More Awesome Than You!

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Description
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This is all based on Gunmod's Radiance Light System 2.1 and 2.2 RC1 made compatible for all expansion packs including Stuff packs. All credit belongs to Gunmod. You do not need 2.1 or 2.2 to install.

General Changes in 2.2 RC1
>Compatibility for all EP's and SP's
>Specular highlights for indoors and with usershaders on.
>Fixes to errors found on certain objects and lamps in base game.
>Corrected Dance and Neon lights and color.
>Adjustments to Day, night, Seasons and weather.
>Adjustments to dawn and dusk.
>Adjustments to Archways and Glass doors to make them cast more correctly.
>Adjustments to all light objects and windows.
>Adjustments to Userstartup.cheat
>Increase all light brightness and fallout range.
>Increase Doors and windows fallout range.

Installing automatically:

To install automatically use
SCRIPTORIUM by Numenor:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=192613 (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=192613)
It will install most necessary files including userstartup.cheat you do not need to follow the Manual install instuctions. For updating check 'how to update' in readme
(Thanks To Numenor)

note: This is does not contain the RLS-Shaders should only be used with NL and up.

Manual Install
To install manually follow the instructions that is found in the readme file. It requires that you change and place files correctly as instructed.

Recommended downloads
to be used along side Radiance

Smarter Lights: "automatically turn the light on and off, depending of the type of the lot, the time of the day and what the sims are doing."
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=188024

Courtesy Lights: "The Courtesy Lights will automatically lit up whenever the room is dark, when the standard lamps are off during nighttime, or in windowless rooms."
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=305228

Weather Atmosphere: "buy able "sky", it projects new clouds in the atmosphere"
http://modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=187229

Do you mean the Lightning Mod by SpookyMuffin?

Anyway, great timing ;)
I was just thinking if I should risk installing an old version.

Could also be the Seasons lighting mod by Hysterical Paroxysm

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=223605

Quick question about HP's lighting mod: If BV is my most recent expansion, will I need to put Lighting.txt in the BV directory or should it still go in the Seasons directory, since it mods the Season lights?

Should still go in your seasons directory, as any lighting files in BV are going to be for the vacation lots.

Thanks that was the one!


thanks, I'll attempt to see if I can get those problems fix. The object brightness I still don't understand how to properly do that.

update concerning Overcast weather lighting.

I've got a bit of a problem. After downloading this, I tried building a house & noticed that even in the daytime, no light came through the windows & everything was pitch black. Before I installed it, I made a backup copy of all the files necessary, and when I noticed the problem, I just had the old files overwrite these ones. I'm still having the window problem though. Granted, now that it's back to the Maxis original lighting, it's not pitch black, but it's still pretty dark. Anyone know what I might have done wrong and/or how to fix it?

I've forgotten to add the light system for the original Sims 2 that made it work in the first place. It's been updated.

Ok, I officially feel like an idiot now. Back when my game was lagging, my fiance set all the settings to low, and I forgot to change the lights back to high. Although, I still don't remember not having any light come through the windows when it was set to low. Anyone know if that's normal or not?

Certain windows will not have lighting cast when lighting setting is on low with this mod.

Ok, but what about w/o the mod? I reinstalled all the original lighting files & still didn't see any light through the windows on low. I've changed it back to high now, so it's not a problem anymore, I'm just curious.

Hrmm... When a sim takes a pic in the photo booth, it's very dark... Silhouette-like.
How could this be fixed?  ???

I'll try to find a way to fix that.

I'm also not sure if this first accrued during the first time I moved the code with seasons installed or after I installed BV and the update. The file that controls the photoboothing lighting is untouched and probably Season/BV can't recognize it.

@simaddict
I don't know. I think that all Maxis windows do have lighting cast though them. Did you remove any extra files that came with the mod? Like the ones in The Sims 2 folder.

Update for Freetime and for non-seasons user.

Thanks for continuing on such a nice mod. I have a question though: Is it possible to use the mod without overwriting any of the season lightning? I'm not sure if the mod by Hysterical Paroxysm is included or if we can add it to our liking and if we don't want it, can just not install it. So what I basically would want for my game is the improved lighting, but also the original seasons lighting.

Yes, you extract all the folders in the zip to their respective game folders.  Each EP added new lights and lighting, so there are modifications for each one beyond the base game.

Since this is a continuation of GunMod's 2.2 mod, do I need to install the userstartup cheat file that 2.2 originally came with to get this "updated" version to work properly?

-ZW

Those files are now linked to the new lighting system files that are in the The Sims 2 dictionary


It's not needed at all.

Update
*Now all EP and SP lights, windows and doors will now cast correct lighting effects/colors and will cast on Sims, objects and walls as Gunmod intended
*Photo booth will no longer leave black silhouette photos.
*Added option to use default Maxis Season lighting color.

Edit: v04a *Added userStartup.cheat file that will enable bumpmapping indoors and add other effects.

The RL-Shader.package is used for the pool reflections that's included in 2.2 RC1. It shouldn't be used if you have Seasons but if you don't its ok to keep it there.

I was just noticing the same problem. Only the wall light up behind many lights, and ceiling chandeliers are useless. Something to do with candles? What files do I change to fix this?

UPDATE:
v05
-Added Stuff Packs: Family Fun, Celebration, Glamour Life, HM Fashion, Kichen&Bath, Teen
-EP and SP lights will use RLS instead of Maxis configuration.
-Fixed missing lights that cast only on objects.
-Tweaked overall object light brightness.(needs feedback)
-Changed Maxis light setting, if an object uses these old settings it will use the tweaked light settings instead.(testing)
-Removed redundant coding and Non Seasons User folder(not needed).

@Rubyelf

The object was from Seasons and I've forgotten to added those lights to be used with Radiance and so things will not light up at all, its now been updated.  The darkness with the light are what gunmod intended but I'm going to be giving them a bit more brightness to them and changing the distance they travel. Also candle lights are ment to be not so bright.

