New Visual Options in TDM: 1.03

[STiFU]

As far as I know, this is not possible. Adding more strength to a normalmap means steepening the angles presented on the normalmap. The problem is also, that this would have to happen on a per-material basis and not globally.

[Noisycricket]

Ah I see, I was thinking the parallax mods did something like that. Nevermind

[STiFU]

I updated the wiki with the changes imposed by TDM 1.03 in the last two days by the way. Check out Recent Changes to browse for potentially new information. Just my advanced tweaking article is missing now and the article about the new visual options.

[Bikerdude]

Just an fyi on these new settings. On my system in rttc I have to keep Ambient/Interaction set to normal/default otherwise the skybox because all greyed (like I have put a fog light in there)

[Melan]

Doesn't happen on my PC, though, so it may be caused by something non-map-related.

[Serpentine]

Ehh that's odd, any chance I can get a screenshot?

[Bikerdude]

yeah..

 

gimme a sec..

[Serpentine]

also the material name if you have it handy, just in case

[Bikerdude]

I have taken screenshots of the 3 ambient/interaction states...

 

the skybox is one of the stock prefabs (skybox1)The problem is the worst on the simple/default setting, each pair of images is named after the Amd/int setting.

 

[Melan]

I am not seeing the exact problem. Looks all right to me...

[rebb]

Is it possible that this skybox material accidentally got the ambient-light stages applied, while it shouldn't have them ?

Try "r_showSurfaceInfo 1" in the console and aim at the skybox, it should show you the material name then.

[STiFU]

I've just finished the article Advanced TDM Visuals Tweaking. Have fun.

 

@NH: You could add a reference to it to your general article.

[Serpentine]

I have taken screenshots of the 3 ambient/interaction states...

 

Yeah, one of the skybox materials is using an ambient stage which it doesn't seem it used to.

 

I just need to compare and confirm the changes against 1.02 and then I can put it into the SVN, I'll also give you the changed materials so that you can customize your skybox to avoid the problem (should to release pre 1.04).

[Melan]

To add more praise to the chorus, I replayed The Crown of Penitence with the new options enabled, and it has turned from a mission with very good visuals to one with absolutely stunning visuals. Somehow it brings out 1.03's features perfectly. Maybe it is the deep normalmaps on the textures, or the lighting, but just look at it shine:

 

 

 

Beautiful, even with JPG compression.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Melan

[Aprilsister]

Ah, you graphics freaks are like wine-tasters! All this hand-wringing and oohing and aahing over things you only think you see (and often miss)...

 

It's all in your heads. The rest of us would rather spend $15 on a nice bottle, get some down us, and go on to enjoy the broader world! Oakey undertones and sweet-potato tannins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding. (sorta)

 

[LEGION]

Thanks for the article, STiFU. Here´s the next question: How to disable the Highlight-function for usable-objects? I really hope for an cvar. I just want to try and play without it. If not, how to decrease the Highlight-strength then? (without doing it in DR, a console-way please )

[STiFU]

Apparently, there is no console way. You'd have to alter all (!!) materials used by TDM, as the frobhighlight is defined in every material:

{

if ( parm11 > 0 )

blend gl_dst_color, gl_one

map _white

rgb 0.40 * parm11

}

{

if ( parm11 > 0 )

blend add

map textures/darkmod/stone/flat/ceramic_mosaic_decorative01

rgb 0.15 * parm11

}

 

Maybe we could adjust the code so that there are other maximum values for parm11, but I don't know. I wanted to have this configurable myself, because I wanted to raise the brightness even further any maybe even colorize it a little, so that it's easier to tell, when something is highlighted.

[LEGION]

Is parm11 related to highlight only or used for other stuff too? If so I could use Textcrawler to save me a lot of time...

 

And do I need to decrease both values or only 'map _white'?

Edited December 29, 2010 by LEGION

[LEGION]

I´m spending too much time here, but I just realized new Automatic Dynamic Ambient Lighting in Beleaguered Fence, look at the mission-thread, the last posts. For the inside areas (like the apartment above the starting point, exactly upon going over the window is the point of change) it was nearly pitch black on my gamma-setting while the streets were on the border to be too bright. (considering that shadows that you hide in shouldn´t be that bright...) Also the blend-time was very short. But at the window-access-point it was ok (the blend-time), but in the same way too dark as the apartment.

And the lava-pit (only inside the tomb) had an reddish ambient-light-setting, don´t remember how the blend-time was. Sotha says, he didn´t do it, so it has to be 1.03!! Or is Sotha just senile and doesn´t remember what he did?