I Ported a TF2 Map to Source 2 Because Valve Wouldn't

After spending hundreds of hours fiddling around in Hammer, I'm happy to finally share this Source 2 port of the TF2 map "Junction" by Sean "Heyo" Cutino.
0:00 Intro
2:39 Hammer
4:02 Materials
10:32 Transparent Materials
11:54 Decals
13:08 Animated Materials
15:23 Surface Properties
16:14 Models
19:08 Lights
21:46 Reflections
23:29 Doors
24:47 Control Points
27:17 Resupply Lockers
28:05 Sound
31:17 Debugging
32:41 Post-Processing
34:17 Outro
🔗 Link to Map: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
▶ Pool Day: • A Deep Dive into CS2's...
▶ TF2 Isn't Normal: • TF2 isn't Normal
▶ TF2's Door Problem: • TF2's Door Problem
▶ My other TF2 stuff: • TF2
▶ My TF2 shorts: • TF2 #shorts
🔨 Source Engine Discord: / discord
🔨 Mapcore Discord: / discord
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▶ Follow me on X: x.com/LEDs_YT
💬 My Discord: / discord
#tf2 #teamfortress2

[@dodsonboys]

Junctions layout would probably work better for Defuse in CS than a TF2 map

[@LEDs]

I've thought about that

[@SanityDrop]

I always thought this. Junctions always felt cramped for a TF2 map

[@itsame_L]

a version of this on the workshop with bombsites enabled would be sick for community servers

[@lillywho]

Easy peasy, sandvich squeezy!

[@cameronpower7835]

Same with 2Fort

[@mrexplo621]

damn its really interesting to see tf2 map in cs2 but its sad that both games are not in best shape rn. just waiting to see bots banned to play tf2 and vscript/pulse added to cs2 for community maps to shine once again.

[@TriflingToad]

valve has been trying to hide community maps for a long time EDIT: i mean the community servers button, it's a lot harder to find now than it was in older CS games

[@h20gamez]

​@@TriflingToadYou mean community gamemodes? Cause plenty of community maps were/are added to cs. I mean Anubis is in the pool right now

[@SneedFeedAndSeed]

@@h20gamez He is? Call a lifeguard, quick!

[@kelet-std]

Valve moment

[@pootispiker2866]

Cs2 is miles ahead of tf2. Play a new game.

[@yamon1968]

Shiny and bright TF2 maps are aesthetic af. gotta love how realistic these textures look like sometimes

[@awesomesillyman]

tf2 textures aren't realistic at all, that's the point of them. they're detailed and well-crafted.

[@ecs300]

It’s perfectly in-between realism and over-stylization

[@manitoba-op4jx]

tf2 is a comic style with painterly textures

[@pauldeddens5349]

@@manitoba-op4jx What your describing is closer to Puss n Boots. Its 1960s Americana with heavy inspiration from Studio Ghiblis Hayao Miyazakihe. Smidge of cassettepunk for most maps. Intel rooms and such. Big dose of Dieselpunk for MvM.

[@0Blueaura]

@@awesomesillyman they are real life photo textures painted over, so they are real life like in that regard lol

[@ThatOneDudeThatLikesPurple]

look, i always knew that making a videogame map was hard, but watching this whole video made me realise that creating a map (or atleast. making one pleasant to the eyes of the player) was *ACTUALLY HARD.* shout out to the developers that take hours and hours for creating such good maps.

[@ninjadanoite1560]

Nooooo really ?!?😱😲🤯 I thought it was as easy as pressing a Button that can also fix the bot problem😒.

[@ThatOneDudeThatLikesPurple]

@@ninjadanoite1560 i just thought basically the same thing as the video but with so fewer steps bruh

[@Leosalvaje_]

No, it's the hammer editor that is shit.

[@Ty122096]

@@Leosalvaje_ as someone who has made gmod maps, original hammer is so god awful dogshit, source 2 hammer is actually fun to use from the little i've used it

[@hitlerhvh]

It's a KZbin comment, shlawg is shouting out to *what* croud?

[@DR.Narbacular]

my only issue with this port is that it feels too warm compared to the source 1 version, i miss it's cold blue parts, especially near blu's spawn seen in 34:37. other than that, all of this looks so fantastic and great, and i'd say it's definitely an upgrade. as a source/hammer nerd, i enjoyed watching this all the way through.

