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Question:
I have a problem while trying to load an Half-Life .MAP file which is decompiled with WinBSPC v1.2 (BSP decompiler to map).

The problem is that QuArK is trying to load the .MAP file as Quake 2 map, even while Half-Life game is being selected. I think that something in the .MAP file cause QuArK to think it is a Quake 2 map. (For example take the C3A1B.BSP decompiled map file.)

Answer:
The problem is, that when WinBSPC 'encounters' an ORIGIN-brush, it is hardcoded to create a brush with the texture  e1u1/origin . When QuArK imports a .MAP-file, it scans it, and if it finds a '/' in a texture-name, it thinks the .MAP is a Quake-2 map.

To solve this problem, you have to open the decompiled Half-Life .MAP file in Notepad or other ASCII-texteditor, and search-replace  e1u1/origin  with  origin , before you import it into QuArK.

Question:
How do I create a transparent breakable window in Half-Life? Or just a transparent object?

Answer:
It is only possible to create transparent objects in Half-Life, by using brush-entities.

Most brush-entities in Half-Life, have some "renderxxx " specifics. It is these that are used to tell the game-engine, that this brush should be drawn transparent or do other special effects.

To set a func_wall half-transparent, you have to set these two specifics in the brush-entity:

rendermode      TEXTURE
renderamt       128

If you want a breakable transparent window, use the func_breakable brush-entity, and besides the two mentioned specifics, you also have to set those specifics that makes it a breakable object.

Question:
How do I use texture alphas? I made a ladder, and the ladder texture had a blue background which I would imagine is supposed to be the see through area, but when I compile the maps the blue shows as part of the ladder texture.

Answer:
A Half-Life ladder consist of two brush-entities:

1)  func_ladder , which is invisible but is the area where the player should be able to climb on "a ladder". This brush-entity usually have the  AAATRIGGER  texture applied to it, since its invisible in the game.

2)  func_illusionary  (or any other non-solid brush-entity), which is the visible indication of "here is a ladder".

If you use any of the "{"-character prefixed texturenames (from the "Rails(2D)" texture-folder), then you can get rid of the blue-color by altering the renderfields  of any brush-entity to:

rendermode      SOLID
renderamt       255

Question:
How do I apply decals over a texture?

Answer:
A decal is a special point-entity in Half-Life.

Create a  infodecal  point-entity (Look in the 'Info_ entities' folder), and place it near the wall you want your decal to appear on (max 8 units from it, at Grid 1).

The spec/args view of the  infodecal  point-entity, contains a specific named " texture ", this you can change to any decal texturename - mainly the texture-browser's "Decals Folder".

Note that the decal-texture's scale and orientation is controlled by the brush-face upon which the decal is applied. So if your decal-texture looks mirrored or large/small, then is the brush-face's texture you need to mirror/scale.

The decal-texture's color is controlled by the decal-texture itself. If you want to change it, you need to create a new decal-texture yourself.

See also 'Half-Life info_decal Helper'

QuArK now reads (as of version 6.2) the new mapversion 220 format of worldcraft 3.3, and if a map's worldspawn element has a "mapversion" specific with value "220", it will be written in this format. If you want to read in 220 and write in the regular map format, remove the "mapversion" specific.

Question:
How do I setup QuArK for the Counter-Strike retail version?

Answer:

First go into your Counter-Strike disk-folder, and create a file named  HL.EXE . This is a file which QuArK looks for, to make sure that it found the correct Half-Life folder, but we'll need to fool it into thinking that it found Half-Life.

Next, go into QuArK's configuration, and change the 'Games -> Half-Life' settings to what is shown in the image here: Change from  HL.EXE  to  CSTRIKE.EXE  Change the Half-Life directory, to point to your Counter-Strike retail directory

Finally you'll need to create a  Game Context  object in QuArK Explorer, to tell QuArK that it should not create a  tmpQuArK  disk-folder, but run all .MAP/.BSP from the  CSTRIKE  disk-folder (which is also the Counter-Strike retail main-base disk-folder, as  VALVE  is for Half-Life.)

Question:
How do I put in many equal keys (specifics) into a multi_manager, like this:

multi_manager
   "flashlight"         "1"
   "flashlight"         "6"
   "flashlight"         "13"
   "flashlight"         "19"

Answer:
The programmers at Valve have anticipated this, and implemented a feature, where you can suffix the key (specific) with an  #  and then some unique text, so the many equal keys (specifics) isn't the same.

Like this:

multi_manager
   "flashlight#1"       "1"
   "flashlight#2"       "6"
   "flashlight#third"   "13"
   "flashlight#last"    "19"