NZP Mapping Guide!

Need to ask a Question regarding mapping? Use this thread instead: https://nzportable.forumotion.com/t1987-nzp-mapping-guide-discussion-thread#16280


The Basics

So you want to make a wee map for le people to get killed on? Perfect! We love seeing new fresh blood here at NZP Forums and more people making maps is what we want, BUT WAIT! Slow down there fella and close JackHammer, you're new to this, and chances are the maps you're going to produce, well, they'll be sub par, and sub par maps get you banned by me..

Jokes about the banned bit, I won't, but no one is going to enjoy a mediocre map, before we even think about touching any map editor let's start with good ol' pen and paper, trust me, planning your maps is going to make your life 1000 times better than mapping from your head, all my previous maps were done from my head and my recent maps are looking 500 times better simply because I planned them.

This is a recent plan I done for as :



As you can see, far from anything special, it doesn't have to be amazing, it's just giving you an idea of what the map's layout will be.

Getting Started

So first we need to download necessary programs and files to actually make maps, weird, right? So first on the shopping list is Jack Hammer, Jack Hammer is a community made map editor heavily based off Valve Hammer, no Worldcraft won't work, and Jack Hammer is allot easier to work with.

Download Jack Hammer here:

http://jackhammer.hlfx.ru/en/download.html

Next we need HL compilers, these essentially render your map into a finished BSP, download them here:

http://forums.svencoop.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=15666

Next the NZP fgd, this contains data like the Mystery Box and Guns, download here:

http://www.moddb.com/games/nazi-zombies-portable/addons/nazi-zombies-portable-10-mapping-kit

Last but most certainly not least, you're going to need textures, I'll leave it up to you, full texture guide will be soon, but here are some wads you can used.

• WaW Textures by ArkaZeen, made for HLBSP by Mabby:
  

http://amphedia.untergrund.net/misc/textures/waw_HLBSP.wad

• Quaddicted Wads (MUST BE CONVERTED TO WAD3):
  

https://www.quaddicted.com/files/wads/

• Also download the dev textures here, I'll explain why we need them later:
  

http://scmapdb.wdfiles.com/local--files/wadfile:jp-dev-wad/jp_dev_wad.rar


Also I recommend putting all wads in a folder like C:\Textures, makes them easier to sort out, and Jack Hammer and Valve Hammer have issues sometimes with WADs saved with long directories.

Making the Maps

Now that you have everything download, and I'll assume you installed Jack Hammer (if not, do it now. ) create a folder on your Hard Drive called "NZP" without quotations (if I put a name in quotations like this, assume without quotations), this is where we'll store stuff like compilers and FGD.

Create another folder called "FGD" and "HL Compilers", from the rar you downloaded fro the FGD, ignore the other files and put the .fgd into the FGD folder, and all files in the folder "tools" in the compiler rar into the HL Compilers folder.

Also again put all textures into the folder on the root of your HDD, makes things easier.

Now we can fire up Jack Hammer but clicking it's icon on the desktop, if you're OS is Windows 7, 8 or 10 Technical Preview then you can put it on your taskbar for easy access like I do.

You should see this type of interface upon starting Jack Hammer:



If so, great! Now click Tools>Options, you'll get this window appearing:



Click Game Profiles, then click Edit>Add and put something like "NZP" in here, then were it says Game Data Files, click add, and add the FGD from earlier. Now it should look like this:



Next go to game directories, all that's necessary here is to point Base Directory to NZP, i.e. nazi-zombies-portable-v1-PSP\nzportable\nzp

For textures that's self explanatory, just point it to your wads.

Now for the last bit, remember those compilers we downloaded? Point each one to the respective compiler, to make things easier just make sure you go like mine:



For LIGHT Executable, if you're using a 32Bit version of Windows, use the hlrad.exe, if you're using 64Bit of Windows us hlrad_x64.exe, if you're not sure which version of Windows you're using just use hlrad.exe, x64 exe just supports 64Bit CPUs for faster compiling.

Now we can get on to map making!! For the purpose of this tutorial I drew up a design to use, this one:



So let's create a new map, go to File>New click cancel on the window that comes up, and now you should see this:



Save the map by going to File>Save As and give it a name, we'll call this "Example". Remember those Dev textures from earlier? We're going to use them, let's focus on map layout first going by the design we drew, so we'll use these textures as placeholders, valve call them "Orange Maps".

Before we get started, if you zoom out on the side view, you'll see a horizontal line and vertical line going through the middle of the grid, keep your map above the horizontal one as this causes issues with zombie spawns.