@Kazzandra

Is this with only the ones with candles and all chandeliers? I've just updated see if that will fix the problem. Changing the mod will require that you also change different parts and that you have to keep them all balance with what each part changes.

I'll test today and get back to ya' as to whether the chandeliers look any better.

:UPDATE:
*v06*
--Increased light brightness and adjusted falloff range for weaker lights.
--Fixed some EP and SP related lighting issues such as street lights that can cast from 50 yards, improper color, and wrong light settings.
--Removed HM extra files.
--Changes in Read-me

@Rubyelf

Those were miss placed files and should be removed. thanks.

Since I've updated it, the lights with weaker light strength have been increased including other light types. 

I didn't know that there was a sun light until  I've found it in the garden category in build mode I got it confused with the other light that looks like it but green. Those lights have also been adjusted. 

I don't really know why your certain CC light doesn't work. I have not experienced a problem CC's lights but it could be that it was cloned from a object that Maxis had broken like a table light from OFB

Thanks for the feedback :D

I've got a problem with your userStartup file... :-\ I've copied everything in it into mine and saved it (I made sure it had the .cheat ending), but when I started up my game, my "usual" startup cheats didn't work anymore (cars on right, testing cheats etc.)!

I don't know why they are conflicting, so could s.o. please have a look into it? Thanks very much in advance! (I only put it in a rar for uploading, it's a .cheat file in my game)

It may be because of the extra spaces in the cheats- there should be only one after intprop, for example. Also, can dormspecifictools be disabled in the startup? Maybe that causes an error? If so, everything after that will be ignored.

Thanks for the quick reply, I'll try to modify it a bit...

edit: I got rid of the extra spaces and deleted the dorm tools line, but it still doesn't work. Thanks though for the help...

I hadn't realized how utterly borked my lighting was until I updated this mod! Thank you! One slight issue though, my Worldly Hue and Homespun Banner streetlamps do not cast any light on the ground after placement. Haven't run into the issue with any other particular lamps yet, but will keep my eyes open. I have Uni, NL, OFB, FFS, GLS & Seasons installed, and I initially noticed the issue on a custom dorm lot, if that matters at all.

@Rubyelf

The University EP never used downtown_lot lights. It was removed in v06.

It has a turn on appearance but Maxis didn't make it strong enough.  I don't know how to edit objects directly it seem to require BHAV editing or that the object needs its recolor edited.  I've also noticed this with other stuff pack lights.

@FuzzySham

Cut the Gunmod lines and paste it at the top and see if that will work.

@jennydee

It looks like Maxis has merged the broken table light file with the street lights thus breaking more lights. Those all came from OFB. I'll be looking into that and see if it can fix it, thanks.

EDIT: 5-28 UPDATE V07


EDIT2: 5-31 UPDATE V08

Still can't get BV to have dusk or dawn. even if its properly in the lighting file of BV it won't change from day to night anymore or it doesn't work.  I was able to get the night lighting back in RLS control but thats as far I gotten. I've also fixed some problems along the way. most were OFB lights.

I noticed the file for the userstartup.cheat contains the line useshaders true. I've been playing with it set to false. If I keep it set to false, will that screw everything up? I don't think my graphics card can do pixel shading.

You can run it with useshaders on false.  Things noticeably different is pool ripples and reflection will be missing, fish will be invisible if you have Seasons, and bump mapping will not work. I'm not sure how it will affect the lights on a non pixel shading card. You must at least run with shadows and lights on high.

EDIT:

I've updated to fix an error that I've made that caused strange lighting effects to happen at night.

EDIT 2:

UPDATE: that will increase the distance the lights for windows and doors can travel. changes to the seasons light and fix a mistake I made.

That's pretty much the case, anyway, since my card just can't do pixel shading, but I assume running with it set to off will somehow speed up the game since it won't be trying to process those things. So far the lighting looks good, the only irritant is with the colored lights that are diffuse only (which you said isn't the fault of the mod). The update from a couple of days ago is also a big improvement. I'll let you know if I run into any problems.

Are you running with useshaders false? Could be the reason that the fish are missing. The userstartup file that comes with this will turn it on. You can go into notepad and change it to false if you have problems with useshaders true.


It does not need 2.2 or 2.1 for it to be installed. You can just replace everything from 2.3 over the others.

First, back up your lights folder from The Sims 2 folder and the ones from all your EPs by compressing them:
The Sims 2/TSData/Res/Lights
The Sims 2 Nightlife/TSData/Res/Lights
The Sims 2 University/TSData/Res/Lights
ect.

You can now replace all the files from this mod into the individual folders of the games that you have.


The userStartup can be done either:

A)Open userStartup file inside the zip with notepad and copy all lines.
then go to:
My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Config
open the userStartup with notepad and paste the contents at the top in the txt file.

B)extract the userStartup to:
My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Config
This will overwrite everything thats in the file. This can be avoided by following step A instead.


If your useshaders is false you can also use it with Seasons but from my testing I found that the waves just freezes at random moments. You can leave it on or off but I would recommend removing it due to Seasons.

The invisible fish is cause by Usershaders false. I don't think your video card can use shaders true if its like that  by default without the Userstartup file. Although, you can try it on true and see if you get any problems.


yes.

I don't think I'm awesome enough to install this, since I can't figure out how by reading the instructions.  Do I have to extract all the files in the zip into all the EP folders and then do the whole user startup thingie, or just extract the files from the most recent ep (FT)?   I'm just sure if I do it wrong, there will be a fiery explosion, but without the lights it won't be visible.

^ Yep, you need to replace the files in the Lights folder for every EP and SP that you have. (And the base game ones too of course) And the userstartup thing too as you already mentioned.

I'm a little more awesome!  I installed this and wondered if anyone has noticed a funny interaction over snow cover, as in when I mouse over the snow, the snow disappears (but the ground underneath is lit fabulously!) in a circle around the cursor.  I undid the light mod from the seasons folder, since I figured snow was a seasons thing, and it fixed it.  Did I just figure out something everyone already knew?

