here are some pics the map in game and in hammer, and map info.
there's a lot of displacements and static props, but man does that alone really lower the performance THAT MUCH ? i felt like playing doom3 on a IBM 286 in 1985.... I compiled the map in cordon mod, any diagnose to figure out what i did wrong, i tell you, it is unplayable, and that's only 20% of the map.. i seen way bigger maps, fuller with items and props run smoother... whats wrong ? :(

You need to portal your map

i did the same on one of my maps for cod2 and it was bad jus need to portal it make the portals small and u will get better FPS

on the map i had i got 5-10 Fps but once i portal it i got 300-350


edited on Apr. 30, 2007 11:42 pm by custard

i read stuff like this

http://ninjagrinch.home.comcast.net/pyramidhint.htm

but doesn't help me much since my room
(dock area in a cave with water) is one block shaped area.
now how do i increase the performance
(which is currently only ~15 FPS!!! OMG!!!)
so that still everything in this area can be seen ?

use a flat horizontal and vertical areaportal, hintbrush or what
to cut up the visual space in this room ?
in simple terms please ...

you need to read up on optimization. It's quite possible that you have just too much going on in this area and you may have to simplify. Games have come a long way, but there are still limits.

Make sure you are using detail brushes. Portals will help a lot.

Every map will require a different method of application for portals which is why you must understand them before you apply them.

Did you get my book? I explain it there.

You can also refer to explanations from other games like Quake. The game is different but the theories of optimization are the same.

sorry foyle, didnt get your book yet. how about sending it ?
and put some cookies and money with it.

well all the crates are models, not detail brushes...
i do a new version of it anyways, see if that helps or not.

check out this post:
http://www.modsonline.com/Forums-top-11888-0.html%23564022

This cod video is about portals:
http://www.modsonline.com/index.php?mod=Downloads&op=full&id=614

Maybe a google search would help too. Some keywords:
optimization, nodes, leafs, areas, hint brush, bsp splitting

Those keywords might not pertain to HL2 only, but the idea here is to get a better understanding of how a game engine works and how you can control the results as a mapper. Or.. as someone once told me, "If you understand how the engine in your car works, you can fix it when it breaks down." (not those words exactly, but close)

even if i would find a good tutorial on portals and the engine, most doesnt have anything explained, like how to actually PLACE them in your map... make them func_what? what textures, what flags, most important: the little things. what the edges of this brush must or must not touch etc...



ok now thats a picasso of my map, dock+ elevator+ outside area...
A, E, B.

red dots are the doors for the elevator shaft, A is the docks area
(fixed the fps btw, used details instead of models, fps went from 15 to 95) and B the upper outside area.
green sheet is where i think i should place a portal.... details on how and... how to do it ?




edited on May. 1, 2007 12:13 pm by elemenz

It's a lot of info to post and my tutorial is in my book. But here are some key words and such for further research.

Testing your map before and after:
- compile and test using mat_leafvis 1 in the console when playing. This way you can view your leaves (the portions that have been sectioned off) as you walk through your map.
- compile your map using GLView. This is a compiling method for Hammer that will allow you to see only the leaves in your map. This is an advance compiling method that must be setup in hammer.

portal brushes are built like regular brushes that cause a split in the geometry where placed. This will help in creating leaves for better optimization. draw a brush with the toolsskip texture. Then on the side of the brush that you want to create a portal (because only one side of the brush is needed to split the geometry) apply the hint texture.

you will now have a portal.

If those are Dynamic lights, Dynamic lights cause framerate problems sometimes.

Here's a kickass guide, helped me a lot, just what I needed !!!

http://www.student.ru.nl/rvanhoorn/optimization.php?chapter=intro