[@ViciousVinnyD]

Agree, the variety of lighting was lost in this port. Now everything has the same generic warm white. I'm happy to put that aside though for just how helpful this video is for future mappers.

[@pedrourbano501]

A few modifications in the lighting could be made.

[@someguy9175]

Yeah, he should've used cooler lights for the blue side of the map, oh well

[@TheJukebox.]

At least there's no phlog pyros in CS2 so the map would probably be fun to play

[@LEDs]

No phlog? 😢

[@rolansamson7819]

​@@LEDsis true there is no phlog☹️

[@ruzgar1372]

12:53 "Say that again?"

[@LEDs]

One more funky detail

[@csongorkovacs4696]

among us

[@tmanbonkenbills8960]

sussy metal hatch

[@shallmow]

Valve, please port.

[@HOTD108_]

And make original TF2 lost media in the process? No thanks. Remember, Counter Strike: Global Offensive was actively removed from both the store AND people's private libraries when Counter Strike 2 launched. CS:GO is now lost media.

[@spoonknifefork69]

@@HOTD108_you won’t be very happy with tf3…

[@shallmow]

@@HOTD108_ , please choose csgo_legacy in beta versions and connect to community servers

[@aguynamedluis9266]

Knowing them... lawsuit on the poor guy

[@TeamCraftable2004]

​@@HOTD108_You can still download it...

[@oliverkky]

TF3 as a port to Source 2 would make so much sense

[@LEDs]

Valve’s first 3 game

[@parkeddoor]

It would make more sense if it was Team Fortress: Local Aggression, like CS:GO, as they fear the number 3

[@Capiosus]

@@LEDs Valve's first 3 game should be half life 3.

[@Hack--rz1io]

I really want it to be TF2:2

[@Dr_Dan_]

Ik youre joking but they'd rebrand it to just "Team Fortress"​ as in its THE definitive TF game@parkeddoor

[@DJTHED]

Ah, this whole map porting journey is pretty nostalgic for me when I did this with Badwater into Unity. It's how I learned how to work with modern rendering features, many of which you went over with Source 2. I will tell you this, when it comes to Box projected cubemaps, even something like Overwatch will have visible seams on the floor where two of them meet. I was getting pretty OCD about it in my Badwater map port, but when I noticed that Overwatch technically had that same issue, and it's something I had never noticed it until I went out looking for it, I was put at ease. Do not fret, your average person will not notice these kinds of seams unless they are on a too reflective and smooth material, or they're someone like me who stared at the floor for hours finding these kinds of spots, which most people are for sure never going to do to that extent!

[@LEDs]

Yeah, it was actually bothering me a lot. Like, I was thinking to myself "Should I do this? Remove that one? Add one here?" etc. But you're right, I just gotta accept the limitations of cubemaps and be happy with the idea of "good enough" as opposed to "perfection."

[@zephyr1181]

I didn't see closely in the video - Could you allow them to overlap so that the boxes are bigger? That is, say a box of size 5 is used for the projection, but only influences triangles within a box of size 1.

[@Exyn5Dezvoltator]

LED NEVER MISSES HE ALWAYS COOKS

[@Felasonic12]

Is it just me, or is the tf2 community improving like practically everything tf2 related?

[@Wolvenworks]

A lot faster than Valve, at least. There’s only so much Robin can do solo.

[@Stump85]

@@Wolvenworks You mean Eric Smith, right? He's the only guy at Valve still working on the game outside of Joshie, the lone outside contractor. But otherwise yeah, I agree.

[@Wolvenworks]

@@Stump85 wait so Robin’s not even working on TF2 anymore? What’s he up to now then?

[@Splarkszter]

​@@Wolvenworks Robin is a head. Not a full-time dev.

[@nickosman1556]

@@Wolvenworks he worked on Half Life Alyx, maybe he's working on Deadlocks or another VR title

[@Extendedklips]

What’s interesting, is that junction is probably one of the few Tf2 maps that would work as a bomb diffusal map

[@LEDs]

True

[@godslayer9000]

This has been an excellent weekend for me, nearly all of my favorite content creators have posted fantastic videos, especially elated due to a long week of 9-5 internship. Thank you for being one of them.