^ Sorry to burst your bubble, but yeah. :P That's an option you can turn on or off in game, it's called X-Ray Cursor or something, and it's used so you can see things under the snow, the newspaper for example etc.

I'm not awesome.  I accept it and cry softly to myself.

this part of the install instructions confuses me:

Make sure that you compress the files and not just rename them as there will be conflicts.

Extract into the folders into *ALL* games that you have. Look in "_Stuff Packs" for SP games extract them if needed.


compress them? what? and why is there folders for ever EP and SP in there...like...arn't all the lighting files the same...? :-\

The first thing about compression I believe refers to the original lighting files, that you shouldn't leave them there even with different names but compress them into zip files. Better yet I'd advise to cut+paste them to an all different folder in your desktop or whatever and then replace with the RLS files.

And not sure about the other thing, but I guess it is about new lights introduced with new EPs and SPs?

@Cockroach
Like compress your lights folder into a zip. you can just move them to a different area and install the mod. Its to help direct SP or EP's to use the main light folder and not the EP/SP ones.

@Rubyelf
It could be that its cloudy and the weather type switched to overcast which is darker than default. I could brighten it up if its too dark.

That's too dark, I agree, although I haven't experienced such an issue so far. And I did have a couple of houses Downtown so I got to see how the light was at day, and it was normal. (That was a couple of updates before though, not sure if anything's changed since) For now you could use some lights temporarily to help you look around while building.

UPDATE:
*2.3 beta 1.1a*
--Reworked how windows cast inside lighting for all weather and Seasons. This may resolve some very bright sun lighting on white objects when multiple windows were placed next to each other.
--Reduced Nighttime light cast from indoors to outdoors

@Rubyelf
Which version were you using? the overcast was brightness was increased in beta 1.1. But it probably wasn't enough?

Updated

2.3 beta 1.2
--Compatible with IKEA stuff pack.
--Adjusted IKEA light objects.
--Reverted sunlight indoor casting back to 1.1 and tweaked it.
--Reverted window's light cast settings to back v0.8 and tweaked it. (The extra complexity wasn't helping and caused problems)
--Minor tint to indoor sunlight.
--Minor tweaks to Seasons.

This has a lot to do with attempting to reduce the amount of sunlight that lights up white objects. It's mostly noticed when multiple windows are placed next to each other. I might have to go to all/certain individual windows and reduced those instead of the overall lighting. What might happen is that they'll become not as bright as they should be. Again this only happens on white or near white objects/walls/floors. I may need to know what windows are often placed next to each other and if the opinion sunlight issue. How about a brighter alternate version?

Until just recently I was running my game on a system that had to have the shaders turned off in my userstartup if I wanted the game to run at all - which also turns off xray snow. Now I have a system in which I can leave the shaders on, and it took me five minutes to find where to turn the xray off because it was driving me crazy having a cursor that acted like a snow penetrating spot light.

Are yopu gonna update the "unlocked" if you will... sims 2 store lights with this to? they dont let off any light...

The problem is the Store objects didn't come with a .nlo attachment which help tell the object what light sources to use.

can it be attached? maybe from another light?  :P

updated: 1.4
2.3 Beta 1.4 JULY-06
--EA Store's new light objects now under RLS control
--Adjusted fire and neon lights
--Minor changes to dawn
--Adjustments to night and indoor to outdoor window fallout
--Changes to fallout ranges for lights and windows.
--Fixed default CAS shadow problems on Sims faces
--Fixed day and not not Transitioning correctly for BV lots.
--Change sun places to near original positions to preserve constancy with overcast, dawn and dusk.
--backup zip files have been updated for its OFB and teen stuff to use the maxis default lighting and not an old version of RLS.

Hey first I wanted to tell you the light mod is awesome work.
But i have a minor issue. Sometimes in some rooms, objects such as furniture turn nearly complete dark. The walls and floors are ok.
I can fix this by highlighting the objects with the hand or even mousing over it. However it's pretty reoccuring and I was wondering if it's a known issue or if I'm doing something wrong on my end.

Thanks!

Its kind of a split problem with this mod and Smarter Lights. Where smarter lights will not let objects light up if the walls were added or removed, but will reset after a day transition. It will also affect wall lamps not casting any light if the wall is down.

The RLS side is the broken Maxis Diffuser light. Because most objects didn't have both diffusion and practical they will only cast on walls. This can be fixed by picking up the light source and dropping it or buying a new one.

Thank you for the quick answer.
So basicially it can be fixed by simply buying a new lamp? Also completely furnish a room before putting any lights in will that help?

Yes, and picking up the lamp and dropping it will also work. You can put lights an unfurnished room as long as sections of walls are not removed or added. The loss of light from this will reset itself when time passes; day to night ect.

I tried it and it works. Thank you!
However another small thing I've noticed, sometimes certain light sources, mainly ceiling lamps loose their "shining" as they get dim and don't light out a room fully anymore.
Thanks again for your quick answers!

you're welcome.
This might be smart lights related but I'm not sure ill test it out.

I might have the same issue as vittek, I'm not sure.

Certain rooms/lights doesn't light up when it changes to dawn/dusk - they just get dark. I have to manually turn the rooms on, or move the lights to get lights at all. I's okay the first couple of times, but I've got alot of lights, and it's getting tedious fast. Is there anything that is possible to fix?

It's a great mod otherwise!  :P

@Crash and vittek
It seems to be an issue with smarter lights. That is if you are using it. I've noticed without it, lots will light up on both objects and such correctly.  Although you will be losing the effects of the new auto lights.

Am I using smarter lights when I just download and install your stuff here? I thought smarter lights required downloading from MTS2? 

Also, I don't know if it's a conicidence, but some lights don't light up Ikea furniture when night comes. Also, at dusk/dawn no lights light up at all, and I was wondering if that's supposed to happen?

So far as I can tell, it's only ceiling lights that there are any problems with.

Hmm how do i disable smarter lights then? I'd like to give it a try to see which one is better. Or are there plans to fix the light dimming issue with SL anytime?

