Using original 1998 models?

[NicholasWolf]

Has anyone thought to make a version that uses the original 1998 models instead? I think that would make the game faster + I like the original models.

[cptPauer]

It's not that hard. They are all perfectly suited to the Dreamcast. Just copy it to the right place and burn CD. To convert the texture will take time but it will work fine even without converting it.
It is better to take the models from PS2 Half-Life: Decey and recreate the maps for DC single player. I want to make it for a long time.
And if it after decompiling open in the GtkRadiant 1.4 and after that even will be compiled.. it will be possible even port them on Dreamcast. It is a lot of work, certainly


I once did comparative screenshots for the magazine.. Here they are:

1998 originals for PC (or HL:Source)


Gordon looks like a typical bandits =))) How such person have passed to the reactor?

Dreamcast:


Here is Gordon looks similar to the typical communist with Lenin's appearance =D
G-man is similar to the alcoholic ))

This is Gordon. Gordon Freeman. Gordon Freeman DC, gosh darn!


DC and PS2:


Gman:


holo:


DC holo.mdl is best =))

[NicholasWolf]

wouldnt the game run better because of less polygons?

[Divagante]

cpt, hows dll porting working out? i would love to play around with decay in the dc, that would be one hell of a step beyond... still, i cant help but feel the coop is codded there... i mean, the console commands are there so the engine was prepared for coop

btw, did you guys ever managed to extract the files from the ps2 version? i tried it, but with no sucess. id like campare versions and configs.

its a long shot here, but hear me out:

there are leftovers of multiplayer maps in the dc version, this definitly proves online was intended. but what about the configs? like, there are configs for controller presets, if there are configs to use these presets for other controllers, it can mean one of two things: deathmatch or coop. anyhow, the way these work are built into the engine, so when we run "map xxx.bsp", the engine presets something like "-solo -config.cfg -skill.cfg map xxx.bsp". coop may be run by some kind of control such as "-coop -conf...." you got the point.

i really cant stop thinking about this because the save menu clearly shows compatibility for four controllers. what if the coop is built in and all we need are the right commands?

probably im wrong..

[Anthony817]

Dude, the engine itself was badly optimized, even a review of the game said so when they got the pre-release disc to review a few weeks before the game was supposed to go to retail.




@divagante, read this post here. The models can be found in this thread.
PS2 models and ps2 mods?

[Divagante]

wouldnt the game run better because of less polygons?

yes it would but with pvr conversion these gentleman use there is no need for it. nicholas, remember the hl:dc is not a finished product, so it isnt intended to run 100percent, it will never do and it has slowdowns as any game has slowdowns. its about the craft of the moddeler and the mapper to go around this

still you idea is not a bad idea - the beta version of hl is a very different experience from the final hl, that may be worth the work. but in my opinion is a project that eats too much time for the payoff :s

[cptPauer]

still, i cant help but feel the coop is codded there... i mean, the console commands are there so the engine was prepared for coop

Well so I mean that maps can be altered in map editor for single-player.
That is to alter under standard dlls. As in a counter-strike DC. It will be single-player Decey.

btw, did you guys ever managed to extract the files from the ps2 version? i tried it, but with no sucess.

I have not tried. I already have all the files from the Decey already converted and extracted. Why do double duty? I think that Decey for PC are easily available on the Internet.

i really cant stop thinking about this because the save menu clearly shows compatibility for four controllers. what if the coop is built in and all we need are the right commands?

Would be very cool, certainly.

Dude, the engine itself was badly optimized.

I played recently Unreal Tournament for Dreamcast.. And I will tell to you that it is optimized not better then HL DC. Something about 25-15 FPS
I do not know what to tell about a engine.. But original maps are ideally optimized and all models too. Moreover, many models considerably differ from PS2 versions even the design. It is not high-poly, but looks very nice. Very good optimization for that hardware. Even textures lie separately for each map in small wads.
The quake1 too slow on Dreamcast too. But HLDC have very cool graphic on DC. Therefore, that there spoke, it is very optimized game. IMHO.

wouldnt the game run better because of less polygons?

Sure. 2-3 FPS maybe =). In places where a lot of enemies... I don't know.
Original Dreamcast's models is well-optimized. And DCHL already has many 1998' originals for better performance. In the PS2 version, many models were replaced by hi-poly (EX: helicopter)

there are leftovers of multiplayer maps in the dc version, this definitly proves online was intended

I even have a few models of DC's multiplayer:
Tom.mdl:


Smith.mdl:


Why it for DC? Because textures are so called and it like same in DCHL. PS2 textures from Decay have names like PS_soldier

[Divagante]

cpt, why my intention of the ps2 files:

decay was only released for the ps2, the pc version is a port of the ps2 release, with custom code i suppose. so, the original files and configurations would be more "pure" in the ps2 release, also theres a lot of things there that dont make sense on a pc version but do on a console, thats why my interest ^^ ill try to lose some time with this as soon as i can

[cptPauer]

Do you think that they remade the maps too? Maybe. But I hope not.
Need to download PS2 version and compare =)

[Divagante]

Do you think that they remade the maps too? Maybe. But I hope not.
Need to download PS2 version and compare =)

the maps are not that different, the only thing different is that there are two player spawns (one info_player_start and one info_player_deathmatch) everything else from the puzzles to the battles are just mapping skills, no codding there. im talking more about text, from config files to directories

like, open hl in your pc. creating a server in the map xxx.bsp is diferent from starting a solo game in the very same map. this diference is only in the commands, the solo game writes "map xxx.bsp" the other writes something like "sv_lan 0, server ip, config.cfg, map xxx.bsp".

i believe the decay mod is booted in the same way, loading a map with specific commands. this is what i want to find out. if we find this out, we may try it on the dc and check if the engine is already capable of coop or not

[NicholasWolf]

If custom .dll's come out, will that mean that the game can be upgraded to run better?

[Divagante]

If custom .dll's come out, will that mean that the game can be upgraded to run better?

it means endless possibilities my friend

[cptPauer]

i believe the decay mod is booted in the same way, loading a map with specific commands. this is what i want to find out. if we find this out, we may try it on the dc and check if the engine is already capable of coop or not

If is already capable of coop it will be a revolution in Dreamcast-modding =)

I decompiled the map of Decey..
At compilation gives out an error "Missing '[' in texturedef (U)"
I will try to correct. It was decompiled in general like as normally.

will that mean that the game can be upgraded to run better?

My map of the "Bloodshot mod" for DCHL has stable 60FPS (Approximately). Still, there is some wall only, as in the original game =))
If you want stable 60FPS you need something like Wolfenstain3D for DCHL =D
"Prefab RE4 village" have very good FPS too. =) Maybe someone wants to finish it? Then I'll post the source and textures.

Has anyone thought to make a version that uses the original 1998 models instead?

By the way, these models are used and till now. I have license copy of HL, HL:Source and Blue Shift on Steam. There old original models, as well as in 1998.

[Theuaredead]

I would also think porting the 1998 maps over would allow auto saving again. For some reason the dreamcast disc I have doesn't. Also the old models and maps would make the file smaller, maybe faster load times.

[Anthony817]

You can save anywhere on the original game that Tuxthewise optimized.

Half-Life Gold Dcres • Dreamcast Isos • Downloads @ The Iso Zone

You just can't do it on these PC mods cause the game wasn't programmed that way. You can save at special points now in mods, you just have to save the file first on the PC version of the mod and put it in the mod.