Thats helpful! As for my pak file, well every time i started a server, it would say "downloading..." and it would go thu all the files inside my pak file in my mod dir. I also asked the question, �where in the world is it downloading them from�? It downloaded in about 10 seconds and all was well. When I connected to someone's server, it took over a minute to download. So changing levels was slow. So I unpacked my pak file into the appropriate files and folder and got rid of the pak altogether and it no longer tried to download these files.
does that make sense? Quoting Taylor Sherman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > As to the first question: the .gcf (cache) file contains everything > that > Steam downloads for that application. Files the must be written out to > disk > on their own, for instance executables and user-configurable files, > are > written out into the app dir. > > The simplest reason for the cache file is that Steam doesn't > necessarily > download an entire file at one time. If the application only needs 128k > from > the middle of a 3MB file, Steam only downloads that 128k. Downloading > the > rest of the file, if necessary, is managed by Steam and via hints from > the > application. This is only possible by dividing files up into chunks, > and > managing those chunks in a central cache file. It is not meant to be > mysterious, it is just necessary for efficiency (like pak files were, > but > for different reasons). We hope to be able to give users and developers > more > visibility into what's inside that file soon. > > With your pak file, I'm not sure what you mean. You have a pak file for > your > mod? It would download the whole thing from where? Steam should not > affect > use of external files that are added to the game/mod directory. > > hope that helps, > > Taylor > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 5:25 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [hlcoders] STEAM! just nine questions > > > > Oh boy. I will say this first. I like the potential the software has, > so > don't > get my wrong because my name is steamsucks. steamsucks because I don't > understand it. So I am asking for some help in understanding the > software so > I > can like steam and get my mod out to the public. I think steam is a > step in > the right direction > > Having said that, i have some questions. > > 1. What is a .gcf file? Is that the new pak file or something? Where are > the > packfiles. I had a pak file for my mod, but it seems to try to download > my > whole pac every time I created or connected to a server! SO I unpacked > the > pack > to just folders and that took care of that problem and loaded much > much > faster. > I would guess this, it steam everyting in the pak is PURE serevr side > and > thus > forces clients to download each time, otherwise the files are left to > the > client. IS this some kind of cheat protection, im confused. Also I > called > regards to this function: SPR_Load. I seems to produce an error message > in > the > console when it fails to load a sprite (this was not the case in the > old > function). I am doing some very unique sprite loads in my mod which > checks > to > see if first.. the files are my mod's dir, then in valve's and when it > fails > the first, it gets the next. And it worked great until steam came out > because > my now console gettings flooded with error message which I'm actually > expecting > to get. I guess I will have to do a search for the file name before > calling > SPR_Load. Not sure if anyone else had that problem. > > 2. How the heck am I going to package my mod! do I guess peoples > emails > address.. InstallPath + [EMAIL PROTECTED]/half-life/ > please make a reg key for each players email so We can use third party > installation software with ease, or some other convention. I'm just not > sure > how I will have people install my software. > > 3. .src files. It looks like they are going be more robust, have these > files > improved or are they the exact same, just with a steam vgui around > them? > Also > mine does not seem to work. Which ever settings i give it, get > overwritten > my > my own code later on, i will have to debug this. In other words, It does > not > work like the old hl worked, which brings up my next question > > 3. Debugging, how the heck do I debug now? -console -game mymod will > that > still work, do i exectue with steam.exe I don't really know what to do > here. > > 4. The ESC key no longer works with client side stuff. I did some key > checks > and I had the ESC key overwritten in one part of my game so it did not > open > up > the menu, but rather do something else. I really liked that so will > there be > a > way I can get that key back or is steam going to be an asshole had whore > it > the > whole time? > > 5. SDK, how soon for the new one! > > 6. cashed.wad relating to the splash screen, How do I change the > splash > screen > and all those buttons back to what I had. I spent a significant amount > of > work > and even paid for new sounds to work with the splash screen. I > actually > don't > have sound right now because my speakers broke (blame klipsch ) Anyway, > will > it > be possible to edit the launch menu like before? > > 7. Icon next to my mod under "Third party mods" Can I put a cool icon > like > all > the other valve mods have? > > 8. liblist, whets changed here, I would like to get rid of the single > player > stuff, "New game" "Load Game" > > 9. Any information of steam development, please give me URL's or what > not, I > am > new to this forum, sorry if some of my questions are the same as many > that > have > be posted here in the last few days. > > thanks guys. > > Ps: that steam forum is a waste of time to ask these, its a bunch of > counter > strike cry babies who cant cheat anymore! > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: > http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders > > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: > http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders > > _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
