Almighty Hat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hat_plays_sims) wrote2011-01-15 06:40 pm
hat_plays_sims) wrote2011-01-15 06:40 pm
Entry tags:
A World Lit By Fire (Color tweaks to the Radiance Lighting Mod for Pre-Electric Games)
It is with our passions as it is with fire and water, they are good servants, but bad masters.
Aesop
Let me first and foremost say two things:
1. You need this mod for the mod you're looking at right now to work. I am not capable of making my own lighting mod on the Radiance scale. (And hit the thanks button! Forty thousand downloads and thirty-five hundred thanks? Dude. That is not right.)
2. If you are not comfortable installing the Radiance mod manually, this is probably not the download for you. It requires you to go muck around in the Program Files.
There, now that that's said...
It has always frustrated me when custom lamps that look like they should cast candlelight cast electric light instead. I mean it really bugs the crap out of me, I can't even tell you. When I found out there was a way to adjust the color each individual custom light casts, I was overjoyed... until I found out it didn't work for me. It took me some thinking, but eventually I realized it might have something to do with the fact that I use dDefinder's update of Gunmod's Radiance Lighting Hack. As it turns out, the way the Radiance mod deals with custom lights is to inextricably link them to the Maxis light they were cloned from-- which means the extracted Castaway Stories lights will forever emit bright electric light, even the ones that have obvious fire leaping up from their coals.
I was very sad.
Then I said to myself, "Wait, some of the Maxis lights are all flame-colored-y, maybe it's possible to mod the mod and get the lighting I want!"
It turns out it totally is.
None of these pics have been retouched in Photoshop except to crop them (and once, to combine two photos taken from the same angle to eliminate speech balloons).
Candle-lit dining hall, although a small hall. Brunette in the foreground is wearing one of Pooklet's freckled skins, the alien teen in the background is wearing Ivory Tattoo by Chakaru, and my wicked witch is wearing Phaenoh's lighter overlay. The guy's hair glows like that under any light but sunlight, I haven't figured it out (but I'm only keeping that hair until I steal its alpha anyway).
What This Tweak Does
So I gathered to me all of the base-game floor, ceiling, wall, table, and outdoor lamps that don't emit a special-effects kind of light (because you never know when you're going to need blue or green or red light, or whatever, for a set or scene) and set them to emit a light called 'candleflame.' To see an in-game example of candleflame light, check out the Torcher Luminescence Sconce.
Practically, what this means is that any custom light cloned from the thirty-seven base-game lights I fiddled with will now glow warmly with fire's warming glow.
What This Tweak Does Not Do
Unlike my hiders, you cannot cherry-pick which lights you want fiery. It isn't exactly whole hog or none-- more on that later-- but you can't decide you only want one of the base game floor lamps to be candlelight and plop that file in your game. I'm sorry, but making the Radiance mod read each lamp as an individual file instead of in the EP-specific lumps it was designed for is well outside my ability as a modder. It is entirely possible to change each light to the light color of your choosing (within available options), but it's not something I could feasibly offer up for download.
What This Tweak Is Good For
Non-electric themed games, mostly. I play Medieval, but I could see this look being of use to folk who play anything before the electric light, which ranges from Discovery Of Fire to Gaslamps Are Everywhere. Medieval, Regency (or Victorian, but I see a lot of Regency games), Fantasy, and even Post-Apocalyptic themes could get some use out of this tweak.
Or, you know, if you just like a warm, romantic light, or want to tear my changes apart to make your own, that works, too.
This Tweak is Easy to Screw Up!
Seriously. Seriously. If you are not comfortable mucking around with the Program Files folders, either get comfortable or do not download this. None of the files go in your Downloads folder, this isn't a standalone mod but a tweak to an existing mod, and it will overwrite parts of dDefinder's mod. I do not believe it will break your game-- the Radiance Lighting thread suggests the worst a bad install will do is give you the Red Graphic Death, which is easily fixed by correctly installing backup Maxis lighting-- but it's still pretty easy to try to put this in the wrong spot.
Reading one of my book defaults. I should make an illumination pun. Bedding is off-white, hair is Incendiary. Walls and floor by Sherahbim.
