For those of you who don't read the NPC forum...

[Kaimetsu]

Originally posted by Soul-Blade
Well, I can make light shows. But, this is what I have learned. We see professional quality games running at nice frame rates without taking much memory - and it is because of the fact we use to many lights.

Not really. It's because those programs interact (semi)directly with the hardware, rather than being routed through a scripting engine.

You can make a amazing light show using amazing light effects, meaning instead of using 50 regular light images, use 1 image following the same animation...

Not sure I understand. As far as I can tell, you either mean:

1) Make an animated image file (gif, mng, whatever) of a light show and then display that instead.
2) Make a light show with only one light.

The second seems a little strange but then so does the first. Please elaborate.

o_O. So basicly, the force power would be the distance from the natural state?

They would be related, yes, though it wouldn't be a linear relationship. Read up on some physics if you want a better explanation - there'll be plenty of models that could suit your purposes.

The farther they go, the more force the exert, until they go right through a bubble to get to its objective...I would really need to think about this to make it work, and I have to many other things to do. I might just play around with it, though I don't think I could be successful.

If I get sufficiently bored in the near future then I'll code up a quick demo for you. It really wouldn't be so complicated.

[Soul-Blade]

Originally posted by Kaimetsu


Not really. It's because those programs interact (semi)directly with the hardware, rather than being routed through a scripting engine.

Well, the lighting in them is amazing. And it has alot to do with the graphics.

Originally posted by Kaimetsu

Not sure I understand. As far as I can tell, you either mean:

1) Make an animated image file (gif, mng, whatever) of a light show and then display that instead.
2) Make a light show with only one light.

The second seems a little strange but then so does the first. Please elaborate.

The first, actually. It is alot more efficient then using alot of showimg, but then it is more difficult. Well, I don't think it is very hard, but others might.

Originally posted by Kaimetsu

They would be related, yes, though it wouldn't be a linear relationship. Read up on some physics if you want a better explanation - there'll be plenty of models that could suit your purposes.

o_O. I probably understand what you are saying, but just don't realize it

Originally posted by Kaimetsu

If I get sufficiently bored in the near future then I'll code up a quick demo for you. It really wouldn't be so complicated.

I would...really appreciate that.

[Kaimetsu]

Originally posted by Soul-Blade
Well, the lighting in them is amazing. And it has alot to do with the graphics.

Perhaps so, but the effects are entirely dynamic. More on this in a second.

The first, actually. It is alot more efficient then using alot of showimg, but then it is more difficult. Well, I don't think it is very hard, but others might.

The problem is that such an effect is entirely static. It could never react to the player's actions. You could never code, say, some fireworks in this way (without producing hundreds of mngs) because they need to have dynamic attributes such as thrust, color etc. Otherwise they just look the same every time.

[Soul-Blade]

Originally posted by Kaimetsu


Perhaps so, but the effects are entirely dynamic. More on this in a second.



The problem is that such an effect is entirely static. It could never react to the player's actions. You could never code, say, some fireworks in this way (without producing hundreds of mngs) because they need to have dynamic attributes such as thrust, color etc. Otherwise they just look the same every time.

Perhaps you are right. I was mainly going for things like nice levels, with great waterfalls, light rays shooting down from the sky, things like that.

[Kaimetsu]

Originally posted by Soul-Blade
Perhaps you are right. I was mainly going for things like nice levels, with great waterfalls, light rays shooting down from the sky, things like that.

Fair enough. It all depends on the scenario. For example: You could use dynamic graphical effects in a script so that it draws spray for any waterfall regardless of width and height. Then you can just lay waterfalls creatively and not have to worry about remaking the spray animation.

[Soul-Blade]

Originally posted by Kaimetsu


Fair enough. It all depends on the scenario. For example: You could use dynamic graphical effects in a script so that it draws spray for any waterfall regardless of width and height. Then you can just lay waterfalls creatively and not have to worry about remaking the spray animation.

o_O care to explain? Sounds like script once again, rather then quality light effects.

[Kaimetsu]

Originally posted by Soul-Blade
o_O care to explain? Sounds like script once again, rather then quality light effects.

Again I get the feeling that we are running perpendicular. You were saying that making static animations was a reasonable alternative for writing dynamic scripts. I just gave an example where a dynamic script would've been more convenient.

[JrTerrorist]

Nothing better than Kai finding a new rival in the SuperMegaLongPostsThatNoOneWantsToRead category..

[Soul-Blade]

Originally posted by Kaimetsu


Again I get the feeling that we are running perpendicular. You were saying that making static animations was a reasonable alternative for writing dynamic scripts. I just gave an example where a dynamic script would've been more convenient.

Oh, well, what I am trying to say is light effects need a quality base, to reduce lag. So maybe a waterful can ahve like...10 spray particles going down, but the rest should be done with animation and such. Get what I mean? I don't know, it doesn't really matter...I am just trying things others haven't, after looking at games like never winter nights and dungeon seige, and even older games.