Ah, finally starting mapping for HL2.
First off: I wanna do CSS maps, so if I'm off topic, correct me, but so far I think I'm on the right track ?

So... no offense, but the HL2 mapping tutorial is 2 years old and says itself: it doesn't say how to install/setup
source sdk/hammer...

Currently I'm trying to follow the tut steps.
I can't find my *wad files for textures, so I'm backing up HL2 and CSS via steam. Am I doing something wrong already ?

Well, no issues more than that so far... so, could someone update the HL2 mapping tutorial and tell me why hammer can't find any *wad files on my PC ? Thanks...

Well somehow something worked ??? so now I got it hammer open and managed to do a huge cube + add textures to it....

Now what I need is someone from the sof2 mapping team who is familiar with hammer, to tell me ASAP how the ***k to make hammer editing as easy and comfortable as SDK radiant !!! OMG I HATE hammers behaviour,
I can't operate it, the selecting and commands and camera ..... nothing makes sense.... it's like driving a car that's built for blind mutants with 8 arms or something.... I'm gonna freak out soon !

hehe. the editor is somewhat different. Really, the only similarity is that mapping is additive like that of SOF and other radiant-editbale games. Unreal, on the other hand, is subtractive and requires a reverse line of thinking.

There is a video tutorial available where I go through the basics of making your first room. I recommend watching this as it will get you more familiar with the editor.

..... great.
Got this new pc, it won't play the video file in winamp or wmedia... how did one, in this case ME, fix this issue again ?

It's a codec issue. You need the xvid codec. You can find one here: http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/

got it, thanks.

now... how about doing a CSS dm/hostage/bomb map ?

If you can't find what you are looking for at this site, you might want to check the following:

3dbuzz.com - check the downloads section for a whole series on HL2 editing.

Interlopers.net - a whole site dedicated to HL2 and CS mapping.

There are a number of other excellent sites ... try clicking on some of the links on this page ;)

.. and of course, don't forget that Foyleman will have a book on HL2 editing coming out at the end of the year ;)

Thanks, that helped a bit.
And sorry for these questions which probably seem really stupid to you. I admit it.... total hammer-noob.
I still need a STEP BY STEP guide, foyleman style, for retards like me, because i just-don't-get-it.

ie. the skybox tutorial:
Making a skybox is really simple:

Make a cube
Hollow it
Apply the "Skybox" texture

*caugh caugh* REALLY simple... even for those who don't know what keys to hit ?
I browsed the textures, applied a dark moon night sky on my walls, fit it, left it normal... both ways it looks bugged, overstretched. I tried another sky with mountains, it worked ingame after I compiled it but also looked awfull.
And
-How do i select only the surface of a brush ?
-Do skytextures work fine when applied to the WHOLE brush ? doesn't seem to me.
-How do i change the 3d view so that it works like in SDK radiant ? freeview LMB, arrows to glide around, RMB to strafe, it was PERFECT !
-I placed a T and CT info in the map, launched css, amp works but it says *both teams are full* ......what why ? How can *I* select one to play ?

I really miss these options too, and would want them in hammer:
-shift + LMB = toggle select/unselect target. Currently if I hit a item TWICE, which I constantly do, I get a window with properties which i have to manually close without the ESC shortcut. ANNOYING !?

Okay now I'm pissed....

Great. this is JUST what I was afraid of.
Nothing but assumptions... I just found on wiki tutorial as a tiny *BTW* note that I can move around in the 3D view with ASDW keys... great. Thanks a lot for telling me that NOW.
Like everyone assumes that everyone plays FPS games with ASDW ??? I DON'T.... don't know why, just too oldschool, I use arrowkeys for every FPS game. I'm just too used to it, can't help it. But yeah, everyone goes *daaaah* now, thinking *man is he a moron or what...... who plays with ARROW KEYS (?!?).... gotta be some übernoob or some freak*. ASDW is NOT a universal way to move around in applications ok ? Not everyone *plays that way*, but people just don't mind telling that to the minority, my kind.

As if some guy visits the *isle of backfire gun hunting* where you have to aim at yourself in order to shoot a prey, the guy of course kills himself the first day he arrives and all the local people go *man was he stupid. like, didn't he know?*

So... if there are any other things that YOU take as certanties, like, doing maps while standing on your head (I do maps while SITTING infront of my PC!), please tell me ? Thanks.

You have a point about that not being a universally used set of keys. However some time around Quake III Arena, that this keyset became the default setting for almost ALL games upon release. I don't know how though.

I still think it's the wrong set of keys to use, but I have decided to accept it and use them rather than fight it.