Frogboy Frogboy

Light…is not your friend

Light…is not your friend

One of the most challenging things in making a modern PC game is nailing the lighting.  Light is all powerful when it comes to deciding how a game will look.

In most games, the camera is fixed. In some games, the camera lets you zoom in and out…a little bit…but not rotating.  It’s not a technical restriction as much as an artistic restriction. The more fixed the camera, the more optimization you can do on the presentation of the game.

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War of Magic v1.19b.

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Photoshop filter 1

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Photoshop filter 2

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Photoshop filter 3

Now, in these cases, I’m not really changing the lighting, I’m just applying a Photoshop filter in a way that simulates how the existing light source might change the look. 

In Fallen Enchantress, the lighting system is going to be redone which means that visually, it’ll look very different from War of Magic (i.e. there will be no question about what game you’re looking at from a screenshot).

But it is amazing how different something can look – with the same graphics – just by changing the light sources.

If you are familiar with examples, feel free to post them in the comments section.

123,534 views 60 replies
Reply #26 Top

I am happy about the lighting changes, I'd like there to be more contrast between settled and unsettled land - I should feel evil coming when I walk through unsettled lands.  As a God fearing, freedom fry eating American, I'm in the #2 group, although it definitely has too strong of a yellow tint.  I just played around with photoshop, and here are some more color options:

Autobalanced color

#4 - Using Autobalance Color Option

 

Richer

#5 - Making the Colors a bit richer (Sort of like #2, but less tinting)

Darker

#6 - Darker Shadows

Eviler

#7 - Apparently Photoshop has a "Lord Xia" setting, strangely I didn't notice it before.  Darkerer Shadows, with Red Tint for Maximum Evilness.

 

You have to be careful about making things too anything - too dark and its hard to read, too light and its hard on the eyes, too saturated and it looks too busy, too desaturated and it looks flat.  Its also hard to exactly simulate the change - its easy to photoshop an image in ways that you can't actively render on screen.  These are all full screen color adjustments, though, so I would believe that they could emulate them without too much hassle.

I would be afraid that with a post processing filter, as mentioned earlier in the thread, that it wouldn't blend with the ground when you can spin and what have.  I know Tropico 3 has some awesome filters for screen shots and ambiance, but when you actually sit and play it feels like you are watching the game through a dirty window.

 

Reply #27 Top

I prefer #2 as it gives the game more fantasy feeling.

I'm so tired and bored of all the brown crap in this game.

Reply #28 Top

I dont know if this is a vote kind of thing but ill throw my opinion in the hat. 

#2 Is very rich in color, like nice chocolate cheese cake pie.  But you dont want to much pie because you'll get sick.

#3 is very crisp and snaps with the color, like a cold refreshing of glass water on a hot day.

#1 has to much white, its like having way to much wetness on a wet burrito.  You love the burrito but all that sauce just waters it down and you lose the flavor of the insides of the burrito.

Reply #29 Top

Quoting Magog_AoW, reply 27
I prefer #2 as it gives the game more fantasy feeling.

I'm so tired and bored of all the brown crap in this game.
End of Magog_AoW's quote

I'm so tired and bored of all the brown crap in this game.

agreed 100%

Reply #30 Top

Last I heard turns were seasonal, so could we have lighting dependant upon the season?

Reply #31 Top

Don't get sucked into this guys, I think Brad's just trying to leverage the hawthorne effect on us. ;) :P

Reply #32 Top

I suggest changing the light depending on the time of day.  Not the time of day in game, but the time of the playing user.

During the day when people are awake and it is bright outside, the game should appear brighter and light should be whiter.  After sunset the in game lighting should change to use more warmer colors (like the soft warm light from an incandescent lamp).

Dynamically changing the light will provide a more soothing and relaxing playing experience for the end user and cause less disruption in sleep patterns.  If you want more information check out:  http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpa/24/2/24_183/_article

Doing this will require the game knowing the geographical location of the end user to sync up with sunrise and sunset, but I believe the end result will provide a must more enjoyable experience.

(For those of you who are interested check out: http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/, it is a great *free* little program that adjusts the temperature of your monitor depending on the time of day. :)).

 

Reply #33 Top

I like #3 from the originals and that "#6" that was posted later.

 

 

Reply #34 Top

Geographical location? Wouldn't it be better to just have it see the clock? It also saves those that will surely find playing at night ALWAYS the pain...

While the seasons idea sounds good (some even suggest a change in forests) the seasons move WAY too quickly to be pleasant, every turn the whole world goes color swapped, will look like we were seeing a cartoon timewarp, only without a KOed person in the middle of the screen being covered by snow, leaves, dirt, rinse and repeat (The flying calendar is optional) :D

I too think that the brown is overused, I always hear the phrase "Post Apocalypse is brown" Though Latin America too on USA TV shows (Coincidence? XD) Maybe change the lightning acoording to the type of land? (Barren, Life, Death)

Fallen Enchantress will be distinguishable from EWoM at plain sight? WOW, when are we going to see some pics? I seriously am excited!

