SF's Hammer Tutorials - NPC Navigation

[@AgrimarYT]

You know hammer is old when a 2009 Tutorial is still relevant. amirite?

[@Silwerfish]

+Agent Agrimar Animations hehe yep! :D

[@Espinete87]

I still using it, its my first map, im 31 years old, and this kind of things are lovely! :D i hope many people still doing it By the way, i uploaded quick video very interesting, to learn how to export props from gmod to hammer, this is gold! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqbWlIJ-o9ycpNE

[@maxwell_edison]

You know Hammer is old when a 3-year-old comment on a 2009 tutorial is still relevant. amirite?

[@pittos838]

god bless source 2 and the fact this tutorial is still relevant for it (kinda)

[@Electronic424]

You know Hammer is still relevant when you reply to a video from 2009 claiming Hammer is old. Unreal Engine still uses many of the same tools and features it did back in the early 2000s, some things are just timeless my friend.

[@RadRoach4422]

He told us to rate the video. *He told us to rate the video.*

[@yodigochau]

he told us to rate the video

[@gamingwithvega8366]

НЕ ТОLD US ТО RАТЕ ТНЕ 𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓸

[@MrGermandeutsch]

It's *_2020_* Corona Virus and Leaked Source Codes plague the Lands. And I'm re-watching this Video again, after 10 years, to learn once again on how to properly use the Ground Node Entity.

[@lunareclipse2401]

mood

[@ozone_au]

2022 now man. u remember how to use the entity or do u need to rewatch again?

[@MrGermandeutsch]

@@ozone_au Funny that you mention that today of all days. Because I *_did_* start working on nodes again and forgot everything YET AGAIN.

[@ozone_au]

@@MrGermandeutsch LMAO good luck man haha

[@traveler1710]

ye@@MrGermandeutsch

[@sasanekpl1130]

My god, almost 12 year old piece of information is still revelant nad useful today. Thanks!

[@Silwerfish]

Thank you. The limit for them to be able to walk up it is 16 units, if you can't lower it to that you can use info_node_hint entities to enable them to jump up or down from there. You will need to place one at the top and one at the bottom of the jump (I don't have my good computer so I can't give you the specifics), just experiment with the settings.

[@Silwerfish]

@Halo4Follower I'm glad to see that people are still finding my tutorials useful! Thank you for appreciating them! :)

[@DirtyOldSkunk]

Yeah, that's probably what I will do. I mean, I realize if the NPC's need to move to something, or if there are enemies (or find you an enemy), they will reference and use the ground nodes, but I want them to walk freely. I probably will just use corners nodes, but make longer paths, so it seems like they are aimlessly walking around. Thanks!

[@gsp1995]

Oh dude, you rule. Very helpful tutorial, since I like to work more with NPCs and scripted sequences other than brushwork lol. But I really needed to understand the info_node thank you very much.

[@Silwerfish]

@LuiDeca Yeah that's the idea. What you need to do is have the editor open in the background with the map loaded in edit mode, your nodes will be transferred from the game to the editor when you exit the level in the game. So to do this for an official map if you don't have access to the VMF file, is first decompile the level, then load it in Hammer, compile it, run the newly compiled level in edit mode, add nodes, quit level and they should be there in the editor for you to compile again.

[@getdeepdown9036]

This tutorial helped me alot thx! I'm trying to create NPC nodes for a map leaked for HL2 back in 2003!

[@Puxi]

TheWildSpot nice man. You doing beta stuff. Greetings form germany! A German hacker leaked half Life 2 back in the day.

[@fbiagentmiyakohoshino8223]

@@Puxi and got arrested in america sad lol

[@sci_pain3409]

@@fbiagentmiyakohoshino8223 not really sad, imagine having years of progress leaked, it was a massive hit to half life

[@koldproxy]

An extra note to all testers: If you want to try Combine (hostile NPCs) just type "notarget" in the console so they won't kill you.

[@Silwerfish]

It's different for TF2. TF2 uses navigation meshes that are generated automatically. You can manually start this generation by typing nav_generate in console.

