Topic: World dependent lighting?

Astuur Topic Opener Joined: 2009-02-28, 10:08 Posts: 733 One Elder of Players Location: Frankfurt / Germany	Posted at: 2011-05-25, 12:20 Being obsessed with the artwork side of WL currently, I'd like to throw an idea into the ring for discussion (yep, yet another one ) But the answers will probably have to include a lot of expertise from the coders: Our worlds all have a different atmosphese. Part of this and its visual side is lighting. When I remember all I ever learned about the use of filters in analog photography, it makes me wonder, whether we should not try to setup a different lighting for the worlds - UI not included of course. A light color that would change everything, depending on the world. The empire houses could turn slightly blueish (including the shadow) on Winterland, so would trees and all the rest. It sounds far easier(and also more realistic) to me, than recoloring each and every single png - animations included. And I think it will look better than using the exact same pictures in all the worlds - like we do now. Now, this may be easy to code, or next to impossible, no idea. If it's easy enough, we might give it a try. If we want to be real bold, we could perhaps even try light change in space and time (simulating passing clouds) My preferences for tint would be: Blackland = orange-red (lava light) Greenland (no change) Winterland manganese blue Desert cadmium yellow (CdS) all very subtle, of course... So ... nonsense, or worth trying? Being no programmer, I apologize for all my suggestions that imply undue workload and for other misjudgements due to lack of expertise or relevant skills. I am on Win32, have no means to compile, and rely on prefabricated distributions (Thanks to Tino). Top Quote

death Joined: 2009-04-13, 13:09 Posts: 40 Pry about Widelands	Posted at: 2011-05-25, 12:55 It's a two ended problem. Either we could render imagery with a tone or a filter could be put on top of the image when rendering and that's a programming issue. I really don't want to maintain per land building sets. This is the main obstacle on option one. Option 2 will probably just not look good, but would need a coder to try it out. Top Quote

Astuur Topic Opener Joined: 2009-02-28, 10:08 Posts: 733 One Elder of Players Location: Frankfurt / Germany	Posted at: 2011-05-26, 06:48 Perhaps our programmer could even supply a solution that would leave the terrain untouched and only modify additions like trees, stones, and critter? It could be a feature implemented in the editor maybe, so that a finished map already shows these tints, instead of adding it when playing? Being no programmer, I apologize for all my suggestions that imply undue workload and for other misjudgements due to lack of expertise or relevant skills. I am on Win32, have no means to compile, and rely on prefabricated distributions (Thanks to Tino). Top Quote

SirVer Joined: 2009-02-19, 15:18 Posts: 1440 One Elder of Players Location: Germany - Munich	Posted at: 2011-05-30, 19:43 I like the idea. S2 had different graphic sets for worlds (winterland for example had snow covered buildings). I do not see how to implement solution 2 though. I mean it is theoretically possible, but I guess it will not look pretty and it will likely only be fast enough in open gl mode. Top Quote

Astuur Topic Opener Joined: 2009-02-28, 10:08 Posts: 733 One Elder of Players Location: Frankfurt / Germany	Posted at: 2011-05-30, 19:53 Sorry... what exactly is option 2? Time and location - depending light? Being no programmer, I apologize for all my suggestions that imply undue workload and for other misjudgements due to lack of expertise or relevant skills. I am on Win32, have no means to compile, and rely on prefabricated distributions (Thanks to Tino). Top Quote

SirVer Joined: 2009-02-19, 15:18 Posts: 1440 One Elder of Players Location: Germany - Munich	Posted at: 2011-05-30, 21:39 I meant more general speaking: chaning appearance by programming: be it filters or 'true' 3d lighting (which would likely look strange on widelands 2D world). Top Quote

Astuur Topic Opener Joined: 2009-02-28, 10:08 Posts: 733 One Elder of Players Location: Frankfurt / Germany	Posted at: 2011-05-31, 15:46 But are we not actually doing a primitive form of that already? When the needed, but not yet delivered wares for a construction site are shown, they are "greyed". I don't think we have a picture of its own for that somewhere, wrong? It looks like the code sets the picture's saturation to zero. If we could do this to the luminosity and make an irregular spot move across the screeen, we'd have a "passing cloud". Or a "passing shadow on the lands". Could be a great effect for campaignes etc. Edit: Even if that can't be done .... here is a second thought: Can we have a "floating bitmap" (not changed by code in any other way, that would pass over the map (west to east, or configurable with a starting- and an end point). I have a flock of birds in mind, or locusts, or smoke from a vulcano, or a huge herd or reindeers (if terrain influence can be coped with). The movement of all the existing animals on the map is so random, and there is no way to have any targetted movement. Edited: 2011-05-31, 16:01 Being no programmer, I apologize for all my suggestions that imply undue workload and for other misjudgements due to lack of expertise or relevant skills. I am on Win32, have no means to compile, and rely on prefabricated distributions (Thanks to Tino). Top Quote

SirVer Joined: 2009-02-19, 15:18 Posts: 1440 One Elder of Players Location: Germany - Munich	Posted at: 2011-06-16, 09:42 Yes, we do some preprocessing of UI images, but this is a simple form and can be precalculated for each picture. Preprocessing the terrain is quite different though. we probably could have. Other games have bad press with floating bitmaps though: IIRC it was age of Empires 2 or so. They had bitmap like clouds floating over the playing area which sometimes obscured vision and were more annoying than anything. Still, I like the idea. Top Quote