//FIXME HACKHACK BUGBUG TODO! Thread

As I had feared Valve has released the HL2 SDK and it's code has literally hundreds of lines with such comments.

Now i'd love to just throw myself into coding the wild mod ideas bulging in my head, however all these hacks, bugs and unfixed issues concern me. Do you build a house on unsound ground? No. You lay solid foundations first.

I would like to propose a meta-mod who's entire existence is defined by addressing all these issues in the HL2 SDK, with the aim of providing this modified code as a solid base for future HL2 mods.

It sounds like a lot of work, more than I can do on my own in a reasonable amount of time. So i'm looking to any potential HL2 coders out there for help.

Do you know if anyone is already doing this?

Please don't think i'm knocking Valve by making an issue of this, they've made it quite clear the time constriants they were under and the pressure from the mod community to get HL2 and the SDK out.

Edited by (in order): ChromeAngel, ChromeAngel, ChromeAngel

8 years is a heck of a time constraint

Why am I not surprised......

Quit the bitching already, its pathetic.

No he is right I am quite upset too but there are examples in there and if you follow the class to the parent then you find out that it is really not that hard. I take it you are not really a c++ programmer more of a change variables coder

They included examples of weapons and cut material - is that not good enough

azz0r wrote: Quit the bitching already, its pathetic.

it's not bitching, its just pointing out things

azz0r wrote: Quit the bitching already, its pathetic.

How is it bitching? Hl2 is going to be widely modded, so I think its a good idea to clean up the code. I think it'd be annoying if I was coding something and had ridiculous comments all over the place, and unfinished code. So, good luck to whomever cleans this up, and thanks.

Are there plans to do a spirit for half life 2?

Does it need it?

Exactly, its not Valves job to code for you.

I think he meant does it need a spirit of halflife 2. Anyways, if valve is going to release an sdk, I don't think its too much to ask that it be neat. That's not exactally them "coding for you" It would be like if I were going to map, and all of a sudden brushes just started popping up everywhere. It would be tedious and annoying to delete them, as is with unneeded comments in the code.

The thing I don't like about the SDK:

//------------------------
// Purpose:
//------------------------

lol

comments are essential, but I agree ones going //BUG or //FIX THIS can be offputting

At least in a public release.

Things like "Userlevel mashing code: totally obsolete for a dozen versions:" are annoying too though.

would you rather they just didn't comment their hacks so you didn't notice?

Who's saying that there should be no comments?

GUNrunNER wrote:

azz0r wrote: Quit the bitching already, its pathetic.

How is it bitching? Hl2 is going to be widely modded, so I think its a good idea to clean up the code. I think it'd be annoying if I was coding something and had ridiculous comments all over the place, and unfinished code. So, good luck to whomever cleans this up, and thanks.

Man i hate myself for saying this but for the first time ever i agree with GUNrunNER here. They had a more than generous timeline, but obviously they didn't take it seriously around and ran into critical problems and before they knew it.. they were a year behind schedule and lying to their fans.

Don't get me wrong, valve is awesome to the modding comminuty, but they deserve alot better. Unfortunatly this issue is a two edged sword in that, they either release an incomplete SDK and let the mod teams 'deal with it' or they delay its release and piss off the mod teams.

Azz mate, stop defending valve here, i believe this man has a right to winge.

Edited by: INtense!

Azz0r is a fanboy, you can't change that ;P

I do find that untidy sources can ber VERY annoying. Hell, I remember the first release of the Q3A source, and that was nice and friendly in comparison to some other things out there. It could prove handy for someone to tidy up and release a 'clean' and more refined version of the source for modders to work with, it would just take a lot of time to do so with the sheer amount of obsolete or otherwise innefficient code!
Although is it entirely necessary to spend so much time fixing something that isn't exactly broken anyway?

Why do they have to hold out. They released more then one version of the HL1 SDK why can't they now take the time and clean it up and rleased a new version. This will allow mod teams to start there coding. And it wouldn't be that hard to change ovre to a clean more friends SDK. I don't know but i say that they did kind of blow it on that.

Jihad_Jeep wrote: The thing I don't like about the SDK:

//------------------------
// Purpose:
//------------------------

That is the worst thing about the SDK. Your reading thorugh it and you come to a function and you get that. Now you can do the work on tracing it and reading what it's doing, but they could have put that there for you sence they took the time to put it on most of the other functions.

As i was new to the HL1 SDK i don't know if they had all the examples and stuff as they do now. I do know that i am glad they do have them in the HL2 SDK makes life so much easier.

Green

I have been discussing this on other forums too, it appears that most people agree these things are annoying, however no so annoying that anyone would dedicate time to dealing with them.

So the plan has changed a bit.

If you find one of these commented bits of code during the course of making your mod (and you surely will) please contact me with the fix (if you feel the need to fix it) or tell me how criticial the issue is. I will then compile all these bits of information into a website.

Thank you in advance for you assistance.

There is a guy at VERC who's done at least 12 hours documenting the code. I'm sure that he's going to release to public after he's done.

Want the link? It's lost in amongst the spammage, but it's there.

Tell me a game that has no hacks/bugs or issues