What are the best ways to make sure your level is low on lag and has good framerates? Before I get hardcore into mapping, I want to know these things. Just a list of five things to always do, or your routine. Also, what's vis-speed or func_speed or whatever? I know it's something that determines lagginess. Thanks in advance.

It's r_speed, I mean.

Or possibly list the things that create the most lag? I know fog does this substantially, but what are the true no-nos?

I know this is a lot of questioning, but I'm anxious to learn.

r_speeds is an indicator that tells you how much tris you are showing at a given moment. Should not be higher than 10-12.000

You should get info on the detail/structural brushes, hint brushes and the vis process. Learn it, and you'll be a lot further.

UniKorn
Project Lead/Mapper 4 Wired Lamp Studios
http://www.wiredlampstudios.com)

Thanks, UniKorn. Now on to hint brushes... I just read a pretty detailed tutorial on them, however, the author says "these will speed up framerates at some points, but lower them at points, as well." Do any of you not use the hinties, then?

Hinting is one of the final stages of mapping. Sometimes hinting is not needed in a map. If you have r_speeds of max 8k in all areas it might not be necessary. I only use hints if it is really needed.

Thanks, it didn't seem like it was a critically important aspect of mapping. Unless the game really messes up the hinties for you.

The game doesn't mess up the hinties, it uses no hinties if you don't use them in your map :)

Yeah, like I said.

Can good use of hinties lower your framerate and r_speeds a great deal? Or no, not at all?

Originally posted by Insane Anakin
Yeah, like I said.

Can good use of hinties lower your framerate and r_speeds a great deal? Or no, not at all?

Hint brushes, if you understand where they need to be placed (it depends eintirely on the design of your map) can do wonders to improve FPS some times. I started using hint brushes about 4 maps ago, and I will not go back. Some save hint brushes until the end, but I use them from the start to get the most bang for the buck. I find that their use early on helps define what you may or may not add later, and how you will add it.

- Vorax

What about an outdoors map that has a few enclosed buildings? Would it be best to put a hint brush on each of the doors?

Follow-up question.

What is your guys' order of operations for making a map? I know there isn't a concrete formula, but what do you typically do? First, last things? Do you design a map on paper first, or just go crazy?

Hints may help in the doors, but they may not, it depends on how the doors are made, the angle that the player is approaching the doors and what is directly beyond the door inside the building. Hint brushes are something that you should experiment with, that is really the best way to know if they will help you. Study the results of the experiments and understand the compiler, then you will know if they will help in your particular design.

As for order of design. I usually start with some experiments with large blocks, and get a feel for scale and layout. Then I develop a picture, in my head, not on paper, and design towards it. I change things along the way as it makes sense in the map. I never really have a hard, defined design, just loose ideas and a general layout. But that's just me.

- Vorax

Most of the time I start with a VERY ROUGH design in caulked brushes. Then I create a sort of caulk hull around the map, to improve compile times and make hinting easier. After that, I add the detail to my map. Then I hide the detail and do the hinting.

And it also depends on your timeframe. I am in a small contest for building your map in 1 hour, there I create everything in caulk, texture the faces you can see, quicky insert some lights and items, and it's done :D

Am currently at 45 minutes, of which 32 went to brushes, and 13 atm to texturing. Testing and compiling is not included in the hour btw. Gonna take another 5 for finishing up my textures + making sure all my brushes are ok. Then 5 for lighting (yes I know, not much) and then the last 5 minutes for tweaking and adding some brushes with a trim on where the textures don't align = emergency option, but it looks much better. :) No time to align the textures ;)

What exactly do caulked textures do? I'm not entirely clear on this brush.

Caulk is a texture. I make all my brushes entirely in caulk, and then I texture the sides of the brush visibile to the player with another texture. Caulk tells the engine not to render the brushes => better framerate.