HL2 EP1 Core Issues

Garry's Mod coding
#1

I want to use the Citadel Core effect that is used in Half Life 2 Episode 1 for an entity I am creating for a gamemode. The problem with using the effect, is that its visual effects is locked to it being placed at a specific point in the map

This is it at the same co-ordinates it would be in HL2EP1, but on gm_fork

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/717541825157947249/5BEA4FEF25055DEAE79EB918A0087936DBB7F1C2/[/t]

This is it when I have moved it from those co-ordinates on the same map
[t]https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/717541825157947639/BC72E34B67C7BD7CCE6218B8E3A5A04F54FDC13D/

I was hoping if there was some trickery I could do with the vmts and vtfs to get this to work in any location.

#2

The core effect is actually hard-coded, so I guess it’ll be hard for you to re-code it.
But I can’t say anything that may help you on this case.

#3

Are there any coordinates at all in the VMT?

#4

No numbers for them at all.

#5

Copy the pcf and edit it so make it origin at 0,0,0 no idea why valve would do that, they might have they reasons

#6

The only particles in Episode 1’s only pcf file are the vortexes from the bridge scene, unless the particles folder isn’t the only place where pcf’s are?

#7

Some particles may be packaged into the .vpk file which you can open with GCFScape (the .vpk files are in the main directory of the game – you have to open the dir.vpk one not the numbered ones).
Also, Any chance you could provide the .vmt for it?
There’s a possibility it uses another material as a base which (may) be map specific? (Something like an env* property idk)

[editline]27th September 2017[/editline]

After some more research it seems like they COULD be hard-coded with control points: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Set_Control_Point_Positions#Set_Control_Point_Positions

#8

I actually got the pcf file from the .vpk file because there wasn’t any outside of it.
Here are the VTFs and VMTs for it
http://puu.sh/xJTa8/1a4fd45bab.rar

#9

Yeah the position is hardcoded in the “Core” shader to “2688.0f, 12139.0f, 5170.0f”, nothing you can do about it I am afraid.

#10

Such a shame. Why did Valve do this?

#11

No one’s know, maybe because they wanted to control core shader side and effect via material parameters than a simple entity