Since I own a copy of 'Half-Life 2' by Valve, I have free access to a hidden program deep in the folders of the game. No exaggeration! Right now, the root directory for the exe file is:
C:\Users\Glenn_Thompson\Program_Files(x86)\Steam\Steamapps\Common\Half-Life2\Bin That is ridiculous! There is nothing to tell you it is there. I think that's unfortunate because it's really helpful. The exe file is called "Hammer." The Hammer editor allows you to make your own Half-Life levels with professional polish! It takes time to learn and understand like any other game tool, but it's really simple to make nice products. Unlike the Source SDK product, you can only make Half-Life levels. (Side note: You can make levels for other source games but you need to find their bin folders and load a separate version of Hammer!). Although it's exclusive, it does a lot right. Lighting is custom and simple, all you do is spawn it in using a single button on the side and type in "Light." Then, move it on the three mini-maps to place it exactly where you want in 3D space. It also has a fourth window, which is a 3D view of your level and you can move around in 3D by pressing "Z." It's really easy to spawn in entities and create custom doors and events. In my first level, I was successful in making three bad guys grapple from the ceiling when you open the door to their room. I genuinely had fun navigating a level that I had just spent an hour making. Of course, nothing is perfect and neither is Hammer. First, all levels are a custom file type (.bsp) and they export as another file (.vmf). Finally, the code for the lighting, assets, entities and more are also exported as custom file extensions that not even I know. The program also sometimes, fails to compile the map for no reason and you have to copy everything into a new file since the program corrupted it's own file dedicated to light. It makes no sense. In conclusion, it's near perfect. A new version without these complexities would do wonders for the program and community that surround it.
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AuthorI am an artist as anyone else is an artist (if that makes sense). My style is abstract and I also draw cartoons. I am also a voice actor for a web-series. Archives
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