[Insomniac34]

Hey people! I have a quick question relating to the lighting in my missions. I have relatively new MediaVPs (some 3.6.10 Betas, some 3.6.9s). Whenever I make a mission, the lighting seems to be set a certain level, and I cannot make it any darker. When i go into the background editor in FRED, I can change the lighting, but as soon as I save, it goes back to defaults and never changes the amount of lighting. I am not sure if this pertains to the darkness of missions however.

To help you out, I will post a screenshot of MY FS2 build's ship lighting, and a screenshot of how I WANT my ships to look.

This is a screenshot from my compy:



AND this is a screenshot of how I'd like my shadows to look



no matter what I do in FRED, my lightign just doesn't seem as darkly realistic as it does in this screen and many others I have seen. Any recomendations on how to get it to look closer to the above shot would be greatly appreciated!!

[Shade]

Add the -ambient custom flag in the launcher to reduce the ambient lighting. Set it to something low, like 30.

[Jeff Vader]

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Command-Line_Reference#Graphics_2

As an interesting side note...

I have relatively new MediaVPs (some 3.6.10 Betas, some 3.6.9s).

Yet again. There are two sets of MediaVPs: 3.6.8 Zeta and 3.6.10 Beta. Pick one. Don't mix. Evil things happen.

[Insomniac34]

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Command-Line_Reference#Graphics_2

As an interesting side note...

I have relatively new MediaVPs (some 3.6.10 Betas, some 3.6.9s).

Yet again. There are two sets of MediaVPs: 3.6.8 Zeta and 3.6.10 Beta. Pick one. Don't mix. Evil things happen.

It actually seems to run beautifully, with the exception of my lighting quelms. On a side note, my game crashes if I have the new MV_Assets mediaVP, I guess because its unable to recognize the MV_models and Music and others rolled into a new package. Is there a build you recomend for converting 100% to the Zetas?

[Jeff Vader]

Is there a build you recomend for converting 100% to the Zetas?

Umm... 3.6.9 works well with the 3.6.8 MediaVPs. Many 3.6.10 builds work well with everything. Currently I use Xt0314. Of course, one of these Xt builds is quite necessary if you want to experience the normal maps that come with the 3.6.10 MediaVPs. A shader is also required. See the How to get the most graphics-wise out of FSO link in my signature, hmm.

[Insomniac34]

Is there a build you recomend for converting 100% to the Zetas?

Umm... 3.6.9 works well with the 3.6.8 MediaVPs. Many 3.6.10 builds work well with everything. Currently I use Xt0314. Of course, one of these Xt builds is quite necessary if you want to experience the normal maps that come with the 3.6.10 MediaVPs. A shader is also required. See the How to get the most graphics-wise out of FSO link in my signature, hmm.

I DLed the build, what do I do with the 4 files? Extract them into my FS2 directory to replace the old ones?

[CaptJosh]

They don't replace. Just put them in the FS2 game folder, then point the launcher an the non-debug build. Although you should know that the Xt builds are taylor's experimental builds and they come from his "will robinson" folder.

[Insomniac34]

So if for some reason this XT build doesnt work, can I simply send it and its debug files back to the recycling bin and redirect my launcher to the older build?

[Insomniac34]

ah **** I just extracted the files into my FS2 file, and the launcher now crashes whenever I try and click on it. It says "Failed to Read Flag File", and I have installed OpenAL 3 times already and it is still doing it. I have deleted the XT builds from my folder, but I am still getting the error from my launcher

[CaptJosh]

First, make sure you don't still have a launcher running.
Secondly, if you have no extra launcher process running, delete the launcher6.ini file, then re-run the launcher.

[Jeff Vader]

1. Download the .rar archive.
2. Extract the contents of the .rar archive to your \freespace\ folder. Nothing is replaced; only added.
3. Open the Launcher, click Browse, select fs2_open_3_6_10-Xt_0314.exe, click Open. If you get a warning saying "Unrecognized command-line parameter -jpg/tga", just hit OK. -jpg/tga is enabled by default on 3.6.10 builds and isn't therefore listed, and you are merely notified of this fact.
4. Hit Apply. Click Run.

It says "Failed to Read Flag File", and I have installed OpenAL 3 times already and it is still doing it.

See one of the stickied threads on the Support board for instructions on how to completely uninstall and reinstall OpenAL.

[CaptJosh]

Actually, I think support of jpeg and targa truvision textures is no longer a command line parameter at all and simply is in all current FS2 Open builds.

[Jeff Vader]

That's pretty much what I was trying to say. There is no tickable option for it in 3.6.10 builds and if you try to type it in the Custom flags field, you'll get a notification about it. It is "on". Always.

[CaptJosh]

I'm starting to think that my subversion builds are 3.6.10 in that case, even though the filenames indicate otherwise.
Probably time to update the project files to indicate correct version number. I also need to figure out how to make it use the date as a build number in the filename when I compile.

[chief1983]

SVN has been 3.6.10 since it was set up, and you're right that the projects still make files named 3.6.9.  You'll have to change that.  In game they still should report 3.6.10 though, and that's more definitive than the filename I would imagine.

[Insomniac34]

I dont feel like creating a topic is necassary, but now i have ANOTHER annoying problem. Starfield.pof seems to have been screwed up somehow, as any map that uses it no longer has the awesome bright stars of before, but kind of a dim, slightly more starry form of the original background. Here is a screenshot:



How do I fix this problem? What file is starfield.pof located in so that I could aquire a new, non corrupt one?
Any ideas would be extremely appreciated...thanks!