Mapping feature ideas...

DoctorJuice

<div class="IPBDescription">From someone who has never mapped before</div>Ok I just thought up a couple ideas for ambient effects for maps.  I have no idea how feasible they are, since I've never mapped before, but here goes:

1.  Use the flashlight feature in Half-Life to create some sort of roving spotlight in a map.  Maybe but this in the marine start, where alarms could be going off and spotlights start flooding the area.

2.  Remember the "shiny" effect on Barney's helmet or the Alien Soldier's body armor?  Maybe mappers could try making a few models with these texture on them, in order to create a metallic feel, or apply a lighter version to a modelled window or something along those lines.

Are these feasible, or no?

Vyvn

1. Very feasible, just involves a light_spot targeting an invisible, unsolid func_train. This would look very cool too. *edit* No, this doesn't actually work. Just ignore me, I'm stupid.

2. It has something to do with a "chrome" effect on textures. I think they were going to use this on the weapons, but didn't because shadows didn't cast on them. I think. Or something like that.

Black_Wolf

<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->1. Very feasible, just involves a light_spot targeting an invisible, unsolid func_train. This would look very cool too.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

erm, im pretty sure this is incorrect as lighting is precalculated (ie the RAD compile tool) and not dynamically done in game, this methods would not work at all . . . the light_spot would remain static while the func_train moved.

Vyvn

Hm, you're right.  <!--emo&???--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'><!--endemo-->

Maybe instead it could be done by a moving spotlight-type texture set right on the floor, with rendermode additive? Dunno how good that would look.

Rokiyo

Well, not all lighting is pre-rendered... I know that entity lights can be switched on and off in game (but not light emitting textures), but then again those aren't spotlights... Or are they?

I all I know about how HL's lighting works is what I read at Valve-ERC and what the guy who made para_glider wrote...

And even then my memory is pretty shoddy...

And even after that I'm too lazy to look it up again...

It sounds even worse when you realise I'm already surfing the Valve-ERC site on another IE window...

Plaguebearer

With a pair of func_pendulum entities, and with the help of the additive rendermode, you can sort of fake a spotlight.  It's more trouble than it's worth, though.

Battousaix

Plaguebearer is right, its nearly (if not imposible) getting somehow that effect withouth making the room look crappy......
You could have an animated texture that moves, but the light around it would always look the same =/

doctopepa

The "shiny"-effect is more interesting and i don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. you could make detailed models with shiny details on the details without raising r_speeds at all, am i right?