[@MattOHaver]

As someone who has mapped with the Source engine for over 15 years off and on as a hobby, I just want to say I love your videos. Your style of documenting your learning process is a great tool for current and future mappers. Please keep at it! I learned more from the first 15 minutes of this video alone about certain topics (e.g. animated textures and detail textures) than I have reading Valve documentation, watching hundreds of tutorials, and asking for help on various mapping Discords. Much thanks!

[@LEDs]

Thank you for the comment ❤️

[@MinecraftLD10]

So for a reference, Source 1 does have its own reflection ( gloss/smooth/rough ) map, which is the phong exponent, which is how Source 1 understands matte and smooth materials, with the phong mask telling the strength of the reflection highlight. Now TF2 doesn't use this much as far as I know, while Half Life 2 very much does.

[@GHProductionss]

mat_phong 0 is the default configuration iirc

[@anchorbubba]

​@GHProductionss default is mat_phong 1, any dx level lower than 9 cant support phong shading though

[@LEDs]

Thanks for letting me know, I’ll have to look into this

[@Tiftid]

TF2 uses phong shading extensively. I wrote a guide which lamented the fact that phong-shaded models can't receive shadows from their environment in any way, shape or form, and that included a (very long) list of all the phong-shaded models in TF2. Additionally, mat_phong 1 is the default.

[@MinecraftLD10]

@@Tiftid Does it use the maps to do so however or just a value? Based on what I saw, some environment models at least lacked the additional map data and just used a value.

[@LicheyLost]

Valve will literally build an actual port before they port TF2 to S2.

[@stevethepocket]

At least the _Borealis_ will finally have a place to dock.

[@jimbobur]

Any notes you made about your workflow/toolchains for doing this (as well as the video) would be a great starting point for devs (community and/or Valve) to streamline/automate some of the painful manual parts of the porting process.

[@weabowoshi]

1:37 LED is in an open relationship i cant believe it

[@spidext]

real

[@absentspaghetti4527]

what?

[@romangiertych5198]

polyam gang

[@NotFine]

Good one

[@randomguywholikesstuff6536]

2:31 Is that the Caravan Palace robot?

[@obolikus]

Didn't think I'd see a caravanp reference in this comment section LOL

[@nickosman1556]

bro you're a genius

[@prosto_a_user]

2:37 Small detail: Demoman actually has SWAT cosmetics, and after transition he becomes Counter-Terrorist, neat

[@TheRealDuskSky]

This is really Cool!! This has honestly got me wondering what a level like Mercy Hospital, or Dead Center would look like in Source 2 now lol

[@bingbing-ti2rv]

Dude... I know nothing about mapping or coding, but honestly your videos are awesome and really helps me understanding mapping and sharpen my eye whenever I play a game of TF2. The amount of efforts & time you put into your videos and mapping, are just crazy ! You truly are an example, you are the definition of determination and passion.

[@LEDs]

One of the best comments I've read, thank you so much ❤️

[@bingbing-ti2rv]

@@LEDs I'm just being honest, I know nothing about computers / dev work / mapping etc, I've been playing TF2 for over a decade now and thanks to you I understand a lot more the physics behind props and maps and I bet I'm not the only one who feels this way, plus you work extremely hard until you find bugs then proceed to even fix them, you deserve recognition. Valve should hire you as an official mapper, or at least give you a special item (like a "Geniune Mapper Medal" like they do for comp players (the tournament medals in Geniune quality), or even that unique hat they gave to only 2 guys in the entire world, for finding major bugs and helpng to fix them, I don't remember that hat's name)

[@AmaroqStarwind]

7:23 Anti-glare CRTs are a thing. Some CRTs are given a special coating in the real world which makes them a lot less glossy, significantly reducing glare and making them easier to do work on in a wide range of lighting conditions. They were often used in industrial and military applications. 22:21 Some Source 1 mods have actually implemented this themselves.

[@copperhead5858]

its funny how this is structured like a how-to video so we can all port our own version of junction

[@Valued_Member_of_the_Community]

Just ran around in it! It is such a trip to play a tf2 map in CS2. I appreciate your hard work!

[@LEDs]

Thanks!

[@StupidWaluigi]

Knew from the community post that it was gonna be this exact topic. Can't wait to watch!

