HOW to Optimize my new map?

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:17 pm

Ok my map is almost finished and I've done some tests playing with my frends in LAN game. Some of them have some dificulties when thay play it. At home I have a Nvidia6500-250mb card and I can play it at full fx ect, with no problem. After the tool compile the map is 71mb. I've tried to reduce trees wepons and other stuff but but they dont make any significant difference 1-2mb. Is there any step I have to do before compiling it? Any cliping stuff?

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:25 pm

You can't really do much. To optimize for gameplay add portals.

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:34 pm

Thanks man for replying.
Portals? What can portals do?

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:19 pm

Load different parts of the map at different times.

Also, try and look at all the places where 2 or 3 polies could become one. These may not be a lot but they do add up.

The textures might also help with the size. Lower the quality or make a couple of textures for the map.

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:13 pm

Hi metkillerjoe
I don't know what to weld more than this. I'm a modeler and I tend to keep as much as posible to quads when modeling. Most of the maps are halo maps, I've done new maps for the road, ground, clifs and all them are the same size as halo default textures 512pix. Does anyone know any good tutorial or a video about portals, because I did'nt found any one.

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:21 pm

Post a wire frame of your map. Or is that confidential or whatever?

CabooseJr · Post by **CabooseJr** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:46 pm

For the first couple shots, I thought that looked like Halo 2vista.

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:01 pm

Ya, the map looks Great.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:17 pm

There are three parts to a map's size:
1) Texture quality (size matters)
2) Amount of polygons
3) Tag information (each map stores info about vehicles and player appearance and properties)

I listed two.

Your map looks great, and honestly, a lot of CE maps are that big. Its not the most optimized format, that's kind of a given.

llamaboy772 · Post by **llamaboy772** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:20 pm

Wow, I came in here expecting this to be the typical halomods noob map, but that looks great! Good job.

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:18 am

Hi and thanks for replying to my thread.
I'm trying to find any video tut about portals but the only tut I found was something blury about portals in HaloCE help. The map contains only 2 vehicle types, the one I've skined and modified a little bit. I'll like to merge more custom stuff but the final size of the map is not promising. About the poly mesh, its the minimum acepted. I've saved the road columns just for keeping it light. Finally I think portals will make the map faster in game, and i have to try them. Once when I opened bloodgoulch in sapien I saw a lot of squares all over the map. They should be the portals! Is there any way to import them from another map, just to speed things up and for not staring the populatin of the scenario once again?

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:12 am

It looks pretty clean to me...

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:52 pm

Mmm, I need a good tutorial on portals!...

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:30 pm

http://halomapping.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=119
Please register!

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:09 pm

Very good site, thanks for helping cryticfarm.

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:29 pm

No problemo.

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:43 am

Hi again,
Finally some updates to my map. As U may remember I had that problem with the map size and fps performance. I've experimented a little bit with portals and solved some of my problems, but other errors comed to life. First I divaded my map to 5/4 ratio +portal, and my final map size was reduced to 19 MB, and the game performance was 15-17 fps. Don't know but every time I tried to export to .JMS(Blizckriek) with +exactportal linked to the frame, or even attached to the level itself, an export error ocurred and max crashed. I exported the level only with +portal.

I increased the +portal division to 10/17 and compiled the map again.

The map size did'nt changed but the game performance increased to 29-30 fps. At that moment a new wired error apired. I can't see anymore the map, only small parts near to the player are visible.

What is this error, and how to solve it?

SnaFuBAR · Post by **SnaFuBAR** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:01 am

that's because 1) it's an outdoor map and 2) you have a crapload of portaling.

Cryticfarm · Post by **Cryticfarm** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:29 am

Ya... only apply portals where needed. Like so It wont render thing behinds the base and stuff.

dorg · Post by **dorg** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:43 am

Thanks for replying, I liked the fact that it was so fast in game, anyway I'll try to reduce the portals. See U later!