Alternative for Hammer Editor

[DaRandomDude]

Its just way to complicated...

[ΔSUPRΞMΣΔ ~ ANIMEOVERLOADED]

PeTI

[Khorps]

Hammer does alot more than the in-game editor. even beemod cannot do as much as hammer. so there's no alternative but to use a less advanced version. or you could learn hammer, it isn't that complicated after learning the basics. I recommend 3kliksphilip.

[Hunter #357]

There is no equal alternative.

However, there is a less powerful version of it known as the PeTI Editor, which you can access ingame via the "Community Maps" tab.

[DaRandomDude]

PeTI is just the ingame editor. And that's not advanced enought...

[Khorps]

Originally posted by Portaliser:

PeTI is just the ingame editor. And that's not advanced enought...

yep and no other program is advanced enough, so you have to learn hammer or downgrade to PeTI

[Hunter #357]

Originally posted by Portaliser:

PeTI is just the ingame editor. And that's not advanced enought...

You want advanced? You have to be willing to learn Hammer, then.

[DaRandomDude]

Well, then I'll have to learn Hammer. But first I'm gonna learn to speak french fluend. after that I should have enough time to learn something as comlicatet as using the hammer editior or making good custom textures. And I need a way to add voice lines without accualy recoarding them (I'm german and I had to basicly voice everyone). I think I should start with a simple map just to get in and not a whole mod that's a game of its one...

But hey, first I need to speak french as good as english. And more important, write it...
And I'm taking this to far... I should stop now. Seriosly.

[Hunter #357]

Originally posted by Portaliser:

Well, then I'll have to learn Hammer. But first I'm gonna learn to speak french fluend. after that I should have enough time to learn something as comlicatet as using the hammer editior or making good custom textures. And I need a way to add voice lines without accualy recoarding them (I'm german and I had to basicly voice everyone). I think I should start with a simple map just to get in and not a whole mod that's a game of its one...

But hey, first I need to speak french as good as english. And more important, write it...
And I'm taking this to far... I should stop now. Seriosly.

Good luck...?

[DaRandomDude]

Yeah, that was weird... But thank you.

[KyloX]

Learning Hammer takes time and when firstly jumping on it, don't lose determination.

Firstly, you shouldn't think big when you start hammer, start something small, make a room, add some objects, get to know the ins and outs. I usually kept the test maps and just playing around, learning things until I got a grip and started making some sort of a map.

Secondly, learn form sources (most important). There are no objectives on how to learn hammer and usually you will have to find the information on specific things on your own, but there are tutorial videos all over youtube, just don't look specificly for Portal 2 hammer stuff, as Hammer is basically universal SDK of Source engine, so most Hammer's are related to each other.

As well, a good source of info are maps themselfs. After installing hammer, there should be some example maps from the main Portal 2 game that you can open and look around, change take it apart. This way, you can look into specific information you need, like what sequence was played on sertain map or what was used to do that and that.

Third, play hammer made maps. Take a good look at hammer maps (the good ones) and investigate. Non the less, some of inspiration comes from what we have seen before.

Fourth.... profit?

[DaRandomDude]

Could you recomend some good Hammer made maps? And step four seems nice.

[KyloX]

Originally posted by Portaliser:

Could you recomend some good Hammer made maps? And step four seems nice.

For starters, you should look into Valve's maps. After installing hammer, there should be about 5 Valve maps that can be opened up and looked into, just don't get lost between brushes. You can use Visgroup > Auto for filtering what you want to see.

Now communities maps are more harder to look into, though it is possible. Now I do not remember the tool which is used to decompile .bsp files (that is the map file that is opened through the game) to .vmf (Hammer map files). Ofcourse you have to find the map itself from your workshop directory (somewhere in Portal 2 map folders, under workshop name).

Now what community maps you sohuld look into? The ones that caught your eye (details, mechanic, other stuff).

[Bucket]

why do you want to use hammer? search a user called 'Mevious'. He has made some of the most popular custom maps within the base editor. You only need the knowledge on how to make a good level.

[Hunter #357]

Originally posted by sullivan.b:

why do you want to use hammer? search a user called 'Mevious'. He has made some of the most popular custom maps within the base editor. You only need the knowledge on how to make a good level.

Yes, but Hammer allows much more creative freedom with tests. For instance, hitting a button causes part of the map to shift around, or something like that. You can't do that in PeTI.

[Bucket]

Originally posted by Hunter #357:

Originally posted by sullivan.b:

why do you want to use hammer? search a user called 'Mevious'. He has made some of the most popular custom maps within the base editor. You only need the knowledge on how to make a good level.

Yes, but Hammer allows much more creative freedom with tests. For instance, hitting a button causes part of the map to shift around, or something like that. You can't do that in PeTI.

Well, obviously Hammer is the better tool (check my hours), though there is a lot to be had with the Portal 2 in-game editor. I would exhaust it first when you are first learning P2 map-making, especially when you have only published one map like the OP.