTI can hack together.

Its like a picture made with huge pixels, so large you can barely tell what it is supposed to be VS a painting by an artist. Sure it takes more work to paint, mix those colors, practice, fail, but eventually create a beautiful work of art. VS the cookie cutter pixilized image you took and ran through an instagram filter.

Basically, you'll never regret learning how to hammer

BenVlodgi wrote:
Amazing text...Basically, you'll never regret learning how to hammer