Talk:Abstract Mapping

Ideas for new articles

What else should go here? What kinds of things do people new to Source mapping want to make but don't know the right names?

• Physics: people have heard that Source has nifty physics stuff, and this could point them to the entities and articles about it !!INCOMPLETE!!
• Reflections? Cubemaps, buildcubemaps, maybe on article on reflective shaders, water_lod_control, and mention that HL2 doesn't have any mirrors.
• Sticking stuff together (aka, "Duct tape, hinges, glue, and string" <grin>): parenting, the physics constraints, and model attachment points
• Glass: as a hub for the various articles we already have (and be sure to mention how to make normal, unbreakable glass)
• Doors and windows: prop- and brush-based, area portals, and links to AKG series. We could use a wiki version of the AKG door skin page.
• Fighting: assaults, battle lines, rappel, dropships, gunships, strider, headcrab cannisters, door kicking, ai_goal_police, combat AI, snipers... wee!
• Weapons: not just the normal weapon entities, but also the func_tank and friends, and the article on creating usable mounted guns

this seems like a pretty old page, and I don't know if anybody's gonna read this, but: something about curved passageways, tunnels, and the like. I imagine the reason I don't see them often is because they're hard to make, but I think that increases the need for a page about them. Kestrelguy (talk) 08:26, 12 October 2021 (PDT)

There's some pages elsewhere on the wiki related to this topic. --Loudslappingsounds (talk) 17:18, 12 October 2021 (PDT)

Comments

I believe skies are less abstract than other components...but if you want to have that article taht shows how to make the 6 images...that'd be good—ts2do ^(talk) 21:06, 25 Oct 2005 (PDT)

It might not be abstract, but it would be useful. Like the Water article, it can help people doing mapping as well as people doing materials. —Maven ^(talk) 21:11, 25 Oct 2005 (PDT)

Also...consider adding a very specific abstract mapping thing that shows how the parent hierarchy system can be utilized would be nice—ts2do ^(talk) 21:07, 25 Oct 2005 (PDT)

That's an excellent idea. I haven't a clue what to call it, though. —Maven ^(talk) 21:12, 25 Oct 2005 (PDT)

Well call it what it is...maybe a breakable radar that pivots..."Radar"...something else?—ts2do ^(talk) 22:37, 25 Oct 2005 (PDT)

this would run into conflicts on devs locating it for use later tho—ts2do ^(talk) 22:38, 25 Oct 2005 (PDT)

Parenting does all sorts of things, so calling it "radar"-something is making it much more specific rather than more abstract. On the other hand calling it "parenting" defeats the purpose, because then only people who already know what it's called will find it. Maybe something like 'joining two entities', and toss in phys_constraint? —Maven ^(talk) 08:17, 26 Oct 2005 (PDT)

how bout [hierarchical || attached || welded] objects—ts2do ^(talk) 14:37, 26 Oct 2005 (PDT)

The moving water idea would be appropriate in the Water article. —Maven ^(talk) 08:27, 17 Nov 2005 (PST)

I'd like to distinguish between tutorials and abstract concepts. Abstract concepts should list tutorials, but they're not themselves tutorials, which belong in Category:Tutorials instead. —Maven ^(talk) 08:50, 17 Nov 2005 (PST)

I think that a good thing to include would be an article on layouts of the architecture of certain maps. such as dust and de nuke maps. So people can kind of mimic or partially recreate the feeling and look of these maps in their own. True_Unity 17:00, 10 Dec 2005 (PST)

Creating Grass and Foliage (linked as Grass among others) should be merged IMO. Comments? Jupix 08:04, 1 Mar 2006 (PST)

I'm not sure if I should put this here or above, so here's good. I'm relatively new to Source mapping, and I know one of the issues I'm currently having is getting something to spin. I think spinning is a little too specific, but perhaps an article on how to move dynamic props and whatnot that would also include spinning? (Also, I'm not asking for help with this problem here, I know that's for the Help Desk (and, incidentally, I just found it on my own =D)). And is it just me, or is this community really small? There's like, no talk pages on anything. --Santasassassin 09:39, 1 Jun 2008 (PDT)

Colour

I reckon a background colour for each of the the Abstract Series templates would look good and make things clearer for browsing users. Are there any preferences? --TomEdwards 03:01, 28 Jan 2006 (PST)

Go ahead and try things out..it'll work out—ts2do 11:23, 28 Jan 2006 (PST)

Can't work it out. Looks like the style information would have to be added to several different templates! How about making the contents' backgrounds transparent? That would sort things out. --TomEdwards 09:32, 1 Feb 2006 (PST)

Applicability

this "article" says the articles in this collection are supposed to be applicable to a wide variety of situations. I think this may have been true 15+ years ago, when it was first created, but many of the articles here apply solely to HL2, or only to HL2 and CS:S. "Animals and Creatures," for example, is actually "List of HL2 Animals and Creatures." "Combine" and "Mapping with Antlions" are pretty much solely applicable to the HL2 series. "Retinal scanners" and "Turrets" are somewhat niche outside of HL2. "Zombie" isn't as niche in concept, but the page itself is written solely from the perspective of HL2 mapping.
is this something that should be rectified? or is it fine as-is? I could see moving some pages to other names, expanding the scope of some pages, and/or removing certain pages from the list. Kestrelguy (talk)