I'm creating a map with 5 custom models. After running Ratpak and adding the models and textures to the BSP, it ballooned from 9M to 54M. I'm reluctant to add any other custom content for fear of the file size to become unmanageable. Is there a better way? Seems the RES file method would be better since it would only download the required files to the client. And if the model and map makers are consistent with file directory structure there would only be 1 copy of the custom content on the server (used by multiple maps) and less bloating of the BSP.

Cheers

Something's not right, there's not a chance your file size would become that big with just 5 models and their texture, unless they were ridiculously enormous, like a 8192x8192 uncompressed vtf as a texture....

Either you've added your entire custom models directories, or something else happened.

I assume you're talking about Pakrat (I don't know about a Ratpak program) and you've used the auto feature??

Well, I've seen maps using stock content rack up to ~25mb, so...

I'm pretty much convinced that the file was not packed right. I'm going send the info off to a "professional" packer on the next distribution and see how it goes. The hard thing about all this is I can't see what's missing since I have all the files and proper links on my PC.

I had the same problem once, maybe you should take a look at the .bsp (after you compiled and packed) with the programm gcfscape, then you can see what models\texture causes the big size of .bsp

I find the easiest way to check that all your custom content has been packed into the .bsp properly is to do the following.

Rename you dod folder dod1. Next launch DODS which will create a new dod folder without any custom content. Copy your .bsp into the map folder and run the map, any missing custom models will show up as red ERROR signs and any missing custom textures will have the black/purple check pattern.

If all is ok all you need to do then is delete the new dod folder that was created and rename the dod1 folder back to dod and all will be back to how it was.

Works for me :D

==Dirty_Harry;1085656']I find the easiest way to check that all your custom content has been packed into the .bsp properly is to do the following.

Rename you dod folder dod1. Next launch DODS which will create a new dod folder without any custom content. Copy your .bsp into the map folder and run the map, any missing custom models will show up as red ERROR signs and any missing custom textures will have the black/purple check pattern.

If all is ok all you need to do then is delete the new dod folder that was created and rename the dod1 folder back to dod and all will be back to how it was.

Works for me :D

Brilliant! Simple and clever at the same time. I'll give it a try next time.

IMO, MAN is better than Ratpack, you might want to give it a try. It checks for doubles very well.

==Dirty_Harry;1085656']I find the easiest way to check that all your custom content has been packed into the .bsp properly is to do the following.

Rename you dod folder dod1. Next launch DODS which will create a new dod folder without any custom content. Copy your .bsp into the map folder and run the map, any missing custom models will show up as red ERROR signs and any missing custom textures will have the black/purple check pattern.

If all is ok all you need to do then is delete the new dod folder that was created and rename the dod1 folder back to dod and all will be back to how it was.

Works for me :D

Works well for ensuring all the stuff that's meant to be there actually is there, but it can't help Gurney if he's added too much to the .bsp.

Isn't there some prog that can look at a .bsp and tell you what embedded content it has?

Isn't there some prog that can look at a .bsp and tell you what embedded content it has?

Pakrat.

It lists everything in the .bsp.

Dirty Harries method is correct. I don't send any map out the door without using this procedure myself.

:)

Pakrat.

It lists everything in the .bsp.

Dirty Harries method is correct. I don't send any map out the door without using this procedure myself.

:)

Listing everything in the .bsp the way that Pakrat does might be a bit daunting to some people, so it was something a bit more basic that I was thinkng about. Like dropping a .bsp onto an .exe file that opens a list of embedded content only, maybe ignoring dx levels of models and/or cubemap info. It would be a much simpler way of seeing what was embedded than looking through a huge list of all the map resources in pakrat.

And yes, as I already agreed, Dirty Harry's method does do what it says on the tin. But, it doesn't claim to find any content that didn't need to be embedded.

But, it doesn't claim to find any content that didn't need to be embedded.

I think MAN does it.... :rolleyes:

packrat is good to show u what's in your map but hell it's horrible when you us it to embed :eek: ... you get so many things that you don't need... don't cry after that if you get a map that's twice the size it should be.....

I would love to find a .exe that would automaticly write you the .txt file needed to -addlist with bspzip dos command.... that would be soooo simple....

just run the exe on your bsp... and it writes the .txt file for you with relative and full path name.... runs bspzip and adds the custom content auto.... :rolleyes:

no one out there can do soemething like that????? this would rock! :D

Ok I used MAN to pack the BSP and it still ballooned to 53M. MAN seem to be a much more complete program than Pakrat. I'm using The Surgeon's Opel Blitz, one of his hedges and Citroen:
http://www.dayofdefeat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=74493
http://www.dayofdefeat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72453
http://www.dayofdefeat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=64274

And a couple trees out of Flashy's tree pack:
http://www.dayofdefeat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=71807

And
Pedroleum's GMC CCKW:
http://www.dayofdefeat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72837

I guess that's the way it is. Custom content makes big files.

well yes of course it makes big bsp lol

that is why you should always use the maximum content HL2 has to offer before looking at getting custom content in your bsp....

beside 53Mb for a .bsp if the map is a final version with all content in it is NOT what I would call a big .bsp... it is a large file but think some custom maps out there are almost 80Mb so you're still in the good boundarie size

From the start, my problem with these figures isn't the end file size. yes 54 Mb isn't that big, but considering it goes from 9 MB (which is a small file size) to 54 just because of the custom content is just enormous. 30 to 50, I wouldn't have been surprised in the least, but 45 added MB because of that much custom content is just unreal.

Consider Dijon, the map is 45 Mb without the custom content, and for all that's in it, it's just a 64 Mb deal....