How to create ns2+ lowlights
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Nerdish by NatureGermany Join Date: 2003-08-07 Member: 19166Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Community Developer
Nerdish by NatureGermany Join Date: 2003-08-07 Member: 19166Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Community Developer
High performance lights are saved as mapname.json in the ns2plus /lights folder.
Unfortunately you can't load these files to modifiy existing maps and their lowlights.
( You can however add new lights by simply merging the old json file via txt editor with a new created one, which only includes the new lights)
So you gonna need the mapname_nsl map versions from Zavaro or Mendasp to get the source for the ns2+ lowlights of existing, offical maps.
How to create high performance lights used by the ns2+ graphic option (read the entire post before starting) :
-Put your ns2+ low low lights in the group called "Low Lights"
-Load the map with ns2plus (enable it via mods menu before mapload) and type savelights in the console.
-Open %appdata%/Natural Selection 2/ and copy the mapname.json into your project's output/lights/ folder (you may need to create that folder)
This means, you have to replace your normal low lights with the ns2+ low lights in order to create them.
!!! So before you do any of the above steps, make a backup of your normal low lights !!!
-Select them all via the layer or group
-Use Edit -> copy
-Open another instance of spark editor
-Use Edit -> paste , add them to a layer just for convenience (they are all selected after pasting them)
-Save this as mapname_lowlights and close that editor instance
How to create your own ns2+ high performance lights:
-Now you can modify your low lights by removing more lights and then do the steps above to create your mapname.json
-After creating your .json file and checking them in-game, you can copy paste your ns2+ low lights into another level (mapname_lowlowlights) file as backup and for future changes.
-Now you can delete the ns2+ low lights in your level file and copy paste the normal low lights (from the mapname_lowlights) back into the map.
How to modifiy ns2+ high performance lights of an existing map and .json file:
-Open the mapname_nsl version in the editor.
-Select the "Low Lights" group to select all low lights, copy paste them into another level (mapname_lowlowlights).
(These are the ns2+ high performance lights used in the .json files already shipped with ns2+
You can copy paste them directly into your own map, but sometimes there are bugs with reflection probes overwriting each other, if multiple editor instances are opened,
so I advise to copy paste the nsl low lights into a seperate file, before opening your modded level file)
-Now copy paste the lights from mapname_lowlowlights into your level (make sure you made a backup of the normal low lights and deleted them as mentioned above)
-You can modify those low lights now to adress your map changes (use "Viewport -> disable hidden lights" and hide all normal lights layers, so see exactly how your low lights would look ingame)
-After creating your .json file and checking them in-game, you can copy paste your modified ns2+ low lights into another level (mapname_lowlowlights) file as backup and for future changes.
-Now you can delete the ns2+ low lights in your level file and copy paste the normal low lights (from the mapname_lowlights) back into the map.
Some more hints:
-You don't have to touch your normal lights ( high quality) at all. Just hide them with the layers, so you can tweak your low lights properly with the option "disable hidden lights"
-Always make sure to add the lights to the "Low Lights" group during the process, so they are recognized as low lights.
-Always make sure to make backups of your low lights and lowlow lights in seperate map files!
-Don't put those backup mapfiles into your mod directory, so they won't get published by accident and bloat up the mod size
-Playtest your map before publishing to make sure one light option doesn't result in a pitch black map
(Light quality high ; Light quality low and ns2+ lights disabled ; light quality low and ns2+ lights enabled)
Unfortunately you can't load these files to modifiy existing maps and their lowlights.
( You can however add new lights by simply merging the old json file via txt editor with a new created one, which only includes the new lights)
So you gonna need the mapname_nsl map versions from Zavaro or Mendasp to get the source for the ns2+ lowlights of existing, offical maps.
How to create high performance lights used by the ns2+ graphic option (read the entire post before starting) :
-Put your ns2+ low low lights in the group called "Low Lights"
-Load the map with ns2plus (enable it via mods menu before mapload) and type savelights in the console.
-Open %appdata%/Natural Selection 2/ and copy the mapname.json into your project's output/lights/ folder (you may need to create that folder)
This means, you have to replace your normal low lights with the ns2+ low lights in order to create them.
!!! So before you do any of the above steps, make a backup of your normal low lights !!!
-Select them all via the layer or group
-Use Edit -> copy
-Open another instance of spark editor
-Use Edit -> paste , add them to a layer just for convenience (they are all selected after pasting them)
-Save this as mapname_lowlights and close that editor instance
How to create your own ns2+ high performance lights:
-Now you can modify your low lights by removing more lights and then do the steps above to create your mapname.json
-After creating your .json file and checking them in-game, you can copy paste your ns2+ low lights into another level (mapname_lowlowlights) file as backup and for future changes.
-Now you can delete the ns2+ low lights in your level file and copy paste the normal low lights (from the mapname_lowlights) back into the map.
How to modifiy ns2+ high performance lights of an existing map and .json file:
-Open the mapname_nsl version in the editor.
-Select the "Low Lights" group to select all low lights, copy paste them into another level (mapname_lowlowlights).
(These are the ns2+ high performance lights used in the .json files already shipped with ns2+
You can copy paste them directly into your own map, but sometimes there are bugs with reflection probes overwriting each other, if multiple editor instances are opened,
so I advise to copy paste the nsl low lights into a seperate file, before opening your modded level file)
-Now copy paste the lights from mapname_lowlowlights into your level (make sure you made a backup of the normal low lights and deleted them as mentioned above)
-You can modify those low lights now to adress your map changes (use "Viewport -> disable hidden lights" and hide all normal lights layers, so see exactly how your low lights would look ingame)
-After creating your .json file and checking them in-game, you can copy paste your modified ns2+ low lights into another level (mapname_lowlowlights) file as backup and for future changes.
-Now you can delete the ns2+ low lights in your level file and copy paste the normal low lights (from the mapname_lowlights) back into the map.
Some more hints:
-You don't have to touch your normal lights ( high quality) at all. Just hide them with the layers, so you can tweak your low lights properly with the option "disable hidden lights"
-Always make sure to add the lights to the "Low Lights" group during the process, so they are recognized as low lights.
-Always make sure to make backups of your low lights and lowlow lights in seperate map files!
-Don't put those backup mapfiles into your mod directory, so they won't get published by accident and bloat up the mod size
-Playtest your map before publishing to make sure one light option doesn't result in a pitch black map
(Light quality high ; Light quality low and ns2+ lights disabled ; light quality low and ns2+ lights enabled)