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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 2nd May 2021 at 7:43 PM
Default Maxis Match Lighting Mod vs. Gunmod's Radiant Lighting Mod?
I'm trying to decide on what lighting mod to use for my game and from what I can tell these two are the most popular ones out there. Dreadpirate on tumblr made the first one and she also made a new/improved version of Gunmod's lighting mod.

I don't know which one to choose though, so if you use either of these, which one is your favorite and why? What are the key differences?

I'd love to see some comparison pictures between these two actually, to judge how they look different in game, but couldn't really find any direct comparsion pictures of identical/similar situations.
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Alchemist
#2 Old 2nd May 2021 at 8:06 PM
I think the best way is to try them out for yourself and decide which you like better. For me, the key factor in deciding which lighting mod to use was how dark night and dusk are. The original radiance mod, for example, was way too dark for me and that's why I use and edit of it (I actually use Spookymuffins').

So install one and play for a little bit, note what it looks like at various times of day and in different seasons and write down what you like or don't like. Then make your choice. I think that's the best way to really get the info you're looking for.

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Mad Poster
#3 Old 3rd May 2021 at 12:31 AM Last edited by HarVee : 3rd May 2021 at 12:42 AM.
Gunmod's lighting makes things more grey and mute, it washes out the white turning them into a more light cream colour and the existing cream colours become oddly more grey.

Because the earth is standing still, and the truth becomes a lie
A choice profound is bittersweet, no one hears Cassandra Goth cry

Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#4 Old 3rd May 2021 at 8:18 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Phantomknight
I think the best way is to try them out for yourself and decide which you like better. For me, the key factor in deciding which lighting mod to use was how dark night and dusk are. The original radiance mod, for example, was way too dark for me and that's why I use and edit of it (I actually use Spookymuffins').

So install one and play for a little bit, note what it looks like at various times of day and in different seasons and write down what you like or don't like. Then make your choice. I think that's the best way to really get the info you're looking for.


I wanted to decide before installing it because iirc from when I skimmed the instructions a few weeks ago, installation seems kind of more complex if you also take into account the water mod, neighborhood lighting mod, defaults etc that are all connected to this.

Quote: Originally posted by HarVee
Gunmod's lighting makes things more grey and mute, it washes out the white turning them into a more light cream colour and the existing cream colours become oddly more grey.


Hmm, that sounds like the opposite of what I want. I'd rather like my game to be bright and not muted or grey-ish.
Point in favor of the Maxis Match Lighting Mod then I gues?

If anyone has any more thoughts or experiences to share, or pictures you might have which happen to show the effects of either mod well, I'd love to see it.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#5 Old 4th May 2021 at 1:36 AM
Quote: Originally posted by quweenie
I'm trying to decide on what lighting mod to use for my game and from what I can tell these two are the most popular ones out there. Dreadpirate on tumblr made the first one and she also made a new/improved version of Gunmod's lighting mod.

I don't know which one to choose though, so if you use either of these, which one is your favorite and why? What are the key differences?

I'd love to see some comparison pictures between these two actually, to judge how they look different in game, but couldn't really find any direct comparsion pictures of identical/similar situations.


There are more lighting mods than that. Spooky Muffins is also well used. I use SM with tweaks by Dicreasy.
Screenshots

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
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Field Researcher
#6 Old 4th May 2021 at 2:21 AM
If you go for gunmod lighting, everything will almost always be too dark, and white objects under a ceiling lamp turn eyesearingly bright. The lighting in the game suddenly becomes a whole lot less effective, and forget about going outside at nighttime.
Not to mention that gunmod will exaggerate any minor deformities and jagged pixels in a sim's facial structure that in regular lighting seems normal.
So with gunmod, some things are prettier, but most things are frustrating.
I prefer nearly maxis lighting, but with added sunrise and sunset lighting. That way, custom content accessories won't break, faces look whole, eye shines make sense, and premade lots' lighting stays sufficient.

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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#8 Old 4th May 2021 at 6:53 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
There are more lighting mods than that. Spooky Muffins is also well used. I use SM with tweaks by Dicreasy.

Quote: Originally posted by HugeLunatic
I also use the lighting mod by spooky muffin. But I also added ReShade to enhance vibrancy.


