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Steam Workshop
Make something for Black Mesa
Everything you need to build a map, campaign or mod and publish it to the Workshop, in one place. Each guide walks through one step, explains why it matters, and ends where the next one starts.
What are you making?
Pick one and follow its guides in order.
A singleplayer map or campaign
One level, or several linked by transitions and split into chapters with their own artwork.
- 1Setting up the tools
- 2How the game finds your files
- 3Building and compiling a map
- 4Creating a campaign
- 5Loading screens
- 6Packing a VPK
- 7Testing before you publish
- 8Publishing to the Workshop
A multiplayer map
A deathmatch or team map, with the loading screens players see while it loads.
- 1Setting up the tools
- 2Building and compiling a map
- 3Multiplayer maps
- 4Loading screens
- 5Packing a VPK
- 6Testing before you publish
- 7Publishing to the Workshop
Building a total conversion with its own game folder and launcher? See Making a standalone mod
Stuck on something?
These catch out almost everyone at least once:
All guides
Getting started
Install the tools and learn how the game finds your files.
- Setting up the toolsBlack Mesa ships its own copy of Hammer and the Source compile tools. Here's where they are and the one setting Hammer needs before you start.
- How the game finds your filesMost "it doesn't show up" problems come down to a file in the wrong place. Learn the folder layout once and the rest of these guides make sense.
Building maps
Compile a level, then give it a proper loading screen.
- Building and compiling a mapThe Black Mesa-specific parts of getting a map from Hammer into the game, including the compile settings the official maps use, cubemaps and nodegraphs.
- Loading screensEvery level needs an image to show while it loads, or players stare at a black screen or the main menu. How the game picks that image, and how to give it one.
- Multiplayer mapsSpawn points, item respawn timing (including Black Mesa's hard respawns), and how players start your map from the Host menu.
Campaigns & mods
Get your levels into the menu, or ship a standalone mod.
- Creating a campaignA small JSON file is what puts your maps in the main menu, gives them artwork, and sets their loading screens. Even a single map needs one.
- Making a standalone modWhen a Workshop add-on isn't enough, for total conversions, a replaced campaign or a custom menu, you need your own game folder. How to set one up and launch it.
Publishing
Pack a VPK, test it like a player would, and upload it.
- Packing a VPKWorkshop items are VPK files, a single package holding all your content at the right paths. How to stage your files, pack them and test the result.
- Testing before you publishA checklist of everything that commonly goes wrong with Workshop items, to tick off before you upload. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
- Publishing to the WorkshopUpload your item with the Black Mesa Content Publishing Tool, write a page that tells players how to play it, and push updates later.
Help & reference
Fixes for common problems, plus every path and command in one place.