[@Silwerfish]

You don't need to think of anything special most of the time, you can place them like you would on normal flat ground. Doing it like I do in this video you won't have to guess either, you can just place them and instantly see if they connect properly or not. :)

[@DanJacobsonDANJ16]

Do info_nodes affect performance in-game? How many info_nodes can you create in a map? Is there a particular limit?

[@Silwerfish]

As far as I know there is no noticeable performance impact nor any particular limit to the number of nodes you can add.

[@thedrenchedkyogre7096]

I know this is an old comment but no, not at all! (Unless there are like, Billions of nodes then yes there would be a difference.) The only thing the nodes are effecting are the file size. The more nodes, the bigger the size of the bsp file will be.

[@Silwerfish]

Thank you! :) I have the game running in the background though. See my tutorial called "NPC Animations", use the scripted_sequence, but give no animation information. The NPC will walk to the scripted_sequence and then consider himself to be done. You can then set "Next Script" to the name of another scripted_sequence and then you can tie the last scripted_sequence to the first one and your NPC will be in an endless loop. Just don't forget to check the "Override AI" flag! I hope this helps.

[@MrNiicolai]

The best hammer tutorial I have ever seen !

[@Silwerfish]

@IXIArblargIXI It's not that they ignore them (the nodes are just for enabling your NPCs to navigate your level, it doesn't force them to do so), it's just that they are not programmed to start wandering around when they spawn. You could add an aiscripted_schedule that you trigger when a zombie spawns that tell the zombie to go towards the player and attack him for example, but I don't think there is a good way to just make them wander aimlessly.

[@Silwerfish]

You can use an aiscripted_schedule to tell them what to do. So you set up a bunch of those. And then you can use a logic_random_outputs entity that has all the aiscripted_schedules in it. Then you tell that logic_random_outputs to fire every x seconds by using a logic_timer. This is one way of doing it that I think should work, but I haven't worked with the logic_random_outputs entity so I can't say for sure.

[@KhanRec0rdz]

Awesome tutorial! Suddenly nodes make so much more sense :)

[@RonDucats2]

Thank you very much :) You helped alot, especially with what kind of maps I create. I just want to say, I will most definitely, stay active and watch your future tutorials on Hammer :)

[@Silwerfish]

I'm very glad you found it useful! NPCs and AI is something I love playing around with. Thank you! :D

[@Silwerfish]

@NH2Contents Yeah the nodes are there when you run the map normally, you just can't see them.

[@bocca882]

Very nice man. What do you have next on the tuto- list?

[@Silwerfish]

I have already made a tutorial on NPC animation, wich would be how the pressing of the button would be created. The talking part would be choreography though, so I've added that to the tutorial list. Thanks!

[@paintcan176]

@Thelillfredde click the little grey pawn icon in the toolbar on the left (4th down) and click again to place in your level. now select the red cursor tool from the left (1st icon) and double click the pawn (entity, if you want to get technical) and in the 'class' drop down box scroll down to find anything with npc_ in the name eg: npc_zombie is a zombie. click apply when you have selected one and the green guy will change into your chosen npc.

[@Silwerfish]

I don't know how GMOD works, but if it works like other Source games then you should be able to use path_corner entities like you mention. I don't know if there's built in support for making NPCs wander randomly, probably not, but you can always make your own, though that would be a bit of work.

[@Silwerfish]

There is a difference between how bots and NPCs work. The short answer would be that no, info_node entities won't work for the bots in CSS. Bots use navigation meshes instead, I'll PM you a link to more info about these.

[@theRPGmaster]

Mycket informativ, och fortfarande relevant. Thanks!

[@Silwerfish]

Have you followed the tutorial to make sure the nodes connect properly and that they are placed where they should be? The nodes don't make the AI move, they just tell the AI where they CAN move, you'd need to use for instance an aiscripted_schedule to make an ai move somewhere.

