Can (more?) static shadows be added for 'low' shadow settings?

Fappuchino

Not much to add to the title.

I just think the game looks awfully bland and exposed when all of the shadows are removed, otherwise, it looks great when shadows are on.

Chizzler

I'm not sure it'd be a good option. Pre-baked shadows won't adjust to lighting changes such as those that occur when taking down the power node, then when emergency lighting kicks in. I think it would break immersion seeing shadows where there logically shouldn't be.

pearlyk

the game is already dark enough, please no.

xen32

Chizzler wrote: »

I'm not sure it'd be a good option. Pre-baked shadows won't adjust to lighting changes such as those that occur when taking down the power node, then when emergency lighting kicks in. I think it would break immersion seeing shadows where there logically shouldn't be.

Pre-baked shadows does not mean lighting is static. Take Half-Life for example. Shadows are pre-baked, but you still have light switches that cast additional shadows when tuned on, etc.

I'd love to see shadow blob (Quake 3 style) under player models. Really helps judging distance between enemy when it's in the air.

Kouji_San

Cooking lights in my dynamically lit spark? What is this heresy :P

Terranigma

pearlyk wrote: »

the game is already dark enough, please no.

Eh, what?

Stardog

They would have to program an entire lightmapping system into the engine and editor.

Enabling Ambient Occlusion will help with the blandness, but it's expensive. Maybe they could let us adjust the downsampling/etc of it.

Hugh

Spark doesn't do 'static' shadows, everything is lit at 'runtime' (in real time, otherwise known as 'dynamic lighting'). Some other engines, such as Source, render static shadows during the 'compilation' of the map (getting the map from the map editor to a state where the game can use it.)

Max is always working on making things run faster, so in time hopefully you will be able bump your shadow setting up!

thefonz

Shadows are blessings and curses... I try no to hide in them because I never know if the enemy has them on or not. Conversely, I've killed a few ambushing skulks because I spotted their shadow.

Ciro

thefonz wrote: »

Shadows are blessings and curses... I try no to hide in them because I never know if the enemy has them on or not. Conversely, I've killed a few ambushing skulks because I spotted their shadow.

It is so cool spotting a huge skulk shadow as it passes right over a light. I wish I could see the shadows I create as a skulk; I have all settings on max at a more than playable frame rate, but don't see my shadows created from passing under bright lamps. It's worrying wondering if my targets have shadows on.

BeigeAlert

Resurrecting a dead thread here, but I've got a few lights in my map that won't be affected by the power grid, namely "the sun" as it is commonly known . The dynamic shadows look pretty bad in this one spot where I have a spotlight acting as the sun, but it's a really big ceiling with a lot of windows, so the spotlight radius has to be pretty big unfortunately (and there are too many windows to have one spot per window). But since these particular lights can't be shut off, it would be nice to be able to bake in some much higher quality soft shadows.

killer monkey

BeigeAlert wrote: »

Resurrecting a dead thread here, but I've got a few lights in my map that won't be affected by the power grid, namely "the sun" as it is commonly known . The dynamic shadows look pretty bad in this one spot where I have a spotlight acting as the sun, but it's a really big ceiling with a lot of windows, so the spotlight radius has to be pretty big unfortunately (and there are too many windows to have one spot per window). But since these particular lights can't be shut off, it would be nice to be able to bake in some much higher quality soft shadows.

That would mean compiling, so no thank you