nighttoday system: for experienced coders***

[Dark[NSF]]

I've coded a Time system that enables a day / night change system.. I was thinknig about expanding this into a weather system with storms / fog / snow and so on...

As of now its kind laggy, but I'm working on it.

Link to the picture: (since I can't figure out how to make it appear lol)
http://forums.beyondunreal.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=78994&stc=1

 

[Dash489]

Very cool. Does it Transition between the different day times or does it just switch?

 

[Dark[NSF]]

as close to real life as unreal technology would allow for ^^

note:
the light changes directly because of the total seconds in that current day. So it looks really really smooth.

 

[Payback]

Why the heading?

Are you going to give out the code or something?
Or you need an experienced coder to help?
Or only 1337 coders are allowed to bask in the glory of the screenshot?

Its very impressive by the way, I was going to ask for a vid showing it off, but realized it'd be huge ;P unless you hacked the time scale so that 1 minute = 1 day or something

 

[Evil-Devil]

Would be cool if there be a parameter for using the real day time or an other timeframe.

 

[Dark[NSF]]

Would be cool if there be a parameter for using the real day time or an other timeframe.

Why the heading?

Are you going to give out the code or something?
Or you need an experienced coder to help?
Or only 1337 coders are allowed to bask in the glory of the screenshot?

Its very impressive by the way, I was going to ask for a vid showing it off, but realized it'd be huge ;P unless you hacked the time scale so that 1 minute = 1 day or something

I added a time multiplier that enables you to make time move at whatever pace you want it to.... (DeltaTime)*TimeMult


I planned on asking for some coders help, then we could release it here on the boards.. I believe that night to day systems would make mods and levels feel more ambient and real.. ^^

 

[[SAS]Solid Snake]

Well basically, for whether you can have a whether simulator which is attached to a central actor. For example, when I was experimenting with whether simulation I always had a central actor which all of my elements were attached to. The central actor lept track of global things such as wind velocity (direction + strength) and just basic variables such as bRain, bSnow and so on. That way, all of the other things in my maps work react accordingly to this central actor without fail. So when it was windy the leaves would all get pushed around in the wind in the similarish directions (creates little tornados from time to time). When it was rainging the trees would drool with rain... so, the choice of a central actor played a vital part to this and since this central actor was adjustable it wasd easier to control and replicate.

 

[Dark[NSF]]

Jesus, would you like to implement that in the system?

 

[[SAS]Solid Snake]

Yup sure ... when I finish the code for it

 

[Dark[NSF]]

Very cool... I eliminated all the foreach functions... it runs QUITE smooth. However, I don't think thatchanging the brightness is such a good idea.... It doesn't work with gun muzzle flahs and it still slows down enough to make it suck for netplay.

 

[BinarySystem]

This is very interesting - how do you affect the lightmaps stored on BSP as the light levels change? Or does this require a map with no precalculated lighting and only dynamic lighting?

 

[SlayerDragon]

Dark[NSF] and SolidSnake, that stuff looks/sounds very impressive. Keep up the great work!

 

[Dark[NSF]]

This is very interesting - how do you affect the lightmaps stored on BSP as the light levels change? Or does this require a map with no precalculated lighting and only dynamic lighting?

This is exactly my current mission... I'm going to alter the LightPeriod as opposed to the LightBrightness.. The lighteffect will be set to a Pulse so it actually stores the data. *hack*

mebe it will work out.

 

[[SAS]Solid Snake]

SlayerDragon

Thanks but this is mostly Dark's work. Definately won't steal his thunder as I don't have an reasonable things to show off yet.

 

[Dark[NSF]]

Thanks but this is mostly Dark's work. Definately won't steal his thunder as I don't have an reasonable things to show off yet.

But in time it will make just as much contribution to this all as my night to day system.

 

[Rens2Sea]

Any progress?

 

[Hunz]

I'm going to alter the LightPeriod as opposed to the LightBrightness.. The lighteffect will be set to a Pulse so it actually stores the data. *hack*

Hey, thats a good idea. I thought changing a levels lighting (in a easy way) wouldnt be possible in ut2k3 and ut2004, but this seems to work! Has someone made a DarkMatch-mutator, yet?

Apart from that, this Night/Day-code sounds very interesting and looks good. Does it work with strange and unrealistic lighting, too (hellish, red lighting and such)? I would like to play around with the code, when you released it.

 

[Rens2Sea]

I really want to see this

(bump)

 

[Dryn]

Wouldn't the lighting hack require the lights to be dynamic? I didn't think things like 'pulse' got added to the lightmap.

 

[Dragon_Myr]

This is exactly my current mission... I'm going to alter the LightPeriod as opposed to the LightBrightness.. The lighteffect will be set to a Pulse so it actually stores the data. *hack*

From my experience using pulse lights in XMP-UraniumEcho, they completely murder the framerate once more than 4 of them are on screen at the same time. Would it be possible for lights to be switched out in favor of projected textures that illuminate the ground like the headlights of vehicles like the Hellbender? I typically see better framerates with those type headlight projections. Perhaps a projector linked to the transition timer would help make things like lights turn on realistically? What about an alpha setting linked to the timer instead in order to make the light appear brighter at night? I'm just a mapper so I'm speculating. This is beyond me.

As for having this completed, I would be extremely interested in using it as long as the lights I'm using don't murder the FPS. I have a bridge (see below pic) that would require many lights on it and the entire highway itself is also lighted by those same Fallen City meshes. This would be great to use to bring a city like the one I'm laying out for Boost to life. (note: screenshot is outdated, but gets the lights across)


Please keep us updated.