... I'm rambling, sorry. :P

Reply #35 Top

Quoting Supergulo, reply 34
Geographical location? Wouldn't it be better to just have it see the clock? It also saves those that will surely find playing at night ALWAYS the pain...

While the seasons idea sounds good (some even suggest a change in forests) the seasons move WAY too quickly to be pleasant, every turn the whole world goes color swapped, will look like we were seeing a cartoon timewarp, only without a KOed person in the middle of the screen being covered by snow, leaves, dirt, rinse and repeat (The flying calendar is optional)

I too think that the brown is overused, I always hear the phrase "Post Apocalypse is brown" Though Latin America too on USA TV shows (Coincidence? ) Maybe change the lightning acoording to the type of land? (Barren, Life, Death)

Fallen Enchantress will be distinguishable from EWoM at plain sight? WOW, when are we going to see some pics? I seriously am excited!

... I'm rambling, sorry.
End of Supergulo's quote

They do that in King Aurther, though the change is not instantaious. And they also change the land scape with the seasons.

Reply #36 Top

Definitely Photoshop Filter No. 3!!

Reply #37 Top

Prefer filter #1.

 

#2 looks like a nuclear meltdown just happened... and its glowing.

 

#3 is OK.  Still prefer #1.

 

 

Reply #38 Top

Light.  Is.  Evil.

I build a Beacon of Hope and all the nasty critters come over and trash my kingdom.

That's what I thought this entry was about.

-.-

Reply #40 Top

This isn't something to put up for a vote. Different people, with different eyeballs, perceive colour differently. What might appear somewhat garish to me can be almost necessary to show sufficient contrast to someone who is color-blind. And, there are a variety of color blindnesses - generally, they perceive colours, but not the full spectrum. What they do perceive depends on which variety they have, and how severely it afflicts them.

Hop on over to http://www.vischeck.com/ Get the Photoshop plugin and see what the color-blind see. The red/green colour defecit variety is very common in men, and filter #2 ruins what little contrast they can still perceive. Even for someone like me, with excellent color perception, the colours may be bolder... but they're less distinct.

War of Magic's current lighting looks like dawn, and as it's dawning a new age that is just fine. As far as Fallen Enchantress, from what little I've gathered, I'd look at this example's lighting. Harsh lighting, dark, lots of grays, with dramatic and vivid splashes of color.

Reply #41 Top

These aren't meant to be voted on. I was just showing how much difference light from even one source can make a difference.

Reply #42 Top

if you wanted another example, compare the original diablo 3 screenshots to the most recent ones...  you will see they made the lighting darker to keep with the fan's expectations from the older games.

Reply #43 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 41
These aren't meant to be voted on. I was just showing how much difference light from even one source can make a difference.
End of Frogboy's quote

 

Poor Frog. He was just trying to give us some insight and now we're demanding changes again. </3

Reply #44 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 41
These aren't meant to be voted on. I was just showing how much difference light from even one source can make a difference.
End of Frogboy's quote

 

Again, everyone trying to steal the light from your show. :rofl:

Reply #45 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 41
These aren't meant to be voted on. I was just showing how much difference light from even one source can make a difference.
End of Frogboy's quote

They all knew that.. they just didn't care.. X|

Reply #46 Top

I care, i also care about seeing my name on the screen so i can wave at it (there i am loooook)

 

No seriously.

 

I really appreciate knowing that this is being looked at.

 

EDIT: also, thet lord xia setting, that almost sounds official. Can i have that in the next update.

again seriously,

tks for putting this up frogboy. Maybe in the future you can publish an Elemental artwork book. that would be neat.

Reply #47 Top

I vote for Number 3.

Reply #48 Top

Quoting Farrout000, reply 32
I suggest changing the light depending on the time of day.  Not the time of day in game, but the time of the playing user.

During the day when people are awake and it is bright outside, the game should appear brighter and light should be whiter.  After sunset the in game lighting should change to use more warmer colors (like the soft warm light from an incandescent lamp).

Dynamically changing the light will provide a more soothing and relaxing playing experience for the end user and cause less disruption in sleep patterns.  If you want more information check out:  http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpa/24/2/24_183/_article

Doing this will require the game knowing the geographical location of the end user to sync up with sunrise and sunset, but I believe the end result will provide a must more enjoyable experience.

(For those of you who are interested check out: http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/ it is a great *free* little program that adjusts the temperature of your monitor depending on the time of day. ).

 
End of Farrout000's quote

 

That would definitely be cool. I used to use Flux, and I loved it. Until I found out it had a hit on my fps in games.

Reply #50 Top

of course light isn't our friend, haven't you seen deathnote? (sorry couldn't resist.)