What You Get
The Zip file includes reference photos, a list of exactly which lights have been altered, installation instructions, instructions for tweaking your own lights, and one text file each for altered Base Game floor lamps, hanging lamps, outdoor lamps, table lamps, and wall lamps, Family Fun Stuff lights, Bon Voyage lights, Celebration Stuff lights, Mansion and Garden lights, Pets lights, Seasons lights, and Teen Stuff lights. You should not install lighting files for expansions you don't have; also, changing expansion lighting is completely optional-- if you want all your base game lights to be flamey but everything else to be as dDefinder intended, more power to you. Unfortunately, cherry-picking by expansion is the only cherry-picking you can do for this mod.
Also included are updated versions of the Sims 2 Store Castle Stuff lights, the Beacon of Brightness floor lamp and Fleur de Luce chandelier. Originally, these cast a bright white light, but their internal .nlo files have been updated to give them fire. You can use these two lights (if you have Apartment Life, Mansion and Garden, Sims 2 Store Edition, or one of the newer bundle packs) even if you don't install the rest of the mod.
You will also get a backup of dDefinder's original files for the files I altered, but I will not provide a Maxis lighting backup or a full copy of the Radiance lighting mod itself.
These files are not compressorized, because they don't need to be.
How To Use It
Okay, first (assuming you are the administrator on your Windows account; Mac users, you're on your own), go download and install Gunmod's Radiance Light System 2.4 Updated by dDefinder following dDefinder's directions, if you haven't already. If you're a newcomer to Radiance lighting, you might want to delete your cache files and start your game to revel in the pretty, and to be sure you installed the mod correctly.
In my zip, you will find a folder labeled Hat's Lights and a folder labeled Original Radiance Lights. Original Radiance Lights is your backup, don't lose it. The Hat's Lights folder contains the modded files, which you will select and copy to your C:/Program Files/EA Games/The Sims 2/TSData/Res/Lights folder. Let them overwrite dDefinder's files. (If you're on Vista, your game may be installed to Program Files (x86). Don't get lost.)
Delete your cache files.
Start your game.
You may have to re-buy lights to make the changes show up, but that hasn't been my experience.
Lights and temple from Castaway Stories, outside at night, so that the shrine is backlit. These lights put out a cold white light before, despite containing actual fire.
Before we get to the download, I have two comparison shots and a list of what lights have been altered for you. Yes, I forgot to switch out the Sims 2 Store lights for their unmodded versions, but I always manage to screw up something. Pics of the C-C-C-Chandelower, Helier's Streetlamp, and Tri-Luminlight Streetlamp are linked from their names, because they're super-awkward to photograph the same way I shot all the other lights. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the Helier's Streetlamp to behave properly; I'd suggest placing it far enough away from second-story walls that the splot of white light doesn't show up. Yes, the C-C-C-Chandelower is a mess as far as lighting goes; it lights the second-story walls but not the second-story floor or anything on the first story. This is how Maxis designed it to work, and dDefinder couldn't fix it.
