User talk:Andreasen

Ladders

What I think is that ladder mdls should be nonsolid & nonclipped in MP mods...this is because the the ladder brush will handle all of the solidity while functioning correctly—ts2do 19:33, 30 Jan 2006 (PST)

You mean the func_ladder brush? Unless I'm mistaken, that only applies for CS:S and DoD:S (which I have stated in the Working Ladders article). HL2:DM doesn't have a func_ladder brush. Do you mean that you only prefer the non-solid method when there is a func_brush involved?--Andreasen 21:37, 30 Jan 2006 (PST)

yes since the func_ladder takes place of the solid...of course some clipping may be good to "guide" the player—ts2do 22:19, 30 Jan 2006 (PST)

Okay. I already wrote what you're tellig me last night, so if you wanted it written yesterday, you got it. :)

The other cases of non-solid techniques are there because wisemx has persisted that non-solid ladders are totally superior in every case, including HL2:SP, and as people seem to agree without providing much evidence, I wanted to sort things out. --Andreasen 22:37, 30 Jan 2006 (PST)

I think it's just an understood expectation in MP to be able to move freely parallel to the surface that a ladder covers.—ts2do 23:06, 30 Jan 2006 (PST)

When is comes to brush ladders entirely against a wall, they're somewhat flat, so then you can get away with it, but prop ladders are so large that it will look wierd if someone stands inside a non-solid ladder, so I'd prefer 45 degree angled player clips at the sides - a normal technique when it comes to avoid the player getting stuck on uneven walls. (Updated Working Ladders.) --Andreasen 06:53, 31 Jan 2006 (PST)

Wiki markup

Your contributions are appreciated, but please read Help:Editing to learn more wiki formatting markup. You should not be using HTML tags like <i>. Wiki markup uses '' for marking italics. --JeffLane 11:48, 31 Jan 2006 (PST)

Oh, thank you. I was adopting the current style from the article I was editing, thinking it was correct. I've read Help:Editing now, and updated all the articles. Is there any page where it says what is supposed to be italized, and also if the <code></code>-markup is okay to use, and when? --Andreasen 12:14, 31 Jan 2006 (PST)

There are no hard rules for specific formatting, other than keeping HTML at a bare minimum. There are some generally accepted styles you can use, though:

Italics

• Should in general follow standard English usage -- italics are meant for slight emphasis. Italics should not be used for full sentences, as that is not minor emphasis and actually makes the emphasis unintelligible.
• Newly defined words in a sentence. For example: "Levels are created with a series of blocks, called brushes, which can be created in all manner of sizes. Brushes are the basic components of levels". After the first italicized instance, the word is no longer italicized.
• Parameters in a command-line that are to be replaced by the user: hl2.exe +map mapname -dev
• Can be combined with "<" and ">" for parameters with longer names: hl2.exe -game <game directory>
• Other standard uses in English can be found at Wikipedia:Italic_type.

<code> tags

• Are fine to use, as there is no other wiki markup equivalent.
• Command-line statements: c:\program files\valve\steam\
• Variables in code or text files: $staticprop or m_nCounter
• In-game console commands: mat_wireframe 1
• Filenames: bspzip.exe
• Entity names: info_player_start
• Other in-game or Hammer data, such as texture names, input and output names, etc.

<code> tag talk

I disagree with use of the <code> tag around entity names! the only thing that is needed is a link to the entity's documentation article for the first instance and nothing for the next ones—ts2do 19:16, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

I figured that, judging by the edits you made, and stopped marking up entities with the code tag as I think your method was better. --Andreasen 20:08, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

You don't make it clear why you do not want to use <code> tags around entities. The rationale for <code> formatting is to separate commentary or instruction text from items that are entered by the user, or is actual game-related data. Entity names would fall into that category. Entities are an extension of game code, and that's made clear by the tag. An example is "Now insert a light entity", versus "Now insert a light entity". One is clearly a specific game item, the other is not. This is not exactly a critical case for code tags, but I wanted to be clear why it was listed here. --JeffLane 19:19, 14 Feb 2006 (PST)

