Darker Maps = More Contrast (sometimes)
Belgarion
Join Date: 2002-07-19 Member: 973Members
Join Date: 2002-07-19 Member: 973Members
<div class="IPBDescription">But more lit maps are easier to play...</div> So what is better? I've found i do rather well on eclipse and nothing, but i just suck big-time on Bast. No offense to Relic of course. I love that map, but i just feel like i can't see the aliens (specially skulks. the ground is hardly lit at all) Somewhat the same with Nancy. Anyone else find this to be the case? Anyone totally disagree with me?
Belg
Belg
Comments
I'd say that eclipse is one of the brighter maps, nothing is one of the darker (in some places), nancy is overall bright, and tanith is overall bright.
I like contrast, bland lighting is bad both light and dark. (Bland dark is just ugly and stuffy, bland light is ugly.) I like nothing's light styles the best; it's good with alternating bright and dark strips. Only in a few places (like the corridors around powersilo) might you see a little bit of bland lighting, but everything else is just beautiful.
I don't think NS maps should be overly dark, <i>or</i> overly bright. The NS Mapping Guidelines mention that mappers should strive to create environments that <i>feel</i> dark, but actually aren't dark. I feel like I've said it a million times, and I know that it must be starting to annoy some people, but this is done by adding massive amounts of <b>contrast</b> to the levels. As in, bright light directly against dark shadows. It doesn't necessarily have to be in alternating bars or ribbons like in ns_nothing, either. NS_Bast has wonderful contrast in it without (in my opinion) being too dark OR bright. Nor does it use a gimmicky light-pattern theme. It's just very solid, well laid out lighting. I think a great example of this would be the "Main Aft Juction" area with the red space suits. The areas around the airlocks in that room are fairly dark, and the whiteish hallways leading away from it are very well-lit. The scene as a whole is gorgeous, and just screams NS. As an added plus, Relic used an abundance of little glowy signs and stuff around the area in the darker spots, adding another layer of nice visual contrast.
Do not make a map dark on purpose to:
1. Give skulks an advantage.
2. MAKE marines use their light scource to keep from running into things.
You'll find this in a consistant pattern in all official NS maps.
Ever played Sven Co-op? Argh! Using that flashlight 70% of the time!!
And bast does have great lighting indeed <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
If its texture based were can i get the lights.rad file or do i have to go to all the trouble of making one ?
Personly i prefer a well lit map..i've seen tomany dark maps with spas inducing pulsing red/blue lights..comon ppl think of the people who have fits from flashing lights etc.
Think Less eye strain more fun <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Eclipse is gameplay > atmosphere
Bast is atmosphere > gameplay
I prefere atmosphere.
Eclipse is gameplay > atmosphere
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Bull****.
Eclipse's atmosphere is hardly any different than Hera, which I've never seen <i>anyone</i> complain about, and isn't even <i>that</i> bright in the first place. I do believe that Eclipse is darker than about half of Hera.
Unfortunately, people confuse "atmosphere" with "pitch black," and therefore for some strange reason the closer you are to complete darkness the more atmospherically impressive they think it is.
I designed Eclipse to be atmospheric, just not quite the same way that others did with their own maps. It wouldn't be here if it 'didn't fit' NS as so many mindless forum drones claim.
Oh, also, nice way of attacking Eclipse after my comment last night. Never seen you complain about it before.
If that's not atmosphere, than nothing is.
If its texture based were can i get the lights.rad file or do i have to go to all the trouble of making one ?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<a href='http://www.btinternet.com/~chromea999/NS/nslights.rad' target='_blank'>This is ChromeAngel's .rad file</a> It has suggested light values, but you can always change them. Most of the lighting seems to be from textures, and there's also a lot of light_spot usage for atmosphere. Also, there's additional texture lighting support in merl's modified compile tools, which you can find at <a href='http://collective.valve-erc.com/' target='_blank'>Valve-ERC</a>. There's also Cagey's version of those tools in a webbed post in this forum.
make a new textfile with the editor and save it at lights.rad or <mapname>.rad in your WC/Hammer directory.
Enter the texture names, the needed color values (RGB) and the brightnes in a range from 1 - 1000.
thats it.
On topic:
I think eclipse has gameplay>athmosphere too. I love the use of lightning and smoke in eclipse, but the map "feels" not that much athmosperic.
You get the most "feeling" in Hera. Why? this map "lives": look at reception, holo room and the rotating vents. There are also some not working lights and weldable (important i think) ventshafts, doors...
My favorite maps are eclipse and hera. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->