56 replies to this topic

[Orthodoxia]

I love the night version, I love the colors. For me both in BG and BG2 areas at night time looked very much lifeless, especially the cities and villages. This really brings life into it.

[Big Poppa]

No light sources are random. Come night time, torches light up as do windows etc. New shadows can appear this way as you can see in the following examples.




I think it adds awesome atmosphere. Entering a village at night where sticking to the lit areas keeps you illuminated and potentially safe from wild beasts if scripted correctly. Windows will light up too giving the city or whatever is alive at night notion. This can't be done for every area but for the big populated areas, I think it's good. That's what they did for bg2 anyway. They did this for all the Athkatla wards. Everywhere else just had the standard bg1 style night shading

Edited by Big Poppa, 02 October 2008 - 01:47 PM.

[Jazhara7]

I love the night version, I love the colors. For me both in BG and BG2 areas at night time looked very much lifeless, especially the cities and villages. This really brings life into it.

I agree that the cities looked too dark and empty at night time. But the Friendly Arm Inn is in the middle of the wilderness, where it will be the only source of light. The fields around it would be dark. The castle itself can remain the way it is, as I agree it actually does look nice (even if it does struck me with the amount of colours at first. But on second look it is pretty nice).

EDIT: Thanks for the detailed view. Now I see the torches.

I think you got some of the shadows messed up, though. Isn't that stone in the lower picture, beside the one with the writing facing away from the torch (as is the stone with the writing)? Shouldn't the side we see be in shadows?

Also, the haybales and crates in the upper picture seem to have the sides shadowed, even if they are facing the torch, while the tops are lighted, even though there's no light from above near by. During the day that lighting is correct, but at night it is not always.

I'm sorry for nitpicking. I know getting all shadows right in night pictures is hell. I am working on one right now too, with mulitple light sources, and though I am not yet at the point of shading and colouring, I already dread getting to that point, because it will be hell (and I am working with chalk).


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Edited by Jazhara7, 02 October 2008 - 01:49 PM.

[Big Poppa]

You won't see the source of light from the big jpg I posted because the flames only appear in the game so yes, it would appear like random light from that. The screen shots however have the flames on the torches etc

I can see where I cocked up with light on the wrong side of a rock. Objects still cast the new shadow from the torch as well as the moon shadow. That might explain 2 shadows. It was WAY too much effort to re-render the area with new lights so I had to do it manually in photoshop burning shadows with the burn tool hehe.

Edited by Big Poppa, 02 October 2008 - 01:53 PM.

[Jarno Mikkola]

I think there's too many lights...

Yeah, ah it might be a good idea to put some of the window lights out in the night as I am sure not all of them are enlightened, as the people need to sleep too.

But over all, very nice job!

[Big Poppa]

good point

[Big Poppa]

Okay. Lights out. Fixed those lighting errors..... I think. Hope that does it.

Thank for the critique guys n gals.

[Big Poppa]

I liked this night version so much that I did the same for the lion's crag hamlet area too. It looks just as good but the only draw back was that there was no way to keep the water overlay when it turns to night. It would have to be done manually and hell to that. It's no big deal though.




That being said......... let's move on shall we



Oh, and one more thing. Remember the area where Gorian was killed. Was there supposed to be some significance to those stones with all the scorch marks by them?

Edited by Big Poppa, 03 October 2008 - 08:34 AM.

[Epantiras]

Oh, and one more thing. Remember the area where Gorian was killed. Was there supposed to be some significance to those stones with all the scorch marks by them?

There was nothing special about them if I remember correctly. It could be some kind of 'trick' so that Bioware made it easier to players to go back to the place he was killed and loot his items ;-)
something I loved about BG is that there are lots of little 'weird' things and you won't find a particular siginficance behind all of them

Edited by Epantiras, 03 October 2008 - 08:42 AM.

[Jazhara7]

Oh, and one more thing. Remember the area where Gorian was killed. Was there supposed to be some significance to those stones with all the scorch marks by them?

There was nothing special about them if I remember correctly. It could be some kind of 'trick' so that Bioware made it easier to players to go back to the place he was killed and loot his items ;-)
something I loved about BG is that there are lots of little 'weird' things and you won't find a particular siginficance behind all of them

Like the cows going "Ouch! ...err, I mean: Moo!" if you click them often enough?


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[Icendoan]

"There ain't anyone here but us chickens!"

Icen

[Deathsangel]

Okay, call me meanie, but why are plants giving of light? Only so few bacteria are fluorescent. Or have I read over a certain post?

[Jazhara7]

Okay, call me meanie, but why are plants giving of light? Only so few bacteria are fluorescent. Or have I read over a certain post?

They're shining in the moonlight. At least the cabbage is, I think.



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[Jarno Mikkola]

Okay, call me meanie, but why are plants giving of light? Only so few bacteria are fluorescent. Or have I read over a certain post?

Yep, you skipped a few post, as the torches are lighted in the Post #42, but they can't be animated in the map screen like in post #47.

[Deathsangel]

Okay, call me meanie, but why are plants giving of light? Only so few bacteria are fluorescent. Or have I read over a certain post?

Yep, you skipped a few post, as the torches are lighted in the Post #42, but they can't be animated in the map screen like in post #47.

I ain't talking about animations... simply the plants giving of light or so it seems. When a plant is hit by moonlight it doesn't have yellowish glow around it.
The cabbages are just fine and green and with the picture before the plant is clearly lighted from the window (post 48), but I was talking about the plants outside of the keep in that great overview. (post 47)
Don't get me wrong, as I said here and there through this and the previous topic Big Poppa is capable of mind-blowing work, I am simpy trying to give some more critisicm here in a funny way.

Edited by Deathsangel, 10 October 2008 - 04:15 AM.

[Jarno Mikkola]

but I was talking about the plants outside of the keep in that great overview. (post 47)

Yep, so was I... there is 5 clearly visible torches in the picture. I made them a bit more clear, just a bit.

Edited by Jarno Mikkola, 10 October 2008 - 05:41 AM.

[Deathsangel]

*Puts on glasses* (which he doesn't have)

Ah, you young people nowadays always trying to show of the old people by 'helping' but in the same easy motion degrading us... it is... degrading

I still reckon those red light thingies more to the side of the port are unnaturally lighted, but the rest has become way more logical now... I will slink back to the shadows.