Hmm, I've heard of that one before as well, but mostly always saw people using and talking about the other two, so those were on my mind. But your pictures and the lighting in them look really lovely joandsarah77, thank you for sharing! Seems like I should also consider spooky muffin's mod.

Quote: Originally posted by Nottakenaway
If you go for gunmod lighting, everything will almost always be too dark, and white objects under a ceiling lamp turn eyesearingly bright. The lighting in the game suddenly becomes a whole lot less effective, and forget about going outside at nighttime.
Not to mention that gunmod will exaggerate any minor deformities and jagged pixels in a sim's facial structure that in regular lighting seems normal.
So with gunmod, some things are prettier, but most things are frustrating.
I prefer nearly maxis lighting, but with added sunrise and sunset lighting. That way, custom content accessories won't break, faces look whole, eye shines make sense, and premade lots' lighting stays sufficient.


That is very helpful to know for me, thank you! All of this sounds like the opposite of what I want, so I think GunMod's mod is out of the race now and spooky muffin's is in :p
Mad Poster
#9 Old 4th May 2021 at 11:06 PM
Just to confuse everything, of course (especially if you play a medieval game) Almighty Hat did something marvelous with lighting that works so nicely in game:
A World Lit By Fire (Color tweaks to the Radiance Lighting Mod for Pre-Electric Games)]

That is, if you're looking for more authentic looking styles of lighting...

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Scholar
#10 Old 5th May 2021 at 2:38 AM
Ooof! I've been a Radiance-lover since 2012, because Maxis lighting (along with the camera controls) creates frequent headache-triggers for me. I can't even remember if I have the brighter-nights version or not, because I haven't touched it since 2014, when I installed it into the UC. (I checked the files, and it says version 2.4, edited by dDfinder.) So, obviously, I dislike changing things up -- and I also like its effects. So...apparently my old standby washes things out, makes them more grey, causes extreme contrasts and makes things ugly and dark... Yes, that's true. I thought that was realistic. I also thought a megahood that has been described as dystopian was semi-realistic. (And yes, Radiance lighting suited it just fine!) Well, maybe it's time for a change. (And maybe this says more about me than about lighting.)

SpookyMuffin's looks nice because of the expanded "golden hour" at dawn and dusk (Radiance improves lighting, but it can still change too fast for my liking) but that daylight picture looks like a Maxis-match headache-inducer if it was actually in my game, which is why I didn't use that mod to start with. Dreadpirate's Maxis Match lighting mod looks very nice, and less likely to cause headaches, but the idea of "Maxis Match" lighting concerns me (and I usually love maxis-match stuff...just not lighting). I know that creator is a little...self-interested, shall we say?...and that's also concerning given the number of things built into the mod.

At least I think I won't be using AlmightyHat's mod, although it's beautiful. (Although now that people are doing the Decades Challenge for TS2...) I'd love to use reshade, but my current computer won't handle it. Someday, when I can afford a new computer (which I'd be wanting for other reasons than just reshade!)...if I live long enough. (I'm sorry, I've been appending that to any mention of future plans for over a year now. Very Radiance-lighting thought...but thinking about this makes me feel old, bitter, and in need of default replacement. 2014 was seven years ago.)
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#11 Old 5th May 2021 at 3:10 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Freefalldreams
SpookyMuffin's looks nice because of the expanded "golden hour" at dawn and dusk (Radiance improves lighting, but it can still change too fast for my liking) but that daylight picture looks like a Maxis-match headache-inducer if it was actually in my game, which is why I didn't use that mod to start with. Dreadpirate's Maxis Match lighting mod looks very nice, and less likely to cause headaches, but the idea of "Maxis Match" lighting concerns me (and I usually love maxis-match stuff...just not lighting). I know that creator is a little...self-interested, shall we say?...and that's also concerning given the number of things built into the mod.


