Holy darkside Batman! SoM has shadows!!!

[HwitVlf]

Something Ben said got me curious so I did some tests and just realized that lamp Objects in SoM actually cast a shadow behind map Pieces! Maybe everyone else already knew this but I didn't. It seems to be a fairly complex ability since I put a tree in front of the lamp and it cast a somewhat tree-like shadow on the wall behind the tree.  It only affects map Pieces, but still it could add a lot of immersion if handled right. COOL!! Attached is a sample project to show off the effect.

[scott]

I'm not sure if it's my computer or something but... all I see is a red arrow pointing into darkness.
I never knew about the shadows. Ya learn something new every day, lol.

[HwitVlf]

My screenshots always seem to come out dark, but  I think it shows up better ingame. I changed the pic and added a version with the contrast boosted so it's easier to see the shadow behind the pillar.   

[dmpdesign]

Focused lighting is definitely a great way to enhance your games, it just requires folks to use less ambient lighting in general.

A while back when Ben started I think i gave him my 'average' som map specs for DD which I use only 1 ambient light set at 90,90,90 (R,G,B)...and the direction really matters too, typically if you want a lot of wall shadows/lighting effects youll want your ambient light pointing at the floor or the ceiling.

[Verdite]

Cor  blimey! I actually hadnt bothered with lamps before - now i see that i should have messed with them earlier! It'd be good to have enough draw distance to be able to see these lamps  from far away. Would these work in a dimly lit room with no shadows? Perfect for dungeon crawling / dark environments.

[dmpdesign]

Yes it works better the more dim the ambient lighting is.  I have a few sections in my earth caves that are almost void of any surrouding light except for the lamps, it looks cool.

[Verdite]

Looking forward to constructing my new maps. The big problem ive got in terms of level design are ramps / sloping areas. I just need the right MHM for them. Testing MHM can be a serious pain. Todd did you make your own custom slopes? I'm afraid that my floor tiles wont match that of SoM's ramp MHM data.

[dmpdesign]

I did and it was terribly hard at times, especially getting mhm data where the player doesnt fall through the cracks.  Just to note, the stock SOM outside set has plenty of places with MHM holes in the ramps, so use them cautiously.

Just note that you cant go over a .5 meter incline per map tile,  so I think you have to stay equal or under .5 meter rise for every 2 meters in length.

[Verdite]

Thats helpful to know. Well, if From's software team couldnt get the MHM perfect then i'll probably struggle too. But if i do make a ramp section ill post it here for others to use.

[Guyra]

I take it these are light maps, and not dynamic lights?