Just found these. It's very nice that they kept the old good editor and added all HL2 goodies in it. Can't wait to play with this one :-D

http://skdr.dodfi.net/hl2/Halflife04%5b1%5d.jpg
http://skdr.dodfi.net/hl2/Halflife05%5b1%5d.jpg

This is sweet, cause then we dont need to learn a new editor to map :D, we'll just feel right at home... :)

seems the rmf format is on it's last legs: lt's called vmf instead...
I still hope we can import our old rmf's so we can make our maps HL2 compatible

It might be that u can import .map files, like u could from the old Worldcraft (from the Quake 1/ Q2 days!); but u cant open old rmf files in the new WC/Hammer.

1st pic = Dual in teh laundromat!!

mmmm, an animation keyframe...

/me speculates

Yeah this has made me soo happy, what I really didn't want was a new editor for HL2 that was completely different from traditional mapping i.e. Quake engines.

Wooohoo!

Yea i am very happy about this because hammer is the only editor i have really mastered and i dont want to have to leanr a totaly new developing environment

Just look at those new tools and properties though . . .

Just amazing

yah hammer has been the only editor that I could figure out. MOH Radient and Quake Editor were way too confusing.No more " you can't do big open environments in half life engine" anymore!

yeah I like it how it looks so familiar, my favorite in-game screen is that one of the soldiers rounding up civilians, I like the 'web' of cables going across the sky.

Looks pretty awsome, but I'm curious as to why there are those yellow brushes on the ground with HINT on them

I pray that map sizes will be halfway between BF1942 and UT2k3(so the entire state of Massachusetts can be modelled in 100 or so maps, but your computer would be barely chugging along with Plymouth, since we have over 300 ponds in the town and forest alone)

Originally posted by Winnebago
Looks pretty awsome, but I'm curious as to why there are those yellow brushes on the ground with HINT on them

i bet they are movement hints for monsters, like the old path corners and such in HL sp.

FYI:
from: GameSpy HL2 report (http://www.gamespy.com/previews/may03/halflife2pc/index4.shtml)

1. new model editor: Softimage|XSI instead of 3DSMax/milkshape.
and modeling has gotten harder, more work because of "doing bump-mapping for models, which is a far more complex and time consuming process than creating skins for most current engines."

2. new engine, "the source". = new compiling tools. goodby Qtools, zoners, merles, and front ends like TBCC, Q2Beaver and Nemisis's.

3. Valve is gonna open a prefab like website, the "Warehouse."
best described as a virtual-3D Hollywood backlot where every type of texture, piece of world geometry, or object for that part of the world can be found. In doing so, creating a level almost becomes like a version of The Sims -- pop into the warehouse, find what you need, and use it in your level.

4. looking at the pics, the textures seem much higher quality - kinda like max paine. dunno if wally will cut it anymore.....

Sorry to sound like **** but if they use Hammer ("improvements" does not matter much) for new HL, then new game has still Quake-base engine. This worries me cause it definitely doesn't look good for large open areas. New HL will not be BF'42, Halo2, FarCry, STALKER, etc. killer :(

does this look like quake to you ?
http://koti.mbnet.fi/nimda/hl2hc/pics/26aprilshot/bugs.jpg

Originally posted by Craftos
Sorry to sound like **** but if they use Hammer ("improvements" does not matter much) for new HL, then new game has still Quake-base engine. This worries me cause it definitely doesn't look good for large open areas. New HL will not be BF'42, Halo2, FarCry, STALKER, etc. killer :(

what???? no it's a completly redone made of scratch engine!!!!
no more stupid limitions of quake!!! yay! :D

Originally posted by kleinluka
does this look like quake to you ?
http://koti.mbnet.fi/nimda/hl2hc/pics/26aprilshot/bugs.jpg Heavily tweaked Q3 could look like this, you don't know how accesible is this area. Hammer uses specific way of editing right for Quake with it's limitations. I don't see too much things added in menus, toolbars. I can be wrong but since Half-Life 2 requires DX6 compatible gfx card this tell something too about visual effect you will get. BF42 requires TnL card (DX7 minimum) especially because if helps heavily on wide open maps. If HL2 don't need this there is some reason after it.

Edit: I haven't seen yet any pic with really high detailed graphics. All of seen now are inner areas or low detailed outer (like pic of yours). I hope after E3 there will be more info.

Valve stated the engine was done from scratch. I don't know why anybody should doubt that

Hammer is still in developement.

I don't see ANY reason why it couldn't be adapted to this new engine.
It's their choice to continue using hammer instead of making a totally new editor like the one in far cry. Or lack of an editor at all like in BF.

After five years of programming, I think they'll pull it off to make a new hammer that can do this.

The engine is totally made from the ground up

They said they totaly made the new version of the hammer editor from the ground up but tryed to keep its interface as close to the original as possible to make development easier

And now hammer isnt just a map editor it is an editor for almost everything for the engine sort of like what UED is for ut2003

Originally posted by Winnebago
Looks pretty awsome, but I'm curious as to why there are those yellow brushes on the ground with HINT on them

same

and hammer makes make non-engine specific maps. ie it makes maps :)

infact there are a lot of games out there that use .bsp format. its just because your used to seeing hammer compile with HL / quake based compliers and using HL / quake based fdg's