Creating a Map Room

• Once you've downloaded and installed the Valve Hammer Editor program, load it up and select New in the File menu to create a new map. If one the toolbars is in the way of the screen, and you don't really need to use it, drag it off to the right side. Of the four windows on the screen, three are grids. The x/y grid at the top gives you the top "bird's-eye" view of the map and is the one you'll use the most. The x/z and y/z grids at the bottom show the side views. To create a room in the map, select the Block tool from the toolbar on the left (fifth one from the top). Create a square block on the x/y grid, then drag it to enlarge it to the width and depth you want. The same block appears on the side view grids; drag the block on one of these grids to make it as tall as you want. A room size of 256 units wide and deep. and 192 units tall is good for your first map, but you can make it as large as you want. Press Ctrl-H to hollow out the block and enter an amount in the pop-up dialog box for the wall's thickness (-32 is a good place to start).
  
  

Adding Entities

• The room needs a light entity, so switch to the Entity tool directly above the Block tool. A list of entities will appear at the right end of the screen; select the Light entity from this list, keeping it on the default setting. Place this entity within the block in the x/y grid, then switch to a side grid and move the entity down until it is within the block. When you press Enter, a red dot will appear in the block to represent the light. Now you need a "spawn point" where the character appears to start the game. Select "Info_player_counterterrorist" in the entities list and place this entity in the room on the x/y grid. When you adjust its position in the side grid, make sure it is at least eight units above the floor to prevent your character from starting the game stuck in the floor. You can use this method of selecting an item from the list, placing it in the x/y grid's block and then adjusting the position in the side grids to add any other objects in the map.
  
  

Compiling And Loading

• Now you must compile the map. Before you do so, however, be sure to save the map so you don't lose it should anything go wrong during the compiling process. Ctrl-S saves the map. Press F9 and a dialog box appears. There are three squares in the dialog box labeled "BSP," "VIS" and "RAD"; select "Normal" in all these squares. Then check off the box that says "Don't run the game after compiling." Press Enter and the map will compile. Once the map finishes compiling, close the Hammer program to reduce the strain on your computer and open Counter-Strike. Once you bring up the console, type in "map" followed by whatever name you gave your saved map file. Press Enter to load the map into Counter-Strike.