[Fistleaf]

For Freespace 2 main campaign using FSO 3.6.10 mediavps, on many maps there is always one particular star that is so bright that the entire screen turns white completely when my ship is directly facing the star (I think this is called bloom).  This is making it hard to target enemy ships in the direction of that star.  Is this intended or a result of some graphics settings?

[portej05]

It's intended

[Fistleaf]

Ok, thanks.  I assume the non-FSO FS2 does not have this effect.  At least the original FS1 does not have this.

[portej05]

(Disclaimer: I can't run retail FS2 on the machine I'm on )

I believe it was there in the original
Makes things a little harder, and is a very low cost effect.

Can someone confirm?

[Commander Zane]

Usually all the stars that do that are two stars close by or a star with a subliminal star inside it.

[The E]

(Disclaimer: I can't run retail FS2 on the machine I'm on )

I believe it was there in the original
Makes things a little harder, and is a very low cost effect.

Can someone confirm?

It was indeed. The main sun in the mission always causes a whiteout.

[Fistleaf]

But is this effect realistic?    We do have technology to make sunglasses change their shading depending on the outdoor light conditions, so it is not far-fetched to assume that 24th century spacecraft can implement cockpit screen shading to block out the glare.

[The E]

Whether or not that would be realistic is beside the point; the effect was there in retail, so it's been carried over and refined in FSO.

Besides, most suns are enormous light sources, not getting blinded by looking at them takes a certain amount of shielding already.

[Jeff Vader]

And since this is not a general FreeSpace discussion, the Forbidden Argument^TM can be used: it's a game. Back in '99, the sun glare was a totally cool thing and having a sun blind you in a space game was far more mediasexier than what a dull coloured sphere could have ever been.

[Commander Zane]

I-War 2 suns are much cooler.

Especially flying just outside of the danger zones.

[portej05]

It's also a tactical thing. Although I'm not sure whether the AI makes any use of it.

[Sushi]

It would be nice if there was a way to control the "Brightness" of a sun, and the resulting degree of whiteout. It's fine for normal-sized suns, but tiny ones far away have the exact same effect.

[Commander Zane]

And the deal with the small stars is as I mentioned before there always seems to be two of them right next to each other.

[Dilmah G]

It's also a tactical thing. Although I'm not sure whether the AI makes any use of it.

No, however, you've given me a brilliant idea for the next mission I'm FREDing. 

[General Battuta]

Confirm that this effect was present in retail.

It's not actually bloom.

[portej05]

In code it appears to be done exactly the same way that the fade out effect is done (a single quad drawn across the screen) and then whited out depending on how close to the sun you turn.

[Aardwolf]

It's also a tactical thing. Although I'm not sure whether the AI makes any use of it.

No, however, you've given me a brilliant idea for the next mission I'm FREDing. 

You've never played JAD, have you?

[Dilmah G]

It's been years, dude.

[Aardwolf]

It's been years, dude.

In every mission of the original JAD campaign,

Spoiler:

you start out with the sun right in your eyes

[Dilmah G]

Ohhhhhhhh yeah, I remember now.  Forgive me.