I'm having some issues with this mod, which are starting to get annoying. For instance, all dogs have gotten the glowing head of doom, in a bright sunny yellow shade. All elder beards have been tie-dyed purple. And on top of that all furniture in some rooms are almost black even hough there is plenty of lamps in the room. And yes, I did try to plop down the light again, after lifting it up. I also hadn't built any new walls at the time. I'm thinking that smarter lights is an issue? Since thats the only other lighting mod I have, I don't know what else could be the problem.

ETA: Took some pics of the offended, posted at my photobukkit account.
Dog issues.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/AnnaTingeling/snapshot_f5955f60_75960cdd.jpg
Penguin issues.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/AnnaTingeling/snapshot_f5955f60_f5991812.jpg
Beard issues.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/AnnaTingeling/snapshot_759cb635_159de338.jpg

@Crash
You don't have SL installed, it is a separate download.

This is caused by Maxis auto lights that don't turn on during dawn and dusk hours and when a sim is inside a sealed room with no windows. Also are custom lights the ones not lighting up the furniture? The mod currently doesn't support CC lights but I'll be posting a test file for that.

@vittek
a file called Numenor(Dizzy2)_GlobalHack_Smarter-Lights_AllGames will be in your sims 2 downloads folder. Did you ever install smarter lights?

@Tingeling
Never had any reports of this. Your shadow and lighting settings on high? Your graphics card model? And the mod currently doesn't support CC lights if those lights sources are coming from them.

EDIT: Funny screenshots BTW : )

Graphics card settings are on high, at present a Nvidia Geforce 7300 LE. I was using some wall lights from Nightlife, plus some ceiling lights from another later expansion, which I think was seasons. Come to think of it, I havent got the shadow settings on high, I'll try that out and report back.

EDIT: Nope, the dogs still are glowing yellow, newspapers and bathwater are turning blue when I zoom out and some lights are wonky. That is with all settings high on the graphics card.

Funnily enough I've had no problems whatsoever with custom lights. It's only Maxis ceiling lights that I have an issue with. I haven't seen any correlation between windows and sims being in the rooms. I Have the same issue in all rooms concerning lights turning on.

Ah then nope I don't have smarter lights installed at all then. Hmm it's good to know that custom lights may cause problems though. Alas i remember only using Maxis lights anyway. I really hope there's a work around for this issue as I really love this mod.

So umm any news on the issue or workarounds? :)

@tigleling
Not sure if this will work but try to increase smooth edges.

@vittek, Crash
As of further testing it's not SL causing this specific problem. It's do the lights that were using broken diffuser lighting. You may need to sell the lights and buy a new one. at least according to gunmod. This doesn't always work as the game will just the diffuser instead excluding practical.

Wall lights that lose their Practical lighting can be fixed by bring the walls up enough to show the light and gain it's practical lighting again. Happens when you are on a lower level and moved up with the wall lights not visible.

Ceiling lights seem to lose their Practical lighting at random for me and affects lots that are not in the neighborhood or are pre-placed lots. I re-buy the light but it won't always fix the problem as it will sometime lose Practical during time transitions.

I'll still be looking into this.

Thanks for looking into this dDefinder.
I have of course tried buying new lights - I tried almost everything it seems. Buying new lights have never solved the problem permanently for me, only until next dawn/dusk appears. (Haven't noticed any problem with wall lights so far.) I usually go into buy mode and move the light around a bit, then it lights up (and light up objects), or I move to another level then back. Sometimes just one technique is enough, sometimes I have to do both.

Also, I forgot to mention that no lights light up at dawn and dusk for me - dawn/dusk is dark - if I want lights I need to light them manually. I don't know if that is a feature or a bug. It doesn't bother me too much though, because it's rather realistic that it takes a while for my sims to light up the rooms. But I'm curious about it.

Thanks again for looking into this.

/Crash

I have all settings on high on the games graphics, so I'm thinking there must be something else that's causing the weird lighting effects. Since it's the bathwater, newspaper, bright colored pillows that turn blue when I zoom out, there must be something else that's not quite right. All of the above affected items are at least cream colored, if not white, so something in the mod is not handling whiteish stuff very well. Either that, or my game is just wonky. If my memory serves me right, I did put the files in their correct folder, but can a misplaced file cause the wonkiness?

I really like this mod, and even though I'm not experienced in modding I'd like to help. Is there something else that can be done? Some configuration that I have that's different from others? Although I get the impression Crash has some of the same issues.

Anyways, despite the issues, great work!

the pool gets all messed up at ngihttime
the lights turn on and the floor gets all pixeley and messed up and not nice.
want a pic? i can take one  :P

This is a cool mod. Hope you get the dimming lights issue fixed. On community lots 2nd floor the lights get dim and there is no way while you are playing the game to replace the lights. I have TS2 Uni NL and OFB, if I use the shader file it hoses my swimming pool and make it look terrible. Should I be altering the config file to fix any of the dim lights isssues??

UPDATE 1.4a
It's a early release; not updated on MTS.

Changes to the lighting to have a more "smoother" appearance, at the same time it affected everything else like lights/windows. Made adjustments accordingly may have missed a few though. Dawn and dusk have been re-done. tell me what you think? Also increased the brightness to sealed room and dark spots no more randomly clicking in the dark.

*2.3 Bata 1.4a* AUG-17
--Changed how the overall global lighting is handled. (May resolve certain technical problems)
--Lights and windows edited for new light setting.
--Radiance is now gradually loses light instead of instantly.
--Increase brightness to sealed rooms and dark spots to support gameplay.
--Changes to userstartup.cheat.
--Shadows appear as they should on walls.
--Brighten indoor window spill during overcast.
--Seasons color increase.
--Adjusted dawn and dusk.
--Edits to the default lighting stats (Custom Lights support)
--Indoor window spill increase for overcast.

Notice: Userstartup.cheat has been updated. If you were using 1.4 You need to update Userstartup.cheat and The Sims 2 folder. (Check How to update)


@Crash
Install Smarter Lights as it will make lights turn on during dawn/dusk.

