How to: get a bigger font in the developer console
My eyesight is better than 20/20 (thanks to Lasik) but I can't read the developer console on the big screen TV halfway across the room. I found a solution on the Steam developer's forum, and I have a little tweak to make it better.
The console font is specified in resource/sourcescheme.res, found in the pak01_dir.vpk file in the portal2 (no space) directory. You can edit it directly in there using Notepad++, which is what I found in the Steam forum. However, if you're careless, you can corrupt that file. Also, whenever you verify the local game cache, the OEM version will return.
I play all custom maps in a mod (see my sig if you want to do that too), so I just extracted the resource/sourcescheme.res file into my mod's pak01_dir folder, and edited it there. Just find the section "ConsoleText" under Fonts, and change the value for tall to whatever works for you. Rebuild your mod's pak01_dir.vpk file (not the game's), and the developer console in the mod will be fixed permanently.
I had hoped that just extracting the file from the .vpk into the game's folder heirarchy would be sufficient, but it isn't. Due to the way the game searches paths for files, a file in the pak01_dir.vpk will be found first.
If anyone can tell me how to fix the text entry line at the bottom, I'd really appreciate it.
EDIT: How to override the file in the native game directory (no mod)
Thanks to lpfreaky90 and spongylover123 for setting me straight on this.
- Create a portal2_dlc2 directory in the "portal 2" (with a space) directory
- Create a pak01_dir.vpk file containing the modified resource/sourcescheme.res
- When you start Portal 2, it will take a while to build the sound cache files. Don't worry, it will start normally next time.
- Keep a backup copy. The next update from Valve might overwrite this directory. Then I suppose you could use the portal2_dlc3 directory instead.
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what about making a dlc_03 folder with a custom pak01_dir
Is that a question, or a statement? If you can override files in the game that way, there's quite a few other things I'd fix, too.
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Yes, you can do that.
You can override anything with a new vpk.
You can override anything with a new vpk.
I've never messed around in the portal2 directory. Would you be so kind as to give specific instructions on how to override the resource/sourcescheme.res file in the game itself? I tried a new portal2_dlc3 directory, with new pak01_dir.vpk and gameinfo.txt, but that didn't change anything.
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do you have a stocked dlc2 folder?
If you don't, it won't work, the engine checks the folders by number orders when it comes to dlc* extensions.
I don't know what you mean by "stocked". I created a portal2_dlc2 folder, with a gameinfo.txt and pak01_dir.vpk file in it. The game doesn't ever access either file.
My process monitor says the game checks the following directories for pak01_dir.vpk files in order:
1. platform (but not always)
2. update
3. portal2_dlc1
5. portal2
So if I had "stocked" the portal2_dlc2 folder correctly, it would have overridden the portal2 version. But the game only checks the portal2_dlc2 folder a couple times at startup, then never again. So what does it need to contain to make the game treat it as its own?
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Is your gameinfo.txt like this
- Code: Select all
"GameInfo"
{
game "PORTAL2"
title "Portal 2"
GameData "portal2.fgd"
gamelogo 1SupportsDX8 0
SupportsXbox360 1FileSystem
{
SteamAppId 620 // This will mount all the GCFs we need (240=CS:S, 220=HL2).
ToolsAppId 211 // Tools will load this (ie: source SDK caches) to get things like materialsdebug, materialseditor, etc.
//
// The code that loads this file automatically does a few things here:
//
// 1. For each "Game" search path, it adds a "GameBin" path, in <dir>bin
// 2. For each "Game" search path, it adds another "Game" path in front of it with _<langage> at the end.
// For example: c:hl2cstrike on a french machine would get a c:hl2cstrike_french path added to it.
// 3. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "MOD".
// 4. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH".
////
// Search paths are relative to the base directory, which is where hl2.exe is found.
//
// |gameinfo_path| points at the directory where gameinfo.txt is.
// We always want to mount that directory relative to gameinfo.txt, so
// people can mount stuff in c:mymod, and the main game resources are in
// someplace like c:program filesvalvesteamsteamappshalf-life 2.
//SearchPaths
{
Game |gameinfo_path|
Game portal2
Game portal2_sixense
Game portal2_dlc1
Game portal2_dlc2
Game platform
Game portal2_dlc3
}
}
}
Note: If you have P2SDK, open hammer and check the "messages" window.
If it has paths of all folders located in portal 2, then the game will load it too.
EDIT: I found out you need a least 1 vpk in a dlc folder for the game to load it.
OK, now I've got it.
I created a portal2_dlc2 directory in "portal 2" (with the space). It contains a copy of gameinfo.txt from portal2_dlc1. It has a pak01_dir.vpk file which contains only the modified version of resource/sourcescheme.res. Now when I start Portal 2, the developer console text is larger.
I am confused by your gameinfo.txt, which seems to have the paths listed in reverse order. In any case, it seems that I don't need any of the extra lines you have, just |gameinfo_path|. and portal2. Now, when I start Hammer, it lists the search paths as update, portal2_dlc2, portal2_dlc1, portal2, and platform, in that order.
I'll update the initial post to reflect this much more helpful information. Thank you.
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- Code: Select all
"GameInfo"
{
game "PORTAL2"
title "Portal 2"
GameData "portal2.fgd"
gamelogo 1SupportsDX8 0
SupportsXbox360 1FileSystem
{
SteamAppId 620 // This will mount all the GCFs we need (240=CS:S, 220=HL2).
ToolsAppId 211 // Tools will load this (ie: source SDK caches) to get things like materialsdebug, materialseditor, etc.
//
// The code that loads this file automatically does a few things here:
//
// 1. For each "Game" search path, it adds a "GameBin" path, in <dir>bin
// 2. For each "Game" search path, it adds another "Game" path in front of it with _<langage> at the end.
// For example: c:hl2cstrike on a french machine would get a c:hl2cstrike_french path added to it.
// 3. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "MOD".
// 4. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH".
////
// Search paths are relative to the base directory, which is where hl2.exe is found.
//
// |gameinfo_path| points at the directory where gameinfo.txt is.
// We always want to mount that directory relative to gameinfo.txt, so
// people can mount stuff in c:mymod, and the main game resources are in
// someplace like c:program filesvalvesteamsteamappshalf-life 2.
//SearchPaths
{
Game |gameinfo_path|
Game portal2
Game portal2_sixense
Game portal2_dlc1
Game portal2_dlc2
Game platform
Game portal2_dlc3
}
}
}
Note: If you have P2SDK, open hammer and check the "messages" window.
If it has paths of all folders located in portal 2, then the game will load it too.
EDIT: I found out you need a least 1 vpk in a dlc folder for the game to load it.
Just letting you know this is backwards; it won't override anything (unless it's in the mod folder) because portal2 is just under it. Change this:
- Code: Select all
SearchPaths
{
Game |gameinfo_path|
Game portal2
Game portal2_sixense
Game portal2_dlc1
Game portal2_dlc2
Game platform
Game portal2_dlc3
}
To this:
- Code: Select all
SearchPaths
{
Game |gameinfo_path|
Game portal2_dlc3
Game portal2_dlc2
Game portal2_dlc1
Game portal2_sixense
Game portal2
Game platform
}
And then the dlcs will override each other as expected.