[@Dripple]

This is really cool man. Great video!

[@oiytd5wugho]

I love that you ported junction, that map's a masterpiece (aesthetically, and only aesthetically, ykwim)

[@leplubodeslapin]

Hot damn that is so much work o_o you even created custom soundscapes, you madlad ! :D GG !!

[@novostranger]

Why is Valve making deadlock in the first place

[@flooku987]

Not even gabeN knows, we're doomed

[@TheSUPERWIND2023]

TF2 needs to come to Source 2, Valve is sleeping on oil.

[@_PatrickJnr]

It's always cool seeing people port TF2 to Source 2, I've been doing so on and off for a few years in s&box and CS2, Amazing work LED!

[@r.g.thesecond]

PBR is such a PITA but damn it look good when it's done.

[@GttiqwT]

this is amazing! excellent work

[@JayTheHuman0]

25:58 why not make something like a bucket, make the object hold a number that can go up to 60, every second that the trigger is on add a number into the bucket, if the trigger is not on decrease the the number in the bucket per second

[@LEDs]

You might be onto something. Perhaps a math_counter could be used as the "bucket" that empties through a logic_timer that is only active when players are not touching the capture trigger. While capturing, a different logic_timer turns on that adds to the bucket.

[@abdullahx37]

34:55 Valve : Nah I’m lazy

[@TheLazyJAK]

Insane amount of work here. Great job, you can do a lot with these skills!

[@LEDs]

Thank you!!!

[@N00bvlog]

It's about dang time you released this video

[@XxguaxinimxX.]

The map looks really great!

[@aznmike2904]

This is a really cool video man not just because you port the map to S2 but because you show and explain how you do this stuff. I was going insane trying figure out how to do certain things from source 2 Unreal engine but this video came in clutch

[@LEDs]

Glad I can help!

[@Hazrd24]

Looks great, congrats, great video to show the differences between the engines

[@TacticalDraws]

This is amazing, well worth the hours it took to produce. Thank you for showing us how beautiful and time consuming porting a TF2 map into Source is.

[@ChanceJacksonCJ]

This is badass, good work!

[@LEDs]

💪

[@elronman]

God dude, I remember doing all of this shit back in the day with hammer and modding. Absolutely nutts you ported that.

[@halohalo999]

It feels like a flashbang dude, map became very shiny. Never expected that but hey, good job!

[@FurryWrecker911]

Watching all the material editing took me back to my college days of messing with Unreal Engine and making custom materials in Photoshop CS6. I feel like I'm 19 again seeing you do this!

[@jumpingbacon]

Fantastic video I very much enjoyed it and appreciate your, and other mappers and developers work

[@greob]

Very nice video, and amazing work on this project!

[@LEDs]

😃

[@meaty2406]

Seriously impressive stuff, and a great job on explaining it, just like all of your videos. Also, your voice is very soothing. :>

[@LEDs]

Hey, thanks!

[@IllyasArt]

"But I don't think it is a problem, considering how good it looks ingame." I gotta say, this is how a game dev thinks. If it works, looks good, and doesn't break the game at all, who cares if it isn't perfect? Honestly, if you look at the source code for even the most polished game, you'll realize how held together with duck tape every game project is, regardless of who made it.

[@LEDs]

Well said.

[@genethebean7597]

The map is gorgeous! But I think it's too warm in a number of parts. The fluorescent bulbs used in S1 are colder than real bulbs, but setting the bulbs to a colder temperature would get them closer to the original. And in the rooms with natural light casting that blue-ish hue, I think it makes sense to just turn the fluorescent bulbs all the way off and let that blue light take over the scene

[@b19931228]

I never make a map myself, but I always love seeing map makers going through their lovingly made maps and its progress. Keep doing the great work, we appreciate it. (Even though I can only comprehend half of what you guys are going through lol)

[@LimeMaxx]

10:28 "There are still a few more things I need to wrap up," Alright buddy, I see what you did there.

[@derpynoob740]

The teasers make so much sense now!

[@MedicGarmin-mb9ti]

Nice vid man!

[@Nic0reda]

ayy you did a great job on this !

[@LEDs]

Thank you!

[@Marshimized]

i've never played TF2 and have only put in a couple hundred hours into CS over the years, but watching this process was really interesting. the final map looks amazing, you killed this!

