Grass in the roads map Options

[Lexx]

I have a small question regarding the grass in the road map (where you fight crabs and later raptobirds). I checked the model files and saw that there is a big map model for the weeds. It's a part of the road. First I thought, damn, this is not good. Because then I would have no chance to use it for my ideas. But then I guessed... that it isn't used for all the way, because it just doesn't looks like it is enough for the whole map (and also the path couldn't be used more than once or twice in a row without getting too repitative)...

Anyway... I checked the road map again and now I think, that at least some of the grass is done via the material texture. If I check the road textures, it's true and there are grass sprites randomly spawned on them.

So, I am using this in my map right now. But - and to finally come to my problem - there is a problem. The range is not wide enough. It pops up like 5 meters in front of me and in the distance it's faded out and not visible (like it should be). First I thought its always like that (the short range - which would be bad) but then I checked the road map ingame again and saw that it is poping up there too, but in a much wider range.

My question now would be... is it somehow possible to change the "popup range" of the sprites? I checked already the valve dev wiki and some other sources, but I am totally out of ideas.

Maybe the mapper of the original map could enlighten me? Or someone else with some more experience in this than me?

[Carlos Bordeu]

I made the road map and yes... it actually works with a mix of 'foliage' sprites and this 3d model you mention.

I'm a bit rusty with my Hammer editing but I believe this is what you need to do:

You have to create a 'logic_auto' entity and a 'point_clientcommand' entity. Name the point_clientcommand entity with the name 'console'. In the logic_auto add the following parameters in the outputs:

My Output: OnMapSpawn
Target Entity: Console
Target Input: Command
Parameter: cl_detailfade 300
Delay: 0.00
Only Once: No

and

My Output: OnMapSpawn
Target Entity: Console
Target Input: Command
Parameter: cl_detaildist 2700
Delay: 0.00
Only Once: No

*** cl_detaildist is the distance at which your grass starts to fade out... in the ZC road map it is 2700

*** cl_detailfade is the distance after the 2700 units at which it completely fades out (so this means it completely fades out at 2700 + 300 = 3000) BUT... in order to get a fade out transition your material of grass would have to be translucent and not transparent. In the ZC map the grass uses transparency and that is why it pops instead of smoothly fading.

Warning: If you use too much density at a very far distance this will cause the game to run very slow! Make sure you test different settings checking your fps's.

Hope this helps!

[Lexx]

Thanks, it worked! (and thanks for the very fast answer!)

It's the first time that I am really doing something with the source engine. Last time that I have done something with the Hammer editor is now also... 6 years or so ago, for Half-Life 1, heh.

Needs still a bit tweaking here and there, but I think the map starts to look good already. Now I just need to get the blend textures on displacements working...



By the way, when I am already at it... is it somehow possible to decompile the mdl files into smd? I tested out some tools for Half-Life², but yeah, the ZC models are a bit different and so it doesn't work. But for the things I have in mind, it would be needed to touche some of the character models.

[Carlos Bordeu]

By the way, when I am already at it... is it somehow possible to decompile the mdl files into smd? I tested out some tools for Half-Life², but yeah, the ZC models are a bit different and so it doesn't work. But for the things I have in mind, it would be needed to touche some of the character models.

Have you tried decompiling the Garry's Mod models character pack? Those .mdls were compiled as regular HL2 models so they were compatible with GM. You should be able to decompile those.

Just simply go to your 'tools' tab in Steam and look for 'ZC Models'. Download and try.

[Lexx]

Yay, it works.



Now I just need to test out to compile it again for ZC. Heh. I would do it right now, but I - somehow - are a bit drunk now. So... I will do it tomorrow or so.. heh. At least I am happy that everything works pretty good so far.

[Lexx]

Ok, I have two new problems now.

First thing is about blend materials on displacements. Painting the materials on a displacement is pretty easy, as I found out when testing it in a Half-Life 2 map... But because of some reason, it doesn't work in Zeno Clash. First just nothing happened when I've done it in a ZC map. Then I tested this in a HL2 map and there it worked. When I am now doing the same in a ZC map again, Hammer just crashs without any error message or similar (Edit: now it doesn't crash anymore because of whatever reason, but I still can't paint on the displacement) . It's very strange and I have no clue how to fix this... But I saw that there is at least a missing image in the interface.




My second problem has to do with the models again. It's correct that I can decompile the models from the Garry's Mod pack. But there isn't included the player model (body) with the animations and the missing head, etc. I want to edit the player model direct, which is not really possible in this way. Is there any other chance for me to get my hands on it?

[Carlos Bordeu]

Ok, I have two new problems now.

First thing is about blend materials on displacements. Painting the materials on a displacement is pretty easy, as I found out when testing it in a Half-Life 2 map... But because of some reason, it doesn't work in Zeno Clash. First just nothing happened when I've done it in a ZC map. Then I tested this in a HL2 map and there it worked. When I am now doing the same in a ZC map again, Hammer just crashs without any error message or similar (Edit: now it doesn't crash anymore because of whatever reason, but I still can't paint on the displacement) . It's very strange and I have no clue how to fix this... But I saw that there is at least a missing image in the interface.




My second problem has to do with the models again. It's correct that I can decompile the models from the Garry's Mod pack. But there isn't included the player model (body) with the animations and the missing head, etc. I want to edit the player model direct, which is not really possible in this way. Is there any other chance for me to get my hands on it?

You may want to check this thread

Apparently someone there figured out how to open regular ZC models. (Not the ones from Garry's Mod).

About the displacement editor... ...I have no idea... that is very unusual. I can't do any tests here at home (weekend), but that shouldn't happen.

[Lexx]

I found the problem with the displacements. But just by accident.

In my Zeno Clash/Bin/ folder is just a empty subfolder named "Prefabs". In the Source SDK folder is also a subfolder named "Filters" with additional files in it. I copy&pasted this folder into my Zeno Clash folder and bam! now it works. Great.

About the models... I tested what is written in the thread, but it somehow still does't work. It's strange, because there is not very much to edit, so making errors shouldn't really be the case... Still, mdldecompiler tells me he is unable to load the model.

[tschumann]

About the models... I tested what is written in the thread, but it somehow still does't work. It's strange, because there is not very much to edit, so making errors shouldn't really be the case... Still, mdldecompiler tells me he is unable to load the model.

That method doesn't seem to work on character models. You could try DirectX ripper with hlmv.exe and see if you can get the model data that way.

[Lexx]

Heh. This is absolutly not my kind of skill-area.