[@Silwerfish]

@thehumor There are several ways, I'd say the easiest way is to use a scripted_sequence entity. See my tutorial called NPC Animation to learn how to do that (just ignore the actual animation part, because without an animation to do, the NPC will just move to the position).

[@Silwerfish]

@Steampr0x1m4 The command is actually map_edit, not edit_map. :)

[@Silwerfish]

I'm pretty sure that nav_generate is something for bots (like for TF2 and CS:S for example) while nodes are for AI (NPCs).

[@PrinceLeader]

Even though this video is REALLY OLD... Still found it helpful, thanks! X3 Shoutout from *2018*

[@Silwerfish]

Haha yeah wow! Almost 10 years old, damn! Good to hear you found it useful! :D

[@Silwerfish]

@Halo4Follower Thanks! Unfortunately I don't make Hammer tutorials any longer, nowadays I make tutorials for a game called Overgrowth instead as my interest in the Source engine has faded.

[@Silwerfish]

@Theyallfloatdownhere Thanks! If you have a tutorial suggestion, submit it in the moderator module on my channel page, or vote on other's suggestions there!

[@Silwerfish]

@idonthatethissite I don't know actually, you can place them pretty far away though.

[@RonDucats2]

@Silwerfish Ah yes, I saw on your Moddb account, sad. When I have time I'll be checking out the rest of your tutorials. Thanks for what you've done though xD

[@scottishsquid]

i know this tutorial is old, but my nodes just dont appear no matter what i do, like i type the console commands and just.. nothing? I know I have them placed, I can see them in the editor

[@Silwerfish]

You're welcome, glad you liked it! :)

[@Silwerfish]

@LuiDeca Yes I do, I can't link here, but just search for it in my videos.

[@Silwerfish]

@Carmine377700 they would move around, I'm pretty sure.

[@ringpop6482]

I did the edit_map command in console, and my game just crashed. How can I fix this?

[@marionuggets7743]

Well its a old tutorial

[@Silwerfish]

@JakeSpringhorn It should work pretty much the same way. Just make sure the displacement would be easy to navigate. I haven't had any trouble with nav meshes on displacements at least. Did you try adding another node in between the two problematic nodes?

[@sulphurous2656]

still useful in current year

[@NightscoutHL]

never mind, I found that problem(it wasn't the nodes), but I have a new one. I'm making a zombie siege map for gmod, and i put nodes on all the openings in this little house that they are supposed to break into. But they don't storm the house, they just stand around out there unless you go out, start shooting and causing chaos. Help!

[@Silwerfish]

This does not have anything to do with ordering NPCs around. It's just about giving the NPCs knowledge about where it can go.

[@MrGermandeutsch]

how i should place the nodes on stairs?

[@Fidchell]

@Silwerfish Yes, I have tried that. It's a mess...if you have the time...do you think you can take a look at the vmf? I'll send it to you if you would like to.

[@letmedwight]

With me this green web is not connected to the info_nodes

[@Silwerfish]

Thanks! I haven't actually decided yet, so give me requests to help me make up my mind! ;D

[@yandr0]

2020 and this is a huge helpful? Thanks!

[@IXIArblargIXI]

I know theres a way to link path_corner to an NPC, I can do that without a problem. I just want my zombies to wander freely among my map after they spawn, yet they ignore all nodes I place :|

[@Silwerfish]

Using an aiscripted_schedule for example.

[@RickRay9]

@Carmine377700 yeah garry's mod automaticly creates nodes :)

[@NightscoutHL]

I didn't use half as many nodes as you did, and every time I tried to load, it crashed because there were too many. I HAD ABOUT 12!!!

[@scruga]

some great tuts you got here :) But i have a problem, is it possible to have an npc jump up to something? I have this really small ledge (10-20 hammer units) but they won't climb up it. It's easily jumpable.

[@Silwerfish]

Just give me a request if you would like to see a tutorial on a specific subject, thanks! :)

[@wojciechkoczorowski9790]

Is there a way to make your own links with the nodes, instead of them automatically join?