In my case, it's simply because code-tags looks ugly and steals attention: When you briefly read through a text, those boxes will look like the text is all about them. I think light might be the only example where you could confuse an entity with commentary because other entitys have extentions with underscores in them, like npc_headcrab. Also, a link to the entity in question (always or the first time it is mentioned) will allow the user to quickly access what the entity is all about instead of having to manually search for it. Writing "A light entity." should also be obvious, as it would be strange to have a page about what the normal word light would be about. --Andreasen 20:00, 14 Feb 2006 (PST)

Bolding

• Strong emphasis: "Note: Using this command can cause your hard drive to explode." Like italics, over-use of bolding renders the emphasis unintelligible.
• Menu commands and other program UI: "First, go to the File menu and choose Map Properties to bring up the Object Properties dialog box. Click the Skybox Texture Name field."
• If the word is a wiki link, you do not usually need to bold it.

These are just general guidlines you can follow if you are unsure what formatting to use. --JeffLane 14:20, 31 Jan 2006 (PST)

THANKS

I just want to thank you for your effort in helping me solve my 2d grid problem. It did turn out that I had to update my graphic card driver. Thank you. Cubedude 17:22, 7 Feb 2006 (PST)

I'm glad that the solution was that simple. You're welcome. --Andreasen 20:17, 7 Feb 2006 (PST)

Image copyright tags

Hey, I wouldn't worry about putting copyright tags and stuff on images (at least for in-game stuff). Valve runs the wiki, they knows what's theirs, etc. etc. This isn't Wikipedia, at least on that note. --AndrewNeo 16:43, 8 Feb 2006 (PST)

Okay, if you say so, but when you are uploading an image, it sais that I should go to the rules page, and there the line about writing a copyright tag is written in bold, like it was really important. If it would be a page from the original wiki then I would understand, but that page is on the Source wiki, so I figured Valve themselves wanted pictures with tags in them. I won't write tags for screenshots in the future, but they should probably want to change that page too, because that's a LOT of rules to read, so they should all be necessary ones. --Andreasen 16:53, 8 Feb 2006 (PST)

• Yes, they should change that page. It was copied straight from Wikipedia (not by a Valve employee, I might add). If it were a picture from the outside, I would agree with the image tags, but otherwise we don't usually worry about it. --AndrewNeo 17:03, 8 Feb 2006 (PST)

Suit

The clipboard that kleiner was holding said the mark v hazardous environment suit—ts2do

Oh sorry, you're right. I could have sworn it was the other formulation. --Andreasen 20:17, 10 Feb 2006 (PST)

Maybe the v stands for valve :=p—ts2do 21:15, 10 Feb 2006 (PST)

Hehehe, let's hope not. :P --Andreasen 21:29, 10 Feb 2006 (PST)

Also, I guess Mark I-III failed in alpha stages, so they ended up with Mark IV

I don't know, but where does it say that the Mark IV was the first official version? I think it's just a case of simple progress. The Mark IV is pretty advanced for a hazardous environment suit. Perhaps this is an older version:

http://www.planethalflife.com/pics/index.asp?id=30480

If you compare the mk. V to the mk. IV [1], you can see that it has been made more flexible (around the stomach area and the hands), probably to account for special "Freeman-fighting-Combine" use instead of "technician-handling-hazardous-materials" use. I bet that the flexible material is made of Combine material, but that's speculation. --Andreasen 23:01, 10 Feb 2006 (PST)

( Check out what it says Wikipedia:HEV )—ts2do 22:14, 10 Feb 2006 (PST)

I've been checking around, and everywhere on the net is says that HEV stands for "Hazardous EnVironment suit", even when Planet Half-Life got the question in one of their mailbags: http://www.planethalflife.com/features/mailbag/mailbag81599.shtm

However, people was wrong about G-man being the administrator, so that's just the most probable meaning. --Andreasen 23:01, 10 Feb 2006 (PST)

Ah yes...the model[2] was included in the HL1 content, but the model was broken...it's doctor.mdl...he works fine in HL:S tho—ts2do 21:30, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

info_snipertarget

That bug is not a hammer issue...so post it somewhere else!—ts2do 17:27, 12 Feb 2006 (PST)

I figured it was an SDK bug as people will only be able to encounter this bug through playing SDK made levels, but fine, where do I post these Source bugs then? --Andreasen 19:20, 12 Feb 2006 (PST)

Source Feature Requests and Bug Reports

Thank you. =) --Andreasen 19:55, 12 Feb 2006 (PST)

I don't think the SweepGroupRandomly thingie is a bug...what it does is sweep through all targets in a group...comments even show this was their intention:

// If sweeping randomly, just pick another target.

and

// Pick another target in the group. Don't shoot at the one we just shot at.

