So, what are you working on right now?

[Springheel]

Looks great, grayman! All that any AI programming too??

[grayman]

Looks great, grayman! All that any AI programming too??

 

Yes!! I feel an overwhelming need to whoop the little buggers into shape ...

[pusianka]

I think the word epic is the most appropriate here But! I hope for more life in missions. Hope to hear some conversations with clues, which I so adore. Keep the work grayman, Somewhere above the City still stands on the top shelf for me.

[Sotha]

Hey thanks for the instructions. I think I got it:

 

 

I gotta remake the light texture with more straight lines in the window squares, but I know the procedure now. I'll make the light texture for this particular window type availble to people once I finish the improved version.

 

I got the angular floor effect minimized by raising the spot light source to as top part of the window as possible. I then added a noshadows omni light right in front of the window to make sure the player is lit if he stands right next to the window.

[grayman]

Hey thanks for the instructions. I think I got it.

 

Looking good.

[Bikerdude]

That looks awesome Sotha!

 

Now can you make some moon lit versions..?

[nbohr1more]

Looks great Sotha!

 

Projection textures are where it's at

 

Now you need to experiment with Falloff Images too...

 

I'll have to clean-up the wiki to include the simple version with just a projection image.

 

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Light_Textures_and_Falloff_Images

[Tels]

Hey thanks for the instructions. I think I got it:

 

That looks very sweet.

 

I gotta remake the light texture with more straight lines in the window squares, but I know the procedure now. I'll make the light texture for this particular window type availble to people once I finish the improved version.

 

I got the angular floor effect minimized by raising the spot light source to as top part of the window as possible. I then added a noshadows omni light right in front of the window to make sure the player is lit if he stands right next to the window.

 

Looks very good. In my old mill map, I even had a light that projected the texture from the "wrong" side - the player couldn't tell, anyway (if it is non-shadow casting). Also, you can make them better by modifying the projected light in DR (not sure if this it the way you did them?):

 

Reversed (it projects from the wrong side because a beam was in the way):

 

 

Right side up, here are two, the lighting is a bit off in DR (but it is still miles better than what it was 2 years ago when I made that house

 

 

Sometimes I wish we could get something like a radiosity or light flow renderer, then we could do away with all these hacks, just place one light source and have the rendered do the rest. Maybe in 5 years

[Baddcog]

Could we just use an illuminated blend decal on the floor?

[nbohr1more]

Yes, as long as you get the perspective correct (etc).

 

You won't get those pretty dynamic effects on the AI or dynamic objects as they pass through the light though...

 

It's a valid performance optimization choice, of course.

[grayman]

Could we just use an illuminated blend decal on the floor?

 

With a spotlight, we get this behavior when an AI passes in front of the window:

 

1 - the window pattern falls dynamically on the AI.

 

2 - The AI blocks the light and parts of the pattern on the floor.

 

For lights high up on a wall, that AI can never get near, a decal would probably work fine.

[Sotha]

Now can you make some moon lit versions..?

 

Here is the improved texture in moonlight.

 

The screenie was so dark I had to normalize it so that you might see something in it.

 

If someone wants it, here is the light texture. Check grayman's instructions (post #3091) how to get it in game.

http://www.mediafire...scjn7ur1l7e48mf

[Baddcog]

Yeah, didn't think about the shadow casting.

[RPGista]

Yes!! I feel an overwhelming need to whoop the little buggers into shape ...

 

Music to my ears, man... And those images look fabulous, I'm sure this will be another immense hit, the attention to detail is amazing. Above the city is groundbreaking as a FM, pretty sure this one will be too.

 

Tels - release that map to the community, dont hang on to it, you greedy! Joking...

 

As for the lights, good work guys, but dont forget that, far as I know, non shadow light will "leak" through walls and shine over surfaces facing it inside its radius, wherever they are (unless Im wrong?); in which case, Sotha's solution would need to be on the outer limits of the map, or have a very small radius in order to be consistent.

[Tels]

Tels - release that map to the community, dont hang on to it, you greedy! Joking...

 

Ignore my post, I have heard the map was incorporated into a future mission and want to avoid that people spoil themselves.

[demagogue]

Going back to the light shader issue, if you were going to use a blended decal anyway for more shadow work, another way is to just make a custom light shader with the stationary shadows built right into it (from stationary objects in the room), looking at that screenshot of how easy it is to make them. And then you could do that for any light, make a custom lightshader that covers all the shadows in the whole room in one file, so then you can get nice soft shadows for furniture in that way (or rather a soft halo around their already stencil shadows). I was just thinking it would be much easier than making and placing multiple decals all over the place. It still has the issue of AI passing in front of it, but like the decal case, this would be for lights where that wouldn't be an issue, and a little better because the light can still shine on the furniture itself (it'd just be the soft edge you're adding). I think it would have advantages over the decal too, e.g., it'd register for the light gem (I believe) whereas a decal wouldn't, and I don't know if decal shadows would blend like shadows in a lightshader would (or I could be making that up), it would "turn off" if you could turn off the light (whereas a decal wouldn't disappear). It just seems better to use a lightshader all things considered, at least in the right cases.

[Bikerdude]

If someone wants it, here is the light texture. Check grayman's instructions (post #3091) how to get it in game.

http://www.mediafire...scjn7ur1l7e48mf

Sweet, thanks for that.

[Bikerdude]

Ignore my post, I have heard the map was incorporated into a future mission and want to avoid that people spoil themselves.

Tels, dude! we are using it in the campaign remember, so ixna on the d/link.

[Tels]

Tels, dude!

 

Already gone, sorry, I didn't know that- Melan alerted me

[Diego]

aawn.. did I miss on some campaign spoiler? lol

[nbohr1more]

I just updated the wiki to include a basic light (from Grayman) at the start:

 

http://wiki.thedarkm..._Falloff_Images

 

(and cleaned-up some of my ambling mad-scientist jibber jabber )

 

I will download Sotha's prefabs and put them up on Dropbox so I can add them as links as well.

 

Whoops not a prefab...

Edited March 28, 2012 by nbohr1more

[SiyahParsomen]

aawn.. did I miss on some campaign spoiler? lol

 

I got the file...

 

...benefits of being active member.

[fllood]

I refrained screening anything so far as it's still a long way to go ... but to counteract the current blues in the forums here a teaser scene (far from complete!) to where I headed on from the ashes of the Novice campaign:

 

A Favored Treatment (WIP)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't be confused by the lighting. Though WIP, its dynamic is with intent.

 

The mod is awesome, so don't worry about people appreciate, playing and adding... :-)

[SiyahParsomen]

which game is this? I wouldn't say it was darkmod if I didn't recognize gas light.

 

I'm impressed!

[Springheel]

If someone wants it, here is the light texture.

 

I'd love to see these on SVN if someone has the time.

 

here a teaser scene (far from complete!) to where I headed on from the ashes of the Novice campaign:

 

Is that a bird??