[@cafedormido]

do you think you could make a tutorial with jump/air nodes

[@Silwerfish]

@Thelillfredde You can use an npc_maker or an npc_template_maker to do that. Read more about those entities on the valve developer wiki (developer. valvesoftware. com).

[@Silwerfish]

@Harrifalconer1 do sv_cheats 1 in console, then write noclip to toggle between flying and not flying.

[@Silwerfish]

@Th3Jugg3rn4ugh7 When you do map_edit you lock the editor, you'll need to exit the map to unlock it. Are you entirely sure you did that?

[@Peekofwar]

--What do I do if my nodes are invisible in the 3D view? -- Apparently spin the camera around. lol Oh wow. Maybe it's GMod's Hammer specifically, but if I move around the 3D space, the node appears and disappears at certain angles and positions.

[@pitchumi2366]

Thanks a lot for this tutorial, very useful for me.

[@Silwerfish]

That's in this tutorial that you're commenting on right now. :P

[@Silwerfish]

I'm glad you like it, thanks! :)

[@Silwerfish]

Please give me tutorial requests! :D

[@Silwerfish]

I don't think that's possible, I have seen servers with NPCs though, but I don't have any idea about how they achieved that. It's not supported, I can tell you that much.

[@Silwerfish]

@cafedormido That's a good suggestion, thanks!

[@TriWaZe]

Do chickens follow these node paths? Because im tired of them running straight into walls nonstop. And currently my damn bot just stands in a corner in ct spawn and jumps up and down lol.

[@Silwerfish]

No, CS:GO uses a completely different navigation system, these nodes won't do anything for that. Check it out on the Valve dev wiki!

[@Silwerfish]

@Soulslayerzx Your sound shouldn't make a difference. I'm using ep2 yes.

[@MrGermandeutsch]

:O this makes so much sense! does you know how i can add synergy on sdk? i tried it one time! but there was no lines!

[@LGLFanTeam12]

Do you have any tips for npc_vehicledrivers?? I mean is it interrupting the path_corner of the vehicle?

[@Fidchell]

What about floors with displacements? When I go to map_edit some of the links are red, and I assume that means the NPC cannot navigate them, but I can lift the connection or the node itself up or anything. The NPCs following me decide to take other routes instead of going straight to me.

[@idonthatethissite]

what distance the nodes can be from each one to be ''connected''?

[@Lol4737]

Thanks!!!

[@pompuslompus964]

Why are some of my nodes red? not the connection, the nodes are red and npcs don't use them. Some of the npcs spin in circles while slowly moving in a random direction which is weird. I think it mostly happens on uneven terrain, I tried making the nodes higher but that doesn't seem to do anything?

[@Silwerfish]

Are you absolutely sure there is nothing stopping the nodes from being created? Is the ground flat enough? does the node have line of sight to another node that is also close enough to get connected? I'm not sure what causes your issue, it was so many years since I worked with the Source engine, but those are some ideas at least.

[@pompuslompus964]

They do have a line-of sight and they do connect, regarding the ground the nodes that don't work, they are mostly the ones that are on displacements, but this confuses me because I read that placing the nodes above the ground would Solve that problem which is what I did, but they still don't work. After enabling ai_nodes and ai_show_connect, most of the nodes in the air are red while the nodes on flat ground level were green. Npcs only use Specific red nodes and all the green nodes. The displacements are more like small hills, nothing huge.

[@Silwerfish]

Hm, I wonder what the issue could be.. I'm sorry I can't help you. Hope you're able to figure it out!

[@DcsealCMB]

It's so sad how many gmod maps don't have nav nodes, because the creator was too lazy to take the 10 minutes to do it.

[@frze5386]

Like me :(

[@oklol496]

hah i was about skip doing it just from lack of tutorials.

[@Silwerfish]

@zerm95 Thanks man, I'm glad you do!

[@thevideoguy666]

Europeans do the best Hammer tutorials. =P

[@IXIArblargIXI]

Is there a way to link specific nodes to a specific NPC?