Daylight is I believe unchanged, so it is Maxis lighting. The headache is unfortunate, it's never bothered me and I am prone to headaches.
Dawn and dusk are one hour long and golden like you said, but slightly different from each other.
Nighttime is darker but not as dark as Radiance which is one of the main reasons I picked it.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#12 Old 5th May 2021 at 6:35 PM
I've had the Gunmod lighting in my game for years and have never had to use Reshade because my computer dosen't need that though I use a program to let me boost into gaming mode which forces my computer to shift to the dedicated graphics card instead of the internal one when playing sims.
Scholar
#13 Old 5th May 2021 at 7:00 PM Last edited by Freefalldreams : 5th May 2021 at 7:41 PM.
I found this: Dreadpirate has an enhancement of Radiance! It looks like a best-of-both situation, something between Radiance and the Maxis Match one. Requires removing SkyFix, but otherwise seems pretty simple...and pretty. I think I'll try it out!
Edit: And it allows switching back and forth between modern and A World Lit By Fire through a cheat. Very useful...
Forum Resident
#14 Old 6th May 2021 at 4:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Freefalldreams
I found this: Dreadpirate has an enhancement of Radiance! It looks like a best-of-both situation, something between Radiance and the Maxis Match one. Requires removing SkyFix, but otherwise seems pretty simple...and pretty. I think I'll try it out!
Edit: And it allows switching back and forth between modern and A World Lit By Fire through a cheat. Very useful...

I just wish it had options for darker nights, and not removing the blue. I like those design elements. I like nights to be atmospheric and cartoony, and for dark rooms to actually be dark, but also like some of the changes they made, esp to the seasons lightings. So I'm stuck with the original radiance mod for now, with all it's issues.
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retired moderator
#15 Old 6th May 2021 at 6:52 PM
I really love Ddefinder's version of Radiance lighting:
https://modthesims.info/d/290746
Mad Poster
#16 Old 6th May 2021 at 7:09 PM
See, I always find the lighting fine in TS2. Although the sunset/sunrise is a nice touch.

What baffles me is how nobody ever made any lighting mods for the sims 3 or 4?? I can barely play those games because the lighting is so incredibly awful. Or maybe they did make them after I gave up playing

I use the sims as a psychology simulator...
Forum Resident
#17 Old 6th May 2021 at 8:18 PM
Quote: Originally posted by simsfreq
See, I always find the lighting fine in TS2. Although the sunset/sunrise is a nice touch.

What baffles me is how nobody ever made any lighting mods for the sims 3 or 4?? I can barely play those games because the lighting is so incredibly awful. Or maybe they did make them after I gave up playing


People have made lighting mods for the other two, just not good enough ones to eliminate the grossness of 3's outdoor lighting and 4's indoor lighting (or the inverse bloom relation. Come to think of it, 3 and 4's lighting really are practically exact opposites. 3's lighting leans too yellow, where 4's leans too blue, etc...) At least IMO
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#18 Old 6th May 2021 at 8:19 PM
Quote: Originally posted by simsfreq
What baffles me is how nobody ever made any lighting mods for the sims 3
We did make lighting mods for Sims 3! Each of the EA worlds had its own custom lighting which was examined here; I made several worlds that had custom lighting. Some modders made overrides that would work in all worlds, the modder I linked above (Ddefinder) made one for Sims 3.
Instructor
#19 Old 6th May 2021 at 8:29 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Freefalldreams
I found this: Dreadpirate has an enhancement of Radiance! It looks like a best-of-both situation, something between Radiance and the Maxis Match one. Requires removing SkyFix, but otherwise seems pretty simple...and pretty. I think I'll try it out!
Edit: And it allows switching back and forth between modern and A World Lit By Fire through a cheat. Very useful...


Agreed! I've been using it since Dread Pirate first released it in 2018 and never looked back. And it is indeed compatible with Nopke's SkyFix - I use both with no issues at all.
Forum Resident
#20 Old 7th May 2021 at 10:08 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Amalia81
Agreed! I've been using it since Dread Pirate first released it in 2018 and never looked back. And it is indeed compatible with Nopke's SkyFix - I use both with no issues at all.


I think it is also the one that I use, since it does not cause conflict with skyfix, the only problem is that sometimes the light of the objects are turned off when using the build mode, but it is fixed by selecting them.

Or maybe this one? https://modthesims.info/d/192613/th...diance-2-4.html Uh when so much time passes you start to forget what you have installed ... I hope I don't have to do it again for a long time because I would spend days reconfiguring my game.
Mad Poster
#21 Old 10th May 2021 at 6:09 PM
That's the one I have installed. I haven't experienced lights turned off with that version.

Because the earth is standing still, and the truth becomes a lie
A choice profound is bittersweet, no one hears Cassandra Goth cry

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