[CF-Devel] Light and Darkness

[kevin at ank.com]

For what it is worth, I rechecked my light testing map.  Walls don't 
affect the light one way of the other.  If light propagates 4 squares
from a source then it does so regardless of any intervening walls,
including double walls.

Cheers,
-kls

On Sat, Dec 29, 2001 at 05:04:59PM -0800, 
     
     kevin at ank.com
     
      wrote:
>
     
     
     >
     
      > > I've been testing the darkness code on some of the sample maps and
     
     >
     
      > > find that it doesn't work nearly as well as I would have hoped.
     
     >
     
      > > When casting light from a light source, the light should stop at
     
     >
     
      > > any walls I think.  As it is, the code makes it very difficult to
     
     >
     
      > > throw shadows across the floor of the dungeon, and light on a wall
     
     >
     
      > > lights up that wall even if you are on the opposite side from the
     
     >
     
      > > light source.
     
     >
     
      > 
     
     >
     
      >  This is largely because the way the game is designed - everything is based on
     
     >
     
      > square spaces.  For example, for line of sight, we can know if you can see that
     
     >
     
      > square, and not that you see half a square or whatever.  In the case of walls,
     
     >
     
      > this often means you see the small strip of floor/ground on the far side of the
     
     >
     
      > wall.
     
     >
     
      > 
     
     >
     
      >  Similarly, for light, we know the light level for the entire space.  Trying to
     
     >
     
      > know that the right half the square and not the left is illuminated (Because of
     
     >
     
      > a wall) is not done, and in any case, that information would then have to get
     
     >
     
      > communicated to the client.
     
     >
     
      > 
     
     >
     
      >  If the problem is that you see an illuminated wall because the next room over
     
     >
     
      > is illuminating it, the simple solution is to just make the walls double thick. 
     
     >
     
      > Then, if the next room is full bright but the room you are in is dark, the walls
     
     >
     
      > will still be dark.
     
     >
     
      > 
     
     >
     
     
     >
     
      Take a look at my server on avalon.ank.com then go to the towers/tower map
     
     >
     
      and take a walk around to the north-east corner.  As you get close to the
     
     >
     
      corner inside the tower, you'll notice that it suddenly gets bright.  This
     
     >
     
      is from a light that is actually on the other side of the wall.  
     
     >
     
     
     >
     
      Perhaps it is an error in the way I have the light source configured -- I'll
     
     >
     
      take a look and see if settings are out of range.  At the time I was trying
     
     >
     
      to get the outside of the building to be bright as day, so I think I upped
     
     >
     
      the light level to a hundred or so.
     
     >
     
     
     >
     
      Cheers,
     
     >
     
      -kls
     
     >
     
     
     >
     
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-- 
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     kevin at ank.com
     
     
::::::::
     
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                                   kls   \_/-=\_/