[@Niklasdiver123]

Can you tell me the difference between just typing nav_generate or adding nodes? Is it the same and what is bettèr?

[@edenem]

This isn't working for my CSGO map. My CT is still walking into walls and standing on chairs.

[@TheMagmaCubed]

You need to use a navmesh and not nodes. You can edit it using nav_edit 1 with SV_cheats enabled.

[@yougnomed630]

thanks mate

[@baumus8278]

how do i make strider nodes?

[@Espinete87]

Hello, could you tell me how do you use the 3d view to place nodes? im confused, becouse with 3d view you cant place props or do anything, the 2d view is phrustrating >.

[@xweert711]

Oh hi Lukas! I was sending this to a friend who was just getting into Hammer. Fancy seeing you here. How's Overgrowth doing?

[@Silwerfish]

+xweert711 Overgrowth is going well, thank you! Glad to hear you're recommending my videos! ^^

[@xweert711]

Silverfish (Lukas Orsvärn) Glad to hear it! Have a nice day! :)

[@EhBoing]

So, for tf2...is it the same or is it different? I want my bots moving in my tf2 map.

[@DirtyOldSkunk]

Good video, but question: in GMOD, is there a way to use these nodes so that when the game starts, the NPC's automatically start wandering around? I know you can use path_corners for them to follow a specific path, but I want them to randomly walk around, and I dont want to go through the trouble of making paths for EVERY single NPC. Can this be done?

[@bushai1]

awsome tutorial! im subbing!

[@TheSpace928]

How do I make an enemy entity follow and attack the player?

[@Cd5ssmffan]

TheSpace928 if they are marked as an npc_combine_s, your enemies, place nodes and automatically the npc will go to the player using the nearest and fastest route marked by those nodes.

[@TheSpace928]

Thanks. ;-)

[@Cd5ssmffan]

no problem, just try to cover as much space as you can

[@fighder2]

I was making a cs go map, and my CT bots are running into a wall prop and trying to jump over it onto the ground behind the walls which i don't want them to go to, what can i do

[@Silwerfish]

I don't know how bots work in CSGO I'm afraid, sorry!

[@fighder2]

I got the problem solved :D I just needed to make the nav mesh from raw :P

[@Silwerfish]

fighder2 Alright, good! Thanks for saying how you fixed it in case someone else comes by with the same problem! :)

[@Fishy_Chameleon]

fighder2 what is an nav mesh im sorry im a newb in hammer

[@fighder2]

google navigation mesh hammer editor and you will find it, source has a dedicated page on making nav meshes. You can think of nav mesh as paths for the AI and you basically draw the path out. Usually the engine build the path but sometimes it doesn't work out and you have to set the path manually.

[@ryano1267]

Silwer a question. How do you actually make NPC's go somewhere in the game? If i want an npc to be walking right next to a door, how do I do that?

[@NightscoutHL]

do you have a tutorial for that?

[@blanch27]

Whenever I run my map and use the command map_edit gm_devcity (my map name, I do have it saved as gm_devcity) It just brings me to a normal singleplayer game with all my addons... Can anyone Help me?

[@Silwerfish]

I don't know what the issue is, but my guess would be that Garry's mod does not support using map_edit. I'm assuming you're using Garry's mod since your map's name is prefixed with "gm_". There could be some other better way of doing that part nowadays, since this tutorial is soon 8 years old.

[@blanch27]

Silverfish (Lukas Orsvärn) Would you know what that is?

[@Silwerfish]

Unfortunately not. It was many, many years since I worked with the Source engine.

[@teslavet2625]

Thanks alot man!

[@scruga]

@Silwerfish ok thank you i'll try :)

[@Silwerfish]

@IXIArblargIXI I _think_ that's possible but I can't remember how to do it.

[@FanTazTiCxD]

@Silwerfish You know how to navigate the bots? Well teach me then :O I really need to know!

[@Soulslayerzx]

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I have no sound on my cpu currently. The info_nodes seem to make of no use, is your mod based on ep2?