[@ethoatom668]

I've always found it fascinating how much lighting can carry a scene or photo. It's insane how modern the port looks despite using the same props and base textures as the original from 2009.

[@LEDs]

Lighting is huge!

[@JamesGroom]

26:40 TIL the game distinguishes between "capture point" and "control point"...

[@MrCanberry]

your work is amazing and is presented impeccably. thank you

[@LEDs]

Thank you!

[@wozniakowski1217]

man, this game really is timeless, especially in terms of visual fidelity and design. Also, that was one hefty and informative video!

[@LEDs]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bennypetro9303]

As someone whos learning s2, your souce2 videos have been some of the most helpful resources to use. Thank you for showing how stuff works and how to apply things ❤

[@LEDs]

Glad I can teach/inspire aspiring Source mappers!

[@Emrald_Scout]

I hope valve offers this guy a job

[@s_callahan]

Clicked to see the map, stayed to see the porting process. Really interesting video :3

[@LEDs]

Glad to hear!

[@mastergame1311]

Now port a CS2 to Source 1.

[@Madcat1331]

It's amazing how your explanations make hours of painstaking work seem simple and intuitive to grasp

[@lilstjimmy]

this looks amazing!

[@-dragonhead1_0]

Excited to watch this! I do wonder if you started planning this video before my comment on the cs2 window video? Either way you nailed it!

[@LEDs]

It was something on my to-do list for a long time, and I finally got around to doing it

[@-dragonhead1_0]

@@LEDs ah, alright. Great video!

[@aranyak1881]

34:51 the contrast in the lighting in the locker room is just cream

[@itz-Ender]

The S2 port makes the map feel refreshed, and renewed. Amazing job with it!

[@LEDs]

Thanks!

[@sergiogd7418]

dude, a map in black and white where the only colors that can be seen are red and blue would be crazy

[@worship_the_sun_officialch506]

Daemn, nice work

[@bonzairob]

12:05 creating transparency maps from alpha transparency: you can do Layer > Layer Mask > From Transparency to do it in one click :') (or even assign it a keyboard shortcut in Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts...)

[@bonzairob]

You can also record an action (Window > Actions) for repetitive stuff. and assign it a keyboard shortcut

[@LEDs]

Thanks for the tip 👍

[@wireknight]

Cool video !

[@TroubledTrooper]

"Job well done" - Engineer

[@Rune.]

bonus points if you found the original PSDs for the textures in the big leak archive and edited those

[@LEDs]

I didn’t have to for this project because I already had all of the source material I needed from GCFScape

[@Killoer]

A man can dream.... Thanks for giving us some outlook on what could've been.

[@Povilaz]

Looks awesome, goddamn. I always loved how TF2S2 looked, I really wish Valve would _port_ TF2 to S2

[@puzzlepuddles6712]

i feel like instead of shoving maps down the source 2 engine, mappers should instead focus on mastering the source 1 lighting, because you can get the same product with a bit of ambient lighting trickery. you can simulate raytracing by just putting lights in places that would logically get lit up by ambient sources. spotlights allow you to concentrate a light beam within a small area, which allows you to practically draw shapes on surfaces. but no, most of the maps i see have bland white lighting. I want people to THINK about where they place their lights and/or cubemaps. overall, the skill ceiling is high with lighting and it's something i don't see talked about in hammer map design

[@Valerie_IdiFlesh]

its not only lighting, you are completely disregarding efficiency bonuses that come with a better overall engine

[@puzzlepuddles6712]

@@Valerie_IdiFlesh i'd love to play tf2 on the new engine, but we gotta make do with what we have now. though lighting seems to be the biggest topic people have been talking about

[@LEDs]

Source 1 uses the Blinn-Phong reflection model for lighting/reflections, whereas Source 2 uses a PBR system. They are completely different, so no, you cannot get the same product in Source 1. This video from a couple years ago by 3kliksphillip is basically as far as you can get with Source 1, although it was made using CSGO's branch of Source: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3mzaHpshbCihqMsi=AVSCfosIQ177VGZ4

[@MoraceaeFicus]

Brah It is difficult to imagine a better resume

[@moonshapedpool.]

the colors look so warm and cozy, tf2's artstyle is simply perfect.