To add a room click the Box icon under the Light icon, with a grid size of 64 (you can see your grid size at the right bottom corner of the window) add a box that's 8Wx8Lx2H, try to keep it in a box on the grid, then click on the box we just create, right click and click make hollow or just use CTRL+H on your keyboard as a keyboard. Hollow it to 8. Use the grey 64x64 texture for floors and orange one for walls, there are also placeholders for doors and other items.

Now it should look like this:



So now you know what to do, you can work on adding rooms from here on in on you're own, so to make this a little less exhausting on myself, I'll complete one segment of the map and work from there. ;P Here it is completed:



So now we can add things like doors and zombies and windows and weapons, to add doors use the clipping tool (3rd tool up, likes like box tool only a cut is made in the box) and cut the wall, make sure to when making your first cut to press the icon 3 times until all the wall is outlined which, this means nothing is deleted. Make sure the door is at ground level too.

Since it's hard to explain EXACTLY how to use this tool this GIF will do:



Once you get the hang of it (keep at till you get it right, it's a bit hard to get used to at first) apply a temp. texture for the door.

To make the door buyable, click the door, press CTRL+T or right click and click "Tie to entity" and where is says "buy_weapon" set this to func_door_nzp, set a price, the targets are for zombies in un-opened rooms, so that when the door is opened, it activates zombies in that room. I usually go by room, so the first room after opening the first door is R1 or if there are 2 sides S1R1 for Side 1 Room 1 or S2 for Side 2, there is more than one side then just use different numbers! The cost is down at the bottom, 0 means when you touch the door it opens, set an ascending price for your map, i.e. first door = 750, second = 1000, third = 1250 and so on.

After you have your door finished it should operate like this: NOTE: This is from another map..



Before we move on, LET THO TEXTURE THO MAP! See that icon under the box icon? That's the texture tool. Find a good wall and floor texture to use, if it's 128x128 just apply it and click C button to center it, if it's lower or higher (don't use textures higher than 128x128) then click fit, and make sure the X scale is 1, Same for doors too!. We'll be going over texturing extensively in another topic, so just apply them best you can, once we're done it looks like this, also make sure at the edges of the walls in places like doors that you use some other texture to make it look more realistic. *ignore the green numbers, they're DXTory's*



Now using the clipping tool again we can make windows,

If you're barricades are doors or not smalle holes in walls, use place_model for sandbags, click the light icon and place it to the center of the hole you have created, those blocks also that are left over.

Apply a texture called "clip" to them, if it doesn't show up add the WAD: zhlt.wad from the HL Compilers we downloaded earlier, clip is in simply terms, a texture that games see as invisible, so it stops players going through the window, but there's nothing there in their view. Now we should be this far, those light green boxes are the place_models:



Now on each of the place models, right click, go to Properties, where it says "Model", enter here: "progs/Props/sandbags.mdl", you will notice they're all sandbags now, Jack Hammer is loading the MDL from nzp's folder, and nzp will do the same thing. It keeps map size to a minimum and allows you to add complicated items to a map. Also make sure the "yaw" is pointing the right way, this is where the model will be pointing, it's only cosmetic with models, but with things like Barricades, it makes a HUGE difference.

Now we'll add windows! Doing the same thing as with the sandbags add some entities into the map, only this time select item_barricade, I'll let you use your judgement on how high they are and where they are, just make sure they are high enough and are within the hole we made, also make sure again the yaw is pointing TOWARDS the playing area, the playing area being the area where your character is allowed. Also make sure they don't extrude the map unless it's an outdoor map as this will cause leaks which means the map won't compile.

Note from Blubs:

When placing windows, make sure the center of the window is at least 64 units above the ground. If you have it any lower, the zombie will get stuck in the ground after they hop over the window.
As there is no easy way to gauge 64 units, I suggest you make a brush that's 64 units high and use that to place the center of your window 64 units above the ground.




:End Note from Blubs

Now it should look like this:



Now for the zombies!! So we need to make them look like risers since we can see them, if we can't see them still make them risers but ignore the part on the dirt.

So to give it more realism, let's put some dirt to make it look like they're rising from the ground, create a box, use a good dirt texture and using the clipping too, make even cuts on all sides. This makes the carving process (we'll get onto that now) a whole lot more efficient!

Now make sure the dirt is longer than the floor, and right click on it and click "Carve", I usually don't agree with carving but for this it's ok. Make enough of them for each barricade, once we're done it should look like this:



Now to add zombies! Use the entity tool and add a spawn_zombie, you'll notice a large red block appear, this is a zombie spawn, add for of these to each one and make sure they just about hover over ground level.

Now we need to add path_corners, using the entity tool again add these around half the height of the zombie and between the zombie and the window to each spawn, it should now look like this:



Now right click on the zombie/s and click properties, where it says "target", for the first zombie spawn we'll call this P1 for path_corner1, and for the second one P2, if you have more than one path_corner, just call them something like P1 for the first one and P1_1 for the second one and so on.

