Working with Instances

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WinstonSmith
940 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 14 hours later

EL POLLO LOCO wrote:
I seem to have a problem with mine. On my desktop computer (where I normally do my mapping) I try to make instances and whatever I do they never work. On my laptop (which I only use for mapping in this case since it cannot actually run P2) the instances work fine but as soon as I transfer the map files over to my desktop to test the map the instances don;t work at all.......anyone got any fixes for this?

Could you detail exactly how they don't work? Are you talking about tranferring VMFs or BSPs?

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EL POLLO LOCO
34 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 5 hours later
Yeah, it seems that on my laptop doing anything with instances works. on my desktop when i make a Func_Instance and then try to make (for example) an arrival elevator it doesn't work. I don;t know if that answers your question, WinstonSmith, but yeah......
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msleeper
4,136 Posts
Admin
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 18 minutes later
What specifically do you mean "it doesn't work"? Does it just sit there as the purple cube? If so you need to make sure a couple things: A.) You have saved the VMF of your map in a location that the instances/ directory can be located, and B.) you actually have the instances/ directory, and the instance you are loading is in the proper path.
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Idolon
417 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 1 hour later
Sometimes when you first load an instance it doesn't show up, try reloading your map.
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EL POLLO LOCO
34 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 1 hour later

msleeper wrote:
What specifically do you mean "it doesn't work"? Does it just sit there as the purple cube? If so you need to make sure a couple things: A.) You have saved the VMF of your map in a location that the instances/ directory can be located, and B.) you actually have the instances/ directory, and the instance you are loading is in the proper path.

Thanks very much everything works now.

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msleeper
4,136 Posts
Admin
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 5 minutes later
What did you do to fix it?
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EL POLLO LOCO
34 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 10 minutes later
saved it in a different folder. also now that instances are working, i cant compile and load my map for some reason...... i get an error message in red print saying " LoadPortals: couldn;t read d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\portal 2\sdk_content\maps\Map_04.prt "

(Map_04 is the name of my map fyi)

anything to fix this?

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p0rtalplayer
1,366 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 2 minutes later
Couple things: first, your instance is probably leaking, or something in your map is. Go to map -> load pointfile to find where it is.

Second, I read on the p2 mapping list a while ago (not sure if this is still true) that in addition to being in a separate /instance folder, your map and the instance folder have to be in a folder called /maps for hammer to load them correctly.

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EL POLLO LOCO
34 Posts
Posted May 25, 2011
Replied 41 minutes later
Thanks again, it's fixed.
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Mediaburn
25 Posts
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 10 hours later
I consider my self a pretty good mapper but a very big noob in Hammer. All tough Im a quick learner and I understand the basics of Hammer pretty good now. BUT could anyone expain me. How this instance work should be placed in your map? I know what the instances are for and I undestand their purpose. But I can't really put my finger on the placement. Do you make a brush or do you place a door wich links to the instance? And is it possible to link instance after instance? So you can make your map in sections to keep the overview clearer to your self? (Excuse my poor engish. It's the reason I can't really put my finger on instances :razz: )
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msleeper
4,136 Posts
Admin
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 8 hours later
Simply place a point entity func_instance and edit it's properties to point to the location of your instance VMF. That's it.
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WinstonSmith
940 Posts
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 1 minute later

Mediaburn wrote:
I consider my self a pretty good mapper but a very big noob in Hammer. All tough Im a quick learner and I understand the basics of Hammer pretty good now. BUT could anyone expain me. How this instance work should be placed in your map? I know what the instances are for and I undestand their purpose. But I can't really put my finger on the placement. Do you make a brush or do you place a door wich links to the instance? And is it possible to link instance after instance? So you can make your map in sections to keep the overview clearer to your self? (Excuse my poor engish. It's the reason I can't really put my finger on instances :razz: )

Go to the entity tool, select func_instance, and place it somewhere in your map.

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p0rtalplayer
1,366 Posts
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 3 hours later

Mediaburn wrote:
So you can make your map in sections to keep the overview clearer to your self?

A good way to do this without making unnecessary instances is to use visgroups. To put a group of objects in a visgroup, select them, double click on them in a 2D view, go to Edit Visgroups, and make a new visgroup. It should put them in it automatically, but if it doesn't then check the box. This way you can use the visgroups bit of the right toolbar to control what your map shows. Be warned, though, visgroups that aren't enabled won't be compiled into the map, so make sure you re-enable them before compiling.

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EL POLLO LOCO
34 Posts
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 1 hour later
I have another question. I have pretty much finished the map I am working on and i loaded it and it said there were a few leaks so I fixed them and it then told me the func_portal_cleanser in the elevator instance was leaking and so i put a skybox around the whole map (and made it as small as possible) and now it takes SO long to compile the map....any suggestions?
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WinstonSmith
940 Posts
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 2 minutes later

EL POLLO LOCO wrote:
I have another question. I have pretty much finished the map I am working on and i loaded it and it said there were a few leaks so I fixed them and it then told me the func_portal_cleanser in the elevator instance was leaking and so i put a skybox around the whole map (and made it as small as possible) and now it takes SO long to compile the map....any suggestions?

Yes. Fix the leak instead of skyboxing the whole level. Load the LIN file, find where the fizzler's leaking (out of what hole in your world geometry the red line's going), and patch it up; putting a huge skybox around your level is one of the worst things you can do.

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EL POLLO LOCO
34 Posts
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 11 minutes later
worked, thanks
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msleeper
4,136 Posts
Admin
Posted May 26, 2011
Replied 2 minutes later
You probably don't have the elevator instance properly aligned with the rest of your map. Fix your map so that you don't have a leak - either adjust the location of the instance or make where it connects to your map not leak. I'm not sure what else to say here.
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Mediaburn
25 Posts
Posted May 27, 2011
Replied 8 hours later

msleeper wrote:
Simply place a point entity func_instance and edit it's properties to point to the location of your instance VMF. That's it.

I must say. Im amazed by the simplicety of this editor (more complex triggers and stuff is always possible ofc.) But compairing hammer to the unreal tool. Hammer is defenetly more user friendly. All tough I still cant figure out how to make circle like objects... Im beginning to think this is one thing you have to do all manual. But thats off-topic :razz: THNX anyway. If my 1st map comes to the point it needs the elevator instance. I'm sure Ill get more of an idea how this works.

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msleeper
4,136 Posts
Admin
Posted May 27, 2011
Replied 1 hour later
You can't really make a "circle like object" with the editor. The "sphere" tool is absolutely terrible. Your best bet is to make a model and use a prop_static or prop_dynamic as necessary.
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SharkPack717
7 Posts
Posted May 27, 2011
Replied 12 hours later
I'm trying to figure out how to make the 1950's Elevators to work for me. All the other Elevators work fine but the 1950's. When I play the map sp_a3_speed_ramp, it spawns me in the middle of the map instead of inside the Elevator. Also when I play a New Game and start at Chapter 7 (where the bugged map is) it does the same thing. It doesn't spawn me inside the Elevator. All the other 1950's levels work but my maps and the sp_a3_speed_ramp. Need Help!