Gunmod's Radiance Light System 2.2 BETA RC1
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If it helps, I had 2.1 installed prior. However, I uninstalled it and restored the Maxis defaults before installing 2.2.
I also don't know whether this will help, but I'm using Windows XP. My computer and video card specs are:
Computer: Intel Pentium 4, 3.4 Ghz, 1GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive. My card is an nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GTO with 256mb of video memory. I'm using nVIDIA's version 61.78 drivers (I don't use the latest drivers because they've proven to be unstable with my configuration).
Hacks (at the time): InSimenator, Squinge's Hula Dance, GunMod's Camera Mod, Jaydees OFB Reaction Tester, ChristianLov's dresser.
Downloads folder: 5.41 GB/20,104 obj.
I also noticed that some of the lights would go wonky in that, I could no longer turn them on or off.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
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1) Run the installer and choose to install the CEP + Radiance 2.2
2) Run the installer again and choose "CEP only / Restore Maxis Lights"
3) Repeat step 1
This install/uninstall/install loop should fix any previous problem in the installation of the Radiance 2.2
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Ephemera, will you please run a test for me? I think that the CEP/Radiance installer can restore a bad Radiance installation, but I'd be glad if you try this for me (and it may fix your problem, too ) 1) Run the installer and choose to install the CEP + Radiance 2.2 2) Run the installer again and choose "CEP only / Restore Maxis Lights" 3) Repeat step 1 This install/uninstall/install loop should fix any previous problem in the installation of the Radiance 2.2 |
Huge thanks Numenor --- I shall run the test later today and then get back to you soon after. Oh, I reinstalled so my game is fresh once more ---- should I still follow the above steps anyway?
:lovestruc
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Remember to keep a copy of your custom userStartup.cheat, as usual (if you have a custom userStartup...)
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On a fresh installed game, you just need step 2 (normal installation fo the Radiance). Remember to keep a copy of your custom userStartup.cheat, as usual (if you have a custom userStartup...) |
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You can easily guess that I install, uninstall and change the CEP and the Radiance quite often, and I must have done something wrong...
My solution was:
1) Run the CEP installer to restore Maxis lights
2) Extract the entire "Lights" folder from the compressed.zip located in the 4th CD of the base game
3) copied the entire "Light" folder in my game installation (in The Sims 2\TSData\Res).
4) Reinstalled the Radiance 2.2. using the CEP installer.
This proves that no matter how careful or experienced you are, a problem is always around the corner
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thanks,
ramseyazad
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thanks again for all that hard work,
ramseyazad
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As for the lower lighting of the community lots, this is a side effect: the Radiance IS generally darker than the normal Maxis lighting, and all the community lots have been tweaked using the Maxis lights as a base, so no wonder that some of them may look a little too dark.
If you are going to use the Radiance forever (like most of us ) you should take in account the idea of manually adding some light to the most visited community lots.
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The benefits are mostly related to the new pool water animation, while the drawback is that some elements are missing from the game:
- the bump maps get disabled
- the fish in the aquarium are not visible
You can keep the radiance 2.2, removing only the custom shaders:
- open your userstartup.cheat (located in MyDocuments\EA Games\The Sims 2\Config), look for the line "boolprop UseShaders false" and change the last word to "true";
- then go to your Downloads folder and remove the file "RLS-Shaders.package".
This procedure should give you back the aquarium fishes and the bump maps, but you will lose the pool water animation.
Some user has reported, though, that editing the userstartup.cheat as explained, but leaving the "RLS-Shaders.package" in the Downloads should fix the fishes *and* keep the pool animation. I haven't tried myself, but it woths a shot
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BUT I'm more than sure that GunMod had a good reason for deactivating the Maxis shaders, so I guess that sooner or later I will notice something different in the Radiance effects, now that I've enabled again the Maxis shaders.
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26 SEPT 2006 - The support from the custom lights and the Radiance mod have been stripped from the CEP installer (now the CEP is again the CEP only )
The installer for both the Radiance versions, as well the support for custom light (and meny other functions) are now included in the new SCRIPTORIUM.
NOTE: the SCRIPTORIUM installs the Radiance 2.2 without GunMod's shaders, i.e. without modifying the userStartup.cheat.
I've choosen this way because I feel that it's less "invasive", and anyway losing the bump maps (and the fishes ) was too high a price to pay, just to have smoother shadows.
If you *do want* the Radiance to use GunMods shaders, just manually add the line "boolprop UseShaders false" at the end of your userstartup.cheat, after the SCRIPTORIUM installer finishes its job.
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Should i?
il just download it just in case...
lol
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I suggest the Scriptorium: you can always choose to install the Radiance only, with it.
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Radiance 2.2 RC1 (downloaded from here) without any personal change or additions, except the "useShaders false" line, that was removed (I use Maxis shaders). My graphic card is an Nvidia 5700LE. I have all the EPs and SPs, and I always install the latest patches.
