1. Steam Directories and Files
2. Hammer Configuration and the Console

Directory Structure and Important Mapping Files

The directory structure set up by Steam seems convoluted and confusing at first, but it's actually quite logical. You need to get acquainted with where all the important mapping files are located and the function of various files in mapping.

Most importantly, the .BSP file is what the compiler generates after you have compiled your map from Hammer. This is located in the directory:

SteamApps\<your steam id>\counter-strike source\cstrike\maps

For all of you nit-pickers out there, I know that there are technically two copies of .BSP files. The original copy is actually stored with the map's source file. You don't really have to worry about that copy most of the times. It's an useful fact to remember, however, if the other copy of .BSP gets corrupted or deleted. But you can't depend on this copy as a reliable backup. If something bad happens to your map, both copies are likely to be affected at the same time.

Your map source code has the extension .VMF, the source map must be compiled first before it can be loaded up in-game. It is located in a different directory:

SteamApps\<your steam id>\sourcesdk_content\cstrike\mapsrc

It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your map's source code. In case it gets overwritten or deleted (which always seems to happen after you've spent a few months on your most ambitious project), you'll be crying like a baby for days.

Lastly, the .NAV file is generally quite small. It's stored in the same directory as your .BSP file. It contains the navigational mesh after you added a bot to your custom map for the first time. I'll discuss bot navigational tuning in a future lesson.

You might have noticed already that all the official CS:S maps are stored somewhere else in Steam. You can't really access these maps or their .BSP files. At least that's why Valve wants me to say. Decompiling other people's maps is not considered to be the action of an honorable mapper.

Setting Up Folders on Your Computer

As a mapper, you'll access these directories frequently. It's inconvenient and tedious to go through the Explorer directory tree over and over again, so it's best to make shortcuts to these directories on your Desktop or in the Windows Start menu.

I made a shortcut to
SteamApps\<your steam id>\counter-strike source\cstrike\maps

and another one to
SteamApps\<your steam id>\sourcesdk_content\cstrike\mapsrc.

In addition, I created a new folder called
games/maps/archive.

It's where I keep all the backup copies for my maps and source codes. Trust me, backups will one day be your friend. It'll save you from countless grief and sorrow in your future mapping career. I typically copy the .BSP and the .VMF files to this directory. It's all too easy to overwrite your masterpiece with a small test map that you're working on.