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?