The 2.2.1 version has an environment variable set in the lighting.txt that basically disables directional light indoors. In order for bump/normal mapping to be visible the light source apparently MUST have a direction. My version sets this variable to a value (6) that produces both a pleasantly diffuse effect and keeps bump mapping visible indoors. |
Yes, I've read your notes about the roomLightingType variable on this thread. GunMod used a value of 2 (ambient only), Maxis used 4 (ambient + 2 dir.), you used 6 (ambient + 4 dir.).
You are right that 2 isn't suitable (for the bumbmaps) but 6, too, looks quite bad in my game: when a sim walks through a room, the lights and shadows on him have too sharp transitions (see video HERE - 3Mb).
I've tested values from 0 to 7 in my game, and all the values greater than 4 produce the same "flashy" shadows. Let's discard also 0 and 1 (no ambient) and 2 (no directional), the best value seems to be Maxis default, 4, that has ambient light and the maximum number of directionals that ensure smooth shadow transitions.
NOTE: I guess that this "maximum number of directionals" varies depending to the graphic card (I have an Nvidia 5700LE) and this explains why a value of 6 looks good in your game. I think that Maxis choosed the value that would have fit the average capabilities of the various graphic cards.
In addition the 2.2.1 version has no definitions for the lights and windows added by OFB and FFS. Unless you have modded the items you can test this very easily. For example there is a "Bay Window" added by (I think) OFB... If you place it in a house with the 2.2.1, no light passes through it at all, its definitions have been ignored because of the way Gunmod structured the definitions. In my version I have taken the Maxis definitions of those (OFB and FFS) lights and windows and moved them into the RLS files so that they function as expected |
Now, this is very odd. That OFB windows and lights don't work in your game, I mean. They work perfectly in mine, and I would be surprised of the opposite... (see attached pic)
When the game loads, it reads all the "Lighting.txt" included in each EP (this is done automatically, no need to instruct the game on purpose).
Each "Lighting.txt", in turn, contains one or more "include" instructions (include, sInclude or wildInclude), that instructs the game to load other text files, containing other light definitions. The process is recursive (every file can call other files, with no limits).
GunMod edited the base-game Lighting.txt, deleting the original "include" instruction (thus, preventing the game to load the base-game Maxis lights), and adding a new "include", pointing to GunMod's "RLS-Main.txt" (thus, calling all the Radiance lights).
Then, GunMod nulled out all the light definitions for UNI and NL, and added his own definitions into the various "RSL-....txt" files, located into the base-game folder.
I'm not sure why he didn't leave them in the proper folders: I guess he just found easier to have all the table lamps, from any EP, into the same file etc... Or, more probably, he did so in order to freely use the "setLotLightingFile" cheat, to swap the various Lighting.txt on the fly, without reloading the game. However, he didn't need to move all the light definitions to the base-game folder: he chose to do so.
Obviously, GunMod could not edit the lighting.txt for the EP/SP newer that Nightlife, and therefore, the original files are read when the game is loaded.
Since you have experimented a lot, I guess that at one point you have put in your OFB and FFS Lights folders a "nulled-out" custom version of the lighting.txt, instead of the original ones.
I admit I haven't read the whole Radiance 2.2 threads (here and at MATY); but how many people complained about the Radiance 2.2.1 not working with OFB? I'm going to search the threads.
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1. I have only the Univeristy expansion pack. Will this still work?
2. I hear some people mentioning this turns on the Boolprop code "testing cheats", which from what i've heard unlocks debug mode. Am I correct in thinking this? Will this hack load my game in debug mode?
3. Also, from what another member in thsi topic said, using the Boolprop code "use shaders false" stops bump maps from working. Why do you use this code? Does the "use shaders" code HAVE to be off for this to work? In short, is it possible to have this system, plus bumpmaps aswell?
4. Has this been known to interfear with any other hacks?
5. If this hack does end up being too dark or anything like that, then is it possible to use the pool water shader with version 2.1?
I'm sorry if some of my questions have been answered already.
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2) No, the testing cheats will not be enabled. If you look into the userStartup.cheats that comes with the Radiance, you will see that all the lines are commented out with "#" and therefore are ignored; only the first line (ignoreErrors true) and the last line (boolprop useShaders false) are actual instuctions read and executed when loading.
3) This subject has been discussed earlier, and unfortunately GunMod isn't here to defend his original choice. Yes, the "useShaders false" disable bump maps.
Personally, I've deleted the "useShaders" line from the userConfig.cheats: the Radiance looks great anyway, and I have my bumpmaps
4) No. But I suggest to install the Radiance by using the Scriptorium installer: it ensures compatibility with the user-made lamps that include custom light definitions.
5) That I can't say. Try it yourself: using the Scriptorium installer you can install/uninstall both versions of the Radiance in a matter of click, and even restoring the original Maxis files, if needed.
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I've finally started my Journal. Information only, no questions.
My latest activity: CEP 9.2.0! - AnyGameStarter 2.1.1 (UPD) - Scriptorium v.2.2f - Photo & Plaques hide with walls - Magazine Rack (UPD) - Animated Windows Hack (UPD) - Custom Instrument Hack (UPD) - Drivable Cars Without Nightlife (UPD) - Courtesy Lights (FIX) - Custom Fence-Arches - Painting-TV - Smarter Lights (UPD)
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