Right can you look at this and give me some ideas, I started it lastyear (first map), but never got around to finishing it.

Notes:

1. Start as a CT as there are no T spawns.
2. Ive not added any elements such as water hurting n stuff yet.
3. Not sure if there are any wierd WAD files used.

it uses de_village.wad and de_volare.wad.

i got them from here

will give it a go when i get home

I think it's done at compile time, something along these lines happens:

You typically (although not necessarily) use a texture whose name starts with a ~ character (e.g. ~light01).
When you do the RAD compile, it looks up texture names in a file called lights.rad.
The lights.rad file contains the texture name and the RGB and brightness values for the light it should emit.
If the texture name is in this file it emits light, if it isn't then it doesn't.
So once it's compiled, these textures give off the specified amount and colour of light.

...something like that anyway - it's been a while since I played with this stuff.
HTH

Nice one Pete, it's come a long way It's clearly been a good map to get familiar with Hammer, and I'm looking forward to whatever final map it turns out to be I like the contrasting areas/styles - its a good setting for a map.

On the texture lights thing:

They're nothing to do with the editor. The tools will look for a lights.rad file (in the same directory), in which you enter the texture name, RBG value of the light and the strength of the light. It's the main method of lighting and by far the most sensible to use, in terms of ease of use and looks.

Dunno what you're on about light absorbing textures, Bullet, Worm's purple effect is texture lighting on the surface that faces upwards.
They ring a bell actually, but I can't remember. Although black ones will absorb light of course.

Yeah, that