@Tingeling
It will cause problems if the files are placed in the wrong folder. It also could of been a setting in the userstartup that the mod used. I should of asked you to disable some of them. But I've updated the mod. some items in the userstart up have been disabled by default so I'm not sure if it work for you.

@Cockroach
sure a pic will help. you using the optional pool shaders?

@jerryking
Gunmod said something about going to each lot and having to replace each of the lights that still used the old broken diffuser lighting.  For me they all seemed to work without me having to touch them but this is from my limit time I played downtown lots. You can remove the shader file and see if its better?


EDIT: I've changed dawn and dusk again. currently there some lights are a bit too bright and some are way too dark. 

Great, I'll try this new version and see how it looks. I'll let you know how it works out. Yay!

Edit: Expelled stupid sentence.

Thanks dDefinder,

I'll try the new version and install smarter lights. I much appreciate the update!

Sounds good, I'll give it a try. Thanks for your reply and your work.

dDefinder, I've tried the new version 1.4A, whole lot of improvement in my game. I had to take out version 1.4 and use the prior version, but 1.4A is even better in my game. Still doing some testing though. Overhead lights still an issue on 2nd floors. Thanks for this new version.

I think this mod is close to perfect; I like how the darkness is now. However, the dawn/dusk light is a bit too yellow for my taste. Otherwise it's close to perfect.

Update: Fixed a lot of strangeness with glass doors and archways. Lots of light changes which I attempted to balance. Computer lights are back but they may have its Maxis problem such as leaking though walls and floors for no reason. Which his why it was disabled in the first place but, now its fallout is reduced so it will only light in very close proximity  to the screen. Tv screen light bleed a bit more forward. and other many changes...


great to hear that its improved.

Thanks for the update!
I don't know if people will agree with me, but I'd like the dawn/dusk to be more golden pink than yellow/orange. The yellow makes my houses seem like someone peed all over them (pardon me for being blunt :D).

Btw, is there anyway I can change that myself?

dDefinder. Another update? WooHoo. Thanks. Will begin testing tomorrow.

Someone need to stamp OMGUS on my forehead; I saved the .zip file in the wrong location, rendering my update a non-update!  ::)
I have now updated, and I think the dusk is greatly improved. Dawn still needs some pink imho.

Otherwise it looks great.


Edit: I realized I was being overly picky about the indoor lighting.

Ok dDefinder this is an Awesome update. Haven't tested the community lots yet but everything else is soooo much better. Great Awesome job. Multiple thanks.

Great update! I will check out the new changes later ingame and see how they looked.

sorry it took so long, ive been on vacation
anyway; i tried to re-produce it by going onto a empty lot, building a pool and adding lights but i cant...so i think it only dose it in live mode
i do not have the shaders because i have seasons
and it dose it with the default pool textures to, not just painted on ones
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i236/fergiefan12/snapshot_f1be666b_95bc33af.jpg

I played a little this morning after I installed the mod and changed the lines in my userstartup file. I liked how the lighting appeared and worked ingame.

There is one thing I am primarily concerned with. The sealed rooms (without windows, glass doors or archways) are still too dark to see the objects contained within during the daytime. I was aware that the lighting was adjusted to make those rooms a little brighter, but these rooms are not bright enough to distinguish the objects easily.

The other thing is the colors used for the dawn/dusk periods. I was surprised to see a nice golden hue added to the lighting for the fall. A really nice look to make that season feel more like Fall. But Winter didn't feel like Winter with the golden hue added to the lighting during the dawn/dusk periods. I think a light bluish-pink hue (with less or almost no golden hue) would make Winter look slightly bleak and more cold in the morning and in the evening.

Great updates once again. I look forward to the next update if this will be made again for AL.

I've right now enabled spectacular highlights for both indoors and outdoor. Something that Chesspieceface was working on after 2.2 RC1 was released and I've possibly fixed some of the over dark shadows that was a side-affect to this. The brightness outdoor maybe too much(wash out)? I've been increasing and decreasing it for every update. I guess I'm concerning too much on white objects and not other colors. Set evening to 2.2 color just tesing things out. brighten morning a bit some weirdness may happen indoors. TV and computers from exp/stuff packs are now affected by RLS.

Off:http://www.flickr.com/photos/26030695@N08/2799173883/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26030695@N08/2799173883/)

On:http://www.flickr.com/photos/26030695@N08/2799173195/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26030695@N08/2799173195/)


this is an early test release before AP as I still don't know how it may affect the new ceilings and mergeable doors?. you need to update userstartup.cheat once again and replace the files in the sims 2 folder.

@crash

open lighting.txt in the sims 2 folder
find morning or evening
below that look for sun light without the # before it
change the second set of numbers.

(variable)   (sunlight position)    (Color)        (intensity)
light sun      (-2.8, 1.3, 1)    (.9,.51,.00)       1.2
               (X, Y, Z)      (Red, Green, Blue)    float

if you still want to change it.

@Cockroach
I've seen then happen on vacation lots but not on any home ones. I think you might have to remake the pool. I'll be testing this more.

@Chaavik
If you talking about individual dawn/dusk it cant do that without affecting everything else. other wise I'll probably  have to balance it out with the other seasons but not everyone has Seasons.

Thanks dDefinder, I'll try it.

Also, I'll try to be brave enough to change that .txt file.

spectacular highlighting? omg wot? how dose one enable this? just by install it? thats amazing...
ossim

Some weirdness with the light at Late night. (evening and night is fine)

in build mode:
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/5130/snapshot35be2cc335c06eahl9.jpg

not in build mode:
http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/2983/snapshot35be2cc355c06eavz8.jpg
Maybe it's supposed to be like this, but I haven't noticed it before.

- This was before I installed AL.

-----
I don't claim to know anything about this, but:
AL weirdness (understandable) - lighting on objects below other objects on the wall (I assume placed with the new wall decoration feature) is wrong - the object I noticed was the shelf. Two white shelves - and the bottom one completely black (even though it was just as white as the one above). Just a heads up.

