Step Zero

You read that right. This is the step you should take even before you take your first step. What I mean is conceptualization.

Concept is the leading force behind both design and development. When it comes to maps, it is even more important. Maps are more than just a pretty place to have a gunfight, or to fight monsters. It has to be balanced, so that the player or players can’t simply climb up a ledge and be unreachable from the other players. It also has to be well kept, so the player isn’t getting stuck in the gaps between your two decorative rocks.

About the Author

Since a young age, video games and other interactive media have been my passion, and as a result, I enrolled in UTD as a way of learning more about the craft. My specialty with games consists of 3D modeling, texturing, and concept design. I have been working with 3D modeling programs for only a year, but I have several years of experience in 2D media.

My introduction with creating for video games came with the modding community for The Sims series, but it really was Valve’s creations that brought me into PC gaming as a whole. Through games such as Half Life 2 and Portal, I was introduced to the Source Engine, and I found that I quite enjoyed the aesthetic it provided.. Discovering Garry’s Mod opened up a whole new side of the engine for me; creating. Unfortunately, until recently, I did not know how to create anything for the Source Engine. But that has definitely changed.

Around the world, there are a multitude of creators who work with the Source Engine to create their own near standalone games (Half Life Mod Wiki, 2010). Games of particular notability or quality have even been picked up by Valve and officially published. As someone who plans on creating video games in the future, modding has been a goal for me. This blog therefore represents my first step in working with the Source Engine.

The Hammer tool is one of the basic tools of creating for the Source Engine. With it, a user can create completely unique maps for games and scenarios to take place in. It is a complex, unwieldy tool, with even the creators admitting that they want to remake it (Newell, 2011). However, it has been used to make over thousands of maps and mods and this blog will document my own path in learning the tool.

Various Authors (2010). Half Life Mods Wiki Retrieved from

http://halflifemods.wikia.com/wiki/Half-Life_Mods_Wiki.

“Gabe Newell 2011 Interview, Part 1”. (2011). Steamcast.

[Podcast]. Retrieved from thesteamcast.com.