Light distance / candle height / light placement

[Deadlove]

I've been fooling around with a little area I've been working on in DR and wanted to share some experiences with the community.

 

I've noticed that the distance of light from an object will affect the size and direction of the shadow it casts to the point that it can greatly make and break the beauty established from a scene walking into the room and seeing its environment and marveling at it as art.

 

This also applies with heights of things like candles. If we had candles of the same design with different heights (as if the candle wax was more burned down on some of the canldles. This would allow for the shadows to be cast in more upwards directions for lower standing candles creating larger shadows behind them. This would serve as allowing the environment more room for the shadows to play a place in being an art piece than they currently are capable of.

 

Also I noticed that light placement can be a tool as dangerous as a trap when placed correctly the unsuspecting player will wander into enough light to make them visible to an AI and this can be used as a great mechanic to set traps and force players to look around more and lean and examine the area before moving shadow to shadow without looking all around from different spots, therefore also giving them a chance to view rooms from different angles and appreciate the different perspectives as well as increase the immersion and playtime experience and familiarize themselves with the map as a place and not just a level in a game.

 

Here's some screenshots to illustrate my points.

 

 

Where candle height plays in...

 

Notice hammer from toolbox and foot at left of table casting shadow against wall. The height of this candle is good for making this illusion work nicely.

 

Also notice the severed arm on right of table if the candle on the left was shorter ( I don't like the idea of putting inside the table, I've done that and the player can move it and that fucks it up and I don't want the candles to be stationary) then the shadow of the fingers on the hand and arm would cast higher in against the back wall and give a really creepy vibe.

 

Hope you guys enjoyed my post and got something out of my experience, I'll try to share other things I come across building with the community as well. It's still quite a challenge for me, but that's just cuz the program is massive, there are so many assets, and I don't know have my flow down yet or know where all the stuff is to go to having that memorized so I'm learning but it's gonna take time to become an efficient user of Radiant. I really like the program though! :smug:

[grayman]

Candles come in different heights and thickness.

[Deadlove]

Is there one shorter than the one that I am using on the table?

 

I haven't found it, do you know the name for it in the lights folder in the insert entity menu? I think it's insert entity or insert model, can't remember which.

[RPGista]

I really like that you are taking light placement as a way of creating atmosphere, rather than simple light areas for the player to avoid. Since I dont play as a "ghost", actually as the opposite of that, that kind of lighting does very little for me. I much prefer lighting that sets up the mood of the place we are discovering, like you describe it.

 

There are a few tricks to control fixed lights like candles. Apart from their different sizes and the fact they can be picked up by the player or not, you can use things like a stack of books to place the candle above, so the general height will be greater than if it was simply put over the table. Or on a skull, a wooden box, anything you like. Someone left them there.

 

Candle lights tend to be quite intense, but with a shallow falloff. That means their light wont go very far. So, you should consider having another, or several, alternative light sources in the scene. This is specially clear when you have an asymmetrical set up. For example, you have a big window letting a lot of moonlight in that lights most of the room, while you have a small cluttered corner thats only lit by a small candle that you can pick up and use to investigate if there's anything useful in there. I tried to do this in my own map in a few different ways, you can take a look at it if you want.

 

Whenever there was a big light source like a window, I would have a main projected light that you could see (what would be the normal thing to do), and then a second "invisible" light coming from the same place, but much weaker and a lot more far reaching, with a smooth falloff, trying to simmulate the bounced, reflected light coming from it. This was done to make scenes more realistic, you can often find windows in TDM maps that wont lit anything around them other than a small patch on the ground, where its casting light. That is of course, incorrect. Having two, three lights per light source like a window might sound like it will kill game performance, but it has no impact whatsover in reasonably sized interior rooms, if you visportal everything correctly.

 

 

 

I should maybe expand on this a bit more as some might find it useful, if I get the time someday.

Edited February 23, 2016 by RPGista