It's strange but somehow its not working right for me, cause in game the rooms are so dark, that to get it lighter I have to put a window on every part of the wall.  Also rooms that are inside a house, like the bathrooms in the Pleasant's home is totally blacked out.  Is that meant to happen?

If so, DO NOT USE THE RADIANCE SYSTEM with APARTMENT LIFE, as you cannot put extra Windows and I also found some apartments do not have windows in rooms.

dDefinder, In an earlier version, I think it was 1.4, the moonlight came in through the windows at night giving enough light so you can see in a dark room. 1.5 although improved in other areas could use a little more moonlight at night. I'm temporarily resolving this by placing some bright candles in every room. I've got all EPs up to OFB.

UPDATE!

*2.3 Bata 1.6* AUG-30
--Enabled specular highlights for UseShaders true and false
--Compatiable with Apartment Life.
--Increase sealed room ambient lighting.
--Changes to dawn and dusk.
--Changes to seasons.
--Decrease dawn light intensity to objects.
--Reduced Vanity light intensity.

Notice: Userstartup.cheat has been updated for 1.6. You need to update Userstartup.cheat and The Sims 2 folder this includes 1.5 users. (Check "How to update" in readme)


@Cockroach
its enabled by default.

@Crash
I couldn't reproduce the problem. Is only with that candle? you using useshaders false?

I don't know what shelf it is? the ones that came with OFB?

@missaaliyah
I've increase sealed room brightness more. have you checked your brightness? a single windows will usually light up the whole room. 

@jerryking
I'll look into this and see if i can find balance between the indoor and outdoor moonlight.

I am not using useshaders false. And I tried with other lights aswell, not just that one. Could my tampering with the lightning.txt have done that?

The shelf came with AL. Sorry I don't have a pic for you.

It will take some time before I will test this new update, I have currently uninstalled the mod. I must say, you're doing a great job though!

dDefinder, With all EPs up to OFB, did a quick test on a couple of my lots before I went to bed. , it looks like the moonlight is coming in enough at night to see in the rooms with the lights out, and with the out door lights on it lets in a little more light. Still keeping the candles lit just in case of a power failure in the neighborhood. Lol. I'll be doing some more testing and let you know whats up. Great up date. Thanks so much.

Just chiming in to say how awesome your work is. Since the update I havent run into any serious problems. Especially the dark rooms are now much much better.
Keep up the good work!

dDefinder, I've done some more testing and the lights are great. Lights in the houses are brighter. The sunlight comes in the windows with no glare. The moonlight comes in the darkened rooms at night. I've replaced some of my community lot lights with custom lights and they seem to be working fine on second stories. It seems my custome lights work better than most of the maxis lights. Your almost at perfiection with the lights, but I'm very pleased with 2.3 beta 1.6. Thanks again.

Thank you, I will certainly do this one for Apartment Life, I uninstalled it before Apartment Life, because I was worried that we couldnt edit the building.  By enabling build mode while sims are in residence, could make the apartment system break.  And the lot be inhabitable.

Can I suggest before anyone moves a sim into certain lots, go in change the lot to residential, exit the lot, re-enter the lot, add windows to rooms, that have no windows, change lot to apartment and then exit the lot.  The lot is now ready to move into for apartments.

CHEATS TO USE:
boolprop aptSubLotSpecificToolsDisabled false                   "Enable Buy/Build Apartment"
boolprop aptSubLotSpecificToolsDisabled true                   "Disable Buy/Build Apartment"
changelotzoning apartmentbase                                      "change lot type to Apartment"

I have installed the mod in AL, and I am very pleased with the lighting. However I have encountered a problem regarding the new
wall hanging feature in AL.

As you can see, when I hang paintings and shelves at their normal height or higher, they are as bright as they should be, but if I hang them even the tiniest little bit lower than their 'normal' height, they become dimmed with this mod. See image for reference:
(http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/7692/snapshotd5d1838415d34e5bn7.th.jpg) (http://img364.imageshack.us/my.php?image=snapshotd5d1838415d34e5bn7.jpg)

If there is a way to fix this, I would be thrilled. As it is atm I can't use the wall hanging feature and this mod at the same time.

Edit: also, I have noticed that there isn't any light on the closet 'doors' - they are completely dimmed. I have to put a light inside the closet to make the door light up. The issue with the wall hanging feature is the one thing that really is bugging me though; I have uninstalled this mod for now for that reason. I really miss this mod though, so I hope someone will have time to fix this sooner or later (if it can be fixed).

@Crash
I've tried to fix this after many attempts and its not working out. It will work for some rooms but its uncertain why.

(http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5133/wallgs1.th.jpg) (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wallgs1.jpg)

I've then tried this with the default lighting and I've noticed that it will slightly fade in the same spot but it was barely noticeable.

(http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8999/wallldefaultzt1.th.jpg) (http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wallldefaultzt1.jpg)

This also goes for closets in closed rooms as the default lighting is very bright which most likely hidden most of the flaws. This is maybe related to wall and ceiling lights losing practical lighting but it was not noticeable with the default lighting.

Thanks for looking into this dDefinder.

 I just got replies in 'oops! you broke it!', and it seems this has nothing to do with this mod (although the dimming gets much more visible with the mod), as you say. The dimming is still there, even after uninstalling the mod, and others have reported the same issue even without ever installing the mod. Sorry for assuming too much. 

Dunno what can be done to fix this though - or if the mod can be made helpful in some way. Someone more awesome than me will have to come up with answers to that.


Edit: also, I have noticed a certain inconsistency as how much an object will dim. I hopped to another hood last night, and certain objects didn't seem to dim at all (or just very little) while other objects was dimmed more. For instance, in one hood I tried placing the AL shelves, and they became considerably dimmed. In the other hood, the shelves were just a little dimmed (almost not discernible). Confusing to say the least.

UPDATE!! mainly fixes and tweaking.


