.Map :: MoHAA Mapping

what is the best ways to keep the FPS high in a Map?
I build large maps with look of detail on the building and by the time we get everything into the map we want the FPS starts to suck!!!

I use detail brushes corectly and vis_leafgroups but I just wanted to know if there are any other great way to get a good FPS on my maps.

make unseen faces caulk (you probably did that allready but that's all I know )

Also use a short farplane, without a farplane my map is unplayable to all but those with really high end cards, and even they struggle.

If you have a farplane reduce the distance to 4500 or somthing, thi sshould help you considerably.

One thing that I do to increase fps is to look for details that can be done with a masked texture. Say you have made a fence entirely out of brushes (|###|###|###|###|) there will be many faces to be drawn. Exchange the ### for a masked texture that looks like the # and you will save quite a lot of work as well as get better fps. This is just one such place where a masked texture can be a good substitute.

Hmm, now I am no professional but making my last map I learned a lot about keeping the fps high. My map in effect had two skyboxes. How can I explain it.

Well the first open area above ground was enclosed in its own skybox, then I made tunnels into an underground bunker system these penetrated through my original skybox, so I am now working outside that area, inside the bunker I used area portals to seal this off from the above ground stuff. I then went onto make another skybox for the final open area, this was sealed from the bunkers and the previous skybox by area portals again.

So in effect I had 3 small maps that joined together to make one whole. Each part seperately had good fps, I imagine if I had used one big skybox it would have run really badly even with leafgroups. Sirk leafgroups need to be targeted in both directions, not sure if you realised that, it was something I think Roger might have explained to me.

So I guess the use of leafgroups and portals plus thought about the layout of the map all go into improving the fps.

Hope I helped and didnt just talk rubbish

Thanks for the all the ideas

The use of multi-skyboxes sounds like what i do with the vis_leafgroups.

But yes I do have one BIG skybox that cover the whole map.
all of the map is above ground and inside large warehouse like buildings,so I can't get away with the more than one sky box.

Yes I do have the vis_leafgroups tagged both ways, we are going to rework the map added one building in at a time to see where the FPS go downhill. Maybe there is an errror in one of the buildings that is dragging the map into the RED!!!

A lot of model drawing can lower fps too so if you make a building put area portals in all the doors . Rooms with windows won't be sealed so area portals wont work but they can seal that room from the hallway and other rooms without windows . For example your building needs to be sealed like a skybox for the area portals to work if you use the entity filter you will see what I mean your doors and func_windows will disappear . Lets say you have 3 rooms in the building 1 with a window . Put area portals in the doors the one in the door of the room with the window will seal that room from the rest and the hallway . Now fill both of the other rooms with as many models as you want because they are sealed behind area portals going in one room wont draw the other room unless both doors are open and when you are in the hallway none of the models in either room will draw until you open the door to that room .