[@Ben_diez]

it's my favorite childhood map and it's looks so beautfiul now god damn, so beautiful

[@Jupex]

Wow, its more.. shiny. Time well spent :D

[@Nicklas7]

Just imagine TF3 on Source 2 released!

[@rafagamedev3606]

Valve, hire this man! (Srsly, you should consider applying to work with them!)

[@cliffwalker459]

It all looks nice but the best thing about Source 2 are PCCs (Parallax Corrected Cubemaps) The most precious thing i want in TF2

[@risa1467]

Just reading all those assets dedicated towards every nook and cranny of these maps goes to show how much Valve cared for TF2. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that way? From the self-illuminated Spytech machines to chicken wire fences; they knew what they were doing.

[@arandomcommenter412]

I like your funny words, magic man.

[@WaitNoIdidntMean]

Im a huge fan of Valve's source 2 engine. Ive been using HLA's hammer, material editor, and modeldoc to make really nice scenebuilds that i use for making SFM posters using the version of SFM hla's modding tools have included.

[@Kabo0meh]

Out of all maps you pick fucking junction, lmaoing rn

[@TheHogfatherInvades]

Hey this is a good video to keep me away from channels posting elden ring dlc spoilers!

[@kreuner11]

idk about photoshop, but in GIMP there's an "alpha to selection" feature which let's you fill another layer using the alpha channel of a layer, it's pretty easy to make transparencies like that, but it's the same as exporting the alpha channel seperately

[@alnoiseplaysmc]

Wow.. you made a lot more work out of this than you had to haha. In bspsrc there’s a checkbox to decompile textures as well and everything will be ported and mapped for you in valves porting tools if you do it right. You’ll want to put the models, materials, sounds, etc folders in the old csgo directory and remove them from the maps source files before you run the import script. Regardless this was a really fun watch, nice port!

[@mr.101.8]

that checkbox works only if all that stuff was put inside the map with pakrat, which likely wasn't the case

[@alnoiseplaysmc]

@@mr.101.8 oh wow I didn’t know that. mapping every texture manually just makes this even more impressive haha. just wanted to give a heads up for next time but I guess disregard 😅

[@mr.101.8]

The process of embedding or say, Packing models sounds and textures into a .BSP map is not necessarily done by hand, the program can search for resources used by map automatically and the user can save the map.

[@LEDs]

I'm sure there's much more that could've been done with scripts that I didn't know about, but @mr.101.8 is right: extracting assets using bspsrc only works for assets packed into the map. Any assets from Valve's .pak files do do not get extracted.

[@mr.101.8]

@@LEDs if you ever plan porting more maps you can try extracting the vpk files into separate materials/models/sounds folders and then you can auto scan the map and use the directory where you extracted and pakrat will pack only the needed ones for the map into a bsp, and then you can decompile and extract the files used by map.

[@dannydorito2954]

Valve: "That just sounds like treadmill work with extra steps!"

[@NFMynster]

As an old Source Engine modder - absolutely insane effort and I love to see so many tools still developed by the community. The modding community relies so much on these - this brought back some great Source modding memories for me, so thank you!

[@LEDs]

Thank you as well!

[@MrFunreal]

funny how you mentioned you load the model in hlmv++ to get the material name, and in the next shot you use crowbar. Crowbar has "View" tab that also tells you the material name AND where it is stored.

[@alien31ita]

for the control point capture logic if i remember you could try use *momentary_rot_button* and a *func_movelinear* the idea is this make the trigger setting the position of *momentary_rot_button* when the position is set the *func_movelinear* will move, and once it's stuck in place it will capture the point IF YOU ARE CONFUSED, just decompile d1_canals_05 from HL2, and look how the gate (the one at the end of the map) logic works, i am sure you can make the button move via the trigger instead of interacting

[@Dr_Dan_]

hi alien :steamhappy:

[@iamraat]

This aesthetic would be amazing for tf2! Hopefully Valve sees this!

[@Raid_]

22:40 btw, Valve also does their best to hide it, but if you pick up an interactive glass bottle in HL: Alyx (which itself has crazy liquid shader work), and you move it around the room, you can spot exactly by the reflections where the cubemaps start and end. IIRC komander karl made a tiktok about it.