Cache creator FMPONE has just released a Source 2 tutorial

M Alzamora Published 08/04/2021

While Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players are tearing up the competition on Cache, FMPONE has been hard at work creating maps in Valve’s Source 2 engine. Even though his latest project is for Half-Life Alyx, the mapper has decided to share what he’s learned about the engine via YouTube.

It isn’t every day that fans get a free lesson in Source 2, and it’s even rarer that they have a chance to learn from an accomplished CSGO mapper. It’s a great opportunity for everyone from aspiring game designers to everyday fans to get a look at what goes on behind the scenes in Valve’s games both new and old.

Cache co-creator FMPONE’s Source 2 tutorial is a great watch

The hour-long tutorial walks viewers through the basics of constructing their first room in Source 2 while FMPONE explains the engine’s new modeling system, visibility, and lighting. Source veterans will feel right at home as the mapper dives into the engine’s visibility blockers just a few seconds in, but beginners might feel a little lost at first. A quick trip to the Valve Developer wiki and a few times through FMPONE’s tutorial they’ll be all caught up.

The tutorial is a welcome one. The Source 2 tools included with Alyx are still a mystery, and the tutorial is full of tips and tricks for anyone interested in the engine. The usual way of learning new tech is through trial and error, but FMPONE’s tutorial speeds that up. While Source 2’s mesh-based modeling is different than Source 1, it’s also much more flexible, allowing players to create shapes and geometry they couldn’t in the original engine. The meshes are also almost identical to those in 3D modeling programs such as Maya and Blender, meaning that people already familiar with those tools are ahead of the game.

Here’s a fun one that took me a minute to figure out. How to specify bevel amount? Turns out that edge bevel amount is tied to your grid size. pic.twitter.com/myFdCdv4gq
— FMPONE (@FMPONE) March 6, 2021

But even if players have no interest in mapping or modeling, the video is still worth a watch. Source 2 is very different from the original Source, but it still resembles the original in many ways. Understanding a game behind the scenes ultimately makes a better player.

FMPONE’s Alyx campaign doesn’t have a release date just yet, but the mapper has been posting screenshots of it for months. With spaces that echo the original game’s tight environments onto expansive outdoor spaces, it looks like it will be an entirely new experience for players. Anyone interested can check out FMPONE’s tutorial over on YouTube.

While CSGO fans might be disappointed the mapper isn’t creating Cache 2 in Valve’s new engine, the Cache designer has given them a perfect start at doing it themselves.

Where can you download Source 2?

For players looking for a way to download Valve’s Source 2 engine, there is a way. Both Dota 2’s Workshop tools and Half-Life Alyx’s Addon tools will give players a version of the Source 2 engine. Alyx’s version asks players to purchase and buy the game first, while Dota 2’s version is completely free.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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