Gunmod's Radiance Light System 2.4

[Crash]

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.

[dDefinder]

UPDATE!! mainly fixes and tweaking.

*2.3 Beta 1.6a* SEP-16
-Fixed object blackness when switching from night to day in neighborhood screen.
-Fixed vacation night using old night settings
-Fixed single tiled arch doors infinite fallout range
-Fixed garden spotlights using improper light profile
-Possible fix to flickering and fading when multiple lights are placed in close proximity
-Changes to seasons and fixed green tint during overcast
-Changed night window outdoor portal spill
-Checked SP and EP lights and tweaked them accordingly
-Increased night brightness

Notice: Userstartup.cheat has been updated for 1.6. You need to update Userstartup. (Check "How to update" in readme). If you where using 1.6 you do not need to update the usercheat.

@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?

[Crash]

@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.

[jerryking]

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?

[dDefinder]

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:

[Night Racer]

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.

[dDefinder]

I guess I'll put a quote from gunmod:

The surrounding neighborhood light adjacent to the lot does not share the same degree of fidelity in regards to lighting. So while the lot itself has much better lighting applied to it, the surrounding neighborhood does not support many of the features that the lot lighting does. Maxis never intended for the lighting to be this high-end so a certain degree of difference between the lot edge and the neighborhood is visible. This is in the default game as well if you look closely. This mod just makes the problem more visible.

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.

[Crash]

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?

[dDefinder]

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.

[Crash]

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!

[jerryking]

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

[dDefinder]

^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:

2.3 Beta 1.9 NOV-28
-Compatible with Mansions and Gardens
-Updated 'BACKUP Maxis lighting' to include the new folders
-Removed default files in celebration and H&M with RLS ones
-Fixed Maxis Typo of Bay View windows expression name which caused it to only light on one side
-Fixed Medieval Two Story Arch's over powered default override setting.
-Fixed apartment garage casting light as a small window
-Fixed GearHead 2 tiled windows casting as a single tiled window
-Adjusted Bay and some 3 tiled windows to appear more appropriate

[drace]

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:



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.

[dDefinder]

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

Try changing:

boolProp UseShaders true
to
boolProp UseShaders false

inside userstartup.cheats

[drace]

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.

[dDefinder]

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.

[drace]

*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.

[dDefinder]

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.

[GunMod]

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

2.3 Beta 2 JAN-23
-Changed Bay and 3 tile windows diffusion lighting positions
-Changed Spring color
-Removed duplicated default Overwrites for OFB store windows that was found in Apartment Life which would revert to Maxis instead of RLS
-Minor decrease to night
-Adjusted Street Lights and spotlights
-Adjusted windows portal diffusion
-Adjusted Maxis Object profiles for CC content
-Increased indoor portal spill for dawn and dusk
-Decrease outside sunLight
-Decrease over-powered two-story windows

[jerryking]

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!

[drace]

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 - 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.

[dDefinder]

UPDATE:

2.4 APL-29
-Added optional files. 2 types of unlit room darknesses and a balance to all lights
-removed indoor sunlight color saturation.
-Increased unlit room brightness at night
-Decreased orb lights and few table lamps diffusive Strength
-Changed two street light colors from yellow to white
-Adjusted Sims and object overall light strength
-Adjusted seasons, morning, and evening
-Adjusted winter, Spring, and Fall indoor portal spill to match better with summer
-Adjusted cloudy day, will now resemble winter as but a bit darker and grey
-Fixed street lamp from M and G from casting a very weak light, again

@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.

[jerryking]

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

[jerryking]

@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?

[dDefinder]

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