With the window still open click the pathcorners and give them their name, now set their targets to the windows, same as the paths we'll call them something like W1 and W2, then last of course give the Windows their names!

Now go to the zombie's properties again for each one, click flags and tick "ground rise", this will tell to rise.

Once you're done it should look like this video:



bot wat if i wnt dem in another room and rise inside???

Easy, to make a zombie rise INSIDE just add a zombie inside the playing area, make them a rise and you'll see another flag called "Start inside", click this, the zombies will now rise inside the playing area.

To make it so they don't spawn in another room, click the inactive tag, give the zombie a name, i.e. Room_2 for the second room and 3 for the third and so on, and now click the door, go to its properties and where you see targer, enter the zombies name here, now when you open that door it turns the zombie active so they'll spawn, but only when you open that door or doors that target that spawn.

Last but not least, lighting! Your map will not compile or work without lighting, to add a light use the entity tool and add "light", you can add more than one depending on how many lights you want, and adjust the lighting accordingly, the last number is how bright it is, this is default 300 I believe, set it to around 100-160 for a small-medium room, larger rooms may need more than one. Also make sure to put them around the celieng, just below it..

Once we're done our map should look like this with lighting in NZP:

Weapons, Box, Perks & more!

So what would a map be without stuff like Perks? Well actually it would still be good, NDU anyone? But they add allot to the map, to add perks use the entity tool and add a perk_ there are all the perks there and they are easy to identify.

Once we add all the perks they should look like this, usually yaw like before if they are not facing the correct way, we should now see this since like place_model, Jack Hammer loads the models for allot of entities in the game, pretty neat, huh? NOTE: PaP doesn't currently work. Also don't worry about them looking, ugghhh, it's just that JackHammer won't load the proper texture for them, but NZP WILL. Also yes, the Quick Revive model emits huge light.



Now what's a map without wall weapons? To add wall weapons use the entity tool and add a weapon_wall, in it's properties set the yaw correctly and where it says "Weapon" set a weapon, some of the drawings are messed up so find one that works, I used the Thompson for this.



Now create a box that surrounds the weapon, use the texture AAATRIGGER or TRIGGER and tie it to an entity by pressing CTRL+T, a window will come up with these options:



The only ones you have to worry about are Weapon and Cost, weapon is the same as adding the chalk, just select the right one, in our case the Thompson and set a price, for the Thompson it's 1200, use the official Call of Duty Wiki for Zombie Mode Gun Prices.



Now, like allot of recent CoD maps there's a power switch, it's easy to add to the map, using the entity tool, add power_switch to the map, place it on a wall or something like that and make sure it's off the ground.

It should appear like this and after you turn it on it will activate the perks, you can also have doors open when the power is turned on but that's for another tutorial. Also it fixes the huge light from QR!





Pretty lights:



Now the box, ah the good ol' box I'm sure at this stage you know how to add something like the box? Just use the entity tool and add mystery_box for the main one and for other ones use the one with tp_spot.

Also there's a file in the maps folder called ndu.mbox, copy this and rename it to your map, this file tells NZP only to give certain guns as some guns don't work and without this file it ends up giving them.

And that's last on the list, sit back and have a look at your good ol' box and junk load of perks!

Finishing Touches

Ok let's face it, the map we just made is super basic, so let's add some stuff to spice it up, we can use the place_model entity again only this time press the button near the entry box, go to Props and find a good MDL/s to use, I'll leave it up to you to pick because there are lots of props included in this NZP, this what I came up with:



Also make sure to put CLIP boxes around models.

Lastly, any walls of the maps that are NOT going to be seen by players can be NULLED out using the NULL texture, this removes the unnecessary geometry to optimize the map even more.

Compiling

Every awesome map needs to be compiled, so press F9 and this should come up, click expert if it this doesn't come up.

You can delete anything that's in the main box and add 4 new commands, anyone can use proper context and know where stuff goes so just copy mine, anything after $bspdir goes into Paraments, for light and vis, take out fast, only use them for test compiles. Click run when finished.

On vis use -full and on lights -extra, (dr mabuse) when doing final compile.

Here's my compile settings:

https://i.imgur.com/1vXpqAX.png

Then save it to your NZP Maps folder if a dialogue comes up and if everything goes well it should compile. IF you get any errors post back here, but read over this 10000 times before asking for help.

I do hope this helped you, it took a long ass time to make.

For waypointing go here, texture tutorials and other tutorials soon:


https://nzportable.forumotion.com/t1947-waypointing-tutorial