@Crash

Thanks for the information. I'm not sure if its possible to fix this as it might be hard-coded in the exe.

Is that happening with the default lighting?

Yes, that's basically what I said in my last post. ;)

dDefinder, just wanted to let you know 2.3 beta 1.6a working great with OFB. Still have a problem with the overhead lights on second floors. On community lots I"ve replaced the lights with different lights and somethimes it workds fine and others times were back to dim lights again. Besides being a maxis light issue could this have something to do with when you build on a community lot in day mode or night mode and saving your game in either mode? Any Ideas on this?

I don't think that makes any difference if its saved during day or night. If i recall, it might have something to do with buildings built on a foundation, as the shadow will match the foundation rooms. You can force error those lights and they should have their correct lighting, whenever you are on a community lot, this may not permanently fix the problem.

And some more screenshots of the problem:
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/414/defaultlightwallkl1.th.jpg) (http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=defaultlightwallkl1.jpg)(http://img513.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9436/rlswallceilingbd7.th.jpg) (http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rlswallceilingbd7.jpg)(http://img513.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

quick question: i notice (during fall especialy) that neighborhood lighting and lot lighting are FAR diffrent
during fall...the neighborhoos has the pink tone...but in lot...its blank and washed out...it is really very obvious and makes for odd pictures or vids.

pictures...i can take them.

I guess I'll put a quote from gunmod:


I can work on this and see if I can get it to match as much as possible.

edit:
Update !!! 1.7

Fixed with windows and files that had typos in them. that would allow strange things mostly doors that have window properties. thanks Maxis. Outdoor tweaks which i worked on more this time around. Window and light diffusion increase. could be a bad or good thing. I did decrease the fallout practical range for lights to reduce the washout feel on white objects.

2.3 Beta 1.7  OCT-10
-Changed Witch craft object light color
-Increased window diffusion
-Increased light diffusion and decreased practical falloff range
-increased dawn and dusk ambient lighting.
-Tweaked Outside lighting
-Tweaked Vending Machines
-Fixed Gearhead windows improper portal lighting.
-Fixed 2 Maxis typos of doorCountryinterior and another that caused the Bohemian windows to cast improper lighting
-Fixed Apartment door and "The Wooden Curve" (Seasons) casting light as a window

Notice: If you have a version below 1.6a you need to update the userstartup.cheat. (Check "How to update" in readme). If you were using 1.6a you do not need to update the usercheat.

What's the status of the dimming of objects using the wall hanging feature? According to my tests, with normal light, the dimming is not discernible when you place ceilings. dDefinder, have you tested this with the lighting mod?

Ceilings doesn't really help as the objects moved lower on the wall will use lighting that is coming from the previous floor. Such as 2nd floor wall objects will get lighting from a room directly below it. Workaround will be to put a strong enough light in the previous floor, more so inside foundations.

Thanks for the explanation. However, I have had the problem in rooms that are directly on the ground - i.e no level below, nor any foundation - so that's a workaround won't do it for me. I'm not using the mod right now, and it sounds like an insoluble issue, which is too bad, especially since you're doing such a great job.

Thanks anyway!

dDefinder, I just got Pets installed and the lights are working great, not too much trouble on community lot lights second floor. Thanks again.

^no problem

update little late

*2.3 Beta 1.8a* NOV-22
-Added new folders for Deluxe and Double Deluxe
-Increased practical global Lighting at night
-Decreased overcast practial lighting during overcast
#
*2.3 Beta 1.8* NOV-02
-Re-check SP and EP lights and tweak accordingly
-Removed debug lines in userstartup.cheat
-Increased pool lights practical fallout range
-Reduced vending machine fallout range
-Reduced night practical global lighting to provide lighting balance with diffusion
-Reduced practical lighting during the day
-Adjusted indoor window cast and outside pole lights
-Adjusted season's outdoor lighting and sun positions.
-Adjusted custom/default lighting
-Fixed blue snow during overcast.
-Fixed wrong witch floor lamp light color.
-Fixed certain wall lamps not casting light correctly
-Fixed spring's incorrect shadowing which made the lot darker than other seasons.

EDIT:

I'm very sorry about the necromancy, but I'm at my wits' end. What I can see of the mod in my game looks lovely and I want it badly. Would make the game so much better! - If it weren't for this strange thing:

(http://pics.livejournal.com/alexis_chan/pic/0003txkb)

Wtf? Some sims get these half-visible yellow circles (which also completly screw the graphics over, when the sim moves), some don't. It's not even lot-related. On this lot I had four sims without it and these two with it.

I already removed my whole download-folder (considering the picture, that's evident) and deleted the groups/cigen/accessory caches, but that changed nothing.

It's obviously related to this mod, since it vanishes, when I take it out and comes back, when I try again. Is there something I can do about it? Pretty please? I'd love to use it.

Did you revert back you userstartup.cheats when you uninstalled the mod?

Try changing:

boolProp UseShaders true
to
boolProp UseShaders false

inside userstartup.cheats

It's the right userstartup.cheats, I think - I didn't change anything in it before, only added
boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true and boolProp allow45DegreeAngleOfRotation true, but surely these two won't produce these strange circles?

I've changed it to false now, and loaded the game, but it didn't seem to be doing anything. The two in the test lot still had these circles. *argh*

Yesterday I thought, maybe it was the CEP (and it said somewhere, that is should be installed after the Gunmod Radiance Light mod), but that didn't do anything either.

Did you install anything else alone side RLS? Its really strange that this mod would do this in the first place as it appears to be a mesh issue.

*goes to look at download folder* I don't have another mod that effects light, I'm very, very sure of that. I tried a few month ago already, but as I had the kittenkiller installed, I just thought that one was messing with the mod, but I've gotten rid of it in the meantime, so that's out.

Ah, the only thing I can think of is, that I had to rename the folders (for example: "The Sims freetime" to its equivalent in my language), because I was afraid the game wouldn't find the game files otherwise. It looked like the other folders were named the same, only the main folders' name were different. Or maybe I missed one there and the game doesn't recognise it now? But I don't really think that's it, because the changed light was showing, I mean, it worked, apart from the circles. On the other side, it would explain why only I had that strange problem.

