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Old 13-08-15, 05:59   #3
AkyV
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Thunder and lightning

When I say “thunder” then it means the game plays the sound WAV file of ID 182 THUNDER_RUMBLE sound slot, in a random mode (or in some kind of pattern?), during the whole level:

- if the lightning is enabled, and
- if Lara sees sky/horizon around herself or if she is in a room that is near a room with sky/horizon.

And when I say “lightning” then it means the game shows light effects on the sky, synchronized with the thunder sounds, during the whole level:

- if the lightning is enabled, and
- if the layer is just Layer1 and not Layer2 (or, at least, we can just see both the layers at the same time), and
- if the seen graphics of the sky is the picture of the RAW file, and, e.g., not the drawn sky on the upper cone of a TR3-style horizon.

To make the lightning enabled:

- Type this entry in the [Level] block of your level, and the lightning will be enabled already at the start of the level:

Lightning= ENABLED

- Or activate this FLIPEFFECT trigger in enabled mode, so the lightning will be enabled only at a given point of your level:

Weather. Lightning, <&>Enabled/Disable the Lightning

(Activating the trigger in disabled mode, you will disable the lightning at a given point of your level, of course.)

Notes:

1. Two problems with color:

- Be careful with extreme sky colors. For example, I don’t think you will see lightning on the sky, if the color is RGB=255, 0, 0.
- If you use both Layer1 and Layer2 at the same time when you want to see the lightning then maybe the sky color won’t be the one you count on. Moreover, maybe you won’t see lightning and/or any clouds on the sky.

2. The rooms of thunder/lightning don’t need to be outdoor areas (i.e. where Button O is on) to present the thunder/lightning.

3. Actually, you will hear thunder even if you don’t use Horizon or Layer script commands or triggers to show sky/horizon. All you really need is put a HORIZON object in your WAD.
That’s why if you place a “tiny black square” texture tile in a room, not to show sky/horizon but due to technical reasons (see, e.g., when the floor is transparent under steps objects), then you will also hear the thunder in those rooms. – So consider to accomplish that technical transparency in some other way now: with tiny grey squares or magenta patches.

4. You don’t need to use Horizon script command to see the lightning – but you need to put a HORIZON object in your WAD.

5. Sometimes it’s worth making the lightning enabled in a level, if you use a horizon that is closed at the top (see, first of all, the TR3-sytle horizons), because, though, you won’t see the lightning, but you will hear the thunder.
(Another trick: if you texture the upper cone of a TR3 horizon to be magenta, then that will be transparent, so you will see the RAW picture above the cone in the game – but it doesn’t mean you will see the lightning.
But it may be useful, if you want to see RAW sky, using TR3 horizon, but you also want to texture the bottom cone to show horizon below - ! – the level, through the floor squares textured using those tiny black square “tiles”.)

6. This lightning light effect has nothing to do with the electric arcs of LIGHTNING_CONDUCTOR, FLAME_EMITTER3 etc. setups (see Fluen's Lightning tutorial here on TRF) or any other lighting techniques (light bulbs etc.).

7. See this FLIPEFFECT:

Weather. Enable lightning with data in <&>Parameters for (E)Durate

The trigger is useless in TRNG 1.2.2.6., so it has been removed from TRNG 1.2.2.7.

But you can use Parameters= PARAM_LIGHTNING Script commands for another type of electric arcs lightning, if you use TRNG 1.2.2.7.
See the related demo project of Paolone for more about this lightning type.

Last edited by AkyV; 13-08-15 at 06:47.
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