Half-Life 1 Animated Textures: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this tutorial, we will explore how to create animated textures in Half-Life 1 using Hammer. Specifically, we will focus on creating toggleable and toggled animated textures.

To start, let's take a look at a simple example of an animated texture without toggling the flag. In this scenario, when you press a button, it will reset itself after a set amount of time. To achieve this, add the images to a wad file and place the texture in Hammer as usual. Then, create a func_wall brush entity with the '+'Agord.bmp' texture added to it. Make sure the button is targeting this wall so that it will change to an animated looping state when pressed.

However, if you want to create a toggled animated texture, things get more interesting. This time, we need to prepare an animated texture in the same way as before, but with a twist. The final image will be renamed to '+Agord.bmp' for the OFF state. Then, create a func_button entity with a target of 'red', which will activate the light and set the func_wall's texture state when pressed.

Now, let's move on to creating a toggled animated texture. For this example, we'll use a func_wall brush entity with another toggleable texture ('+A~LAB1_CAU') and a light both named 'red'. This way, it will stay in an ON or OFF state when triggered.

One important thing to note is that any brush entity with a togglable texture will change its state when the entity is triggered. To achieve this toggling effect, go to the 'flags' section of the func_button entity and set it to 'toggle'. By default, the button resets itself after a few seconds and returns to its original state.

To create a toggleable animated texture, apply your '+A' texture to a func_button entity. Then, save the texture as you would in Part 1, but name the OFF state as '+Aredb.bmp' and the ON state as '+0redb.bmp'. You can also add more states, such as '+B', '+C', all the way up to '+J' (maximum of 10 frames).

In this tutorial, we have covered two main examples: a simple on-off switch and a toggle animate switch that pulses when on. By following these steps, you should now be able to create your own animated textures in Half-Life 1 using Hammer.

Half-Life 1's animation system is quite powerful and flexible, allowing users to create complex animations with just a few clicks. In this tutorial, we have demonstrated how to create toggleable and toggled animated textures, which can add an extra layer of interactivity to your maps. With these techniques, you can create engaging puzzles, interactive elements, or even just visually striking decorations for your Half-Life 1 levels.

Half life 1 animated textures