Official maps lights rework discussion

[ExodusS]

Hey people, all time AssaultCube best mapper here.

I recently saw some devs are working on a new version of the game, and since I play AC from time to time, I'm always dumbfounded by the differences there are between old and new maps. When you launch the game, you start on a random map. The thing is, the first impression of the game may differ a lot wether the first map you see is ac_desert or ac_venison and may represent a key factor regarding the new playerbase turnover.

This is 2021, the engine is 20 years old, but I'm pretty sure some mapping tricks could "hide" this aspect a bit since some maps actually don't look like they are stuck in AC 0.93.

So I quickly tried to do a complete light rework of ac_desert just to see if something interesting could be made. Here is a comparative screenshot :



More screenshots:







I personally think maps should have been upgraded to fit new standards everytime there was a new AC release. The screenshots are showing that lights are more important than most would acknowledge (or maybe I'm wrong?), they are easy and quick to rework and may change the perception of the game in my opinion. So what do you think about it?

Edit: by the way, my plan is not to edit ac_desert and hurt your nostalgia, it was just for comparative purposes, even if I do think ac_desert is part of the maps that need a rework.

[Robtics]

are you colorblind?

[ExodusS]

Ok I'm not colorblind but maybe I went a bit too hard on the brown/orange to exacerbate the feeling and get the idea.

[sukablya]

no one will play that map after such changes, fck my eyes

[Marti]

so much for "AssaultCube's best mapper"

[Pi_Halo]

Funny enough, in 1.3, most maps are having their lighting reworked to be brighter overall. Some maps are also looking into getting a bit more atmospheric lighting where we can. Also, its worth noting that most maps are having a serious look into bug fixes as well.

[al3rt]

Havent been to many deserts but egypt sure didnt look like that.

[Felix-The-Ghost]

I for one think the lighting on desert themed maps could be warmer. In fact that inspires me to make a command for light warmness (perhaps as an additional argument to scalelight) Adding that to my TODO if it isn't in next release. It makes perfect sense.

On the topic of map lighting, could I get your opinion on ac_district? I remember a lot of intentionality when I placed the lights but I've learned this year that due to people increasing gamma usually that maps made with out-of-the-box brightness look dark.

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btw you should try out /cleanshot