black flames and light changes

Adamo · Post by **Adamo** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:24 am

Would it be possible to make black flames monsters glowing in the dark itself? I know that the flames are "black", but it could give nice effect: think about the black flame as the bonfire. Suppose that the light level is set to zero, and while you`re moving up to the monster, the light value grows: when distance from party to monster = 6, there`s no additional light (that means almost black screen, if light level is set to zero in the settings), and when the distance = 1, the additional light is set to the maximum (max possible light value).
If so, you could even allow these blackflame monsters to move (for example: on the firepots only), wchich should give you changes of light value even if the party is standing, but the monsters changing distance from the party by they movements.
Do you think it could be done?

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:31 am

Possible? Of course. Very difficult, I think.
You could try doing it with DSAs if you are ambitious.

Post by **Zyx** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:59 am

I agree with Paul. What about light from torches and spells? Would it be irrelevant? Players usually have the light at its maximul level, so the flames effect would be unnoticed...

I can propose you a way where you have a second system of darkness, independent of the light from torches and spells: put a permanent black overlay with, say, 80% transparency, so even the light given by torches and spells will look like 20% of darkness. When you comes near a flame, decrease the level of darkness by increasing the transparency of the black layout.

Adamo · Post by **Adamo** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 3:53 am

Zyx said:

Players usually have the light at its maximul level, so the flames effect would be unnoticed...

so maybe we could do a monster(s), that LOWERS light level (ex: while a monster is getting close to a character, the light level decreases, independently of all other light sources, like torches, spells or light-necklace)? Lord Chaos, for example...

Adamo · Post by **Adamo** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 2:48 pm

I can propose you a way where you have a second system of darkness, independent of the light from torches and spells: put a permanent black overlay with, say, 80% transparency, so even the light given by torches and spells will look like 20% of darkness.

very good idea, Zyx ! but how to make it work? I`m not talking here about concerning the transparency value with a party distance from a monster, but about the transparency at all.
Let`s say I need 10 values of transparency:
10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%.

Transparency values could be set by actuators; for example when you go to the room X, the transparency is set to 10%, when you go into the room Y, transparency is set to 20%, etc. That would make an illusion of light changes.
What I need is to change the states of the transparency (percent of light) by actuators, for example invicible pressure pads, wall buttons wchich switches on/switches off the light, etc., etc.

Is it doable somehow? Or do I have to put 10 overlays (black 90%, black 80%, black 70%, etc.) and turn them on independently, aevery set to 0%?
Thanx !

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 6:08 pm

Yes, basically you need to swap between one overlay of black, but alter the transparency number each time you use the &overlay command in a DSA to create the effect, and to turn it off you call the overlay command with 100% transparency.

You can store a number in the DSA parameter and use this for the transparency number, so you could do relative cycling (eg walk into a room and add 10% to the transparency already there for additional light, cycle between 10 under and 10% over to create a light flicker

Note zyx did this for vexirks firing fireballs (for a different reason) in conflux and it was quite effective as a light flicker!