—ts2do 17:00, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

How do you find all these comments? In what files do I look? I might not know much about coding but those comments would help. Still I find it a little odd that the sniper won't stop shooting until he is interrupted, but ah well, you can always kill targets if you don't want him to shoot at them anymore. --Andreasen 18:19, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

protosniper.cpp...I'll try to see if this function is used anywhere in HL2—ts2do 19:13, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

Check out d3_c17_09 for some sniper stuff...they've also got 1 other map with them...trying to find—ts2do

Thank you, but I know where snipers are used - when you rescue Barney, and at the very end of Ravenholm (as you exit the cave, just before you get the buggy) - but I don't have access to these maps. It might have to do with my installation being dependent on Steam or something, but I only have the SDK example maps. This means that I can't check how things work in-game if they aren't included in these few maps.

Also, the only .cpp files I can find are those used by hlmviewer, and they don't seem to include entities. --Andreasen 21:31, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

You can do a search for protosniper.cpp?

I did, in regular Windows Explorer, but I don't have it.

Also: have you heard of GCFScape and Vmex?—ts2do 21:36, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

Oooh, nice. That explains it. =) --Andreasen 23:40, 13 Feb 2006 (PST)

File

Hey, you got any file hosting you would like to share with me?—ts2do 20:45, 14 Feb 2006 (PST)

Do you mean if I personally host files or if I know people (like "Wisemx" and "nudel") who do, that host my files? I don't host files myself. Don't even know how to. --Andreasen 20:50, 14 Feb 2006 (PST)

I'll just re-ask holtt—ts2do 20:51, 14 Feb 2006 (PST)

Console List

You did it manually?!—ts2do 22:33, 19 Feb 2006 (PST)

Yeah, I figured that it would only take a couple of hours, while asking somebody else to create some kind of automatic program would take longer. Didn't know you already had one. =) --Andreasen 23:01, 19 Feb 2006 (PST)

Cat

good job with the categorizing ;)—ts2do 15:13, 6 Mar 2006 (PST)

Why thank you. Just a few more entities to go now. =) --Andreasen 15:14, 6 Mar 2006 (PST)

Requests for Article Protection

We add protection to pages as a very last resort. If these pages continue to get vandalized over a longer period of time, we will enable protection. Spam is a problem on almost all public wikis, and we've been looking into more long-term solutions to the problem. --JeffLane 13:30, 9 Mar 2006 (PST)

Good. (The reason I asked was because, as you might know, if one account gets banned, another would be created the next day, spamming the same three pages with the same spam. I have only seen it happen twice though, so it's not a long time.) --Andreasen 13:46, 9 Mar 2006 (PST)

Ents

You seem pretty dedicated to entity documentation...what do you think about showing the FGD description of each keyvalue for all entities in an FGD?—ts2do 19:18, 13 Mar 2006 (PST)

If FGD is not about the description that shows up in Hammer when you have SmartEdit on, I don't know what you mean. I mean doesn't 99% of all keyvalues already have their FGD description and then some? Also, I have to decline: I don't really have time for the wiki these months to come, so I'm trying to finish my work here before taking a break. I've been working day and night around the clock and has had the work cut out for me. Sorry. --Andreasen 19:26, 13 Mar 2006 (PST)

Body keyvalue

Are you going by the FGD or what happens with the entity? If it's not a common deviation, they can easily redefine the model keyvalues—ts2do 21:18, 15 Mar 2006 (PST)

I'm going with the keyvalues I get when I max out all the keyvalues and then turn SmartEdit off. What do you mean "happens with the entity"? --Andreasen 21:25, 15 Mar 2006 (PST)