[Goober5000]

Originally posted by kasperl
uhm, Nico, the official SCP rule is simple: don't change what ain't broke, and every option that somewhat makes the standard campaign look or act different, optional with default of.

Exactly.  The official rule is to leave everything the same as it was in retail FS2, except for engine upgrades such as DX8 and HT&L.  That means all graphic bells and whistles are off by default.

This shouldn't even be a poll, as it's not up for debate.

[RandomTiger]

Originally posted by CP5670

Anyway, the best solution is obviously to include both command line and mission-based settings, since that would satisfy everyone.

Anyone using recent OGL fred builds might have noticed greyed out slider bars intended for this purpose in the background dialog.

Just be patient.

[SadisticSid]

Things look SOOO much better without the ambient light. Can't see the harm in leaving it off by default though...

[RandomTiger]

I can, it means someone running with supposely default options has to play freespace in the dark, only able to see ships polys directly lit by the sun.

It clearly unbalances V's original intended lighting for all missions in the game.

Fs2_open policy is all options off by default, in the launcher I have added a new menu to allow to instantely set all your favourite options on, this could include a ambient factor to compliment env mapping.

Enabling env could even trigger its own ambient factor change if needed but by default it should work the same way as retail FS2.

[ryuune75]

Originally posted by SadisticSid
Things look SOOO much better without the ambient light. Can't see the harm in leaving it off by default though...

This is YOUR opinion, I for example i don't like that at all, i like ships to be brightly lighted, like they always were, not crash against a 2km destroyer i can't see because it's pitch black...

[ChronoReverse]

A good solution in the light of this would be to have two things:  a default setting and a per-mission setting.

Any mission without an ambient light level set would use the default.

The default ambient light setting is activated by the command line.  If it's not specified, then it's full ambient lighting (just like normal FS2).



Then those who prefer no ambient lighting in the main campaign can turn it off by changing the default ambient lighting in the command line.

FS2 main campaign and pre-existing campaigns all have full ambient lighting (unless changed in command line).

New missions can be set to whatever ambient lighting the mission designer chooses.



This way, everybody is satisfied, there's no confusion about lighting multiplier levels, and the wishes of the mission designer is met.

[Anaz]

it's one or the other. you can't have a mission option and a command line parameter.

If you were going to have one or the other, I'd go with a mission option, because that changes the "feel" of a mission, therefore shouldn't be left up to the player if a particular feel is intended.

[ryuune75]

Originally posted by Anaz
it's one or the other. you can't have a mission option and a command line parameter.

Of course you can! It just need a little more complicated coding...and so far seem the best solution

[ChronoReverse]

Why can't you have both?  Did you read what I said?  The command line changes the DEFAULT ambient lighting.

A default has to be there because the main campaign doesn't have ambient lighting set properly.

This way FS2_open always respects the setting in the mission unless it's not specified.


(This is moot though, if the source-code people decide to use the currently non-functional ambient lighting parameter in the missions right now)

[Flipside]

Hmmmm... I'm wondering, is it possible to define the colour of ambient light?

[ryuune75]

Originally posted by Flipside
Hmmmm... I'm wondering, is it possible to define the colour of ambient light?

Isnt' it already determined by the kind of sun you use?

[Flipside]

Not sure, but it might be nice to be able to define an ambient colour that is different to the colour of the sun, for example, having a Red spectrum star and a Blue spectrum star as Binaries would result in somewhat purple ambient light. Just wondering whether it's possible to reproduce that kind of effect?

[mikhael]

People who want ambient lighting left on are obviously dangerous, liberal, subhumans who have little in common with real humans.

*ahem*

Ambient lighting should be off because it just looks better.

[Anaz]

Originally posted by mikhael
People who want ambient lighting left on are obviously dangerous, liberal, subhumans who have little in common with real humans.

*ahem*

Ambient lighting should be off because it just looks better.

and I'm OK with it if the mission definition over-rides the command line.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by RandomTiger
I can, it means someone running with supposely default options has to play freespace in the dark, only able to see ships polys directly lit by the sun.

It clearly unbalances V's original intended lighting for all missions in the game.

Fs2_open policy is all options off by default, in the launcher I have added a new menu to allow to instantely set all your favourite options on, this could include a ambient factor to compliment env mapping.

Enabling env could even trigger its own ambient factor change if needed but by default it should work the same way as retail FS2.

Agreed. By official SCP policy, this a non-discussion topic really. We need per-mission settings to allow classic FS2 to co-exist with enhanced FS2.

[Nico]

Originally posted by Goober5000
That means all graphic bells and whistles are off by default.

Well excuse me, but that's plain idiotic.
Feel free to flame me all you want for my opinion, I'll stand on it.
Oh, you better do a good txt for newbies who wanna try the SCP builds someday, coz they will install it, launch it, see nothing cool, and desinstall it.

[RandomTiger]

Originally posted by Nico

Well excuse me, but that's plain idiotic.

When was the last time you bought a game and every option was at highest by default?

Consider the other side, everything on by default, low spec user loads it up and it runs with a poor frame rate, cant play it and uninstalls it. Surely thats worse?

Also "see nothing cool"? Your not much of a FS2 fan then?
I see something cool every time I load it even with all features off.

Also fs2_open isnt all about visuals, and I believe once we hit a certain level gameplay will become a more important factor again.

[RandomTiger]

Originally posted by ryuune75

Of course you can! It just need a little more complicated coding...and so far seem the best solution

Correct, after we are out of the feature freeze theres no reason we cant have mission controlled coloured ambient lighting which is further influenced by the ambient_factor command line should you choose to use it.

That was always my plan and as I said theres 3 slider bars greyed out in Fred to prove it.

Please be patient and trust us.
I would have thought we had earned some trust by now.

[Bobboau]

I realy would like to get back into the gameplay codeing feild, I wan't to completly over haul the fighter beam system.

[Nico]

Originally posted by RandomTiger
When was the last time you bought a game and every option was at highest by default?

last game I bought didn't need me to learn a whole list of commands to add after typing the exe ( you can, but usually, the tags are, guess what? -nosomething, -nothatotherthing ). Besides, have you bought a game recently? Coz yeah I did, half of them are set on full by default, the other half launches an autodetect hardware prog.

Consider the other side, everything on by default, low spec user loads it up and it runs with a poor frame rate, cant play it and uninstalls it. Surely thats worse?

It's more logical to remove one, two features until it doesn't lag anymore. You also already see what effect you wanna get rid off.
On default, lower spec users are USED to remove options, not add them. I should know well, I've been one for ten years, and after an upgrade 4 years ago, I'm back to being one
That's kind of an habit, you see?

Also "see nothing cool"? Your not much of a FS2 fan then?
I see something cool every time I load it even with all features off.

geez man

Also fs2_open isnt all about visuals,

yeah right

and I believe once we hit a certain level gameplay will become a more important factor again.

we'll see how you manage w/o alterring how the vanilla FS2 feels

Ah, but why do I digress, that "100% backward compatibility/ if it ain't broke don't fix it" philosophy brought us so many perfect progs like the Windows series, I trust it's the best way?

what can I say, I like being a pain