It could be, you can also move the files directly into the folders that they belong to. Problems may happen if the lighting files are placed in the wrong spot. Try not adding any lines into your user.cheat file from the mod and recheck where that the files replaced in the right spot. I think SCRIPTORIUM can install it with language games.

Well, well dDefinder.
Thank you for taking the problems with my mod and fixing them. I see you have done a great job. :)
Just so you know I'm back into modding. My son was born while I was away, the wife errr.. well she got das boot, (He is three, and my daughter is 11 now)
So with him being old enough to not need 24 hour supervision I feel I'll have the time to mod Sims 3.
Anyway, as most of you know I'm a stay at home, who works from home and takes care of my kids.. whew ;)
Any pretty single women out there who want to help a guy out? (kidding... sort of ;)
dDefinder I appluad what you have taken this mod to and I bow to you. Thank you for continuing it.
I hope you have learned some things and now I have someone who understands just how difficult this mod was. lol

dDefinder, I'm still using the light mod, can't play without it. The problem with lights on second story lots still persist. On the home lots it happens infrequently but I just click on the light and it brightens up. I thought I was doomed to darkness on the community lots second floor. I couldn't hardly see what all my Sims where up to, then I remembered the Insimenator has the option to Enable Buy and Build on community lots. Duh, I should have remembered that alot earlier. All I have to do is Enable Build and Buy then click on the lights and they brighten up. Works for me.
   And GunMod thanks for the original I used it way back when. Glad your back!

Sorry for the delayed answer, real live sort of ate me.

So, first: Yay! And welcome back, Gunmod!

Second: This time I added the files manually, but I was right: The names of the main folders are different ("The Sims Freetime", etc.), the other folders (such as "Res" or "Lights") are exactly the same. It couldn't have been the issue - the problem still persists after I did it like that. I've not tried the SCRIPTORIUM yet, but if all it does is installing the files in the right place, then the outcome probably won't be different.

And I just realised I forgot to tell you: It also explodes certain objects - like this (http://pics.livejournal.com/alexis_chan/pic/0003wwq0) - mostly telephones, but random other things too, like for example some bushes or the boxing exercise career reward. It's not a new issue, I just totally forgot about it, because the circles were so annoying.

Still got an idea? If not, I fear it's hopeless. The light itself is lovely, I do not understand why it seems to hate me so.  :'(
Anyway, thanks so much for your effort, dDefinder, I really appreciate it.

UPDATE:


@Gunmod
It's great to hear that your back and your family is well. Yes, it took a while to understand how everything in the mod worked and what limitations there was including lots and lots of testing. Main problem I have now is losing Practical lighting on objects on the upper floors. any ideas why? Welcome back and good luck on The Sims 3.

@jerryking
You can also force error the lights, and if its a overhead light move your camera up close until it fades and it will also bring it back to normal.

@drace
I'm going to guess that its probably graphic card related. What is your video card? If its not that problem then I really don't know what to do about it. Its something really specific that it will probably be while to resolve.

dDefinder, thanks for the update and the info. I hope Gunmod comes up with some ideas on the second story lights.

@jerryking
You can also force error the lights, and if its a overhead light move your camera up close until it fades and it will also bring it back to normal.

Ddefinder, The camera close up doesn't work for me, although I'll try it a few more times.
 Question:  Does updating to 2.4 cause a game reset. Maybe because of the user startup cheat? I noticed it after I installed 2.4. My young adults living in regular neighbor hood lots turned to adults where before they would only do so if they moved out or if I let them age. The Sims on everylot I went to all had there wants and fears rest. Also ACR was reset. Any connection?

The mod doesn't cause lot resets and the startup cheat is the same as 2.3 beta. Are you using the shader.package?

Will my computer handle this?

Intel Core2Duo, 2.16GHz
4GB of RAM (Displayed as 2.98 on my computer though)
ATI Radeon X1600
Windows XP SP2

I do use some of those resource hogging sprinklers in case that's relevant (Need to delete those. I have a butler anyway.)

I'm not using the shader package because it makes my pool water look messed up. I guess I must have installed something else to cause a game reset or maybe it was when I was trying to find a bug using the testingCheats. Oh well, everything is fine now, and thanks for your response.
Looking forward to any updates you may have in the future.

I used to have the same GPU and processor. You should be able to run the mod as long as you have lighting and shadow on high.

this is great mod.. it add a lot to the game  8)
but do you think it's possible to make sims 2 lighting reach the level of sims 3 lighting or it is impossible..  :-X

dDefinder, I never paid attention to this problem until recently. I have Seasons but the Sun Moon and Stars are missing. I've searched the forums here and at other sites and no one has a solution.
My PC is pretty fast with plenty of memory and my graphics card is Nvidia 9600. All my game settings are as high as they can go.
Is there something in in the lighting mod that will let the stars, sun and moon show, or is this another EA screw up for Seasons?
Edit:
  Nevermind, I used Gunmod's camera mod and looked way the hell up, almost over head and saw the stars at night and a half sun by day looking like it was half way setting in the sky. I think there must be somekind of sky wall with Seasons  that  makes it hard to see the Sun Moon and Stars. It must be another EA screw up.

@jerryking
For the stars it depends on your lot view distance. The higher the more stars are in the sky. Those problems in both NL and Seasons.

More information is found here with issues with the sky and EP's:
http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,14368.25.html

@fear
No, The Sims 3 engine supports more graphical features such as realtime lighting and shadows, full time cycles, and bloom.

 :o sims 3 lighting seems too complicated..
thanks for your response.. and I must admit that this mod give some sims 3 atmosphere to sims 2.. you did great job  8)

Reporting back now with a complete new graphic card - and it finally works! :-* Heh.

By the way, my old one was an ATI 9200SE. I still don't know why it didn't work; it should have, but at least the culprit is known now and it resolved itself with the new one.