BEFORE-- Radiance Lighting As Intended
AFTER-- A World Lit By Fire
BASE GAME LIGHTS:
1. Thrice As Nice Floor Lamp
2. Burnished Blaze Torchiere
3. Light Orbiter Floor Lamp
4. Social Climbing Ivy Floor Lamp
5. Tornado Torch Floor Lamp
6. Tulip Light from Luxiary
7. Basically Bare Bulb
8. Wall Flowers Sconce
9. Almost Deco Wall Sconce
10. Antique Metal Sconce (unchanged)
11. Illuminating Angles by Newt Vo
12. Lunatech "GaulleVanizer"
13. Torcher Luminescence Sconce (unchanged)
14. Torcher Clamshell Wall Sconce
15. 4 by 4 Designer Chandelier
16. Chinese Riddle Lantern
17. Dangling Daylight Ceiling Lamp
18. Floral Fancy Hanging Lamp
19. Lamp on the Half Shell
20. Legno's Modern Chandelier
21. Light Effects Ceiling Lamp
22. Lunatech "Lighten Up" Lighting Fixture
23. Lunatech Amber Ceiling Lamp
24. Paper Moon Ceiling Light
25. Qadim Bubble Lamp
26. Founding Fathers Electric Lamp
27. Whodunnit? Table Lamp
28. Absolutely Nothing Special
29. Dynasty Enlightenment Lamp
30. GentleGlow Table Lamp
31. Ilistara Lamp
32. Lunatech BCT/6 (unchanged)
33. Pix-Arm Drafting Lamp
34. Shoji Table Lantern (unchanged)
35. Social Climbing Ivy Table Lamp
36. The Inner Light
37. The Watt Is It Table Lamp
38. Blazin' Buckaroos Lantern
39. Little House Lantern
40. Secure Sentinel Post Lamp
--. PreventTek Tri-Luminlight Streetlamp
EXPANSION LIGHTS (that are nevertheless in base game files)
a. Orbs of Connectedness (Uni)
b. Belle Epoque Tiffany Lamp (Nightlife)
c. Circle of Friendship Floor Lamp (Uni)
FAMILY FUN LIGHTS:
A. Dreams Alight by Guildsmen
PETS LIGHTS:
B. Asayake MZ-30: Soothing Sun Device
TEEN LIGHTS:
C. Luminosity Candle Holder by Darkness
D. Nova Table Lamp by Vintage Victorian
E. Wall Flare lamp by Vintage Victorian
F. Four Star Ceiling Lamp by Vintage Victorian
(I thought I'd just done the candle. Apparently I got carried away.)
SEASONS LIGHTS:
G. The Swinging Light
H. Volcano Table Torch
(So the Swinging Light is pretty much the only Maxis-made chandelier that looks like it has candles besides the M&G Chandelower. I use it a lot, and have always been sad that it has a halogen light.)
BON VOYAGE LIGHTS:
I. Imperial Mane Ceiling Lamp
J. Softwind Ceiling Lamp
K. Survival of the Fittest Fixture
L. Wild Wilderness Floor Lamp
M. Lodging Lamp by Economical Effects
N. So Bright It Almost Smells
O. Mountain Man's Lighter
P. SaunaSoothe Wall Light
Q. Stylish Wall Sconce
(Admittedly, some of these don't make too much sense as flame-lit light fixtures, like the Mountain table and floor lamps, but the candle light seems to work better for the general mood of the lights themselves.)
MANSION AND GARDEN LIGHTS:
--. C-C-C-Chandelower
--. Helier's Streetlamp
SIMS 2 STORE CASTLE SET LIGHTS
(requires AL, M&G, Store Edition, or recent bundle pack like Best of Business)
i. Fleur de Luce Chandelier
ii. Beacon of Brightness Floor Lamp
Admittedly the floor lamp tiki torches were always fire, but I'm showing off examples of the lighting anyway and I really love this shot.
Wow, I'm glad you've stuck with me this far. Okay, so you know that this is a tweak to an existing mod, not a stand-alone mod. You know what it does and what it doesn't do. Allow me to give credit where credit is due...
Gunmod, for the original Radiance Lighting System, which is awesome...
dDefinder, for the updated Radiance Lighting System, which is expansions full of awesome...
Plasticbox, for releasing a bunch of individual lighting fixes that, while not compatible with Radiance lighting, started me figuring out what to do...
and our own Eva, for saying DO IT or nearly so (more like SHARE IT) at a key moment.
Show you one more picture...
A surprisingly mean Good Witch, with fair skin, Volatile hair, and a lovely cream dress by Sherahbim, sitting in a white-and-gray throne against a gray stone wall. Photo taken after dark in a very, very well-lit room.
And now, please feel free to
Also feel free to hit me with questions, I shall do my best to answer them.
Wanna help me feed my cats?
In case you feel like dropping me a buck or two, should you have a buck or two to spare. Donors get two things at the moment: a) a link to the Super Secret Cat Gallery, full of pictures of the cats you'll be feeding, updated sporadically when the cats do something photogenic and I'm fast enough on the trigger to catch it, and b) a link to the list of content I have done-but-not-screencapped, nearly done, partly done, or in the planning stages, and the option to suggest what ought to be in the next batch of things I focus on.
no subject
Anyway, splendid stuff, Hat - your ingenuity never ceases to amaze and impress me!
no subject
Thank you so much!